Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with RPG

I am such a noob

MrVisible — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:56:12 -0800

How do I get better at first-person shooters on the Xbox360? I've never been into the FPS genre. I like RPGs and various third-person games for the most part, and I'm most used to a computer interface as opposed to a console gamepad.

But the Xbox360 is a beautiful machine, and the line between FPS and RPG has been erased by titles like Mass Effect and Oblivion and Bioshock. The problem is that these games assume that you're pretty familiar with the FPS interface, and because of the structure of the game you don't get much time to practice.

Are there any games out there that include a pretty good training area or an opportunity to learn the two-stick control system before dumping you into situations where your skill with the system is the only thing keeping all your NPC buddies from getting fragged? I'm not looking to be uber-1337 at Halo3, but it'd be great to not have to re-do every fight scene in Mass Effect five times before moving on with the plot.

Thanks!

Pointless RPG

degoao — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:47:01 -0800

What was the name of the humerous interaction-free RPG I saw a few years ago? I might have even seen it posted or mentioned on Metafilter, but I had no luck searching for it.

There is no interaction in the game. You just create a character, and it plays itself. As well, the race/class combinations were pretty funny as well. Aggh, it's driving me crazy, because I can almost remember the name!

Better games than D&D?

Durn Bronzefist — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 22:23:33 -0800

What RPGs are there that are better than D&D? Hey all,

There's been a ton of commentary on the web since the death of Gygax about D&D, and much of this ends up in squabbles (or at least debate) about whether or not the game really is any good, and what's better.

Well, what's better? And why do you love it? (and likewise, any drawbacks?)

I've played and loved D&D, Top Secret, and Champions. I've liked what I've seen of Ars Magica and Paranoia. I want to get a group together again, and D&D tends to be easiest because everyone knows it. But if there were more worthwhile systems out there, that'd be worth picking up the materials and having a bit of a harder go finding players, I'd like to hear about it. Thanks!

Name some playable RPG's, please

Solomon — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 09:02:48 -0800

Please recommend some 2D RPG's I can play on my PC. I absolutely loved Legend of Zelda on the original Gameboy. I also absolutely loved it on the SNES. I hated it on the N64 it because it was 3D, and my brain is apparently incapable of dealing with 3D rendering. I managed about 20 minutes of jumping round the screen before I turned it off, never to play it again, because I couldn't work out where I was in relation to everything else. I do occasionally dig the SNES out of storage, and play LoZ again. I also really liked Secret of Mana.

What are some other similar 2D games I might like? Things I'm looking for especially are playability, power-ups, characterisation, etc. Going on some kind of quest would be cool. Graphics aren't important at all, as long as I can tell the player from the enemy. Single player would be best.

I'd prefer to be able to play them offline, but online is cool too. I've trying Googling free games, but there's so much chaff out there, it's hard to separate the wheat. I'm running XP, if that's relevant. I'm prepared to pay for a game, if it's worth it.

Any good single-player pen-and-paper games?

SpacemanStix — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:00:05 -0800

Are there any good single-player pen-and-paper games? I'm interested in pen-and-paper games that can be played by a single player. I'm interested mainly in RPG type games that are somewhat epic in nature (I have no idea if they exist for a single player), but I'm open to other options as well. Oh, and they should be fun. Thanks!

Palm based RPGs?

jeribus — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 20:01:07 -0800

Palm Zire Z22 games. RPG's mostly. Or things like that. Looking for turn based ones mainly. Had a palm long long ago but have inherited a newer one and am looking for turn based fun!

Are there any good turn-based RPGs out there?

jdruk — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 13:04:03 -0800

Are there any good turn-based RPGs out there? Hey all!

Want to plumb your brains: are there any turn-based RPGs with good storylines out there?

I played (and loved) Spiderweb's Geneforge series. They have a story almost as complex and interesting as LOTR, and I loved the turn-based combat. I'm not a trigger-happy person, and love the fact that I can pause in the middle of a fight and go have lunch.

Any recommendations?

Thanks a million!

Educational card game

levijk — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 15:03:54 -0800

Ran across the card game Ekklesia: The Congregating and was wondering if a similar game had ever been professionally produced. Some cartoon style cards can be see here.

The name sounds like a play on the words Magic: the Gathering, a game I understand employs thousands of cards and complicated game mechanics. Has any company published a card game or RPG something like this but with the theme of early Christian/Late Roman history? I've heard of Redemption, but this is bible-based, not history-based so it isn't what I'm looking for.

How does the math work that drives an RPG?

