Christopher Weeks has made a random generator for zero level characters, using background packs written by Chris...

Christopher Weeks has made a random generator for zero level characters, using background packs written by Chris Bennett. Many thanks to both of them!

Since we're oop, some of you might be interested in this copy of MMZ for sale/trade (from Scotland):...

Since we're oop, some of you might be interested in this copy of MMZ for sale/trade (from Scotland): https://plus.google.com/110222677595106243956/posts/3zsH4AfYrcZ

I had this idea that if you choose to start with magic training, you got two named spells/effects.

I had this idea that if you choose to start with magic training, you got two named spells/effects. That's not actually IN MM though, is it? I'm just thinking of Whitehack, right?

I made this the other day in an attempt at positive procrastination. Worth doubling the character sheet size for?

I made this the other day in an attempt at positive procrastination. Worth doubling the character sheet size for?
https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1JNXBP0ZmosOCvddvLQrnafmM8YFE1mj4Z7cFUGES8Ec/edit?usp=drivesdk

Does anyone have a good set of questions to ask a group of players to collaboratively create a setting?

Does anyone have a good set of questions to ask a group of players to collaboratively create a setting? I'm familiar with the Freebooters of the Frontier method for fantasy but I want something more genre-neutral.

I think this is perfect for MM since it can handle most everything out of the box.

Here's a mix of encounter and exploration dR table.

Here's a mix of encounter and exploration dR table. Roll a d4 alongside it and you get a situation. From a forgotten potion to an ambush by the main faction, with a few clues and durations in the mix.

What do you think?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0vn6vh8h4vpytxm/Dungeon%20dR%20%28MM%29%20-%20Example.pdf?dl=0

Swords will break - and characters too.

Swords will break - and characters too.

The Morale dR is initially linked to your Wisdom.
After those events, roll your dR.
1. 24hours adventuring
2. Death of someone in your party (including followers)
3. Near Death Experience
Once your Morale dR has gone, you are a broke man - you've got a disadvantage on just about anything.
To get your Morale up, you need to do something relaxing like parenting, sexing, boozing, praying, whatever suits your PC; your Morale dR increases a rank for each full day relaxing.

Thoughts about events you think should trigger a Morale test, about alternative consequences (plain disadvantage on everything is boring), about ideas to recover?

U-Con in Michigan.

U-Con in Michigan.

Originally shared by Brett Slocum

My Macchiato Monsters game went well. Tomb the Iron God. I didn't kill anybody though tried. And the goblin who lived. The most outlandish Trait was Monk. No half-golems, though I mentioned the term twice.

Played a Tekumel game with Lamentations the Flame Princess run by John Till​. Sooooo many demons. And we killed 6 of them. I should have memorized Summon.

Running Tomb of the Iron God with MM at U-Con in Michigan this weekend.

Running Tomb of the Iron God with MM at U-Con in Michigan this weekend.

Originally shared by Brett Slocum

So tomorrow I head off to U-Con in Ypsilanti Michigan. I'll be running three games.

Friday at 9am: I'm running the Tomb of the Iron God using Macchiato Monsters rules. (OSR Track)

While traveling through a town, you hear a rumor about a monastery out of town that was hit by lightning over a hundred times during a single thunderstorm.

Saturday at 9am: Beneath the Mound, a Tekumel underworld adventure using The Petal Hack. (Tekumel Track)

A fresh underworld is known only to your clan. You have a map and notes, and priests to study a temple of Chiténg there. Your clan wants you to continue exploration. A sequel to Avanthe's Ample Bosom from last year.

Sunday 2pm: The Striving, a Tekumel underworld adventure using The Petal Hack. (Tekumel Track)

Renyu, a race of canine humanoids, become adults at 8 years old in your tribe of wild Renyu. It's time for the Bak-Chor, the Striving. The tribe's 8 year olds will be left in the jungle to survive. If one fails, they all fail.

In the next few months, I want to playtest some procedures for travel and exploration.

In the next few months, I want to playtest some procedures for travel and exploration.

If I was to run two-hour Flailsnails sessions with a short notice, would you want to get the invites? I'd be able to run during the day to accommodate the GMT challenged among you.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Tesla_colorado_adjusted.jpg

Eric Nieudan can you tease us with hints of what's gonna be in the new version of MM?

Eric Nieudan can you tease us with hints of what's gonna be in the new version of MM?

Everyone's a caster!

Everyone's a caster!

I'm reading a lot of spell books these days, as I like to incorporate weird magicks into my games. I usually let PCs with magic training learn the spells they find on scrolls without having to spend a progression slot for them, but what about other characters? Here's an idea:

Between adventures (1), check INT, WIS, or CHA depending of the type of spell. On a pass, you learn the spell. The scroll is destroyed in any case.

To cast a known spell without magical training:
- you cannot spend more HP than your level
- you always roll with disadvantage
- should you let ambient chaos interfere, the dR is rolled with disadvantage.

(1) if your campaign has strict time records, this should take a number of days proportional to the spell's power. (Like 1 day per spell level if you lifted it from a classic source.)

The Big Traits List

The Big Traits List

You know how hard it is sometimes to come up with a fun trait for your character? Maybe a huge list to choose form or roll on would help. I compiled the traits of all the characters in my campaigns (including the one I'm just a player in), and I'll go through notebooks and convention folders as well. There are already 102 traits - can we make it to 200 with your own contributions?

(I think it would be more fun to have traits that have already been written on a character sheet, whether it has seen play or not. Feel free to disregard, but please specify if you're posting traits you just came up wit.)

Here's the current list:
Alchemist
Anti-undead league
Apprentice castigator
Apprentice necromancer
Archer
Assassin
Astral smuggler
Astral plane explorer
Astral walker
Astrologist
Avatar of Justice and Wisdom
Bearfolk shaman
Black draconian
Blades ace
Bounty hunter
Brain in a jar
Bunker 666 citizen
Caravan guards brotherhood
Celestial Temple Order
Church of the Cross Bun
Den Tah Goul initiate
Diplomat
Docker
Doppelgänger
Elf
Entertainer
Etheral cartographer
Ex-Chained soldier
Exorcist
Explorer
Falotier of the Great Library
Footman
Forgotten Thulian jailer
Former gang member
Former leper
Former priestess of Xtrofor
Frogman of doom
Game keeper
General in the Crimson Crusades
Grave robber
Greyhawk clan
Guild of traveling entertainers
Half-elf
Half-giant
Hawkperson
Healthy carrier of the deathplague
Highwayman
Hunter
Illusionist
Initiate of the Shamanic Brotherhood
Journeyman alchemist of the Cascadine Order
Knight
Lizardfolk
Mantris
Monster hunter
Nobleman
Norseman
Now a stone golem
Orc
Paladin of Assana
Patrolman of Pénitence
Peddler
Penitent
Pilgrim of Saint Gladiolus
Poor lonesome space cowboy
Preacher
Priestess of Lex
Prince of Gox
Psi-knight
Psychopomp genet
Pyromaniac goblin
Ranger
Ratfolk
Renegade Monk
Reptile
Robot
Scavenger
Second-story man
Sergeant of arms
Shapechanger
Shugenja
Son of an alchemist
Sorcerer
Street urchin
Surgeon
Templar of Assana
Thief
Three-headed hellhound
Thulian scout
Thulian standard bearer
Trader
Trappers guild
Trash elf
Traveler of the Carmine Guild
Tribunal's envoy
Troblin
U.G.L.Y. syndicate leader
Unnoticed
Wallpiercer
Winger messenger
Young space cadet
Zealot of Shargaash

There's still room. :-)

There's still room. :-)

Originally shared by Tore Nielsen


''It's the kind of scar on this city we'd like to remove, because it's a symbol for all the wrong things we don't advocate anymore - it's a segregation of the poor, of race, of economics''.

