Susan's Place Transgender Resources

I'm into D&D, Pathfinder, and various games from White Wolf as well-- particularly Scion.

Is anyone else on here a pen-and-paper gamer?

Since second grade :)
What addition D&D?

Quote from: Two way Rain on November 04, 2012, 10:42:22 PM
Since second grade :)
What addition D&D?

I've mainly played with 3.5, though I did try 4th Edition for a little while. I didn't really enjoy 4th Ed., though, since the classes all felt so much the same, with the formatting, powers, etc. I also think it was a bad sign that they errata-ed stuff in the core rulebooks.

WotC seems to have learned from their mistakes with 4th Ed. and Essentials, given the open playtest they've started for D&D Next. I am registered for the playtest, and I'd recommend anyone who likes D&D do the same if they want a say in its development.

Quote from: ElusiveAppellation on November 04, 2012, 11:01:22 PM
I've mainly played with 3.5, though I did try 4th Edition for a little while. I didn't really enjoy 4th Ed.,

Lol, you won't find a lot of people liking 4th edition :). I am personally into a lot of RPGs, I'm a 2nd edition type of nerd. Though Pathfinder, Rifts, AFMBE, Hero system and most recently SPLINTER I've played more then I can remember currently XD.

The play test sounds cool, though the only problem for me is finding time to do it :)

This may be slightly off-topic or maybe it's right on topic.

Someone just alerted me to this last night. We played Talisman, a board game, and I was wondering if there was a way to play it online.

http://www.vassalengine.org/ (http://www.vassalengine.org/)

It let's you play board and card games online in a networked fashion. I wonder if it would be good for table-top RPGs as well. I think it might have all the things you need to make it work. Then again, I know there are other tools out there as well that may be more tailored for table-top RPGs than for board and card games.

this is the game we play at my game table:

http://www.lulu.com/shop/cp-bussell/saga-the-game-hero-edition-soft-cover/paperback/product-20028586.html (http://www.lulu.com/shop/cp-bussell/saga-the-game-hero-edition-soft-cover/paperback/product-20028586.html)

I'm a tabletop roleplayer. Currently playing Ars Magica, Apocalypse World, Monsterhearts (an online PBP), and a Reign/Nain-based homebrew called Dawn of Magic.

I've been doing it for 5 years, so have played a whole bunch of other stuff, including nWoD, Mage: Ascension, Kerberos Klub, Progenitor, Paranoia, Feng Shui, Mutants & Masterminds, Dark Heresy, Exalted, Nobilis, Warhammer Fantasy, Kagematsu, The Dance & The Dawn, In A Wicked Age, Reign, and lots of homebrew games too.

I also play Warhammer Quest.

Ah, excellent! I mainly write and play in theatre style LARPs/freeforms these days, but there are a few tabletops I still play. D&D is OK, but I often feel it encourages too much emphasis on the mechanics, although of course it doesn't need to be played that way. I've been enjoying BESM [Big Eyes Small Mouth, an anime based game], and Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space [I even got my family playing that one, as they're familiar with the series].

I've started playing in 2 more Pbps, and have asked to join yet another! I'm also about to join a UNIT game using the new Doctor Who system.

So many games!

This is how I die.

I'm a bit of a newbie to the genre, but I've just started playing DnD v3.5, where I play a dwarven (formerly a permanently shrunk halfling, pre-resurrection) bard who's currently missing an arm and a leg thanks to shenanigans. I'm also playing Star Wars: Edge of the Empire, where I play an Ewok Doctor. The group I play with are pretty big on roleplaying - last session the GM didn't use anything he'd prepared because we were all sorting out our characters' grievances, in one case via a duel to unconsciousness.

I'm actually creating a world for a possible campaign; do you guys have any tips for a prospective DM?

There are 3 golden rules of DM/GMing:

1. It's easier to do than it looks.
2. It's harder to do well than it looks.
3. Ultimately, any old bollocks will do.

I would also advise not to plan your story too rigidly, as the players will always do things you do not expect, and you will not have a contingency plan. Learn to roll with it and embrace the madness.

Quote from: DeeperThanSwords on January 21, 2013, 12:54:58 PM
There are 3 golden rules of DM/GMing:

1. It's easier to do than it looks.
2. It's harder to do well than it looks.
3. Ultimately, any old bollocks will do.

I would also advise not to plan your story too rigidly, as the players will always do things you do not expect, and you will not have a contingency plan. Learn to roll with it and embrace the madness.

This is some seriously solid GM advice.

We've had four games in a 3.5 campaign I'm running called The Howling Cliffs. Here's the adventure log that sums up what's happened so far if anyone cares to read it.

http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/the-howling-cliffs/adventure-log (http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/the-howling-cliffs/adventure-log)

Quote from: cynthialee on January 21, 2013, 01:33:50 PM
This is some seriously solid GM advice.

Thank you! *deep bow*

Ive played WAY too many table top games over the last 12 years. My roommate has been working on a game for 6 years now which is nearly in the editing stage. if things go well, the company who owns alot of the rights will be buying it and hopefully, he and I will make boku bucks =P

Quote from: DeeperThanSwords on January 21, 2013, 12:54:58 PM
There are 3 golden rules of DM/GMing:

1. It's easier to do than it looks.
2. It's harder to do well than it looks.
3. Ultimately, any old bollocks will do.

I would also advise not to plan your story too rigidly, as the players will always do things you do not expect, and you will not have a contingency plan. Learn to roll with it and embrace the madness.

I'll definitely keep that in mind! Thanks!

I spoke to my current DM, and he has an alternative 'Three Golden Rules':

• The DM is always right.
• The DM is never wrong.
• When in doubt, refer to rules one and two.

Quote from: septuagenarianTurist on January 21, 2013, 07:13:05 PM
I'll definitely keep that in mind! Thanks!

I spoke to my current DM, and he has an alternative 'Three Golden Rules':

• The DM is always right.
• The DM is never wrong.
• When in doubt, refer to rules one and two.

Well, he would say that, lol.

Your style may well vary; personally, rather than trying to plot out how the players are going to get from A to B (which they'll amost certainly not follo anyway), I just make sure I know what's going on in the world, ho the villain thinks and what the conseqences of their actions will be, the original clue that draws the PCs in, and wait to see what they do with it.

Perhaps try and figue out what the players want out of it and let that guide you - do they want to hit things a lot? Sneak around? Develop emotional connections and angst about them? Formulate their own evil schemes?

