GM Feedback thread

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LAYF
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Re: GM Feedback thread

Post by LAYF » Sat Feb 15, 2014 1:28 pm

Time for some more reviews

Arles
Okay, hands up in the air and then down in respect! from an artistic point of view, Arles games is one of the places where I must take my hat of! I'm sad that there is not much to say, but, memmories did not run for that long before its hiatus, I hope to see more of it another day!


Theonewhoisodd
Dawn of the worlds! I loved this concept, I know it was not yours, but you brought it to my attention, and for that I thank you! I hope to one day see it continue!



thinkslogically
Brilliant - Done!
. . . . Eh.. oh... more?... damn.... where the H. do I begin.... Thinks; THANKS!
yes, that must be it!
Okay, more constructive? okay then.
Thinks have some how and with some kind of magic unknown to men (than again, she is a diving suit, so maybe thats how) managed, to run not one, not two, but 3 games BESIDES managing the GAL! and not only that, her games are also all highly inventive and contains a lot of unique art, puzzles and stories!
Readin Thinks games there is no hiding her love for nature and specifically the sea! I love every moment of it!

Should I wish for more in her games, it might be a bit more dynamic systems! don'r get me wrong, the abilities and "upgrades" in her games are great, inventive and tailored to her stories better than I could ever do! but, I've newer been a fan of static damage/defense systems, I like randomness, both for risk and gain! I like levels and abilities. but that is me!

When that is said, Thinks your settings, humor, ideas and eye to detail in your npc characters both for wackiness and seriousness puts me to shame, Keep that up!



Mereneth
A rpg set in the time of dinosaurs, NOT including a rocket launcher and a heck load of M16 ammo OR even cavemen clubs!
I love it... I really do, this game to me is more a story than a game (okay, I did not play in it, so maybe that is why) But it is, Mereneth have done a thing that I don't believe I've seen many DM's dare, not even in a face to face game! Described the horrifying call of a baby as it is slaughtered! that is, a baby dinosaur as the players had to kill it to feed himself in their unfamiliar new raptor bodies!
I hope, so much you continue, and that you will continue not to put a finger in between telling your story and the harsh reality that is primal life!


more late I hope :)
SGTdude wrote:-SNIP_ (Layf, might have a sketch request in the near future).-SNIP-
Yay, another Goblin drawing :D
-Best regards LAYF

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thinkslogically
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Re: GM Feedback thread

Post by thinkslogically » Sat Feb 15, 2014 2:00 pm

Aw! Thanks :) Honestly, I think I just have too much free time!

@LAYF - I do agree to a point re. mechanics. I only started playing D&D fairly recently and I do like the element of randomness it adds to the game. However, I do think that without a fully planned out tree of skills and such (like you have in your game) is required to make sure that they balance. I'll be honest though - the mechanics side of things really isn't my forte and the advantage of the ATT-DEF=DAM system is really simple.

@sgtdude - First of all, thanks very much - I'm glad you're enjoying the game :) I think we talked about this before, but in my view, a skills-tree specialisation system is exactly the same as an item-based specialisation system except that one provides permanent bonuses and the other provides a temporary / tradable one. The reasons I went for the item-based system for the GAL are firstly because it still allows customisation (you will get more unique things as you continue through the quests), because it is easy to apply between games (we don't need to develop a single skill tree for all GMs to adhere to; just make up new stuff) and finally because it allows new players the opportunity to borrow decent gear from more experienced players if they want to drop into a harder dungeon than they would otherwise be able to survive. So it wasn't an oversight, but I appreciate that it won't be to everyone's tastes :)

Saying all that, if anyone disagrees and can come up with an easy-to-implement and track skills tree that can be used in the GAL I'm more than happy to add it in if it's something people are really keen to have.

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Re: GM Feedback thread

Post by Mereneth » Sat Feb 15, 2014 7:11 pm

LooksAtYouFunny wrote:Time for some more reviews
Mereneth
A rpg set in the time of dinosaurs, NOT including a rocket launcher and a heck load of M16 ammo OR even cavemen clubs!
I love it... I really do, this game to me is more a story than a game (okay, I did not play in it, so maybe that is why) But it is, Mereneth have done a thing that I don't believe I've seen many DM's dare, not even in a face to face game! Described the horrifying call of a baby as it is slaughtered! that is, a baby dinosaur as the players had to kill it to feed himself in their unfamiliar new raptor bodies!
I hope, so much you continue, and that you will continue not to put a finger in between telling your story and the harsh reality that is primal life!
I would certainly be for continuing, but I don't think i'd be as forgiving for bad decisions [such as attempting to domesticate a swarm of compies; that won't succeed if I start the rp up again. They'll just die a death of a thousand wounds.]

