Tabletop Roleplaying Games (D&D, Pathfinder, CoC, ETC.)

[Mr. Manchester]

Lankhmar what?

As an aside, Wonders of Lankhmar (2e) is a great resource for one-shots, random encounters, and to help the party get back on track when they run in exactly the wrong direction. Saved my flatfooted ass a few times.

Also— Red Steel, Conan (d&d had Conan modules), Jakandor, and the lovely D&D historicals series. 2e really was a golden age.

Lankhmar and the Fafhrd & The Grey Mouser stories are things I steal for inspiration constantly. They're rare enough where most people you're running for aren't going to realize that you're ganking entire stories and just running them as adventures. I picked this up at a used book store years ago and I've cherrypicked a ridiculous amount of things from it.

One of the fun aspects of the town is that it's all made of wood and open flame is common, so it has these map squares you can just erase and replace when you feel like it because a chunk of the city burned down. All of a sudden the tavern they like is on fire and they have to save it, or the guy who stole from you has his house on fire and its time to steal from it, etc. Eventually the party might learn that lighting shit on fire is an option for them too...

Good shit all around.

 

[Anonymus Fluhre]

Lankhmar and the Fafhrd & The Grey Mouser stories are things I steal for inspiration constantly. They're rare enough where most people you're running for aren't going to realize that you're ganking entire stories and just running them as adventures. I picked this up at a used book store years ago and I've cherrypicked a ridiculous amount of things from it.
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One of the fun aspects of the town is that it's all made of wood and open flame is common, so it has these map squares you can just erase and replace when you feel like it because a chunk of the city burned down. All of a sudden the tavern they like is on fire and they have to save it, or the guy who stole from you has his house on fire and its time to steal from it, etc. Eventually the party might learn that lighting shit on fire is an option for them too...

Good shit all around.

I was more of a fan of Dave Arneson's Blackmoor myself. The one made in 2005 or whenever it was was rather meh but it's useful for lore.

Because Forgotten Realms sells, and companies are out to make money. I remember how much moaning there was back when 3e was released and it took them almost a whole year to release the Forgotten Realms book. It's far easier (and cheaper) for them to butcher an existing campaign setting with a well-established fanbase than it is for them to bet on Critical Role.

Always keep in mind that Wizards is doing this shit because they think they can get away with it. They think it's going to sell, and it's seemingly selling well enough to keep the division afloat. They're trying to draw more people into the hobby because they can see the teenagers who started playing with 3e twenty years ago aren't young anymore. The grognards are aging, and Wizards wants to try to secure its future by pandering to what they think the new generations want (they've done this before with 4e, too). It's a very clear "how do you do, fellow kids?" situation, and there are a lot of "fellow kids" out there falling for it.

Anyway, Forgotten Realms isn't going away. Instead of being abandoned and left to die with dignity, we're going to watch it being simultaneously sanitized of anything "offensive", and infested with Current Year politics. It has started already, and it's only going to get worse.


I usually see that in players that are more focused on numbers than roleplaying. Half the time I see someone saying "I want to roll to Persuade!", they didn't pay a second of attention to the GM's description of the NPC they're going after, and they think everything can be resolved with a skill check. Meanwhile, the people paying attention usually engage with the NPC first, make an argument and then get prompted by the GM to roll Persuasion.


I have actually played Dark Sun. A good amount of it, in fact. But that was only because my first long-term GM loved the setting and went through the trouble of converting it from AD&D to 3e. We played a few one-shots and one six month-long campaign in college before I graduated and moved away. So I want to see the setting updated to 5e because I know first-hand how fun it can be when you have a group who can get in the zone playing it.

On the other hand, I have seen late millennials and zoomers talking about how they want their "beloved" Dark Sun "back", when their only contact with it was flipping through the 4e rulebook once and never again. So I understand how annoying that is, too.

As for Planescape, I could never get interested in that setting. Torment didn't grab me either. Everything felt messy and disjointed, which I suppose makes sense for what they wanted to do with it. Either way, I didn't like it.

D&D is doing fine for WotC but every year there's talks about Hasbro wanting to sell it.

When the local video game chain GAME was closing down, people insisted I should shop their instead of online. The service was bad, the stock was often opened and in some cases even damaged, they cost more, and they often didn't stock what I wanted, but I was supposed to keep shopping there because "local jobs".

You can argue it's not the cashiers fault the company is failing pile of garbage, but I'm also not obligated to keep giving money to a bad company in the futile hope some of it might find it's way to a minimum wage worker just trying to get by.