Robert J. Ryan , director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority, 198x

It's Halloween in the Columbia Points housing projects. There is little shelter from the chill in the tiny apartments and gray courts. Many of the crumbling buildings are empty now, their windows like blind eyes in the gathering gloom. There will be a new housing project they say. It'll be mixed-income they say. Dollars to donuts that doesn't include your income level

This is the night of masks. A night to forget about the cold and the bleak prospects, with the help of candy, booze, and horror.

Owner of a Lonely Heart is a horror-action one-shot set in the 1980s. It uses Macchiato Monsters and the Espresso Eighties hack.
events/c29s2ufrs3u2uoerultp6qpea8o?authkey=CJbttYzQv8b39wE

If you are in the market for lightweight tool for helping you run RPGs online, you might be interested in Roll For...

Originally shared by Shane Liebling

If you are in the market for lightweight tool for helping you run RPGs online, you might be interested in Roll For Your Party!

Features:
* Just point anyone you want to join to the same URL - no logins necessary.
* You can move the dice around and everyone will see you doing so!
* ROLL ALL THE DICE!!! Support for all standard sized dice, DCC dice (click the checkbox for “funky dice”), and arbitrary die sizes (XdY) (plus support for modifiers)
* Tokens: doubleclick (aka reroll) them to mark them (or change to white color), do it again to undo.
* Playing cards: deal out playing cards openly, or use the “hidden draws” feature to have them hidden from all other users until you select and reveal them.
* Labels: want to label someone’s set of dice? Want to notate someone having a Condition? Create a label!
* Images: want to have pictures of your characters or a map to move tokens around on? Do it.
* Want to use your own set of cards? Float over the “Add custom set” button for info on how to do it.
* Clocks! Running a game for a bunch of scoundrels and you want to make sure they know how much progress they are making on something? Give em a clock. Scoundrels love clocks. (Click to advance, long press to roll back.)
* Safety Tools! Buttons for using John Stavropoulos​' X-Card and Brie Sheldon's Script Change tools (Give a reason, or don’t - but all other browsers will be alerted - and no one has to know who did it.)
* If you are wondering about how something works - float your mouse over the button and wait for the informational tooltip!

If you have any issues or feature requests, head over to https://github.com/shanel/roller/issues
https://rollforyour.party/

Sharing this here in case some of youse don't follow me.

Sharing this here in case some of youse don't follow me. (Which I'm perfectly okay with of course, you fucking monsters.)

Originally shared by Eric Nieudan

I'll be running a point crawl for the next episode of Dangers & Décisions, so I'm looking at the wilderness procedure again. This has less areas than the dungeon template, and I've fiddled with the population types as well.

So far I have (in decreasing encounter probability):
- Faction leader (in charge of the whole place)
- Invaders (outsiders that are hostile to the local faction)
- Faction members
- Locals (whether they are aligned with the faction or not)
- Predators (animals, beasts, monsters...)
- Danger (natural or magical)
- Animals (less dangerous than the predators, can be hunted)
- Visitors (peaceful or non-aligned outsiders)
- Danger (same as above - should I make two different ones?)
- Prisoners (either escaping or still in chain)
- Pests (annoying but not necessarily deadly)
- Rebels (potential ally from the faction)

I have yet to draw a map and see if I can put all these encounters in a location in a believable way. In the mean time, what do you think of the population categories? Am I missing something obvious that you'd find in overground sandboxes.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qnsr12ez9klmvaa/Overland%20Template%20v2.pdf?dl=0

Since it is October, I want to run an action-horror Hangout game set in the 1980s.

Since it is October, I want to run an action-horror Hangout game set in the 1980s. I'm thinking somewhere between the 22nd and 31st.

Let me know if you're interested.

Btw, I updated my Espresso Eighties hack-sheet. Now it includes Evlyn M's idea about beliefs and proclivities as armor. I also cleared up some dumb typos.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4XPsApBrOnLQ1dEQVRaSXYwRGM/view?usp=sharing

Guys, tips for designing boss fights?

Guys, tips for designing boss fights? I love the simplicity of monster design but I'm gonna run Castle Gargantua with custom enemies and bosses and would like to know how to make them more interesting.

I don't get how do Reactions and Morales roll work.

I don't get how do Reactions and Morales roll work.
Why is the reaction roll a dR? I get it for the morale roll (morale falls), but do you roll it at the very start of the encounter or when it's appropriated (massive damage, intimidation, whatever)?

Here's another one while I'm at it.

Here's another one while I'm at it. Has this been tested at high levels much ? I'm wondering if the "disadvantage because he got more HD than you" doesn't break down with big monster. After all, an ogre with 4HD has more HD and a dragon with 20 HD has more HD. So your chances to hit either are identical if you have less HD than either. I realise that's the simulationist me speaking, but it disturbs me a little.

So here's a question regarding level ups, specifically for those with magic training.

So here's a question regarding level ups, specifically for those with magic training.

- does the component / focus dR change when levelling up ? (I assume it doesn't, but it seems a bit weird that a super powerful magician would still roll a dR4 or dR6 for this. I default the focus to dR6 for beginning characters BTW.

I see a lot of questions re: specialist training and spells, so I thought I would share those of our new Dungeon,...

I see a lot of questions re: specialist training and spells, so I thought I would share those of our new Dungeon, Inc. campaign if it's of interest (and for comments):

Specialist Training

Gnorman's Unpredictable Explosions : if lobbed at an enemy, they cause d12 damage to a single target on a successful DEX roll, d4 otherwise. If set against an obstacle, they blast through it (within reason). If used in an instant fashion they cause an unexpected result on a 1-3 on the d12. If set to explode later, they cause an unexpected result on a 1-6. Unexpected effects are usually not in Gnorman's favour.

Zolark's Insanely Bureaucratic: when he uses the power, he finds a loophole in the company's regulations that get him off the hook. Using this power increases his suspicion score by 1 however. (This is very specific to Dungeon, Inc.)

Ssservalax's Malodorous Secretions: when she uses the power, everyone within a reasonable range becomes nauseous from the smell (except creatures with no sense of smell) and are at a disadvantage on all rolls. Lasts for D8 rounds. Ssservalax is not affected.

Toad's Shapeshifting: Toad takes the shape of a man wolf. He rips through his clothes and might damage his armour (roll armour dR as if defending from damage, if 1-3 comes up, the armour is damaged). He can still use melee weapons and does all such attacks as well as physical feats with an advantage. Any DEX, INT, WIS or CHA roll is at a disadvantage. Lasts until the power is used again to revert to human shape.

Spells

Gnorman's Grease: Makes all surfaces slippery in close proximity to Gnorman. Lasts d6 rounds. Cost: 3 hp.

Gnorman's Darkness: Plunges the area in close proximity to Gnorman in natural darkness. Lasts d6 rounds. Cost: 3 hp.

Title

Macchiato Monsters Turn Sequence

Sooo, it has become clear that some referees find it hard to run combat in MM (looks intently at Benoît FELTEN and his HK crew). Initiative-less fights come naturally to me, but maybe they don't to you. So I've made an effort to articulate what happens in my head when I run an action sequence.

