Are there many tabletop gamers around?

[Harness]

I was just curious how many people on the boards play pen and paper rpg's. I will freely admit that I have played a LOT of them: AD&D 2nd ed, DnD 3.0/3.5, Pathfinder, everything that White Wolf has ever published, Rifts, Marvel Saga, Fifth Age Saga, Dresden Files, Dead Lands, BESM...I am kinda a gaming nerd. This is probably what first attracted me to Nerd Fitness, I love the RPG aspect of it as a motivator. There are very few things that I love more than arbitrary numbers on a character sheet!!!

[Atalan]

Still play D&D 3.5.

Athena, your group could have kept playing in the 3.5 system. A new edition doesn't make it impossible to play the older ones.

[Harness]

*Waves*

Alright got my character done and ready for my first 6 wk challenge.

Athena, you should take a look at Pathfinder, it is 3.5 but soooooooooo much better. Paizo (the company that makes it) has a ton of support for it, including dozens of adventure paths.

[Jcannon98188]

Starting a 3.5 game on Monday for my Brother and Dad.

Athena, any thoughts on 5th e? Me and ALL my friends HATE 4th E. and are really hoping that 5th solves most of the problems.

[Harness]

Da**it you're right. I blame it being 1 am here...that point is coming out of Wis though, just for my derp-ness

[leadchipmunk]

I played very little of 4th edition D&D. I got the red box starter kit and got a couple friends together to play. It was fun, but I was pretty much the only one that liked it. And I got stuck being GM. I don't mind being GM, but I don't want to do it all the time.

[Raincloak]

I may be stranger than the lot of you; I doodle up dungeons for fun, but I've hardly ever played any. Joining a group is hard! (Working on it now though; after I slog through a couple other major life projects, next up is some RPG time. I may have found some victims, I mean PCs... *rubs hands*)

I tried Living Greyhawk D&D a couple times with a group, and didn't like it. Having no power to influence a story (or keep the treasure) just really annoyed me. I would play AD&D if I could find anyone who had the time and inclination to play it, but so far not much luck. Dabbled a little in a couple other systems, but the DM didn't have time to run things, so we'd wind up playing two sessions and then nothing for six months, and the campaign would completely die.

by the way, a little black hole of amusement for you RPG fans:

http://theglen.livejournal.com/16735.html

[Harness]

Raincloak, I don't know if you have stumbled across rpol.net but it is an online tabletop rpg hosting site. It can be fun and is a great way to find a gaming group where geography isn't an issue.

[leadchipmunk]

I may be stranger than the lot of you; I doodle up dungeons for fun, but I've hardly ever played any.

I've done that in my mind, but I have done a good bit of 3.5e character creation out of boredom.

[Kishi]

Hullo!

I've had some pretty limited tabletop experience, mostly extending to homebrew systems when I was in high school. I've also done some stuff with Exalted, and we're playing a homebrew based off Victoriana right now. I threw some money at a Kickstarter looking to bring over a Japanese RPG called 'Tenra Bansho Zero,' which is supposedly a sci-fi take on the Sengoku era. (Looks like Exalted, but plays with D6s). Pretty excited!

[Harness]

Cool! Someone else who has played Exalted! I am planning on throwing money at the kickstarter for 3rd ed, I am excited about playing an Exalted game where you don't have to cross-reference rules between multiple books and an errata pdf. Do you have a link for the kickstarter page for 'Tenra Bansho Zero'? I would be interested in checking it out.

[Avistew]

I've played DnD (3.5 only), Deadlands, and created characters for Rifts and 7th Sea... but then we had one or two sessions and people stopped being able to show up. These were several years apart and with different people, too. I also played Triune Legacy a bit.

Most of my experience is with DnD though, I've been in a few campaigns, for a total of a few years, while I played Deadlands once a week for only one campaign (about six months) and played only a few sessions of everything else.

I've never DMed but I would love to give it a try. I'm nervous about it, though. Any experienced DM want to give some advice for a first campaign?

[shagy2303]

Why dont we make a game for NF on http://rpol.net/ then?

[Kishi]

Cool! Someone else who has played Exalted! I am planning on throwing money at the kickstarter for 3rd ed, I am excited about playing an Exalted game where you don't have to cross-reference rules between multiple books and an errata pdf. Do you have a link for the kickstarter page for 'Tenra Bansho Zero'? I would be interested in checking it out.

