@masukomi@dice.camp
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

masukomi

@masukomi@dice.camp

👉 Senior Back-End Dev. Seeking Remote Position 👈

Autodidactic, Autistic, ADHD, Trans 🏳️‍⚧️, programmer who loves thinking about TTRPGs.

If you're interested in hearing my random thoughts about life, programming geekery, 3D printing, and cute pics of my dogs and cat, then follow my other account at https://connectified.com/@masukomi

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

masukomi, to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

Something that I've noticed in Candela Obscura & other recent games is the decision to NOT include character sheets in the book, and instead just link you to the web-site.

THIS IS A TERRIBLE IDEA.

I have games that are over 30yrs old in my bookshelf. Do you really think your web site is going to still be around in that much time? Many of my books link to sites that no longer exist, or downloads that no longer exist.

1/2

masukomi, to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

“However, there is something intuitive about the four elements and the roles they play…

“… a character jumping across rooftops would roll his Fire dice, a character dodging bullets would roll his Water dice, a character intimidating a foe would roll Air, and a character resisting a mind-control spell would roll Earth.” -

I feel like the author & I are working from different definitions of the word “intuitive”

masukomi, to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

I'm surely not the 1st to think of this, but I've been practicing a strategy I call "character sheet based development"

1st design the character sheet (don't get fancy)
2nd create / modify rules to support what the sheet shows.

1/?

masukomi, to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

I received Age of Desolation earlier this week. If memory serves, I ordered it because they were doing something interesting with character creation / classes. The actual setting is a) violates physics with wild abandon b) as pitched, sounds like a 13yr old boy’s idea of “dark and edgy”

1st: the cards & other things came in a “box” bulging because it was too small.

🧵 1/?

A bulging black thing that exists somewhere in between box and envelope. It is too small for its contents.
A photograph of a two page spread that is all text. If you zoom in you can see just how thin the font is.

masukomi, to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

I got to thinking about Generic TTRPG systems, and why I don't really care when I see a new one. It's not that I own a lot of them. It's that they're really just generic combat systems. It doesn't matter how great your new combat system is... I want to do more than just go around fighting people.

That's what this blog post is all about.

https://weblog.masukomi.org/2024/01/26/on-generic-ttrpg-systems/

masukomi, to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

So, the reason I was looking at Star Wars - and other games - was because I'm questioning the whole point of "Character Advancement" in games that aren't power fantasies.

There are many games where you're just a "normal" person or "Normal+" 😉

Why do so many of those games have "advancement" or "levels" or whatever? Is it just because it's become expected? If you're not playing a Power Fantasy then why do characters just gaining power and capability at an impossible rate?

masukomi, (edited ) to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

@Taskerland commented that my flow-chart looked "Fiendish". They're not wrong, and I wanted to talk about that. More specifically about the hidden complexity in games & how designers need to think about things differently than players.

Here's a cleaned up version. Don't worry about reading the individual nodes, they're not important to this discussion.

Side note: I'd love to make these for your unreleased game in exchange for money. 😉
🧵1/16

masukomi, to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

Just watched this 15 min post playtest review of Daggerhart by DND Shorts: https://youtu.be/4DRMI9op9Zw

I'm still working my way through this massive book, and haven't made it to the GM section, but I have a feeling I'm going to end up agreeing with him about most everything based on some hints i've seen so far & what i saw during the Critical Role one-shot of it.

masukomi, to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

Does anyone know of a Year Zero Engine based game (or something similar) that uses a Doom Pool?

The mechanic I had was too... "doomy". I'd rather borrow from something that works than try and reinvent this wheel.

masukomi, to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

5 books 📚, 5 VERY different takes on how to introduce a setting. A thread 🧵 looking at Numenera, Ebberon, Ravnica, Torg Eternity, & Spire.

I'm having trouble figuring out how to introduce my setting to players. I came away from a discussion with wifey (a writer) with homework to go read how other games approached it, and other tasks.

What I discovered was really surprising.
🧵1/16

masukomi, to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

I’m putting something together to talk about Downtime and games that provide good tools to help players tell stories during it.

Please lemme know what games you think do this well, and what you like about their approach.

masukomi, to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

In RPG Academy's TikTok intro post they said their motto was "If you're having fun, you're doing it right."

I agree with the sentiment, but I think we need to do better.

The short version is that we need to borrow from the Wiccan Rede: "An ye harm none, do what ye will"

If you're having fun, and no-one's getting hurt, you're doing it right.

Expanding on that in 🧵

RPG Academy https://therpgacademy.com
Wiccan Rede: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiccan_Rede

masukomi, to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

I love and .. don’t love FATE / Fudge

My core problem with it is that on average you always roll whatever your rating is in any skill and that characters are always atypically good at things.

The question isn’t really “will i succeed?” Because on average you know the answer before you roll. The dice just add a tiny bit of variance.

