Golden Sky Stories

[ReijiTabibito]

I've played pretty much every system I have in my library. However, the degree to which I understand and can work with the rules and systems vary.  So that you can have an actual list in your hand, I'll elaborate.

GM Level - These are the systems that I'm very, very familiar with.  I'd have no problems writing stories and setting up challenges for my players, and I pretty much can use every mechanic in the game that the authors have included.  They are the following:

Big Eyes, Small Mouth; CthulhuTech; Marvel Universe RPG; Scion; Shadowrun (3rd and 4th eds); Old World of Darkness - Werewolf, Mage, and Kindred of the East lines.

Co-GM Level - Systems that I can certainly run and play...but I'm probably going to leave a mechanic or two out of it in the process of running it.  If you want my rationales for these, ask me via PM.  I'd love to talk to ya about it.

Dresden Files RPG; Exalted; Serenity RPG; Old World of Darkness - Hunter & Mummy lines.

[Player Level] - This level, if I had any RPGs that I would associate with it, would be where I was comfortable enough with the mechanics to play it...but running it would not be a pleasant prospect for me.

Prepared to Play Level - These are the systems that I've done a ton of reading on, and am sure I could play, if not GM...but I don't have even one play session of this under my belt.

Adeptus Evangelion; Dark Champions; Remnants; Strike Legion.


And then there is the RP that gets a level all to itself...Eclipse Phase.  It's a great and simple enough system...but there's a shit-ton of things going on in both the flavor and the universe, for being only the solar system, is so huge that I can't really imagine where I would get started.  I can play, I know the mechanics, I can build a character...with a little bit of thought, I just fail when it comes to story ideas.

[Chris Brady]

Most of the games I've played have been violent, but as I'm a fantasy and sword and sorcery fan...

However, White Wolf's Vampire is more about politics than out and out violence.  If a fight breaks out, you've done something wrong.

Mage is supposed to be more about exploring, than fighting.

I've heard Nobilis is somewhat light on the combat aspect as well...

http://firefly-games.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=25&osCsid=9185a9e2557df9b8b4b6eac40f7e2fca
Is a faery game, but although yes, you can fight, it's with the idea of young children in mind, so fighting should really be the last thing you do.  I rather like it, actually.  Wish I could find my copy.

[ReijiTabibito]

Most of the games I've played have been violent, but as I'm a fantasy and sword and sorcery fan...

Yeah.  I know.  Comes with the territory.  What is it about the Middle Ages that breeds combat?

However, White Wolf's Vampire is more about politics than out and out violence.  If a fight breaks out, you've done something wrong.

I know Vampire.  Never played it.  Never want to.  If I want to play a game about politics, I'll go and play Diplomacy.  At least there I don't have to bow to some pretentious ponce simply by virtue of the fact that he got to be born before I was.

Mage is supposed to be more about exploring, than fighting.

Then my GM must have missed the memo, because the one Mage campaign I've been a part of had us fighting off HIT-Mark cyborgs from the Technocracy on a semi-regular basis when we weren't dealing with Marauders.

I've heard Nobilis is somewhat light on the combat aspect as well...

I've heard of Nobilis, too...but without any data to back us up, it's all conjecture on our end.

http://firefly-games.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=25&osCsid=9185a9e2557df9b8b4b6eac40f7e2fca
Is a faery game, but although yes, you can fight, it's with the idea of young children in mind, so fighting should really be the last thing you do.  I rather like it, actually.  Wish I could find my copy.

Don't know much about this one, either.

[Avis habilis]

... out of curiosity, what games have you all played outside of D&D?

Let's see. In no particular order:

Dungeon Crawl Classics, Trail of Cthulhu, Lamentations of the Flame Princess, Fiasco, Pathfinder Beginner Box, Feng Shui, Spirit of the Century, Final Stand, Thou Art But a Warrior, ZeFRS, In A Wicked Age, StarSiege: Event Horizon, Castles & Crusades, Tunnels & Trolls, a homebrewed GURPS "ultra light", Over the Edge, Thrash, Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Changeling: The Dreaming, Mage: The Ascension, Call of Cthulhu, Star Frontiers, Shadowrun, Cyberpunk (1.0 & 2.0.2.0), Marvel Super Heroes, DC Heroes, a mashup of Rolemaster & Spacemaster, TORG, Rifts, Palladium Fantasy, WFRP 1e, Top Secret, Twilight 2000, FASA Star Trek, Traveler, Villains & Vigilantes, Timemaster, Gamma World (1e, 2e & 4e), Space Opera, Vikings & Valkyries (mid-80s self-published game by a University of Manitoba student) ...

I think that's it. Our Burning Wheel campaign never got off the ground, which is a shame since I was itching to play my knife-master ex-serving girl atheist nun.

[Chris Brady]

Yeah.  I know.  Comes with the territory.  What is it about the Middle Ages that breeds combat?

Because that's what made it different.  Not to mention that all the myths and legends from that era have monsters that want to harm or eat us.

Then my GM must have missed the memo, because the one Mage campaign I've been a part of had us fighting off HIT-Mark cyborgs from the Technocracy on a semi-regular basis when we weren't dealing with Marauders.