1. Start of the turn. The referee describes: the location, the threats, the monsters and what they do (especially who they target, and with how many attacks if necessary). The general situation must be clear to everyone.
2. The first character gets to act - the referee asks their player what they would like to do
¤ Who acts first often depends on the situation. The referee should ask themselves what would happen first. What's more pressing to resolve before the rest can be reevaluated? Who's in front? Who has a crossbow ready to shoot? Who's fallen into the piranha pit?
¤ The character's precise circumstances are made clear by the referee, including risks taken and possible consequences.
3. The character's turn is resolved with a check. Damage is dealt, consequences described.
4. The next character acts.
¤ This should be in order of fictional importance. If there's no emergency or obvious priority, the referee can just go around the table or battle map.
¤ The referee describes the character's precise circumstances, especially if a previous character's turn has had consequences that changed the situation. They might not be shot at anymore, or a spell gone awry may represent a new threat.
5. Repeat 3 and 4 until everyone has had their turn.
6. Have all NPCs done something? If not, the referee describes what they do and gives whoever is affected a chance to react - this can involve an out-of-sequence check, for instance to avoid an attack or spell.
7. End of the turn. The referee updates the description and starts the next turn - go back to 1.

MM referees, does this look familiar to you? Or do you make it happen an entirely different way?

Hey again guys!

Hey again guys! I have yet another question. First, when creating a character, it says armor, hit dice and combat mastery should all be d6. If I get a leather armor (which is rd4), should I step down my d6 armor? Is d6 the default for unarmored characters or why does it starts as d6?

Eric Nieudan for Roll20, I think I have seen a macro to roll all 6 characteristics at once when creating a new PC,...

Eric Nieudan for Roll20, I think I have seen a macro to roll all 6 characteristics at once when creating a new PC, but I don't how to use it in a freshly created Roll20 board (it might not even be available, maybe it was only in your board).
Is there a way to use/install it?

Hello again!

Hello again! Guys, a question regarding abilities... By default they are used in a daily basis, but, can't they also be used per encounter or depending on the situation? I'm taking inspiration from various OSR classes to make my abilities; rogues have sneak attacks, fighters can parry, clerics can turn undead... Even in games like Shadowrun Deckers can access the matrix and do tricks, as well as Adepts. Any tips on balancing this out? Thanks and happy rolling!

Guys, why some weapons like the spear have damage divided with a slash like d6/d6?

Question about "specialist training": One of the examples given is "twin weapons." Do you think that means…

Question about "specialist training": One of the examples given is "twin weapons." Do you think that means…

a) Once a day, you can make an attack without a check as long as you're holding a weapon in each hand.

b) Once a day, you can make all your attacks without a check as long as you're holding a weapon in each hand.

c) All the time, you can hold a weapon in each hand just to have more options for what you use to attack (like maybe one dagger with a frost enchantment and another with a fire enchantment), and people who don't have this specialist training can't do that.

d) Something else?

Right: here's the two-faction dR chart.

Right: here's the two-faction dR chart. I don't think it'll end up in a book, as it takes up a lot of space and doesn't do anything special.

A regular, 12-entry dR table is probably the way to go. Watch this space.

Factions risk dice: do you use them?

Factions risk dice: do you use them?

I've made a table to interpret bad rolls during ref prep (it is sitting in my computer at home - I'll post it later). I could extend it to include suggestions for faction moves if there's any interest.

Alternate fast travel

Alternate fast travel

Start by estimating the number of days the journey will take. Roll the die type closest to that number, rounding up. (For example an 11-day trip would be a d12, while a 13-day one would be a d20.)

You roll once on the Events Table, plus once for each condition below (maximum one roll per day of expected travel).
- Not enough rations*. The party will have to hunt, forage, or scavenge
- No guide or detailed, current map
- Forced march (the party will cover more than the normal distance every day)
- Night travel
- Difficult terrain
- Heavy equipment or slow animals
- No wilderness expertise in the party

* Rations and food are assumed to last a number of days equal to the maximum result of their dR.
Good ideas, equipment, special abilities and the like can sometimes cancel one roll.
On the maximum result, add that number to the next roll. This is cumulative (after getting 4 twice on a d4, you roll d4+8).

Events Table
1. Ambush (or nothing in safer regions)
2. Waylaid d3 days
3. Encounter: close
4. Encounter: far
5. Lost resource (preferably a common one, otherwise from a randomly chosen character)
6. Discovery: safe (inn, resource, clue...)
7. Discovery: dangerous (dungeon, lair, threat...)
8. Excellent campsite
9. Shortcut: saved one day
10. Waylaid d6 days*
11-12. Accident: something is lost or breaks
13-15. Injury: a random party member takes d10 damage
16-18. Catastrophe: everyone loses d4 random items.
19-22. Waylaid d10 days*
23-25. Disease: d4 random party members are sick
26-28. Death: a random NPC or animal is killed. If there are none, a character gets maimed.
29. Weird: freak weather, mythical creature or godling, teleportation, etc.
30+. Encounter: beneficial

* Random waylays
1-2. Lost
3-4. Obstacle
5-6. Ran from a threat
7. Stopped to help travelers
8. Got captured but escaped

Arrange the events in the order you like best, then narrate them, going into details as needed.

Looking at a few modules (Dyson's Delve, Tomb of the Serpent Kings...) and there will some adaptation to use...

Looking at a few modules (Dyson's Delve, Tomb of the Serpent Kings...) and there will some adaptation to use Macchiato Monsters rules, and it's OK.
One question, though, about XP. If I am to put PCs in a dungeon, is their goal truly relevant? They are supposed to explore caves, gain treasure and avoid danger. So they will either choose one of those things as their goal (and some other XP system, based on loot for exemple, might work better) or not (and they won't progress at all while dungeoning).
Am I the only one with this issue (I have never been a GM)?

Reverse the chart, use the relevant dR (if PCs have a bad reputation, if the town is a dangerous one).

Reverse the chart, use the relevant dR (if PCs have a bad reputation, if the town is a dangerous one)... and you've got a quick and dirty NPC.

Originally shared by Michael Prescott

I have a problem with NPCs that are too easily duped by the players' transparent schemes. So, as a dose of self-medication, I present Thieves, Goats and Rubes.

http://blog.trilemma.com/2017/08/thieves-goats-and-rubes.html

Ditching followers stats

Ditching followers stats

I've been mulling this over for a while -- a conversation with John Grümph​​​ and a recent session where the PCs hired 20+ followers to clear out a dangerous dungeon helped mature my thoughts. So here it's what I'm going to test out at LasagnaCon this weekend.

Followers are defined by their risk die, their HP, their gear, and their special ability. When you want them to do something risky, roll their dR.
- On a 4+, they do it competently.
- On a 1-3, they manage just barely: partial success, consequences, etc. The dR is stepped down as usual.

In combat, a 4+ means the follower deals damage and avoids getting hit. With a 1-3, you choose whether they hit or avoid damage.

A follower whose dR is stepped down to nothing loses it: they run, hide, collapse, betray you, etc.

So that's less work (no roll under 10+dR, which is a bit draggy to be honest), and the followers' dR becomes even more important, which is really the point IMO. I may have to formalise rules for refreshing it, though.

Thoughts?

I had a great time playing Macchiato Monsters with Nathan Clark, Cédric Plante, and Trevor Hirst tonight.

I had a great time playing Macchiato Monsters with Nathan Clark, Cédric Plante, and Trevor Hirst tonight.

It was the second and final session, and our intrepid heroes won out against four alien monstrosities, and the machinations of the Devil and the Epicurean (who's sorta the Devil's counterpart from another universe).

Thanks, guys. :-)

Under Leveling Up, it states "Gain an ability, and an extra use for an existing one (specialist training required)."

Under Leveling Up, it states "Gain an ability, and an extra use for an existing one (specialist training required)."

Should that be "... or an extra use..."?

Tried making a character (for AA) using Cedric's idea (I'm still not entirely sure what to call it).

