New moderator saying hi! : tabletop

[–] The_Hunted_One 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hi, I'm Hunted.

I've been into tabletop gaming for a couple years now. We had a group of friends that we had over weekly for some board games, then Covid hit, and we haven't really picked it back up on any determined schedule. In the midst of that though, I picked up playing TTRPGs, and those have been a big hit. I've finished a few adventures now, primarily in the Pathfinder 2e system, and am just rounding out a level 1-20 AP named Agents of Edgewatch as a player.

As far as favourite games I've played, I've always enjoyed Mysterium, Betrayal at House on the Hill, and Codenames, but am no stranger to card games like Skip-Bo, Swipe, and Phase 10.

[–] Foon 6 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Oh of course, I forgot to mention TTRPGs! Would be excited to read more about various RPG systems. I've only ever played D&D 5e, I've been in 2 separate campaigns for the past 5 years (although one is on hiatus for a few months). I do enjoy it a lot, but it does make me wonder what else is out there. It's just been difficult to make the plunge and attempt something new...

Would you recommend Pathfinder 2e to someone like me (for trying out in a oneshot or a few sessions)?

[–] Dee_Imaginarium 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

If you get into PF2 know that it does everything DnD does, but different (and much better imo). So try not to get frustrated with things at first because I've seen that from a lot of 5e players who go into it bringing their 5e expectations.

Also teamwork is critical. In 5e everybody is a one person army after level 5 or 6 and teamwork isn't really needed unless forced by the DM. In PF2 you won't be able to land a hit on certain enemies unless you coordinate with teammates to lower their AC with various techniques and abilities.

Also, since there's so much customization with PCs during leveling everybody in the party could make a human fighter and end up with WILDLY different characters by level four or five.

I could talk for a while about it, but since switching away from 5e I've been much happier. I'd say start with the core rulebook stuff first and then add books from there. Going with all of them right out of the gate might give some analysis paralysis because there are so many player options.

Happy to discuss more though, I'd love to get as many people as I can to not only try what I feel is a better system but one not owned by WotC. Paizo is unionized and doesn't send Pinkertons to peoples homes so I like them a lot more lol

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[–] Domiku 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Another new moderator reporting in! (he/him)

I’m big into engine-building games. Some of my favorites are 7 Wonders, Space Base, and Jaipur.

I’m currently in the process of building new bookshelves because our game collection has outgrown the current storage 😅

[–] Foon 3 points 1 year ago

waves

Space is such a challenge! Sometimes I feel like we should just move to a bigger house to accommodate all the games... We don't add that much to the collection lately, but when we do it's massive boxes (in the past 6 months or so, we've gotten Frosthaven, Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood, and Aeon Trespass: Odyssey in). The boxes are so ridiculously huge 😅

[–] quasar 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Glad to see this get up. Hopefully we’ll get more diverse rpg discussions than just D&D and derivatives :)

[–] TheCalzoneMan 5 points 1 year ago

That's the plan if I have any say about it! D&D and OSE are still major games though, so prepare for at least a little bit of that.

I am and will always be grateful for D&D bringing people into the hobby, but there's so much cool stuff out there!

[–] TheCalzoneMan 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Hi, I'm Calzone, another new mod! 👋

I've been playing tabletop RPGs since I was very young, when my dad got me and my sister into D&D 3.5e. I love trying out new systems, though I tend to be pretty shy when it comes to the online space. I'm also a big fan of tactical skirmish wargames, like Kill Team or Frostgrave.

Some of my favorite TTRPGs include Deadlands, Cyberpunk RED, and The Orpheus Protocol. I have been trying to get my friends to play Dread with me, but that requires both people who love horror and a Jenga tower, neither of which I have 😔. I'm looking forward to seeing what this community brings to the table(top)!

Edit: forgot to include a little game I just recently found called Never Going Home, super atmospheric and spooky!

[–] DreamyRin 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

awesome to see this space!

I love ttrpgs, although I largely modify Ironsworn: Starforged (which I saw mentioned in another comment!) so that my partner and I have something to play as a duo, with our various worlds we've created and character cast. I haven't played with a group in years, although I'd like to, I just struggle on the people front of it, and math isn't something I'm great at.

I...collect a lot of them, too. I used to run a play-by-post AU of a video game world with a system I hacked together, for about 8 years. roughly two bookcases full of games, both ttrpgs and board games, then about 10gb of ttrpgs and related things.

my favorite board game is Pandemic Legacy, I've grown very fond of Season Zero and I'm working through it with someone else when they have time. Settlers of Catan is another favorite, but I feel like a lot of people like that one. I don't get to play board games often though.

would card games also be welcome here?

