RPG A Day 2020: Day 15--Frame

 RPG A Day 2020: Day 15—Frame

We’re suddenly just about at the half-way point for this year’s RPG A Day experiment. ‘Frame’ is another tough prompt for me to come up with anything of alleged import to say. When I give prompts to students—prompts will usually be more than one word BTW a topic that’s too open and you never know what you’re gonna get, but in most cases it’ll be a lot of blank stares—I usually tell a struggler to use the dictionary or thesaurus to look up other words and meanings that might inspire them to come up with something more than a blank page. I did this for ‘frame’ and found one of the definitions for the word when used as a verb: “to shape or adapt to a particular purpose: to frame a reading list for ninth graders…” I’m going to run with that and frame a short list of RPGs that I think are appropriate for beginners:

1. Pathfinder Beginners Box—I haven’t messed around with 2E if there is a BB for it yet, I don’t know. I really like the 1E one because it essentially offers up all one needs to know in one easy to use box with a map and paper-minis. It is rule light in a sense, but you could play this BB and shift over to just about any other D20 system. It also has those props and visually stimulating character sheets and artwork that really helps you to “sell” the hobby.

2. Index Card Roleplaying Game—mentioned it already this go, but I think it’s good because it’s self-contained and it strips down RPGs—primarily D&D 5E— to it’s most essential and intuitive form. I actually like ICRPG best of all in some ways but the PF:BB gives you props whereas ICRPG has you create your own…which can also be fun, but we don’t want to overwhelm anyone just starting out.

Any of the Runehammer Games are good to go for beginners. If you want some cyberpunk style action try ‘Altered State’ which I haven’t been able to play yet, but which I have read through. It is so much easier than Cyberpunk:2020, but I envision putting the CP:2020 lore—along with upcoming RED and CP:2077—in the background but using these AS mechanics.

3. Faery's Tale Deluxe—another good one, particularly for kids just starting out. The suggested age range begins at 6. The subject matter is more kid friendly fantasy, but I think there are quite a few adults that like it too.

4. Ryuutama—I’m an early Western convert to this Japanese TTRPG and never miss a chance for proselytizing. This game is about traveling and is often described as Myazaki meets The Oregon Trail. The subject matter is definitely kid and beginner friendly and even comes with built-in mechanics for a GM controlled character that sticks with and helps the PCs and some simple town and world building elements that PCs can join in with. The combat system is very much simplified like an old NES JRPG, but the magic system can be deceptively complex for a kid or beginner as magic tends to be in all systems.

5. Dungeons and Dragons 5E Starter/Essential Set—The starter set for 5th isn’t bad at all for beginners, comes with a dice set, and one of the best starting adventures. It’s bare bones when it comes to other swag though. The PF:BB gave more bells and whistles. I understand the essential set is a little better, but also costs a little more. I don’t think you could go wrong with either. I would say one of the better ones for beginner adults. It’s not necessarily little kid friendly and yes, the magic system is out there at times, but kind of fun altering and figuring out. It probably won’t be too long before 6th edition starts being heard of in the distance, but worth leaning the 5E way and lore behind it because it’s most likely what you’ll end up playing.

Honorable mention:

MÖRK BORG a new and highly-stylized—if you can get the print copy—rules light dystopian fantasy setting that purposefully tries to be all the bad things RPGs were accused—framed if you will—of being back in the 80’s. Doesn’t make the cut because it might scare away the ones that don’t realize how tongue-in-cheek it is especially kids and their parents.

My Little Pony: Tails Equestria—I can’t include it because I haven’t been able to play or read through the system. I’d love to do it though. Essentially light D&D set in the MLP:FiM universe. Appealing to kids of all ages.

Meddling Kids—Been around for a while now and is good for kids 7 and up. I have read through this one, but haven’t been able to play. It is simplified and has a mechanic similar to Ryuutama wherein a GM controlled ‘wild card’—think Scooby or Captain Caveman—helps the PCs. For me it seemed a little too easy and not close enough to the kind of play that I’ve encountered at least. I’m also not sure how many kids are into the Hannah-Barbara Saturday morning type shows nowadays.

Alright, that does it for today and the half-way point. We’ll try to do it again tomorrow.

RPG A DAY 2020: Day 11--Stack

 RPG A Day 2020: Day 11—Stack

Another short one today.

There is a stack of new games—new to me at least—that I have yet to play. For better or worse it always seems that I end up playing the latest—and hopefully the greatest—edition of Dungeons and Dragons. There’s nothing wrong with that. Most adults really don’t have enough time to learn different rule systems, and the young whippersnappers usually don’t have the attention span needed to learn one system let alone multiples. Personally, I like reading them, but even I don’t have the time to read as much as I’d like. We have new platforms like Roll 20 and other virtual tabletops and meeting places, but if the players don’t have the material and are not willing to learn it, we never get very far into the stack.

