CandidGamera

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... I've started my own somewhat intermittent blog, and have occasionally posted memorable quotes there. Past and future quotes can be found under the tag 'table talk' : http://candidgameraversus.blogspot.com/search/label/table%20talk

Re: Biggest Brains in DC I love this topic. I am of the firm belief that the smartest human being in the DCU is Lyle Norg, but he doesn't count since he's a thousand years in the future. Ted Knight's work in physics is remembered in the 853rd Century. Ted Kord has an IQ of 180. but they're both dead now. (For the time being anyway) Barry Allen - I honestly don't think Barry is one of the DCU's ultra-geniuses. He and Bart are both knowledgeable, thanks to being able to absorb information at superspeed, and Barry certainly had a science-filled background to begin with. I would consider him smart, but no in a top 10 or top 20. Lex Luthor is clearly one of the smartest human beings on the planet. Ray Palmer would definitely make a top 20 list for me. Will Magnus and the Chief would also hit the top 20. Dr. Sivana, Ira Quimby, T.O. Morrow would definitely be up there. Batman... is a special case. I think Batman is a tactical genius, but the modern interpretation of him definitely downplays his inventor credentials - seems like he outsources most gadget building. He'd probably get in my top 20. More later if I have time..

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... From a friend's Star Wars Saga Edition game : Eric (OOC) : .. and now I've got a long-range communicator with full encryption capability. Sarah (OOC) : Who ya gonna call? Me (OOC) : GHOST! BUSTERS! Worth mentioning because I never again thought I would hear someone unironically ask that question..

Re: D&D 4th

Re: D&D 4th The difference, in Hero, is that the special effect is 100% flexible. And that the underlying toolkit that is the HERO system allows me to build custom powers that aren't 'deal damage and move the target a square'. HERO's special effects aren't a veil struggling to conceal the lack of variety in a system. It's more than the names.

Re: D&D 4th I wish it was that simple. Every damn character is a Jedi Knight, packed full of force abilities now. Sure, they claim different power sources, but it's really all the same thing. And then there's the abysmal lack of diversity. It's not just the mishmash of deities from other worlds, the Feywild, the Eladrin, the Dragonborn, the Warlocks, et al. The very system itself is no longer compatible with the feel I want. Gosh, I guess the reason why it's a sticking point for me is because I have a different taste than you. Sorry to be sarcastic, but you should be able to understand my point of view even if you don't share it. I can't imagine how they'd play all that differently. And god help you if you want to try to distinguish two rogues from one another. To borrow an old chestnut from another messageboard, the plural of 'anecdote' is not 'data'. Let's just say that my experiences with the (3.5) game differ vastly from yours. High level spells? Polymorph? It's not high level.. And they haven't been put in the background, they've been taken behind the barn and shot.

Re: D&D 4th

Re: D&D 4th I'm picking up the three core books for 4th on Sunday. I've been reading all the previews and snippets and reviews. I really think it's a board game with optional roleplaying now. I think the design influence of that board game is World of Warcraft - probably because the D&D MMO failed and the guys at the head office wanted to better "Actualize our potentialities" or something. It seems like it would be a fun board game - but it has almost nothing of what I consider the essential elements of D&D - the things which have kept me playing D&D for 20 years now. Disturbingly, GMs are encouraged to end campaigns with a "Destiny Quest" for players who achieve 30th level, with the goal being divine ascension. Hearkening back to the days of Basic D&D there, I suppose, with the difference being that there aren't any Immortals rules to continue play afterward. Even more disturbingly, there's apparently a section in the DMG that gives guidelines for playing without a Game Master - the most damning sign of all that it's become a board game. I'm very glad Paizo has decided to continue supporting and updating D&D 3.5 - I really feel that that edition is the pinnacle of this particular RPG.

Re: D&D 4th You know, I really liked D&D 4E ... when it was called HeroQuest. Spade>

Re: Is it fun to play RPGs online? I try not to play tabletop RPGs online. I do so-called "freeform" roleplaying online, though, which is fun. It's sort of an odd dichotomy - I cannot abide a tabletop game online, and I cannot abide a freeform game at the tabletop. If I'm playing in person, I want dice and rules. If I'm online, I want no part of either.

Re: Jack Emmert On "Identifying With Your Heroes" Wow, I can't possibly disagree with his take on Superman more. And I reject his premise entirely - I don't want superheroes to identify with, to empathize with - I want superheroes to look up to. This is why I read much more DC than Marvel. Unfortunately, as a long time City of Heroes player, I've noticed a tendency Jack has to conflate "what people want and enjoy" with "what I, Jack Emmert, want and enjoy." If you're reading, Jack - I don't play MMOs for the same reason you do, and I don't read comics for the same reason you do.

Re: Strange Hero Concepts: Discuss Your Own! I had an NPC in my Noir Supers game something like that - his codename was Damper and he was, in essence, an emotional vampire. He had an always-on aura that passively fed on the emotions of those around him - it manifested primarily in two effects: 1.) An area of effect always-on bonus to Mental Defense vs. emotion-based attacks. 2.) A bright-fringe invisibility power - essentially, people could see he was there, but his aura caused them not to care about his presence unless they were specifically looking for him. The players joked he was the perfect NPC. "Hey, where's Damper?" "I've been here with you for five hours." "Oh, there he is!" He also could focus his emotion-drain powers into an "apathy attack" - which, if I recall correctly, as an Ego Drain.

Re: Strange Hero Concepts: Discuss Your Own! Do almost-rans count? I was in a great Legion of Superheroes game - it was set millenia after the usual era, and was a new group of Legionnaires. I played a pregen (all the initial batch of characters were pregen) called Chlorophyll Kid II. However, I was keeping a few backup concepts in my pocket in case something should happen to him. We'd had some amusing references crop up to previous eras, including the 20th century DCU, so in keeping with that an our lack of a magic-user, my first-choice backup guy would have been a descendant of John Constantine, a modern day magic-user. Except, instead of John's clever, rude, and brash nature, this one would be polite, calm, and rational. That's right, he was - Neville Constantine, Heckblazer!

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... Ladies and Gentlemen - this may not be the usual format you're used to. And I'm kind of tooting my own horn - so to speak. Let me 'splain. I engage in online, freeform, superhero roleplay, based on Livejournal. And I feel (and hope) my rendition of Ambush Bug will amuse you all. Perhaps I am mistaken. But I feel, nonetheless, that this is an appropriate contribution. http://community.livejournal.com/watchtower_fans/40220.html That is 'Ambush Bug Presents #6' - part of a series of little snippets I do. It's somewhere between IC and OOC - as is appropriate for Ambush Bug. The watchtower_fans community is an open community for fans of the jla_watchtower community. There are five more Ambush Bug Presents episodes in there. If anyone has any questions, I'll be happy to answer them - either via PM, or a new thread, or whatever.

Re: Venture Brothers Hero? I would so play this game.