[–] TheCalzoneMan 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If you have any other duo hacks, I'd be personally interested! I'm currently trying Wushu with a friend, but I'm always open to learning new systems.

As far as card games, I don't see why not. We haven't had a chance to sit down as a mod team yet though, so I can't speak for anyone else. It's frustrating that there's no tag system at the moment so people can filter out what they want and don't want to see.

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[–] cityboundforest 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hiya! I myself have been playing D&D5E for about seven years now and Pathfinder 2E for about two. As for board games, my favorite are Betrayal at House on the Hill and Mountains or Madness.

[–] The_Hunted_One 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Have you run through many adventure paths in PF2e? I'm just starting up a local game where I'll be GMing Abomination vaults after already playing it as a player. Always on the lookout for tried and recommended APs though.

[–] Inspectigator 4 points 1 year ago

I've run Age of Ashes, which... needs some massaging, and if you're interested, I would recommend a pretty heavy rewrite of book 1 to reframe the motivations of the PCs. Once that is done, I think the AP would be magnificent. But without it... it's a little weird.

Quest for the Frozen flame is awesome, and I'm dying to run it as more of a "one month interlude between games".

[–] cityboundforest 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm currently running through Skull & Shackles from PF1E in PF2E, but I've also picked up the first book of Strength of Thousands and I got the Kingmaker books for my birthday.

[–] Inspectigator 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

did you get the conversion to 2e from that discord server? (I dont remember which)... I've always heard good things about that AP, and since I'm beginning to close in on the end of the one I'm running, I'm trying to keep my head up for what's next.

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[–] Cube6392 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Are you born of the great goddesses Foo, Oo, and Oon?

EDIT: It was rude of me to ask that without being on topic and contributing to the conversation. I'm usually doing table-top role playing games these days. Usually powered by the apocalypse or fate core, but Fiasco 1e is a favorite of mine to introduce people to the concept

[–] Foon 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'd never heard of these goddesses, but after a quick search I'm seeing they are from the Magic Tavern podcast? Is it fun?

But sure, I'll be a goddess 😇

What makes Fiasco 1e your favourite for introductions?

[–] Cube6392 3 points 1 year ago

Yup! It's a fun podcast set in the magical fantastical land of Foon! I always have to warn people though that it does replicate the feeling of three friends meeting new people in a bar very well in that there's a lot of nonsense banter. I personally love that, but I can understand why if someone finds that slow pacing where it takes half a year for a basic plot point to be driven forward infuriating that they might not like it, and might be better served by Mission to Zyxx.

As for why Fiasco 1e? It's the copy of Fiasco I own, primarily, and it actually seems like 2e is superior in every way for introducing new people to role playing or at least alternative systems to DnD. Fiasco has a ruleset that is super easy to get people to grok quickly and get into the actual role playing and improv elements of TTRPGs without bogging them down with what armor class is.

[–] Dee_Imaginarium 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I happened to check the modlogs and saw you get appointed to this community when I didn't even know we had a TTRPG community in Beehaw 😳

I'm stoked this is here though!

My favorite games? That's hard to nail down because it changes with time, at least for me. At one point I would've said AD&D2e, another point I would've told you Cortex systems, another would've been CoC, or GURPS, PbtA, VtM, the list goes on as I've tried many many games over the past 15 years of tabletop gaming. Honestly my best memories are from my friends homebrew system that we used for a two year campaign. Which I'm using as inspiration to make my own TTRPG system.

At the moment I've been really enjoying Pathfinder 2e though. It does everything I wanted from DnD but better and more balanced, I'm frustrated I didn't switch years ago! It takes everything learned from Pathfinder 1e and the lessons from DnD4e and 5e to create a very granular system that still feels fast paced and engaging without getting too bogged down like what can happen in PF1e. When I got the core rulebook I started reading it and kept turning pages until I realized I had read the core rulebook cover to cover because I was so engaged with how everything just works together in near perfect balance.

[–] Lionir 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I happened to check the modlogs and saw you get appointed to this community when I didn’t even know we had a TTRPG community in Beehaw 😳

That's because it's not yet been announced! Shhhh 🤫

[–] Dee_Imaginarium 4 points 1 year ago

I was looking for an announcement because I assumed I missed it 😂

Glad to know it's just not up yet and I'm early to the party lol

[–] cyberdecker 3 points 1 year ago

😮

[–] ulkesh 6 points 1 year ago

Hello everyone!

I'd be happy to help moderate should the need arise to add a person! Please holler if so :)

I'm a collector of tabletop board games. I have over 350 in my collection ranging from simple games like Sushi Go to heavy games like Twilight Imperium and Star Trek Ascendancy.

