Poll of the Day > Geekmasters: Now in 4D

(+) Yeah! (+)

Metalsonic66 posted...

Mobile Suit Geek: Geek vs. Zeta Geek

I can second this. (Still one of my favorite games in that franchise.)
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In a thinly veiled comic book adjacent story, Hydrox (Which is Martian Manhubter's favorite cookie) is suing Oreo because the Hydrox people claim that the Orro people are trying to crush them and put them out of business for good.

Hydrox is the older company, by four years, but Oreo has been kicking the crap out of Hydrox for the better part of that feud for those 100 years. (1908 to 1912) If you kick the crap out of your rival for most of the rivalry, Think Mario crushing Sonic, is it even a feud at that point?
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Maybe if Hydrox did not sound like something I put down my drain to remove a clog?
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James Geek: Fired and Rehired(?) By Disney

Granted Hydrox does sound like something you put on wounds, Hydrogen Peroxide, and sure Oreo has better variety and taste better, but we let Pepsi exist in the market place, and it is vastly inferior to coke. Except Lipton peach tea, that stuff is true nectar of the gods.

But you can't just crush your opponent, you have to let them destroy themselves.

It's the Americam way.
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The Wave Master posted...

Granted Hydrox does sound like something you put on wounds, Hydrogen Peroxide

It's the same base. Hydrox stands for HYDRogen OXygen.

I used to have a factory that made Hydrox right around the corner from where I live:

http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/12/realestate/in-the-region-new-jersey-transforming-a-plant-from-hydrox-to-high-tech.html


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It's quiet right now so I guess I have to tell you fellow geeks this.

I got my referral for my weight loss surgery. My doctor and nutritionist (Yes, I have one of them too.) both gave me the thumbs up to proceed to the next step.

The plan is to get a gastric sleeve, which entails getting 80% of my stomach removed and closed off. Then I have to take vitamin supplements forever, which isn't too bad for the rewards. The surgerey is outpatient, and will involve 7 small incisions on my stomach. Just more scars to add to the rest on my arms, neck, chest, leg, and foot.

Anyway, once my insurance approves the procedure I will be a skinny person. Not sure what it's going to be like to be a skinny person. I've been big my whole life.

You skinny geeks out there let me know how it's like.
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Yeah, sorry I've been quiet.
Work has really, really picked up. Like 12 hours a day if they could have it, picked up.
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The Wave Master posted...

You skinny geeks out there let me know how it's like.

Overrated
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Something about it being a literal pain in the butt to maintain.
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The Wave Master posted...

You skinny geeks out there let me know how it's like.

I've never really been FAT, per se, but it's been a long time since I've thought of myself as skinny.

I'm a pretty good example of "dad bod" at this point. It's sort of the destiny of most older men, unfortunately.

BMI has always been absolute bullshit for me and my body type, though. When I was close to what BMI says I should be, I looked like I was dying of cancer/AIDS/TB/etc. When I looked my absolute physical best, I was technically 25 lbs "overweight".


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A Confederacy of Geeks
The Geeks who say, "Knight"
Geeks R Us (or Geeks R We?)
Kingdom Geeks 3: Never Trust the Release Date
A Geektember to Remember

Also, I watched Hardcore Henry the other night. I'm not sure if it's an ingenious parody of stupid FPS titles or simply a terrible film with a cool gimmick and some neat ideas. When I heard it was like the movie version of a FPS, I was pretty excited... and then a guy with unexplained psychic powers entered the picture. And, of course, the plot bordered on nonsensical (so it kinda did capture the feel of some FPS titles)

The Wave Master posted...

I got my referral for my weight loss surgery. My doctor and nutritionist (Yes, I have one of them too.) both gave me the thumbs up to proceed to the next step.

The plan is to get a gastric sleeve, which entails getting 80% of my stomach removed and closed off. Then I have to take vitamin supplements forever, which isn't too bad for the rewards. The surgerey is outpatient, and will involve 7 small incisions on my stomach. Just more scars to add to the rest on my arms, neck, chest, leg, and foot.

Have you really given up on hope on natural weight loss? idk, I wouldn't be comfortable with that shit, but I guess if you're really heavy or something it could add a few years to your life.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

BMI has always been absolute bullshit for me and my body type, though. When I was close to what BMI says I should be, I looked like I was dying of cancer/AIDS/TB/etc. When I looked my absolute physical best, I was technically 25 lbs "overweight".

BMI is bullshit for everybody because the concept is bullshit.
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Zeus posted...

