TheRPGSite

Me: "Is anyone interested in real tabletop RPGs, dice and all, and in person? I am really into things like...."

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53847963877_c2f4406bd7_z.jpg)

Them: "Oooh, yes I love the idea of an RPG, personally I'm totally into things like...."

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53849210604_eacdfa7bb1_z.jpg)

On the bright side, they make it plain that you wouldn't want them at your table without wasting any more of your time. Still pretty crappy but a small silver lining nonetheless.

I run into similar things with Traveller, but I have an advantage. If I turn up the volume on the science, engineering, economics, politics, and problem solving during the game the tourists tend to wander away from the table because it isn't Star Trek/Star Wars enough for them.

Well, I'd rather play Sailor Moon instead of renfaire furry porn, I guess.

Probably didn't get the memo that #SailorMoon was cancelled over 'problematic content'.

Quote from: Brad on July 10, 2024, 10:11:20 PMinstead of renfaire furry porn, I guess.

I guess you are not a fan of 5e then? :)

I've noted a definite generational divide on anime influence.

Back when I was in college, anime could really only be found via the anime club who had some VHS tapes of subbed shows and you'd watch 2-3 episodes a week and maybe get through a couple of series in a semester. Manga style art was only just starting to be an influence on the newer Marvel/DC artists, and actual manga were something you had to order from a catalogue and good luck finding ones translated to English.

Like the OP, my vision of fantasy settings is more in line with his first piece of art; perhaps filtered with some mid-to-late 90's comics elements and maybe some video game bits from Zelda, Ultima, Shining Force, or Final Fantasies of the time layered on top. The Chronicles of Prydain were probably a bigger influence on me than Tolkien (and Palladium Fantasy more than D&D), but otherwise not too out of line with my generation.

Recent campaigns I've been in though have included players in their teens up through maybe 30... basically coming of age with the anime/manga and streaming explosions. Their visions are nearly entirely of anime influences that have taken over their media. Most of them are too young to have even seen LotR in theatres and their fantasy movies are the MCU and Disney Star Wars (at best it's the Clone Wars and follow on cartoons... elsewise their references are to Mando/Asohka). At best their first RPG experience was late D&D3e, but more typically 5e is the only thing they've played before (one started on 4E, but I get along with him).

Of those influences, at least for now (Blackrock just got controlling interest in one the major producers in Japan), the anime/manga influences are probably the least toxic of what they've been consuming.

I watched Record of Lodoss War. It's an adaptation of the showrunner's D&D campaign.

Thanks for your thoughts folks. I'm not really "going after" anyone here. it's more a rant about when you finally find a group that seems interested in RPGs, and then realize that people have completely different tastes and interests, so it seems impossible to find a setting that everyone would find interesting.

Quote from: Trond on July 11, 2024, 08:53:18 AMThanks for your thoughts folks. I'm not really "going after" anyone here. it's more a rant about when you finally find a group that seems interested in RPGs, and then realize that people have completely different tastes and interests, so it seems impossible to find a setting that everyone would find interesting.

I feel ya.  My long-running group has two players that are far more interested in character than they are mechanics.  Two others are interested in mechanical optimizing and tactical play.  The rest just go with the flow.  It's hard to scratch all of the itches at once.  Too tactical, and my optimizers shine while the rest look like henchmen.  Too much roleplaying, and I can see optimizer eyes glazing.  Setting incongruity isn't the only hurdle to match up players and games...

Years ago, one of the kids at my store wanted to play a Sailor Moon campaign.  Someone asked why I went along with it and I said, he's a really good customer.  He said, "and a really good friend I hope." to which I responded, "I wouldn't do it for a friend." 

So, I made Shiruki the annoying little sister who gets super speed by drinking energy drinks, talks at a million miles and hour and likes to run behind villains and pull their pants down.

Personally I think that's a pretty on tone anime trope but apparently it's a game killing character.

The campaigns I prefer are humanocentric. But I am old school. I started with BECMI and AD&D 1st edition. So the crazy amount of races are completely jarring to me.

It took me literal decades before I played my first Elf. And that was way out of my wheelhouse.

