Nice Alacar. I'll probably even use them in my next session. Unfortunetly, I haven't been able to play any kind of D20 games (favorite version being 3.5) because all my friend's are idiots in the area. They love it as much as I do, but..... I think that explains it.
I would like to become a friend here. Kickass name by the way.
EDIT YOu should edit in all of the member/friend made prestige classes/races. I used to have some, but never got to use them...everyone I know that plays D&D either A)lives to far away or B) sucks at it...
Hey Photon, can I change my title to "crazy villager who keeps Elixers in his pants"? That would just be awsome.
It also fits even better with the "crazy."
Wait a minute, sorry for jumping in, but I'm a Dire Boyfriend??? MADNESS!
By the way, in a recently huge post, I spoke about how Nel can be a bit nasty with a high level Flying Guillotine in SO3... I now see what you mean Photon. I'm curious, for those who play SO3, do you remember the moment you got a specific technique that just changed the way you played? I suppose this could apply to any such game.
With that, I request friendship of this clan. Because any clan that is all about RPG's is an auto friend group of mine, and I hope that you all would feel the same about me.
EDIT: Also, would this be the place to post a homebrew System and recieve comments on it?
Holy crap Photon, 120+ posts already? What with starting on a Tuesday (bad day for me cuz of work) I haven't had a chance to pop in yet. Hello to everyone else, and allow me introduce myself for those who don't already know me:
I'm Dragonstar, also known as the "Dragon Slayer" and sometimes as the "Killer DM" I've been slaying dragons on and off for about 12 years or so, and I'm a Master Level RPGA DM.
I play D&D two nights a week - on Tuesday I play in the generic D&D setting at Matrix Games and Diversions in Sheffield Lake, OH. My character, Calen Darkchylde, is a CG Ranger6/Fighter2 who specializes in two weapon fighting with rapiers (weapon finesse, weapon focus and improved critical). And he slays dragons. And baby orcs.
On Thursdays I run a campaign in the Forgotten Realms at the Dungeon in Lorain, OH. I'm currently running my group through the City of the Spider Queen module. I'm often easily bribed, like the time our Paladin (JeffV, who used to help co-write Cranial Insertion) traded me some signed shocklands for their unsigned equivalent + some XPs. But integrity is still crucial to gameplay, and so I did not allow the rogue a free re-roll on his failed "save or die" throw even when he flashed me a foil Viridian Shaman and a foil Skullclamp. (For those of you who don't know, I collect foil elves, and I play Elfball in Type I which I am currently foiling out.)
---
On to the fun stuff: Jeff is headed out to GenCon Indy this weekend on WotC's tab to judge the Dreamblade 10k tournament. He's taking my Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting with him to Wizards' booth because Ed "I-kick-ass-for-creating-the-best-campaign-setting-ever" Greenwood is going to be there, and get it signed for me. How freaking cool is that?
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@Mr. Stuff: Now, with WoD, is each of the titles you have listed (Mage, Mummy, Vampire, etc.) it's own separate game, or are they all connected somehow? And is Vampire the same as Vampire: The Masquerade?
Yes, and yes. Basically, each set of books tells you how to do a campaign as a different type of creature. The titles are, in no particular order:
Vampire: The Masquerade------------(Vampires)
Werewolf: The Apocalypse-----------(Werewolves)
Mage: The Ascension----------------(Magic Users/Occultists)
Changeling: The Dreaming------------(Fae Creatures)
Wraith: The Oblivion-----------------(Wraith/Ghosts)
Hunter: The Reckoning---------------(Vampire/Demon Hunters)
Demon: The Fallen-------------------(Demons)
Mummy: The Resurrection------------(Mummies)
The books individually tell the history, culture, and setting for roleplaying each kind of creature. However, they all take place in the same world, so you can run into other kinds of creatures or, in our case, have them in your party. It just requires more rulebooks.
The World of Darkness setting is just like our world, except most creatures out of mythology and fiction really exist. What I like is that it provides detailed histories and current cultures for all the creatures. For instance, with demons, you get the whole history of the angels' war with god, how the ones who joined Lucifer fell, etc, and the powers they wielded in battle and in creating earth become the different demon powers you can have. For vampires, it lists detailed descriptions of the clans and clan histories, which clans are fighting which and how members of each tend to behave. It makes vampires and other monsters come alive and have actual depth, society, and culture.
* Janus rides into the village on the back of Karasu, his black Chocobo
An aptly named clan, well done
Is it possible for me to become a friend of this clan? I would consider applying for membership, if I wasn't already in Project Mayhem
~ ~ ~
On the subject of...
... Favorite classes: Fighter (in D&D). I don't even need to think about that.
Of all the characters I've played (and there have been many), about 15% have been pure Fighters, and about 65% have been Fighter hybrids or Fighter-like characters (Barbarian, Monk, Ranger, Samurai, etc.). About 15% have been Rogue hybrids (Rogue/Fighters not included), which leaves 5% for the odd Druid.
... Alternate game systems: I've played Vampire: the Masquerade and I'm looking forward to playing World of Darkness. The White Wolf system works very well, on certain points I think it's actually better than the D20 system.
