Tabletop General

This is a form of gaming, so I thought this forum would be best for the topic. I was just generally curious about people here feel about tabletop gaming, or whether anybody has some interest in them. Maybe share some stories, game systems, whatever.

Personally, I've been doing a lot of it in the past few months with a small group of users here, and it's been a serious blast. It's getting to the point where I can't really enjoy normal video games as much anymore. We've been doing Pokemon Tabletop United, Pathfinder, Dungeon World, and are soon starting 13th Age. Pokemon Tabletop United in particularly seriously blew me away; I didn't realize such a high quality and robust (fan-made no less) tabletop system for Pokemon even existed. It's kind of bittersweet, because it's pretty much killed all my interest in Omega Ruby, which I bought months ago and haven't really touched.

Basically, I'd really recommend trying a tabletop to anyone who likes RPGs or is generally interested in a nice social alternative to video games.

---

tables are for glasses not for asses

i love tabley tops

but really they're a solid genre of game that nobody really thinks about, and they really deserve a bigger playerbase.

I haven't played any tabletops in a while sadly. The last tabletop I really remember having fun with is HeroQuest, which left a lasting impression. I've got the impression that it's like a very lightweight D&D, a lot more limited but because of that also a lot easier to set up. My family had managed to get the original game + extra pieces + some expansions so we had a lot of stuff to play around with. I don't if it would be as fun as it was back then now that I've gotten older.

I wonder what an online HeroQuest would be like. The gamemaster would have to take a step back since most mechanics would be handled by a computer, but I'm sure they'd have a role in the more advanced quests.


Monopoly is actually a really good game if you can play with people who follow the rules and know when to fight and know when to give up. Most people play with house rules and since the balance is so delicate the game instead becomes a borefest. Though I'll admit that even when following the rules the game suffers from the many random elements. Fortune Quest is a better strategic economy game but I don't think there's a tabletop version of it since it's so complex.

I for one have played and still play tabletops. My favorite game is Vampire the Masquerade, but I also played Nephilim, Warhammer and Unhallowed. Me and a friend also made two tabletop RPGs of our own, one is named "Solegor" and it's basically a medieval fantasy game with different races, gods and cults. The other one is called "Dehony Sorzokart" and it's a futuristic interplanetary world where you play as a trained space mercenary. Neither game is finished yet, but Solegor is almost done.


I agree, people don't even know how to play Monopoly anymore, and it's not even that complicated as a game. A players go like "lol landing in Free Parking gives you all the money in the board center", which really, only makes the game endless. I wish I got paid tons of money every time I visit a real parking though.

HeroQuest was the first non-family oriented table top game I ever played years ago when it originally came out. Still have my copy along with a few expansions, a second set plus tons of fan-made stuff. Dungeon crawls are my favorite type of table top games, and I find HeroQuest to still be the king of the genre especially once you start embellishing the game with fan-made materials and taking advantage of house rules. Although, some other great dungeon crawls exist; another personal favorite including Descent which also has a robust fan developed community.


Computer versions existed for the Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST etc. as well as an unfinished port for the NES. They play exactly like the board game except obviously the computer handles all of Zargon's duties. I believe various unofficial PC versions have been made over the years as well - a few of which I've tried. Based on all the variations I've played, digital just doesn't do the game justice. Although, an online multiplayer port could definitely have some possibilities, especially if it allows for custom maps.

To further add to the table top discussion, I've played a variety of pen & paper RPGs over the years as well. EarthDawn was the first one I've ever tried. 2nd Edition AD&D is still my favorite and the one I've spent the most time with over the years. I've played Vampire, but rather loathed the experience. However, I've found myself to enjoy a lot of the mechanics utilized in White Wolf's games. And for shits and giggles, I've got to mention Twerps (The World's Easiest Role Playing Game). Twerps is certainly a unique take on pen & paper RPGs and one that I would recommend table top players try at least once to experience simplicity at its finest.

A friend of mine and I have also been slowly tooling a pen & paper game of our own over the years that sort of crossbreeds some of White Wolf's ideas with a robust professions/skills system based on, of all things, the old MMORPG, Ultima Online, but as of the past year and a half its been in developmental limbo and it's looking more and more like it will remain that way. Oh well....

That's always tough, and was my own biggest roadblock to playing tabletops in the first place as well. If you don't mind playing with random people, I'd suggest trying to find a group online and using a site like Roll20. It might be tough finding players for less popular systems, but considering you want to GM yourself it would be less of an issue.

It's pretty cool that a couple of you have been writing up systems of your own. I've thrown some ideas around, but I don't think I have the patience to think up an entire system. I think one of the beautiful things about tabletops is how easy it is to homebrew stuff or deviate from an established system, unlike say hacking a video game.

---

It's pretty easy to find a group to GM for, since there's so many people who want to play than want to GM. I'd honestly suggest diving in and giving it a shot; I've had a lot of fun as a GM and I think it can be just as fun as playing with the right mindset.

I like tabletop games because the ones we play usually let me fuck over all my friends while making it look like I'm not trying / don't know what I'm doing. It's always so much fun and hilarious to me because I always come up with some sort of exterior motive that has nothing to do with the game. Whenever we play Risk I aim to capture all of Asia as quickly as possible. This usually gets me 1-2 units on each country and I get wiped out but at the end of the game I still had the whole thing at one point. It kind of gets every body else in the mood of not taking it too seriously right away and it becomes a lot more fun for everybody.
I always love the democracy that comes with being in the same room with friends. There's a different dynamic to arguing over an internet connection where you're safe and being confronted in person. It makes arguments that much more passionate and intense.

I guess it all depends on who you're playing with. I've played with people that have gotten sincerely angry when they lost and people that laughed when they realized how. I can't stand competition and I hate when people take it personally because it just kills the mood so yeah there are a few people I tend to avoid playing with. Overall I'm a huge fan though. I prefer it to online gaming.

---

ask me if i give a f*ck...