Also, I watched Hardcore Henry the other night. I'm not sure if it's an ingenious parody of stupid FPS titles or simply a terrible film with a cool gimmick and some neat ideas. When I heard it was like the movie version of a FPS, I was pretty excited... and then a guy with unexplained psychic powers entered the picture. And, of course, the plot bordered on nonsensical (so it kinda did capture the feel of some FPS titles)

It was actually pretty awesome, in a cheesy ridiculous way. The plot certainly wasn't the draw, of course.
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Zeus posted...

Also, I watched Hardcore Henry the other night. I'm not sure if it's an ingenious parody of stupid FPS titles or simply a terrible film with a cool gimmick and some neat ideas. When I heard it was like the movie version of a FPS, I was pretty excited... and then a guy with unexplained psychic powers entered the picture. And, of course, the plot bordered on nonsensical (so it kinda did capture the feel of some FPS titles)

I loved the body switching singing/song near the end. It was completely unnecessary and stupid but it was a fun way to break up the action scenes.

I still like "Mr. Geek, I Don't Feel so Good" as a topic title, but have we ever done a title that looked back instead of forward?
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WhiskeyDisk posted...

I still like "Mr. Geek, I Don't Feel so Good" as a topic title, but have we ever done a title that looked back instead of forward?

We do nostalgic or referential stuff a lot.

With that one in particular, it's almost better to do farther on, because it's slightly less spoiler-y that way.


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ParanoidObsessive posted...

WhiskeyDisk posted...

I still like "Mr. Geek, I Don't Feel so Good" as a topic title, but have we ever done a title that looked back instead of forward?

We do nostalgic or referential stuff a lot.

With that one in particular, it's almost better to do farther on, because it's slightly less spoiler-y that way.

Fair enough, we'll put that on the Evergreen list then.
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Forgive me, Geeks, for I am week =x Wound up buying *more* Spider-Man Pint-Sized Heroes because the clearance went down to a buck (feel ripped off buying them for $2.19). As expected, I really only got duplicates except for a Spider-Gwen. Kinda wanted Spidey 2099 or at least Venom. However, I pulled *three* Symbiote/Black Suit Spideys (can't remember if I owned one before), another Toxin, and a Lizard. 1/12 rarity my ass...

Never got Venom (so-so), 2099 (wanted), Ultimate Spidey (didn't care), Black Cat (eh), and Green Goblin (kinda wanted -- wanted the GS-exclusive Hobgob more). May or may not have got the Peter Parker, but not caring much there.

Also somewhat regrettably caved and picked up a 4-in World of Nintendo Iggy Koopa figure from Target. Figured having a Koopaling would look neat next to my SH Figuarts Mario (and didn't want to wait to see if they made ones for the other Koopalings). Then tonight I learned that the WoN Bowser was apparently re-released in a gift set so.... probably going to cave and buy that.

Metalsonic66 posted...

It was actually pretty awesome, in a cheesy ridiculous way. The plot certainly wasn't the draw, of course.

I kinda thought the first-person action sequences would look cooler than they did, but it often was kinda meh. I still liked the effects and some of the sillier plot elements (ie, Jimmy)

knivesX2004 posted...

I loved the body switching singing/song near the end. It was completely unnecessary and stupid but it was a fun way to break up the action scenes.

Yeah, I loved the bait&switch thing intro to that dance sequence where it implies masturbatory orgy. The choreography for that scene was really cool.
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- Immune to temperature.
- Reverse/forward time one week.
- Invisibility.
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Have we decided on a new topic title yet? Because we are getting closer to the end of this thread.

As for losing weight naturally I have tried, probably not as well as I could have, but it is extremely difficult when you are exhausted from hemo dialysis three times a week. Often times after I come ho e from dialysis on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, I feel like death warmed over. I have to eat some food, and take a nap to just feel horrible. It might take all night to just feel normal and strong again. Strong enough to even get up and do my walking exercises let alone do rigorous work. It's a vicious cycle that I haven't been able to break going on 5 years now. Thus my weight stays about the same, not really losing or gaining weight.

So I need the help, and the surgery is going to help me lose the weight so I can get on the transplant list.
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Correction to my previous Pint-Sized Heroes statement, apparently I *did* get a Venom. I must have only partially opened that pack or something and thought it was another Symby Spidey.

