Talislanta! Still without Elvish Types.

Started by MadPanda, September 07, 2010, 11:48:01 AM

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MadPanda

Thufir Hawat and I have put our heads together and we're looking for a few brave souls willing to brave a close encounter with the Rasputin of RPGs, the venerable Talislanta.

Rules are available for free from talislanta dot com.  We'll be using the fifth edition, since it allows more customizable character generation than the archetypical templates of previous editions.

We'll also be using the GM Emulator from Mythic from time to time, so not even we know what's going to happen next!

Our plans at this moment are to start in the Western Lands, where the party never ends (so long as you're in Zandu or among the Sarisa).
Voluptas ailuri fulgentis decretum est!
Omnis nimis, temperantia ob coenobitae.
(Jes, tiuj frazoj estas malĝustaj. Pandoj fakte ne komprenas la latinan!)

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Thufir Hawat

I must add that it's likely to be a sandbox game, meaning that there would be plot, but you decide if it concerns you. Whatever you do, is going to influence the plot, hopefully in a direction that would be fun for your characters ;D!

You might have to create more than one character and roleplay them in turns. We are currently discussing the pro and cons of troupe-style play with MP. For one thing, it allows you access to very different social groups >:)!

Also, for those that want to save time on reading the system, you can use a ready-made character template and just customize it ;).
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Arhys


BenedictWolfe

I've downloaded all the 5th ed material and I might possibly be interested.

MadPanda

I strongly suggest downloading the 4th Ed as well, because every so often in the 5th Ed you will find references to sidebars that (for some reason) weren't carried over!
Voluptas ailuri fulgentis decretum est!
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Quote from: MadPanda on September 08, 2010, 10:07:48 AM
I strongly suggest downloading the 4th Ed as well, because every so often in the 5th Ed you will find references to sidebars that (for some reason) weren't carried over!
I think he only needs the core book, though. And these are not numerous, so even this is not obligatory.
Some of the "missing" sidebars are just too fun to miss, though.
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MadPanda

Yep.  4e for reference only...not absolutely necessary.  I really don't know how they managed to goof like that, unless they pulled a Sanguine.



(Sanguine Productions is the company that does Ironclaw and Jadeclaw, among other good furry games.  When they did Jadeclaw, though, they simply copy and pasted a lot of text from Ironclaw and so included a lot of material that just doesn't make sense in the Asian-themed setting.  Worse, they didn't correct it for the 'reprint'.  I say this as a fan of the game--they fell down and went boom, real hard.)
Voluptas ailuri fulgentis decretum est!
Omnis nimis, temperantia ob coenobitae.
(Jes, tiuj frazoj estas malĝustaj. Pandoj fakte ne komprenas la latinan!)

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Drift

Hey all I'm newly accepted to E and looking for a few places to play.  This looks sort of interesting to me but usually play freeform online.  I'd like to give it a try though and will take the time to read through it.

MadPanda

Hi, Drift.

Just to warn you, there's a LOT of material to get through--not because of system (Tal is pretty simple, mechanically) but because of the setting!  It's rich, it's varied, and it's pretty cool in an old-school fantasy sort of way.  So please feel free to ask questions, and we'll help you as much as we can.  :-)
Voluptas ailuri fulgentis decretum est!
Omnis nimis, temperantia ob coenobitae.
(Jes, tiuj frazoj estas malĝustaj. Pandoj fakte ne komprenas la latinan!)

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#9
Quote from: Drift on September 08, 2010, 03:23:47 PM
Hey all I'm newly accepted to E and looking for a few places to play.  This looks sort of interesting to me but usually play freeform online.  I'd like to give it a try though and will take the time to read through it.
The system is a good one, since it's not complicated. Wizards are a bit harder, but not much, and I see you are not new to systems ;).
Either way, welcome aboard and if you've got any questions, just ask me or MP >:)!
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Zelric Miras

It sounds interesting, what books do you advise me to get?

MadPanda

5e Player's Guide.
Maybe 4e core rulebook for reference.

That's pretty much all you'll need.
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Zelric Miras

Ok, thanks. I'll try to read them soon. *goes to download*

MadPanda

Voluptas ailuri fulgentis decretum est!
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Drift

Reading rules isn't the problem, retention is.  I have the same problem with D&D.  I'll remember bits and pieces, something vague but it isn't until I play it that I start to really settle into it.  So I probably will take advantage of the 'ask for help' option when it's an issue. :)

I'm always shopping around for systems.  I'd probably run tabletop games more if I didn't have this problem with retaining the rules in my skull and not having to look them up all the time.  Leo's one of my mentor's too so I can pester him after he's read it all *snirckles*

Thufir Hawat

#15
Quote from: Drift on September 08, 2010, 07:35:43 PM
Reading rules isn't the problem, retention is.  I have the same problem with D&D.  I'll remember bits and pieces, something vague but it isn't until I play it that I start to really settle into it.  So I probably will take advantage of the 'ask for help' option when it's an issue. :)

Actually, it's quite simple for anyone who managed to grasp D&D ;). Check the part with the Success table, that's almost all that you need to retain! Well, that, and your character sheet, but you can check that one :P.

Whatever action you are doing, you roll on the Success table!

That's it, the rest is describing what your character is doing, which I tend to call "roleplaying" ;D!

