u/Josh_From_Accounting

If you think about it, premade settings don't save the Game Master any work. It just changes that works nature.

It takes a while to read a dense, textbook on a fake world. And it is easy to forget details and need to refer back to it when planning sessions. That is probably just as much time as one would need to make their own world FOR only the details they needed to play that one campaign.

Because a world need not be fully realized. Just finished Spider light by Adrian Tchaikovsky. You pick up quickly the world is only as detailed as it needs to be for this one story. Nothing more, nothing less. Most of it is left undefined. Because it didn't matter for this single book. And that can be your campaign. Just enough for a single story.

When you get a premade setting, ideally, it can handle many, many tales. So, it needs to be massive, indepth, broad, but with missing pieces and mysteries to uncover. It's basically a show bible (not a religious thing, it's a Hollywood term) for your campaign. And referencing and retaining all that info is immense at times, especially as the realities of a 40hr work week and a social life compete for your time and memory. Absolutely have forgotten key details because work was bad that week or that one time I decided to run even though my boiler broke and leaked everywhere the night before. Bad idea that one. Fried brain.

So, it does really save you any work. It just makes that work different. You simply read something instead of creating it yourself. Frankly, pretty much the same with using a licensed setting.

Probably not saying anything novel. I have had an insomina attack this week and haven't gotten to bed before 3am for 3 days. Fried brain. But, felt like sharing.

My current project is struggling a bit with crowdfunding. First Kickstarter failed and we are trying a second one at the behest of the team (they rather do that then just go to market with what we have).

We are having a talk on marketing and the niche of the game is limiting options, as before.

Now, this project is too late for this idea and incompatible. But, since I expected we'd already just be waiting on art, we're already playtesting my next game. Most of my games run off a vibe with no setting, usually trying to accomplish a genre with unique mechanics as its main selling point. This new game has a detailed setting that I'm writing as we play (I have an outline, but, as the players move about it and questions arise, I answer them and write them down).

This made me think, as we struggle with the current process, would "borrowing" reach from a major game help in the future? Since the premise for this new game is action focused and has a mission structure, I could see a rework to a traditional TRPG framework (by de-emphasizing the dramatic elements for the action elements) and could even bring novelty to the setting (like the more dramatic version versus the more videogamey one).

But, is it worth it? I'm not worried about losing "indie street cred" or anything. That's silly. More so that I don't play 5e outside a single weekly game I do for IRL (usually do 3-4 online games a week and 1 in person). Can I do anything novel with it?

I have ideas, for sure.

Gold pieces replaced with a resource skill vs difficulty system because you have the academies as patrons. Removing Attributes and just dropping DCs by 5 and including a form of Base Attack Bonus. No classes and instead making a build a power system. Removing all discrete ranges with zones to make it better for theatre of the mind (with area of effect now being done as a random roll to see how many enemies within this or adjacent zones are hit). Replacing death saves with the trauma mechanics that acts like corruption. And removing experience for the drama focused advancement system of the original.

But it would likely add another 6 months to a year of dev time and playtesting. Would it even draw people in from the 5e crowd if it's offered as a "free to backers" thing? Or even a 15 USD add-on (PDF, pricing. Subject to change)? Or would it be a lot of work for the same result: difficulty getting outreach.

Because 5e isn't that instant sales juggernaut either anymore and 5e people want lots of art and production value nowadays that I can't afford. Can't afford an animated music video to promote my game at all.

https://old.reddit.com/r/osr/comments/1vq4krq/favorite_becmi_iteration_on_the_market/

So, in another thread, I asked what your favorite iteration on BECMI was, but that ended up causing issues because BECMI is rather specific. From the comments, it sounds like most iterations are on B/X and don't touch anything above 10th level.

So, I restate my question: what's your favorite iteration on B/X? Your favorite spin on the game, either refining it or spinning it into a new genre (sci fic, superhero, etc).

Okay, what do I mean by "BECMI Iteration?"

I was looking through my old copy of Darker Dungeons, an old BECMI retroclone from like 2012. It basically was just BECMI but with some minor changes, like a skill system, to-hit 20, weapon feats and the such. Annoyingly, removed Monks and replaced them with Lupines. It was like the one thing I didn't enjoy.