SpacemanStix — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 10:28:54 -0800

I'm trying to program a role playing game, but I'm not sure how to do the math. I'm working on a game where one progresses as a character (individual traits, such as intelligence, dexterity, etc.) and will have encounters with other characters that require battles that pit traits against each other. Your typical RPG.

However, I'm not sure how to work all this out. I'm not entirely sure of the theory behind it, such that it takes into account character progression, interesting encounters, game balancing, etc., while maximizing the fun value.

Anyone have any advice about how to think about the internal algorithms that drive an RPG game? I'd love to have some resources to do the research on this, but I haven't been able to find much online, or in print. Plenty of talk about RPG's, but nothing that discusses this particular point in detail.

As an added note, I'm not an uber programmer, so looking at other peoples' code for games like nethack, etc., are sometimes helpful, but often more complex than I can work with. I'm looking more for the theory that doesn't require a math major to interpret. Examples of basic equations and how variables are used would be most helpful. Resources to read up on would be great as well.

Simple puzzles that require time travel to solve?

TimeTravelSpeed — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 13:13:35 -0800

Can you think of time-travel puzzle rooms for my D&D mini-campaign? (2 other categories of puzzles I'd like are described inside) Let's say player A has a magical hourglass which is labeled "Past" on the bottom, and "Future" on the top. When sand falls "into the past", she goes back in time. Turned horizontal, to the present, and turned the other way, the future. I provide the amount of sand in each room, and that controls the distance and duration of her travel. (For example, "30 seconds of sand" would mean she goes back 30 seconds, and can remain in that timeline for 30 seconds before returning) Additional notes: 1) her physical location is preserved over the "time jumps", 2) when she goes back in time there will be two of her, 2.1) if she jumps back in the same physical location she was in, she'll just appear next to her clone from the past -- no overlap, and 3) the sand disappears when she exits a room.

I would like simple and interesting puzzles that require this ability. An example might be that she enters a room whose floor begins to raise slowly toward a ceiling of spikes. The solution is to go forward in time 30 seconds so that the floor has now raised over head, revealing the room underneath the raising floor with the lever that stops it. Also, don't worry too much about time paradoxes -- the players are much more interested in simplicity and coolness-factor than ones that are consistent with physical laws :P

The two other players also have special abilities. One can turn into a titan or tiny creature at will. The other can shift gravity toward any wall or ceiling. Puzzles of this type would be great too. I would be VERY grateful to anyone who can come up with a puzzle that requires ALL THREE abilities cooperatively in a clever way.

Please be as outlandish as you like. The rooms are the creation of a trickster god, so the setting allows for pretty much anything. If you have any questions, please ask. Thanks!

What 'Choose Your Own Adventure'-style RPG would you recommend to a video game novice? (wii or mac)

evadery — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 19:27:38 -0800

What 'Choose Your Own Adventure'-style RPG would you recommend to a video game novice? (wii or mac) So, I haven't been much of a videogamer since moving beyond my Genesis in 1997, but I've been loving my new Wii, specifically the Success Mode in MLB Power Pros, where you take a character in his first year of college, and choose how he will spend his time (practicing, womanizing, working, studying), and watch him progress as a direct result of your choices. There's minimal playing of baseball, and alot of character development and choose your own adventure-type gameplay.

So, I'm looking for any other RPGs of a similar vein. Most of the RPGs I found in my research were fantasy games where you spend most of your time fighting and the choice making was a minimal part. However, my preference would be a game with a subject based more in reality ( I would listen to fantasy-type wizards and warriors suggestions for really spectacular games, but that's not my preference). I'd also prefer the game to be mostly choice-making, but like MLB Power Pros, having the game supplemented with actual in-game play would be cool too (ie: a bit of baseball mixed in with alot of choice-making). So, hive mind, any thoughts?

I need help finding a really nice set of dice for playing D&D

paulus andronicus — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 15:17:31 -0800

D&DFilter: I want to buy my girlfriend a very nice set of dice for her to use when she plays D&D. But I don't know what kinds of dice she needs, nor do I know what separates nice dice from very nice dice. Wikipedia says most role playing games use 1d4, 1d6, 1d8, 1d12, 1d20, and 2d10. She showed me what she called a "standard set" of dice once and I seem to recall 2d8, and no d12, but I am probably misremembering. What should I be looking for?

What makes nice dice nice? I've talked to her some about what kind of jewelry she likes (because I figured some nice dice may be made of stone). Her birthstone is emerald, but she doesn't like it very much, she prefers opal or turquoise. I googled a bit and saw some dice made of bone. I asked about that and she thinks it's kind of creepy.

At one point she had some "Aurora Borealis" dice (or maybe just "Borealis") that she was really in love with.