As a bonus, once we tell you the penalty, you would even know if you succeeded or failed without the need for a GM's intervention. I will discuss with MP whether to allow the players to describe their own successes and failures.

(Of course, the harder the action you described, the greater the penalty would be. Usually, it's some defensive skill of the character that opposes you. A good, unexpected idea might well make the penalty lighter, though, at GM's discretion, so don't be afraid to swing from chandeliers!)

Quote from: Drift on September 08, 2010, 07:35:43 PM
I'm always shopping around for systems.  I'd probably run tabletop games more if I didn't have this problem with retaining the rules in my skull and not having to look them up all the time.  Leo's one of my mentor's too so I can pester him after he's read it all *snirckles*
Talislanta has one of the systems that you can fit on less than one page. Well, you might need a few more pages for magical schools, but still, all my system reference materials are taking less than 10 pages ;D!

By the way, what kind of character would you like to play?

I guess you still have to read the setting, and it's a setting that really allows you to run wild. My point is, use the setting material as inspiration, don't allow it to restrict you!
If you happen to want something that's not mentioned in the setting, ask us, and we'll try to fit it somewhere, somehow ;).
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Drift

I'm not sure yet... was reading the setting material to kind of help me fish for inspiration.  I generally prefer to make a new character for a new game rather than patch up an old one (unless I'm feeling particularly nostalgic).  At the moment I'm not even sure if I'd play a male or female, though I'm leaning toward female at the moment.  What sort of character were you going to play?

I think I'll have a better notion after I read through the character generation rules.

Thufir Hawat

Well, I'm almost guaranteed to play a Cymrillian swordsmage when I'm not GMing. Of course, a Zandir magical duellist might be fun as well, or a Kang renegade :P.
And when I am GMing, whatever NPCs you encounter are mine to run anyway >:)!
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Drift

Oh don't worry you can have the NPCs.  I have no intention of GMing anything here lol.  It's just me and my little PC.  The question is... do I go for a silly sterotype, something absurd, or something more original... *ponder* I need to go for a bit.  I'll read up some more later... maybe then I will have a character idea.

Thufir Hawat

Quote from: Drift on September 08, 2010, 08:42:06 PM
Oh don't worry you can have the NPCs.  I have no intention of GMing anything here lol. 
Actually, I'd gladly give them away, if you ask nicely >:)!

Quote from: Drift on September 08, 2010, 08:42:06 PM
It's just me and my little PC.  The question is... do I go for a silly sterotype, something absurd, or something more original... *ponder* I need to go for a bit.  I'll read up some more later... maybe then I will have a character idea.
If I am allowed a say in this, stereotypes don't have to be silly, and I far prefer a well-played one over an absurd character.
Of course, if you have an original idea that you like, go ahead!
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MadPanda

Quote from: Drift on September 08, 2010, 08:11:59 PM
I'm not sure yet... was reading the setting material to kind of help me fish for inspiration.  I generally prefer to make a new character for a new game rather than patch up an old one (unless I'm feeling particularly nostalgic).  At the moment I'm not even sure if I'd play a male or female, though I'm leaning toward female at the moment.  What sort of character were you going to play?

I think I'll have a better notion after I read through the character generation rules.

and if all else fails, there are some archetypes in there that will let you jump in without having to do any heavy lifting!   ;D

What sort of character do you usually play?  General idea, here, not specifics...I mean, if you don't like to play Magic Users, it wouldn't do to suggest, say, most Cymrillians, and if you don't like Fighters, you need to keep away from Thralls (nice though the tattoos are, they're fighters.  All of them) and Danuvian Swordswomen.  Not into poetry?  Don't play a Muse.

Thufir's run a swordmage past me, and my character is likely to be a bit of an oddball--a Rajan tomboy masquerading as an Arimite knife-fighter, courtesy of a Djaffir face mask.
Voluptas ailuri fulgentis decretum est!
Omnis nimis, temperantia ob coenobitae.
(Jes, tiuj frazoj estas malĝustaj. Pandoj fakte ne komprenas la latinan!)

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MadPanda

Voluptas ailuri fulgentis decretum est!
Omnis nimis, temperantia ob coenobitae.
(Jes, tiuj frazoj estas malĝustaj. Pandoj fakte ne komprenas la latinan!)

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JadeCore

Arhys mentioned this one so I guess I'll take a look.

Drift

Oh I play lots and lots of characters in freeform games... I'm often voicing a million NPCs too so the problem is picking just one for this game. :)

Actually the concept I've got in the back of my mind is ironically the same one that jumped into my head when I first started playing online RP.  It's simple really.  "Gypsy Fortune Teller" so let's see what I can do with that.  I did notice that there are gypsy tribes in Silvanus and they're known for having fortune tellers...

And honestly building a character from scratch is not really that much of a heartache in my opinion.  yeah the cooked up characters will always get started quicker but sometimes it's better to get your hands dirty and bother to figure out where all the numbers come from.  I like fortune tellers because you can either go for the 'real deal' or instead be a complete charlatan.  The charlatan can be a lot of fun too.

So I am leaning heavily toward a Saristan woman who is either a witch or some kind of con artist vagabond.  The last time I played a witch of that sort if was an old hag but that character was down a similar bent.