Leaderboard

To me, Classic RPG makes more sense than Computer RPG. You see, if I hear classic rocket-propelled grenade, I can assume you are talking about a German Panzerfaust, or perhaps the Soviet RPG-2.

Oh, and also...

I want Benzites. I demand Benzites. You wish you could be half as cool as this guy.

You generally don't want to multiclass in 5e, there's not much to gain really. You either multiclass for flavour or because you found something cheesy, for example multiclassing your Paladin after level two or five into Sorcerer, Warlock or Bard (All Charisma based casters) to get more spellslots to use for Smite. Spell casters sacrificing a full level of spell slots for two levels of fighter for Action surge to be able to cast two Action spells in one turn. Cheese to put it simply. Challenge Rating 7, I'm fairly certain. Dragons roam the breadth of the spectrum. Challenge rating doesn't really tell it all though, even though CR7 is meant to be a "medium" difficulty encounter, if you only have one enemy just pure Action Economy will make it a piece of cake, even with Legendary Actions/Lair actions.

Half as cool and a quarter as smug

When no appropriate rule applies, make one up. Dignity and an empty sack is worth the sack.

State offices are closed. Field visits only when necessary. We are working from home. It's true every cloud has a silver lining.

Some life hacks from your friends in west Tennessee!

Final Xbox Series X specs released... Which theoretically gives the performance of a nearish top line current gaming PC. Practically... if it actually functions to those specs I wonder how on earth they're going to cool it. The closest desktop equivalent parts (3700x, 5700XT*) get to around 290W, or the equivalent of having three old incandescent bulbs inside a console case. Obviously console parts simply cannot be that hot, but the insistence is also that the sexbox won't have thermal throttling and those specs are (again theoretically) about what the desktop equivalents have in terms of frequency and the like. And what happens when its been sitting in a cabinet over summer or picked up a load of dust a year in. It will definitely need something pretty nifty cooling wise to stop RROD 2.0. *which is a gen behind, but 30% extra CUs in the console chip is extremely likely to eat up efficiency gains going from RDNA 1 to 2.

Sarevok was level 15 in OG BG, where the level cap was 7-8. And his henchmen were level 10-12. Mind Flayers in 5e are CR 8 if memory serves. No idea about dragons.

Checked the COVID-19 dark humor thread: all clear to post.

^ You know, this is probably what a hanar invasion would look like irl.

Screw balance in single player games until it is raw, then kill it dead with fire, lightning, poison and then some more. That was the best part about Kingmaker. Finally being able to create cheese again and no fear that the developer is going to empty your pantry when they feel like it. If players want balance they can imagine it, make different choices or purposefully gimp their characters like in the olden days of playing single class clerics in Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale.

Sets the mood for a global pandemic.

This is it. It covers everything from making a mirror from blank glass to the optical tube/truss mounts. It also goes into detail on the math behind the design of telescopes. Interesting stuff. I was thinking of making a 16" f6.5 once. Still on my to-do list

Kreia voices a lot of opinions and challenges that seemingly stem from the NJO series as a whole, not just Vergere, like Mara Jade insisting that Anakin Solo builds their camp without the help of the force because having other skills is important for a Jedi too and overreliance on the force is a bad thing, the idea that the force might have a guiding influence also (IIRC) came up first in NJO, and of course you have Vergere who has a hand in cutting Jacen Solo off from the force. Unless I'm mistaken MCA said he read a lot of the Star Wars novels in preparation for writing for The Sith Lords. It kind of shows. But it also seems to work both ways. Vergere turning out to having been a Sith Lord attempting to convert Jacen (successfully so, actually, since he became Darth Caedus later) seems to have been inspired by Kreia being one - sort of. NJO also was noticably darker than most of the Star Wars EU. Much, much darker. Eventually the Yuuzhan Vong end up crashing refugee ships with millions of people on them into Coruscant's plantary shield to overload it. That novel came out shortly before 9/11. Talk about timing.

