Comments on: Tabletops & Tropers: That would make such a… http://chattydm.net/2007/12/02/tabletops-tropers-that-would-make-such-a/ Like Hanging at the Cash Register of your Favorite Game Store Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:20:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: aallarin » Tabletops & Tropers: That would make such a… http://chattydm.net/2007/12/02/tabletops-tropers-that-would-make-such-a/comment-page-1/#comment-981 aallarin » Tabletops & Tropers: That would make such a… Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:37:15 +0000 http://chattydm.net/2007/12/02/tabletops-tropers-that-would-make-such-a/#comment-981 [...] Check it out! While looking through the blogosphere we stumbled on an interesting post today.Here’s a quick excerptYou mix together and apply them in your game, voilà feeling recaptured. I’ll put my money where my typing fingers are and try to do this with a classic scene (Tackling something bigger is part of a special project team project… stay … [...] [...] Check it out! While looking through the blogosphere we stumbled on an interesting post today.Here’s a quick excerptYou mix together and apply them in your game, voilà feeling recaptured. I’ll put my money where my typing fingers are and try to do this with a classic scene (Tackling something bigger is part of a special project team project… stay … [...]

]]> By: James McMurray http://chattydm.net/2007/12/02/tabletops-tropers-that-would-make-such-a/comment-page-1/#comment-951 James McMurray Fri, 07 Dec 2007 23:56:53 +0000 http://chattydm.net/2007/12/02/tabletops-tropers-that-would-make-such-a/#comment-951 Hey, Ronin... thanks for the advertisement. :) Hey, Ronin… thanks for the advertisement. :)

]]> By: ChattyDM http://chattydm.net/2007/12/02/tabletops-tropers-that-would-make-such-a/comment-page-1/#comment-941 ChattyDM Fri, 07 Dec 2007 13:52:22 +0000 http://chattydm.net/2007/12/02/tabletops-tropers-that-would-make-such-a/#comment-941 Oh for that I agree ... It's a 'feeling the elephant from different parts' thing. And tropes are just part of the elephant, granted. We may just disagree as to how big a part of the elephant it is. And I'm sorry not to have rational arguments to give you at this stage. But I will have them.... I must exorcise this Trope as Driver of a campaign beast one way or another! Oh for that I agree … It’s a ‘feeling the elephant from different parts’ thing. And tropes are just part of the elephant, granted.

We may just disagree as to how big a part of the elephant it is. And I’m sorry not to have rational arguments to give you at this stage.

But I will have them…. I must exorcise this Trope as Driver of a campaign beast one way or another!

]]> By: Tommi http://chattydm.net/2007/12/02/tabletops-tropers-that-would-make-such-a/comment-page-1/#comment-940 Tommi Fri, 07 Dec 2007 13:21:47 +0000 http://chattydm.net/2007/12/02/tabletops-tropers-that-would-make-such-a/#comment-940 Just to make it explicit: I am not saying that tropes are a bad idea (on the contrary; tropes and cliches are extremely useful tools). I just think that there is a lot more than those that is important in replicating the mood of a given work of fiction. That is, tropes may be necessary, but they are not sufficient. Just to make it explicit: I am not saying that tropes are a bad idea (on the contrary; tropes and cliches are extremely useful tools). I just think that there is a lot more than those that is important in replicating the mood of a given work of fiction.

That is, tropes may be necessary, but they are not sufficient.

]]> By: ChattyDM http://chattydm.net/2007/12/02/tabletops-tropers-that-would-make-such-a/comment-page-1/#comment-915 ChattyDM Tue, 04 Dec 2007 10:22:25 +0000 http://chattydm.net/2007/12/02/tabletops-tropers-that-would-make-such-a/#comment-915 Cracks Knuckles... We'll see Tommi... My gut feeling screams I'm unto something. And I'm a very intuitive person. My best games were the ones my players were most involved with (duh!) and the ones that featured more fluff than crunch. (Or where near-perfect synergy of fluff and crunch was achieved) I believe that using tropes is one of the great ways of hooking the player's attention and expectation to what's happening in the game. But I'll stop arguing, I recognize that I may be wrong, but I'll do my best to prove it otherwise... :) And if all fails, well there's always the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chewbacca_defense" rel="nofollow">Chewbacca defense</a>! P.S.: Yeah, those SotC chase rules are good! Cracks Knuckles…

We’ll see Tommi… My gut feeling screams I’m unto something. And I’m a very intuitive person.

My best games were the ones my players were most involved with (duh!) and the ones that featured more fluff than crunch. (Or where near-perfect synergy of fluff and crunch was achieved)

I believe that using tropes is one of the great ways of hooking the player’s attention and expectation to what’s happening in the game.

But I’ll stop arguing, I recognize that I may be wrong, but I’ll do my best to prove it otherwise… :)

And if all fails, well there’s always the Chewbacca defense!

P.S.: Yeah, those SotC chase rules are good!

