PbtA Moves definitely take some getting used to. They do approach action as conflict (dramatic stuff happening in a story) rather than tasks (tangible stuff getting done in a world) but once the culture shock is conquered, the game flows (and immerses) just as well as most trad games that I regularly play and run.

I feel traditional RPGs are probably easier for newbs to grasp, but it could be just my own bias talking.

Quote from: BlackHeart;928559Then I take it dungeon world will give me no idea on how most other tabletop rpgs function? Its the only game I can find on there that I actually have access to...

I'm thinking I need to just give up.

If you are just looking for a free RPG that plays well, there is always. Mazes and Minotaurs.
Even if was originally a spoof of D&D, it is still a very playable system in a well known setting.
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Quote from: The Butcher;928609I feel traditional RPGs are probably easier for newbs to grasp, but it could be just my own bias talking.

I'm sure it depends on the newbs. I've introduced several waves of new-to-roleplaying gamers to World of Dungeons (which works the same way) and I suspect the freeform style is actually easier to grasp, because there's fewer ways to be wrong. This doesn't mean it leads to more functional play, necessarily - I've had to institute turn-taking rules when I'm playing with large numbers of kids, who otherwise crawl over one another like a pile of puppies.

Quote from: BlackHeart;928502I meant who you're fighting against makes no difference in how likely you are to hit them. Every character always has the same chance to land a hit no matter who their opponent is. So if a fighter is, well, fighting someone, it doen't matter what their level is relative to his, or even their dexterity, nothing has any effect on how likely he is to land a blow. For him, everyone's AC is effectively 7, no matter what level they are, what armor they're wearing, or even what their stats are. Its the same for everyone. I find that completely nonsensical.

A 7 isn't a clean hit, it's a hit with a consequence, so no hit is the same. And armor reduces damage, so your hit means squat if it damage doesn't surpass DR, or special abilities.

Quote from: BlackHeart;928559Then I take it dungeon world will give me no idea on how most other tabletop rpgs function? Its the only game I can find on there that I actually have access to...

I'm thinking I need to just give up.

If you want something more typical, maybe Microlite 20?  Dungeon World depends a lot on "the fiction."

Quote from: BlackHeart;928559Then I take it dungeon world will give me no idea on how most other tabletop rpgs function? Its the only game I can find on there that I actually have access to...

I'm thinking I need to just give up.

Don't give up. Just start looking in a different direction.





This is a link to a free download of Mongoose Traveller Book 0: An Introduction to Traveller. Traveller is the game that inspired Joss Whedon to create the series Firefly and the movie Serenity.




This is a link to a free download of a sample setting for Traveller OGL, the Clement Sector.

Quote from: cranebump;928687A 7 isn't a clean hit, it's a hit with a consequence, so no hit is the same. And armor reduces damage, so your hit means squat if it damage doesn't surpass DR, or special abilities.

Doesn't a warrior usually starts with +3 to hit from his stats?

Quote from: cranebump;928688If you want something more typical, maybe Microlite 20?  Dungeon World depends a lot on "the fiction."

I looked on there for microlite20 before. They apparently don't support that game.

Quote from: BlackHeart;928786I looked on there for microlite20 before. They apparently don't support that game.

Games needing "support" is one of the greatest myths ever, though it's probably profitable for the companies:).

OSR games needing support doesn't even make sense, because you can take any generic OSR adventure, or any TSR adventure, free or otherwise, and you can use it already unless it's set up in a setting you don't know the first thing about. That's half the point behind sticking to those mechanics, I believe;).

That said, are you familiar with Tunnels&Trolls? The abridged rules are free on RPGNow, and there are "solitaire" adventures you can use with them. Many of those are free, too, but give you a good enough idea what it's like to play an RPG with a GM!

I meant the game isn't one of the options you can choose on roll20. And doing a keyword search for it also yields nothing. Aka, microlite20 isn't an option on roll20.

Quote from: AsenRG;928742Doesn't a warrior usually starts with +3 to hit from his stats?

+2, if you apply the 16 to STR. You don't get a +3 until you stat bump to 18. DW uses old school progression. They still hit a lot more than they miss.

Quote from: BlackHeart;928820I meant the game isn't one of the options you can choose on roll20. And doing a keyword search for it also yields nothing. Aka, microlite20 isn't an option on roll20.

Hmmmm...sorry about that. I thought they had M20 options.

Quote from: BlackHeart;928820I meant the game isn't one of the options you can choose on roll20. And doing a keyword search for it also yields nothing. Aka, microlite20 isn't an option on roll20.

I'm not using roll20, but can't you just do searches for OSR? I suspect it might be in "miscelaneous", but it doesn't hurt to try:).

Quote from: cranebump;928822+2, if you apply the 16 to STR. You don't get a +3 until you stat bump to 18. DW uses old school progression. They still hit a lot more than they miss.

OK, then it's an 8+, which is still a perfect hit 40% of the time, and hitting with conditions 80% of the time;).

Quote from: AsenRG;928825I'm not using roll20, but can't you just do searches for OSR? I suspect it might be in "miscelaneous", but it doesn't hurt to try:).


OK, then it's an 8+, which is still a perfect hit 40% of the time, and hitting with conditions 80% of the time;).

That sounds right.  A 7-9 is hit with a consequence, which, by the book is, you deal your damage, they get an attack (which can be damage, but can also be something else, like maybe knocking you prone, disarming you, etc.  You need a 10+ to hit without repercussion. But, yeah, you really are going to hit almost every time. That's what makes failure pretty devastating--the DM can respond with a hard move, really screwing things up for the PC. This can include things like rending limbs, depending on the move, or, more accurately, the viciousness of the GM (hey--all's fair if you're at +3 and miss, right?).

I'm planning on porting over to Freebooters in the near term, for which you have to roll stats. HP's are lower, weapon damage is by type, so it's much tougher. However, fighters have more options via "mettle" which is basically points you can spend to increase hit, damage, perform maneuvers and so on. Freebooters fighters can also weapon spec, so there's a bit more diversity in the offering, at the cost of being squishier, a la old school gamage.

I suspect that the OP is confused by Roll20 and claims no support when the lack of an option is often down to no character sheet being coded into the system. You can very easily run any game including board games on Roll20 without character sheet support. All the CS support does is provide macros built in to the CS to roll the dice when clicking on the skill or characteristic. The OP is not in a position to offer to run a game on Roll20 with his lack of actual experience so he's effectively between a rock and a hard place.

You just use a paper sheet for your character and the built in die roller to generate results. However if you don't know how to play a RPG then you are going to flounder. OP's best bet is to hope he's got a good enough network connection and join an on-line game using Skype or Google Hangouts located via G+ or one of the boards offering VOIP gaming.