Oh, and I'd bought a Stephen Universe one last night because those were also a buck (like I said, I'm weak). I've never watched the show (other than a clip or two which I didn't really like) so I don't recognize the character, which kinda looks like a darker-skinned, female version of Stephen (and, given what I know of the show's creator, I wouldn't be surprised if it was Stephen). Although I had been hoping for one of the gem women, probably not going to bother buying a second pack since I dislike roughly half the selection. That said, I *do* get tempted by really cheap blind-bagged items and apparently it includes a cute-looking pink lion. The set is apparently has a rarity mix, with some 1/12s and a few 1/24s (presumably because it's a 16-figure series).

Somewhat related, a while ago I'd picked up an old-looking VHS tape holder. I've been meaning to remove half of the shelving (got the idea because one shelf was already loose) and then using it to display smaller collectibles, specifically Funko's Pint-Sized Heroes, Pocket Pop! keychains (taking the keychain bit off first), Kid Robot's little Mega Man keychains I talked about in a previous topic (which I picked up on clearance at a Milford Barnes & Noble in February or so), Legos, and then whatever else is on the smaller side. I guess it could fit some of the shorter Mystery Minis or maybe even shorter Skylanders, which I'd probably save for the lower shelves where it's harder to see the figures in the back. It'll clean up a little bit of clutter.

Someday i also want a case that can really display my GBA carts (preferably wall-mounted), which I have stored in multiple places.

The Wave Master posted...

Have we decided on a new topic title yet? Because we are getting closer to the end of this thread.

I think we've all voted.... for our own choices. #GeeklectionEdition #GeeklectionInNovember

The Wave Master posted...

As for losing weight naturally I have tried, probably not as well as I could have, but it is extremely difficult when you are exhausted from hemo dialysis three times a week. Often times after I come ho e from dialysis on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, I feel like death warmed over. I have to eat some food, and take a nap to just feel horrible. It might take all night to just feel normal and strong again. Strong enough to even get up and do my walking exercises let alone do rigorous work. It's a vicious cycle that I haven't been able to break going on 5 years now. Thus my weight stays about the same, not really losing or gaining weight.

I know exercising is tough for somebody with a medical condition, but even changes in your diet can yield results over time (whether it's substituting food for healthier choices or reducing overall consumption).

The Wave Master posted...

So I need the help, and the surgery is going to help me lose the weight so I can get on the transplant list.

Transplant list? I'm a bit out of the loop on that part of the story.
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Zeus posted...

I don't recognize the character, which kinda looks like a darker-skinned, female version of Stephen (and, given what I know of the show's creator, I wouldn't be surprised if it was Stephen).

*Steven.

And it's probably Stevonnie.

Zeus posted...

I kinda thought the first-person action sequences would look cooler than they did, but it often was kinda meh. I still liked the effects and some of the sillier plot elements (ie, Jimmy)

Some of the parkour sequences were more disorienting than cool. Makes me glad I didn't see it in theaters, TBH.

A lot of the shooting segments and the big brawl at the end were really well-done, though, IMO.
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Metalsonic66 posted...

*Steven.

Oh. Damn English names with their spelling variations.

Metalsonic66 posted...

And it's probably Stevonnie.

Oh, that does seem to the character which, I guess, kinda is a female Steven then (albeit via fusion... something that DBZ/GT/S avoided altogether). At normal proportions, the character design doesn't look that bad. Certainly better than the usual Steven.

Metalsonic66 posted...

Some of the parkour sequences were more disorienting than cool. Makes me glad I didn't see it in theaters, TBH.

Yeah, that was the biggest letdown. Especially that part where he's climbing the hotel. During a lot of the parkour sequences I couldn't help but think how much better that kind of stuff looked in Mirror's Edge.
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Zeus posted...

via fusion... something that DBZ/GT/S avoided altogether

Damn... Now I want to see Gohan and Videl fuse.
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Metalsonic66 posted...

Zeus posted...

via fusion... something that DBZ/GT/S avoided altogether

Damn... Now I want to see Gohan and Videl fuse.

It mostly comes to mind because I was watching a scene in DBS where either Beerus or Whis suggested that 17 and 18 fuse.
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That one... I think I could do without seeing.
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Metalsonic66 posted...

That one... I think I could do without seeing.