Quote from: David Johansen on July 11, 2024, 10:02:45 AMYears ago, one of the kids at my store wanted to play a Sailor Moon campaign.  Someone asked why I went along with it and I said, he's a really good customer.  He said, "and a really good friend I hope." to which I responded, "I wouldn't do it for a friend." 

So, I made Shiruki the annoying little sister who gets super speed by drinking energy drinks, talks at a million miles and hour and likes to run behind villains and pull their pants down.

Personally I think that's a pretty on tone anime trope but apparently it's a game killing character.

Oh? I would have thought so too. What was perceived as being wrong with this character?

Quote from: Eirikrautha on July 11, 2024, 09:23:07 AM

Quote from: Trond on July 11, 2024, 08:53:18 AMThanks for your thoughts folks. I'm not really "going after" anyone here. it's more a rant about when you finally find a group that seems interested in RPGs, and then realize that people have completely different tastes and interests, so it seems impossible to find a setting that everyone would find interesting.

I feel ya.  My long-running group has two players that are far more interested in character than they are mechanics.  Two others are interested in mechanical optimizing and tactical play.  The rest just go with the flow.  It's hard to scratch all of the itches at once.  Too tactical, and my optimizers shine while the rest look like henchmen.  Too much roleplaying, and I can see optimizer eyes glazing.  Setting incongruity isn't the only hurdle to match up players and games...

And that has been a problem with me ever since the silver age of D&D. Our trick as DMs is to find spots so that everyone can shine during a session, whether it's players who want to role-play or the players who love the tactical planning and wargame aspects. As an adult, I've been in groups that have successfully balanced both, because for the most part we were mature enough to let everyone have a chance to shine. If it wasn't our character's time, then that was when we get a drink or snack, take a potty break, take a smoke break, or otherwise converse without distracting the rest of the group.

I'd have to say though that I've experienced a few special little snowflakes that had to hog the spotlight or use the game as testing ground for their deviant behaviors that they would otherwise not have been brave enough to explore in the real world. My true pet peeve were those immature twats that couldn't let others have the spotlight for just a bit. Those are a cancer that needs to excised from every gaming group. I wish they should just create their own special support group for narcissistic, emo, socially retarded cunts instead of infecting the hobby. I'm not playing so, 'you can find yourself.' This is supposed to be a game, not fucking role-play therapy. It was not the settings or background that caused the most conflict, it was the players who were in the game for entirely incompatible reasons.

I can deal with people from a different generation. I've built a mini D&D campaign that included Yu-Gi-Oh and Naruto tropes to placate the players, even though I had no idea what those were. I had to study to make sure I got the feel right. But that was me being flexible.

Luckily over the years, the real adults I've had the privilege to game with--you know, the ones who can function outside of the land of make believe--have been able to purge and expel these social retards for the toxins and poisons they are. If only I'd had this wisdom during my adolescence, our games would have been much more enjoyable. Maybe I would have pushed them more towards Vampire instead of trying to keep these dysfunctional groups together.

I can agree with Trond here. What I tried to run in a fantasy campaign was more Conan the Barbarian via Howard. What I got was anime furries galore. This was with a Primeval Thule 5E game.

Switched to Savage Worlds Adventure Edition. They were okay with the rules change (SWADE seems easier to grok than 5E for new players). Still furries, though.

So back to Shadowrun. They like the world lore but are confused with the rules. That's okay so am I half the time with Sixth World.

An old player rejoined the group. He started with SR3 and is trying to convince the group to play a game of that. Lol.

But at least no furries...

If you don't mention Changelings, anyway!

Quote from: BoxCrayonTales on July 11, 2024, 08:34:57 AMI watched Record of Lodoss War. It's an adaptation of the showrunner's D&D campaign.

Lodoss War has an interesting history in that it was a serialized replay (episodic magazine content in the form of a script.)  It was a tutorial/template for a lot of campaigns in Japan at the time.

That style has inspired my current Fabula Ultima campaign which is in replay format.

