Recent content by Composer99

Thanks for all the suggestions! I've just finished magic weapons and armour, so I'm going to write up a few more magic items in each category and reconstruct the rituals. With the exception of some reference appendices (glossary and a few stat blocks), that will mean the "Tome of Rules" (think...

I'd be inclined to just ignore anyone who's only contribution is saying they don't like it or arguing about whether it's "5e-like" enough or not. (*) Or, at most, thanking them for their thoughts and leaving it at that. (*) Except insofar as it relates to how you plan to pitch the game. In...

I mean, basically almost the entire opus at itch.io is indie designers who are happily publishing what they love without much expectation of making big sales. Most are in the same boat as @RangerWickett I'd imagine.

I'd agree with either "indie" or "experimental".

Thanks to an older set of draft rules I've found in cloud storage, I've been able to start reconstructing the rules of play. Over just the past two days I have reconstructed: An introduction. A chapter of basic rules. A chapter detailing how ability scores and skills work (with skill...

Thanks for the expressions of sympathy! Fortunately, my work is back on down-cycle in terms of weekly hours - except for a bit of prep work for next year's Festival (the equivalent of a few hours a month), I'm down to checking email once or twice a day and having a meeting once a month or so...

So this project has hit a snag: in early-mid March, I managed to spill tea all over my laptop, with the predictable results. My laptop is what I use for work and for non-video-game leisure activities such as this project. While I have a new laptop, an attempt to transfer data from the old one...

(D&D 5e Spelljammer) DM rolled five critical hits.

It's my understanding you'll want to use monsters from MM3, Monster Vault, and Monster Vault: Threats to Nentir Vale, as those books have patched issues with monster math from MM1.

Just spitballing, but maybe they feel it's too much of a risk to try to break back into that market for whatever return on investment they can expect. Even a third party license arrangement might be too much of a risk; wouldn't want a product that flops to damage the brand. Especially since...

Thanks for your thoughts! In answer to I would say that, yes, much of the in-game activity does not directly relate to answering the crucial question that is settled in play, except insofar as it is putting the player characters in a position where they can answer it. Partly I think this is a...

It's my understanding that both OSR and storygames arose as a strong reaction to the predominant strains of play in the 1990s and early 2000s, so it doesn't surprise me that products from both styles of game sometimes come across as having something to prove and, however deliberately or...

I will defer to your experience and revise my post accordingly!

Okay, so then if I have this right: In a trad game, there is little lusory duality. If what is being authored is the goings-on in the in-game fiction, then a trad GM does a lot of authoring and very little experiencing (in the capacity of "being audience of other players' authoring"); the...

I think there are a few things at play here: First, I think most people haven't played many genuinely awful RPGs. Sure, maybe you hear about them, but played them? So sometimes the only point of reference you have for "bad" is "didn't like". By way of example, the TTRPGs I've played in the...