Let's flip it around. How many copies of DnD Tranny Prom Night will you be buying at full price? Keep in mind, if Wizards don't sell enough the guy who sweeps the floors at the third party printing house might be out of a job.

Last time I checked, an artist was different from someone working the till. I get it though. Fuck the artist. It's one of the reasons I got out of art when I did. Look at it now. You have people who don't care for your hard work and having to do commissions for a pittance.

 

[Gingervitis]

Last time I checked, an artist was different from someone working the till. I get it though. Fuck the artist. It's one of the reasons I got out of art when I did. Look at it now. You have people who don't care for your hard work and having to do commissions for a pittance.

t. art major in college

 

[Ghostse]

Last time I checked, an artist was different from someone working the till. I get it though. Fuck the artist. It's one of the reasons I got out of art when I did. Look at it now. You have people who don't care for your hard work and having to do commissions for a pittance.

Again, am I obligated to buy the D&D Wheelchair minis? An artist made those, someone sculpted them, and I'm not giving them money.
Even when I bought from reaper it was only a couple of minis. Am I taking bread out of those artists mouths because I didn't buy their entire new release catalog every year?

I understand your point; an artist contracted with a company and doesn't have a lot of say in that company's operations. But I guess my point is if Reaper goes broke because they got woke, maybe there is a less pozzed company that takes its place. @Judge Dredd 's example is a perfectly salient point - by not shopping at a shitty store, he was contributing the employees being unemployed despite them having no-to-minimal input on corporate operations. His only other option was to waste money keeping a bad business afloat.

I guess to actually give you something to respond to:
Given that I disagree with Reaper having made their company political by issuing corporate statements with politics I vehemently oppose, I have opted to not do any further business with them so my money doesn't fund political causes I disagree with. This is not just individuals in the company doing this, this isn't the president making a personal donation to Biden/Harris, this a corporate statement and corporate donations to causes. This is them seemingly disciplining employees who, in their capacityas private individuals and not as employees of Reaper, expressed opinions that run contrary to those Political leanings.
You say my refusal to do business with Reaper unneedingly harms sculptors. Ok.
Even Reaper's bones lines are a few bucks a piece; the artist getting a few cents and the majority going to a company who's operations I do not wish to fund. What is my alternative? I'm refusing to do business with Reaper, not blackballing any of their sculptors. How do I accomplish my goal (not funding a business who entered politics, with politics I disagree with) in a manner you would deem as not Fucking the Artist? This is a completely earnest inquiry.

 

[ZMOT]

Last time I checked, an artist was different from someone working the till. I get it though. Fuck the artist. It's one of the reasons I got out of art when I did. Look at it now. You have people who don't care for your hard work and having to do commissions for a pittance.

different how? and how would they both differ from healthcare workers who get fucked over even harder?

you're still confusing supporting a company with supporting artists. the second those artists join another company or even do their own crowdfunding and their politics can be summed up with "I just want to sell plastic", there will be people throwing money in their direction, that's what demand means.

kinda unrelated, but I'd like to point out artists have their own responsibility, it's not my job to fund artists or whoever else who gets dicked by retarded corporations or simply the system with my measly sum of my own wagecuck money. the market changes constantly and makes jobs redundant and obsolete all the time, it's everyone's own responsibility to keep up with that, and as much as it sucks to change careers or learn new stuff the older you get, that's just the way it is and most likely will be for quite some time.

do I want artists to keep creating and be fairly reimbursed for their work? absolutely, but that's not how the world works right now, the little I can do is give my limited amount of money to people that don't shit on me or my politics.

and lastly, there are plenty of retarded artists around thinking their shit is gold and have completely lopsided perceptions what their work is actually worth - that's something you see quite often especially with miniature 3d printing booming during corona, where they set ridiculous prices at best set by minimum wage ("this mini took me 10h to make, that's 150 bucks!") and then get pissy when people don't buy it, group buy or outright share it. the second you release a product or do any kind of work you are beholden to the market, you're competing with everybody else who does the exact same thing you do and that sets the value for your work. a company is just the middleman in that case.
that's basic fucking economics, and it doesn't matter if you're an artist, wageslave or whatever.

 

[Wormy]

Good shit all around.

Ever play this?

Loads of good times in my early gaming days, even before I knew what the heck Newhonian lore was.

 

[Hummingbird]

I know we talked about 5th edition Ravenloft a few pages back, but I just came across a YT video that goes into it and gives it a very fair review. It goes into the diversity crap they tried to shove in.

 

[Anonymus Fluhre]

People here sound as bad as the people I see on other RPG forums. No wonder the hobby is dying.