Tried making a character (for AA) using Cedric's idea (I'm still not entirely sure what to call it).

I think she can use it for her magic, but it won't help her when it goes wrong, or when the forces of darkness come collecting.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4XPsApBrOnLdmNiT25RSnFyeFE/view?usp=sharing

Evlyn's idea applied to Frappucino FutureFight (the violent murder-reality-show hack).

Evlyn's idea applied to Frappucino FutureFight (the violent murder-reality-show hack).
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4XPsApBrOnLY2oyeXBRWnA3ZDQ/view?usp=sharing

Spells: can you buy or find them?

Spells: can you buy or find them?

Do you MM referees allow magically trained characters to acquire new spells by means other than leveling up? Buy them or trade them, find them on scrolls or dead sorcerers' spellbooks, etc.

Thinking about faith and profane magic this morning, and it wouldn't be difficult to have different systems for both.

I've tried applying Cédric Plante's great idea (https://plus.google.com/u/0/+C%C3%A9dricPlante/posts/bboANDwVrK8) to...

I've tried applying Cédric Plante's great idea (https://plus.google.com/u/0/+C%C3%A9dricPlante/posts/bboANDwVrK8) to my Americano Anomalies (modern weirdness and poverty) hack.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4XPsApBrOnLM1lBQWR2eV9RY3c/view?usp=sharing

An optional rule for shorter, less deadly fights:

An optional rule for shorter, less deadly fights:

When you lose more than half your current hit points, check your CON to avoid going into shock or passing out.

*Edit* Another option

When your armour or shield protects you from damage that would have brought you to 0 hit points, make a CON check to avoid being knocked out.

The referee can allow you to check your CON again if the fight lasts or if someone helps you to your feet.

I seem to recall having read a discussion somewhere on an attempt at using dR as attribute stats (Str, Dex, etc).

I seem to recall having read a discussion somewhere on an attempt at using dR as attribute stats (Str, Dex, etc). But I can't find it. I would like to hear your thoughts on it.

This evening, I got the idea to cross the Eldritch Horror boardgame (Lovecraft/Cthulhu) and risk dice to hack a small RPG using risk dice as attributes. No hp. You can act as long as your attribute risk dice do not go below dR4 (exhaustion/vegetable/will-less/etc).

Then I thought maybe someone here had tried something similar and had some experiences to share...?

We're in the top 10%!

We're in the top 10%!

This is all thanks to your enthusiasm and dedication. Thanks so much peeps, I'm pouring a coffee to your health.

uncooked idea : sliding die. 1d4 < 1d6+2 < 1d8+4 < 1d10+6 < 1d12+8

uncooked idea : sliding die. 1d4 < 1d6+2 < 1d8+4 < 1d10+6 < 1d12+8

because I have been frustrated by to much overlap when using dR on random tables, and it fits neatly a 1-20 table.

probably a tad too complicated and not enough overlap

Macchiato Monsters Dungeon Template and Exploration Procedure

Macchiato Monsters Dungeon Template and Exploration Procedure
So I finally playtested that thing and it seemed to work. I'll do some more breaking in, but in the meantime here is a link if you're interested. Here is how it works.

Prep work:
- Draw/use a dungeon with at least 10 areas.
- Number them according to importance. This is important because you will roll the encounter risk die using the room numbers as a wandering monsters table.
- Populate. Use the words in grey as guidelines for the type of occupants or dangers. It's good to have even numbers so that you can roll the corresponding die for random encounters.
- Think of a cool event for when the dR is stepped down to nothing.
- Jot down a couple of ideas for unguarded resources or treasure.

Procedure:
- You start with an encounter die of dR12.
- Roll the dR on the table every time the characters spend time doing something, make noise, and enter empty areas.
- If you get an encounter, roll the dR again and use the room numbers. The PCs encounter a fraction of the room's occupants, or an effect of their presence.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ccpcl00qj39y3oi/DungeonTemplateMM.pdf?dl=0

Are there any other hacks/equipment lists you feel should exist?

Are there any other hacks/equipment lists you feel should exist?

This is what John Grümph​ calls the risk die in his Game Chef entry, Soulfire.

This is what John Grümph​ calls the risk die in his Game Chef entry, Soulfire.

We've talked about it and I'm not sure about the term condition, but I'm considering using the symbol ∆ instead of dR. It also feels more elegant to say "roll delta six" than "roll dee are six".

What do you think? Too late to change?

In which I generate a Repo Dwarf ...

Originally shared by Rob Barrett

In which I generate a Repo Dwarf ...

Just for fun number 3 (stop me when it's enough !!!).

Just for fun number 3 (stop me when it's enough !!!).


The Lying Wand of Gunnar the not funny at all.

Gunnar the not funny at all is a very powerful wizard who think that people who use magical artefacts don’t deserve to use magic.
So he created the Lying Wand to punish them and show them how ridiculous they are !

The Lying Wand is got only one power, the one to make his owner think that it’s a powerful artefact.
Each time someone wants to understand what wand is it, you roll the Lying Wand dR on the lies table.
Each time someone use the Lying Wand as a lie, he lose the HP and think he was wrong. It must be another wand…
The Lying Wand is so powerful that no one can understand that the problem comes from the wand. Everybody who uses it, thinks that he must study this thing more…
The only way to understand the truth is when the dR of the Lying Wand step down under d4.
At this moment, the Lying Wand disappear looking for another victim.

Maybe Gunnar the not funny at all has got a certain form of humour after all...


The lies table so 8 more wands...)

1- Wand of change (made by Klaus Scorpion the illusionnist)
Lose 2HP and take the appearance of someone else during d6 hours

2- Wand of the Red Rain (made by Piotr Gabriel the elementalist)
Lose 5HP and cast a fire rain on your enemies dealing d12 damages and inflaming what can be inflamed !

3- Wand of fury (made by Tokko Tai the mad priest)
Lose 3HP and choose a target. The target want to kill the closer person near him and doesn’t stop before succeeding.

4- Wand of creeping death (made by Lars Hammett the necromancer)
Lose 1HP by dead target and change them into level 1 zombie under your command.

5- Wand of the beetles summoning (made by Eleanor Rigby the druidess)
Lose 3HP and summon a swarm of beetles dealing d4 damages on an area during d8 turns (or d8 damages during d4 turns).

6- Wand of the dark Side of the Moon (made by Gig the great demonist)
Lose 4HP (or 6HP or 8HP) to summon a Mighty Non Euclidean Thing from outer space.
The Mighty Non Euclidean Thing doesn’t have HP but a dR for his stability in our world : d4 (if you spent 4HP) d6 or d8.
Each turn the Mighty Non Euclidean Thing deals 5d10 damages divided on targets chosen by the owner of the wand.
At the end of the turn, the Mighty Non Euclidean Thing roll is dR if dR step down under d4 it is banished from our reality.

7- Wand of Harvest (made by the young Niel, the hobbit cleric)
Lose 2HP and everybody you want regain all their HP and and delicious ham sandwich.

8- Wand of the final countdown (made by Joey Tempest the warlock)
Lose 3HP by target, roll a d6. The score is the number of turns before the targets died !

Just for fun number 2...

Just for fun number 2...

The Singing Belt of Approximate Wisdom was made by Djainké Lee, the famous bard with a gift of divination... or maybe by Frankseen Natrah, the famous soothsayer who love sing... I don't remember exactly but the Singing Belt of Approximate Wisdom is a very useful artefact !

Each time you ask for advice to the belt, it responds in singing (your MC should love...).
Any actions you do following the belt's advices are rolling with an advantage.
Any actions you do without following the belt's advices are rolling with disadvantage.

The number of uses is a dR equal to d6 (refresh each day or each game session).