I have dabbled with anime/manga gaming, but could never find a group that could focus on a common theme.  Fortunately, solo role playing proved to be a creative outlet for my desires.  The closest I got with a group was a D-list supers game after Mystery Men was a thing.  That was fun FAE hack. 

I might return to dark fantasy RPGs at some point, I have three or four games in that genre waiting in the wings. 

The early Manga stuff was gnarly and really dark (Wicked City, et.).
But WTF happened?? Now it's all cuddly and fuzzy.

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on July 11, 2024, 01:37:16 PMThe early Manga stuff was gnarly and really dark (Wicked City, et.).
But WTF happened?? Now it's all cuddly and fuzzy.

Greetings!

Rob! *Laughing* "Now it's all cuddly and fuzzy!"

Women love the "Cuddly and Fuzzy" stuff!

Here in the States, we have *adult women* going to the grocery store, the market, wearing pajamas, and furry animal slippers, and carrying furry, stuffed animals under their arms. Jaw-dropping, mind-boggling--but true.

I suspect that there is a substantial adult market for everything and anything that is overtly feminized, cuddly, cute, super-sugar happy, and colourfully adolescent.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on July 11, 2024, 01:37:16 PMThe early Manga stuff was gnarly and really dark (Wicked City, et.).
But WTF happened?? Now it's all cuddly and fuzzy.

The majority, yes. Go check out Goblin Slayer and Knights of Sidonia, pretty grim main story in each.

I also extremely dislike anime and the long term consequence on western taste and perception it has caused.

I'm also convinced Japanese as a language should have ever left that little island given it can't be translated without sounding super cringe or awkward, hence all dialogue or subs in any anime ever is stilted, awkward and downright alien.

Quote from: Dropbear on July 11, 2024, 10:48:33 AMI can agree with Trond here. What I tried to run in a fantasy campaign was more Conan the Barbarian via Howard. What I got was anime furries galore. This was with a Primeval Thule 5E game.

Switched to Savage Worlds Adventure Edition. They were okay with the rules change (SWADE seems easier to grok than 5E for new players). Still furries, though.

So back to Shadowrun. They like the world lore but are confused with the rules. That's okay so am I half the time with Sixth World.

An old player rejoined the group. He started with SR3 and is trying to convince the group to play a game of that. Lol.

But at least no furries...

If you don't mention Changelings, anyway!

I'm morbidly curious; how did they pitch their furry ideas? Was it a milquetoast "I always liked classic Disney" thing, or more.....hard core?

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on July 11, 2024, 01:37:16 PMThe early Manga stuff was gnarly and really dark (Wicked City, et.).
But WTF happened?? Now it's all cuddly and fuzzy.

Depends on what Manga/Anime you're reading/watching.

Quote from: SHARK on July 11, 2024, 01:47:19 PM

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on July 11, 2024, 01:37:16 PMThe early Manga stuff was gnarly and really dark (Wicked City, et.).
But WTF happened?? Now it's all cuddly and fuzzy.

Greetings!

Rob! *Laughing* "Now it's all cuddly and fuzzy!"

Women love the "Cuddly and Fuzzy" stuff!

Here in the States, we have *adult women* going to the grocery store, the market, wearing pajamas, and furry animal slippers, and carrying furry, stuffed animals under their arms. Jaw-dropping, mind-boggling--but true.

I suspect that there is a substantial adult market for everything and anything that is overtly feminized, cuddly, cute, super-sugar happy, and colourfully adolescent.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

Hah! Indeed, man. There is a whole modern cohort that seems to just be walking billboards for all that happy candy ass anime dross. LOL

Quote from: jeff37923 on July 11, 2024, 03:32:41 PM

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on July 11, 2024, 01:37:16 PMThe early Manga stuff was gnarly and really dark (Wicked City, et.).
But WTF happened?? Now it's all cuddly and fuzzy.

The majority, yes. Go check out Goblin Slayer and Knights of Sidonia, pretty grim main story in each.

Ta' for the recommendations. I've heard good things about Goblin Slayer (the concept sounds cool). I'll have a gander for Knights of Sidonia.

