The Gaming Den

I just wanted to say +1 for the Charles Stross love.

Dude is awesome.

Carry on.

"yeah, but A-T and T-A are different, as are G-C and C-G. I'm nearly certain."

They are. The genetic alphabet is not binary, its quaternary.

ATG is very different from TAC.

Basics-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_code

Clearly, and I wasn't arguing any differently.

There are some traits where a single base pair can make all the difference. If a base-pair change is in coding sequence, this can severely disrupt a protein's form and function. If the base-pair change is non-coding sequence, it can potentially still have dramatic effects if it changes the way the g...

I have a PhD in biology. "single base pair which was the difference between black physiology and white physiology (please excuse my phrasing there: I tried to figure out how to make that more PC and couldn't)" This is horseshit of the highest magnitude, specially since you don't specify wh...

All living humans belong to the same species and subspecies. That is, we can all exchange genetic information pretty freely with each other*. Awesome! Now that this is established, we can also establish that- yes- there is as much genetic variation found within any arbitrarily designated "race&...

If there had never ever been any edition of D&D (or chainmail, or any tactical rpg-ish product) I think 4E would still have been perceived to have major shortcomings. When we play a fantasy game, there are certain trope elements we expect to be fulfilled. While 4e is (generally) acceptable to fu...

Continent Sonkor Fulda Bushuan Hakkar Topith Minindo Region/Kingdom Nalapur Nomagachi Gengsu Urtona Fulzu Viandra Nyxia Chryse Guntapan Berlaria Kuziria (if it ends in '-aria' or '-iria', I automatically place into a region/nation designation) City Karasan Otontengar Tangan-Nuru Megyet Horkent Ualo...

So far, I've gotten Outlast and Shadowrun Returns. I have a bad track record with Bethesda games, so I haven't bitten on Skyrim or New Vegas even though the pricetags are tempting.

For those who haven't played Bastion, I can promise that it's worth the $2.25 (for the next 5 hours anyways).

Just looked at M&M 2e on wikipedia and it looks like it might be OK. Do things generally stay on the RNG or does it fall apart at higher PL?

I see Trollman still enjoys his teachable moments . What are people actually playing these days? I haven't touched a TTRPG in about 3 years. Any actually sane systems out there? Who's going to GenCon this year? (Yes, I saw there's a thread for that, but I'm lazy and this is an annoying questions thr...

you're rolling 3d8 to determine the maximum hit points to affect I'm sure the numbers are probably horrible, but it's worth pointing out this is a decent mechanic to use in general for 'save or die' type effects. This way, a Wizard can start a fight using fireballs or whatever, and end it with a sl...

^
This.

Man, am I glad this board is still around.

What makes a game successful is setting, marketing, and 'fun'. That last one is kinda hard to pin down.

There's probably also a huge luck component involved. The right people try the game and like it, they tell their friends that tell their friends... etc.

Dragon Age Origins is ace. I'm playing it on hard and it doesn't disappoint. It's not perfect, but then what is? Main gripes involve: - no mooks... like literally every encounter can quickly turn lethal. - Revenants are unbalanced. There's a random Revenant that's substantially harder than the boss ...

Alignment just refers to which team you’re on, and what you are supposed to be doing to make your team stronger. Every team considers themselves ‘good’ or ‘right’, and every team considers the diametrically opposed team ‘evil’ or ‘bad’ or ‘wrong’. It’s a relative setup, and I’m perfectly happy with...

My original problem with Rez was that it was used by stupid assholes as an argument for why 3e Rocket Tag gameplay wasn't retarded. Resurrection magic is fine, but there has to be some reason somewhere for why it doesn't work sometimes. Otherwise, why does the king worry about assassins? How do you ...

A more insidious problem is keeping track of and adding up all the modifiers, bonuses, penalties, etc ... to a particular die roll. 3E/3.5E and 4E can be notorious for this, especially when figuring out which bonuses can "stack" and which ones don't "stack". The division of labo...

Happy New Year Gaming Den!

I know internet threats are very 1996, but one day I'm going to decapitate PhoneLobster and fuck his neckhole. I honestly don't know why I waste time here.

Definition problems aside, I subscribe to GNS theory. I'm surprised it hasn't been brought up until now. Here's how I see it (and I know some will disagree): Gaming means competing. Narrative means storytelling. Simulation means a self-directing system, where the story is more the outcome of the par...

sigma999 wrote:Totally missing the point.

How exactly?

Let's not compare Pokemon to a table-top RPGs please. Often, it is useful to talk in Pokemon or MTG terms, because those games contain examples of playability and balance that are easily understood by most. But when I sit down to roleplay, I am not sitting down to school newbs with my elite Ravager ...

Ideally, a character could randomize EVERYTHING he chooses and still be viable. I draw the line in actions actually taken during the game. If you are a wizard who has taken Unarmed Fighting techniques, great. If your Unarmed Fighting Wizard decides he wants to try his hand at shooting stuff with a c...

Or completely outright betraying them and trying to bring about Gehenna.

Yeah, I'm an ass.