http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/blog.php/9-ronpyatt Pen and Paper Games hosts a very powerful, but easy to seach and join database of players and game masters in the United States and Canada. Our forums are also a great place to find the most recent news, product releases, tips, and rpg discussion. en Fri, 24 May 2013 16:11:56 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/pnpg_style/misc/rss.jpg http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/blog.php/9-ronpyatt http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/775-Much-Improved-Hero-System Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:30:57 GMT Hero System Fans,

Do you have the Hero System 6th Edition?

I've been reading through the 2 volume set of the latest edition of Hero System, and it really has me psyched about trying out all the new features.

They've made so many changes since my introduction into the 3rd Edition and enough changes from 5th to warrant a 6th edition. These changes include one of the most drastic changes to the system: the removal of derived characteristics, which will irritate many veteran players but ultimately makes more sense for eliminating loopholes and allowing more freedom in character creation. Those "derived" characteristics were changed to regular purchased characteristics.

There were a few almost cosmetic changes that were sorely needed to bring help with what I would call a creative block. For example, in previous editions, a bow and arrow would be "constructed" with the rules by purchasing a base power called an "Energy Blast" that causes physical damage with the special effects, limitations, and advantages to give it all the features and feel of a bow and arrow. The new edition has renamed this to "Blast" to eliminate the confusion of purchasing an "Energy" blast. There are a few other places in 6th edition that they could have made similar changes, but the ones they've made will go a long way to getting beyond the old "Champions" rules set.

Volume 1 was all about character creation and akin to a Player's handbook. Volume 2 was about adventuring, running encounters, genre, environment, and some great advise on tweaking your particular style of play.

I also have high hopes for the future of this gaming system, because Hero has been putting out some stunning material for 5th edition (machines, Traveller, strongholds, bases, etc.) which should be easily usable in 6th with very little if any effort. ]]> ronpyatt http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/775-Much-Improved-Hero-System http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/626-Dawn-of-World Mon, 10 Aug 2009 06:38:57 GMT http://www.clanwebsite.org/games/games.html After reading through Dawn of Worlds, I had to try this game. We picked up drawing pencils, a sheet of... http://www.clanwebsite.org/games/games.html

After reading through Dawn of Worlds, I had to try this game. We picked up drawing pencils, a sheet of 3' by 4' paper, erasers, sharpeners, and tape to hold the paper to the table. There were 5 of us.

The first night we got comfortable with the rules, and began shaping the land. Very cool, if a bit slow going at first. By the end of the 2nd day, we had a detailed map of the world.

In short, the rules tell the player to roll dice to determine the number of points they get to spend in each round. Points are spent in creating the world measured in inches. In our case, each inch equaled 200 miles.

It was fun to put together, but we felt it was taking too long to fill the entire map. To speed things up we added extra points to our rolls, giving us more points to draw more areas at a time.

We got one of the rules out of proportion during the entire time we gamed, and it wasn't until the last hour of the 2nd night that we discovered our mistake. Actually, what we got wrong was how the main measurement at the core of the game worked.

The rules say that for every 3 points, a player can map out an area that has a maximum diameter of 1". We took it to mean that each 1" in diameter cost three points. The way we read it meant that spending 18 points would give us a 6" diameter area to work on. However, after careful reading, the rules actually just said 1" diameter area for 3 points. If we had followed that rule, then we would not have finished drawing the land by the 2nd night. We're were glad we misunderstood.

Our group consisted to varying degrees gamers with different styles. During play two players insisted on filling up the entire diameter of the areas they were working on. For a while, the map was spotted with circles of land resembling alien crop circles.

Another player had trouble measuring diameters and either kept drawing outside the perimeter or short changed himself by measuring the extra distance of a curved line inside the perimeter.

We really had a lot of fun creating the map. Even though we only made it through the first Age, we were happy with the results. ]]> ronpyatt http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/626-Dawn-of-World http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/625-The-Angelics-stealing-more-questions Mon, 10 Aug 2009 05:28:22 GMT Wanted for crimes against the state and ready to flee underground, the party knew they could not leave their mission. They had to risk everything to... Wanted for crimes against the state and ready to flee underground, the party knew they could not leave their mission. They had to risk everything to gain access to the base tower in Order of Hermes. With the help of some custom designed stealth technology and a family member on the inside, they managed to slip in and gather a bit of information from the sacred database.

It wasn't long before they tripped some alarm and had to leave, narrowly escaping what would have been an instant death sentence if caught. Later, the party compared notes and discovered they had more questions trying to piece together clues to an ancient poem, the rambling of a long dead AI, and a reference to one of the few green places left for flowers to grow. ]]> ronpyatt http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/625-The-Angelics-stealing-more-questions http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/569-The-Angelics-somebody-s-watching Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:26:54 GMT Just as the party was about to set aside some time to reverse engineer some valuable software, they encountered an angel with the potential to help... Just as the party was about to set aside some time to reverse engineer some valuable software, they encountered an angel with the potential to help them solve a few mysteries. The Order quickly tracked down this new angel friend when this angel tried to make a quick and dirty deal for fast money. They captured and took that angel away.