... The Gamers: If I recall correctly, they're working on a sequel
My favorite classes are(sorry, I can't choose one) Bard and Wizard. Wizard is teh power(cloudkill, eh? >.>) and Bard is teh fun(get drunk and pass out ^_^).
I love the Star Wars, but I enjoy the d6 system more.
I'm having a great time in our Star Wars game. The GM finally saw a time where it would be okay and logical for me to play a dark jedi (not a syth), and play a part in the greater good.
Hey there, Arguas! Glad to see you dropping in. How does the place look? ^_~;;
Let's see...as for your SO3 question, I can mention a few instances. The first was when Fayt got Ice Blade. After ranking it up a little bit, I was extremely surprised at the amount of MP damage he could do. Not to mention it pretty much auto-kills machines. From then on I never went into a battle without one of the elemental blades equipped.
Then, of course, there's Maria's Gravity Bullet...*drool*...oh my god. Photon never used Maria, so he doesn't know how incontravertibly awesome she can be. Gravity Bullet is always, always a field-sweeper for me. After discovering its ability to own from anywhere in the world, I started playing less as Fayt and a lot more as Maria.
@Omna: Hey! How's Dragon Quarter working for you? I'm considering picking it up again for the umpteenth time and trying to get that elusive 1/4 D-Ratio. Also, has your copy of Radiata Stories worked since you had problems with it last? I was gonna say that you might have to do one of two things; either clean the game or clean your Ps2's laser lense. You can pick up cleaning kits at your game store or Wal Mart or something. It's recommended that you clean a Ps2's laser lens after every ten hours of play and that you sweep out the back fan after every forty. I hope Radiata Stories works for you; it's too good of a game not to play!
@Krashbot101- But "crazy person who keeps Elixirs in his pants" isn't an old console gaming cliche, whereas every seasoned console gamer knows to ransack each and every clock, dresser drawer, barrel, fireplace, and pot they come across.
Also, another game system I find very intriguing, but didn't mention- In Nomine.
And yes, Arguas, feel free to post up your own systems. If you do yours, then I can post Rise related stuff without feeling like an attention-whore.
Also, yes, feel free to post up classes, and I will compile the information.
It seems that Bard is one of the preferred classes here. I feel so much less special now.
I have a friend who is VERY into VtM, so I've been hearing about all the clans for years now, but as I have very little interest in vampires, I've never felt compelled to play. Mage sounds interesting, and Demon could be neat, but I would rather play an angel, personally.
As for Wraith, that's pretty much what Rise is, a game about dead people.
By the way...
grappler12 is now a "shady innkeeper that steals money from you while you sleep"!
Arguas2617 is an "animal companion"!
Janus is an "optional boss hiding in well"!
And for the first contest-
Post a Backstory
Everyone is welcome to post a backstory for a character of their own creation. Please specify the game and setting. The backstory can be as short or as long as nessecary. Submissions will be taken for 3 days, at which point a vote will be held to determine the best backstory.
Hey Photon; for those of us in Rise, can we cheat and use that backstory??
And two, ethersphere.. I just bought a brandnew copy of Radiata Stories... I should definitely look into buying a cleaning kit tho-- how much do they usually go for, and are they really complex to use???? I don't want to mess something up
Dragon Quarter, so far I've only played it once... But i enjoyed it.. I don't know much about the D&D system so i'm a little confused at times, but I could see how I could easily learn, once I play around with it for a while.. I got killed tho, so I need to get back to a save point- hey how do i get Save Tokens? I saved once, and then every time after that (after I bought stuff) they wouldn't let me save cuz "you don't have a save token"...
EDIT: Hey Photon; i got a request for you that will make you giddy with glee... Can you explain Valkyrie Profile to me, and the story and stuff... and would you recommend it to me???????? So on and so forth (Crimson was telling me a tiny bit about Silmeria yesterday)
Hey Photon; for those of us in Rise, can we cheat and use that backstory??
And two, ethersphere.. I just bought a brandnew copy of Radiata Stories... I should definitely look into buying a cleaning kit tho-- how much do they usually go for, and are they really complex to use???? I don't want to mess something up
Dragon Quarter, so far I've only played it once... But i enjoyed it.. I don't know much about the D&D system so i'm a little confused at times, but I could see how I could easily learn, once I play around with it for a while.. I got killed tho, so I need to get back to a save point- hey how do i get Save Tokens? I saved once, and then every time after that (after I bought stuff) they wouldn't let me save cuz "you don't have a save token"...
EDIT: Hey Photon; i got a request for you that will make you giddy with glee... Can you explain Valkyrie Profile to me, and the story and stuff... and would you recommend it to me???????? So on and so forth
I knew you were gonna ask that. Yeah, feel free.
VP: Valkyrie Profile is the story of Lenneth Valkyrie, who is a valkyrie under Odin. An epic war is mounting between the Vanir and the Aesir, and Ragnarok draws nearer. In order to prepare for the coming war, Lenneth is sent to Midgard (Earth) to search for noble heroes who have fallen in battle to become Einherjar, warriors of the gods.
VP is an unusual sort of game. It is an RPG, but is not traditional in any way, shape, or form. Lenneth has so many days until the end of the world, in which she must search out those who are dying and save their souls.