I don't think we need a Star Trek RPG. My reasoning is that the probability of it being a colossal failure is simply too big. For instance, we certainly didn't need a trilogy of movies about The Hobbit, there was nothing worthwhile about them (though I only watched the first, which put me off the other two). We didn't need practically any of the licensed computer games we've had through the years -- the overwhelming majority of them were quite poor. Original ideas tend to be a lot better. The Star Trek universe would be a massive constraint -- both creatively and (I'm quite sure) contractually. I know that BG2 did exist in a universe that was already there, but it was not in movies, TV series or anything like that.

someone needed a dictionary.

if there is any positive effect of this pandemic, its that each country should produce its own necessary stuff and not outsource everything to China

DA2's been roasted for everything from reused assets to playersexual romances, but the problem it really has and the reason I didn't enjoy it is because it lacks a main plot. The story is a series of unrelated events (unless you count the fact that these events happen in the same city and that Shepard Hawk was involved automatically makes them related). The writers even knew that they didn't have a central plot which is why they slapped on a frame in half hearted support of 'Hawk is the common thread' argument. The main thread of a story doesn't need to be 'the world is ending' as it so frequently is with BioWare games, but there does have to be something that ties the beginning of a story with the conclusion so it feels like, well, a conclusion. DA2 doesn't have one and that's the real reason it got so much hate even if players were incapable of communicating that.

Can Paradox make every single Star Trek species into a separate DLC and charge for it?

Since you brought them up, I would not be opposed to Harebrained Schemes making a Star Trek RPG.

I preferred DA2 myself. Bioware was actively trying to get out of the rinse and repeat design they've been doing for years and trying out new things. Yes, it was a mess hampered by a tight deadline, but so were the Obsidian games we know and love.

NSFW and all that

Hi. Are you a wall of draining abuser? Ever got mad when there was no beneficial effects to drain upon to? If your answered "yes" on both questions come and visit us on "Deck of Many Things" and buy Cap of Laughingstock to ensure that all enemies around you always have that sweet buff on them so You can enjoy yours too. Captain Thaenic.

One handed (no off-hand) is considered mostly suboptimal, but it happens to be my favourite combat style rp wise. For my next character I want to try to make the most out of it. My idea is to put the emphasis on the high accuracy, therefore my watcher is going to be a single class ranger (ghost heart for rp reasons). With passives, a bit of hunter's claw metagaming (does the blunderbuss trick still work ?), high per, and of course 1 handed style, my hope is to crit a lot, but since nothing in the ranger kit emphasizes crits until pl9, I am looking for suggestions of weapons with good on crit effects. So far I'm thinking about ball and chain (before getting stunning shots), last word (making a great boss killer If you can land a crit every 6 sec+ your int bonus), and maybe scordeo's blade (with a lateral approach to the question: if you trigger the no-recovery and put a salvation of time on it, all of a sudden 1h is way superior to dual wield). Do you guys have any other idea ? General advice on the build ?

You're my spirit animal

Uh, yeah. We get it. You hate that Larian is making this game, and no matter what is revealed about the game, they can't seem to do right by you. Regardless, it's happening so...

Valkyria Chronicles 4 is scratching my tactics itch. Tactics games massage that same area of my brain that puzzle games do and they also enflame my mild OCD. For example, I went through the third mission of the game and initially got a D rating. I went back through it, armed with the knowledge of what I'm up against and a new, more optimized squad composition. I got through it much faster and, all proud of myself, watched the score screen come up and... B rating. Now, I'm racking my brain trying to figure out how to shave off 1 more turn off the completion time.

GOG is hosting a spring sale.

Feargus is the weak link at Obsidian.

Paradox are run by Ferengi...

Halloween is going to be off the chain this year once this blows over and people are left with closets full of toilet paper.

Feargus (CEO Obsidian) is one of the board members of fig: https://www.fig.co/about#advisors I guess they just wanted to establish an alternative crowdfunding platform for indie games which isn't that expensive and better taylored to games. Most other games funded there are rather small. I guess they thought that Deadfire would be a success anyway (because sequel of successful PoE and D:OS2 sold like hot cakes) and that they could use this to also lift up fig.co. Maybe it would have been supersmart to lauch two crowdfunding campaigns: the main one at fig and another one at Kickstarter (maybe for a certain "encapsulated" part of the game - like a DLC that comes right with the release - if the rules don't forbid that). That way you would have the exposure of Kickstarter and the better terms and the investment capabilites of fig.

