https://forum.obsidianportal.com/categories/general-discussion/p21/feed.rss Thu, 17 Sep 2026 21:21:48 +0000 General Discussion Discussions on Obsidian Portal Community Forums en-CA https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4156/character-portraits Fri, 29 Jan 2016 04:05:44 +0000 sademica 4156@/discussions https://www.fiverr.com/sadecica/make-portrait-about-your-original-character

or painted
https://www.fiverr.com/sadecica/custom-art-for-your-any-project


or generate your own:
http://www.epicgenerator.net

:D]]> https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/3928/anyone-else-have-issues-with-the-5e-character-sheet Sun, 15 Mar 2015 05:56:29 +0000 DDK 3928@/discussions https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4137/what-inspires-you Wed, 13 Jan 2016 08:41:23 +0000 Lxcharon 4137@/discussions https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4125/levels-of-magic-vs-technology Tue, 05 Jan 2016 13:15:37 +0000 Lxcharon 4125@/discussions
I was reading other people's campaigns, (specifically Vladimiravich's "Lux Tenebrae":https://campaign-40374.obsidianportal.com/ ) When I came to the realization that while I have a strong concept of religion and science in my world, I haven't really thought of Magic's place in the world, especially with the advent of technology in the world and an industrial revolution. I have a tendency to forget magic when creating roleplaying worlds because (funny because creating magic systems is normally the first place I start when writing stories) I think because playing mostly D&D they've watered down their magic so much it feels more like a video game mechanic than a breathing part of the world.

Aaaaannnywaaay, How does magic and technology interact in your campaign? Does magic give room for the advancement of science? Does science end up replacing magic? I'm interested to see how you guys do it.]]> https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4115/fantasy-races Tue, 22 Dec 2015 10:14:50 +0000 Lxcharon 4115@/discussions
How do you feel about different races interacting in your campaign world? This may sound odd but anyone who has played D&D 1e or AD&D And then played D&D 3.5 and later will be struck by the inclusion of races. Originally races in the d&d lived separately and rarely interacted, making heroes from other races rare (and the gane mechanics reflected that) but now all races interact and live together on common footing, making all adventurers of all races equally common.

This is also reflected in scifi RPG's that I've played over the years. I understand that it's a reflection of our times and how cultures are being integrated now. But which do you prefer from a GM or story angle?]]> https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4132/sci-fi-or-hi-fi Mon, 11 Jan 2016 06:12:48 +0000 andreww382 4132@/discussions
"It's no lie":http://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/11/entertainment/the-martian-matt-damon-golden-globes-feat/index.html

Is this like a "Looper" moment?]]> https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4135/letting-down-a-potential-player-gently Tue, 12 Jan 2016 09:16:44 +0000 Lxcharon 4135@/discussions
My main issue is I know she will be disruptive and and not be able to play for long amounts of time. She won't want to play by the rules (and I love giving freedom to my players but I draw the line at lazer cats as weapons) and I know a couple of my other players won't jive well with her. (These are all things I love about her as a person, they just don't belong at the game table)

Am I being too pessimistic and should let her at the table or not? If I don't how can I tell her I'd rather not play with her.]]> https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4126/what-obsidian-portal-means-to-me Wed, 06 Jan 2016 12:17:02 +0000 Keryth987 4126@/discussions
Then I started working on my Dresden Files Campaign. It began as a brainstorming project over on Jim Butcher's forums. Templates and such I had created. Some locations, and a bunch of questions. Then I started scouting the web for things to borrow and I truly discovered OP. I came on Wolfhound's incredibly awesome Dresden Files Dallas site here on OP, and I was amazed. So I started scouting OP for more sites to look over and found HumAnnoyd's Emerald City and then, lo and behold, the gem of them all, KillerVP's a God, Rebuilt.

These sites inspired me. I wanted to create something like what I saw. So I read through every page of each site. Devouring the stories these GMs and their players wove, and amazed at how wonderful their sites looked. Then I stumbled, accidentally almost, on Wolfhound's tutorials. So I figured, what the Hell, and followed them. Alot of cutting and pasting later,as well as many msg's sent to Wolfhound and KillerVP and Phoenixhawk and others, and Shadows Over New York was born. It was fairly primitive compared to what is there now. But it was something. Quickly, I posted to the review my campaign discussion on the forums. I took the criticism and suggestions to heart, and went back to work. And with the help of one of my players who is a Graphic Artist, Shadows became much more, and captured Campaign of the Month and then Campaign of the Year. I was astounded at how much people liked my little campaign. And I've tried since then to continue to improve my skills here and make Shadows and my other campaign sites better and more enjoyable for all.

