Tabletop Gaming

[Nidoking's icon Nidoking Nidoking]

I couldn't find a better place for this, so if there is somewhere I overlooked forgive me.

Do we have any tabletop fans here? TTRPG's, board games, card games, etc. It's honestly always been my favorite way of gaming.

For me personally... been playing board games my whole life, MTG for well over a decade, and I practically live for D&D.​

 

[prnzoDraGoonZweiOrta]

I was at DM at 9 yrs old runnin 2nd Edition (which was new at the time - I don't mind it as I grew up with it but admittedly 1st n 2nd Edition startin out are harsh... as I understand it, 3rd Edition n on balanced n streamlined things. love the Monk n Assassin classes in 1st Edition n still have some rare 1st Edition books) for ppl 2-3x my age lol - have been part of some wild stuff like Ravenloft or the Oriental alternatives (forget the official name of the latter)... n then in the 90's the FASA cyberpunk world Shadowrun... n then Battletech as both RPG & tactics/strategy. Marvel Super Heroes was a great one too, as I was still heavily into comic books at the time (have so many char books n other stuff of the Marvel tabletop that it took like 16 trapper-keeper-ish things to house them) still have a few sets of pretty spiffy lookin dice

 

[RanmyakuIchi's icon RanmyakuIchi RanmyakuIchi]

I really, really, REALLY want to get into D&D but I don't know anyone around me who plays, and I'm hesitant to join a group of strangers as I've heard horror stories.

 

[Nidoking's icon Nidoking Nidoking]

I really, really, REALLY want to get into D&D but I don't know anyone around me who plays, and I'm hesitant to join a group of strangers as I've heard horror stories.

I fear this is probably one of the biggest hurdles for people getting into the hobby. That said, while there are a lot of bad experiences to be found this way, most people I've met online who play D&D regularly ONLY have online groups to play with, and they found them specifically through D&D... so they were all strangers at one point.

If you search you'll eventually find a group you like. There are a LOT of people in the community that are very inviting and surprisingly accommodating, more than happy to help someone start out. I got lucky and have a group I play with in person, but it took me entirely too long to be able to find anyone to play with. So I get the struggle for sure.

 

[TheSortingHelmet]

I happen to get into DnD few years back when Skype was still pretty popular in my circles, before Discord was even a thing. One person mentioned that they used to DM D&D 3.5 edition, couple folk expressed their interest and I got involved as well. It really wasn't the greatest campaign, but it was one of the first and made some lasting friends since then, this was like... I want to say almost 12 years ago now. I been in and out of campaigns over the years, couple ran a good bit others just spiral after a few weeks or a month.

I don't play as much as I used to, been wanting to find a new group. Haven't really gotten involved too much since Covid ironically enough. Was far too busy with other things. I never really got into board games though, I was always a fan of the idea of them but no one really to play them with or had enough interest to dive into them lol. I recall Tabletop Simulator might be a cool way to experience them.

Anyway, that's a little about my little dive in TTRPG and Board games.

 

[HatterTobias]

I couldn't find a better place for this, so if there is somewhere I overlooked forgive me.

Do we have any tabletop fans here? TTRPG's, board games, card games, etc. It's honestly always been my favorite way of gaming.

For me personally... been playing board games my whole life, MTG for well over a decade, and I practically live for D&D.​

I really love combinatorial board games, (mostly) 2 player board games that involve pure strategy and tactics, with no luck nor randomization (apart from setup). I like the old stuff like Chess and Draughts (Checkers for you Americans) but also modern ones like Abalone, Havannah, Circle of Life, HexDame, Blooms and more. It's like a kind of food that starts out bitter, but as you're deeper into it, it becomes more and more delicious to the point you're left wanting more.

I also love some non-combinatorials. Think Catan and Carcassonne, but also Clans of Caledonia, Yspahan and Yokohama, really fun once you get the rules for each game.