One game from the stack is Index Card Role Playing Game, and I guess you could also include the sister supplement for D&D 5E called Hardcore Mode. They are both by the same author, Brandish Gilhelm, at Runehammer Games and can both be used to add very cool house rules and flavor to the D&D game. In fact, the former can help freshen any RPG, and is also a stand alone in its own right heading for its 3rd edition.

It’s the D&D Hardcore Mode that I’m most intrigued by for our purposes today because through various rule tweaks and refinements it does exactly what it’s supposed to and breathes new life into the familiar 5th edition game. It is a game—supplement if you prefer—that you can pull from the stack with little effort. The changes are minimal, but huge. The same is true of ICRPG itself and it’s amazing to me the way that Gilhelm is able to accomplish this. It doesn’t feel dumbed down in the least, and yet it has refined the gameplay and “fixed” a lot of what some find lacking in 5E. However, because it essentially remains 5E it becomes an easier sell for players that don’t want to try something completely new. Which do you think is an easier sell, Do you want to play ICRPG—which relatively few have heard of or Let’s play D&D but use the prison rules. I think that would get one game out of the stack. I don't think you can go wrong with any game or supplement from Runehammer Games, so check them out. 

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/10923/RUNEHAMMER-GAMES

Altered State--Cyberpunk 2020

I continue to waste away in Coronavirusville, but on the plus side, I was able to purchase and read through most of Altered States, a new Cyberpunk Supplement for Index Card Role Playing Game.  I think it will help to streamline the rules for "the world's greatest 'cyberpunk' roleplaying game"...or at least the most well-known one. I have run CP2020 campaigns on Roll 20 wherein I tried to incorporate a few ICRPG rules, but now we have something official. Rules-light CP for less than $10.00? Sign me up.  

At some point I might go all in on the AS setting which goes even further into the future than traditional CP, but I really am a sucker for the CP2020 ascetics. I like style over substance, and the 1980's feel, but to each his own. However, one thing I don't like about CP2020 is the bloated RAW and that's where AS helps. 

I am a GM/Referee who likes having a permanent NPC stay with the players. She's not a Mary Sue and mostly gives exposition without my having to come up with a cast of thousands. In my 2020 games, the concept is that the team works to put on a reality show about Edgerunners similar to COPS. My character is a media type that follows them around and records their exploits for broadcast. She's famous with people on the streets, but overlooked by the Network Corporate types. She has plot armor on, but she's about as useful as Dungeon Master in the D&D cartoon was for all intentions. She's also useful for testing out how to build characters, so here's a quick take on how I converted my media darling Coco Lopez into an AS character along with a couple of thoughts on other CP2020 issues that can be taken care of with AS:

-----This part is probably only useful for those with copies of Altered States and Cyberpunk 2020-----

The first bit is all from AS--in my mind the closest in character concept was to make her Truth Seeker Enhanced Human Shifter with the Good, Bad and Ugly tag. I chose Mnemonic Link and Shifter Graft from the enhancement which helps her to record the happenings of her team while remaining in "Embedded" in the group and not look like a somewhat famous TV personality. Equipment doesn't matter, I pick what I want, but I did choose the external augment so she could get cyberoptics that fit with the character. Weapons again doesn't matter much choose what you want, but I added from CP2020  Rate of Fire (ROF) information for how many rounds can be spent per turn along with capacity for firearms that don't show specifics in AS. Also, it does take one round to reload on all firearms--with specifics beating general as always. Coco has no psychic abilities but the option seems really straight forward if players wanted to use them. Links and Bonds again doesn't matter much--players could even use the life path from CP2020 if they are into that kind of thing. 

Next is the CP2020 stuff. Since I want Coco to remain a Media--I just looked at her specific skills from CP2020 and connect them with the most appropriate stat to my way of thinking. Example: Streetwise--seems like a WIS skill to me, so +2 is added to Coco's streetwise checks. If for some reason she needed to make a streetwise attempt--although I'd probably stick with checks for something involving this skill, I'd let her go with D4 effort--possibly D6 if she researched the area ahead of time or used her optics in some way. Also, if the character is using a career skill the roll would be easy vs. DC, a chipped skill would be straight roll vs. DC, and a non-chipped non-career skill would be Hard vs. DC or maybe even impossible like a non-chipped runner trying to read a language he's never seen before. 

Netrunning--always a problem in CP2020--would be largely hand waved here. I would use the AS/ICRPG system all the way. I would let the Decker/Netrunner go into cyberspace but going into all the minutiae of deck building and which programs to load up has never been fun for anyone except the runner player and the GM from my experiences. You could resolve a hack really quickly and let the decker stay with his mates and fight.

It might be a while before I can try it, but I'm looking forward to giving it a go. As to the system I'd give it 4/5 because there's always room to improve, but for the cost? 5/5 you can skip a pizza and improve your cyberpunk game.