Best posts made by Lotherio

@kitteh said in FS3:

I'm not sure FS3 gets singled out here since no game system (that I know of) is performing 1000 rolls and averaging them to determine success/failure. Maybe in WoD you can min-max a whole lot more to have ginormous pools, but presumably those chars should be fighting equivalent challenges. Maybe the one thing in FS3 is that there's less differentiation in what you can do or what you can fight, but that goes with the setting, too. Only so many ways a Viper can pew-pew.

It does oddly get singled out more often, a new game comes on, people ask what system, the new game host says FS3. Then it starts again, people will avoid it because of FS3. The first post is negative usually because FS3 is being used it seems.

The stats are always as @faraday has said, more chance of success then other similar games (WoD/Fate/etc). No one attacks new games using those systems because thise games use those systems. But FS3 gets unfair guff. I think it's because it has popularity and a few places use it both because they recognize the basics (dice pool of attribute+skill vs # .. Each die over is one success) from systems like WoD and it's easy to install and get running.

I agree dice on the average game using FS3 aren't used enough.

Also the any target under a certain number is auto success. This has always applied on FS3, the shooting range is a given, normal mundane tasks aren't rolled, they're auto success, dice are fur high intensity situations when I've seen them used.

My two cents. Good political game design: Diplomacy, Settlers of Catan, Civilization board games. Where the entire table is set up and everyone is chattering about plots and sub plots and trying to agree to disagree. Works well in TT RPGs, the group can OOC plot and plan to their hearts content, even against each other.

It ends for me as a MU* level RPG. For any good political game that is PvP in a Mu* setting, it is either really complicated strategy game, with lots of +requests or reports and staff determination, which really just cuts off the RP part. .. Or, the ones I have enjoyed were the ones where faction heads viewed their position as half OOC involvement. Sphere 1 needed something from Sphere 2, FH 1 had told FH 2 players were doing things, FH 2 could set up obstacles along the way. Without that, then as on most games, there are just a handful of people enjoying the politics and twice as many people hating the system and lots of OOC dramas that no one really needs. The ones with OOC involvement usually comes down to player involvement, and one sphere usually wins by having more active players, the others give. The group gets tired of that faction always seeming ahead and moves to others, favoring which ever group is next filled the most. And still in the end, lots of OOC dramas.

I tend towards PvE and competing for favors and jockeying for position on the same side which is fine, but not quite the level of politics I think most strategy political RP folks are after.

This probably doesn't help, but good political game design is best for small group of friends that can play it as a game and when feelings get too hurt, they can put it aside and play some other game together to have fun, like Mario Party.

@SG http://musoapbox.net/topic/1593/fs3/118

It can especially with use of hit locations.

@SG While you just need a base skill as @faraday mentioned, 'command', you can add a modifier to the npc or player rolling for the duration of the combat when prepping combat to represent things like better training (or just higher morale for good rp/William Wallace speech pre-engagement). Glad it's working for you.

@Runescryer the alt timelines what if type stories are good as adventure ideas on one theme comic places. Like Victorian era fantastic four or golden age of pirates avengers. At least for me, seems better as off shoot of bigger continuity, because sustained wild West or 30s Chicago seems to fall flat the more supers that get added to it. Sort of the same way I can't do small east coast WoD with 30+ players all playing supernatural beings in small town.

Fine I'll be the new scapegoat, everyone can be upset with me now. You can try to paint me as ignorant or not understanding.

@seraphim73 said in Something Completely Different:

(do I think some of the people who were banned/left were assholes about it? Yup. Do I think that most of them were? Nope.)

Agreed and please note in my original post and the one quoted, I said its giving a perception of bullying/dogpiling and it wasn't looking good to me despite the many varied intents.

As far as most vocal being right/wrong, that's not for me to say but it wasn't a good shade for some folks in my opinion. Vocal majority and politics isn't for this area, but not all vocal majority are right or wrong for agreeing together. I mean not all Germans that were swept up with the Nazi agenda were in it for all the negative things associated with said party (there is plenty of fallacy in me going here understandably, but if were making leaps either way, we have to point out the potential negatives too); though I don't think it looked good for some of them even if they were bought by the propaganda vs the reality.

ETA: THe vocal majority said they don't like/trust staff anymore and it kept spiraling. I voiced my opinion that I trust Gany through this process and asked every to give it a fair shake to see how it plays out. Folks can walk if they want, I'm still here.

@kalakh said in Something Completely Different:

Furthermore, I've got some serious objections to the widespread idea that it's more important for there to be peace and decorum than it is to address genuine issues. That is a form of silencing, to expect someone who has been harmed to just be quiet about it to avoid disturbing the perception that everything is okay. It is not weaponizing victimization to point out that you have been harmed, or who harmed you

I appreciate this and again to point out, before you joined the community, there was political shake up and a push for these very things (peace and decorum through moderation) by the very people you may be defending, not saying you are defending but its perceived that way. Some of the recent folks banned pushed for this form of silencing, and the old large group that left 3-4 years ago said exactly the same thing you are now, its a form of silencing and it won't do for MSB. There were some bans and many good-byes (though some of those voices returend, many are long gone).

ETA: This is just to note the irony between the group that advocated for the changes to MSB then and where they are now. I still support moderation and a more civil place.