Quote from: DeeperThanSwords on January 21, 2013, 12:54:58 PM
I would also advise not to plan your story too rigidly, as the players will always do things you do not expect, and you will not have a contingency plan. Learn to roll with it and embrace the madness.

This is one of those things that you learn the hard way, I guess. Last night, the party completely circumvented about 2/3 of the adventure I had planned. They decided (for some unfathomable reason) to split up into four different groups. THAT, btw, is a freaking nightmare. If you think winging it is bad, trying winging it with your party split up like that in a relatively big city. Just drive bamboo shoots under my fingernails.

I was in the uncomfortable position of trying to decide how forgiving I should be. They were doing things that, in my mind, could easily get at least some of them killed. Several of them are recently escaped from witch hunters who came to the small island from the mainland and are in the position of being captured or killed on sight if they're recognized and those are some of the ones who decided to split off from the party on their own.

It's like when you're watching a horror movie.

"Hey, we're going into an area with a known threat. Let's split up!"

The group I'm thinking of DMing for is pretty into roleplaying and getting to know their characters. The story is probably going to be pretty RP heavy, with quite a lot of politics. I'm guessing there's going to be a lot of NPC improvisation, which is going to be the hardest part for me; our previous DM is an actor, so there's a lot to live up to there!

In my experience, many, many roleplayers are frustrated actors at heart :).

I play a lot of RPGs and can't seem to get enough!  I have played BESM, I saw that one of you mentioned that here.  My favorite systems are the Buffy the Vampire Slayer system and Savage Worlds.  D&D is just too darn complicated in my opinion, and I feel like it encourages players to do math for 4 hours rather than tell a great story for 4 hours. 

Have any of you ever played Savage Worlds?

I used to be a huge old World of Darkness fan and also enjoyed Paranoia, Unknown Armies, DnD 3.5, Fiasco, and a bunch of other stuff. Unfortunately I don't really have the time anymore and my group has fallen apart, but I miss it sometimes! It kept me (relatively) sane as a teenager.

I haven't done any real tabletop RPG in a while. All our GMs moved away, and now there's just three of us left. We used to do Pathfinder 3.5 and the Warhammer 40K RPG. I've ran Call of Cthulhu and other general horror genre games. I really want to pick up CthulhuTech and give that a try, but we just don't have the people for any real regular gaming group.

Right now I'm on a couple of different MUSHs which is how I get my RP fix in, but it's not the same, you know? I've been wanting to run an online tabletop game for a while now, or at least participate in one. I've checked into several different online tabletops, but none of them really struck a cord with me. Maybe if we get enough people with interest, I'll look deeper into this.

For me it has to be a pen and paper old school style game. We use various mini's and dungeon tiles and Hero Quest furniture, but it is all just window dressing for an old school role playing game.
Computers are nice, but they just can not provide a true role play experiance like a human game master can.

I used to run Chaosium sponsored Call of Cthulhu tournaments at L.A. area conventions back in the day. I've done a couple here in Phoenix as well. None since transitioning, though.

Is anyone here on RPG.net?

Ooh! Scion! I'm actually currently running a game. I love Scion. And all White Wolf really. Who else is looking forward to Exalted 3e?

Sorry, I just had to pop in and say I'm so happy that there's a gamer thread here. My husband (who is just beginning her MtF journey) and I own and run a tabletop gaming store, so of course we're both huge gaming nerds! :P

Can you get us discount dice? I have an addiction to feed.  >:-) (Kidding, kidding.)

In the next few weeks, I'll be launching an Apocalypse Engine Rogue Trader game. It'll be my second game as a GM, eep!

Quote from: DeeperThanSwords on May 18, 2013, 07:16:45 PM
In the next few weeks, I'll be launching an Apocalypse Engine Rogue Trader game. It'll be my second game as a GM, eep!

Just tell the story and do not worry about which dice rolls need to be made. When you do not know which dice roll to call just say as much and chances are someone at the table will know the rule.
The key to being a good GM is not knowing all the dice calls...it is presenting a good story and wrapping the tale around your players characters.

I used to play lots of tabletop RPG's with a bunch of friends, but since I lost them I have no one who knows the rules anymore or who can be GM, which is kind of sad. I love tabletop RPG's so much... :<

Quote from: cynthialee on May 18, 2013, 11:22:07 PM
Just tell the story and do not worry about which dice rolls need to be made. When you do not know which dice roll to call just say as much and chances are someone at the table will know the rule.
The key to being a good GM is not knowing all the dice calls...it is presenting a good story and wrapping the tale around your players characters.

Indeed. The handy thing with the Apocalypse Engine system is that it revolves around character interaction, so the players essentially make the story themselves. I've gotten a good group too, no riff-raff, so it should be fun.

You know, tabletop RPG's have actually a lot in common with LARP, the only difference being that with LARP you act on it and aren't sitting round a table with pen and paper. But the idea is the same, especially GM/storyteller wise, where it's mostly about creating immersion in the game and such.
Basically LARP-ing is Tabletop-ing for people without fantasy ::)
Just kidding, lol!

I love Tabletop RPGs! Scion is probably my favorite game at the moment, though I love Exalted, Mage, and most other White Wolf stuff. Still learning the ropes of Pathfinder, but I guess classic sword and sorcery isn't my thing. 

Hey, maybe I can be useful here!

I used to run a lot of RPGs (back when I had the free time and friends to). I've run D&D 2e, 3.5e, 4e, with 4e as a personal favorite. WoD (standard), Pathfinder, Savage Worlds, Eclipse Phase, Dark Heresy, Gamma World, the list could go on for an embarrassingly long time. Personally I prefer rules-light systems, or at the very least systems that get the hell out of the way when needed. 4e is surprisingly adept at this. FATE is also fantastic. 3.5e and Pathfinder are perhaps a little clunky for me.

In terms of storytelling I favor epic scale low fantasy or conspiracy games. Everyone wants something, and events are usually in play that go way beyond the PCs themselves. It's so wonderful to see the players get in over their heads and slowly realise the true scale of what they're involved with.

Quote from: Erik Ezrin on May 19, 2013, 09:03:28 AM
You know, tabletop RPG's have actually a lot in common with LARP, the only difference being that with LARP you act on it and aren't sitting round a table with pen and paper.