If I was stranded on an island with a fun gaming group, an endless supply of food, snacks, water, and other drinks, and had to pick a top 5 games to have with me:

Firefly the Game (all expansions)
Scythe (all expansions)
Zombicide Black Plague
Terraforming Mars
Gloomhaven/Frosthaven

[–] gromnar 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hi! I play a lot of RPGs (with the exception of DND, for some reasons)... And I mainly enjoy thematic/narrative games (so, no "Germans" for me, even if the distinction is losing meaning day by day!)

[–] Foon 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What's your favourite thematic/narrative game?

[–] gromnar 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I think that the best one is Arkham Horror LCG by MJ Newman. It really blends together game mechanics and narrative feeling (ludonarrative harmony, as she describes here fo example: https://www.bewaretheblackcat.com/post/behind-the-curtain-enemies ). In short, you are not simply moving cards or pulling out tokens, but you are really living an adventure.

Then there is War of the Ring, really conveys both for the Free People and the shadow player a super thematic experience, while being a tight and ruthless wargame.

Those two are the peaks (for us). But I can name many other which we enjoy. Among the new ones, there is a very nice pirate game, ~~forbidden~~ Edit: Forgotten waters (sorry, autocorrector). I also enjoy the games by Jerry Hawthorne (mice and mystics, comanauts, stuffed fables, ...).

And many, many others (dune conquest, for instance, or star wars: imperial assault, ...)

[–] Foon 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ooh War of the Ring is an amazing game. I've only played it twice, but really enjoyed it. It's done so well thematically and it really felt like we were living a story indeed. One of those games, I was playing the Free People, and was getting absolutely slaughtered by the Shadow Armies... But I had the card that let Aragorn bring the armies of the dead, and managed to get everything in order to wipe out a huge number of enemies. My opponent being as new to the game as I was had no idea this card existed, so the look of surprise was priceless!

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[–] mifuyne 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hello!

I've went though a stint where I just didn't want to play boardgames. Largely because a lot of them are competitive and I don't like the vibe that usually brings out of me. Recently, my housemate and I grew our collection of co-op games. I have to say that the "Star Wars: The Clone Wars - A Pandemic System Game" is our favourite so far. We only played it a few times and...failed on all counts! It's a Pandemic game and we haven't played the system much so we haven't figured out the best way to work around it. I do look forward to figuring that out!

As for TTRPGs. Oh man...for group play, I would say the Genesys system (EDGE/FFG Star Wars RPG...yeah, there's a pattern 😉 ). But I've shifted away from group play and into solo play. Ironsworn: Starforged, as a system, is my favourite. Not a huge fan of the setting but there are people working on addons and mods so it wouldn't be hard to adjust. I also plan on making an attempt at solo-playing SWRPG/Genesys. I've noticed a lack of solo-play podcasts for that specific system so that's something I plan on doing in the near future!

I also have a ridiculous amount of TTRPGs I've...collected over the years. The two I definitely want to play, solo or group, is Cities Without Numbers and Eclipse Phase 2e. I really like the cyberpunk + future tech settings and haven't had a chance to really play a game like that. Maybe a one-shot once upon a time.

I think that's all I have to share for now! I'm excited to see and chat about this stuff with y'all 😄

[–] Foon 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I really feel you with respect to competitive games. We occasionally play some with a group of friends, but at home it's basically always cooperative games.

I don't know this Star Wars Pandemic game, but in general the Pandemic games are really solid. The mechanisms get a bit stale after playing a lot in my opinion, so the only game by the same creator we still get to the table is Thunderbirds.

If you're at all interested in legacy games, I can highly recommend Pandemic Legacy: Season 1. It was the first legacy game I played and it was an amazing experience.

[–] mifuyne 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I remember hearing about it but the prospect of not being able to replay it turned me off. At least, that's what I gleaned over the years. I vaguely recall someone posting a picture of them framing the board when they were done with the game (campaign?)

Maybe I got the wrong impression? I suppose I should take another look-see.

I haven't played that much Pandemic, really, so the mechanics have yet to get old for us 😅

[–] Foon 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I get that! I felt the same hesitation with "you can only play it 12-24 times and then never again, what?!" but honestly I'm so happy we took the plunge anyway. I don't know about you, but many if not most games in my collection I haven't even played that many times...

I haven’t played that much Pandemic, really, so the mechanics have yet to get old for us 😅

That's great! I mean, they're good mechanics, so I'm glad you're enjoying them. They just get recycled in all the other games lol.