 

[Adamska]

People here sound as bad as the people I see on other RPG forums. No wonder the hobby is dying.

You are almost intentionally trying to make "support the company" the exact same as "support the artist", when it isn't. Companies are not the artists; they're an entity that hires them, usually underpaying them already and fucking them already. You are also intentionally ignoring the "I'd happily support the artist so long as they make stuff I want" parts of the posts. People have demand, but these entities refuse to fulfil it in favor of a fake demand that doesn't exist.

But hey, might as well do a you, put words in your mouth, and say "suck the corporate cock and don't question it".

 

[Corn Flakes]

You are almost intentionally trying to make "support the company" the exact same as "support the artist", when it isn't. Companies are not the artists; they're an entity that hires them, usually underpaying them already and fucking them already. You are also intentionally ignoring the "I'd happily support the artist so long as they make stuff I want" parts of the posts. People have demand, but these entities refuse to fulfil it in favor of a fake demand that doesn't exist.

Here's something Fluhre can do: look if the artist accepts freelance commissions or has a store selling posters, prints and other merch, then support the artist by buying directly from them. I know at least a handful of BattleTech's artists do it, same with the more low-profile Magic the Gathering artists. I'm sure a lot of sculptors take commissions as well.

Of course, bespoke work tends to be a lot more expensive than mass-produced material, so you're paying for it. But if his concern is entirely with the artist I'm sure he'll be happy to pay the premium.

 

[Emperor Julian]

You can't use employees as hostages for a scummy Corp. Nestle may have loads of staff but that doesn't change the fact they're pure evil and need to go. Cutting out cancer is always painful and unpleasant but if you don't it Eats the host I mean just look at v5

 

[TheRedChair]

Again, am I obligated to buy the D&D Wheelchair minis? An artist made those, someone sculpted them, and I'm not giving them money.
Even when I bought from reaper it was only a couple of minis. Am I taking bread out of those artists mouths because I didn't buy their entire new release catalog every year?

I understand your point; an artist contracted with a company and doesn't have a lot of say in that company's operations. But I guess my point is if Reaper goes broke because they got woke, maybe there is a less pozzed company that takes its place. @Judge Dredd 's example is a perfectly salient point - by not shopping at a shitty store, he was contributing the employees being unemployed despite them having no-to-minimal input on corporate operations. His only other option was to waste money keeping a bad business afloat.

I guess to actually give you something to respond to:
Given that I disagree with Reaper having made their company political by issuing corporate statements with politics I vehemently oppose, I have opted to not do any further business with them so my money doesn't fund political causes I disagree with. This is not just individuals in the company doing this, this isn't the president making a personal donation to Biden/Harris, this a corporate statement and corporate donations to causes. This is them seemingly disciplining employees who, in their capacityas private individuals and not as employees of Reaper, expressed opinions that run contrary to those Political leanings.
You say my refusal to do business with Reaper unneedingly harms sculptors. Ok.
Even Reaper's bones lines are a few bucks a piece; the artist getting a few cents and the majority going to a company who's operations I do not wish to fund. What is my alternative? I'm refusing to do business with Reaper, not blackballing any of their sculptors. How do I accomplish my goal (not funding a business who entered politics, with politics I disagree with) in a manner you would deem as not Fucking the Artist? This is a completely earnest inquiry.

Also to add. If the artist in question is hired by a company then that artist most likely will not get any royalties from said work. One shot payment and it is done.

OR you could be hired as an employee of said company and you get paid your hourly wages.

The Bullshit of harming the artist in question is... Bullshit.

 

[Jet Fuel Johnny]

People here sound as bad as the people I see on other RPG forums. No wonder the hobby is dying.

Was it difficult posting this from ENWorld circa 2002?

 

[Mooger Meng]

Here's something Fluhre can do: look if the artist accepts freelance commissions or has a store selling posters, prints and other merch, then support the artist by buying directly from them. I know at least a handful of BattleTech's artists do it, same with the more low-profile Magic the Gathering artists. I'm sure a lot of sculptors take commissions as well.

Of course, bespoke work tends to be a lot more expensive than mass-produced material, so you're paying for it. But if his concern is entirely with the artist I'm sure he'll be happy to pay the premium.

>tfw M:tG will never have the Fogilios do card art again

 

[LTO Data Cartridge]

People here sound as bad as the people I see on other RPG forums. No wonder the hobby is dying.

Lol fuck artists I don't pay for shit

 

[Judge Dredd]

People here sound as bad as the people I see on other RPG forums. No wonder the hobby is dying.

