Let's look at some rules we've used in the past but may or may not be using now. Are we still using Trademark Move? In a word, no. It's 1 point for a +1 to a very specific combo. Only a couple of PCs use such a combo, and even then, they vary it up based on circumstances. So it's just easier to say no, we're not using that anymore. I'm not willing to have people pick a "best case" scenario that factors in the +1, pay 1 point for it, and then use it only when it's the best option . . . and then modify it anytime their skill increases, and ignore it whenever they quaff an Agility potion to in ..read more

This is expanding on Rules & Rulings for Session 203. Do DF Felltower foes play by the rules? Yes. Why not cheat? I'm the GM. I define the parameters of the world. I literally have unlimited bad guys. I have unlimited points in my budget. I have unlimited access to equipment in the game world. I can impose any limitations I want on the PCs up to what the players will tolerate and still come back to the next game session. So why would I need to cheat? All Felltower NPCs aren't built with a point budget. Basically, only PCs are hirelings are, although occasionally I'll build an NP ..read more

Another busy week is coming to a close, but I did have time to check these out and recommend them: - Color me interested by Against the Darkmaster, discussed a bit here. Except I never played MERP, I liked Rolemaster. - I always wonder about the best ways to do this kind of "vastness." How do you give people a chance to fill in a hex map by exploring the nooks and crannies, yet also show them what they can see far away? Give the rough outline, even the terrain, but make sure it's clearly not explored yet. My mapping vocabulary isn't up to that. - I stumbled upon this in my bookmarks of thin ..read more

Rules & Rulings from last session! Can you Wait until someone else's turn ends? Essentially, can you hold your turn until later in the sequence, usually to ensure you get to surpress defenses before someone (or after someone else has done so)? Yes, but the trigger needs to be concrete - after so-and-so attacks is okay, but not "after so-and-so goes" or "just before so-and-so goes." It is also subject to the same rules for Wait as written. I don't have any real issue with essentially changing your initiative order permanently to later, but GURPS doesn't allow that, and I'm not willing to ..read more

Actual Date: 1/12/2025 Game Date: 12/12/2024 Weather: Cold, clear, dry. Characters Chop, human cleric (301 points)       Brother Quinn, human initiate (125 points) Duncan Tesadic, human wizard (335 points) Hannari Ironhand, dwarf martial artist (316 points)       Amlaric, human squire (125 points) Persistance Montgomery (303 point knight) Thor Halfskepna, human knight (306 points)       Leon the Eye, human archer (125 points)       Aaron, Brandon, Cedric, Dortmund, Ernie, Ferd, Grunlark, and Ha ..read more

Friday roundup! - A pretty cool paint job on this Reaper Miniatures shoggoth - Over on Don't Forget Your Boots, I read Out With The Old, In With The Gnu Too-different character concepts is a tough problem to overcome. I've gone as far as making meta-game pronouncements to ensure everyone has some reason to be together to avoid that problem. Even then, you get the guy who wants to run a fanatical holy warrior and the guy who wants to run an undead-making necromancer and yet still play together.* The other issue he mentions is skill-boosting. High skills are part of the fun of my game, too ..read more

One rule that I find annoys me the longer I play GURPS is entries on the hit location table that say "[1] Miss by 1 hits torso instead." Why? - it slows play, even if only because everyone says, "Does a miss by 1 hit torso?" No one can seem to remember (it's eye, skull, face, groin, neck, vitals, and that's it.) - it causes edge cases, like rolling a 17 to hit the vitals (a 17 always misses) when you have a 16 to hit. Does that miss? A 17 always misses. Does it hit the torso? It's a miss by 1, and a miss by 1 hits torso. What about Chinks in Armor? Does that count as the underlying location ..read more

I linked to an interesting article on ancient and medieval coins vs. fantasy gold coins over on ACOUP. Felltower uses devalued currency compared to standard DF. I use a silver standard, but gold coins appear in numbers. There are a few reasons for that: - Felltower is more Renaissance / Pre-Modern than Medieval or Ancient. - Felltower doesn't feature a true vassalage system, or a gifting culture in general. - Modern expectations are not to be given gifts with social expectations attached, but to be paid. At least modern, US expectations. - Devalued currency with gold coins thrown about ar ..read more

It's a Felltower Sunday, so I spent a bit of a time working on maps. I have a nice book of 4 squares to the inch graph paper from someone recently (thank you!) and turned it into a "fine detail for Felltower" map book. I've been working on the levels far ahead of where the PCs have been going. It's a relaxing way to spend the afternoon, drawing up maps of locations the PCs will get to eventually. That's pretty much what I've been doing each week. If I don't have any other Felltower work to do, I do some close-in maps to be ready for future play. To aid this, I bought a few more tools: - a ..read more

Getting started off on 2025's weekly comments and links. - Rob has been up to a lot at Bat in the Attic Games. - I don't include enough corrupt law enforcers in my fantasy games. Not by half. Not after reading this post about some. - An Acoup post about gold coins? Hell yes. I tend to over-think my coins in fantasy games. And I posted a fair bit this week, in the lulls around the holiday ..read more