BlueNinja

w00t! ^_^

Depends - which system are we using? If it's d20 (using my admittedly sketchy memory of 2nd ed AD&D) then my stats are: Str: 11, Dex: 13, Con: 12, Int: 16, Wis: 15, Cha: 12. If it's Aberrant Storyteller, then: Str: 2 Dex: 3 Sta: 2 Per: 2 Int: 4 Wits: 3 App: 2 Manip: 3 Cha: 3 If it's Amber DRPG, then: Strength: -25 Psyche: -24 Endurance: -24 Warfare: -24 (And that's pretty darn impressive for a mere shadow dweller! :D )

BlueNinja, of course. Every forum I'm on, I have the same name. It has a certain benefit. I don't visit TTLG as much recently. Unless they finally released a map editor for Thief3, then I think I shall visit more often.

Last time I played AD&D, I went with a battle-minded cleric, who stocked up on lots of Spiritual Hammer spells. He could literally have four of them in the air at any given time, so he was the group's distraction when they were up against a tough opponent. My current game, Aberrant, I'm playing a super-geek type. No, he hasn't built himself powered armor yet, but he's got a plan for it. He has programmed his own AI (the only one in the world, currently) and will quite likely be the first space super-power, all by himself. I love this character. Most of my characters are intelligent, with a second on being charming, friendly, and able to talk you out of your money.

I don't suppose you'd be kind enough to point a link towards it? That's one book I'd definately like to get.

The Thief series isn't exactly an RPG, but it does have a great storyline. Much better than Deus Ex and System Shock 2. Plus the fan/mod community is freaking amazing. Playing fan missions that make the developers say "Wow!" is a definate plus. System Shock 2 isn't exactly an RPG either, but it's worth at least one play-through. Don't be afraid to get an emulator for the SNES, and find Chronotrigger and Final Fantasy 6. They rank in my top ten games ever.

I voted other, but couldn't comment at the poll. I'd like to see Aberrant (Storyteller system) turned into a good cRPG. I doubt it'll ever happen though, seeing as WW has written off the game.

Of the games already mentioned, I second Planescape, and Fallout 1&2. I also second the brief mention of Chronotrigger and Final Fantasy (6, specifically) for emulators. 7 isn't bad, but 8 is crapola. I am a bit surprised to find that the Thief trilogy of games is not mentioned here. While it is a first-person game, it's a very strong story that comes out slowly over the course of the game. The second one has some very annoying enemies, but the game itself is well worth playing. The largest problem you might face is getting Thief Gold and Thief: The Metal Age to install and run properly on older machines. Of the three computers in my house, not one will run all three of the games. In addition, the fan community has put together levels for the first two Thief games that made the developers sit back in surprise and wonder. As for Diablo, if you need story-based, try this site first.

I can't believe this sorry excuse for an April Fool's joke has lasted sixteen pages.

That's a lot of leveling-up time! Though given the sheer number of times I've played them, I'm sure that Torment, Master of Orion 2, and Final Fantasy 6 have each racked up that many hours of my time. I'd buy more games for $50 if I saw more games that were worth it. The only game I bought upon release in the last two years was Thief: Deadly Shadows. Well worth it. I suspect my wife will buy Bloodlines as soon as I return it to my friend.

What components were these perchance? I don't want to lose the ability to play the BIS games when I next upgrade. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I don't know exactly what is causing the problem - the game loads, but about every 0.5-2 seconds, it blacks out the entire screen except for where the cursor is. Doing something to change what is displayed - ie, scrolling, opening the character screen, etc - will bring everything back ... for 0.5-2 seconds, and then blackness envelops the wastes again. I only discovered this this morning, however, so I haven't had a chance to look around for a fix.

There is a simpler way. Upgrade your computer to the top of the line. Buy the new games, and some if not most of the games coming out in the next year or two won't need the absolute best equipment. You can wait 2-3 years between computer upgrades. I have, and my latest one was to play Bloodlines. Of course, now Fallout won't run either ...

Uh, no, Gabriel is voiced by Tim Curry. Lt. Mosely is Mark Hamill. My copy got stolen, but I do remember that part. And the big guy at the voodoo museum is Michael Dorn. And indeed, the first two Fallout games had good endings, the second game being better than the first. Up until Fallout, I was not used to games where what I did could actually change the effect on the world, and it's something I put to good use in my Fallout PnP campaign.

If it is information that should not be handed out to the group as a whole, take the player aside. If it's something that will likely bore the rest of the group, take the player aside. If it's something that will be passed along to the group, or that will interest the players whose characters are not involved, do it in the group. Passing notes works, but it tends to take longer. And fails completely if one person's handwriting is illegible.

Music? My last few campaigns have all been played in places or circumstances where playing any sort of ambient music would have been nigh impossible. If I started, I think some of the people in my group would complain, or at least consider it a distraction from the main game.

There is a Fallout PnP system, but IMO it has far too many extraneous weapons, and an entirely useless section on vehicle combat. Come on, how many people in a post-apocalyptic world are going to be doing dogfights in ultra-light aircraft? <_< Otherwise, it works close enough to the original game IMO. My group has done one campaign with it, and we're planning for a second one in the future. As far as White Wolf, their only game I've played is Aberrant, which is frankly the best setting I have ever seen published on paper. It rocks. I also like Amber, though it takes a group where every person is a veteran expert role (as opposed to roll) player. Sadly, that's not my current group.