That is not the systems fault, but a GM's fault.

Don't know much about this one, either.

So because you've never heard of it, means that GSS is the world's first non-violent RPG?

Fact of the matter is, it's not.  Like GSS there are more violent RPGs in the East than non-violent ones, pretty much like they are over here, in the West.

GSS is nothing special to anyone whose gamed more than one game these last 30 or so years (I've been at it only 27 years, and I've owned and played quite a few of them.)  It's just that it's Japanese in style, that's pretty much it.

Doesn't make it any less interesting, mind you, it's just not some giant trend breaker or paradigm shift.

[Kaedia]

No one has said GSS is the FIRST non-violent RPG. The point of the matter is GSS has proven to be a success in a culture where combat oriented table-tops dominate the scene. Yes a GM can change any setting into a non-combat story should they so desire. It's not difficult. What is difficult is finding players who enjoy non-combat settings. Those who get into table-top as a hobby in the west get presented with a majority combat based and a minority based on story. The story you get in most table-tops is building a bridge from one fight to another. That's the story. Making each fight make sense. Golden Sky Stories isn't a new beginning but is an astounding success much beyond what anyone thought it would be. And it's something to see people willing to back a project on a premise that you help people rather than hurt them.

[Chris Brady]

No one has said GSS is the FIRST non-violent RPG. The point of the matter is GSS has proven to be a success in a culture where combat oriented table-tops dominate the scene.

Several other games in the West that aren't primarily violent have ALSO had success, BEFORE we ever heard of Golden Sky Stories.

I'm not bashing the game, I'm point out that its just not that 'special' and it shouldn't be placed on some pedestal for succeeding at it's crowdfunding project.

And I'd like to point out that in Japan, this 'culture of combat oriented table-tops' DOMINATE OVER THERE TOO!

[Kaedia]

You came into this thread with a negative attitude and I'm asking you to stop. This threads purpose was to originally discuss the Kickstarter for Golden Sky Stories. When it was funded a post was made about its success. You came in with a negative response to that post and since then created more negativity. You may not be bashing the game but you are bashing the people who are enjoying its success. Please stop.

I now ask this thread to be steered toward talking about GSS and not comparing it to other games. It is not the purpose of this thread. If you want to do that create an appropriate thread for it.

[Chris Brady]

Negative?  All right.  If you want to bash D&D, I'd ask you to stop.

Just because you don't like the fact that GSS is one of a bunch of excellent non-violent RPGs, both East and West, doesn't excuse that one of you started to bash the RPG culture in general by claiming we're fans of violence, of which I've been a member of over 25 years.

THAT'S the negative part that started all of this and I would politely ask you from refraining from doing so in the future, thank you.

[ReijiTabibito]

Because that's what made it different.  Not to mention that all the myths and legends from that era have monsters that want to harm or eat us.

All the combat and myths and legends that have monsters that wish to harm us isn't what made the Middle Ages different.  It's a whole phase of civilization's existence.  Look at all the ancient battles that were fought in the BCs, and I'm pretty sure that the Greeks and other ancient civilizations had a monopoly on myths and legends of monsters before the Holy Roman Empire and Charlemagne came about.

That is not the systems fault, but a GM's fault.

That's what I'm saying.  If Mage was supposed to be about exploration and not combat, then that's not the way that my GM played it.  And that's not because of the system, but because of the personal preferences of the GM.

So because you've never heard of it, means that GSS is the world's first non-violent RPG?

Fact of the matter is, it's not.  Like GSS there are more violent RPGs in the East than non-violent ones, pretty much like they are over here, in the West.

GSS is nothing special to anyone whose gamed more than one game these last 30 or so years (I've been at it only 27 years, and I've owned and played quite a few of them.)  It's just that it's Japanese in style, that's pretty much it.

Doesn't make it any less interesting, mind you, it's just not some giant trend breaker or paradigm shift.

No, I'm not saying because I've never heard of them that GSS is the world's first nonviolent RPG.  I knew about Maid RPG long before I'd heard of GSS.

No, I'm fully aware that Japan has violent RPGs - before I knew of GSS, I knew of Tenra Bansho ZERO as well as Night Wizard, a pair of RPGs that originate in Japan that have combat as a central element.  And there's more: Alshard, Arianrhod, Double Cross, Sword World...all of these are combat-oriented.

Here's my saying, and perhaps I should have said this from the get-go: the fact that GSS succeeded in its funding far beyond anything that was initially conceived shows that you don't need to copy D&D or any of the other RPGs out there to be successful.

[Kaedia]

Negative?  All right.  If you want to bash D&D, I'd ask you to stop.

Just because you don't like the fact that GSS is one of a bunch of excellent non-violent RPGs, both East and West, doesn't excuse that one of you started to bash the RPG culture in general by claiming we're fans of violence, of which I've been a member of over 25 years.

THAT'S the negative part that started all of this and I would politely ask you from refraining from doing so in the future, thank you.

No one bashed D&D. You took a stance trying to see it as everyone was.

[Avis habilis]

Locked at OP's request.