Random Thoughts or OT Chit-Chat Thread • Page 163 • Collecting General • The Acaeum

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Random Thoughts or OT Chit-Chat Thread
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shadeun
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Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2024 4:26 am

Badmike wrote in Random Thoughts or OT Chit-Chat Thread:

TSR was still producing quality material and went bankrupt though bad management....but the product was always true, the employees were gamers and creatives, and they did turn it around when bought out by a proper ownership group. Not only is the product the last few years sub-standard and mostly written by nobodies and non-gamers, they have no clue who their audience is or what to do with their product. Well, except for getting away from their core concepts and going all in on online and VTT gaming, complete with microtransactions and everything we love about online video games...because the company is being run by Microsoft and Amazon employees who have no vision beyond "this product is under monetized".

Mike B.

Yeah no argument there as a (younger) person 2nd ed was my entry into the hobby and I certainly loved most of the creative things in the mid-90s as I got fully into playing. From Planescape campaign setting through to Baldur's Gate - and that all happened around the time TSR went under.

So I would withdraw my statement. Though with the comment that its pretty easy to be creatively free while spending your way into oblivion.

I suspect that the next market crash will see Wizards hewn from Hasbro however - so maybe there will be some hope for change.

Deadlord
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Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2024 3:29 pm

I have been using a spell point system with my custom rules and it has worked out a lot better than the standard memorization system. How many times has a MU said "Gee, I wish I had memorized knock instead of (x)"? Yes, it makes mages more powerful, but I have been able to limit that by making spells harder to find when necessary (mages in my campaign are rare to begin with).
Another little thing I added in: rings of spell storing, instead of having specific spells they can store, can store (X) spell points' worth up to a certain level of spell. Example: The party found one, and it can store 9 spell points, with a max spell level of 3. So, 3 3rd level spells, 2x1/2x2/1x3, etc.
Another thing I have thought about implementing is equipment wear, especially weapons and armor. It is a bit ludicrous for a character to use a normal longsword 1,000 times and not have it damaged or destroyed. My thought was to assign wear points; I'm not sure what the conditions would be to accumulate wear; perhaps 1 point per hit makes sense. A smith could repair the weapon; based on the smith's level he could repair X amount of wear. Magic items are exempt.
Anyone else have tweaks they use in their campaigns?

If you hit a Rowsdower, you get to keep it.

Agent Cooper
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Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2024 10:09 am

I've been tinkering with the idea of letting the wizards in my next 3e campaign have some spells they can always cast regardless of spell slots, ala Pathfinder. It's super boring for a low level mage after his daily slots are gone and all he can do is watch. And for some of my players it's outright dangerous. Inevitably at some point I will hear: "Well my two spells are gone, may as well draw my dagger and attack the ogre. Beats standing here doing nothing."

The owls are not what they seem...

stratochamp
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Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2024 4:15 pm

Deadlord wrote in Random Thoughts or OT Chit-Chat Thread:I have been using a spell point system with my custom rules and it has worked out a lot better than the standard memorization system. How many times has a MU said "Gee, I wish I had memorized knock instead of (x)"? Yes, it makes mages more powerful, but I have been able to limit that by making spells harder to find when necessary (mages in my campaign are rare to begin with).
Another little thing I added in: rings of spell storing, instead of having specific spells they can store, can store (X) spell points' worth up to a certain level of spell. Example: The party found one, and it can store 9 spell points, with a max spell level of 3. So, 3 3rd level spells, 2x1/2x2/1x3, etc.
Another thing I have thought about implementing is equipment wear, especially weapons and armor. It is a bit ludicrous for a character to use a normal longsword 1,000 times and not have it damaged or destroyed. My thought was to assign wear points; I'm not sure what the conditions would be to accumulate wear; perhaps 1 point per hit makes sense. A smith could repair the weapon; based on the smith's level he could repair X amount of wear. Magic items are exempt.
Anyone else have tweaks they use in their campaigns?

All of the things you are mentioning here are handled well in Rolemaster.

Shrink is not a condition

MegaTherion
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Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2024 11:25 pm

stratochamp wrote in Random Thoughts or OT Chit-Chat Thread:All of the things you are mentioning here are handled well in Rolemaster.