Any ideas? Thanks!

Wolrd-building rpg

Snyder — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:35:09 -0800

My friend mentioned a free table-top RPG that was available as a pdf on the web. All the players were gods, and with a point system, would create a fantasy world together. There would be a series of turns, symbolizing epochs or ages of the world. I don't know the name or the authors. Anyone hear of it?

How do you keep track of a whole world?

DetonatedManiac — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:56:59 -0800

Help me find a (hopefully free and easy to use) tool that could be used to create and organize a Fantasy world for a Paper and Pencil Role Playing Game. Something like a hypertext database that fiction writers might use. I'm looking for something where Characters, Lore, Location maps, Politics, Godly affairs, Economic relations, Timelines and more can all become an interconnected tapestry that can also be easily updatable to account for Player Character's actions.

I am thinking some sort of Database where relations are dynamically created and altered and can be viewed visually (I am quite a visual thinker).

I am looking for something with a simple user interface as I will want to access and alter parts of the world on the fly while running games and keep a log of the Player's actions and how they are viewed by other characters in the world etc.

I know there are programs that screenplay and fiction writers use that have a hypertext database element, something like that might work but any ideas are welcome. Thanks in Advance.

Help me get game(s).

ninazer0 — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 04:17:48 -0800

I've got a month off and I need a new game to play. I bought Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind in a bargain bin on a whim, played it and really liked it. What other games would I like? I don't mind if it's old or new but it has to be absorbing and reasonably intelligent rather than just plain hack and slash. The things I liked about Morrowind was travelling around the world with its landscapes and weather, the variety of side-quests that you could stumble over, the thought that was put into the various races and background stories and the fact that you could concentrate on being a magic-user, but still add in other skill sets (sneak, steal, armour) etc as you went.

Oh, and my system is a Pentium 4 laptop, 2.8Ghz, with 704MB of RAM and plenty of spare HD space. I'd prefer something that does not require an internet connection.

What games have you plaid that kept you amused and entertained for hours?

Japanese RPGs: what's with the children?

jaded — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 09:08:32 -0800

What is it with "Japanese style" RPGs that have children as the protagonist? I'm looking for answers other than "the Japanese, they crazy!" I've played a bunch of "Japanese Style" RPGs over the years: the Final Fantasy series, more recently: PoPoLoCrois , Enchanted Arms, Blue Dragon. And they all have something really, really (to my eyes) weird in common: the lead character (and his/her party) are just about always children.

And I don't mean "young adults", I mean children. In Blue Dragon the protagonist can not be more than 11. In PoPoLoCrois he is explicity TEN. You know this because the game starts on his 10th birthday. And while many of the Final Fantasy games have adolescents as characters, they're still obviously children. The divide between them and "the adults" is a chasm. The adolescents characters don't act like young adults, they look and act like old children.

Anyone know why this is? Is there research about it anywhere?

I haven't played most of the games in the genre because almost every time I find one that looks interesting, I see the screenshots with itty bitty kiddies, and I just can't bring myself to play it. Why aren't there any Japanese Style RPGs with more westernized themes? Or are there and I'm missing them? I like the mechanics, but I'm getting tired of stories where 12 year olds save the world and/or universe.

Are there any really interesting web sites that discuss the video game Neverwinter Nights?

chunking express — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 10:30:37 -0800

Are there any really interesting web sites that discuss the video game Neverwinter Nights? (Ideally, Neverwinter Nights 2.) I'd also be interested in web sites that discuss D&D.

Is there something like WoW Insider or , but for Neverwinter Nights 2 or for D&D?

Help me find tools to organize and run an online pnp RPG game.

absalom — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 20:09:42 -0800

I am interested in setting up a D&D game with old friends using the magic of the internet, what tools do I need? I have the players, but they are all over the place. What are some good tools to play a pen-and-paper RPG online? All of the players have computers, headsets, and mics. Interested especially in things where, perhaps, the GM can input info (maps, encounters, etc) and the players get output. Hell, maybe they can even interact. Software, advice, etc. - all welcome.

Most unspeakable Call of Cthulhu RPG scenarios.

Anything — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 11:56:03 -0800

Most unspeakable Call of Cthulhu RPG scenarios. This summer I intend to get some old friends together to play some Call of Cthulhu. I'd like you to suggest some really good scenarios and tell me why you've liked them; describe the premise, perhaps give some creepy anecdotes from your own play, etc.

Scenarios with lots of readily usable detail are particularly welcome, as are ones that are freely downloadable, from fan sites and such, as long as they are well written.

What MUD did I play on back in 98?