I really enjoyed DMing the game, I just got burnt out having to try and track 3+ sets of characters when I should have just thrown deadly scenarios at anyone trying to pull a loner life. It became frustrating as I couldn't move the story along plot-wise except with one person, while the main group still needed steering which I couldn't give since I was so divided >.<.

So i'll certainly look into rebooting/continuing it... but beware: You will die easily if you rely entirely on how you normally think!

Thank you, by the way, for this review.

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Re: GM Feedback thread

Post by BadgeAddict » Sat Feb 15, 2014 7:18 pm

Quick question....Who does a 3d art line mine? I faintly remember one person who did a 3d-ish game but no others.

The reason i ask is kind of embarrassing actually...I can't draw flat pictures, the engineer in me fights with the budding artist.

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Re: GM Feedback thread

Post by spiderwrangler » Sat Feb 15, 2014 8:57 pm

LooksAtYouFunny wrote:(Please, mention those who is not on the list, this is only those who are registred GMs, and I'd like to add people as they come... also for others to use)
Since he's not on there, willpell.
His 'The Forest' was the first forum game I ever joined (partly because I didn't make the cut on Theis2's Shipwrecked, and ThroughtheWell alerted me that Willpell was taking signups). It is DnD based, and we started at 9th level, developing characters ahead of time, and WP was very willing to work with each of us to create the character we wanted to play. He then crafted an incredibly detailed world to insert those characters into and provided us with a compelling story to bring us together as a party. The entire game is written (no pictures), but the level of his writing makes it easy to bring it to life in my mind. The downside is the pace... we ended up with 3 players, one of which has been in a werebear form and unable to communicate since sometime last summer. Personal issues on the part of a number of participants slowed things significantly, and one player ended up leaving. Now we are down to my surly, social pariah of a wood elf ranger and the werebear... neither of which are the best at furthering dialogue. I'm not sure what WP's thoughts are on adding players, but I would like to see this game get revitalized and continue for quite some time. I've become pretty invested in the character I've developed for this game and would love for it to go further!

Theis2 - despite not making the first cut on shipwrecked, when a few players left early on, I was able to make it off the short list to join. As mentioned by a few others, I love the approach by the other players... and Theis's willingness to go alone with whatever our band of misfits decides sounds like a 'good' idea... (also looking for one player... join us in our quest to make TL's character a mighty Mushroom Paladin!) I do like that it feels more organic than the other turn based games, in that players talk back and forth and do different things and for the most part have free range to do whatever, whenever, rather than only having a set number of actions they can take each turn. That may be the source of the only knock I have against the way T2 runs it, in that it can be sporadic at times, if players don't have ideas or neglect to post, the lack of a turn schedule can leave things sitting for extended periods of time, while (presumably) Theis2 waits for us to do something, and we wait for each other to do something. (now that I'm thinking of it, that may be part of hte issue with The Forest as well)

ThinksLogically - After stumbling upon and reading both the Island and Mountain straight through within the last few months, I knew I wanted to get in on one or both of these games if the opportunity arose. I ended up controlling Splits in Lair of the Mountain King (until he gets reclaimed), and so far have had a good time dumping bodies, setting off traps, killing and skinning owlbears, and now he gets to be a Mergoblin! I appreciate the level of diversity and creativity that go into TL's games, and the set turn schedule (not sure how she get's that many for both games each week) give me a reliable basis to know that at least 3 times a week I'll be doing something for Mountain. The number of times TL has had to skip an update is largely due to not having enough actions posted. I also really like the 'try anything you are interested in' type skill growth.

Badger Addict - >:D - GAL III was billed as a 'more puzzle, less fighting', and it's delivered. Nice twist too! Not gonna spoiler it, read the story if you want to know! Best part by far is the pace. Pretty much BA posts as fast as we can give him actions to respond to... which is a pretty good endorsement for the drawing software he mentioned.

I've been thinking of trying to develop a game... something I never would have contemplated before taking part in these. Thanks all!