Quote from: GeekyBugle on July 11, 2024, 06:35:58 PM

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on July 11, 2024, 01:37:16 PMThe early Manga stuff was gnarly and really dark (Wicked City, et.).
But WTF happened?? Now it's all cuddly and fuzzy.

Depends on what Manga/Anime you're reading/watching.

Hey mate,
I'm a bit out of the loop to be fair. Open to any good recs! :)

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on July 11, 2024, 06:46:43 PM

Quote from: GeekyBugle on July 11, 2024, 06:35:58 PM

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on July 11, 2024, 01:37:16 PMThe early Manga stuff was gnarly and really dark (Wicked City, et.).
But WTF happened?? Now it's all cuddly and fuzzy.

Depends on what Manga/Anime you're reading/watching.

Hey mate,
I'm a bit out of the loop to be fair. Open to any good recs! :)

Let me check, what's good, what genre you like?

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on July 11, 2024, 01:37:16 PMThe early Manga stuff was gnarly and really dark (Wicked City, et.).
But WTF happened?? Now it's all cuddly and fuzzy.

I think this is just selection bias around what Americans are seeing. There's still plenty of grimdark seinen manga floating around. I'd say that even what little shonen stuff I read is still gorier than the American equivalent. Meanwhile there's been saccharine magical girl crap coming out since at least the 80s. I think that with the anime boom in the last decade, the kiddie stuff gets pushed to the front because it sells merch. Whereas back when anime was a cult/underground thing in the US, the target market was weirdo teenagers and college kids who wanted the R-rated ultraviolent stuff.

Quote from: jeff37923 on July 11, 2024, 03:32:41 PMThe majority, yes. Go check out Goblin Slayer and Knights of Sidonia, pretty grim main story in each.

Or Wolfsmund. I'm a card-carrying Berserk enthusiast and even I found that story to too fucking grim.

Quote from: Socratic-DM on July 11, 2024, 04:05:55 PMI also extremely dislike anime and the long term consequence on western taste and perception it has caused.

That's the free market I'm afraid. There never would have been an anime boom without the videogame crash in the 80s, and the creative slump Anglophone genre fiction went into sometime in the 90s that it still hasn't recovered from. America fucked up and Japan capitalized.  I hear about good stuff coming out of continental Europe, but very little of it makes its way stateside.

Quote from: Darrin Kelley on July 11, 2024, 10:16:32 AMThe campaigns I prefer are humanocentric. But I am old school. I started with BECMI and AD&D 1st edition. So the crazy amount of races are completely jarring to me

Didn't BECMI eventually wind up with dozens of playable races, including cat, dog, turtle, raccoon and lizard people?

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on July 11, 2024, 06:46:43 PM

Quote from: GeekyBugle on July 11, 2024, 06:35:58 PM

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on July 11, 2024, 01:37:16 PMThe early Manga stuff was gnarly and really dark (Wicked City, et.).
But WTF happened?? Now it's all cuddly and fuzzy.

Depends on what Manga/Anime you're reading/watching.

Hey mate,
I'm a bit out of the loop to be fair. Open to any good recs! :)

I'm pretty out of it too. Outside of the stuff already mentioned, most of my anime and manga knowledge is old stuff you probably already know: Vampire Hunter D, Akira, Black Lagoon, Lone Wolf and Cub, etc.

Vagabond and Vinland Saga both had a lot of buzz about them, though I've read neither. I started Vinland Saga and bounced off of it, but I wouldn't say it's in any way bad.

I read a lot of manga in a very disposable way, usually on my phone when I'm stuck somewhere, so it doesn't stick in my mind. Let's see... I just started The Heroic Legend of Arslan, and it looks promising. Desert Punk was good if you're in the mood for something gritty but also lighthearted. Gou Tanabe did manga adaptations of several HP Lovecraft stories. He stays really faithful to the original plots, so no story surprises, but the illustration is gorgeous.

EDIT: Oh yeah, a friend of mine is constantly recommending Legend of the Galactic Heroes. From what he's told me, it's WWI in space.