BlackLeotardFront — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 15:17:05 -0800

Here's a long shot. In the late 90s I played on a telnet MUD in Seattle with a lot of high school friends. I've spent the last, oh, five years passively looking for it. If you have any clue or your name is Chris Rolph, help me out! It was fantasy MUD, with the central town, Midgaard, and donation pit just north and east of there. The hardest enemies in the game you could kill were the Chameleon King and Queen. Most uniquely, some ways north of town there was a complete reconstruction of my high school, Garfield, filled with teachers, students, and accurate descriptions of many of the rooms, which had been created by my friend Chris, a god (Remus) in the game. It was extremely large and pretty well populated, with a few people on most hours.

I've checked out MUD listings but can't seem to find it. I can't remember the name or where it was hosted. I'm hoping that someone, somewhere, recognizes it.

I bet chicks always roll Windlings, don't they?

ArsncHeart — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 15:35:46 -0800

I have been invited to participate in an EarthDawn campaign. I know nothing about "pen and paper" RPGs. What advice can you give me? So a group of my friends are all experienced, um...face-to-face RPGers. I play WoW. One of the guys mentioned that he's starting an EarthDawn campaign and invited me to participate. I'm excited about joining up and experiencing a different form of gameplay than I'm used to, but I'm a total neophyte, and therefore slightly nervous.

Some of my questions and concerns:

1. I'll be the only chick. I don't expect that to make TOO much of a difference, as none of these guys are the OMG GIRLZ LAWL type... If you've gamed with women before, or if you're a woman gamer, do you have any specific advice?

2. I'm not too worried about rolling a character; I'm sure I can get the GM to help me out with that. But how does actual gameplay work? As I said, I play WoW. I'm used to everything being handled by a game engine.

3. Besides Wikipedia, where can I find information specifically on EarthDawn's storyline, gameplay, and ruleset? I've taken a look at earthdawn.com, but it seems full of information for people who already know what they're doing. Has anyone here played EarthDawn? Can you give me anecdotes?

4. Tell me about roleplaying. We're all silly, fun, actor-types, so it shouldn't be too hard, but what helps?

Any other tips, tricks, or hilarious stories you have to share are much appreciated.

The best puzzle/RPG hybrid videogames?

yellowbinder — Sun, 20 May 2007 16:42:47 -0800

Looking for more puzzle/RPG hybrids! I know the genre is only just developing, but maybe there are some titles I'm missing out on. If you're not familiar, these are casual games with RPG elements added. I loved Bookworm Adventures and Puzzle Quest, what else is out there?

What are the best online resources for new World of Darkness players?

raddevon — Mon, 07 May 2007 06:31:48 -0800

What are the best online resources for new World of Darkness players? I'm looking for information and resources for both storytellers and players. "New" has a dual meaning in my question as we have never really played a pen and paper RPG before and we are playing the new World of Darkness. There are lots of pages listed at White Wolf's links page, but not many seem to have much content.

Play By Post RPG forum?

geekhorde — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 19:28:53 -0800

I'm thinking about starting a new Play By Post RPG for some friends, and wondered if anyone had any recommendations. I have a new baby, and thus am not able to play with my regular Thursday night group. However, I'd love to have an outlet for the gamer geek inside of me, and want to start a Play By Post game for my buddies (some of whom have moved away and left are local gaming group).

What I want to know is what sites are most useful for GMs wanting to run a Play By Post forum? Easiest to use?

Anyone remember a Mac RPG called "Boden"?

Kadin2048 — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 11:19:52 -0800

Does anyone remember an older Macintosh single-player shareware role-playing-game, possibly called "Boden," "Boden," or some variation thereof? Years ago, when I got my first Mac, I was given a disk of games from a friend. One of these was a basic single-player RPG. It had a very simple 3D graphics that showed your surroundings (if you were on a path in a forest, you saw a path in front of you with some trees on either side), plus the usual text display.

It was turn-based, and it had most of the usual RPG features; you began in a forest, and you could wander through a castle and buy items from an armorer, attempt to steal things, etc. There were dungeons and various interesting ways to die. As far as I can remember, the game didn't have any particular plot or goal that you were told at the beginning.

I think the name was "Bowden" or "Boden," or maybe "Boden's Castle," but I can't find any reference to this in my searches online. Nobody that I know of has heard of it, either.

I think it was shareware, and it was black and white. By the time I played it circa 1992-3 it was already pretty old. From what I remember of it, it looked like it had been designed for System 6 or earlier.

Does anyone have any idea what it was called, and if it's available anywhere? I seem to have lost or thrown away all my old floppies, and I'd like to at least know what my old favorites were.