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Post by listy on Aug 10, 2021 6:30:22 GMT
A couple of weeks ago we had a chat about where to go next with our monthly WHFRP session.
The choices seemed to be as follows (this is from memory, so feel free to chip in if I get something wrong)
1: Keep playing the same game/group as current. Although this has some limits as we only have about another six-seven years of material...) 2: Switch to a more modern version of WHFP, and roll new PC's. 3: Play something else.
For option 3: We could move across to the 40K universe, with the assorted systems for that, although there seems to be some disagreement on which system. We could switch to an entirely new game. Tim will, I'm sure, provide us a list of options.
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Post by kaustic on Aug 10, 2021 13:01:22 GMT
I would be happy with just about anything. All options would work for me.
40k is not something I have had much engagement with, but willing to give it a go, with apologies for my ignorance in advance if that's the consensus.
If really pushed I would say that a move to something away from a pure fantasy setting would be my option. But I'm happy to defer to more experienced players
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dan
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Post by dan on Aug 10, 2021 16:57:30 GMT
Hmmmm. 1. Warhammer 4. It's more of the same but it's been fun for years and would continue to be. 2. Rogue Trader. 40k but a bit more free form. 3. Shadowrun. Cyberpunk/Fantasy. A great world that I'm sure we'd have alot of fun in. Bur yeah most options would work for me.
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Post by Timf on Aug 12, 2021 15:08:29 GMT
THere are a variety of options which I shall put here and as I come up with more ideas will edit this post, so please look back for edits.
Fundamentally, we seem to have fatigued a bit on WFRP2 so options we have are (and there are a lot). These are in order that I thought of them rather than indicating my preferences. I'll be led by player preferences in where I go but I will also be led by mine (but I dont want to steer people) We also have to consider player rotation and interest for permanent vs occasional slots - as Simon has indicated he would like to join in. SO it depends upon available people, slots and games chosen.
First up
A set of Fantasy Grimdark sort of things. 1) Everyone is fine and I railroad you guys back to something I have material for in WFRP2. THis is something I have been avoiding the last few sessions as you guys have seemed to wnat to move away from assorted ingame personages that the railroading would mess with. 2) We do a WFRP2 restart and we go for the Thousand Thrones campaign. Thats an odd campaign in some ways and has 2 points where there is an utter utter railroad no players choice whatsoever barring two incredible luck options. 3) We move to WFRP4 which is set earlier in the WFRP continuum and I could run assorted material for that. WFRP 4 will be familiar enough for people to pick up quickly. Careers are laid out differently though with enough similarity to be followed (each career now has 4 levels, effectively already seen with priests and wizards but now done for everyone. So advanced careers dont exist, they are simply the higher levels of an existing one). Everything is very D10 based, combat is more dangerous if you get hit but fights are opposed rolls always effectively allowing parrying fighters to thrive - so its much more avoid getting hit, not absorb wounds. Chargen is random up front with the ability to make choices at the cost of experience at each point of roll. If you take no random results and build completely you end up about 1.5 advances behind everyone else. Magic has altered notably in mechanics.
Other Fantasy options 4) A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) - a D6 driven system, where the party come from a house (or the Wall) and house is a resource body for the players. Characters are predominantly built from a base and age driven benefits. Being young means low skills but lots of fate points 5) Wheel of Time (DnD 3.5 engine switched to the Wheel of Time world. Magic is a tad different) - DND like chargen
Semi-Modern 6) Feng Shui. A KungFu, time travelling action film with tech and fantasy elements which I would set in modern Singapore. Archtype base and build chargen
SciFi 7) Traveller is a good ol' standby and allows for considerable scope and variety and has the advantage of maintaining a certain element of Grimdark as its a dangerous world. Character generation is extended here, and its possible any ship could be run as a corporation if people wish to get away from the trading runs world to world. The party once assembled then get some bonus skill sets to fill in and the people with lowest skills pick first. I have some ideas what to run here though.... 8) Star Wars D6 - need I say more to describe this? I still have some adventures for this and it could be run as a fixed length (ie one adventure) intermission easily. Archetype base and build 9) Star Trek Adventures - a nice system uses some of the modern fad of tokens to tweak the game. No money game as you get mission gear. The ship is a major NPC and you have to settle on an era (Enterprise, TOS or Next Generation). As with any Star Trek, how the captain is handled is a significant issue but I have an idea and thats rotating the captain session by session - OK it makes them odd but it means nobody micromanages the game. Characters are built and its quite involved.
Future Grimdark. I think I have essentially exhausted my options in material for Space Marine sadly. 10) I have the Dark Heresy set and plenty of material there. 11) I have Only War and could run a Guard campaign by grabbing some stuff from Cubicle 7. The Regiment is a resource in the game for PCs. 12) I have some Rogue Trader material as with Only War I would have to get some material for it but easy enough. The oddness here is that the players will start with a ship, one player at least as the Rogue Trader with a Warrant, and the ship can have an army aboard in the right circumstances but still everybody goes down as an away team. It can jar if I dont get the blend right. Chargen in all is random stats, with elements of building on top of that.
I have discounted 3.5DnD of standard version (but could run it), and the Babylon 5 D20 game as that didnt go great last time....I almost left the Wheel of Time off for the same reason but decided to add it in.
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Post by listy on Aug 12, 2021 16:54:10 GMT
While I'm game with any of them, and will happily use them as an excuse to attend the club, my preference is something 40K. Because I know the background well, so Dark Hersey or Only War.