However, in addition to this, she has two other duties. One duty is to purify the undead and wicked creatures on Midgard, in order for her Einherjar to become stronger, and she must also send aid to the goddess Freya (as seen in my avatar) by training specific warriors of certain criteria and delivering them to Asgard to help in the war movement. However- if Lenneth should not perform her job satisfactorily, she faces the wrath of Freya.
The game play is very unusual. You run through a 2-dimensional, prerendered dungeon, much like in a platform action game. In these dungeons, Lenneth can swing her sword, jump, and create crystals with which she can solve puzzles and better explore the area. However, these dungeons also contain monsters. Whenever Lenneth comes in contact with a monster, the gameplay switches to another screen, in which her Einherjar are summoned, and battle commences. Lenneth and 3 of her Einherjar are each assigned to a specific button on the control pad, and pressing that button triggers at attack from the associated character. By synchronizing and coordinating your attacks, the 4 characters can unleash an assault of combos that defeat enemies. The harder and more complicated the combo, the more damage it does, and the higher a chance of rewards.
The game has 3 different endings, and has countless characters to pick up across the way. It also features an incredibly lengthy bonus dungeon called Seraphic Gate that offers additional gameplay hours. It's also worth noting that the game is highly replayable.
So yeah. I would suggest it to anyone, should you be able to find a copy. Or, if you have a PSP, pick up the PSP rerelease, Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth.
Edit: Silmeria is gonna be so freaking awesome.
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[16:23] Alacar Leoricar: maybe if you do it'll make the porn more meaningful
Good thing they had anoher copy of Radiata Stories, Omna! I wonder what was wrong with your first copy. You bought it used, right? The pitfalls of the secondary market; some game stores don't test their trade-ins for quality assurance, so it can get hairy sometimes.
About Dragon Quarter...well, I'll say that it's very different from a lot of RPGs. It plays more like a dungeon-crawler sometimes, and it's meant to be either rushed through and played over and over again or Restarted a million times. Save Tokens start to appear in larger numbers, but I found that my first time through the game I had to keep playing until I got one. It's no biggie most of the time, but if you don't have eight hours a day to spend playing games like I do it can be an annoyance.
I would actually suggest that you Restart some time soon, Omna. You keep a portion of your experience and money and all the items you have in the item locker, but you start back at the beginning of the game. It's a great way to build up party experience and unlock some interesting cutscenes.
Thinking about picking up Valkyrie Profile, huh? It's a phenomenal game, testament to what great things Enix and Tri-Ace are capable of together. As is Radiata Stories, heh.
Good thing they had anoher copy of Radiata Stories, Omna! I wonder what was wrong with your first copy. You bought it used, right? The pitfalls of the secondary market; some game stores don't test their trade-ins for quality assurance, so it can get hairy sometimes.
About Dragon Quarter...well, I'll say that it's very different from a lot of RPGs. It plays more like a dungeon-crawler sometimes, and it's meant to be either rushed through and played over and over again or Restarted a million times. Save Tokens start to appear in larger numbers, but I found that my first time through the game I had to keep playing until I got one. It's no biggie most of the time, but if you don't have eight hours a day to spend playing games like I do it can be an annoyance.
I would actually suggest that you Restart some time soon, Omna. You keep a portion of your experience and money and all the items you have in the item locker, but you start back at the beginning of the game. It's a great way to build up party experience and unlock some interesting cutscenes.
Thinking about picking up Valkyrie Profile, huh? It's a phenomenal game, testament to what great things Enix and Tri-Ace are capable of together. As is Radiata Stories, heh.
Yup it had a scratch on it, apparently... I could visibly see one.. So yea.. But anyway, they took it back no questions asked (the game store guy remembered me... and i think he was flirting with me just a tad... Another guy in the store was chatting me up about LOTR: 3rd age.. ah, the thrill of being a gamer girl... heheheh... but Arguas nabbed this prize nearly 9 months ago so too bad to those guys.. anyway.. he knew i had bought it, so i didn't even need to give 'em my receipt.. which was good cuz i couldn't find it lol.. and so yea, brand new copy.. yay!
Ether, what do ya mean Restart? Like, from the VEEERY beginning (as in, new file) or from the living quarters/first save point?? But do the save tokens just kind of appear, or?? Hmm...
But yea, wouldn't I need to get a PS1 Mem card for getting VP? If so, where would I get one.. as i'd need it for Wild Arms, as well... (Ryan has a copy of WA) Would you guys recommend VP for me, as a relatively new RPG'er? Also, do the Wild Arms games need to be played in order??
But yea i'm jazzed about playing Radiata Stories again.... Any tips for beating those HUGE bear looking things in the beginning of the game, when you're fighting those ants, spiders and then those bear things pop up...??
Yup it had a scratch on it, apparently... I could visibly see one.. So yea.. But anyway, they took it back no questions asked (the game store guy remembered me... and i think he was flirting with me just a tad... Another guy in the store was chatting me up about LOTR: 3rd age.. ah, the thrill of being a gamer girl... heheheh... but Arguas nabbed this prize nearly 9 months ago so too bad to those guys.. anyway.. he knew i had bought it, so i didn't even need to give 'em my receipt.. which was good cuz i couldn't find it lol.. and so yea, brand new copy.. yay!