I should also give some props to ECR... I never would have tried to join a game if not for enjoying reading his Stonetear games! So thanks ECR, wherever you might be!
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WearsHats
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Re: GM Feedback thread

Post by WearsHats » Sun Feb 16, 2014 12:37 am

LooksAtYouFunny wrote:And of course my friend, that you will also get! I simply had not looked close at the list... seems a lot of people are missing from it...

Yeah, the list is self-selected. I haven't really felt I'd earned my place there, anyway. And, of course, it's missing people from previous forums who haven't come back to the latest incarnation (which is a shame), but who have run memorable games (some of which have laid the foundations for excellent games running now).
"I will seek them out! I will find them! And I will show them all" <<- That is a sentence I must use in a game somewhere!
Yes, yes you must.

(Hmm. Wonder if someone can run a Girl Genius game...)
Also, if nothing else, I made a mini review of sorts in the requirement for TheSedated, your game is mentioned there!
Yes, I saw that. Thank you. And thank you again for the PM a while back, which is what made me start this thread in the first place.
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Re: GM Feedback thread

Post by nikohl » Sun Feb 16, 2014 4:00 am

I miss Haragorn.

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Re: GM Feedback thread

Post by LooksAndSmiles » Sun Feb 16, 2014 4:33 am

nikohl wrote:I miss Haragorn.
And Warlock. And ECR. And LoneStarNorth. The latter one gives all the goodies to people on his own forum. Unfair, I say! :D
Inventing forum games since '10 ...
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Re: GM Feedback thread

Post by thinkslogically » Sun Feb 16, 2014 4:36 am

nikohl wrote:I miss Haragorn.
Yeah those games of his were cool. I still have them in my obsidian portal profile in the hopes that maybe one day they'll get picked back up again, but I think he'd probably have come back by now if that was going to happen...

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Re: GM Feedback thread

Post by Godbot » Sun Feb 16, 2014 9:46 am

WearsHats wrote:
"I will seek them out! I will find them! And I will show them all" <<- That is a sentence I must use in a game somewhere!
Yes, yes you must.

(Hmm. Wonder if someone can run a Girl Genius game...)
The way I see it, that could go one of two ways: either one person is a badass Spark, and everyone else is mundane but decent at something, which probably wouldn't be much fun for your average player, or everyone is a Spark, but they're the sort of shitty kind.

Which I would be super on board with.

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Re: GM Feedback thread

Post by spiderwrangler » Sun Feb 16, 2014 10:42 am

Godbot wrote:
WearsHats wrote:
"I will seek them out! I will find them! And I will show them all" <<- That is a sentence I must use in a game somewhere!
Yes, yes you must.

(Hmm. Wonder if someone can run a Girl Genius game...)
The way I see it, that could go one of two ways: either one person is a badass Spark, and everyone else is mundane but decent at something, which probably wouldn't be much fun for your average player, or everyone is a Spark, but they're the sort of shitty kind.

Which I would be super on board with.
High potential for fumbling on a roll to build a device, with a long list of hilarious unintended consequences? A death ray that can only make burnt toast? A war clank that sings show tunes? A mechanical carriage that produces helium, giving the occupants squeaky voices?
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Re: GM Feedback thread

Post by WearsHats » Sun Feb 16, 2014 10:58 am

Alternatively, you could do it more Risk-like. Everyone is a spark, and a good one. But every player rules his or her own domain. Wars, alliances, trade deals, minion-stealing...

Or everyone is a young spark living in the Castle Wolfenbach nursery.

Or you have to chase down a bunch of intelligent rats for some reason.

Or it's BattleClanks! Sparks build clanks, which then face off against each other in the arena!

Or everyone is a moderately powerful spark sentenced to repair Castle Heterodyne.

Plenty of possibilities. But you'd need a good GM to build the story and the mechanics... and that's definitely not me.
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Re: GM Feedback thread

Post by spiderwrangler » Sun Feb 16, 2014 11:27 am

WearsHats wrote: Or everyone is a moderately powerful spark sentenced to repair Castle Heterodyne.

Plenty of possibilities. But you'd need a good GM to build the story and the mechanics... and that's definitely not me.
That would actually work really well for a skill leveling system that I've been working through in my head.... Hmmm... Not sure whether I'd be able to pull it ....
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Re: GM Feedback thread

Post by nikohl » Sun Feb 16, 2014 3:12 pm

The only game off that list I could see a way to run (personally), would be BattleClanks. Run it sort of like "robot wars" - you have a certain amount of 'spark points' to build a robot, then they face off in an arena... but I think the first several tries would be basically playtesting the value of the planned add-ons, and it'd be pretty easy to work out a combo that beats everything else in the arena... you know like in that Spore-like game, where you compete with other creatures based on whether you're a carnivore, a herbivore, a fast breeder, a slow breeder, a tanky heavy thing or a little light fast thing etc. It'd be fun for about ten minutes but overall I think possibly not work in the long term.