That's why I'm not usually allowed to RP in an open area. I get up, gesticulate, use props, pace around the room excitedly and make an unashamed fool of myself. And then I drag everyone else into it. :D

During the college school year a friend of my is always running pathfinder games. Their kind of on hold for the summer but when he comes back out to the school for the rest of the summer we're going to start up a summer session and I'm kind of excited because I built a custom race, they're fairies, and I'm going to play one of them.

I think I have found my people here!  ;D

I started playing a homemade system back in 1995 and progressed into so many games... My favorites are Cyberpunk 2020, Shadowrun, and Dungeons and Dragons: Forgotten Realms 3.5... and now I realize how old this makes me sound. :P (As long as I have admitted to my age, how many people here ever played Twilight 2000 or Traveller?)

I just finished playing a Sailor Moon BESM game, an Exalted game, and a Vampire: Requium game. I am currently playing in a Adeptus Evangelion game, hoping the DM is turns out to be decent, but currently holding judgment.

I used to play a lot of D&D, but it's sadly all over now as we're all going our different ways. We played our own system based on the D&D one, handed down to us by the father of one of boys from the our group. The DM was really good, when he wasn't shouting at us, bending the rules and killing us off. He acted like he hated us all... One of our players got killed off so often, he went through six characters in six months. It was hilarious.

I really hope to play more when I move upcountry and meet more people. I miss wasting my Wednesdays and stuffing my face with pot noodles and coke. Tons of crappy food was a big tradition in our group.

Quote from: Lajs on June 25, 2013, 08:56:50 AM
I used to play a lot of D&D, but it's sadly all over now as we're all going our different ways. We played our own system based on the D&D one, handed down to us by the father of one of boys from the our group. The DM was really good, when he wasn't shouting at us, bending the rules and killing us off. He acted like he hated us all... One of our players got killed off so often, he went through six characters in six months. It was hilarious.

I really hope to play more when I move upcountry and meet more people. I miss wasting my Wednesdays and stuffing my face with pot noodles and coke. Tons of crappy food was a big tradition in our group.

That seems familiar... was your DM an overweight hispanic man who always wore a panama jack?
With him, if you weren't  playing a wizard, you were reduced to supporting cast and very, very expendable.

Hope you find a good gaming group! A good gaming group has for me been a ready-made circle of great friends, something everyone should have. :)

I had a crew of guys I played with who I had to kill off a character per game session sometimes.

But they would push the limits and pull boneheaded maneuvers they knew were likely to get them killed off. I had one guy who would occasionally come to me privately before game time and ask me to kill off his character so he could bring a new character into the Saga.

I have been tempted to try dungeon mastering an rpg via google+ for a while now.  Time zones are a problem though-plus I get dysphoric looking at my little webcam image.

Once I get further into transition perhaps I will run an all trans game... that would be fun!

I tried to run a video chat RPG and it was a total fail.

logistics are a bitch on this one

Saga: the Game still my favorite of all time. :D

Re: logistics.  Yes, I suspected that may be the case.

In the meantime I will settle with my all girl (inc trans girl and genderrunny) local old school dnd sesh.

Have yet to try saga.

I really want to get into tabeltop gaming. A friend is going to run a one-shot Basic D&D story for a few people in our social circle in a few weeks, and I'm pumped (we're all knitters, so there will probably be gameplay interspersed with craftiness of some sort). I'd really love to find a group to do a longer campaign with, though (I've been reading up on the 3.5 edition rules, on the recommendation of the internets). Sadly, I don't really know anyone with enough experience or desire to DM a long campaign, and I'm hesitant to go into totally new social situations both as an introvert and as a genderqueer person.

This is making me miss RPGing heaps.

Search DMSCRAFT on youtube... lots of rpg craft for nimble fingers to enjoy.

Yukari, I used to run Twilight 2000, I remember it fondly. I think I did a terrible job, I was one of those GMs that stymied players and killed them off with no mercy or respite. I wonder now why my players kept coming back... In my defense the first game I ever GM'd was Paranoia where that kind of behavior was encouraged.

I've played every edition of DnD at one time or other, Cyberpunk 2020, RIFTS, Mythus, Rogue Trader (and Deathwatch), and on and on.

cynthialee and Emmaline, I've looked at (and never tried, so I can't make promises) Roll20. It looks like it can do the job well enough that a Pen and Paper game could be played online, it might solve the logistics issue?

I would be interested in joining a game if one were to happen...

I have a crew playing the same heroes for the last 2.5 years. Every game I have them convinced that they are about to die in any number of heinous ways, yet they skim by on the hair of their asses and survive.
It is an art.
;)

These characters they are playing are some of the most powerful I have ever seen and they are still convinced they are chump change.

I'd try to do that now, if I were to run a game. Keeping players alive and happy seems to be a good thing.  :angel:

Quote from: DeeperThanSwords on January 23, 2013, 05:46:08 PM
In my experience, many, many roleplayers are frustrated actors at heart :).

More like William Shatner type of actors, but you may be right. Or maybe I'm just projecting my personal issues. :)

Quote from: cannedrabbit on May 15, 2013, 08:18:28 AM
My husband (who is just beginning her MtF journey) and I own and run a tabletop gaming store, so of course we're both huge gaming nerds! :P

OMG! You're living the dream, or least it's my childhood dream!

Quote from: LWhite on May 28, 2013, 11:57:42 PM
That's why I'm not usually allowed to RP in an open area. I get up, gesticulate, use props, pace around the room excitedly and make an unashamed fool of myself. And then I drag everyone else into it. :D

There are such double-standards out there. If you paint your body in the colors of a football team and put on silly foam hats and fingers and stand half naked in the freezing cold, people will just say you're an enthusiastic sports fan who's excited about a game. If you get just a little bit excited doing what YOU love, all of sudden there's judgment.  ???

I agree, dalebert, it's a very strange double standard. How is knowing every stat about David Urlacher any less obsessive than me knowing all the fine and fun things my little elf can do (sure he's a real person, but how's knowing how much time he was on the field last season helping you enjoy the game)? My brother doesn't do the face paint, but I know never to interrupt his game watching time. Also, I don't talk him that day if the Bears lose...  :-X

Just GM'ed for my Fella and my kids for the first time, dug out my old M.E.R.P rulebook and used that. We had an absolute blast!

That's awesome, Alex. It easiest to find time for a game when all the players are already there.  ;)

MERP? Middle-Earth Role Playing? I've never touched that one, but I do love Middle-Earth. (Feeling psyched about The Hobbit part 2, loved part 1.)