For card games, I usually just stick to traditional ones like French Tarot or Skat (German), but I played Trick of the Rails the other day and found it quite fun. Coloretto and Saint Petersburg are also fun (though the latter can be a bit heavy for a card game).

For stuff like roleplay though, I'm not really into that, I just prefer jumping straight into action, also I found Trading Card Games to be not that good for my tastes.

 

[AnonymousCookieMonster]

Mmmm... while i've done board and card games, and chess. D&D certainly hits certain spots, if i can ever have a game to play in.

2nd Edition i played a halfling rogue to 10th level over 3 years under my younger brother's campaign.

Then when i was 19 i played a year or two in 2nd edition playing Samuel Acorn, a werewolf druid. Game ended in a real bad mess involving Umberhulks among other things.

Played a lot of werewolves now that i think about it... Probably cause it was one of the only guaranteed healing methods without costing a tonne.... And casters just felt like they sucked.

In the Army i found a DM and we did Herosystem 5E, fantasy setting, another werewolf... On a MUD did a Superhero in 6E, but a number of us were feeling underappreciated and not invited into games so i ended up skipping out after like 8 months.

Couple years ago think we were part of Tombs of something... Played a Yuan-ti sorcerer... A lot more utility...

Then a few games here and there, 3.0, 3.5, Pathfinder, 5e. Lots of false starts on games with very little happening. Hard to find a good DM. That and D&D going off levels and 'packages' instead of going something like Herosystem where you build your character, not look over allowed possible builds and minmax.

At present i've made a Summoner with an Edolin who is a catgirl maid. GF drew her out under the specifications her face was a bit creepy. :P

 

[King Koopa's iconKing Koopa]

MEEEEEEEEEE

 

[OmegaPunch's icon OmegaPunch OmegaPunch]

I'm a fan of classics like Domino, Cards, Chess, Backgammon, etc.

 

[Mr. Daddy]

Tabletop gaming in general has always been a lot of fun to me. D&D was introduced to me very early on with 3.5, and I grew up playing a lot of board games that spanned from the excessively simple like Candyland, to games that were much more complex like Heroscape.

Post automatically merged: Feb 21, 2025

I really, really, REALLY want to get into D&D but I don't know anyone around me who plays, and I'm hesitant to join a group of strangers as I've heard horror stories.

I can definitely understand that, but I will say that for the most part the TTRPG community these days is pretty welcoming and nice. You're a lot more likely to find a group that'll be good to play with than not, and even if there is a single problem player, more often than not groups are pretty good about getting that handled. A lot of the time you'll be able to see the red flags before joining the group in the first place.

 

[Nidoking's icon Nidoking Nidoking]

So one thing I wanted to share was my "Skeletons" campaign, and I'd be very interested to hear interesting campaigns people here have had involvement with.

It started with us joking around about things like "What if skeletons had toilets?" That, paired with my ADHD tic to quote "Boom, Skeleton City!" from Family Guy... it just sort of became "What if there was an entire city of JUST skeletons? Living ordinary (for them) lives? They have toilets even, and just never mention why they have them."

This became a full campaign with multiple regular players that had some great moments, like @Mr. Daddy running a skeleton child who was completely unhinged and at one point gave another skeleton a heartattack. The general premise of the campaign was skeletons wanted to 'liberate' their brethren from the 'fleshies.' Mr. Daddy's character (Breakis) liberated himself... from a sick child... while he was still alive.

 

[Mr. Daddy]

This became a full campaign with multiple regular players that had some great moments, like @Mr. Daddy running a skeleton child who was completely unhinged and at one point gave another skeleton a heartattack. The general premise of the campaign was skeletons wanted to 'liberate' their brethren from the 'fleshies.' Mr. Daddy's character (Breakis) liberated himself... from a sick child... while he was still alive.