The party soon realized they were being watched, their captured friend knew too much, and the party was afraid their secret would fall into the hands of the Order. So, they decided to extract the captured angel the only way they thought they could. They attempted a monumental leap in supernatural faith. Something went wrong during the extraction, and when they tried to fix it, they unexpectedly summoned their unpleased patron.

The patron's premature arrival posed problems for them all, afffecting the patron's choice to hide as a mundane piercing. ]]> ronpyatt http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/569-The-Angelics-somebody-s-watching http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/532-The-Angelics-earn-a-little Sat, 11 Jul 2009 04:34:00 GMT Lars, their curious AI, introduced the party to the undermarket denizens, leaving them to fend for themselves in a quest for credit and special... Lars, their curious AI, introduced the party to the undermarket denizens, leaving them to fend for themselves in a quest for credit and special software that would render them invisible. Along the way they discovered the deliciously vaporous nature of AI's on the seedy side of the market. A brief encounter with a member of the Order of Hermes answered a critical question about who they would be feeding upon, but this brought them no closer to their quest. Last but not least, a random shooting crippled one party member with a permanent craving for a particularly famous fast food chain's apple pies. ]]> ronpyatt http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/532-The-Angelics-earn-a-little http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/514-The-Angelics-new-digital-world Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:59:24 GMT Bacchus returned to the PC's through a dream and quested them to deliver a lost item to the stone seers. Their bodies encased in an ambrosia gel to preserve them, the characters found themselves in new bodies in new world where everyone lived a digital life as well as real, and the line between reality and the virtual were crossed from birth.

The party soon discovered their powers worked differently in this world, and have yet discovered how to feed. The Order of Hermes, quasi peace enforcers, net adepts trained from birth to keep order, were rumored to have the largest data store in the world, and the party decided to seek knowledge by infiltrating this great force.

They befriended an AI of exceptional talent but an enigma they don't all together trust. ]]> ronpyatt http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/514-The-Angelics-new-digital-world http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/494-The-Angelics-freeing-Bacchus Mon, 29 Jun 2009 03:16:16 GMT Determined to find their origins, the party used all their supernatural talent to delve the mysteries of their newly discovered artifacts. They... Determined to find their origins, the party used all their supernatural talent to delve the mysteries of their newly discovered artifacts. They discovered clues and used that knowledge to point them to a place deep in the Congo, a place long forgotten.

Using a final piece to an ancient gate, a horn to beckon forth a cage beyond the mists, and a key to shatter the bars that held him, the party freed the god Bacchus.

For the party's actions favors were granted, and questions were answered as to their origins, the Angelics. Their purpose fulfilled, they will be called upon again.

After all, Bacchus must take his revenge upon his jailers. ]]> ronpyatt http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/494-The-Angelics-freeing-Bacchus http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/492-The-Angelics-treasure-and-rescue Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:35:14 GMT The party scuffled with more ghouls and priests as they sought out and found the place that hid artifacts of old. Among the many items found a few... The party scuffled with more ghouls and priests as they sought out and found the place that hid artifacts of old. Among the many items found a few strange treasures of obvious power hinted at their Angelic origins.

Loosing track of their vampire companion, the blood magus quickly discovered his beloved vampire had been imprisoned and placed upon a bleeding rack by an ancient of ash, vampire kin, in order to feed their ancestors.

Combining their Angelic strength and using every drop of a ghoul's blood, which was an anathema to the Angelics, allowed the mage to open a birthing canal across space to deliver the vampire to freedom. ]]> ronpyatt http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/492-The-Angelics-treasure-and-rescue http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/392-BYO-Dead Wed, 27 May 2009 16:04:11 GMT I thought I'd post this before I forget. Just an idea I had for a game where every PC had some relation to necromancy, necrotic, or undead. Not sure what system would work well for it, but one that would allow the PC's to come from a world based upon the unliving, the rotting, and be nearly completely devoid of actual life.

I don't know where I'm going with this, but I'll bring it up to my group for discussion. ]]> ronpyatt http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/392-BYO-Dead http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/374-The-Angelics-shop-after-death Mon, 18 May 2009 00:21:01 GMT Upon waking the blood magus proclaimed his desire to go to the Vatican to seek out items that were stolen long ago. Eager to go shopping after their... Upon waking the blood magus proclaimed his desire to go to the Vatican to seek out items that were stolen long ago. Eager to go shopping after their killing spree, the Angelics happily offered to transport everyone to Milan. The party pulled their collected strength to attempt a teleport to half way round the world. The resulting pain was debilitating.

They resolved to recover their strength via Prada and the unveiling of indecencies, despite the store managers objections.

Soon, they were on their way to Vatican City, where they discovered so many of their own kind flying about aimlessly, seeking answers.

Javier, the poisoned one, feasted upon the weakest heart, but quickly returned to find the newest member of the party enjoying his first real taste of their existence. The Angelic body was cast aside after its blood was collected for the magus.