Of course I realise that some may want to break free of endless GW, so only take this as half a vote, if you get my meaning.
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dan
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Post by dan on Aug 13, 2021 14:04:29 GMT
Hmm you know D&D could be fun as I've never actually played it properly in Pen and Paper form only in computer game form such as Neverwinter Nights. I would very much like to try Star Trek and Warhammer 4 would work for me too. But I'll pretty much go with whatever get the most votes as it where from that list.
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Post by listy on Aug 13, 2021 17:23:26 GMT
Hmm you know D&D could be fun as I've never actually played it properly in Pen and Paper form only in computer game form such as Neverwinter Nights. I would very much like to try Star Trek and Warhammer 4 would work for me too. But I'll pretty much go with whatever get the most votes as it where from that list. Wonder if we could each get our own ships in ST?
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dan
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Post by dan on Aug 14, 2021 11:54:34 GMT
Hmm you know D&D could be fun as I've never actually played it properly in Pen and Paper form only in computer game form such as Neverwinter Nights. I would very much like to try Star Trek and Warhammer 4 would work for me too. But I'll pretty much go with whatever get the most votes as it where from that list. Wonder if we could each get our own ships in ST? We're department heads in the crew I believe (if I remember rightly from talking to Tim about it) so we have our own pool of minions. (Yellow/Red shirts depending on the era)
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Post by Timf on Aug 14, 2021 16:55:36 GMT
Your prime character will be an officer. Rank based on ship, station head may be too high. Secondary characters are enlisted IIRC
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dan
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Post by dan on Aug 14, 2021 17:39:04 GMT
TNG era ftw. Has by far the most scope imo.
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Post by listy on Aug 15, 2021 7:27:01 GMT
TNG era ftw. Has by far the most scope imo. But ST:Ent has you banging the rocks together technologically speaking, thus you don't get as much technobabble. I'd say there's more scope there than there is in any others. Plus they haven't learned the trick of '...routing X through the deflector dish...'. I'm also not sure about the rotating captaincy mechanic.
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dan
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Post by dan on Aug 15, 2021 9:29:49 GMT
TNG era ftw. Has by far the most scope imo. But ST:Ent has you banging the rocks together technologically speaking, thus you don't get as much technobabble. I'd say there's more scope there than there is in any others. Plus they haven't learned the trick of '...routing X through the deflector dish...'. I'm also not sure about the rotating captaincy mechanic. It does have that but again if I remember correctly Tim said the TNG setting is set just after the Enterprise D was destroyed at Veridian III and the Federation had just made disastrous first contact with the Dominion which starts the period of cold War with the Dominion before all out war in about 2 years time. So a very interesting period to play with.
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Post by listy on Aug 15, 2021 9:50:13 GMT
But ST:Ent has you banging the rocks together technologically speaking, thus you don't get as much technobabble. I'd say there's more scope there than there is in any others. Plus they haven't learned the trick of '...routing X through the deflector dish...'. I'm also not sure about the rotating captaincy mechanic. It does have that but again if I remember correctly Tim said the TNG setting is set just after the Enterprise D was destroyed at Veridian III and the Federation had just made disastrous first contact with the Dominion which starts the period of cold War with the Dominion before all out war in about 2 years time. So a very interesting period to play with. Hands up who heard a whistling sound there? At least Enterprise was a better program, and we'd all be that ignorant of galactic events. Plus, as I know full well you'll play a Vulcan, you can be an Evil one.
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dan
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Post by dan on Aug 15, 2021 10:44:56 GMT
It does have that but again if I remember correctly Tim said the TNG setting is set just after the Enterprise D was destroyed at Veridian III and the Federation had just made disastrous first contact with the Dominion which starts the period of cold War with the Dominion before all out war in about 2 years time. So a very interesting period to play with. Hands up who heard a whistling sound there? At least Enterprise was a better program, and we'd all be that ignorant of galactic events. Plus, as I know full well you'll play a Vulcan, you can be an Evil one. It'd be known to anyone who ever watched Deep Space Nine. And I think it's around that time that Voyager vanished too.
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Post by Timf on Aug 17, 2021 7:31:56 GMT
The TNG period has a lot going on - there are adventure set around the DOminion meeting, yes but you can slide easily enough. There is a lot fo tech and a lot of space to explore however the downside is that exploration is done and there is a lot of backup flying around with very high speeds and very long sensors losing a lot of the feel of 'we must deal with this'. The five year mission sort of thing just isnt there. But you get a lot of toys, races and so on. Also franbkly the story arcs in existence are vastly more codified.
Enterprise conversely has very few ships and fewer toys, shorter ranges and very much alone in the void feel. THis limits the races and options you can showcase while giving you a lot of space to play in.
THe TOS period has a blend of both and is the era of the classic five year missions and its the era I lean towards - though the choice of ships will affect that.
All the above assuming the Trek is where we go. THe entire 'how to handle the captain' issue is a BIG one. A PC in that role can be a nightmare. An NPC who is often not around is unsatisfying and leaves the most senior PC in the role, an NPC who is present and GM controlled essentially runs the game and has me reacting to myself and leaving hte PCs as dice rolling towers. The only workable solution is to share control of the NPC in question. Again with any Trek game this is always the single biggest issue unless you play a lot of Away Team missions and the PCs become a microcosm of that and use the Primer Directive heavily to keep the ship out of it (ship weapons from orbit are - potent shall we say).
THis is why there are other systems to discuss.....as I dont think anything is going to be perfect.
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