I'm not sure but I think you answered your own question? 😛

Same here. DA2 was far better than people made it sound, and I still wonder what it could've been if EA hadn't forced Bioware to finish it that quickly. Inquisition, while it had some clearly fanbase-pandering and overall simplified characters and a horrible open world explore-grind, it also still had a few gems of characters and plenty of lore underneath the general crap. I wouldn't hesitate to say I enjoyed it, but it's the first in the series in which I skipped certain parts. The Descent and Trespasser were definitely steps back in the right direction, especially Trespasser. DA:O is also the game that made me love discovering ways to horribly break game balance: my second character was a spirit-tree specialist with Blood mage/spirit healer. You eventually reach a point where you can solo the game. I also kept accidentally blowing my entire party up with virulent walking bomb. Way too fun to lock a group of enemies in place, infect one with virulent walking bomb, then blood-bending it to the middle of the pack.

I also really enjoyed Origins, but i'm fully aware that I wouldn't appreciate it nearly as much if I hadn't played it as a 1st-year college student who hardly needed to study to get good grades. Plumbing the depths of that game is a full-time job, and quite a grind at times. Also, despite the current state of Bioware I am still looking forward to DA4. I may need help.

KOTOR 2 was pretty obviously inspired by certain aspects of the then current SW Expanded Universe, which included a prominent Kreia like figure (Vergere) and a species of force independent inter galactic invaders (Yuuzhan Vong). So killing the force had not (so far as I am aware) been explicitly dealt with, but it was a fairly small step to get there from where they were.

NWN2 had a new renderer, underlying stuff was from NWN1's Aurora though. And of course The Witcher (1) used Aurora as well.

I love DS9 too but everything being perfect? When was the last time you've watched season 1? 😛 Or the fact that season 2's finale and season 3's (or was it 3 and 4? been ages since I watched it) opening have the exact same premise?

He does. But...it's like too many characters ? everyone became important and could fit the role. Data for one, so in the end...for Picard who rarely leave the chair...he is just hovering over there, doing nothing but nodding his head. (Not saying the show was bad, had its good moments, but Riker? USelesssssss LOL) I liked Deep Space 9 and its my favorite. everything about that one was perfect. every character has its own story, duality, stress, guilt, and fun and carried themself without some weirdness or anything.

Indeed, and that's a big source of my unhappiness these days. Far too many games that claim to be RPGs are in reality tactical combat games with a bit of RPG mechanics thrown in.

is an admitted catch-22 for us. am willing to accept a game with bioware-style tangential romances just so long as such fare is optional. simultaneous, am recognizing is no possible way to do romance better than has been done as long as such fare is kept optional and tangential. to task writers with creating an entire romance arc which may be completed through a relative small number o' insular and discrete dialogue encounters that do not substantial alter the critical path plot in any meaningful way is not gonna produce anything more profound than we has seen in multiple games. try and think o' a compelling romance from a book, movie or whatever, which coulda' been complete exorcised from the work w/o altering the plot. nevertheless, optional and tangential is what we demand. am conceding the manifest unfairness o' our demands and accept the wasted resources. am knowing romances is popular and such will be added to many games we choose to purchase and play. therefore, as long as romances kept optional and tangential, the fundamental irredeemability o' romances is acceptable to us. best crpg romance: ravel unrequited love for tno. core. not optional. ravel's romance is developed from ravel's perspective and player choice does not alter it. ravel love for tno is decided not the bioware-style minigame romance. skip ahead to 5:25 when Gromnir speaks o' the possibilities o' game romance, we talk o' ravel from ps:t. disappointed resignation: precise 'cause o' the effort which goes into realizing bioware-style romances, the chances o' the ravel approach being used simultaneous in a title is diminished. what a loss. HA! Good Fun!

I played through all of Subnautica semi-recently. It's a little janky (made in Unity...), but it was a pretty awesome game. Unlike most survival games, it's not a ridiculous "FARM A MILLION OF EVERYTHING" game, and there's a main quest and objectives to follow along (or don't if you don't want to). I was pretty thoroughly impressed with it, and I say that as somebody who rather expressly dislikes the survival genre. Everyone I knew that played it seemed to love it, and, well, I guess here I am also recommending it as well!

Borderlands 3. Greatest modern shooter. Just like TOW is the greatest modern RPG.