rosswinn

joined 3 months ago
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[–] rosswinn@ttrpg.network 0 points 4 days ago

If you’re not interested in the product, that’s one thing but this isn’t something that they’re printing 5 million copies of. This is a prestige format book on a niche in industry. I personally paid upwards of $150 for a single history text, so I don’t know what you’re talking about. Not all books are the same.

[–] rosswinn@ttrpg.network 1 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Definitely NOT outrageous. $20 in 1982 is equivalent to $66 now. SOURCE. (The purchasing power of the US dollar is a third of what it was in 1982.) I have a copy of the book on my desk and it is incredibly well researched and printd and bound on good quality paper with excellent art in four colors. Look at Shannon's other work on RPG history and you will see some fantastic work.

[–] rosswinn@ttrpg.network 1 points 1 week ago

VTM illustrates all of the pros and cons of the Storyteller milieu. It is still the game that people talk about, even more than WoD.

[–] rosswinn@ttrpg.network 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Shannon's work on game history is stellar. I ordered it immediately upon publication and it sits proudly on my coffee table.

[–] rosswinn@ttrpg.network 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I'd definitely study the evolution of the hobby using books like The Elusive Shift (Petersen), Role-Playing Game Studies: Transmedia Foundations (Deterding, Zagal) and Designers & Dragons: A History of the Roleplaying Game Industry (Appelcline). Once the students had a grounding in the history I would suggest a unit on Dice and Probability, the Mechanics and influence on settings.

  • D&D for level and progression, and contrasting that against Palladium's approach.
  • Traveller for the lifepath concept as well as the developing of universal setting.
  • Hero System and the rise of point based mechanics, contrasting with GURPS.
  • Interlock (Mekton, Cyberpunk) and the emergence of Unified Game Mechanics, maybe contrast with Atlas Games All Flesh Must Be Eaten, et al.
  • Vampire, and the development of Dice Pools and the rise of “splats” as a business model.
  • Over The Edge and Amber Diceless as differing approaches to non-traditional RPGs.
  • Sorcerer, indie games, The Forge, and the story game movement. See also gamist/narrativist/simulationist as styles of play.
  • D&D 3.0 and the OGL explosion.
  • Apocalypse World and the New Wave of RPGs as a reaction to OGL. (one man's opinion).
[–] rosswinn@ttrpg.network 2 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Sorry, yes, terms are considered ten years IMTU.

[–] rosswinn@ttrpg.network 2 points 1 month ago

Yes, 2013, 2020, and RED are. I am not certain about 3e as I wasn't a contributor.

[–] rosswinn@ttrpg.network 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Just curious, as a former 2020 freelancer I occasionally check in.

[–] rosswinn@ttrpg.network 3 points 1 month ago (5 children)

Why just RED? Why not a wider group?

 

Do you have a design language or set aesthetic for starships, spacecraft, or weapons in your Traveller Universe? I feel like that after 5,000 years of spacefaaring civilization Humaniti would have some very efficient design ideas. Examples could be all weapons are bullpup configurations because of aiming advantages, or starships tend to be spherical because of the geometry of the jump field. What do you think?

[–] rosswinn@ttrpg.network 1 points 1 month ago

genuinely overpriced.

 

Saw a discussion on reddit today and thought it might be interesting. Name the system, media influences, and basic plot ideas. Mine is: Over The Edge, Film Noir: Four friends in 1935 are involved in a plane crash in the desert and end up in Al Amarja. Stuck without papers or passports, the group is forced to take piece work from the criminal element to survive. A cross between The Maltese Falcon, Naked Lunch, The Lost Weekend, and Sullivan's Travels.

[–] rosswinn@ttrpg.network 3 points 2 months ago

I have never met a dice-pool mechanic I didn't dislike or despise. What makes your compelling?

[–] rosswinn@ttrpg.network 2 points 2 months ago

It does add a certain visual flair, however. Thanx!

 

For fans of Traveller specifically.

 

I have I think 14 or 15 different versions of Traveller. From classic first edition, to tiny fan-based Traveller Hero and Action! System Traveller. Although these versions give me a wide variety of rules and systems, I still use many other games to provide character and flavor. Games like Theatrix, Mekton Zeta, Last Exodus, and High Colonies. So what systems and settings influence your Traveller settings and series?

 

In my humble opinion no RPG community is complete without a small forum to discuss the Grandfather of SF RPGs. posts and comments regarding any of the fifteen editions of the game are welcome.

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