Of course the Singing Belt of Approximate Wisdom only works when it's worn.
The wearer of the Singing Belt of Approximate Wisdom can not unwear it : it's not magical, in fact he can but if he does he loses his pans !

Just for fun…

Just for fun…

Few days ago, S’miss the almost demonist goblin and Waceson the too much engineer gnome tried to work together on the most powerful weapon of the universe or just a bloody devastating gun using the power of Infernal flames !
They did it… they died in doing it but they did it !
And now, the Hellfire Enormous Pistol of Insidious Chaos (HEPIC to be shorter) is waiting for a master !

The Hellfire Enormous Pistol of Insidious Chaos, made by S'miss and Waceson, is a hudge pistol spitting fire from the infernal plan with a little funny touch of chaos.
You use it with DEX… as any missile weapon.
You suffer of MC actions when you fail… as any missile weapon.
But when you succeed, all the chaotic demons of all the chaotic hells can’t stop themselves from smiling.
First you choose what dice you use for damages, there some scroll wheels with strange gnome runes on the size of the Pistol (d4 to d12).
Then you don’t apply directly the damage on your enemy, just look on the chaos table.

Chaos table of the Hellfire Enormous Pistol of Insidious Chaos (quite the same of the chaos table of the MMzero book)

1- A little present from Moloch the Children Eater
You deal no damage to your enemy and you regain 1 HP.
2- The wound of Astarté, Princess of War
You deal no damage to your enemy and your lose 2 HP.
3- The mutation of Baphomet the Evil Goat
You deal 3 damages to your enemy and receive a mutation, scar or oddity.
4- The distraction of Belzebuth, Lord of the Flies
You deal 4 damages to your enemy but make every roll with disadvantage until you have a full night’s sleep.
5- Drain of Béhémot the devourer
You deal 5 damages to your enemy but lose 5 points in a random stat. Recover 1 point per day.
6- Pyrotechnics of Baal, Commander of the 70 legions
You deal 6 damages to your enemy with loud, flashy and explosive effects… Maybe things can catch fire…
7- The stinginess of Astaroth the Hell’s treasurer
You deal 3 damages.
8- The excess of Asmodée the Roof Remover
You deal 8 damages but there is an annoying and negative side effect.
9- The price of Abraxas, Prince of Death
You deal 9 damages to your enemy and lose 9 HP ! Outch !
10- The patience of Méphistofélès, “the one who fears the light”
You deal 10 damages to your enemy but in 1d4 turns from now.
11- The generosity of Lilith, the Female of the Black Moon
You deal 11 damages to your enemy and 11 damages to another target. I told you it’s a powerful weapon !
12- The wrath of Abaddon the Exterminating Angel from the Abysm
You deal 24 damages to your enemy or 12 damages to an area. I told you it’s a bloody powerful weapon !
To finish, if the user of the Hellfire Enormous Pistol of Insidious Chaos has got the traits “demonist”, “gnome” or “engineer”, he rolls on the chaos table with advantage (two rolls, you choose the one he wants).
If the the Pistol is used against great forces of Hell or Chaos or in a powerful infernal or chaotic place, he rolls on the chaos table with disadvantage (two rolls, the MC choose the one he wants…ouhouhahah !!!!).



Sorry for all the english mistakes...
Sorry, I didn't take the time to make a drawing...

I promised another hack/equipment list, so here is my love letter to eighties movies.

I promised another hack/equipment list, so here is my love letter to eighties movies.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4XPsApBrOnLVzRfTUdKWThnWDQ/view?usp=sharing

Risk dice for specialist abilities?

Risk dice for specialist abilities?

What do you guys think about replacing the daily uses of specialist abilities by risk dice? They start at dR4 uses and you can step them up with a level up option.

Maybe I'd make these uses per session instead - I'm wary of d10 or d12 daily uses...

EDIT: I forgot half of my reasoning. You could use the ability dR for its effect: you roll for usage, and use the result for things like extra damage, number of targets, effect duration, etc.

Maragogype Modern is an equipment list for pulp, noir, World War II, jazz-era horror, early cold war etc.

Maragogype Modern is an equipment list for pulp, noir, World War II, jazz-era horror, early cold war etc.
It is a bit generic, since I've made it for my MacchiatoSnails game. I realized I didn't have one for (approximately) 1918-1955.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4XPsApBrOnLdV9vWEVEV05fYlU/view?usp=sharing

Are there more known hacks than the ones in Macchiato Midget?

Are there more known hacks than the ones in Macchiato Midget?
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B0FabNkczQcqQ045X3FWdnJzOU0

Second blog post "let's read" http://dieheart.net/lr-mmz-02/

Second blog post "let's read" http://dieheart.net/lr-mmz-02/

Originally shared by Sophia Brandt

A look at the basic mechanics of Macchiato Monsters ZERO #OSR #macchiatomonsters

http://dieheart.net/lr-mmz-02/
http://dieheart.net/lr-mmz-02/

An update on this game:

An update on this game:

It'll take place on July 15th at 9:30 (CET). I expect the game will take about three hours.

I'm gonna run it as a MacchiatoSnails game. Use the equipment lists in the book, or any of the hacks.
Your characters must be human though. have started their lives as humans (so cyborgs are fine, but orks are not). The idea is that your characters have been plucked from any number of alternate Earths.

Step right up.

Originally shared by Tore Nielsen

Ok, I wanna run a one-shot MM game (subtype to be determined). It will have to be US-friendly.

Do you wanna play, what do you wanna play, and which days are good for you?

Blogging about my first take on MM!

Appropriate dice?

Appropriate dice?
https://www.amazon.com/Latte-Halfsies-Dice-polyhedral-Coffee/dp/B01JJKBURI/ref=sr_1_7?m=A2CON5AITPURZZ&s=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1499050532&sr=1-7

How long does a risk die last (on average)?

How long does a risk die last (on average)?
I wanted to know for my ongoing blog post series (http://dieheart.net/lr-mmz-01/).
TBH steps down the die type on a roll of 1-2. MM on a 1-3.
https://codepen.io/sophiabrandt/full/OgzqzL/

Credit goes to Stefan Matthias Aust for the original TBH version: https://codepen.io/eibaan/full/zZxQzY/
Mine is just a simple fork where I changed one line of code and the text.
https://codepen.io/sophiabrandt/full/OgzqzL/

Printed yet unbound... Tonight's reading.

Printed yet unbound... Tonight's reading.

HIT PANTS

HIT PANTS
Best misreading of a spelling error
On p. 7 of the PDF (v1.1):
"If the new roll doesn't improve your hit ponts,"

The nature of the font made me read that as hit pAnts.
ROFL.

I think I might have cornered that dungeon procedure.

I think I might have cornered that dungeon procedure.

Jerome Larre​, let's playtest this!

First post of a series! Let's read!

First post of a series! Let's read!

Originally shared by Sophia Brandt

Let's give into Macchiato Monsters ZERO by Eric Nieudan​.
http://dieheart.net/lr-mmz-01/

Working on a hack with warbands.

Working on a hack with warbands. How do you play followers? Do you create a quick character sheet or do you use them only with minimal features like dR and traits?

Ok, I wanna run a one-shot MM game (subtype to be determined). It will have to be US-friendly.

Ok, I wanna run a one-shot MM game (subtype to be determined). It will have to be US-friendly.

Do you wanna play, what do you wanna play, and which days are good for you?

Is anyone running an MM game online?

And yet another attempt at streamlining dungeon exploration...

And yet another attempt at streamlining dungeon exploration...