]]> By: Tommi http://chattydm.net/2007/12/02/tabletops-tropers-that-would-make-such-a/comment-page-1/#comment-914 Tommi Tue, 04 Dec 2007 05:34:24 +0000 http://chattydm.net/2007/12/02/tabletops-tropers-that-would-make-such-a/#comment-914 If you want to recreate the experience of a series or a movie, you need to reproduce the drama. That requires players who are into a it, a system that tries to do it, or good luck. I'd argue mere tropes are not enough. (I do nevertheless suggest checking out <a href="http://zork.net/~nick/loyhargil/fate3/fate3.html" rel="nofollow">Spirit of the Century SRD</a>. The game is rated among the best at rpg.net and the SRD is free.) If you want to recreate the experience of a series or a movie, you need to reproduce the drama. That requires players who are into a it, a system that tries to do it, or good luck. I’d argue mere tropes are not enough.

(I do nevertheless suggest checking out Spirit of the Century SRD. The game is rated among the best at rpg.net and the SRD is free.)

]]> By: ChattyDM http://chattydm.net/2007/12/02/tabletops-tropers-that-would-make-such-a/comment-page-1/#comment-913 ChattyDM Mon, 03 Dec 2007 23:22:17 +0000 http://chattydm.net/2007/12/02/tabletops-tropers-that-would-make-such-a/#comment-913 Hmmm... I might have elaborated too much on the chase and missed my main point... I believe the best way to make the 'oh man, this would make a great game' RPG trope ring true, one must focus on the tropes brought up by the movie more than on the mechanics or the actual setting of a movie.... Choose tropes, fit mechanics to them, add fluff... feeling reproduced! It needs work... and it's a harder sell than I initially thought. I get the felling that people go 'oh yeah, sounds 'bout right' and then jump right into the crunch... Sounds like a challenge to me... Hmmm… I might have elaborated too much on the chase and missed my main point…

I believe the best way to make the ‘oh man, this would make a great game’ RPG trope ring true, one must focus on the tropes brought up by the movie more than on the mechanics or the actual setting of a movie….

Choose tropes, fit mechanics to them, add fluff… feeling reproduced!

It needs work… and it’s a harder sell than I initially thought.

I get the felling that people go ‘oh yeah, sounds ’bout right’ and then jump right into the crunch…

Sounds like a challenge to me…

]]> By: ScottM http://chattydm.net/2007/12/02/tabletops-tropers-that-would-make-such-a/comment-page-1/#comment-912 ScottM Mon, 03 Dec 2007 23:15:42 +0000 http://chattydm.net/2007/12/02/tabletops-tropers-that-would-make-such-a/#comment-912 If you're looking for a good implementation of chases, using rules not too dissimilar to d20 norms, look at Spirit of the Century. The rules do a good job of working a lot like a typical chase. For your overall point, I suspect the best/most true to TV and movie reality games are systems made to emulate that reality. <a href="http://www.dog-eared-designs.com/games.html" rel="nofollow">Primetime Adventures</a> does a good job of modeling TV reality. If you’re looking for a good implementation of chases, using rules not too dissimilar to d20 norms, look at Spirit of the Century. The rules do a good job of working a lot like a typical chase.

For your overall point, I suspect the best/most true to TV and movie reality games are systems made to emulate that reality. Primetime Adventures does a good job of modeling TV reality.

]]> By: Graham|ve4grm http://chattydm.net/2007/12/02/tabletops-tropers-that-would-make-such-a/comment-page-1/#comment-910 Graham|ve4grm Mon, 03 Dec 2007 21:20:19 +0000 http://chattydm.net/2007/12/02/tabletops-tropers-that-would-make-such-a/#comment-910 Ooohhh... Madlibs! Beowolf <u>eat</u>ing his own <u>underpants</u> so he could reach far enough down the <u>tyrannosaurus</u>'s <u>nose</u> to rip out its <u>spleen</u> with his bare <u>buttocks</u>. ...how'd I do? Ooohhh… Madlibs!

Beowolf eating his own underpants so he could reach far enough down the tyrannosaurus’s nose to rip out its spleen with his bare buttocks.

…how’d I do?

]]> By: Asmor http://chattydm.net/2007/12/02/tabletops-tropers-that-would-make-such-a/comment-page-1/#comment-909 Asmor Mon, 03 Dec 2007 21:00:43 +0000 http://chattydm.net/2007/12/02/tabletops-tropers-that-would-make-such-a/#comment-909 As we walked out of the iMax theater, all I could say to my friend was "THAT is what D&D is supposed to be. Beowulf ______ing his own ______ so he could reach far enough down the _______'s _______ to rip out its _______ with his bare ______." (Edited for spoilers ;) ) As we walked out of the iMax theater, all I could say to my friend was “THAT is what D&D is supposed to be. Beowulf ______ing his own ______ so he could reach far enough down the _______’s _______ to rip out its _______ with his bare ______.” (Edited for spoilers ;) )

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