Ether, what do ya mean Restart? Like, from the VEEERY beginning (as in, new file) or from the living quarters/first save point?? But do the save tokens just kind of appear, or?? Hmm...
But yea, wouldn't I need to get a PS1 Mem card for getting VP? If so, where would I get one.. as i'd need it for Wild Arms, as well... (Ryan has a copy of WA) Would you guys recommend VP for me, as a relatively new RPG'er? Also, do the Wild Arms games need to be played in order??
But yea i'm jazzed about playing Radiata Stories again.... Any tips for beating those HUGE bear looking things in the beginning of the game, when you're fighting those ants, spiders and then those bear things pop up...??
I would advise you talk to Mamelon about Wild Arms. It's her favorite RPG series.
And no, they don't need to be played in order- each title takes place in a new world.
VP isn't particularly difficult for new gamers, it's just very different from your typical RPG. If you can find it, definitely pick it up. And as for the memory card, most game stores carry PS1 memory cards still- and they usually go for around 5 bucks now.
In Dragon Quarter, you can restart the game at any time. When you die, you are given the option to have a game over, or to begin the game all over again. Furthermore, at any time, you can terminate your game from the main menu and start from the beginning, which is crucial in this game, where it is very possible to screw your game file over and leave yourself in a position where you absolutely cannot win. Restarting not only gives you a chance to get out of the bad situation without losing your equipment, abilities, and stored items, but you also save a sum of your money and party experience, allowing you to have an easier time with the parts you have been through. It's sort of counterintuitive, which is why Dragon Quarter impresses a lot of gamers as being much more difficult than it actually is. Also, each replay opens up more cutscenes, making the story more immersive, and better explaining the situations at hand.
From my experience, save tokens appear in a fairly limited capacity, only showing up in fixed chests- usually about one to an area... although, I do think that some enemies have them as a rare drop.
Some general tips for Dragon Quarter-
1. Be very sparing with your D-Meter. Only use it when you have no other choice- and even then, to use it even conservatively is overusing it. You only have so much wiggle room with the D-Meter throughout the entire game, so you must be VERY careful.
2. You cannot try and cash in on every treasure and item you find. You can only carry so much, and frequent trips back to town waste valuable time and energy.
3. Store away as much as you can. Item storage is one of the few things that carries over from playthrough to playthrough, so make good use of it.
4. Don't spend your party experience very often. Party experience is like a savings account for your experience, something to draw upon little by little in emergencies. Use it to gain a few levels worth of advantage at the beginning of a playthrough, and avoid the temptation to plunk it all into a character at once.
5. If you find yourself in a situation where you don't want to restart, and you die because of something preventable (i.e. a stupid combat mistake), then don't forget- you can just turn the game off, and reload your file. You won't have lost anything this way, aside from some progress- and it certainly beats restarting an otherwise fine playthrough because an enemy lucked out and got a critical hit.
6. Make your saves count. Generally, the amount of save tokens available to you is scarce, so only save when you absolutely have to. This will go against the console gamers natural instinct to save as often as possible, but it is important to make the best of your resources. Also, each save detracts points from your game total, making it harder to get a better D-Ratio with each playthrough.
7. Some areas just can't be explored, or aren't worth exploring, the first time around.
8. Learn when to run.
9. Try and finish each battle in as little time as possible. The less effort that goes into a battle, the better your reward. Always try and surprise attack an enemy, this will give you a bonus round, which doesn't count against your turn totals for determining experience and D-Meter progression.
Well Photon covered the BofV advice pretty well, even though I'M the console geek =P
I know what creatures you're talking about in Radiata Stories, Omna. It's pretty easy to get their pattern down. A good rule of thumb for big creatures in that game is to get right up to them, wait for them to start attacking, and then run a circle around them. Once you're behind them, pull off a combo and repeat the process. Of course, sometimes your party members aren't so smart O_o;;
@Sliver Underlord: Dragon Quarter is the fifth game in the Breath of Fire series. It's exclusively on the Playstation 2. A great find if you come across it used somewhere ^__^;;
Fifth in Breath of Fire Series!, last one I played was 3.
I'm so old,
at least is on ps2.
reading through some of these back posts (this clan thread gets posts almosts as fast as a girls intro thread) I came across:
Quote from Photon Eater »
I have a friend who is VERY into VtM, so I've been hearing about all the clans for years now, but as I have very little interest in vampires, I've never felt compelled to play. Mage sounds interesting, and Demon could be neat, but I would rather play an angel, personally.
Mage was the game that got me into WOD, and I picked up a bunch of the Vampire and Werewolf books, and the basics of the other ones. (Warning: Generalzations ahead)Vampire was all gothic and political, and werewolf felt like fight fight fight, kill kill kill. Mage just had a sense of creativity to it I enjoyed.
And in Demon, you play fallen angels
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Avvy from Le Gambit Extendo-Sliver Master of Death and Taxes
You really can't get away.
I've tried.