I have been an avid fan of manga and anime since the 70s.  The medium is all over the map as far as quality, target audience, and tone. Here's a few of my recommendations:

Slane (manga)
Rebuild World (manga)
Desert Punk (manga)
Erased (anime)
Goblin Slayer (anime/manga)
One Punch Man (manga/anime)
3D Kanojo (anime/manga)
Psychopass (anime)
Saturn Apartments (manga)
A Silent Voice (anime movie)
The Ancient Magus Bride (manga/anime)
Tsugumomo (anime/manga)
Yajin Tensei: Karate Survivor In Another World (manga)
Miyabichi No Onmyouji (manga)
Tongari Booshi No Atori (Manga)

You can share these with your players and be able to get on the same page tone wise as well.

Quote from: JasperAK on July 11, 2024, 10:43:32 AMAnd that has been a problem with me ever since the silver age of D&D. Our trick as DMs is to find spots so that everyone can shine during a session, whether it's players who want to role-play or the players who love the tactical planning and wargame aspects. As an adult, I've been in groups that have successfully balanced both, because for the most part we were mature enough to let everyone have a chance to shine. If it wasn't our character's time, then that was when we get a drink or snack, take a potty break, take a smoke break, or otherwise converse without distracting the rest of the group.

I'd have to say though that I've experienced a few special little snowflakes that had to hog the spotlight or use the game as testing ground for their deviant behaviors that they would otherwise not have been brave enough to explore in the real world. My true pet peeve were those immature twats that couldn't let others have the spotlight for just a bit. Those are a cancer that needs to excised from every gaming group. I wish they should just create their own special support group for narcissistic, emo, socially retarded cunts instead of infecting the hobby. I'm not playing so, 'you can find yourself.' This is supposed to be a game, not fucking role-play therapy. It was not the settings or background that caused the most conflict, it was the players who were in the game for entirely incompatible reasons.

I can deal with people from a different generation. I've built a mini D&D campaign that included Yu-Gi-Oh and Naruto tropes to placate the players, even though I had no idea what those were. I had to study to make sure I got the feel right. But that was me being flexible.

Luckily over the years, the real adults I've had the privilege to game with--you know, the ones who can function outside of the land of make believe--have been able to purge and expel these social retards for the toxins and poisons they are. If only I'd had this wisdom during my adolescence, our games would have been much more enjoyable. Maybe I would have pushed them more towards Vampire instead of trying to keep these dysfunctional groups together.

I have had a similar issue but sadly not tied to age/generation

I had someone in my group that was older than me (and I started gaming with 1e) and they were the worst spotlight hog ever. I saw them, when the group was split up doing 2 or 3 different things - yes I support split the part at times as applicable and have an unwritten rule that I will not screw the party unless they do something stupid and or ignore my warning signs that things might actually be getting dangerous or as part of the plot - and they would say they were with group 1 and doing x, when I would switch to group 2 or 3 doing other things, they would jump in and start saying what they were doing with which ever group I was covering. When I would point out they weren't there they would answer "Yeah but I finished what I was doing and went and found this group so I'm there now" .... I even had them in combat say they were staying in one spot to guard the door so nothing stuck up on them - good smart tactical choice - but then when the rest of the group was fighting 2 or 3 rooms away (and not even in a critical life or death fight) they would say they wanted their turn in initiative and wanted to use x ability or cast y spell. I would point out they weren't there and not in the fight, so they would make an excuse that they could see or hear the combat from where they were so .... It drove me crazy.

Quote from: SHARK on July 11, 2024, 01:47:19 PM

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on July 11, 2024, 01:37:16 PMThe early Manga stuff was gnarly and really dark (Wicked City, et.).
But WTF happened?? Now it's all cuddly and fuzzy.

Greetings!

Rob! *Laughing* "Now it's all cuddly and fuzzy!"

Women love the "Cuddly and Fuzzy" stuff!

Here in the States, we have *adult women* going to the grocery store, the market, wearing pajamas, and furry animal slippers, and carrying furry, stuffed animals under their arms. Jaw-dropping, mind-boggling--but true.