I award you one internet for RPG awesomeness.  :eusa_dance:

I just got in to Tabletop RPGs this year, actually! I play a lot of 4th edition D&D plus Next, , Pathfinder, and soon Star Wars Edge of the Empire :) In D&D I'm usually my group's DM but in Pathfinder I play a Drow sorcerer. I'll be DMing the Star Wars game that I'm setting up. I've watched a lot of older and more active DMs and I'm not too bad as a beginner!
-Samantha ^^

My friend ran the first game of his Pathfinder campaign last Friday. I'm already loving it. I'm playing a ratfolk gravewalker (witch) and I make a point to always talk with a lithp when he speaks because of course he's quite buck-toothed. I have an elaborate back story that I will tell sometime when it's not so late and time for bed. *yawn*

The winter break is finally upon me and maybe, just maybe I'll finally get to play in a game of Shadowrun 5th edition!

This will be especially interesting as it will be my first game with my old group since I've started transitioning... At least no one will be teasing me about playing a female character anymore... ;D

I have a huge love of game books, and will read them even if I don't have a group to play with!

I started with tabletop a little over a year ago with White Wolf's New World of Darkness series; primarily Werewolf: The Forsaken, and Changeling: The Lost. I run a couple of games through Google docs, as my group has different timezones and can't always have a Skype session. So we do a lot of writing and rolling, and it's all good fun.

Looking into getting into other games though to spread my wings a bit, per se. (:

Ooooooh Tabletop RPG convo? (so it's a bit old...but lets see who is still around)

I've been GMing for yeeeeeeears...yes forever GM :'( (but I secretly love it)

I'm currently running a Dark Heresy campaign with 6 other people over Roll20 and Skype. It's been going for over a year now and is just coming to it's bloody conclusion.

I'm also playing in a Call of Cthulhu campaign one of my friends is running (he is trying out GMing for the first time, tis going ok, even if I do oft times take it off the rails just for a bit of payback from all the years of them doing the same to me!)

Once the Dark Heresy ends, (should be in the next week or two) I'll be starting an Elder Scrolls (Focusing on Skyrim) RPG using an unofficial modification of the Warhammer Fantasy RPG rules, (looking forward to this quite allot, as all the players are familer with the franchise and all the groundwork/worldbuilding is already there, so I can let them run off the rails if they need to without having to completely make stuff up on the spot)

Also planning to take part in a New World of Darkness game (Vampire the Requiem) some time in the future, (another friend wanting to try GMing). His only description he has used so far is "Charlie's Angels...but with Vampires"...should be interesting!

And I also have a couple homebrew settings I run one-off games for every now and then using the Savage Worlds ruleset.

One setting is a funky fantasy setting where the players all play as races that would be typically considered "Monsters" "Centaur, Merfolk, Driders, Harpys, Insect men, Sentient Armour, Mutated Humans etc). Groups are hired and sent off to explore and salvage things from the ruins of an ancient civilisation, because hell...what sane human would go trekking through the wilderness and into dangerous uncharted ruins on the hunt for treasure that might not even be there? Especially when the world is full of creatures that would eat you as soon as they saw you! Yes...the smart thing to do is hire some monsters of your own, if you want the job done properly that is!

The other setting is a post apocalyptic superhero setting, where most of the population was wiped out by an evil villain's successful plan, and the survivors are struggling to rebuild. All the usual post-apocalypse tropes are in place, (raiders, scarce supplies, mutants, if you have played any "Fallout" games you get the drill) with the added exception that the players each have a couple minor super powers at their disposal. (Think "Heroes" if you ever watched that show). So players have to walk the line of using their powers to overcome their problems, while also attempting to hide them in public (as the general populace will flee or kill "Supes" on sight since they are not trusted any more). Tis good fun.

Phew...sometimes you don't realise how much time you spend on that stuff until you write it all down!

I would love to get a group together from here one time, even just for a one off game or two, I do most of my GMing over the net now anyway, as all my friends are scattered across the country, so I would happily run something ^^;

Wow, that all sounds awesome. You put a lot of thought and creativity into it.

We alternate DMing two different games on Wednesday. My game is sort of Lovecraft inspired so I try to keep it very dark. The PCs are all "witches" who have developed somewhat random powers in addition to their class features that seem tied to some ancient evil waking up. I guess it's kind of cliche in that they will have to save the world from being devoured.

My friend's game is set out in the unexplored wilderness of some very large island. How big? Iceland? Greenland? Australia? I don't know. We're exploring the frontier. Both games are Pathfinder.

Saturdays I play 3.5. That game started out being essentially Old England with a very low magic setting aside from the PCs having standard access from their class features and some very rare NPCs. It's been weird though. Magic is so rare that you can make someone think they're going insane with a message spell. I think the DM is adjusting after realizing that it doesn't quite work to have standard PCs in a world of almost all mundanes.

So I recently started to really get into tabletop games, slowly working messing around with systems (read only reading stories about and rule books) and trying to get my group of friends online to play some stuff with me or at least on a bit of a more consistent basis. Have been addicted to making characters though, any stupid idea I have when I am at my computer I just make a character.

Sadly it seems like the systems I would want to play seem to be highly out of favor in my area or I know nothing about really other then basic rules but really like the setting. 4e D&D and Dark Heresy respectively.

I like most got my start with D&D, but I've always gravitated towards Sci-Fi.  Star Frontiers, Traveller (am I dating myself?), etc. But my primary fixation was always...

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fecx.images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F51Yloa226oL._SL500_AA300_.jpg&hash=22df1cd8a46bfdb2b3a163579e4cf6c5697ac270)

Literally a tabletop boardgame/RPG. It was great until they jumped the shark with it and both the #@$@!# card games and the video games killed it.

As teens my brother and I started up a hobbyshop that was mostly gamer oriented (kiss o' death), that lasted just longer than the average 12 months of the average life of a small business. Stayed into it until I went into the army (to play with the closest things to Mechs) and discovered girls and motorcycles.  Been tempted to get back into it, there is even a local transgirl here who is in the local LARP group.  But I really don't have the time and fear I'd totally relapse into nerddom and become completely decoupled from the real world.  :laugh:

Quote from: Claire (formerly Magdalena) on October 20, 2013, 11:22:07 PM
Yukari, I used to run Twilight 2000, I remember it fondly. I think I did a terrible job, I was one of those GMs that stymied players and killed them off with no mercy or respite.

