I concur that people, as a rule, are problematic. I suppose that irresponsible cyclists confuse me most of all because I feel like they should have a bit more sense of how squishy we all are, since they aren't generally encased in two tons of plastic and steel and fiberglass, and therefore don't get that false sense of security.
I hate to be a broken record, but stupidity sort of preempts this sort of logical reasoning. 
@Wizz said in Brainstorming: Hybrid/Homebrew Werewolf Game:
@Coin said in Brainstorming: Hybrid/Homebrew Werewolf Game:
Maybe I'm overthinking it.
I think you are. It's been thousands of years since the supposed origins of the Tribes. It's entirely possible many Uratha never went to any Firstborn, or that they went to other powerful spirits for patronage. But the werewolf population is small, you can't really apply the same demographics to them that we would for humanity. It's perfectly feasible that there were just eight large groups of werewolves who each went to a Firstborn--and then started hunting down the remaining Uratha and either converting them, or eliminating them (depending on the Tribe and, yes, local culture and decisions).
It's also just more simple, and if you're going to customize a large chunk of two games, I think the simpler the better. But that's just me.
@lordbelh I haven't watched it. I was up late watching the Raptors game so I didn't have it in me to stay up more. So I avoided the internet for the entire morning, I was super paranoid about being spoiled.
Then my freakin' niece from across the freakin' ocean PMs me on Facebook and spoils it.
Arrrrghhhhhhh.
LULZ.
Actually, the developers have said that the order they picked things to go in the book is the order that, according to their experience and the feedback from their target demographic, is the most common order in which the books are read. This is the reason that, for example, in both Vampire and Werewolf 2e, the Clan and Auspice write-ups come right after the introduction, followed closely by the Covenants and Tribes, innate powers, and then Disciplines and Gifts.
This wasn't an accident. This was by design to present the book in an order aimed at the largest amount of people so that they would read the book from front to back.
It has nothing to do with how important the writers thing something is over something else, or even how important things are to the players in relation to other aspects, but rather what is most interesting to read to the majority of readers when they first get the book.
@tragedyjones
Carter kicked so much ass in the past two episodes. Captain America who? MISS UNION JACK.
Basically, i involves dialing things back to a situation more akin to the pre-War of Rage, where the werewolves were actually just one more species of Fera. If we're combining CofD and cWoD, it would essentially be that instead of the Forsaken being the premiere shapeshifters who had a Pangaena ancestor, each of the shapeshifting species would have their own Pangaean ancestor, probably each one of those having mated with the moon (or, in some cases, another large spirit, like Helios, or had absolutely different origins, like the Nagah and their River Kings).
It would essentially present a world where all of the shapeshifting species had their own role, including the werewolves, and they (ostensibly) worked together, etc. Think more Hengeyokai from cWoD, basically. You could even do cool things, where the werespiders and wererats are the ones most pushing to erradicate the Azlu and Beshilu because theys ee it, maybe, as their Pangaean ancestors trying to restructure and reform themselves to take vengeance.
It would be larger in scope. Depending on how it's structured, you can have Auspices remain across the species (Rahu, Irraka, etc.) and apply the species themselves as Tribes (doing away with the Tribes per se and, perhaps, instituting the Pure as an interspecies sort of coalition) which is my personal preference, or you could do away with Auspices and keep the Tribes, giving each species a function and having that take over as Auspices (Uratha are warriors! Nagah are assassins! Nuwisha are teachers! Whatever whatever!) You could also keep Auspices AND Tribes but then you have to buckle down and apply the same for each species, which nnnnnnnnnnnnnnngh that's a lot of work. I guess you could use species as a tertiary axis and just give all of them the same Auspice AND Tribe, but that seems strange (though I can see it working fine with some effort).