Fifth in Breath of Fire Series!, last one I played was 3.
I'm so old,
at least is on ps2.
reading through some of these back posts (this clan thread gets posts almosts as fast as a girls intro thread) I came across:
Mage was the game that got me into WOD, and I picked up a bunch of the Vampire and Werewolf books, and the basics of the other ones. (Warning: Generalzations ahead)Vampire was all gothic and political, and werewolf felt like fight fight fight, kill kill kill. Mage just had a sense of creativity to it I enjoyed.
And in Demon, you play fallen angels
Fallen angels are for posers!
Sandalphon > Asmodeus
Vampire did impress me as being particularly emo, and more about intrigues and social situations- and while I don't mind that, I do like some action in my gaming. I like a healthy mix of politics and face-punching. Plus, all of the clans seemed so... well, detestable. All of them seemed like such a crappy group of people to want to spend your afterlife with.
Mage sounds like it could be neat. I wonder how accurate the portrayal of occultism is in it?
Oh, and about the post count... that makes me happy, actually. Not to sound arrogant, but I think that's just the effect I have on a clan thread. Just look at the Coffeehouse! I have like fifteen bajillion slices of spam posts in there.
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[16:23] Alacar Leoricar: maybe if you do it'll make the porn more meaningful
Just look at the Coffeehouse! I have like fifteen bajillion slices of spam posts in there.
that just means you encourage other to post also!
In the old WOD, it was Mage the Ascension, which had the Nine mystic traditions vs the Technocracy. The nine traditions were bases on real world occult themes. some were a streach and Technocracy traitiors.
Hermetic
Witchs
Shamens
Asian style (which was a bunch of different things)
Indian/Greek death cults
hippies
Theological secs
Hackers!!!
Mad Scientist (izzet basically)
in the new Wolrd of Darkness its much more based on made up group with hermetic style magic. I prefer the vintage WOD myself.
Spellshapers, based on Magic: The Gathering. Check it out, and lemme know what ya think
Like freeform roleplaying? Try Darkness Befalls Us
Ryttare Kelasin Luna Orelinalei
Really important guy at the [499]!
EDIT YOu should edit in all of the member/friend made prestige classes/races. I used to have some, but never got to use them...everyone I know that plays D&D either A)lives to far away or B) sucks at it...
thanks DarkNightCavalier for the sig!
My Trade Thread
It also fits even better with the "crazy."
Winner of the Weekly Signature & Avatar Contest Weeks 51, 59, 78, & 118.
I don't care if I was framed for murder if I only got a warning I would let it go.
By the way, in a recently huge post, I spoke about how Nel can be a bit nasty with a high level Flying Guillotine in SO3... I now see what you mean Photon. I'm curious, for those who play SO3, do you remember the moment you got a specific technique that just changed the way you played? I suppose this could apply to any such game.
With that, I request friendship of this clan. Because any clan that is all about RPG's is an auto friend group of mine, and I hope that you all would feel the same about me.
EDIT: Also, would this be the place to post a homebrew System and recieve comments on it?
Former R&D Development Team W leader
For your information, it's pronounced Argh + was.
Proud Co-Founder of
Magic Coffeehouse!
Come in, sit down, relax, get to know somebody!
But I would imagine this would be the place to post something like that....
In other news, I just got a new copy of Radiata Stories! Sooo happy! Also, i've been playing a bit of Dragon Quarter... fun game!!!
Magic Coffeehouse!
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Open Three and a Half Years as of October 19, 2009!
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If I'm a familiar, does this mean that Omna is a Druid?
Because that would make SO much sense!
I've already been informed of my stupidity. Something just makes me happy to know that Omna is a Druid.
Speaking of which, for those of you who have played WoW, have you also tried the board game?
Sorry to be asking so many questions at once
Former R&D Development Team W leader
For your information, it's pronounced Argh + was.
Proud Co-Founder of
Magic Coffeehouse!
Come in, sit down, relax, get to know somebody!
I'm Dragonstar, also known as the "Dragon Slayer" and sometimes as the "Killer DM" I've been slaying dragons on and off for about 12 years or so, and I'm a Master Level RPGA DM.
I play D&D two nights a week - on Tuesday I play in the generic D&D setting at Matrix Games and Diversions in Sheffield Lake, OH. My character, Calen Darkchylde, is a CG Ranger6/Fighter2 who specializes in two weapon fighting with rapiers (weapon finesse, weapon focus and improved critical). And he slays dragons. And baby orcs.
On Thursdays I run a campaign in the Forgotten Realms at the Dungeon in Lorain, OH. I'm currently running my group through the City of the Spider Queen module. I'm often easily bribed, like the time our Paladin (JeffV, who used to help co-write Cranial Insertion) traded me some signed shocklands for their unsigned equivalent + some XPs. But integrity is still crucial to gameplay, and so I did not allow the rogue a free re-roll on his failed "save or die" throw even when he flashed me a foil Viridian Shaman and a foil Skullclamp. (For those of you who don't know, I collect foil elves, and I play Elfball in Type I which I am currently foiling out.)