Given that 17 is already effeminate and both characters sport similar hair-styles, it probably wouldn't be as crazy as you'd think. Honestly, the buff form for some of the female super sayians is probably more of an eyesore.
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Zeus, I have complete renal failure. (Kidney disease and kidney failure.) I have to go to hemo dialysis 3 times a week or I die. Hemo dialysis is blood dialysis. I get stuck with two needles in my chest, Pulp Fiction style, 3 times a week. It hurts like a *****, but I get to continue living. The machine filters the toxins out of my blood, and removes the excess liquid from my body. Which is what the kidneys do on their own naturally. Without the dialysis I would swell to the size of a balloon, and eventually suffocate to death because it would be impossible to breathe.

When I was in the hospital for those 6 months straight 5 years ago it was because I had swollen to over 450 pounds because while I was urinating at the time, the toxins stayed in my blood, and I was dying. I almost died, I slipped into a few comas and was non responsive for a few days.

Now I'm a little over 300 pounds, which is still a lot, but compared to where I was 5 years ago, I'm tiny. I really did have to buy new. Clothes once I was a free man again.

So, if I lose the last 50 or so pounds I get on the kidney transplant list, and I do not have to go to dialysis any longer. I sort of get my life back, and my chest won't be permanently sore.
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The Wave Master posted...

So, if I lose the last 50 or so pounds I get on the kidney transplant list, and I do not have to go to dialysis any longer. I sort of get my life back, and my chest won't be permanently sore.

Oh, that makes more sense, especially since those lists can take forever.
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Iron Fist season 2 trailer dropped.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kvvWB0GwCekp]

I'm convinced that anything would have been better than the crap fest that was season one. This trailer shows a marked improvement over the first season, and the change of showrunner and fight choreographer seems to have fixed a lot of problems.

Scott Buck should never be allowed to run a television show ever again. He ruined Dexter and he almost killed Iron Fist too.
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Hope he wears the mask in more than just flashbacks.
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It looks, from the trailer, as though he is more consistent in regards to character, ad that the plot is a little more focused. We'll see how things really turn out once the show is out, however.
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After talking about CCGs in that other topic, currently trying to look up games with really unusual mechanics. However, there are no good resources for it. Wikipedia has a flat list, most of which don't have entries for the games and many of the ones that do don't provide much invo. There's a wikia I found but, in addition to being hard to navigate, most of the entries are blank.

And there doesn't seem to be a great single community for CCGs as a whole, just for the individual games.

The Wave Master posted...

Iron Fist season 2 trailer dropped.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kvvWB0GwCekp]

I'm convinced that anything would have been better than the crap fest that was season one. This trailer shows a marked improvement over the first season, and the change of showrunner and fight choreographer seems to have fixed a lot of problems.

Scott Buck should never be allowed to run a television show ever again. He ruined Dexter and he almost killed Iron Fist too.

Stop tripping. Season 1 was great. Season 2 also looks pretty neat. Nice to see Iron Fist with *some* kind of a mask in some of those scenes.

Metalsonic66 posted...

Hope he wears the mask in more than just flashbacks.

He's wearing a lower face-mask in the modern day scenes. tbh, given the existence of hoodies, a lower face mask kinda makes more sense for concealing your identity.
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Zeus posted...

After talking about CCGs in that other topic, currently trying to look up games with really unusual mechanics. However, there are no good resources for it. Wikipedia has a flat list, most of which don't have entries for the games and many of the ones that do don't provide much invo. There's a wikia I found but, in addition to being hard to navigate, most of the entries are blank.

I always loved L5R, but that was less about the game itself, and more about the community/environment around it. I just thought it was absolutely awesome that the results of tournaments would in turn alter the future plot of the setting (ie, in the original Day of Thunder event, a Lion player won the tournament, so in-game the Lion Champion became Emperor. But if the Crane player had won, the Crane Champion would have assumed the throne). And then events that were shaped by the game and embellished by canon short story fiction posted on the website or released in newsletters, and ultimately integrated into the RPG based on the setting.

They also had a LARP once a year where they'd hold "Winter Court", and players would take on the roles of major characters in the setting, and their interactions in the session would bleed back into the game as well. And other meta-game sort of competitions on the official website that would influence the direction of events.

Just from the mechanical side, though, L5R was kind of cool for being a game you could win in ways other than combat - some decks would win by achieving "honor", others would beat their enemies by "dishonoring" them, you could (with difficulty) win via "enlightenment", and

Aside from L5R, I've also played the Star Wars card game, the Highlander card game, and the Jyhad/Vampire: The Eternal Struggle games enough to have opinions of them, but most of them felt like relatively mediocre games that I enjoyed more because I already liked their settings/franchises beforehand more than because of the game itself.