I suspect that there is a substantial adult market for everything and anything that is overtly feminized, cuddly, cute, super-sugar happy, and colourfully adolescent.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

Rgr that. Saw a purrfect (yes pun intended) example today.

I had to stop in Walmart after work and ran into my mom. While we were talking this lady came walking by. She was wearing a hello kitty onesie/pjs and furry slippers (in NE OK July heat, who in their right mind in the heat here would wear long PJs and those slippers) with a leopard print purse and cat eyes shades. She was only missing cat ears and a tail. Oh yeah, she looked to be in her midish to late 30s, and did not have a body that you wanted to see in anything that might be used to sleep in !

The look on my mom's face when she noticed her was priceless !

However, it is a telling note on our society, and yes that is who is out spending money and being marketed too.

Quote from: Trond on July 11, 2024, 10:33:20 AMOh? I would have thought so too. What was perceived as being wrong with this character?

Inexperienced GM.

I'm afraid many characters I made for his games scuttled the campaign.  In his D&D game I made Starkers The Enormous the naked Celtic Halfing Barbarian with a 20 AC (18 Dex, 18 Con, Shield) at first level.  In Attack on Titan, I played Clint Eastwood's man with no name and after that a Catholic priest, he said medieval Europe, I made a perfectly valid medieval European character.  For Star Wars I made a scientist who didn't believe in the force and tried to debunk it to Darth Vadar face to face.  In his Star Trek games I made a Gorn Starfleet captain who's specialies were barking orders, yelling, and biting people's heads off.  Then I made a bog standard nitpicky, by the book captain who had a secret lint roller he took to the bridge chairs after the Catian and Kzin left.  And after that for a Lower Decks style game a perky girl.  "I'm so happy we're going on this mission together and I'm sure we'll all be the best of friends!"

Either he's got a real lack of vision and imagination or I'm a dick who makes annoying characters.

Quote from: David Johansen on July 12, 2024, 12:06:46 AM

Quote from: Trond on July 11, 2024, 10:33:20 AMOh? I would have thought so too. What was perceived as being wrong with this character?

Inexperienced GM.

I'm afraid many characters I made for his games scuttled the campaign.  In his D&D game I made Starkers The Enormous the naked Celtic Halfing Barbarian with a 20 AC (18 Dex, 18 Con, Shield) at first level.  In Attack on Titan, I played Clint Eastwood's man with no name and after that a Catholic priest, he said medieval Europe, I made a perfectly valid medieval European character.  For Star Wars I made a scientist who didn't believe in the force and tried to debunk it to Darth Vadar face to face.  In his Star Trek games I made a Gorn Starfleet captain who's specialies were barking orders, yelling, and biting people's heads off.  Then I made a bog standard nitpicky, by the book captain who had a secret lint roller he took to the bridge chairs after the Catian and Kzin left.  And after that for a Lower Decks style game a perky girl.  "I'm so happy we're going on this mission together and I'm sure we'll all be the best of friends!"

Either he's got a real lack of vision and imagination or I'm a dick who makes annoying characters.

Well, I'd say slightly less annoying than the player I once had, in one of my first games ever, which was Tolkien-based. While the others had characters like "Haldor the Half-Elven" he made the character Cobra Kai, a mean martial arts guy (obviously straight from Karate Kid). 

Quote from: Chris24601 on July 11, 2024, 07:37:49 AMBlackrock just got controlling interest in one the major producers in Japan

Blackstone. But details.

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on July 11, 2024, 01:37:16 PMThe early Manga stuff was gnarly and really dark (Wicked City, et.).
But WTF happened?? Now it's all cuddly and fuzzy.

You stopped paying attention.

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on July 11, 2024, 01:37:16 PMThe early Manga stuff was gnarly and really dark (Wicked City, et.).
But WTF happened?? Now it's all cuddly and fuzzy.

You havent seen much modern magna then. Theres some seriously warped stuff on the shelves now. Not my thing. But obviously someone is buying it.

Quote from: David Johansen on July 12, 2024, 12:06:46 AM

Quote from: Trond on July 11, 2024, 10:33:20 AMOh? I would have thought so too. What was perceived as being wrong with this character?