Regardless, mechanically speaking, the other species would work the same as werewolves, with different bonuses and different natural abilities, lots of customization via Merits (e.g. instead of giving Nagah AGGRAVATED VENOM from the get go, they need to buy up from a slight paralytic agent that barely slows other shapeshifters down, to something that does outright organ damage on contact). I'd probably keep the bonuses for shapeshifting within the same parameters as the Uratha (i.e. in Gauru they have +8 total in Attributes, so everyone would get +8 to distribute, bonuses to senses might be different sesnes but same bonus, and then some judgment calls for specific things).
For species that have very large differences within the species itself (for example, cats, who can range anywhere from 'lynx' to 'tiger' I would probably do something similar to how the Mokolé were handled, with Merits that can adjust forms to suit whatever the player wants to play.
Depending on how you divide them socially, it can create different viewpoints and relationships to spirits, etc.
I'd also probably definitely bring back the Camazotz, because they're my jam.
@tragedyjones said in Good TV:
Not looking forward to Jon and Sansa just missing one another.
I really hope they don't do it that way. It would be a horrible choice right now. They need to start consolidating, not continue playing the keepaway game.
In general, if we're talking about professionals who continue training and maintaining their skills as they get older, then what tends to happen is their natural physical abilities dwindle slowly, but their learned skills and long-term experience can compensate. You could do this by limiting a Skill rating by age and inversely limiting an Attribute rating by age, I suppose.
@Gingerlily said in Good TV:
@Gingerlily said in Good TV:
@Gingerlily I read -- man, it's hard to remember now. At least four or five of them. There's so many now, and yeah, they're so long. I think it's the last one or two that I haven't read. The show's a delight, though.
In way sadder news, Agent Carter got cancelled and I am heartbroken FOREVER.
So did Galavant.
I don't know what either Agent Carter or Galavant are but if one of your shows got cancelled @Coin it seems like you should try a new one! Maybe...Outlander!
Galavant was a medival comedy musical that you would probably love if you weren't obstinate and tried things I suggest
Is there breakdancing?
I don't think so but I might be wrong. There might actually be some breakdancing.
@Wizz said in Brainstorming: Hybrid/Homebrew Werewolf Game:
@Coin said in Brainstorming: Hybrid/Homebrew Werewolf Game:
Basically, i involves dialing things back to a situation more akin to the pre-War of Rage, where the werewolves were actually just one more species of Fera. If we're combining CofD and cWoD, it would essentially be that instead of the Forsaken being the premiere shapeshifters who had a Pangaena ancestor, each of the shapeshifting species would have their own Pangaean ancestor, probably each one of those having mated with the moon (or, in some cases, another large spirit, like Helios, or had absolutely different origins, like the Nagah and their River Kings).
It would essentially present a world where all of the shapeshifting species had their own role, including the werewolves, and they (ostensibly) worked together, etc. Think more Hengeyokai from cWoD, basically.
The one thing I'd want to point out here is that it is a really good idea to keep the "role" thing going, but each one should be revisited. The oWoD Fera and Garou were all united (basically, originally, on paper) under one deity, and she literally gave them their purpose, but in CoD the Uratha have a role because they specifically inherited Wolf's "duty," which was to BE Wolf. S/he was the spirit of the hunt, s/he was literally his/her duty. There is a huge goldmine of unity but also conflict and contradiction there that doesn't have to be driven by jealousy or pride like it was with the Garou, the different Fera could have coincidentally (or intentionally!) just been created to do absolutely opposite things.
Totally. there could be a bunch of reasons why each species does what they do and they could definitely have conflict. And if the purposes of two species conflict with each other, they would need to balance out, come to an agreement, co-exist in a way that is both violent and viable. But that's the job of the players, not the setting.
This also kinda ties in to how I see the Triat existing in the game, BTW. I don't really want to do the Apocalypse thing and have them be these insane forces spinning out of control and balance. They are not "good" or "evil," they just...are. I think it'd be kind of neat to have each Pangaen ancestor originate from (or be an aspect of) one. Wolf came from the Wyld, Spinner-Hag from the Weaver, Plague King from the Wyrm, just for example.