Well, it's kind of hard to be lenient if you want to be as gritily realistic as T2K. 

"You just got a face full of persistent nerve agent.  You're dead." 
"You just caught an AK round in the head. You're dead."
"You just stepped on a cluster bomb sub-munition. You're dead.  Oh?  You don't like that?  Ok, you're not dead. But your legs have been shredded and you now have to live as a double amputee with chronic pain and infections in a post apocalyptic environment with no medical care."

That's how I rolled.  >:-) But the way I did it was that I usually had a bunch of NPCs around (the rest of the squad/platoon/remains of the command) that the players could jump to if they got dead. Yeah no one ever got really attached to their characters and no one became a "hero", but that was always kind of the point of a game as dark as T2K.

Hmm... Let's see here.
I started playing again, for the first time since... June 2013, I think.
Playing a female character, and convinced my DM to let me do it. He generally refuses people playing characters different to their gender, but he seems very supportive of my transition and therefore is happy with me playing a girl.

As for the other side of the screen, I've been itching to run Runequest. Like, crazy. Great sword and sandal thing getting set up, somewhere between Burrowers From Beneath and 300 aaaand...

No one shows up. Or messages me. Or can be reached for over a week afterward.
>:(

How do people get their players to actually show up?

Quote from: LWhite on April 29, 2014, 01:19:30 AM
How do people get their players to actually show up?

I often find threats of physical retribution can act as an appropriate motivator...or offering free Pizza, whichever is more suitable.

I used to play Heavy Gear, a mech strategy/tactical tabletop game.

Quote from: Rainbow Brite on April 29, 2014, 07:15:51 AM
I used to play Heavy Gear, a mech strategy/tactical tabletop game.

That was a cool game, very similar to BT (taking Japanese Manga and Westernizing it) but more "realistic". But always found the minis to be too expensive, plus I was full invested in BT.

QuoteHow do people get their players to actually show up?

Threats of their characters being uses as NPC (ie: "cannon fodder") usually works.

Quote from: JamesG on April 29, 2014, 07:36:29 AM
That was a cool game, very similar to BT (taking Japanese Manga and Westernizing it) but more "realistic". But always found the minis to be too expensive, plus I was full invested in BT.

They were expensive but when you consider just how much metal they are made from, it's not that bad. All of the Gears seemed heavier than the mechs from BT/Mechwarrior. I also used to build miniatures from the different Warhammer universes.

To get players to show up to game:
FOOD!
and if they are of age to drink...beer

Add in the threat to have any PC not show up to game have their character fall prey of the beast of burden curse. This foul curse strikes any PC whose player is not there by polymorphing said character into a jackass complete with saddlebags. Said jackass will then be used to portage the other players gear and treasure. The jackass is rewarded with hay, rubdowns and the occasional checking and repairing of their horseshoes. Provided the other players remember to tend the livestock. Of course the jackass has no right to claim treasure or loot. But they can carry it around all day long.
:D

Quote from: LWhite on April 29, 2014, 01:19:30 AM
How do people get their players to actually show up?

Honestly, I'd be inclined to try to find more enthusiastic players. That seems like a red flag to me. Enjoyment of the game should be their primary motivation. I ache when a game is scheduled and anything happens to prevent it because I've been looking forward to it all week.

Quote from: LWhite on April 29, 2014, 01:19:30 AM
He generally refuses people playing characters different to their gender...

WUT? But the whole point of RPGs is escapism. I'm certainly glad he's making an exception for you, but no exception should be necessary. The whole point of role-playing is you are placing yourself in SOMEONE ELSE'S shoes for a little while to experience a little slice of life from a different point of view. Your character should be whatever you find to be enjoyable for that particular game. Most every DM I've played with actually encourages variety. That's just crazy talk.

Quote from: dalebert on April 30, 2014, 02:16:17 PM
WUT? But the whole point of RPGs is escapism. I'm certainly glad he's making an exception for you, but no exception should be necessary. The whole point of role-playing is you are placing yourself in SOMEONE ELSE'S shoes for a little while to experience a little slice of life from a different point of view. Your character should be whatever you find to be enjoyable for that particular game. Most every DM I've played with actually encourages variety. That's just crazy talk.

I have a friend and have heard many other people that do the same. It isn't so much a discouraging variety for most of them, at least from most of the people I have asked, but a blanket rule so they don't run into those people that will play the role of the extreme stereotypes just because. Though those people all are open to the idea if a person comes to them and talks to them about it. It isn't perfect, but I can understand their stances.

I played DnD a few times, but it's a mess. Lore's all over the place. The deities are from Greyhawk, yet we use Forgotten Realms monsters and uhm... well, I don't know. A big melting pot. I'm a bit of a lore-buff on Forgotten Realms (I hate the setting and think Ed Greenwood's a moron, but roleplayed in a lot of FR games intensively), so I literally improvised a campaign and the feedback was that it was better than what the previous GM had spent two weeks working on, so eh... yeah, never had that much fun with tabletop.

Players with "celestial eagles" as pets amongst other OP retarded stuff, starting out at level 10, ridiculous loot... I guess I just attended out of pressure to come along, because I cringed a lot and couldn't really take it seriously...

That said, I'd love to play something from World of Darkness... mostly Vampire: The Masquerade, in a contemporary setting... gah, so wish it were possible. I'm a bit burned out on generic medieval fantasy settings with their knock-off elves and dwarves...

Some people are very funny about players having opposite gender characters. My own anxiety about how people will react has kept me from joining the local Pathfinder Society games...

The biggest problem is usually that they do it badly or are juvenile about it and it becomes an annoyance & distraction to the story and flow of the game...  It's hard enough for some people to stay in character when it's very close to their own personality, it takes an experienced player to really be able to pull off a different persona well.  That's why GM/DMs don't allow it, its not a trans gender thing.

Most gamers are cool with transfolk.  They are almost as weird as they are.  ^-^

Quote from: Rainbow Brite on April 29, 2014, 08:32:37 AM
They were expensive but when you consider just how much metal they are made from, it's not that bad. All of the Gears seemed heavier than the mechs from BT/Mechwarrior. I also used to build miniatures from the different Warhammer universes.

Did you ever build any of the Japanese plastic models that HG was based on? 

Don't get me started on W40K...