Overall, though, I considered so many other "BECMI Iterations" have come out since then and I don't really keep up. BECMI is one of my favorite D&D iterations. I wonder how people have spun and remixed it to do different things.

So, what are y'all favorite BECMI iterations? Remixes? Etc?

Obviously, tons of risk here of a stolen account, but any chance of this?

Don't even want premium features, just an alternate app whose layout didn't suck shit.

I'm going to be running a one shot for Doctor Who Adventures. Specifically, 1st edition. Been in a big Doctor Who mood lately.

I haven't made characters in the system forever and the forum I used to use seems mostly dead.

Do these pregens seem right?

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tTsB_vJdIKE8UgWMXs_hn_Cmfi3EfUnZ

I have them divided between "people who know the show" and "those who don't." May add a Silurian to the "those who know" folder. The idea being that, by the 51st Century, humanity and Silurians finally hashed out their differences. Doctor Who could use with a spot of hope, ya know?

The premise:

The party are Time Agents in the 51st Century. They work for the Time Agency and try to keep time in order.

I ran a one shot for a different group last week called "The Cold Savior of Steel." A timeline in 2028 was attempting to overright the current one. The idea being the Cyberman of Mondas say Earth's Global Warming like their Global Cooling. So, they implanted a Cyberseed into a random homeless man and propped him up as a tech billionaire to sell "You 2.0" to consumers and trick the rich and powerful into being implanted with Cyberseeds.

My idea for this session. Well, I have a few and I'm trying to make a choice. Care to give your thoughts:

1. A divergent timeline is developing in 1944, where D-Day never occured. It turns out the Daleks are working with the Nazis to conquer Earth, seeing the Nazis as "human Daleks."

My issues? Too on the nose. May be uncomfortable.

Pros? Can kill a bunch of Nazi and Daleks

2. A divergent timeline is forming in 1995 Puerto Rico, where the island mysteriously was wiped out. It turns out alien, dog-like vampires are converting the population and this is the origin of the Chupacabra myth.

My issues? A bit boring.

Pros? Not gonna offend anyone and running from vampire werewolves is always fun. Ran this one in a 9th Doctor Campaign and they had to flee in an old pickup truck while holding them off with a farmer's shotgun.

3. There is a divergent timeline forming in 12th century Norway. Their "gods" are apparently real and now need help. The Aesir seek to conquer the Vaneir and are taking all of the Norse to space. In truth, it's a Rutan plot to harvest humans as canon fodder as an assault on Sontar.

Pros? Whimiscal, spacey, and got some fun ancient alien vibes

Issues? Requires a lot of Doctor Who lore to get. If no one picks the Sontar Agent, it loses a lot of oomph

What do y'all think?

American here. Does Britbox got the entirety of Doctor Who?

I know it's been asked before but these things change fast and different countries got different stuff.

There is a fake kickstarter email going around saying "Oh, we've been keeping a secret for creators. Big Surprise. Click here and be the first to know."

Probably goes without saying, but don't click on it.

They are also doing that thing where it lies where the email is from. Funny enough, since I use Thunderbird, I can see their real email and then see what Gmail sees (their fake email).

My company has decided to go all in on AI this year. I hate AI so much.

I have tried to get them to consider budgeting at all. "Have you considered token meters? Token limits? Any way of monitoring costs?"

Might as well be pissing in the wind.

Had a manger complain a vendor they wanted to help automate some stuff for AP "just showed us OCR, so we told them to come back with AI." And I had to bite my tongue to not go "they showed you OCR because a deterministic process is more cost effective for all parties than a schoastic one and AI companies are now feeling the heat on its true costs: they're gonna skyrocket the billing if we use AI and we'll get no jump in quality of service."

But, I've given up at this point. I have four emails in a folder titled CYOA when the AI Budget blows up. Because I atleast have proof of me asking multiple times about the problem.

I fully expect that, when we go full into AI, the first bill will cause sticker-shock. They think it's all flat rate like Microsoft Co-Pilot. Co-Pilot isn't even the whole program! Microsoft was periodically moving features away from Co-Pilot to their "per-usage" model called "Co-Work."

They really have no earthly idea what their bill is gonna be when this ends. We're gonna turn out like that company complaining that their Marketing department accidentally spent tens of thousands of dollars on PowerPoints because no one knew that generating a ton of images costs money.