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[–] tanglisha 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I've been playing Starfinder and Shadowrun lately for RPGs,l. For board games, Terraforming Mars, 7 Wonders, and I'm absolutely terrible at Wingspan but it's so pretty I don't care

One of my old Pathfinder groups is currently talking about converting to 2e. I got all the books with the Humble Bundle a few months ago and have been going through them a bit. One thing I like is that it's a lot more different from Starfinder than 1e is, I have a hard time going back and forth on those two rulesets.

[–] s3rvant 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Howdy!

I'm a game designer and mostly play gateway games with the kiddos though also love Scythe, Terraforming Mars (lately Ares Expedition) and several others when my son-in-law is in town.

Happy to have a place to talk design here 😊

[–] Foon 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ah it's wonderful you get to game with your kids! (that's why gamers have children, right? To play games with them? kidding, obviously)

What sort of games do you design?

[–] s3rvant 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My published games are Nightfall (and its expansions), World-Z League and an upcoming deckbuilder via Universal Studios that's manufacturing now.

Unpublished I have an abstract on time travel and a real-time card game about competing food trucks that I co-designed with my son-in-law.

(we have 8 kids so certainly some should take after me right? lol)

[–] Foon 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hot dang 8 kids?! You can even play big group games with just your immediate family!

I don't think I've played any of your games, but I took a quick look and they seem pretty cool. What's your favourite part about designing games?

[–] s3rvant 4 points 1 year ago

LOL yep, player count is definitely a consideration :D

My favorite part is working out the mechanics of a game trying to create something new and fun. I almost always start with a mechanical idea that I think on for a long while as I piece together supporting mechanics toward a playable game and part way through that process a theme will generally emerge that aids in finalizing the mechanics.

[–] hoyland 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I am basically permanently obsessed with Spirit Island.

[–] Foon 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Such a good game, right?! I really like how different games get with the different spirits and adversaries. It's also one of the few games I enjoy playing solo.

Do you use any of the expansions?

[–] hoyland 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah -- while I have a deep and abiding love for Ocean, most of my favorite spirits are from Jagged Earth, I think. I kind of like playing the ridiculously complicated ones to figure out how they work, like the Hummingbird one.

I like both "solitaire" solo and play two-handed by myself. They're different kinds of challenges, which is nice. Most of my board game friends aren't local so I'm basically constantly on the lookout for things that work well solo.

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[–] storksforlegs 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Hello!! Nice to meet and read everyone's lists.

Here are some of my favourites (mostly kinda older games haha)

-Terra Mystica

-Glass Road

-Agricola

-Food Chain Magnate

-Carcassone

-Keyflower

[–] TheCalzoneMan 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Carcassone! I love that game, haven't played in years!

[–] Domiku 4 points 1 year ago

Even with all the fancier games that have come out since, it still holds up!

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[–] sludge 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

hi! i haven't been playing tabletop games very long, but its really fun! i play pathfinder 1st and 2nd edition, i really like creating and running dungeon crawls ^_^

[–] Ethereal87 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Aeon's End is one of our top games as well! My wife and I have beaten every nemesis except for maybe 3 of the newer expansion ones. It's such an amazing system but I think we're going to have to call it quits soon since we're running out of space to store it all! I think I finally have it all stored in both Legacy boxes and the "Past and Future" box.

Unfair is our other favorite and probably the first "scary game" (her words) that she got really into. We play it a bit nicer than intended. I actually proposed to my wife with this game (and the help of the designer) with a custom card!

Everdell is probably number three. We got it as a Christmas gift one year, played it probably eight times in a five days, and ordered whatever expansions we could get our hands on.

[–] Foon 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ah yes, we have the exact same problem with Aeon's End storage. I think we have all the content minus one set of promo cards, and indeed it takes 3 boxes to store everything! I think AE might be our most played game, we have played it probably >200 times 😅 Have you also tried doing the bosses on increased difficulty levels? I like how it really changes the strategies you have to use for some of them.

[–] Ethereal87 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

We have not just yet. We got "caught up" on beating every Nemesis just before our child was born a few years ago, but that's definitely on our radar when we have some more free time to just leave it set up (and not worry about a kid eating charge counters!)

What has been your favorite expansion/series of content? I really liked this latest with Past and Future just giving us brand new characters far enough before and after the main story, and a few of the new mage powers are really cool. I think prior to that, we really enjoyed The New Age wave.

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[–] ThemboMcBembo 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Welcome Foon!

Have you heard of the critically-acclaimed TTRPG Pathfinder 1.0? It's my favorite out of the "standard D&D-like" tabletops, and I especially like the system for skill points.

I'm looking forward to trying Betrayal in the House on the Hill: Legacy soon though! (The house permanently changes from game to game)

[–] Foon 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I've only ever played D&D, really, but yes I've definitely heard of Pathfinder. Most people seem to be recommending 2e though, is there a specific reason you like 1e more?

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