My favourite thing to do is play a changelling/shapeshifter character. That way I can get the best of both worlds, and can even switch between my male and female voices for a bit of fun :)

Once you remove gender as a defining character trait, I find the characters I play are much more interesting.

[Temporarily Removed by User]

Quote from: Alyssa L. on May 08, 2014, 09:40:05 AM
I too love to play shapeshifters. I am sure it has nothing to do with my desire to be whoever I want :)

I am currently playing d&d 4th edition in the zeitgiest campaign world. We are playing the pre-built modules, but they are the best that I have ever played. Very unique encounters and lots of things to do other than kill stuff. While 4th edition isn't my favorite it is easy to run as a GM and no one in our group likes to GM :)

I am a big fan of more free form game systems where you have the ability to really describe what you are doing and have it affect the outcome of the action. One of my favorite, but never played PnP RPG's, is a system called Universalis. It is a GM-less RPG that has huge potential for great story telling. Unfortunately some of the people I play with can't seem to wrap their heads around it :P

Alyssa

Sounds good :)

I'm a big fan of pure story driven games as well, to GM and play.

Nowadays, if I want to sit down an dungeon crawl or hack and slash with my friends, I can do that far easier and much faster on a video game, rather that organising and running a tabletop night.

Tabletop RPGs are really amazing in my opinion when you can create an interesting group story, if there are no maps or tokens involved, I am sooooo much happier :)

I'm trying to steer my group of friends away from standard D&D esq types of campaigns as a result of this.

I've managed to have a number of good sessions of "Everyone is John" with them (Which is great fun for a night off from your regular campaign etc).

Now that I have breeched to them the idea of a pure story driven RPG, I'm going to try and get a few games of Monsterhearts. Its a pure story driven game where players take on actors in a teen monster drama TV show, ala Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Vampire Diaries etc. The tough thing with that is that the game embraces all aspects of the teen drama, including having mechanics and rewards for turning people on and sex etc, so it requires quite a mature mindset going in otherwise it turns into a farce.

Well this is about tabletop games so I just have to reply, as they are awesome.
My favorite system out of the tabletops that I have played is World of Darkness, I'm kinda addicted to the theme and how dark it is, I've been playing Werewolf: The Apocalypse this year, which has been lovely and dark.
Plus the chance to be a big bad creature is always half the fun..
So looking forward to the new WoD stuff!

I'm kind of new to the Tabletop setting.
I've tried my hand at the Dresden files game which had it's amusing moments. Mostly due to our brain damaged were-bear, who attempted to heal my wounds through the strategic application of jam, and just crashed a boat (which we were all on) into someone we were trying to get on our side *facepalm*

I'm currently playing an unofficial Mass Effect game where you're basically a random person on the citadel when the Geth attack it's been pretty entertaining though rather difficult. My GM has said that if I wasn't playing a medic then we'd all be dead by now several times over  :o

I'm currently trying to wrap my head around the system in Shadowrun 5 as a friend said I might like it.

The game I'd really love to play is White Wolf's Changeling: the Lost, which probably speaks to my state of mind right there  :laugh:

I too look forward to more WoD stuff Fiere :) I've just been through Hunter: Mortal Remains which deals with Hunters reactions to Prometheans, Changelings, Geist and Mummies.

Haha Shadowrun is a lovely system, never played it, but I can imagine it being difficult to run since you have to keep track of three realms at the same time.
Changling: The Lost is a beautiful game, I played a rather insane Cat Beast, and many laughs were had, you have no idea how often tying people up becomes the most appropriate response in that game.
But I've gotta say the new Demon and Vampire books are amazing, so want to try them out :D

I love the idea of Shadowrun and I loved my character, but that game system is a disaster. It killed our game. It's absurdly complex and will bog down both players and GM. The book makes it worse because it's so poorly organized for use as a reference and you need to look things up constantly.

One thing I found frustrating about it, aside from the complexity, was how difficult it is to advance incrementally, at least as far as cyber goes. It's very expensive to get cyberwear and really wasteful to upgrade, so much so that you're incentivized to hold off on getting something until you can afford the best version you're ever going to want. It just doesn't make for good gameplay.

Ahhh shadowrun.  The only system where recoil rules means emptying an entire minigun at point blank range can mean you miss.  Good times.

My first edition shadowrun character was a lesbian decker- played her for ages much to the amusement of my gaming group.  #earlytransindicators

Gotta love the Shadowrun setting...

But dicepool games. :S

-shudder-


I'm currently working on running a "Monster Hearts" game with some friends. I love freeform RPG games where I get to really stretch my GM muscles in lots of exciting "think on the balls of your feet" ways :D

As I was reading the source book I found myself fascinated with the ethos behind it. It really felt like the writers were people I could connect with...and some of the sentiments etc felt strangely familiar...

You can imagine my surprise when I was reading the book and saw this...

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FADZO5DX.jpg&hash=e4c07119ddc9a094c9d82e5f88d49f8a6eafc0b8)

Must have been a trans person involved in the book. :D Don't think I have ever seen such a direct and concise reference like that before.

Has anybody ever thought of organising a skype RPG group or anything on susans? I do get the feeling that we would all be somewhat more...mature about certain content that is seen as taboo in most gaming groups xD

I've played quite a few of these games. Right now I'm playing in a pathfinder game with a pirate setting. I'm also the GM for a mutants & masterminds game. Fun stuff.

I've been playing Dresden Files. Maggie is my first trans character ever. She's awesome.  :D

I just got the new addition of Dungeons and Dragons. It seems to be a very solid system with lots of loose ends tied up. Already shaping up to be 10 times better than 4th edition (which I both loved and hated).

Also an interesting addition to the d&D world:
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/gaming/dungeons--dragons-embraces-lgbt-characters-think-outside-binary-notions-9626599.html

Daniella, you are looking great! I cant believe how much you are changing.

Quote from: Alyssa L. on August 12, 2014, 02:52:50 PM
I just got the new addition of Dungeons and Dragons. It seems to be a very solid system with lots of loose ends tied up. Already shaping up to be 10 times better than 4th edition (which I both loved and hated).

4th Edition...So many splat books...so easy to break xD

Quote from: Alyssa L. on August 12, 2014, 02:52:50 PM
Also an interesting addition to the d&D world:
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/gaming/dungeons--dragons-embraces-lgbt-characters-think-outside-binary-notions-9626599.html

Kinda strange that they feel the need to put that in the handbook...I mean, that was always a given for me and my players anyway, I like to think most tabletop players consider things like that during character creation >.>

But maybe I am being overly hopeful that this is the case xD

Quote from: Alyssa L. on August 12, 2014, 02:52:50 PM
Daniella, you are looking great! I cant believe how much you are changing.