Okay then. What's my obligation to these shitty companies? How many shitty books and models do I have to buy? Or is it a certain amount per month I have to pay?

I assume you bought Super Meatpunk Forever and Thirsty Sword Lesbians. You don't want the hobby to die after all.

There's something I wasn't going to bring up since @Ghostse replied already, but since you're so salty about it I have to ask.

Last time I checked, an artist was different from someone working the till.

In my example, the guy at the till was an example of a low rank employee with no say on corporate policy. You say artists aren't that. So if artists do have a say, why didn't they push back while these companies systematically alienated their fans through stupid decision making?

To put it another way. Someone had to paint that gay fantasy prom, someone had to sculpt those wheelchair minis. Why didn't the artists say "No, this is stupid, I'm not doing it."? By your own logic, that was always an option for them.

So, if the option to say no existed but artists refused to take it, then fuck artists. Fuck artists for bending the knee to Twitter crazies that hate them.

 

[Kup]

Have any of you seen the combat wheelchair deployed in the wild? Cause I have.

Let me set the stage, game store reopens. Fresh campaigns at every table, some dangerhair steps up to my table and the guys I was playing with stupidly decide to let her join. She deploys it, we are all taken aback. We’d heard rumours but never seen one in person.

It was also that moment where I decided to start gatekeeping, both in game and out. Placing rocks in hallways so Wheelie couldn’t get through, removing ramps, icing floors and one point used a bomb loaded with corrosive gas, harmless to humans but bad for wood.

I can tell the full story if you guys want but holy shit, the types that actually use such a thing truly are a spectacle to behold.

 

[Wormy]

Have any of you seen the combat wheelchair deployed in the wild? Cause I have.

Let me set the stage, game store reopens. Fresh campaigns at every table, some dangerhair steps up to my table and the guys I was playing with stupidly decide to let her join. She deploys it, we are all taken aback. We’d heard rumours but never seen one in person.

It was also that moment where I decided to start gatekeeping, both in game and out. Placing rocks in hallways so Wheelie couldn’t get through, removing ramps, icing floors and one point used a bomb loaded with corrosive gas, harmless to humans but bad for wood.

I can tell the full story if you guys want but holy shit, the types that actually use such a thing truly are a spectacle to behold.

I can say in 35 years of playing, I've never encountered one of these things. What the heck are they even?

 

[Raoul_Duke]

Have any of you seen the combat wheelchair deployed in the wild? Cause I have.

Let me set the stage, game store reopens. Fresh campaigns at every table, some dangerhair steps up to my table and the guys I was playing with stupidly decide to let her join. She deploys it, we are all taken aback. We’d heard rumours but never seen one in person.

It was also that moment where I decided to start gatekeeping, both in game and out. Placing rocks in hallways so Wheelie couldn’t get through, removing ramps, icing floors and one point used a bomb loaded with corrosive gas, harmless to humans but bad for wood.

I can tell the full story if you guys want but holy shit, the types that actually use such a thing truly are a spectacle to behold.

Please, tell us. I'd love to hear how bad it went.

 

[Ghostse]

Have any of you seen the combat wheelchair deployed in the wild? Cause I have.

Let me set the stage, game store reopens. Fresh campaigns at every table, some dangerhair steps up to my table and the guys I was playing with stupidly decide to let her join. She deploys it, we are all taken aback. We’d heard rumours but never seen one in person.

It was also that moment where I decided to start gatekeeping, both in game and out. Placing rocks in hallways so Wheelie couldn’t get through, removing ramps, icing floors and one point used a bomb loaded with corrosive gas, harmless to humans but bad for wood.

I can tell the full story if you guys want but holy shit, the types that actually use such a thing truly are a spectacle to behold.

Usually I give people the benefit of the doubt, and unless its the natural consequences of their character's actions avoid turning the game world on them since that only feeds into their persecution narrative. But I'll go with your deduction on that being the right course of action.

I'd probably do something like make progression require swimming through an underwater passage way where their wheelchair either floats or is something they need to drag through. And if they establish their wheelchair is heavier than water, a rushing water trap waits in the next room.

Actually if I had time to be aware this was coming I'd murder-suicide every player in the group starting with the Lvl 8 Simp Knight who invited her make the whole dungeon purposely non-ADA compliant because the BBEG hates the disabled. Let them live their oppression fantasy and turn that into the adventure: you want to bring a cripple to the dungeon so lets show precisely why that's a bad idea when you are on your 10th random encounter and haven't left the first room.