Third edition's going to have a kickstarter? Dude! I had no idea! What are they going to bring to this edition? Has there been any word on that?

Also, here's the link you requested.

[illuminatus]

Hey Harness, longtime Pen and Paper gamer here. I've played quite a bit, from D&D, AD&D 1st through 4th editions (Never liked 3rd or 4th editions. Was okay with 3.5 and like Pathfinder), Rifts, Dark Heresy line of games, Savage Worlds, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Mutant Chronicles, SLA and All Flesh Must Be Eaten etc.

Currently in a group playing a Deadlands Campaign, after that comes to a close either jumping into Mutants and Masterminds, Call of Cthuhlu or Dark Heresy's Only War Supplement, we haven't decided yet. Always wanted to check out Exalted but never met any other gamers that wanted to.

Shagy2303, that sounds like a fantastic idea

Avistew, I've ran as a PC and GM'd. I have two pieces of advice to give: let your PCs guide the direction of the flow of the game and alter your plot appropriately, but don't let them control your actions. There is a saying amongst those who've GM'd before. A GM's original plan never survives first contact with the party. People are so unpredictable that you can't account for every single thing a pc will do. Instead, if your plot calls for the PCs to go to Town A and they go to Town B instead, change your plot to either be in Town B or bait your PCs with something they are seeking that draws them were you ultimately want them to go. Some people call that railroading, but as a GM sometimes you need to direct your PCs, even if they aren't aware of it. And the Second piece of advice is: Have fun! I enjoy GMing because I love telling a story. I try and feed off my PC's actions, motivations and personalities to make things fun and light.

As for a first campaign to GM, stick at first with what you know. Maybe start off a 3.5 campaign and the first couple of adventures or sessions, run a 3.5 module or premade adventure. That will give you a feel for your PCs, how their players interact with your NPCs and how best to ultimately direct them to where you want.

[illuminatus]

Avistew, check out dungeonmastering.com. They have tools, modules and information that can help you create or set up adventures. It's good to look at especially for a first time GM

[Avistew]

Thanks a lot, illuminatus, I'll take a look.

[Raincloak]

Raincloak, I don't know if you have stumbled across rpol.net but it is an online tabletop rpg hosting site. It can be fun and is a great way to find a gaming group where geography isn't an issue.

I've done a little play-by-post, but didn't much like it to be honest. The interaction is the main point of an RPG in my mind, otherwise it's just nothing but bad fiction, delivered at a snail's pace. I'd rather play live, but if that can't be managed, I'd at least go with Skype or IM chatroom. Has to be some medium where people can talk in real time.

[leadchipmunk]

Check out http://www.fantasygrounds.com/

I haven't used it, but it is realtime maps, dice and chat all in one. It isn't free, and you must pay more to be a GM and use different rule sets, but they do have a free demo that may be worth trying out.

[shagy2303]

i could probably set up an chat thing for us.

[Harness]

That could be really cool!

[shagy2303]

http://www.raidcall.com/v7/index.html

Group 5038759

This way way we have the ability to talk. it is free and uses very little resources

[Raincloak]

http://www.raidcall.com/v7/index.html

Group 5038759

This way way we have the ability to talk. it is free and uses very little resources

What is this thing? I read the FAQ and it goes on about "points" and "silver" and "treasure boxes." Whut?

[Harness]

Third edition's going to have a kickstarter? Dude! I had no idea! What are they going to bring to this edition? Has there been any word on that?

Also, here's the link you requested.

Yeah 3rd Ed is going to have a kickstarter, don't know when they are going to get it set up though. I am keeping my ear to the ground so that I know when I can throw my money at someone though! Rather than try to separate all of the speculation and fact on the new edition myself I will give you a link to the most comprehensive list of developer quotes that we have: http://avatarcomic.net/ExaltedWiki/mediawiki-1.19.1/index.php/Exalted_3E:_What_We_Know

[BlkIronEpee]

I was actually just going to start a thread: Old school lifting, old school nerding. Has anyone checked out the burning wheel? It is great. Very character and story oriented. I would love to host an email or live chat game if anyone is willing to take the plunge into an innovative system.