Fantasy Flight Games is a big presence in CCGs these days - you might want to check out their website to see if you can find something that might catch your fancy. They're the ones who just picked up and rebooted L5R, but they've got a few other games of their own as well.

Another big trend in card games these days is trying to release games that are more self-contained as opposed to collectible deck-building (like Magic or Pokemon). Where you just buy a set and play off of that (like Coup or Fluxx), though that's hardly a new idea (because games like Uno have been around forever). Those can actually be much better to play for casual players who don't want to devote tons of time or money to playing, and can often have unique rules or complex interactions that other games don't necessarily use.

Also, my brain keeps tickling around the idea of a game that used to have Tarot-ish cards and an elemental theme, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was called (I keep thinking "Ever-something", but I'm not sure that's right). I remember someone jury-rigged it into an Amber DRPG campaign they ran, but I'm pretty sure there were ways to play it stand-alone.


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ParanoidObsessive posted...

Also, my brain keeps tickling around the idea of a game that used to have Tarot-ish cards and an elemental theme, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was called (I keep thinking "Ever-something", but I'm not sure that's right). I remember someone jury-rigged it into an Amber DRPG campaign they ran, but I'm pretty sure there were ways to play it stand-alone.

Just figured it out - it was called Everway.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everway


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ParanoidObsessive posted...

I always loved L5R, but that was less about the game itself, and more about the community/environment around it. I just thought it was absolutely awesome that the results of tournaments would in turn alter the future plot of the setting (ie, in the original Day of Thunder event, a Lion player won the tournament, so in-game the Lion Champion became Emperor. But if the Crane player had won, the Crane Champion would have assumed the throne). And then events that were shaped by the game and embellished by canon short story fiction posted on the website or released in newsletters, and ultimately integrated into the RPG based on the setting.

I liked the look of L5R and I *think* I picked up a starter deck or something like that (apparently relating to the Unicorn Clan), but I never wound up learning the rules. The idea of a story-based system based on tourney results is really neat.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

Fantasy Flight Games is a big presence in CCGs these days - you might want to check out their website to see if you can find something that might catch your fancy. They're the ones who just picked up and rebooted L5R, but they've got a few other games of their own as well.

Looks like they do a little of everything? I see miniatures games, board games, and RPGs there. Not seeing that many CCGs, but I guess they're probably buried in the other products section.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

Another big trend in card games these days is trying to release games that are more self-contained as opposed to collectible deck-building (like Magic or Pokemon). Where you just buy a set and play off of that (like Coup or Fluxx), though that's hardly a new idea (because games like Uno have been around forever). Those can actually be much better to play for casual players who don't want to devote tons of time or money to playing, and can often have unique rules or complex interactions that other games don't necessarily use.

Entirely self-contained sets sound a little boring, unless it's a shallower game like Uno. Are most of those built around two themed decks? Do they pool cards together during the game (a la Uno)? Or do the cards get shuffled, split, and separated into two decks? Because that last idea is intriguing if they also incorporate resource management.

At any rate, I *think* most CCGs do starter or theme decks so in theory it's not that hard for a casual to get into the game (especially since they tend to avoid obscure mechanics).

ParanoidObsessive posted...

ParanoidObsessive posted...

Also, my brain keeps tickling around the idea of a game that used to have Tarot-ish cards and an elemental theme, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was called (I keep thinking "Ever-something", but I'm not sure that's right). I remember someone jury-rigged it into an Amber DRPG campaign they ran, but I'm pretty sure there were ways to play it stand-alone.

Just figured it out - it was called Everway.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everway

Kind of a neat concept for a RPG. tbh, I always found character creation the most interesting part of any RPG. The rest always started to bore me.
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Zeus posted...

He's wearing a lower face-mask in the modern day scenes. tbh, given the existence of hoodies, a lower face mask kinda makes more sense for concealing your identity.

I don't really care what makes "more sense". He's Iron Fist and he should wear the damn Iron Fist mask.

Jessica and Luke make more sense going costume-free. They both haven't worn costumes in the comics for years.
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Metalsonic66 posted...

Zeus posted...

He's wearing a lower face-mask in the modern day scenes. tbh, given the existence of hoodies, a lower face mask kinda makes more sense for concealing your identity.

I don't really care what makes "more sense". He's Iron Fist and he should wear the damn Iron Fist mask.

Jessica and Luke make more sense going costume-free. They both haven't worn costumes in the comics for years.

It's not a matter of what does or doesn't happen in the comics, at this point it's what makes sense in the show's continuity. A billionaire *should* be concealing their faces, whether it's with the traditional mask or something new.
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Zeus posted...