Yeah. Or even the union between one of these three larger concepts and slightly smaller concepts. Wyld plus the conceptual spirit of Hunting could have led to Wolf, etc.
It would be larger in scope. Depending on how it's structured, you can have Auspices remain across the species (Rahu, Irraka, etc.) and apply the species themselves as Tribes (doing away with the Tribes per se and, perhaps, instituting the Pure as an interspecies sort of coalition) which is my personal preference, or you could do away with Auspices and keep the Tribes, giving each species a function and having that take over as Auspices (Uratha are warriors! Nagah are assassins! Nuwisha are teachers! Whatever whatever!) You could also keep Auspices AND Tribes but then you have to buckle down and apply the same for each species, which nnnnnnnnnnnnnnngh that's a lot of work.
See, yeah, that would be a ton of work, but I LOVE how different auspices were (mostly) for each breed. Sometimes the writers just cheated and copy-pasta'd, yeah, but I think it would really be worth it and extend the life of the game to put the time and effort in.
A good compromise might be giving all the species the same Auspices but having write-ups about how each Auspice works differently under each species (sort of the same way as how each Auspice is different under each Tribe). An Irraka werewolf might be different than, say, an Irraka Ratkin or an Irraka Nagah.
Regardless, mechanically speaking, the other species would work the same as werewolves, with different bonuses and different natural abilities, lots of customization via Merits (e.g. instead of giving Nagah AGGRAVATED VENOM from the get go, they need to buy up from a slight paralytic agent that barely slows other shapeshifters down, to something that does outright organ damage on contact). I'd probably keep the bonuses for shapeshifting within the same parameters as the Uratha (i.e. in Gauru they have +8 total in Attributes, so everyone would get +8 to distribute, bonuses to senses might be different sesnes but same bonus, and then some judgment calls for specific things).
+1
For species that have very large differences within the species itself (for example, cats, who can range anywhere from 'lynx' to 'tiger' I would probably do something similar to how the Mokolé were handled, with Merits that can adjust forms to suit whatever the player wants to play.
I am definitely in the camp of More Options Are Almost Always Better. I actually love having choice paralysis sometimes when I find a game and get really excited about all the possibilities!
I'd also probably definitely bring back the Camazotz, because they're my jam.
GURAHL/RATKIN 4 LYF
I actually wrote a Camazotz breedbook like 15 years ago, man. I still have most of it, too.
So Banshee is over. I just watched the last episode.
Aside from its rather lamentable treatment of the vast majority of its female characters (they're all strong characters; it's usually their ends that I'm cringey about), especially in its second half (seasons 3 and 4) and its... unfortunate choice of antagonists for its third season (nngh, but still super compellingly written), it was perhaps one of the best made action shows I've seen in a very, very long time.
@HelloProject said in Emotional separation from fictional content:
@Derp I don't really understand the necessity of "all or nothing". Everyone having their particular preferences of what they want to play and what they don't want to play is basically RP 101.
Just straight up dictating what objectively does or doesn't happen in the world just seems kind of bizarre and heavy-handed to me. I'm not sure why expecting people to be adults, which has literally been the cornerstone of every good MU I've ever played, is so outrageous that one needs to finely dictate in IC terms why certain events don't happen. That's just kind of really weird.
Like, plenty of games say "We don't accept these kinds of themes", but they don't go "Oh this never happens 'cause unicorn magic" or something. That's just lazy writing in my opinion.
Can you imagine if Full House went out of its way to explain why there is a lack of brutal murder in the series?
This may be the single most coherent post/thought I've ever seen you present.
@Kanye-Qwest said in RL things I love:
@Coin Yes! I build AP nasus and get kills under turret as soon as we push in. Nobody expects that damage.
I'm horrible at League of Legends, to be perfectly and brutally honest.
