The Tabletop RPG Thread
Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 12:11 pm
G'day chummers and welcome to the...
What is a Tabletop RPG?
Remember the good old days, before video game RPGs were dumbed down by The Man? When starting areas were full of mysteriously combat-adept rats, and levelling up gave you 1 experience point and you were strawberry floating grateful?
That's not what tabletop RPGs are.
A tabletop RPG (RPG from hereonout) is a guided conversation between a group of players and a Dungeon Master (DM). The DM relies on sourcebooks, rules, to create a consistent and believable world in which the players adventure. These rules differ from sourcebook to sourcebook but often involve the rolling of die to determine the outcome of challenging situations.
As long as they do not contradict the sourcebook, players can do anything, go anywhere, and sexually pester anyone.
Hmm, interesting. Mayhap I have heard of some of these 'sourcebooks?'
Undoubtedly. The most famous by far is Gary Gygax's Dungeons and Dragons, one of the first codified RPGs. This was a world of high fantasy, of elves and dwarfs and many, many dice rolls. It is also (in my opinion) overly complex, obsessed with stats and, honestly, best consigned to history.
Cyberpunk 2020 is also seeing a resurgence. Mike Pondsmith's seminal take on the worlds of Gibson and Stephenson inspired a generation of nerds to jam radio transceivers into their brains and take on the Corps. Like many 80s sourcebooks, it too is a maze of fumble tables, random effects charts and more lore than The Next Generation season 8.
More recently, the Apocalypse system has become the go-to for efficient, pick-up-and-play sourcebooking. The actions of the players and DM are transformed into Moves, and most moves carry a roll of two d6 (six sided die). A roll of 7-9 is a partial success, ten and above is a full success, and anything else is a fail. It's quick, elegant and, most importantly, infinitely flexible.
I'm now ravenous with anticipation. Are there any good campaigns to watch/listen to out there?
I'm glad you asked friend! Below are a few of my personal favourites, and if anyone has any suggestions I've missed, feel free to let me know!
The Adventure Zone
http://www.maximumfun.org/shows/adventure-zone
The best campaign I've ever seen or heard, hands down. What starts off as three dudes and their dad trying to learn Dungeons and Dragons turns into a multi-campaign epic with some amazing payoffs. I'm not ashamed to admit I teared up during the finale.
You'll be wanting to listen from the beginning here.
Friends at the Table
http://www.friendsatthetable.net/
Waypoint's Austin Walker takes a bunch of friends through various scenarios, from high fantasy, to Mech based scifi, to cyberpunk. This one is a liiiiiiiittle too earnest for me, takes itself a little too seriously. I'd also say you could skip the first season and move straight into CounterWeight, the Mech campaign. Walker is a consummate storyteller however.
CritJuice
http://www.critjuice.com/
A bunch of smalltime actors and comedians come together to play a fantasy RPG...with a twist! Each time a crit (maximum possible score) or critical miss (lowest possible score) is rolled that player takes a shot. As the series progresses, the rules get harsher until most are sozzled as strawberry float. The campaign is funny, breezy and the opposite of FaTT's po-faced seriousness.
That's it. I'm quitting my job to become a DM!
Do it. It's what Gygax would have wanted.
What is a Tabletop RPG?
Remember the good old days, before video game RPGs were dumbed down by The Man? When starting areas were full of mysteriously combat-adept rats, and levelling up gave you 1 experience point and you were strawberry floating grateful?
That's not what tabletop RPGs are.
A tabletop RPG (RPG from hereonout) is a guided conversation between a group of players and a Dungeon Master (DM). The DM relies on sourcebooks, rules, to create a consistent and believable world in which the players adventure. These rules differ from sourcebook to sourcebook but often involve the rolling of die to determine the outcome of challenging situations.
As long as they do not contradict the sourcebook, players can do anything, go anywhere, and sexually pester anyone.
Hmm, interesting. Mayhap I have heard of some of these 'sourcebooks?'
Undoubtedly. The most famous by far is Gary Gygax's Dungeons and Dragons, one of the first codified RPGs. This was a world of high fantasy, of elves and dwarfs and many, many dice rolls. It is also (in my opinion) overly complex, obsessed with stats and, honestly, best consigned to history.
Cyberpunk 2020 is also seeing a resurgence. Mike Pondsmith's seminal take on the worlds of Gibson and Stephenson inspired a generation of nerds to jam radio transceivers into their brains and take on the Corps. Like many 80s sourcebooks, it too is a maze of fumble tables, random effects charts and more lore than The Next Generation season 8.
More recently, the Apocalypse system has become the go-to for efficient, pick-up-and-play sourcebooking. The actions of the players and DM are transformed into Moves, and most moves carry a roll of two d6 (six sided die). A roll of 7-9 is a partial success, ten and above is a full success, and anything else is a fail. It's quick, elegant and, most importantly, infinitely flexible.
I'm now ravenous with anticipation. Are there any good campaigns to watch/listen to out there?
I'm glad you asked friend! Below are a few of my personal favourites, and if anyone has any suggestions I've missed, feel free to let me know!
The Adventure Zone
http://www.maximumfun.org/shows/adventure-zone
The best campaign I've ever seen or heard, hands down. What starts off as three dudes and their dad trying to learn Dungeons and Dragons turns into a multi-campaign epic with some amazing payoffs. I'm not ashamed to admit I teared up during the finale.
You'll be wanting to listen from the beginning here.
Friends at the Table
http://www.friendsatthetable.net/
Waypoint's Austin Walker takes a bunch of friends through various scenarios, from high fantasy, to Mech based scifi, to cyberpunk. This one is a liiiiiiiittle too earnest for me, takes itself a little too seriously. I'd also say you could skip the first season and move straight into CounterWeight, the Mech campaign. Walker is a consummate storyteller however.
CritJuice
http://www.critjuice.com/
A bunch of smalltime actors and comedians come together to play a fantasy RPG...with a twist! Each time a crit (maximum possible score) or critical miss (lowest possible score) is rolled that player takes a shot. As the series progresses, the rules get harsher until most are sozzled as strawberry float. The campaign is funny, breezy and the opposite of FaTT's po-faced seriousness.
That's it. I'm quitting my job to become a DM!
Do it. It's what Gygax would have wanted.