---
On to the fun stuff: Jeff is headed out to GenCon Indy this weekend on WotC's tab to judge the Dreamblade 10k tournament. He's taking my Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting with him to Wizards' booth because Ed "I-kick-ass-for-creating-the-best-campaign-setting-ever" Greenwood is going to be there, and get it signed for me. How freaking cool is that?
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I've finally lassoed the Moon!
Yes, and yes. Basically, each set of books tells you how to do a campaign as a different type of creature. The titles are, in no particular order:
Vampire: The Masquerade------------(Vampires)
Werewolf: The Apocalypse-----------(Werewolves)
Mage: The Ascension----------------(Magic Users/Occultists)
Changeling: The Dreaming------------(Fae Creatures)
Wraith: The Oblivion-----------------(Wraith/Ghosts)
Hunter: The Reckoning---------------(Vampire/Demon Hunters)
Demon: The Fallen-------------------(Demons)
Mummy: The Resurrection------------(Mummies)
The books individually tell the history, culture, and setting for roleplaying each kind of creature. However, they all take place in the same world, so you can run into other kinds of creatures or, in our case, have them in your party. It just requires more rulebooks.
The World of Darkness setting is just like our world, except most creatures out of mythology and fiction really exist. What I like is that it provides detailed histories and current cultures for all the creatures. For instance, with demons, you get the whole history of the angels' war with god, how the ones who joined Lucifer fell, etc, and the powers they wielded in battle and in creating earth become the different demon powers you can have. For vampires, it lists detailed descriptions of the clans and clan histories, which clans are fighting which and how members of each tend to behave. It makes vampires and other monsters come alive and have actual depth, society, and culture.
An aptly named clan, well done
Is it possible for me to become a friend of this clan? I would consider applying for membership, if I wasn't already in Project Mayhem
~ ~ ~
On the subject of...
... Favorite classes: Fighter (in D&D). I don't even need to think about that.
Of all the characters I've played (and there have been many), about 15% have been pure Fighters, and about 65% have been Fighter hybrids or Fighter-like characters (Barbarian, Monk, Ranger, Samurai, etc.). About 15% have been Rogue hybrids (Rogue/Fighters not included), which leaves 5% for the odd Druid.
... Alternate game systems: I've played Vampire: the Masquerade and I'm looking forward to playing World of Darkness. The White Wolf system works very well, on certain points I think it's actually better than the D20 system.
... The Gamers: If I recall correctly, they're working on a sequel
- J.
The Official Vodka Duke of the 499
Visit my best/worst cards by collector's number thread!
Stardust Siggies! Wonderful graphics:D
Like freeform roleplaying? Try Darkness Befalls Us
Ryttare Kelasin Luna Orelinalei
I'm having a great time in our Star Wars game. The GM finally saw a time where it would be okay and logical for me to play a dark jedi (not a syth), and play a part in the greater good.
Let's see...as for your SO3 question, I can mention a few instances. The first was when Fayt got Ice Blade. After ranking it up a little bit, I was extremely surprised at the amount of MP damage he could do. Not to mention it pretty much auto-kills machines. From then on I never went into a battle without one of the elemental blades equipped.
Then, of course, there's Maria's Gravity Bullet...*drool*...oh my god. Photon never used Maria, so he doesn't know how incontravertibly awesome she can be. Gravity Bullet is always, always a field-sweeper for me. After discovering its ability to own from anywhere in the world, I started playing less as Fayt and a lot more as Maria.
@Omna: Hey! How's Dragon Quarter working for you? I'm considering picking it up again for the umpteenth time and trying to get that elusive 1/4 D-Ratio. Also, has your copy of Radiata Stories worked since you had problems with it last? I was gonna say that you might have to do one of two things; either clean the game or clean your Ps2's laser lense. You can pick up cleaning kits at your game store or Wal Mart or something. It's recommended that you clean a Ps2's laser lens after every ten hours of play and that you sweep out the back fan after every forty. I hope Radiata Stories works for you; it's too good of a game not to play!
Also, another game system I find very intriguing, but didn't mention- In Nomine.
And yes, Arguas, feel free to post up your own systems. If you do yours, then I can post Rise related stuff without feeling like an attention-whore.
Also, yes, feel free to post up classes, and I will compile the information.
It seems that Bard is one of the preferred classes here. I feel so much less special now.
I have a friend who is VERY into VtM, so I've been hearing about all the clans for years now, but as I have very little interest in vampires, I've never felt compelled to play. Mage sounds interesting, and Demon could be neat, but I would rather play an angel, personally.
As for Wraith, that's pretty much what Rise is, a game about dead people.
By the way...
grappler12 is now a "shady innkeeper that steals money from you while you sleep"!
Arguas2617 is an "animal companion"!
Janus is an "optional boss hiding in well"!
And for the first contest-
Post a Backstory
Everyone is welcome to post a backstory for a character of their own creation. Please specify the game and setting. The backstory can be as short or as long as nessecary. Submissions will be taken for 3 days, at which point a vote will be held to determine the best backstory.