Like, until I picked it up again recently, I used to have record deaths and shit. I didn't even give a fuck. I still don't, really. Nothing makes me grin like a sadistic monster more than watching people lose their shit because I'm bad at a game and they need this win against these bots omg.
So when I was the one carrying the entire ARAM team on Ashe of all squishysquishes, it was fucking hilarious. And then the rest of my team surrendered. Who the fuck surrenders in ARAM? Bunch of wusses.
@Arkandel said in Emotional separation from fictional content:
@saosmash said in Emotional separation from fictional content:
I'm completely mystified at the idea that a sex-rated rant out of the blue wouldn't be across the line. I mean ... what?
That's the one thing I can guarantee, 100%, that it happens - because I've specifically spoken with people on the receiving end. Their reasoning was actually very close to Gany's - "yes, that person is a creep, but I can handle myself". And that's often true, but the person in question isn't only talking to them, and the next person might not be able to handle it as well, and if they don't bother reporting them either before just logging out never to go back...
Lowering the report-bar seemed like an idea to consider.
However @surreality is correct in that this is probably off topic at this point, so I'll stop bringing it up.
Then the problem here is your phrasing. One thing is "does it cross the line" and another, separate thing, is "does it cross the line in a way that I can't personally handle," and another is "does this happen to other people and can I help them even if I can handle my own part of this on my own".
You tried reducing three intricate responses and considerations to a single phrase that has led to an answer you find unsatisfactory.
@mietze said in RL things I love:
@Coin Are you pregnant, girl, or just really fat?
I am none of these!
Can't a man just love naps and oatmeal with brown sugar? Gosh. So oppressed. ;_____;
Yeah. Unless I am running something for someone specifically, who has told me what they want, everyone gets the same warning from me: my plots can be dangerous, disgusting, and disturbing. Not always all three, almost always at least one of them, and I don't always know to what extent.
Basically it's like: can you sit through one of the more intense episodes of Game of Thrones or Spartacus or Black Sails? Then you're probably fine.
Most people who have very specific triggers are forthcoming with them.
Haters. Am I chatting with a friend about how great Sunday's Game of Thrones was? I HATE THAT SHOW. Is someone talking about how they love Arkham Knight? UGH I HATE THOSE GAMES. Hey, I like Diablo 3, it's an awesome game. I HATE THAT. Okay, fine, why? I HATE ROLEPLAYING GAMES UGH.
Then they go on and on about how there's a wide world out there and it's the summer! Just go out and have some fun!
My favorite (?) line when I brought up reading fiction - not just a book or even a genre but fiction in general: "Well, I think the real world is interesting enough."
"And I think you're an asshole. Go fuck yourself!"
@Lithium I think @Cheesegrater's client might work? No clue, though, as to the technicalities. Can you install extensions to Chrome? If so, DuckClient is amazing (but again, I don't know if it meets your tech specifications at all).
@Arkandel said in Comics Stuff:
@Kanye-Qwest said in Comics Stuff:
It's because Captain America was created by Jewish writers as a way to show the American way defeating what amounts to Nazis.
I get what you're saying but Superman was also created by Jerry Siegel who was Jewish IIRC and there was at least one (fairly well regarded) elseworlds comic placing him as both a Nazi and USSR superhero with zero backlash.
Which is not the same as taking the mainstream version of the character and doing that. That's why it's an Elseworlds story. If they had done What If... Captain America Were An Agent Of HYDRA?! nobody would care.
Both 9-again and 8-again are only useful for one thing: having more successes. Your actual chance of FAILURE on any roll is exactly (EXACTLY) the same with or without 8- and/or 9-again, because they only come into action upon a sucessful roll.
This is also why they're so much more useful in a mechanic such as combat (where the amount of successes is extremely important) compared to a simple social or mental roll, which are typically pass/fail/exceptional, where the exceptional is nice, but not necessary.
Rote, on the other hand, is much more useful, because it gives you more dice. 8-again AND Rote is broken because it literally doubles (at bare minimum) your dice pool.