Hey that other skeleton was gonna have the heart attack anyway! Breakis just... Made it happen sooner >.>

 

[Nidoking's icon Nidoking Nidoking]

Hey that other skeleton was gonna have the heart attack anyway! Breakis just... Made it happen sooner >.>

Murder. It was murder.

 

[SolemnlyDoc]

I grew up playing board games (chess, checkers, Sorry, Monopoly, Snakes & Ladders, etc.) and still enjoy them today but rarely get to play them.

I got into D&D in 2020 and played every week until May 2024, bouncing between 2 groups. I tried to run my own game once, just a one-shot adventure, but it went so poorly that I've been loathe to try again. So for now I'll stick to being just a player

 

[Nidoking's icon Nidoking Nidoking]

I grew up playing board games (chess, checkers, Sorry, Monopoly, Snakes & Ladders, etc.) and still enjoy them today but rarely get to play them.

I got into D&D in 2020 and played every week until May 2024, bouncing between 2 groups. I tried to run my own game once, just a one-shot adventure, but it went so poorly that I've been loathe to try again. So for now I'll stick to being just a player

Hopefully you give it another shot sometime, when you feel ready.

 

[Ravl]

Yes, I regularly play Pathfinder 2e also DM it sometimes. I also played a lot of dnd and I can safely tell you that 5e is a horrible system:
not only is the base game flawed as hell but anything released after the Xanathar book is so broken I cannot believe they actually playtested it. The classes from the Unearthed Arcanas play tests where some of the strongest shit I've ever seen in a game, insane they actually put those in books like Tasha's
I'd say the strongest class is the Druid while the best and most broken party would be:
Paladin (ancients)
Twilight Cleric
Sheperd Druid
Ancestral Guardian Barbarian

I actually played those last two for two whole campaigns and let me tell you, they pulled some absolutely insane shit

 

[Nidoking's icon Nidoking Nidoking]

Yes, I regularly play Pathfinder 2e also DM it sometimes. I also played a lot of dnd and I can safely tell you that 5e is a horrible system:
not only is the base game flawed as hell but anything released after the Xanathar book is so broken I cannot believe they actually playtested it. The classes from the Unearthed Arcanas play tests where some of the strongest shit I've ever seen in a game, insane they actually put those in books like Tasha's
I'd say the strongest class is the Druid while the best and most broken party would be:
Paladin (ancients)
Twilight Cleric
Sheperd Druid
Ancestral Guardian Barbarian

I actually played those last two for two whole campaigns and let me tell you, they pulled some absolutely insane shit

I love how 5e got to the point later on where they cared so little all the new playable races didn't even give designated ability score modifiers.

I've been curious about PF2e but I've never gotten a chance to try it out. I've heard it's like super different from 1e.

 

[PrismRed]

I really, really, REALLY want to get into D&D but I don't know anyone around me who plays, and I'm hesitant to join a group of strangers as I've heard horror stories.

Exact same situation here, our group of friends only play cards and dice at most.

 

[Ravl]

I love how 5e got to the point later on where they cared so little all the new playable races didn't even give designated ability score modifiers.

That's because racial bonuses and penalties are considered "outdated", they've been also fased out of Pathfinder 2e

I've been curious about PF2e but I've never gotten a chance to try it out. I've heard it's like super different from 1e.

It's not like that at all, It's quite easy if you ask me. Also, the game's is actually well balanced compared to 5e and the classes are mostly equal in strength.

 

[RirisuPK]

I really love TTGs, but I've got literally NOBODY to play with IRL. People around me aren't really into that...

 

[Nidoking's icon Nidoking Nidoking]

I really love TTGs, but I've got literally NOBODY to play with IRL. People around me aren't really into that...

I get this. It took me forever to find anyone. Like... literally twenty years ago I bought my first PHB and dice set and got to play for the first time about 6 years ago. So...

 

[Octopus]

Damn how did I just now find this thread, hell yeah. I am absolutely a fan of TTRPGs if that's not been obvious from anyone who's read some of my articles here; there's the history article I did a while ago, both of the hobby in generally and of specifically 1st ed DnD. The system review article of AD&D should be finished maybe in a month or so actually, we may be playing it finally this week.