Originally shared by Eric Nieudan

Productive insomnia FTW!
The map I shared earlier gave me an idea for dungeon design: using room descriptions as a risk die encounter table. Instead of further spoiling my players, I grabbed a map by Dyson Logos and wrote this little gonzo adventure.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxHKe4JbIMLQdHNNQlhyXzVPb3M/view?usp=sharing

Shared for safekeeping - comments welcomed here as well.

Shared for safekeeping - comments welcomed here as well.

Originally shared by Eric Nieudan

Listening to Jason Hobbs and friends today, it struck me that I could make wilderness travel in Macchiato Monsters more structured with a simple table of procedures**. This is mostly stuff people will do in these situations, with a few extra consequences.

Any thoughts? Would you have a use for this, whatever the old school-ish game you're running? Am I missing anything that a party of adventurers would do?

*Including the hunting and foraging rules, which I forgot to include in the latest version of *Extra Shots because I'm a big thick.

Infiltrating the castle

Infiltrating the castle
Testing the corruption die.

Start by rolling 1dC4. (dC step up to next dice size in d4, d6, d8, d10, and d12 on a 4+ roll.)

Roll when the characters cover any significant distance, or every quarter of an hour when they stay put, or when they do something that draws attention.
Cross out any rolled outcome. When rolling an already crossed out outcome, play the next unstroked item.

1. Another intruder (thief, lover, or escaping prisoner)
2. A drunk old person (kitchen staff, room staff, or military)
3. A castle pet (ferret, dog, or talking bird)
4. A lone servant (torch and candle lighter, groom, or maid)
5. A couple caught in the act (aggressive over discovery, wanting discretion over all, or one doesn’t consent)
6. A lone guard doing his round (bored, humming, or eager)
7. A whole patrol (back from the kitchen, on a mission, or in search of trouble)
8. Someone standing guard (hidden, assertive, or corruptible)
9. The Castle’s ghost (friendly, ghastly, or weird)
10. A person of standing (Lady or Lord, priest or counselor, or seneschal) with their suite
11. An armed, alert patrol in chase of the intruders, 1d4+2 (with a magic user, bloody from another fight, or with dogs)
12. The Castle’s Marshal with 1d4+1 guards, armed and alert (with a magic user, reinforcement nearby, or overconfident)

Stepping up a dC12: alarm is sounded for every castle inhabitant, doors are barred, gates are closed and a whole scale hunt for the intruders begins. Prepare for a merciless chase, chaos, bloody fights and confusion.o.

Corruption die works like a reversed risk die, for stuff like dark side corruption &al.

Corruption die works like a reversed risk die, for stuff like dark side corruption &al.

Start at dC4, every 4+ result step the dice up, up to dC12+ where something happens.

Might be useful for walk-on table with increasing variety, discovering new areas and explosive deviation.

Session 29 of the Astral Borderlands open campaign last night, which was part two of the rescue-the-caravan scenario.

Session 29 of the Astral Borderlands open campaign last night, which was part two of the rescue-the-caravan scenario. As expected, the road encounter table (https://plus.google.com/+EricNieudan/posts/3eEPnQYrx2U) bothered me and I ended up switching to the region encounter tables most of the time.

The issue is simple: as the dR gets stepped down, the encounters tend to be the same. I suppose that's fine when you start at d12 and play a short journey, but over several days, with three rolls every day, well the Proudface goblins and Robber zombies show up everywhere.

Interestingly enough, the weather table ended up being the star of the show last night. The dR kept stepping down and the rain kept falling on the poor adventurers. Progress was slow even on the road, people got sick, aerial reconnaissance was made difficult, it felt (at least from my point of view) like a real journey. Everyone was happy to make it to the Keep in the end.

Long story short, road encounters are out. I'll have to test this formula again for overland and dungeon crawls.

ktrey parker​ is looking for feedback on this city builder.

ktrey parker​ is looking for feedback on this city builder.

https://plus.google.com/+ktreyparker/posts/QqoushyHzwN
https://plus.google.com/+ktreyparker/posts/QqoushyHzwN

Civilians or "stupid followers" dR

Civilians or "stupid followers" dR
Just few words to explain one use of the dR I had few weeks ago.

I ran a Robusta Robots session (it's a Macchiato Monsters retro SF version) and I decided that the characters would be followed by a journalist and her cameraman.
I treated them not like followers but like civilians who needed to be protected and who could make stupid things.
I gave them a dR (d8).

Each time, the characters were in a situation where something could happen (dangerous situation, diplomacy, exploration...), I rolled the dice for the journalist and her cameraman.
If the characters prevented them from danger or stupidity I rolled with an advantage, when they do nothing and the situation was particulary "sensitive" I ran with disadvantage.
If the dR stepped down, something happenned to the civilian team (wounds, lost of material... ) and it could create something in the story. For exemple, one time they had a photography session on a beach (I ran a 2 on the dR) so the cameran was bitten by a dangerous Flying Pirana (wound) and it attired a swarm of Flying Pirana so they had to run and take care to not loose something...
Of course, if at the end of the scenario, the dR was 0 the civilians are dead !
In our game, the journalists survived !

"Game systems are often abstracted real-world systems, and as a result, are rarely free of politics."

"Game systems are often abstracted real-world systems, and as a result, are rarely free of politics."

I realize we may not want to discuss politics, but it might be fun to think about the existential assumptions in MM.

- What faculties you're born with is random, as is your material wealth.

- Still, you may turn your hand to anything, from gong farming to combat origami.

- You get better with age, unless you die.

Review posted as promised.

Review posted as promised.
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product_reviews_info.php?&reviews_id=172645&products_id=203614

Feedback: Specialist training "abilities" feel too open ended to me.

Feedback: Specialist training "abilities" feel too open ended to me. I feel like my players won't be able to think of creative things beyond mechanics.

Perhaps if abilities were given a phrase format like Fate Stunts or something it might work better?

Anyone struggled with getting their players to make cool abilities?

On the magic system, has there been any issues or problems with the caster character only getting two spells at the...

On the magic system, has there been any issues or problems with the caster character only getting two spells at the start (and for most of the game)? I know the spells are pretty flexible so I could see doing a lot with two.

I was planning on using the following rules for a game I'm planning out:

1-As a 'freebie', characters can do simple 'hedge magic' either for zero or one hp. These are simple tricks like making a book float in the air across a room, lighting a pipe/starting a fire, temporary changing the color of something the size of dinner plate, etc. More for flash and roleplaying then anything else.

2-Characters with Magic Training start with two spells slots and two spells known. Addition spells slots (spells the character can cast from memory) can be gained as the character levels.
Spells that are not in a spell slot have to be cast from a book or scroll and always cast last in a turn (at least, some spells take longer).
Additional spells can be learned, found etc.

You now have six tables to roll your six dice on when creating a character.

You now have six tables to roll your six dice on when creating a character.

Updated and standalone review of Macchiato Monsters ZERO and Extra Shots now on my blog (for some reason OBS knows I...

Updated and standalone review of Macchiato Monsters ZERO and Extra Shots now on my blog (for some reason OBS knows I own the PDFs and can download them, but I cannot do a review there ...).

Some news from the kids...

Some news from the kids...

I spent some times with them today : I worked from 9h30 A.M. to 6h P.M. outside on one of our project so I was with the kids from 9h35 to 6h !
And I told them that Eric Nieudan prepared 6 magical things for them (I couldn't show us... on monday maybe), they were very happy and proud !
They asked me if Eric Nieudan can come to play one time with them, I said it should be difficult because I live in Ireland (I'm sure they all will show on internet where is Ireland tonight).

So I spent a lot of time with them but we couldn't play to MM : I was here to work and guide people in a photo exposition of one of our project... so I asked them to draw their characters.