Girl Genius themed roleplaying would be pretty awesome, and I'd happily moderate something with that theme if people wanted to see it - but it'd be Cavemen:SotF style, roleplay heavy and GM input light. It would have to be very player driven otherwise I'd not have the time to sink into it.

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Re: GM Feedback thread

Post by Nerre » Mon Feb 17, 2014 9:53 am

Theonewhoisodd
Dawn of the worlds! I loved this concept, I know it was not yours, but you brought it to my attention, and for that I thank you! I hope to one day see it continue!
I ran two of those games in the old forum until too many people dropped out. Even after I sped up the world generation a threefold, people still left. In the end I stopped when about 50% of the players were gone. I think it was early 2012 (and the second goblins forum for me).

@Nikohl.
Girl genious would have a heavy balancing problem, cause everybody is a genius and often devices appear out of nowhere ore are made in seconds in a way that would shame McGuyver. You really would have to work with spark points, time, minions and other things as ressouces. I read girl genious even before goblins, I really thought about how to do such a thing but it got too complex every time.
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Re: GM Feedback thread

Post by Alaen » Mon Feb 17, 2014 1:21 pm

If there's interest in a mad Science! game I want to point to Genius: the Transgression. It's a fan game set in the New World of Darkness and is also about crazy inventors. It's also pretty fleshed out for a fan game.

However the rules might be too complex for some and play by post is a bit slow for this kind of game.
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Re: GM Feedback thread

Post by Nerre » Tue Feb 18, 2014 12:56 am

Thanks for the ruleset. Downloaded it. :D
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Re: GM Feedback thread

Post by spiderwrangler » Tue Feb 18, 2014 5:25 pm

spiderwrangler wrote:
WearsHats wrote: Or everyone is a moderately powerful spark sentenced to repair Castle Heterodyne.
That would actually work really well for a skill leveling system that I've been working through in my head.... Hmmm... Not sure whether I'd be able to pull it ....
Ok, I'm doing this. I definitely will be looking for feedback from my players!
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Re: GM Feedback thread

Post by Patdragon » Wed Mar 05, 2014 1:22 am

ok, as Ive just finished was my first pbp DM-ing (GAL - Quest 2 ) and I do plan to do another Quest at some point... Any feedback from this quest would be great....

Things I know I need to do already are
- learn how to use gimp and layers.... using paint was awkward and i kept having to redraw some things a some aspects changed, some things degraded which was unfortunate side effect (i am going to read through the God school posts).
- I was coping Thinks's style and sprites and that is a tough person to follow (Just finished reading the Island). I do like the style so I think I will follow it for now anyway.

any other comments please pm me or leave message here
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Re: GM Feedback thread

Post by thinkslogically » Wed Mar 05, 2014 2:37 am

I really liked it :) You had a good balance of danger and puzzles (even though you lost a player mid-way through) and it seemed like your players were having a good time too which is the most important thing. Your scenes had loads of character, and you kept the whole game light-hearted and fun.

On a technical note - a lot of your scenic areas had 'fuzzy' edges where you'd drawn them with the paintbrush tool - if you want to avoid that and keep sharp edges then you need to use the pencil. It's not a big deal, but means you'll get a 'proper' fill when you use the paintbucket. Also, if you save your files at '.png' filetypes you won't see the 'blocking' effect you get with jpegs (especially if you're resaving the same file repeatedly). Jpeg files lose quality but pngs don't.

It's cool you're wanting to use GIMP, but it can be a pain in the ass to get to grips with. I think the layers function makes up for a lot of it, but remember you can always draw backgrounds or items in Paint if you want to and then copy them to new layers in GIMP. Depends if you prefer a gentle introduction or to just jump right on in!

As for style, the problem with using someone else's is that it will always feel like someone else's to some extent! There are other sprite types in the Resources area you could play around with if you like (a bit extra effort) or you could go the whole hog and start designing your own (see lesson 8 in the God School). Depends on how much time you feel like investing really!

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