Real RPGs, none of that new fangled computer bullshit

[The Brain]

Picked up a copy of Lex Arcana, an RPG based in an alt-hist/magical Roman Empire that never fell. No idea when I'll actually get to run it, but hope springs eternal.

Is it a nice book? I've been eyeing it (not realistically for playing it though).

[Habbaku]

I bought entirely too many Lex Arcana (https://www.aresgames.eu/games/roleplaying-games/lex-arcana-core-rulebook) books recently after getting some really good vibes from reading the core book. Basically the entire hardcover line, and I may pick up some of the PDF adventure books just to give me an idea of what the designers themselves expect the game to be run like.

Naturally, I'll loot the best elements from those for ideas, but otherwise scrap it, as I tend not to like pre-written adventures that much.

[Habbaku]

Picked up a copy of Lex Arcana, an RPG based in an alt-hist/magical Roman Empire that never fell. No idea when I'll actually get to run it, but hope springs eternal.

Is it a nice book? I've been eyeing it (not realistically for playing it though).

It is. Production quality is very high, organization and readability are very good. Art is excellent. It is, however, very much a player's book rather than a proper setting book. It has plenty of material on the setting, mind, but for a really deep-dive...that's in the other sources, like the Aegyptus book.

[Savonarola]

My group started playing Cyberpunk Red.  Two of the classes (Rockerboy and Media) are essentially glorified influencers.  The Media character uses social media to share the truth about corporate wrongdoings.  One of our group chose that, then the social media fueled Capitol Riots occurred and everyone realized we were already living in the dark future.

If I ever write a cyberpunk novel the premise will be the corrupt government and evil corporations are oppressing the rabble and the heroes standing up to them are QAnon Buffalo Shaman style kooks.

There's a stat in the game called "Empathy" which goes down as you get more cybernetic implants (and therefore become more robot than man.)  I was going to suggest a house rule where that makes computer use skill checks more difficult as you constantly fail Captcha tests; except I dont' think the Netrunner would appreciate that. 

[jimmy olsen]

This sounds fun.

https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/mp0wmc/be_not_afraid_is_a_2page_rpg_where_you_play/

BE NOT AFRAID is a 2-page RPG where you play (nearly) omnipotent angels trying and often failing to help humanity.

The primary inspirations for this game are Good Omens and The Good Place. The game is meant to be simple enough to run for an evening, and designed to hopefully provoke the fun kinds of philosophical discussion about power, responsibility, what it means to do good, what would happen if Michael killed Hitler with a flaming sword, etc.

Hope y'all enjoy playing it as much as I did making it! LMK what you think!

[The Brain]

Got some Lex Arcana books today. They look nice.

[Habbaku]

They're rad. 

[The Brain]

Suez canal?

[Darth Wagtaros]

I'll be fully vacinated in two weeks. I wish to play a RPG again, its been years.  Like an in person one. With stuff. And my hematite dice.

[jimmy olsen]

Suez canal?

The oracles were in favor. 

EDIT: I did just buy this. Seems cool so far.

[jimmy olsen]

Dark Albion: The Rose War looks damn good.

https://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/16/16520.phtml

[The Brain]

Got the Colonial Marines book for the Alien RPG. Like the others it's a nice book. Has background info and a 7 part campaign. Some comments though:

Alien/Aliens (my short for the good parts of the Alien universe) has monolithic and faceless non-monster enemies (The Company etc). Describing the setting and organizations in detail kind of takes away the "only put in the background parts necessary for the story" principle that works very well for Alien/Aliens.

My guess is that the makers of the RPG had to take the whole license, ie even the crappy later Ridley Scott movies. Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection were not good movies, but at least they stuck to the relevant stuff, the xenomorph. The later Scott movies though are very bad from a pure movie perspective and what's worse in this context the whole Engineers BS is thematically completely disconnected from Alien/Aliens. The Engineers stuff could have worked in its own setting, but bolting it onto Alien/Aliens demeans them both. I assume Scott had Engineers ideas and just wanted to cash in on the Alien name, and that's why he made them Alien movies. Fair enough, I respect the hustle, but it didn't make for a great product. So, they had to include Engineers stuff in the campaign. Luckily the adventures are built in a way that makes modifying them fairly simple, making it easy for the GM to do some cleaning (so the players won't have to relive the cringe of Scott making the super cool fossilized alien in the first movie having been literally a guy in a rubber suit, for instance...).

[grumbler]

My guess is that the makers of the RPG had to take the whole license, ie even the crappy later Ridley Scott movies. Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection were not good movies, but at least they stuck to the relevant stuff, the xenomorph. The later Scott movies though are very bad from a pure movie perspective and what's worse in this context the whole Engineers BS is thematically completely disconnected from Alien/Aliens. The Engineers stuff could have worked in its own setting, but bolting it onto Alien/Aliens demeans them both. I assume Scott had Engineers ideas and just wanted to cash in on the Alien name, and that's why he made them Alien movies. Fair enough, I respect the hustle, but it didn't make for a great product. So, they had to include Engineers stuff in the campaign. Luckily the adventures are built in a way that makes modifying them fairly simple, making it easy for the GM to do some cleaning (so the players won't have to relive the cringe of Scott making the super cool fossilized alien in the first movie having been literally a guy in a rubber suit, for instance...).

Does the book include Engineer Jesus?  That was the most incredibly stupid part of the moronic Engineer plot line.

[The Brain]

My guess is that the makers of the RPG had to take the whole license, ie even the crappy later Ridley Scott movies. Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection were not good movies, but at least they stuck to the relevant stuff, the xenomorph. The later Scott movies though are very bad from a pure movie perspective and what's worse in this context the whole Engineers BS is thematically completely disconnected from Alien/Aliens. The Engineers stuff could have worked in its own setting, but bolting it onto Alien/Aliens demeans them both. I assume Scott had Engineers ideas and just wanted to cash in on the Alien name, and that's why he made them Alien movies. Fair enough, I respect the hustle, but it didn't make for a great product. So, they had to include Engineers stuff in the campaign. Luckily the adventures are built in a way that makes modifying them fairly simple, making it easy for the GM to do some cleaning (so the players won't have to relive the cringe of Scott making the super cool fossilized alien in the first movie having been literally a guy in a rubber suit, for instance...).

Does the book include Engineer Jesus?  That was the most incredibly stupid part of the moronic Engineer plot line.

Nah, I don't think so.

[jimmy olsen]

This seems cool. Has anyone played it?

https://www.shutupandsitdown.com/rpg-review-trail-of-cthulhu/

Trail of Cthulhu, designed by Kenneth Hite, is both a psychological horror RPG descended from Call of Cthulhu, and a cousin to deduction games like Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective and Mythos Tales. Your goal is to uncover the truth by amassing and interpreting clues from crime scenes, letters, news clippings, bizarre artifacts, libraries, autopsies.

Trail of Cthulhu has Purist and Pulp modes. If you're a fan of existential despair and debilitating psychological traumas (like I am) go Purist. If you prefer shooting monsters and adventuring more in the style of Arkham Horror, go for Pulp. You can actually play most adventures in either mode.