You can see the pictures of Torine the strong dwarf, Tigre de Foudre the tiger wizard, Traxtor the bowman/engineer in plate armor, Destroyeur le magique the hypnotic bard, Fier the fire paladin (the leader of the PCs) and they drew too a croccodileman and the 5 headed hydra they fought in the last session.

As I said, I didn't have many time to play with us and they want to so I try a new thing. I try to teach them to play in a kind of narrative way...
I explain that they need a MC (but we call him the storyteller), they each choose a character who is defined by a skill (fighting, missile fighter, engineer, healer...) and a style.
One wanted to be the storyteller (and he was great... I said himhe was ready to be MC at MM and I will give him the french rules I have), one choose to be a very strong fighter, one an engineer who can build things, one a robot with lasers, and one a healer with a lot gold. And they choose a scienc fiction story.
The rules are simple : the storyteller is always right and when a player wants his character do something, the storyteller takes a stone in one of his hand, if the player chooses the good hand it's a success if not it's a failure.
It was incredible, they created a big story with an exploration of a unknown planet, with fighting, traps, diplomacy (viril diplomacy but diplomacy)....
They played 2 hours almost alone ! They just asked me to help them when they are not agree together !

Next time, I try to scan the characters sheets !
Eric Nieudan you want to see the real ones (maybe not readable) or you want to see want characters they made (and I rewrite them) ?

In case you missed the public announcement earlier: new and improved version of Extra Shot.

In case you missed the public announcement earlier: new and improved version of Extra Shot. Accessible via the link on page 3 of MMZ.

Originally shared by Eric Nieudan

Extra Shot has risen! Again!

If you follow the link in your PDF of Macchiato Monsters Zero, you'll find the new version of Extra Shots, the compilation of campaign tools and other procedures.
It has all six die drop tables: townspeople, plots, factions, adventure locales, creatures, and treasure (close to 1,400 entries altogether, motherfucker!)
Also, this version includes the latest encounter and events experiments. Feedback on these in particular is very welcome.

Suppose you wanted more equipment tables (I've in an extra one in two of my hacks). Would your reaction be:

Suppose you wanted more equipment tables (I've in an extra one in two of my hacks). Would your reaction be:

1: Give players one more dice for rolling equipment.
2: Those players will just have to learn to make do! Why, in my time we had a sword, a burlap sack, and a kick up the backside if we didn't get into the dungeon fast enough!
3: ANOTHER equipment list? What do you think this is, Shadowrun?
4: Why stop there? I want a list that's strictly vegan.
5: Pfff... I'm not bothered either way.
6: ?????

Hello friends !

Hello friends !

Macchiato Monsters is no more a rpg... now is a street education tool !
In the popular district I work in, there are a lot of children who spend all their time to hang out in the street, in the parking... and some time they do stupid things (like throwing stones into the neighbours windows or ring all day long i at the door of old persons...).
Since a couple of years I made some improvised workshops to spend time with them to speak about respect, friendship, responsability as an adult who is concerned/affected by them... not as an educator or a teacher, it's not my job.
And now they trust me and I can see that they are more respectuous with all the adults of the district.
So I try a new thing is to intiate them to rpg.
I want with this kind of game try to teach them that they are better if they play together (rpg is not a competition, you don't have to be the best, you just have to try to play with the qualities of everyone), that is important to follow rules (in game and in the real life) and to develop their imagination and culture.
Of course I use Macchiato Monsters because it's a perfect mix between fun and rules. All the tables help them to create characters (because they really don't know this kind of universe.
And I draw the cover so they really to play with "the game I worked on"... But I always said that it's my friend +Eric Nieudan who create this (I show them your "quenouille page") and said that I would tell you about their characters.
So for now, we play 5 times with 10 differents children of the neighboroud from 8 to 12 years old (8 boys and 2 girls).
They created :
a tribal wizard who is able to change himself in a tiger and cast some lightening bolt, a dwarf warrior very rich and strong with a magic shield in stone who make him capable to speak with rocks, an plate armored bowman engineer, a fire paladin servant of the god of Fire who can inflame weapons and teleport himself through the fire, a barde who can hypnotize and heal, a very very strong gnome warrior with an ice sword, an old wizard with polymorph and ice spell, a plant woman warrior, a ranger elf and a stone golem wizard with a petrification spell and stone throwing spell.

It's a kind of open table, when they hang out, they come to my "office" : "Guillaume can we play to the Game ?".
"Ok! I make a 45 minutes break and we play !".

For now they fought a group a lizardmen, they prevented the coming of an archdevil, they bought some stuff in the big city, save the temple of Fire from a doppleganger infiltration and defeated the Great Hydra of the swamp of death !

It works very good with them and the street educators of the district want to use this "project" to create links with the youngs of the district !
When I was young people said that rpgs made the youngs crazy and now even educators said it's a perfect tool to work with children !

In the spirit of the walk-on weather table I did yesterday (https://plus.google.com/+EricNieudan/posts/GoBTUZW2v9W),...

In the spirit of the walk-on weather table I did yesterday (https://plus.google.com/+EricNieudan/posts/GoBTUZW2v9W), this is an attempt at doing an encounter dR squaretablething.
You'd have to start by dropping a die on the page, but then you can just leave your dR on the square and move it accordingly every time you roll.

What do you think would work best? Asking for a friend.

What do you think would work best? Asking for a friend.

Passive aggressive: Yay! I just noticed that we made it to Copper Best Seller on DTRPG, and without a single review!

Self pity: People seem to like my game, but they don't want to say so. Is there something wrong with me?

Seerius biznez: In today's webconomy, it is important that us prosumers make each other's content discoverable by our long tail audience. Online store reviews are an excellent way to achieve this.

(srsly, if you bought the game through OBS, it'd help - thx!)
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/203614/Macchiato-Monsters-ZERO

I know I'm the king of unfinished ideas, but could you imagine an MM hack about (demi)gods?

I know I'm the king of unfinished ideas, but could you imagine an MM hack about (demi)gods? What would you expect from such a game?

Anyone have any luck (and if so any pointers) running any of the LotFP adventures in MM?

Anyone playing MM on Roll20?

Max is talking about plagued characters in MM.

Max is talking about plagued characters in MM.

Originally shared by Max Vanderheyden

Modified character creation for a recovered plague victim. For use with Macchiato Monsters in a Veins of the Earth setting. Eric Nieudan

Create a level one character as normal. Instead of rolling for gear, do the following:

Determine Plague Type by doing one of the following: roll d6 on the table below, choose from table below, or write your own illness (real or fictional) - Inspiration from Cédric Plante
Take as a second trait "Recovered from..."
1 - Ebola
2 - Influenza
3 - Rabies
4 - Cholera
5 - Tuberculosis
6 - Tetanus

Creation Questions:
Q1: Remembered - “What is the last memory you have from before your symptoms began?”
Q2: Endured - “What token, thought, grievance, or hope did you cling to throughout the illness?
Q3: Gleaned - “As you teetered on the brink of life, Death passed you by to take the life of another. What did she whisper to you as she passed?”

Creation Items:
Tattered clothing - appearance flavored by the nature of your illness.
A Torch - 1d6 15ft. Light
Crumbs of food - 1d4.
Used Bandages - 1d4. Can be used during a rest after you pass your Con check. Re-roll a hit dice to regain HP. The higher result may be used.
A token or note - given to you by a loved one or by a deceased plague victim.

Road encounters

Road encounters
Here is another attempt, following the discussion at https://plus.google.com/+EricNieudan/posts/HEsho5m3Bvq

Instead of rolling the encounter risk die, and then on another table for local monsters, you just roll the dR. The words in bold are categories: you feel the rest of table according to your campaign and needs.