I liked the look of L5R and I *think* I picked up a starter deck or something like that (apparently relating to the Unicorn Clan)

~spit~ Filthy horsefuckers!

I still have a deck SOMEWHERE in my house (Scorpion Clan), but I probably couldn't even find it if you held a gun to my head and gave me an hour to find it or get shot.

I also can't really remember the rules beyond very vague overtones, because it's been pretty much forever since I played.



Zeus posted...

Looks like they do a little of everything? I see miniatures games, board games, and RPGs there. Not seeing that many CCGs, but I guess they're probably buried in the other products section.

Yeah, they're probably second only to Wizards of the Coast in that respect - they put out a lot of stuff.

Technically, they don't sell CCGs at all - they refer to their stuff as "Living Card Games" - it's sort of a halfway between CCGs (wherein you buy starter decks and blind booster packs) and "Dedicated Deck Games" (where you buy/use a specific deck with pre-established cards).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasy_Flight_Games#Living_Card_Games



Zeus posted...

Entirely self-contained sets sound a little boring, unless it's a shallower game like Uno.

I think it depends on the game, and on what you want out of a game. And who you're playing with.

Sometimes, you want to play a complicated game like Magic, where everyone has a radically different deck and you're never entirely sure what an opponent might be playing. But sometimes you want to play a game like Cards Against Humanity or something like this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_Upon_a_Time_(game)



Zeus posted...

Are most of those built around two themed decks? Do they pool cards together during the game (a la Uno)? Or do the cards get shuffled, split, and separated into two decks? Because that last idea is intriguing if they also incorporate resource management.

Depends on the game. Some games actually do come with different decks for different players (like, one playing might have a "good" deck while the other player plays the "evil" deck (the Star Wars CCG back in the 90s actually came as a set like that, and Magic regularly releases paired off starter decks you can play with without adding any boosters, but those are both technically CCGs).

Other games just have all of the players draw from a single shared deck, even if resource management is a factor in some way (again, games like Munchkin or Illuminati from Steve Jackson Games probably fall into this sort of category).

If anything, I think I tend to prefer LGCs or DDGs these days, if only because they don't cost as much or require as much player investment as a CCG does. It's part of why I've mostly stopped caring about CCGs entirely other than Magic.


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Zeus posted...

At any rate, I *think* most CCGs do starter or theme decks so in theory it's not that hard for a casual to get into the game (especially since they tend to avoid obscure mechanics).

Oh, definitely - I actually bought a starter set like that for Magic, to play with my nephew.

And then when he kicked my ass when we had relatively equal pre-made decks, I went and got my actual deck built with cards from multiple sets and annihilated him, because I am evil and joy must be crushed.

But ultimately, CCGs that intend to encourage players to buy booster packs tend to have less robust rules (necessarily to prevent synergy conflicts) and don't necessarily have as fun an experience in and of themselves versus a game which is specifically built to be played with very specific cards.

It's like in video games, where sandbox games have a harder time establishing strong narrative because they don't know what order players are going to finish certain objectives in, as opposed to more linear games where the developers know exactly where you're going to go and what order you're going to do things in. When you know exactly what cards every player is going to use, it's easier to set up specific combos, synergies, or established ideas than in a game where you come out with a new set of 200+ cards every few months.

Magic with only starter decks is possible, but feels way too vanilla. But fully committing to boosters can make it harder to engage with.



Zeus posted...

Kind of a neat concept for a RPG. tbh, I always found character creation the most interesting part of any RPG. The rest always started to bore me.

I always used to love playing around with character creation. It's why I used to have like 100+ NPCs for White Wolf games that I knew I'd probably never use in an actual game. I just enjoyed creating new personalities and coming up with names and pictures to help define them.

(This may also be why I wind up taking like 2 hours at the beginning of any RPG video game with a robust character creator, to work out a perfect character design before I'm content enough to play the actual game.)

I also like the idea of games where character creation is a major part of the system, or there's a heavy emphasis on narrative over mechanics (like the aforementioned Once Upon a Time game, or games like Talecraft or Fiasco). Or even incredibly freeform stuff like Story Cubes:

http://www.storycubes.com

Plus, stuff like the cubes, or card decks with an abstract narrative focus or archetypes can also be pretty useful even in more traditional RPGs, to introduce a random element into plotting, or add some symbolism into a story (like using the Ravenloft Tarokka deck to alter allies or secret artifact locations in the setting).