I've played a lot of systems, but my favourite will always be 4th Ed Shadowrun. It's my beloved GOAT and one I'll always come back too.

Post automatically merged: Feb 25, 2025

I'll expand my comments now that I'm not typing with one hand while I'm at work;

That and D&D going off levels and 'packages' instead of going something like Herosystem where you build your character, not look over allowed possible builds and minmax.

That's the worst trend in TTRPGs to me; the birth of builds and min maxing like it's a video game. I try to make my characters effective at what they do of course, but the rise of people unironically making their character entirely just about their class number spread bothers me, and games have gotten more about that stuff over time.

3.5

Probably my personal favorite edition, with honorable mentions to 2nd ed AD&D. I've softened on 4e over time, and 5e I don't hate as much as other people.

"Skeletons" campaign

That sounds so godamn fun. That's what TTRPGs are all about, man.

Pathfinder 2e

I've been meaning to try 2e since it came out, but haven't yet. I read through the book though and it seemed pretty similar to 1e, which I played a shit ton of. The one question I have: what is an activity in 2e? I remember encountering that section in the book and being entirely unable to parse what the system was meant to be.

 

[Ravl]

I've been meaning to try 2e since it came out, but haven't yet. I read through the book though and it seemed pretty similar to 1e, which I played a shit ton of. The one question I have: what is an activity in 2e? I remember encountering that section in the book and being entirely unable to parse what the system was meant to be.

In 2e you have 3 actions per turn, activities are tasks/abilities/moves that require you to spend more than a single action to perform them, for example: Casting the Fireball spell requires two actions, while moving with the Stride action only requires one.

Activities - Rules - Archives of Nethys: Pathfinder 2nd Edition Database

Activities are special tasks that you complete by spending one or more of your actions together. Usually, an activity uses two or more actions and lets you do more than a single action would allow. You have to spend all the actions an activity requires for its effects to happen. Spellcasting is...

2e.aonprd.com

 

[Octopus]

In 2e you have 3 actions per turn, activities are tasks/abilities/moves that require you to spend more than a single action to perform them, for example: Casting the Fireball spell requires two actions, while moving with the Stride action only requires one.

Activities - Rules - Archives of Nethys: Pathfinder 2nd Edition Database

Activities are special tasks that you complete by spending one or more of your actions together. Usually, an activity uses two or more actions and lets you do more than a single action would allow. You have to spend all the actions an activity requires for its effects to happen. Spellcasting is...

2e.aonprd.com

I see, maybe it was just the wording that was getting me. The 'activity' distinction seems to be a largely unnecessary system to me, but it makes sense at least.

I figured I'd run something by some fellow TTRPG players here. For my game reviews here on the site, I'm going to go over the important bits of the system itself of course, but I think I'm going to also rate them on some specific categories. So far, my three definite categories are:
-'Vibe Check' (how strong is the theming of the game, something like Shadowrun would get a 10/10 but something like GURPS would get a 5/10 by design)
-'How Fucked is the GM?' (how hard the game is to run and prep for, and how flexible is it GM wise)
-'Rules Clarity' (how easy is it to parse the rules, is the book well organized, etc.)
I want to avoid just giving some subjective 'the games bad because I don't like percentile dice' or something (I actually like d100 systems, that's just an example) so I figured doing some objective categories would help. Anybody have any thoughts or other category ideas?

 

[Ravl]

-'Vibe Check' (how strong is the theming of the game, something like Shadowrun would get a 10/10 but something like GURPS would get a 5/10 by design)

You mean the game's setting?

Post automatically merged: Feb 28, 2025

Avoid Golarion and Adventure Paths, they are shit, all of Paizo's writing is.
You're better off with creating your own world as a DM: I've even done sci fi stuff in 2e, everything is possible