What do youse think? Useful, meh, a waste of space in the book?

Possible official rule: sacks, bags and backpacks

Possible official rule: sacks, bags and backpacks

Instead of ruling that only backpacks give you an extra two slots of gear, and having to explain that the backpack doesn't count as an item, I'm just thinking:

Roll you bag's dR every time you fill it up to capacity: the result is the number of items you can comfortably fit in it. A step down means the bag is damaged somehow.

Satchels, bags, sacks, backpacks come in sizes dR4 to dR8, unless unusually big. Bags and sacks need to be carried by hand most of the time.

How would you handle augments and implants (in a scifi sense)?

How would you handle augments and implants (in a scifi sense)? I wrote a hack which handled them as gear. My reasoning was that I'd use them as a way of adding color, and fleshing out the setting a bit.

In mechanical terms I figured they'd work as narrow Traits.

Alternately they could be expressed as Specialist or 'Magic' training. Or just be colorful gear, no different from a hacksaw or a GPS.

Which would you prefer (including ideas I haven't thought of)?

When I set out to do a new MM 'hack', there is a distinct danger of suddenly being 13 again, and getting lost in...

When I set out to do a new MM 'hack', there is a distinct danger of suddenly being 13 again, and getting lost in lists of gnarly weapons.

(I've got a few half-finished hacks lying about, as I'm sure you folks do).

If you were to randomly decide or assign risk dice to things, how would you do it?

If you were to randomly decide or assign risk dice to things, how would you do it?

Say for example, the Magi of the East tries to bend a magical scepter of a long dead emperor king to his will, and makes a check. Upon success, I say "yeah sure you have control of it and can cast Whip of Flaming Despair with it. It has a d6 risk die each casting".

What if I wanted that d6 randomly determined? What's fair?

I've only run one-shots of MM. Are any of you running campaigns?

I've only run one-shots of MM. Are any of you running campaigns?

Hey Tore Nielsen, what do you think?

Hey Tore Nielsen, what do you think?

House rule of the day: stealthy monsters

House rule of the day: stealthy monsters

These days, I find I ask for less and less perception checks. I decide if something is detectable based on what the characters do. If there's an ambush, I consider if the monsters are good at sneaking, and I let the fiction unfold.

If a player asks the right questions, they might detect the ambush. Look up and see a grey slime about to drop, be quiet and realise the birds are suddenly silent, cast detect magic and spot the invisible stalker. All the same thing to me.

If needed, I roll for the monsters (I make up a stat and do a d20 check). I reckon this goes contrary to the players-roll-for-everything principle in The Black Hack, which some people expect MM to be following. Does it strike you as a contradiction?

I find that MM has spoiled me.

I find that MM has spoiled me. When I have to pick out gear for a character, I find myself wishing I could just roll on some tables.

I made a quick and dirty screen and reference sheets document for this weekend's convention.

I made a quick and dirty screen and reference sheets document for this weekend's convention. It's a Word document that I couldn't properly convert in PDF, but in case you have a use for it, here is a link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/m5t6amniucuuuhn/MMScreen.docx?dl=0

Edit And the PDF, courtesy of Art Braune​: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxHKe4JbIMLQZl9kc1FiRXR0Q2drWE5wOU1acVo0ZGJodkxn/view?usp=drivesdk
https://www.dropbox.com/s/m5t6amniucuuuhn/MMScreen.docx?dl=0

A VERY rough idea.

A VERY rough idea.

Suppose that you had a hack about bands, where venues/audiences were statted like monsters, and a concert was like a fight? 'Damage' taken would be to composure, equipment, or rep.
The band as an entity would have a number of hit points (based on player level, I guess)

The SarcastoTron
A hipster club set up in a Victorian tenement. IPA and tattooed people on their smartphones.
HD 1, Armor D10, practiced indifference D6/D6/D6, Faulty wiring D10

Hell's Bend Roadhouse
A roadhouse in the boonies, frequented by rowdy motorcycle enthusiasts. It's kickin' off.
HD 4, Armor D4, thrown bottles, body slams and shouts of "f*****s!" D10

The Warbucks SellOutstravaganza
A huge music festival with a fuckton of people and a fuckton of bigger artists.
HD 9 Armor D4, Complete disconnect from audience 2D8, "Fuckit, Taylor Swift is playing the other stage bro" D6/D6/D6


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1yvQV7J47o

The current resting rule requires a CON check before characters can recover one hit die worth of HP.

The current resting rule requires a CON check before characters can recover one hit die worth of HP. This check can be made with advantage or disadvantage, depending on campsite quality.
In a game earlier tonight, it occurred to me that I could just apply adv/dis to the HD roll, bypassing the CON check entirely. It's simpler, but it downplays the importance of Constitution, a stat that doesn't get much use.
What say you?

Eric Nieudan I

Eric Nieudan I
I'm curious where the inspiration for the Risk die came from? Seems like it would be useful in all sorts of situations.

House rule of the day: shooting in a mêlée

House rule of the day: shooting in a mêlée

When you shoot, throw, or cast as physical spell at a group of targets (including a mêlée with allies in it), you get advantage to your check. If you succeed, you damage a randomly selected target.

I'm tempted to include this rule in the book. I like that it emphasises strategic thinking outside of combat: maneuver the enemy into a choke point, engage them from a distance, and don't assume archers will be able to pick off targets once everyone else is hackin' and slashin'.

Secondary motivation: I've lost too many elves to natural 1s in the depths of Dwimmermount.

How badly do things break if I roll risk dice like TBH rolls usage dice: drop a die size on a 1-2?

My FLAILSNAILS unconversion guidelines

My FLAILSNAILS unconversion guidelines

This may be of use to some of you. I've just started running open games for the French crowd (might do it in English as well soon-ish), and this is how I plan on converting characters on the fly.

- Have six D&D-like stats? Keep 'em if they were rolled old school style. Otherwise roll 3d6 in order and arrange the results to make your character look like your character.
- Your traits are your race, your occupation, your origin, etc. Have two on the house.
- Your special powers and abilities will be considered on a case to case basis, but not before they become relevant in play. I may ask you to limit their use to a number of times per day (equal to your level, if you have one).
- Your magic spells and incantations work one of two ways: exactly like they're handled in your original system (Vancian magic works fine, but mana points and other shit should too), OR as if they were MM spells. In which case, choose one spell per level. Level-less? Use the medium level for this adventure.
- Money should be converted to a wealth dR according to the table in Extra Shot.
- Gear shouldn't be an issue. I'll give you a dR for some items, and the quantities can be adapted using this handy table that Whidou made with his math brain:
dR4 = 1,33
dR6 = 3,33
dR8 = 6
dR10 = 9,33
dR12 = 13,33

Some less setting-specific rules for using weapons above your combat training.

Some less setting-specific rules for using weapons above your combat training.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4XPsApBrOnLazg5RUpoeTF5LWM/view?usp=sharing

What is the highest level you've played MM at?

What is the highest level you've played MM at?

I created a House Rules section for us to share our rulings and other additions.

I created a House Rules section for us to share our rulings and other additions. In my case, it'll be useful to ask your opinion on ideas that might make it in the final book. Here's one:

Surprise rounds
There are two ways I do surprise in my games. The first way I can handle this is auto effect: the player failed at a WIS check, or the attacker was undetected somehow. The attack succeeds and the character takes damage, is affected by a spell, etc. This is pretty harsh and I almost never do it.

Soft surprise is another way to handle characters being caught flat footed by sneaky opponents. The character gets their turn as they react to the attack, but they have to roll with disadvantage.

So how do you handle surprise in your games?