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Zeus posted...

It's not a matter of what does or doesn't happen in the comics, at this point it's what makes sense in the show's continuity. A billionaire *should* be concealing their faces, whether it's with the traditional mask or something new.

Visuals are a pretty big deal for me when it comes to superhero shows. They don't have to look exactly like the comics (very few movie/TV show superheroes do), but they should at least make an attempt. It's especially annoying with Iron Fist since they really just need to do a modified version of Matt's costume from Daredevil season 1.
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I never did play the L5R CCG, but I still have several of the Rokugan sourcebooks for 3rd Edition D&D. I seem to recall rolling up a Lion Clan samurai for a game that never started, but I know for certain that I played a sohei for one campaign, though that class only exists in Oriental Adventures, not Rokugan itself, IIRC.

I know Fantasy Flight Games mostly for their 3rd Edition works (e.g. Mythic Races). Quality third-party expansions for the game, IMO, and it is good to hear that they still exist.

Managed to acquire one of the playtest rulebooks for Pathfinder 2nd Edition, thanks to my local game shop saving one for me, but I have yet to look at it in depth. Was more interested in the softcover Bestiary 5 that I picked up on the same trip.

Also acquired a stack of PDFs for the One Dice System from the Bundle of Holding (i.e. Drive Thru RPG). Seems simple enough to play, and it reminds me of Fate Core. Also looked at QAGS (Quick Ass Game System), but nothing in that interested me immediately.
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Before the topic is over I would like to thank all of you for your continued support and kindness.

You guys make coming to this site a lot of fun and worthwhile every single day and every single time I come here, so thank you.

Ten years. These topics have been going on for ten years now; since the release of The Dark Knight in 2008.

A lot has changed. I have kidney failure, I lost my right leg, I've had at least 3 major eye surgeries, and lost a pinky toe on my left foot. Not to mention two surgeries on my right and left arms each, and one hell of a surgery on my chest. There is a nice 3 inch scar to remind me of that every day, as it still hurts to this second.

However, there is some good. I'm happily married to a beautiful red head, the ultimate Spider-Man dream. I bought a house, and I even managed to reconnect with my former drug addict father. So there is a balance in all the good and the bad.

At the center has been this topic, which has been going strong because of the support of all of you. I cannot thank you all enough. But I will say it again.

THANK YOU!
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I_Abibde posted...

I know for certain that I played a sohei for one campaign, though that class only exists in Oriental Adventures, not Rokugan itself, IIRC.

Sohei are a class from the original Oriental Adventures supplements (ie, they were from Kara-Tur, in Faerun, circa AD&D 2e). When Wizards of the Coast got the rights from AEG to publish L5R material during the d20/3e era, they basically retconned the Oriental Adventure setting to Rokugan (the default L5R setting) instead of Kara-Tur. Sohei just got carried over and grandfathered in, even though it wasn't really a class in L5R before that.

It was really odd how they handled it - AEG had published L5R first edition and second edition themselves, then came out with the Oriental Adventures version of the rules, so most of the 2e sourcebooks for L5R wound up having rules for both the d10 drop/keep mechanic of the L5R system as well as the d20/D&D-based rules of Oriental Adventures. Which was kind of awkward.

It didn't really work well as an experiment, so AEG took the rights back and published L5R 3e and 4e themselves (and completely dropped all support for d20 rules). But they officially sold off the rights in full to Fantasy Flight Games now, who are supposedly working on a new 5e version of the RPG (though it seems they were far more interested in the CCG more than the RPG, so they may never get around to releasing the RPG).


Back to the original point, though - you could easily play something like Sohei in vanilla L5R, even if it wasn't originally native to the setting. Sohei are mostly just warrior monks, and there are rules for playing Brotherhood of Shinsei monks in L5R, who use Kiho (monk magic) and Kata (unarmed maneuvers) in combat. "Sohei" is actually used in the original edition as a term to describe the more militant monks in the order, though there isn't explicitly a mechanical distinction between them and other types of monk (Shinmaki, Questioners, Yamabushi, etc) - they're more distinctions between what sort of duties a given monk take upon themselves, and monks can switch between different factions over time as they feel their talents are required in other ways.

Which temple you were trained in makes more of a difference - a monk trained in the temple dedicated to the god of storms tend to be more physically bad ass, but are seen as being somewhat less honorable, while monks trained in the heart of the Empire are more focused on being political advisors and courtiers. There's also a hermit temple with the highest honor and a lot of introspective skills, a temple that focuses more on Kiho over physical combat (ie, they start with extra Kiho), and a couple others.