Spell Law was a great supplement back in the day. In the mid 80s my Aunt (our DM) used spell law to create and allow us to play elemental wizards. I loved it

benjoshua
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Posted: Fri May 03, 2024 8:48 pm

Tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day for those who are interested. 8)

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aia
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Posted: Sat May 04, 2024 1:15 am

I found this partnership between D&D and Converse which has some interesting products:

https://www.converse.com/shop/dungeons- ... collection

aia
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Posted: Tue May 07, 2024 12:40 am

** expired/removed eBay auction **

This auction is currently running in the wargames section of ebay.co.uk ... now, if we exclude the mislist8ng and the fact that the item itself made me laugh a lot, i wonder how such an item can be conceived...

benjoshua
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Posted: Tue May 07, 2024 1:11 pm

benjoshua wrote in Random Thoughts or OT Chit-Chat Thread:Back in late October, I learned my Creatine levels were elevated. Not good. My primary physician recommended I meet with my urologist. I finally got an appointment in early December. The doctor said my right kidney was swollen and needed attention within three weeks. An MRI revealed my ureter (tube between kidney and bladder was blocked). A month later I finally had surgery to try and install a stent. A week later a doctor installed a nephrostomy tube into my kidney so my kidney could expel urine. Thank goodness the kidney was still functioning! Ten days later another doctor tried to install a stent into my ureter. Didn't work. Then my nephrostomy tube malfunctioned, and I had to go in and have it fixed. Yesterday a third doctor successfully installed a stent. Finally! If that hadn't worked, I would have had to go to Emory in Atlanta for major surgery. Thank goodness yesterday turned out well. I'll have to keep the nephrostomy tube for another two weeks to make sure the stent is working properly. I'll keep this stent for three months at which time it'll be switched out for a larger stent which I'll keep for three months. What a mess! Five surgery/procedures down and two more to go! The good news is that I'm in little pain and can live my life relatively normal. 8)

Yesterday I had surgery to replace my stent with a bigger stent. Everything went well, but it seems that my kidney suffered some damage when the ureter was blocked. The doctor isn't too concerned. It is what it is.... :?

Truth is worth finding and life is too short to work for money.

Sir Kill Alot
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Posted: Fri May 10, 2024 9:40 pm

I'm not sure how to take the news...are you getting better? Feeling better at least? I hope you are.

-SKA

aia
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Posted: Sat May 11, 2024 12:37 am

benjoshua wrote in Random Thoughts or OT Chit-Chat Thread:Yesterday I had surgery to replace my stent with a bigger stent. Everything went well, but it seems that my kidney suffered some damage when the ureter was blocked. The doctor isn't too concerned. It is what it is.... :?

All the best, i wish you will be able to come back to ordinary life as soon as possible!!!

killjoy32
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Posted: Sat May 25, 2024 8:01 am

Came across some cool videos of the previous north texas RPG cons...

Spotted a few (older) familiar faces

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Are we nearly there yet?

Sir Kill Alot
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Posted: Sat Jun 01, 2024 10:07 pm

I was bored and wanted to create some AI art... Pretty neat what you can come up with... If you do a bunch of them, they start to all look the same...

Attachment:

SKA Art.jpeg

Attachment:

SKA 2.jpeg

Attachment:

SKA 4.jpeg

-SKA

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benjoshua
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Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2024 11:39 am

Pretty cool! 8)

Truth is worth finding and life is too short to work for money.

FoulFoot
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Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2024 1:05 pm

What's really wild is that if you were armed with this tool twenty years ago through a time machine, you'd be the most in-demand artist in the world. (Maybe we should examine old art for evidence of AI generation / proof of time travel).

Foul

Tszii
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Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2024 2:46 pm

Has any generation lived through the advances we have? Folks who remember small black and white TVs in the kitchen, getting their first microwave, VCR, smarthpone for banking, ebay and nextflix, and their first AI bot?

I also remember when AI was going to take jobs from truck drivers and warehouse workers first. Instead it was artists and programmers.

red_bus
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Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2024 6:13 pm

Good question. I guess it is a bit subjective, but my vote would go to people born towards the end of the 19th Century. To grow up in a world of horses and trains, then to see within 50 years: people flying, mass produced cars, televisions, world wars, and even shortly later, nuclear weapons and space travel. All within the span of one life. In comparison, some might feel a bit underwhelmed by more recent developments.

Let's go fly a kite
Up to the highest height!

Tszii
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Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2024 8:09 pm

Less than 70 years between the Wright brothers and moon landing? You have a point there. :)

The Acaeum Forums • Collecting General

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