Inexperienced GM.

I'm afraid many characters I made for his games scuttled the campaign.  In his D&D game I made Starkers The Enormous the naked Celtic Halfing Barbarian with a 20 AC (18 Dex, 18 Con, Shield) at first level.  In Attack on Titan, I played Clint Eastwood's man with no name and after that a Catholic priest, he said medieval Europe, I made a perfectly valid medieval European character.  For Star Wars I made a scientist who didn't believe in the force and tried to debunk it to Darth Vadar face to face.  In his Star Trek games I made a Gorn Starfleet captain who's specialies were barking orders, yelling, and biting people's heads off.  Then I made a bog standard nitpicky, by the book captain who had a secret lint roller he took to the bridge chairs after the Catian and Kzin left.  And after that for a Lower Decks style game a perky girl.  "I'm so happy we're going on this mission together and I'm sure we'll all be the best of friends!"

Either he's got a real lack of vision and imagination or I'm a dick who makes annoying characters.

Did you not like him?

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on July 11, 2024, 06:46:43 PM

Quote from: GeekyBugle on July 11, 2024, 06:35:58 PM

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on July 11, 2024, 01:37:16 PMThe early Manga stuff was gnarly and really dark (Wicked City, et.).
But WTF happened?? Now it's all cuddly and fuzzy.

Depends on what Manga/Anime you're reading/watching.

Hey mate,
I'm a bit out of the loop to be fair. Open to any good recs! :)

Space Battleship Yamato 2199 could easily be a Traveller campaign.

Quote from: jeff37923 on July 12, 2024, 06:41:21 AM

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on July 11, 2024, 06:46:43 PM

Quote from: GeekyBugle on July 11, 2024, 06:35:58 PM

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on July 11, 2024, 01:37:16 PMThe early Manga stuff was gnarly and really dark (Wicked City, et.).
But WTF happened?? Now it's all cuddly and fuzzy.

Depends on what Manga/Anime you're reading/watching.

Hey mate,
I'm a bit out of the loop to be fair. Open to any good recs! :)

Space Battleship Yamato 2199 could easily be a Traveller campaign.

Another one to checkout, ta'.

I guess establishing the "tone" of the game is crucial before starting.  And you can probably find that out pretty quickly if you say "I'm going to run an old-fashioned dragon-crawl where we run into evil Orcs and Goblins and loot what we can."  If they say "Cool!"--well, they're of our tribe.  If they ask "Will I be able to seduce the dungeon boss?"--then slowly back away.

Quote from: ForgottenF on July 12, 2024, 06:34:55 AMDid you not like him?

I think I was mostly disappointed that he wouldn't kill off my characters, really.  The obnoxious American tourist in his Mars Attacks game for example.  I had a long que of awful characters to play and have the Martians kill them but I only got to play the one.  :(

Seriously though, he played some pretty silly characters in my games too.  In Heroes Unlimited he played a drug dealing gun smuggling guy who sold his soul to the devil for water powers and then invented a robot that pooped burritos.  To be fair he was 15 at the time.  :D

He's a good friend and we just give each other a hard time.

Quote from: David Johansen on July 12, 2024, 07:28:09 PMSeriously though, he played some pretty silly characters in my games too.  In Heroes Unlimited he played a drug dealing gun smuggling guy who sold his soul to the devil for water powers and then invented a robot that pooped burritos.  To be fair he was 15 at the time.  :D

He's a good friend and we just give each other a hard time.

Oh I gotcha. Some of those character ideas you posted looked like designed campaign-killers, but if we're talking teenage gaming, that's a different story. We all did that shit as kids.

I'm reminded of a friend of mine who did make an intentional campaign-killer in one of our teenage games because he thought the DM was a tool. If memory serves, it was a half-ogre, half-dragon barbarian that he just made as retardedly powerful as possible.

Quote from: Omega on July 12, 2024, 05:15:33 AM

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on July 11, 2024, 01:37:16 PMThe early Manga stuff was gnarly and really dark (Wicked City, et.).
But WTF happened?? Now it's all cuddly and fuzzy.