Some sample Kiho include stuff like being able to cleanse your body of poisons, hitting someone with a paralyzing strike, healing via pressure points, shattering solid objects with a single blow, making yourself effectively invisible as other people all ignore your presence unless you do something extremely blatant, and the ever-tradition DIM MAK (death touch).


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I_Abibde posted...

I never did play the L5R CCG, but I still have several of the Rokugan sourcebooks for 3rd Edition D&D.

I have 40 books from all editions 1e to 4e. I actually have the very first 1e rulebook ever released. And I've got every 1e and 2e clanbook from each clan (and the minor clans, and the monks, and the ronin).

I also have Legend of the Burning Sands (which is like L5R, except to the north of Rokugan, in a desert which is basically fantasy Arabia, and with influenced from even farther north into fantasy Egypt), and about 10 7th Sea (which is like L5R set in fantasy swashbuckling Europe) books.

L5R is basically the system I'm most financially invested in other than White Wolf (where I have closer to 250 books).


EDIT: Oh, and for reference, of those 40 books, 7 of them exist more or less solely to sum up events from the CCG tournaments and card set metaplot, and have ways to integrate players into campaigns based on the events of the card game. Which was always the coolest part of that particular system for me.


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ParanoidObsessive posted...

I still have a deck SOMEWHERE in my house (Scorpion Clan), but I probably couldn't even find it if you held a gun to my head and gave me an hour to find it or get shot.

Eh, still sounds like you're a lot more organized than me. I'm not sure I could find certain things if you gave me a week.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

Technically, they don't sell CCGs at all - they refer to their stuff as "Living Card Games" - it's sort of a halfway between CCGs (wherein you buy starter decks and blind booster packs) and "Dedicated Deck Games" (where you buy/use a specific deck with pre-established cards).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasy_Flight_Games#Living_Card_Games

Kind of a flaky system. I guess it has its benefits, if you're guaranteed to get everything you might need.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

But ultimately, CCGs that intend to encourage players to buy booster packs tend to have less robust rules (necessarily to prevent synergy conflicts) and don't necessarily have as fun an experience in and of themselves versus a game which is specifically built to be played with very specific cards.

Doesn't that also conflict with LCGs since they also have expansions and continuous releases? After all, the only time when rules can be build with the cards in mind is when the rules and cards are being designed at the same time.

Otherwise the customization factor is one reason why I find CCGs enjoyable as opposed to just normal card games. Decks are designed for usability, but they're also a player's creative self-expression.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

When you know exactly what cards every player is going to use, it's easier to set up specific combos, synergies, or established ideas than in a game where you come out with a new set of 200+ cards every few months.

That's why strategies, combos, and synergy are set up on a block-by-block basis in MtG, tbh, and why standard (or whatever the format is called) is restricted to the current core set and last two blocks. The kinda cool thing about MtG is that it would introduce a new mechanic in a set or block and then kinda retire it afterward (at least for a while). The influx of mechanics where the popular is kept and unpopular goes makes CCGs more of an evolving kind of game.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

(This may also be why I wind up taking like 2 hours at the beginning of any RPG video game with a robust character creator, to work out a perfect character design before I'm content enough to play the actual game.)

I've sometimes spent days deciding on just a character name (particularly in multiplayer games with unique name rules.)

Metalsonic66 posted...

Visuals are a pretty big deal for me when it comes to superhero shows. They don't have to look exactly like the comics (very few movie/TV show superheroes do), but they should at least make an attempt. It's especially annoying with Iron Fist since they really just need to do a modified version of Matt's costume from Daredevil season 1.

Before the show actually hit, I disliked that he didn't even have a mask. However, within the context of the show, it actually made a lot of sense especially within the early episodes.
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I stand corrected on the point of sohei, which goes to show how long it has been since I last looked at the 1st Edition Oriental Adventures (which I got used, and which is falling apart). And I remember the L5R tabletop game being really popular back when I was at university (... fifteen years ago), but this topic is the first time I have seen it mentioned since then.

The Wave Master posted...

THANK YOU!

Compared to the others here, I am a n00b to this series of topics, but you are welcome, nonetheless.
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Mobile Suit Geek: Geek vs. Zeta Geek
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I think that settles it in terms of names for the topic title.

"Mobule Suit Geekdam: Geek vs Zeta Geek"

I mean it was seconded and all.
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To be continued...
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