And two, ethersphere.. I just bought a brandnew copy of Radiata Stories... I should definitely look into buying a cleaning kit tho-- how much do they usually go for, and are they really complex to use???? I don't want to mess something up
Dragon Quarter, so far I've only played it once... But i enjoyed it.. I don't know much about the D&D system so i'm a little confused at times, but I could see how I could easily learn, once I play around with it for a while.. I got killed tho, so I need to get back to a save point- hey how do i get Save Tokens? I saved once, and then every time after that (after I bought stuff) they wouldn't let me save cuz "you don't have a save token"...
EDIT: Hey Photon; i got a request for you that will make you giddy with glee... Can you explain Valkyrie Profile to me, and the story and stuff... and would you recommend it to me???????? So on and so forth (Crimson was telling me a tiny bit about Silmeria yesterday)
Magic Coffeehouse!
Come in, sit down, relax, get to know somebody!
Open Three and a Half Years as of October 19, 2009!
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I knew you were gonna ask that. Yeah, feel free.
VP: Valkyrie Profile is the story of Lenneth Valkyrie, who is a valkyrie under Odin. An epic war is mounting between the Vanir and the Aesir, and Ragnarok draws nearer. In order to prepare for the coming war, Lenneth is sent to Midgard (Earth) to search for noble heroes who have fallen in battle to become Einherjar, warriors of the gods.
VP is an unusual sort of game. It is an RPG, but is not traditional in any way, shape, or form. Lenneth has so many days until the end of the world, in which she must search out those who are dying and save their souls.
However, in addition to this, she has two other duties. One duty is to purify the undead and wicked creatures on Midgard, in order for her Einherjar to become stronger, and she must also send aid to the goddess Freya (as seen in my avatar) by training specific warriors of certain criteria and delivering them to Asgard to help in the war movement. However- if Lenneth should not perform her job satisfactorily, she faces the wrath of Freya.
The game play is very unusual. You run through a 2-dimensional, prerendered dungeon, much like in a platform action game. In these dungeons, Lenneth can swing her sword, jump, and create crystals with which she can solve puzzles and better explore the area. However, these dungeons also contain monsters. Whenever Lenneth comes in contact with a monster, the gameplay switches to another screen, in which her Einherjar are summoned, and battle commences. Lenneth and 3 of her Einherjar are each assigned to a specific button on the control pad, and pressing that button triggers at attack from the associated character. By synchronizing and coordinating your attacks, the 4 characters can unleash an assault of combos that defeat enemies. The harder and more complicated the combo, the more damage it does, and the higher a chance of rewards.
The game has 3 different endings, and has countless characters to pick up across the way. It also features an incredibly lengthy bonus dungeon called Seraphic Gate that offers additional gameplay hours. It's also worth noting that the game is highly replayable.
So yeah. I would suggest it to anyone, should you be able to find a copy. Or, if you have a PSP, pick up the PSP rerelease, Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth.
Edit: Silmeria is gonna be so freaking awesome.
About Dragon Quarter...well, I'll say that it's very different from a lot of RPGs. It plays more like a dungeon-crawler sometimes, and it's meant to be either rushed through and played over and over again or Restarted a million times. Save Tokens start to appear in larger numbers, but I found that my first time through the game I had to keep playing until I got one. It's no biggie most of the time, but if you don't have eight hours a day to spend playing games like I do it can be an annoyance.
I would actually suggest that you Restart some time soon, Omna. You keep a portion of your experience and money and all the items you have in the item locker, but you start back at the beginning of the game. It's a great way to build up party experience and unlock some interesting cutscenes.
Thinking about picking up Valkyrie Profile, huh? It's a phenomenal game, testament to what great things Enix and Tri-Ace are capable of together. As is Radiata Stories, heh.
Yup it had a scratch on it, apparently... I could visibly see one.. So yea.. But anyway, they took it back no questions asked (the game store guy remembered me... and i think he was flirting with me just a tad... Another guy in the store was chatting me up about LOTR: 3rd age.. ah, the thrill of being a gamer girl... heheheh... but Arguas nabbed this prize nearly 9 months ago so too bad to those guys.. anyway.. he knew i had bought it, so i didn't even need to give 'em my receipt.. which was good cuz i couldn't find it lol.. and so yea, brand new copy.. yay!
Ether, what do ya mean Restart? Like, from the VEEERY beginning (as in, new file) or from the living quarters/first save point?? But do the save tokens just kind of appear, or?? Hmm...
But yea, wouldn't I need to get a PS1 Mem card for getting VP? If so, where would I get one.. as i'd need it for Wild Arms, as well... (Ryan has a copy of WA) Would you guys recommend VP for me, as a relatively new RPG'er? Also, do the Wild Arms games need to be played in order??
But yea i'm jazzed about playing Radiata Stories again.... Any tips for beating those HUGE bear looking things in the beginning of the game, when you're fighting those ants, spiders and then those bear things pop up...??
Magic Coffeehouse!
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Open Three and a Half Years as of October 19, 2009!
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I would advise you talk to Mamelon about Wild Arms. It's her favorite RPG series.
And no, they don't need to be played in order- each title takes place in a new world.
VP isn't particularly difficult for new gamers, it's just very different from your typical RPG. If you can find it, definitely pick it up. And as for the memory card, most game stores carry PS1 memory cards still- and they usually go for around 5 bucks now.