Ghouls attempted to stop the party, and even priests came to fight off the magus, believed to be a demon, after he showed a bit of power fueled by the Angelic blood. The magus, however, was determined to find the stolen items without harming anyone, despite the urgings of the party to maim all in their path. ]]> ronpyatt http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/374-The-Angelics-shop-after-death http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/368-The-Angelics-seeking-the-big-red-book Thu, 14 May 2009 00:41:16 GMT Despite the sacredness of the temple, the party flew in and grabbed the much desired big read book that won't fit on a shelf, which went fairly uneventful due to their supernatural approach. The newest member of party left his mark by reorganizing many books out of order.

Of course, no one could read the big red book save a young blood magus that could only read it when he was sleeping, which lead to the party leaving him behind so they could feast on the hearts of younglings.

The party learned a clue to their nature, as possible messengers to the gods, and decided they should assist the young vampire and the blood magus on their quest for answers in the hope that they too would learn more. ]]> ronpyatt http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/368-The-Angelics-seeking-the-big-red-book http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/237-The-Angelics-vampires-wolves-and-butterflies Fri, 27 Mar 2009 06:11:55 GMT Getting kicked out of the dark town, the party was disturbed to find they'd traveled much further than they'd ever imagined. With the aid of a sleepy human and his vampire the party tracked down one of the angel killers. There they found one of their own, an ancient angelic poisoned by a ghoul. After the ghoul was dispatched, they pleaded for assistance in getting access to the great temple library that the vampires held sacred. Unfortunately, the temple had always been off limits to outsiders. The sleepy human, however, may prove more useful with his talent to transcend the body. ]]> ronpyatt http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/237-The-Angelics-vampires-wolves-and-butterflies http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/159-The-Angelics-meet-Kithanimus Sun, 01 Mar 2009 01:28:45 GMT The oneshot continues... Stretching their powers in discovery and struggling with their new identities, the tattooed angelics sought a church for... The oneshot continues...

Stretching their powers in discovery and struggling with their new identities, the tattooed angelics sought a church for answers. They discovered a potential corruption behind the curtain and followed it to the cemetery, which lead them to an underworld library and a town full of people that the angelics had difficulty fathoming.
Uncertain after witnessing these people struggle to save a large wolfman trapped under an overturned car, and impressed by a brutal encounter with an ashen voice, the angelics attempted to align themselves with a clan of these strange underworlders. ]]> ronpyatt http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/159-The-Angelics-meet-Kithanimus http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/133-The-Angelics-discover-ghouls Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:35:29 GMT We picked up from the last session to continue the one shot (two-shot?).

The PC's discovered that their Angelic blood could turn humans into ghouls or vampires.
The PC's walked into a trap at a nightclub in Detroit, where the good looking and friendly ghouls waited for their meal to fall victim to their well laid plans for dinner.
Stretching their roleplaying muscles, the Players managed to learn a lot by having their characters cleverly kidnap a ghoul leader, narrowly thwarting some of his goons, and ransacking the ghoul's home computer for the identities of other ghouls (contact list with attached photos).

The hunters have just become the hunted. ]]> ronpyatt http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/133-The-Angelics-discover-ghouls http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/89-The-Angelics Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:42:04 GMT I ran a one shot last Thursday, and it went so well that it might turn into a longer campaign or a mini-series. The year is 2020, and a few... I ran a one shot last Thursday, and it went so well that it might turn into a longer campaign or a mini-series.

The year is 2020, and a few breakthroughs in technology and setbacks in laws have allowed some of the fringe technofiles to implant biotech into their bodies to little benefit other than having web access that works more often than not. Cities have gotten bigger, populations are over whelming the water supply, harder to avoid being affected by the constant darkening of human society and its criminal element, and most of all difficult not to seek some escape. Three men set out for a night on the town and get the night of their life. Waking a day later and armed with a tattoo, a new hunger for life, and a supernatural power not yet understood, they are initiated into the ranks of the winged Angelics, where kill or be devoured is an almost daily struggle against their own kind. ]]> ronpyatt http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/89-The-Angelics http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/2-Siedon Wed, 17 Dec 2008 06:27:47 GMT He recently discovered an unusual characteristic within his own family members, and as a result has set out on a quest to discover if he has these... He recently discovered an unusual characteristic within his own family members, and as a result has set out on a quest to discover if he has these traits as well.

Siedon's family displays the following characteristics: Selfless acts that make others miserable. (Mother purchases a very expensive Doppledog because she believed her son would find it adorable. Knowing her son does not like animals, mother keeps the pet for herself after her son spends one hour with the insane creature.)
Helpful to the point of useless. (Brother requests from sister the exotic family specialty drink (citea) to calm a headache with its relaxing aromas. Sister agrees but then decides to fetch water instead because it is the wrong time of day for such smells.)
Treasure gifts to the point of obsession. (Father picks up a late afternoon bread with a tiny loaf of chestnut cake from the market for mother, if she wants it, otherwise father would eat said loaf. Mother did not want the loaf, but never said so. The bread went to waste.)

Siedon believes his family may be a bit selfish, but will journey to the mountains for answers from the great sage that sits upon the eastern ridge. He leaves without informing anyone. ]]> ronpyatt http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/2-Siedon