The mechanics let you increase the predicted number by two but that doesn’t change the fact the you already know the outcome of the roll w/ reasonable confidence

masukomi, to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

@malin linked me to their idea for calculating "faff" in games. It's a way to generate a numeric rating for how much work the player has to go through to accomplish a task. https://ttrpgs.com/post/faff/

I tackle this problem with flow charts. I find them to be an incredible way to expose hidden complexity. Most folks think D&D combat could be simplified, but isn't too bad, but then you see this. 1 rounds worth of decisions & actions for 1 player. Ignore the text. Focus on HOW MANY STEPS there are

masukomi, to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

I’m not sure why but i love the fact that Star Wars D6 was able to accommodate the ridiculously detailed skills, & species, & weapons, & so on, AND STILL be able to fit a full character sheet on half a page.

The system’s actually Good too.

Every time i re-open these books I’m impressed.

masukomi, to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

Accidentally deleted my post requesting pointers to card-based and card-centric TTRPGs. Fortunately I still have all your lovely replies, and am working my way through the list (unordered):

  1. This Ship Is No Mother
  2. Everway
  3. World Wide Wrestling
  4. Zombie Cinema
  5. Paranoia (only the Red Clearance Edition)
  6. Nine Worlds
  7. Primetime Adventures
  8. Full Deck Roleplaying
  9. Neon Shadows
  10. Castle Falkenstein
  11. Dragonlance the Fifth Age
  12. Unbound

Holler if you know of any others.

masukomi, to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

FATE continues to be something of a Holy Guide for me in developing my game. There are SO many aspects‡ of it I love.

BUT every time i think of playing it I think about this graph, & the implication that the dice are only barely introducing any variance. 60% of the time you will roll whatever your stat is. 80% of the time you'll roll your skill +/- 1.

I feel like why are we even bothering to roll?

And then I think about stunts.

‡ 🤭
🧵1/8

masukomi, to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

I'm using AI to generate placeholder images in my game's layout (good for feel & tone). I'll replace them with actual human creations later.

It's hard, because AI REALLY doesn't "understand" anything. So if it's not standard (i.e. the crap we come up with for games) it's gonna get tripped up.

This is one of those mistakes, but also it's SO DAMN CUTE I had to share.

I'm not sure what game these 4 belong in, but I'm confident I want to play it.

masukomi, to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

I think i may have come up with a mental framing for taking games with problems, and using that as a starting point for discussions without absolutely trashing the game or its creator. Any 👍 / 👎 or thoughts you may have on this idea would be greatly appreciated.

Approach, and analyze the game like an Archaeologist...
🧵

masukomi, to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

@Covok any chance you could point me to a copy of Wild Hunt? I’m having trouble finding it in my searches.

masukomi, (edited ) to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

[EDIT 🧵 broke. Here's the previous toot https://dice.camp/@masukomi/112383101665779072 ]

Here's the thing that really surprised me about Gaslight Club. It's 95% rules, 4.5% GM advice, and 0.5% setting. The latter's probably hyperbolic but not by much.

This page is all you get, aside from a few snippets here & there in GM advice sections.

It feels like "Hey you saw Westworld right? Yeah just… you know. Like that."

IMNSHO that sucks. Also, what if you or the players HAVEN'T seen Westworld⁉️

🧵 3/?

masukomi, to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

re. the Fantasy Old Wizard trope:

  1. did you know that it's not exclusively white guys who grow to be "old wizards"? Women and people of color do too!
  2. did you know that not all elderly magical women are white, "grandmotherly", or "witchy"?
    3.did you know that wizards aren't required to wear robes?

Imagine a world of old respected black wizards & cranky old ladies who could invert the planet with a thought, & don't care about your piddling little quest, or plucking herbs.

masukomi, to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

I have a love/hate relationship with Narrative Dice.

I desperately WANT to use them, but most implementations result in one of two scenarios. Either the GM is needing to come up with some ancillary positive or negative effect on essentially every roll OR they can be used for some simple mechanical effect like +1 damage / harm and everyone just ends up using that because it's HARD to come up with narrative "yes but/and" on EVERY roll.
🧵1/7

masukomi, to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

I keep coming across mentions of the 13th age Kickstarter & I feel like I’m missing something. I have 13th age & one of the adventures for it. BUT despite the fact that it was created by game developers with highly respected skills, and definitely has some interesting and noteworthy ideas in it, nothing about it made me say “ooh i wanna play this!”

🧵1/?

masukomi, to random
@masukomi@dice.camp avatar

@daniel commented that they prefer running games that don't require tons of VTT prep.

I have thoughts, specifically around the value of VTTs (or table equivalent), even in games that are GREAT for Theatre-of-the-Mind style play.
🧵1/8

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • •
  • JUstTest
  • modclub
  • DreamBathrooms
  • InstantRegret
  • tacticalgear
  • magazineikmin
  • Youngstown
  • thenastyranch
  • mdbf
  • slotface
  • rosin
  • Leos
  • kavyap
  • Durango
  • normalnudes
  • ethstaker
  • everett
  • GTA5RPClips
  • cubers
  • khanakhh
  • ngwrru68w68
  • anitta
  • provamag3
  • cisconetworking
  • tester
  • osvaldo12
  • megavids
  • lostlight
  • All magazines
    •