In Dragon Quarter, you can restart the game at any time. When you die, you are given the option to have a game over, or to begin the game all over again. Furthermore, at any time, you can terminate your game from the main menu and start from the beginning, which is crucial in this game, where it is very possible to screw your game file over and leave yourself in a position where you absolutely cannot win. Restarting not only gives you a chance to get out of the bad situation without losing your equipment, abilities, and stored items, but you also save a sum of your money and party experience, allowing you to have an easier time with the parts you have been through. It's sort of counterintuitive, which is why Dragon Quarter impresses a lot of gamers as being much more difficult than it actually is. Also, each replay opens up more cutscenes, making the story more immersive, and better explaining the situations at hand.
From my experience, save tokens appear in a fairly limited capacity, only showing up in fixed chests- usually about one to an area... although, I do think that some enemies have them as a rare drop.
Some general tips for Dragon Quarter-
1. Be very sparing with your D-Meter. Only use it when you have no other choice- and even then, to use it even conservatively is overusing it. You only have so much wiggle room with the D-Meter throughout the entire game, so you must be VERY careful.
2. You cannot try and cash in on every treasure and item you find. You can only carry so much, and frequent trips back to town waste valuable time and energy.
3. Store away as much as you can. Item storage is one of the few things that carries over from playthrough to playthrough, so make good use of it.
4. Don't spend your party experience very often. Party experience is like a savings account for your experience, something to draw upon little by little in emergencies. Use it to gain a few levels worth of advantage at the beginning of a playthrough, and avoid the temptation to plunk it all into a character at once.
5. If you find yourself in a situation where you don't want to restart, and you die because of something preventable (i.e. a stupid combat mistake), then don't forget- you can just turn the game off, and reload your file. You won't have lost anything this way, aside from some progress- and it certainly beats restarting an otherwise fine playthrough because an enemy lucked out and got a critical hit.
6. Make your saves count. Generally, the amount of save tokens available to you is scarce, so only save when you absolutely have to. This will go against the console gamers natural instinct to save as often as possible, but it is important to make the best of your resources. Also, each save detracts points from your game total, making it harder to get a better D-Ratio with each playthrough.
7. Some areas just can't be explored, or aren't worth exploring, the first time around.
8. Learn when to run.
9. Try and finish each battle in as little time as possible. The less effort that goes into a battle, the better your reward. Always try and surprise attack an enemy, this will give you a bonus round, which doesn't count against your turn totals for determining experience and D-Meter progression.
This Dragon Quarter game sounds interesting, is that on a platform or just PC?
Avvy from Le Gambit
Extendo-Sliver
Master of Death and Taxes
You really can't get away.
I've tried.
I know what creatures you're talking about in Radiata Stories, Omna. It's pretty easy to get their pattern down. A good rule of thumb for big creatures in that game is to get right up to them, wait for them to start attacking, and then run a circle around them. Once you're behind them, pull off a combo and repeat the process. Of course, sometimes your party members aren't so smart O_o;;
@Sliver Underlord: Dragon Quarter is the fifth game in the Breath of Fire series. It's exclusively on the Playstation 2. A great find if you come across it used somewhere ^__^;;
I'm so old,
at least is on ps2.
reading through some of these back posts (this clan thread gets posts almosts as fast as a girls intro thread) I came across:
Mage was the game that got me into WOD, and I picked up a bunch of the Vampire and Werewolf books, and the basics of the other ones. (Warning: Generalzations ahead)Vampire was all gothic and political, and werewolf felt like fight fight fight, kill kill kill. Mage just had a sense of creativity to it I enjoyed.
And in Demon, you play fallen angels
Avvy from Le Gambit
Extendo-Sliver
Master of Death and Taxes
You really can't get away.
I've tried.
Fallen angels are for posers!
Sandalphon > Asmodeus
Vampire did impress me as being particularly emo, and more about intrigues and social situations- and while I don't mind that, I do like some action in my gaming. I like a healthy mix of politics and face-punching. Plus, all of the clans seemed so... well, detestable. All of them seemed like such a crappy group of people to want to spend your afterlife with.
Mage sounds like it could be neat. I wonder how accurate the portrayal of occultism is in it?
Oh, and about the post count... that makes me happy, actually. Not to sound arrogant, but I think that's just the effect I have on a clan thread. Just look at the Coffeehouse! I have like fifteen bajillion
slices of spamposts in there.that just means you encourage other to post also!
In the old WOD, it was Mage the Ascension, which had the Nine mystic traditions vs the Technocracy. The nine traditions were bases on real world occult themes. some were a streach and Technocracy traitiors.
Hermetic
Witchs
Shamens
Asian style (which was a bunch of different things)
Indian/Greek death cults
hippies
Theological secs
Hackers!!!
Mad Scientist (izzet basically)
in the new Wolrd of Darkness its much more based on made up group with hermetic style magic. I prefer the vintage WOD myself.
bah, wikpedia explains it pretty well:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mage:_The_Ascension#Council_of_Nine_Mystic_Traditions
Avvy from Le Gambit
Extendo-Sliver
Master of Death and Taxes
You really can't get away.
I've tried.