I really fucking hate AI.

I feel that I've been overall pretty lucky in my Big Finish picks. I'm a picky sort, you see.

I started with Storm Warning and its followup. A family member than gifted me the rest of the Charlie Pollock era. Overall, I enjoyed it. Some artifacts of the 90s aside, it had great stories.

At the time, Big Finish was making a big deal about getting Christopher Ecelston on board and were hyping Series 7C. I bought into both.

Series 7C made me legit think these blokes had the right stuff. The Christopher Ecelston stuff was alright. Some pretty good to mid episodes. Only one that stuck me from the two boxsets I got were Salvation Nine and the Train one. But Series 7C felt like a complete lost season of Moffat.

I've been pussy footing around since then. Taking stories here and there. Some hit strong - like the 10th/4th and 10th/6th crossovers -- and others not so much. Won't list those as I try not to be mean online.

Overall, the vibe I get is Big Finish is kind of like reading American comics. Some runs are phenomenonal. Some are average. And some are best skipped. Continuity is so wibbly wobbly that you should only worry about the continuity of THAT RUN and nothing else, just like American comics. And, just like those yank cape books, you're best dancing around and following particular authors you fancy over characters you enjoy.

Where do y'all sit?

Edit: Having my morning coffee, I just realized one thing that is a tad disappointing about Big Finish versus American comics: no Indie releases.

A studio, actors, etc. It's too expensive to do on your own. Maybe nowadays with the internet, maybe. But it's a lot harder than an indie comic.

With yank comics, you can always see the author unrestrained. "Turns out Jeff Lemire can't do X-Men. Oh well, his love letter to the genre/serious drama of rural America life, Black Hammer, is still coming out and is phenomenal" or "Well, turns out I don't enjoy Aubrey Sitterson when he does licensed work, but his American, existentialistic reimagining of the Japanese comic, Dragonball, is still a fantastic read" or "Donny Cates Ghost Rider isn't at all my thing as its too silly, but his drama about a man with Alzheimers fighting gods themselves for the right to die while remembering his life is wonderful and moving."

You get the picture. Sadly, can't do that here, I don't think.

I have a weird glitch. I bought the 11th Doctor Chronicles on a CD+Download combo. I've lost all my download options on the site. Seems to have happened for all my combo purchases. Is this a known issue?

I doubt the writers at Big Finish actually check the reddit, especially since this unofficial, but, hey, why not?

Y'all have been spinning these yarns for decades. And the faces change, but the characters often stay the same deep down. And a lot of a faces keep coming back.

There has to be a question at times of "did we do this before?" I mean, it's not just your audio dramas. You have 50+ years of TV. You have hundreds of novels. You have your own library. There must be worry of repeating yourselves at time. I can't imagine anyone keep all this wibbly wobbly canon straight.

So, y'all ever worry about it? What ya do about it? Just say "forget it" and write what sounds good?

Sometimes, you just want to chill with someone and don't want anyone else to know you are even online. It's just that simple.

Edit: Not even for weird reasons. Sometimes, it just feels awkward, ya know? We all got that one friend who is cool, but sometimes feels left out really easily, ya know? And, you don't want to be mean, but you don't want to like always hangout, ya know?

I am trying to link my Google Pixel 9a with my Handsfreelink but it says it can't and says it can't load Vehicle data. Any idea how to fix it? Worked on Samsung Galaxy just fine.

I had a S10e until February this year. I originally just thought I'd do a straight upgrade and got a refurbished S24+ off Amazon with a $80 gift card. Paid like 300 for it.

Well, all the Samsung AI, removing the AI using Shuzuku and Canta making the phone and texts not wanting to work, the lack of options, and Android getting more restrictive (yes, I know they backed down), made me really regret my purchase.

I bought a cheap Pixel 9a and flashed it to Grapehene OS. It's only been here two days. I'll give it like 3 months and see how I feel.

If I end up liking it enough, I plan to sell my S24+ and s10e.

What is a fair selling price?

Edit: Can't seem how to test cycles on a samsung.

All it will say on the S24+ is "Life: Good, Capacity: 4900 m4H (typical)" & refuses to work on the S10e.

Is there anyway to remove recommended lives from the app tabs? I just want to see my subscriptions and nothing else.