You havent seen much modern magna then. Theres some seriously warped stuff on the shelves now. Not my thing. But obviously someone is buying it.

Yeah, I'm well behind the curve to be honest. I'm not really into all that tentacle stuff.
I really liked stuff like the original Vampire Hunter D, Wicked City,  Doomed Megalopolis, Fist of the Northstar, etc.

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on July 12, 2024, 09:17:39 PMeah, I'm well behind the curve to be honest. I'm not really into all that tentacle stuff.

No tentacle stuff. Really fucked up body horror stype stuff. Bumped into one thats a sort of zombie apocalypse. But instead its people transforming into man eating giant chickens. Sounds absurd. But its done straight up horror. Mechanical sharks coming onland and spreading a sickening mist and eating people. Lots of one offs.

Then theres one where the world is an endless random techno dungeon that started as an AI project to build homes and has spiralled totally out of control because a disease killed everyone with the command access gene. Whomever did that one sure knows their archetecture.

Quote from: Omega on July 13, 2024, 12:45:09 AM

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on July 12, 2024, 09:17:39 PMeah, I'm well behind the curve to be honest. I'm not really into all that tentacle stuff.

Then theres one where the world is an endless random techno dungeon that started as an AI project to build homes and has spiralled totally out of control because a disease killed everyone with the command access gene. Whomever did that one sure knows their archetecture.

That's Blame! Made by the same guy who is behind Knights of Sidonia. Great anime with a much better manga.

Quote from: jeff37923 on July 13, 2024, 06:19:18 AM

Quote from: Omega on July 13, 2024, 12:45:09 AM

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on July 12, 2024, 09:17:39 PMeah, I'm well behind the curve to be honest. I'm not really into all that tentacle stuff.

Then theres one where the world is an endless random techno dungeon that started as an AI project to build homes and has spiralled totally out of control because a disease killed everyone with the command access gene. Whomever did that one sure knows their archetecture.

That's Blame! Made by the same guy who is behind Knights of Sidonia. Great anime with a much better manga.

You have good taste.

Funny. 

The most D&D based media I've seen lately, even more than the actual D&D movie with Chris Pine, is Goblin Slayer. 

And that is Manga/Anime.  Heads up; GS is not for the squeamish. There is blood, guts, and goblins who capture and assault women on screen.  There are no girl goblins, but that doesn't stop them from multiplying like rats. 

Quote from: weirdguy564 on July 15, 2024, 09:53:02 PMFunny. 

The most D&D based media I've seen lately, even more than the actual D&D movie with Chris Pine, is Goblin Slayer. 

And that is Manga/Anime.  Heads up; GS is not for the squeamish. There is blood, guts, and goblins who capture and assault women on screen.  There are no girl goblins, but that doesn't stop them from multiplying like rats.

The D&D influence runs a lot deeper, at least in the manga. It uses Vancian magic, characters are defined (and even named) by their race-class combination. Heroes are called "Prayers" and monsters "Non-Prayers", a pun on PCs and NPCs, and the characters use tons of classic dungeon tricks like flooding or burning out monster lairs. In one chapter they kill a monster by using a Portal spell to send it to the bottom of the sea. Later they use bags of flour to trick a beholder into blowing itself up (while making jokes about how they can't legally call it a beholder). It really is a pity the edgier stuff keeps so many people out of it, because if you can get past that it's about as close to an official OSR comic as you're ever going to get.

There's also a Goblin Slayer prequel series (Goblin Slayer: Side Story Year One) that is arguably even better than the main series. It's set several years before GS when the main character was just starting as an adventurer and learning about goblins.

You can get the Goblin Slayer RPG fairly cheap online, but the thing is massive and doesn't seem like it would be very usable for actually running a game. It's also very D&D-like in that the Monk class gets shafted pretty hard.

Probably one of the best looks at how elvish lifespan affects them is Frieren, Beyond Journey's End. One that looks at the interplay of mercantilism and religion plus small gods and big churches by following a light romance between a travelling merchant and a small god is Spice and Wolf.

Both are really good fantasy animes available on Crunchyroll.