Awwww thanks!...the magical power of Hormones! xD



I recently played my first ever trans character in an RPG!

I rolled a questioning trans "witch" in a one off monster hearts game (just to try out the system with some friends).

Rather quickly I learned a body swapping spell, and began a sinister quest of searching for and essentially using the swap spell to find and steal my "perfect body".

The whole thing was great fun, since you need to get a "token" (a physical object that somebody holds dear to their heart) from the person you want to cast a spell on, I was having to try and manipulate/seduce/flat out steal personal items from NPCs and players.

It ended up becoming quite the strange experience though, as I cut a body swapping swath through the NPCs...and then the players, I ended up inadvertently creating a crowd of new trans people in my wake (if for example I swapped bodies with somebody of the opposing gender, they were most often not to pleased with the switch) not to mention what happens when you dump a vampire soul in that of a mortal, and vice versa :D

In the end I went a bit crazy with all the swapping xD and became a half mad tragic villain of sorts.

I was eventually "killed" by the other players who used a convoluted plan to take me out.

The other witch in the party placed powerful magic wards on the groups most attractive and desirable party member. They then made it seem like I was winning, gave me her token, but then when I tried to jump into her body, I was bounced back into nothing, and ended up as a soul without a body at all. Essentially becoming a Ghost.

In the end it kind of worked out for my character though, with her ghost appearing before the characters as her ideal self, and being all "Hey...this is not bad you know. I don't have to deal with ANY body...thanks...kinda..." then taught the other witch the body swap spell so she could put everything right.

So much fun, first time I have played a trans character ^^.

Sounds like a lot of fun.

Sadly my play group is not skilled enough to play something like that. One of our players pretty much treats RPG's as boardgames with more depth. It can be a bit annoying. He also hates me because I always come up with quirky characters that he thinks are stupid :)

I would have to honestly say that it had never occurred to me to play a LGBTQ character at all. It certainly would never have lasted very long in my group. That is why I linked the article, because I think it is an important sign that times are changing.

I didn't like 4th edition when I looked it over. The classes all felt very generic. The new edition seems really unappealing to me as well. I'm sticking to Pathfinder for now and I may play 3.5 some more if the opportunity presents.

There is another option...
http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/cp-bussell/saga-the-game-hero-edition-soft-cover/paperback/product-20028586.html
games by indi developers!

We really could use the support.
:D

I've played D&D, Big Eyes Small Mouth and Shadow Run. I used to play on a regular basis and would like to again but might have to GM this time around.

I've been a gamer since I was seven. I've played or GM'd damn near every game out there. Right now my group is two sessions into a d20 Star Wars game I'm running and we have someone else running Pathfinder.

I'm hoping to get back into tabletop once I'm in New Jersey. My group here in Oregon kind of fell apart long ago, and I really didn't want to go out and game with complete strangers. Now that I'm in a new place, I think it'll be easier to start anew.

Almost all of my lasting friends are those who I met trough pen&paper rpg  :laugh:
Even thought it's a bit intimidating gaming with strangers, I've found it a really good way to get to know people. I hope you'll find a nice new group when you've moved, Shodan!


I've been without a group for a while now too. I moved to a island 3 hours ferry ride from the mainland, and the city I moved from is on the other coast of the mainland to boot. Well, now when I've been here and studying for a while I've managed to cajole a few newbie class mates to try it out. Only thing is that the situation by nessecity makes me GM, and I've never GM:d before.

Well, what could go wrong?  ;)
Everyone gets eaten.

Oh, and I've mostly played Swedish rpg:s. But I've tried some games that're in English, the Dresden Files is the only one I can think of now though. And I've been wanting to try out Mouseguard for what feels like forever, it seems really nice  :) 

I've been running RPGs as DM/GM since Junior high, so like 15 years now. Unfortunately I haven't been able to play in much, I'm one of those people cursed to always GM. At least I enjoy it though. My campaigns in order:

• D&D 2nd ed
• D&D 3rd ed
• Shadowrun 3rd ed
• 7th Sea
• Another 7th Sea
• Mage: The Awakening (New WoD/4th ed)
• Ravenloft (started in D&D 4th ed, converted to Savage Worlds)
• Necessary Evil (setting for Savage Worlds)
• Currently running 7th Sea

My favorite system by far is 7th Sea (which explains why I'm running my 3rd campaign). It's a dramatic swashbuckling system with amazing backstory and lore in the books. I could write a small novel raving about the system and setting. Unfortunately it's out of print so buying physical books is expensive. You can pick up the PDFs pretty cheap though.

Another really cool one was Necessary Evil. It's a full campaign arc set in a generic super hero world where aliens invaded and killed all the super heroes. Now the only people who can save Earth are the super villains! It was a blast to run.

I played D&D for the first time last weekend. So much fun I'm going to go again this weekend.

Quote from: LJP on September 30, 2014, 10:29:34 PM
I played D&D for the first time last weekend. So much fun I'm going to go again this weekend.

We just started a new D&D game this weekend.  ;D

I'm very jelly of people starting new D&D games. I only get to play one every other week. I DM one on the alternate weeks. I highly encourage drinking during the game. You have more fun though there is the definite risk that you will make stupid decisions that get you and/or your party killed.

Now that I'm finally in New Jersey, it's time to find a new gaming group.

Been running a 5th ed D&D game since August. Started with the Starter Set and I've cobbled together a campaign around the old Haunted Halls of Evening star from 2nd ed using that and one of the mini campaigns they put out last year as D&D Next. Sadly the campaign will be sheleved until February due to my work schedule at the end of the month. 

I also found a really well done D20 rules conversion for Mass Effect I'm building a campaign around but that won't be until next year as well if ever.

you veteran players will get a laugh out of this. I was questioning a cultist we had captured and asked "if the name tiamatt(sp?) meant anything to him. the judge looked at me odd. Apparently everyone has heard of that character but me. I really enjoy it, sometime the mystery stuff drags. Overall a lot of fun tho.

My DM is running a game in which Bahamut and Taimat are key deities with some kind of significant role in the overall story arc of the campaign and he keeps getting them mixed up as to which is good and which evil.