@selira said in Something Completely Different:

authoritarian stomp down on anyone who expressed disagreement

This is part of where we are in disagreement. It was a 'hey can we stop this until I talk with another admin to get a handle' and then it kept going, and going, and was still going even this week.

@faraday This caught me, I don't think I've ever seen you throw in a gif. I laughed, good thing its my planning period and no students where in the room (in which case I wouldn't be on-line but still).

@reimesu I have hopes for the new comic and the show. The show is in who knows where land. Hulu to Peacock. I think they're uncertain how this will play out and how marketable things will be after any success in the comic and the new show. But it gets complicated (which is me saying I don't know how it plays out), between Disney and Universal (NBC Universal parent over Universal, peacock now is doing the series instead Hulu). A big thing is bigger theme area of parks, Disney has Marvel but Universal has Hulk rights and the Marvel area in their theme park. That's long term looking at it, but seems a way to divvy out comic areas. Similar to Percy Jackson being done on Sidney know, can be a 'modern' magic area compared to Hogwarts area at Universal.

Long story short, I think it could be a good series and comic for folks unfamiliar with the books and could become something 'new' in some ways. Quietly hopeful - for both to do well and maybe a new comics Mu* similar in concept to Wild Cards to come out at some point.

@juniper said in Too Much:

It came down to game design and culture.

I think you're right, this is what it comes down too.

Know, I like smaller scenes. I'm Dyslexic, when there are 10 people going I can get lost in the scene. I have done the thing where you force a client to highlight when your name shows up on screen and even then, I still feel lost. I understand some folks can't easily engage in a large scene.

That said, I completely concur, the necessity to respond to every prior pose in a strict pose order does slow things down. As you suggest, its part of the culture and learning that one doesn't need to respond to all prior 10 people that poses is essential to getting into the flow of 3pr and such.

The design part sounds good, but can it be forced? We can have things like places so that the trio of three friends don't keep posing with each other each time someone else poses to help them have their personal conversation amidst the large scene without making it too difficult for slower people, but can it be forced. Is there a better design to help filter the groups conversing/interacting between their friends to do so in a less distracting manner? I can think of ways to do it old school in a client for me running a large scene like a battle but splitting up the fighter group from the help the civilians escape group by sending certain peoples poses to other windows on my client if I need too. Is there some way to do it code wise by having an area emit and a local emit - at the celebratory feast, I can pose as Sir Brastias telling a story to the table he's at during the feast but he can stand up for the boisterous punchline in an area emit to everyone at the feast.

Just thoughts on helping build culture/design, I could be completely wrong or in left field by myself. Just thoughts that come to mind.

@ganymede I'm still churning what this might look like in my head with interest. I like the approach of location first but agree its important but could easily become esoteric. If we through out ideas would that help, or should we silently think encouraging thoughts to see what comes of it.

You know, back when I started Mu'ing I also did mailing list story telling groups to write/bounce idea/occasionally e-mail rp. It also helped to offer ideas and generate collaboratively, if you want someone to write things for you to say no to alot, I can throw out lots of things.

@zombiegenesis said in Comic Games And Scope:

I guess my question is this, what type of game scope would interest you most as a player. Assume all are semi-sandbox with both staff-run plots and tools for players to run their own PrPs.

There is a lot of content in your post worthy of discussion relating to comic games and scope. I'll try to focus on your general question to help with what you're feeling out.

In your terms, my interest is between general and focused.

For me a broad game is too much. I may come in wanting aquaman, app him in, then show up for some event and the submariner/Namor is there. That, or I show up as a comic icon/paragon prototypical superhero who ends up fighting alongside a powerpuff girl, an anime legend, frankenstein's monster while we fight the staypuff marshmallow man. The former takes away from feeling super or special which is part of the draw to a comic game and the later feels too surreal to me.

Narrow is similar to the first reluctance to play on a broad game; if I'm feeling Nightcrawler and I go check out the X-Men game and he's claimed, I'm out. Or like the one recent game that had only rosters, if I go on and all the guys are checked out and no other guys to play, I'm out.

I think they appeal of broad comic or multi-splatt WoD/CoD is there is a big group of players for potential RP. I may want Justice League play but I'll go hang with swamp thing or arrowverse or x-men just to get some play. I think folks want general to focus to narrow to play their niche but those places end up small do to the reason I mentioned, X is already claimed most people move on.

For me, the time commitment it would take in ares for my dyslexic butt to create a system is a juice not worth the squeeze scenario. If there were some plugins developed for public consumption to allow more in-game dice and such, I'd have considered supers on ares myself. I'd be in for a nice comic game on ares where I fit in and can run PrP's. I have never been in a staff plot/event unless I've ran one on a game of mine and I have several decades of being on this bus ride.

So in the end, if I find a game, I prefer general to focused and I would like to feel a PrP would be easy to do without jumping through hoops, especial on a comic game. I mentioned the one that had rosters, it was also X-sphere/roster located on Genosha, I have no idea how i'd even run a multi-scene PrP let alone a one shot. Not like if we're centered in Metropolis or NYC and we can bust thugs if we want or easily get to the players general locations in the books for a few scenes of adventure.

@hobos said in Mourning a character, how do you do it?:

Sometimes I still think about Famous Outlaw and am real-life inspired by things that Famous Outlaw said. Famous Outlaw pulled on my heartstrings forever. Famous Outlaw is a fantasy character in a fantasy world but perfectly meaningful to me.

Dang, now I want to hear tales of this rakish rogue.