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FITtpHoZ.png&hash=982736dae0433e797704db5ce2523ee037a801e2)

Quote from: dalebert on October 03, 2014, 11:06:35 PM
My DM is running a game in which Bahamut and Taimat are key deities with some kind of significant role in the overall story arc of the campaign and he keeps getting them mixed up as to which is good and which evil.

Sounds like the both of you are playing the Tyranny of Dragons module. That's what we started last weekend. I'm playing a Tiefling Paladin.

Quote from: ashleyfivekay on October 03, 2014, 12:30:47 AM
Been running a 5th ed D&D game since August. Started with the Starter Set and I've cobbled together a campaign around the old Haunted Halls of Evening star from 2nd ed using that and one of the mini campaigns they put out last year as D&D Next. Sadly the campaign will be sheleved until February due to my work schedule at the end of the month. 

I also found a really well done D20 rules conversion for Mass Effect I'm building a campaign around but that won't be until next year as well if ever.

A friend of mine spent months making d20 rules for Mass Effect and they were really quite good. Sadly he never ran the game but he did email the completed rules to me.

Quote from: Wynternight on October 04, 2014, 01:19:57 AM
Sounds like the both of you are playing the Tyranny of Dragons module.

Really? If so, he hasn't revealed that. I've assumed up to now that this was his original campaign. Does Tiamat start out (basically) good in the history of that module? Does time get all distorted by water trenches? Don't give me any more spoilers than that (things we've already figured out).

Quote from: dalebert on October 04, 2014, 09:10:37 AM
Really? If so, he hasn't revealed that. I've assumed up to now that this was his original campaign. Does Tiamat start out (basically) good in the history of that module? Does time get all distorted by water trenches? Don't give me any more spoilers than that (things we've already figured out).

Tiamat has always been evil in the D&D setting. I don't know anything about the rest of the campaign since we just started and haven't gotten too far yet.

Quote from: Wynternight on October 04, 2014, 01:21:05 AM
A friend of mine spent months making d20 rules for Mass Effect and they were really quite good. Sadly he never ran the game but he did email the completed rules to me.

I actually found the PDf off a site that's doing a D6 conversion for Mass Effect but they'd linked to other versions that were out there.  It's a really well done book.  João Paulo da Vinha Santos was the lead on it but there's a pretty big list of credits in it. Sadly I'm really the only Mass Effect nut in my area.  Other people play but they're nto nearly as into it as I am.

So I was making a character recently and I briefly found myself contemplating gender and I quickly convinced myself I don't want to play anything but a male. But then I caught myself thinking "But what about a transman? That could actually be a fun role-playing experience."

My friend has been teasing us with the idea of a game where all party members are wizards. He likes the idea of that challenge and having to improvise to make the best of things instead of the typical--"Do we have a tank? A rogue? A healer? etc." I like it as an optimization challenge and am trying to make the party "rogue" as a wizard. It's Pathfinder, so skills aren't as hard to get. I'm playing an elf so I get a bunch of weapon proficiencies not otherwise available to a wizard. I'm just focusing more on roguey skills and less on knowledges and taking three traits that enhance that like some skills being treated as class skills (perception and disarm device). I'm not trying to be a sneaky thieving rogue so much as a halfway decent lockpicker and trap disarmer with a decent perception for listening at doors and such. I'm mostly trying to be more combat-worthy. So I pumped up my dex and took weapon finesse and then two-weapon fighting. Planning on using spells like mage armor, shield, monkey fins (for climbing and swimming), knock of course, to do rogue things with magic. I'm specializing in foresight so I will be better at divination spells and get perks like always acting in the surprise round, get initiative bonus, and being able to make extra rolls to succeed about 6 times a day, which I plan to most use to fight better.

I think my DM will actually be pretty cool about this. I was thinking how to fluff the trans part. I want him to pass reasonably while only occasionally raising suspicion but more due to his behavior and lack of confidence about how people perceive him. I took a little bit of alchemy and I'm hoping the DM will let say I've managed to come up with something that tweaks hormonal levels much like IRL hormone therapy. Maybe my character hasn't quite mastered the dose/strength just yet and that could explain some moodiness. But it is just fluff for flavor and role-playing. It doesn't provide any mechanical advantage in the game at all so I'm hoping he doesn't make it too costly. I feel like it should be enough that it's something of a burden for a low level character but that will become trivial later after adventuring and looting treasure a bit so maybe like 10 gp a month.

What do you folks think? How would you handle this if you were the DM? I know PF has had a trans character in the books. I don't know if they addressed any of this stuph or not.

I would have a shady alchemist selling your character potions for an exorbitant rate that changed "her" to "him". For extra flavor the potion would actually be a hallucinagen which had no physical effect and just convinced the character. Later he could get the real thing. Perhaps from another shady alchemist, actually Loki, who would take him on as a paladin and make the potion fail at inopertune times just for laughs.

Funny, I don't get asked to GM much anymore.

Quote from: Dee Walker on October 05, 2014, 11:22:49 AM
Funny, I don't get asked to GM much anymore.

Hehe. Yeah, I was going to say that I probably would be discouraged from playing this character in your game. I would just say "Nevermind. I'm a regular dude." The main thing is the incurring of large expense. That actually makes a character less effective. It wouldn't matter as much at later levels, but we're going to be low enough that every penny counts. Most first level characters would spend half of their starting wealth on a single very weak potion. It means they would have less gear that they need for their survival. I'm a big fan of role-playing challenges and explanations for some reasonable disadvantages and that's what I'm shooting for here, but not some massive hit to my character's effectiveness (and chance to survive) unless it's going to be compensated in some way with some other advantage.

I don't really have a problem with an actual potion that transforms and reverts back after it wears off or just fails sometimes, but that does sound more like a real magical potion, and hence expensive, versus something more along the lines of some alchemical herbs and such that shift hormonal levels and essentially effect a D&D version of a modern transition. I'm reluctant to use potions for things that actually result in real benefits in the game because they're just so cost-inefficient. At most, I am inclined to keep a few key potions around for emergencies, like maybe a restoration potion for the cleric in case (s)he actually loses too many levels to cast restoration.

Point was, an alchemist playing with a gullible newbie, then getting revenge and attracting a powerful patron. I'm actually generous to players with a good, or at least interesting concept. Oh, and Loki generally appreciates being stood up to.

I'm about to start a Pokemon game (Pokemon Tabletop United) as a GM with my usual group. This is a new one for me, but I think I'm gonna like it.