So, whats the point of all this? What is OP to me? Its a place full of people, who, like me, love gaming and love creating. Imaginative people, creating worlds and stories to wonder and amaze. Here we all can be Tolkiens, Butchers, Salvatores, Martins, Webers, and Brooks. It is a place that encourages one to create and invent, while also being a place for all to share their creations and stories.

So, there's my tale. What about the rest of you?


Keelah Se'lai,
Keryth
"Shadows Over New York":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/shadows-over-new-york
"2013 Campaign of The Year":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/2013-coty-shadows-over-new-york/
"Campaign of the Month July 2013":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/shadows-over-new-york-julys-campaign-of-the-month/]]> https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4118/religion-and-player-interaction Mon, 28 Dec 2015 13:50:52 +0000 Lxcharon 4118@/discussions
Whether this is a move on WotC to separate from the bad juju of the 80's or the fact that people are just less religious these days I'm not sure. Though I'm pretty sure it leans more to the latter because I've realized some half-assed belief systems tossed in some newer games. I mean when was the last time a game came out with an individual deities and gods manual?

I know i have my players choose a god during character creation but most never think about it again. I mean it's not like players are going to church or anything. I once even had a cleric who forgot who their patron god was and had to check with their sheet to answer a question i posed. A cleric!

But I'm rambling now.

What I want to know is how integrated is religion in your campaigns? Do you do away with it all together? Is it an integral part of the plot? Do gods walk among mortals? Or have they completely abandoned them?]]> https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4121/happy-new-year Thu, 31 Dec 2015 13:44:54 +0000 Lxcharon 4121@/discussions
What are your wishes for the next year?]]> https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4114/100-fans-gold-jacket-to-concord-of-ashes Mon, 21 Dec 2015 20:44:48 +0000 GamingMegaverse 4114@/discussions Killervp
"A God...Rebuilt":https://a-god-rebuilt.obsidianportal.com/]]> https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4113/contingency-planning Fri, 18 Dec 2015 18:11:42 +0000 Tau_Cetacean 4113@/discussions
to that end, wanted to sound out what tips people might have for how to do that as painlessly as possible (context: have thousands of wiki pages... also I'm a science geek working for an IT and Engineering-oriented company, so this might be a good excuse as any to accelerate my cross-training and learn some more coding)

worse case scenario: the site goes dark tomorrow because Kaleidoscope Global just ups and pulls the plug on us
recovery option: take the .xml file the current backup feature spits out... parse it back into a thousand text files, copy and paste them into a new platform
current action: making regular backups of my campaigns with the current feature, resolved to bug out if the backup feature becomes yet another broken feature on this site
needs to do: 1) figure out what the best way to approach automating reading the xml file and parsing it into separate text files equivalent to the old wiki pages, 2) figure out another venue which uses textile OR figure out best way to batch convert textile into something more widely used...
status: have tested out desktop wiki software (Zim), it doesn't do textile, tried desktop version of GitHub (which is mainly a software dev collaboration tool, but has a wiki functionality associated with it and speaks textile and has a desktop version... limited luck so far, but better than a GitHub competitor which says it reads textile but when I tested it out, not so much)

medium case scenario: the site continues to have poor functioning by November 2016
desired course of action: find a more civilized way to save and migrate everything... meaning probably learning some client-side scripting and writing my own code to pull every single wiki page off?
fall back method: manually doing this. ugh. like I said: thousands of wiki pages

best case scenario: the site's functionality gets fixed and have confidence is restored
desired course of action: probably still want to learn the right client-side scripting so I can *upload* batch generated pages (from offline Bash scripting) to my wiki, not just download them as described above]]> https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4116/merry-christmas Wed, 23 Dec 2015 23:00:41 +0000 GamingMegaverse 4116@/discussions https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/2927/plot-club-redux Thu, 07 Mar 2013 17:38:41 +0000 PhoenixMark 2927@/discussions
I did not come up with the idea, but the idea kinda fizzled (I think) and subsequent group originator has not been around for over a year.


bq). AugustusGloop Feb 15th 2012

bq). The curse of being a GM is that you don’t have anyone with which to gush about your game. The people who care most about what you’re creating need to be kept in the dark by necessity, to avoid ruining the plot, and everyone else doesn’t care about these obsessive details that I’m geeking out over (“Oh neat!”). Well, that’s fine, my ego can handle it, but my story line can’t be allowed to suffer.

bq). I’m looking for people who want to discuss the plots and stories of their campaigns in a group, using the group as a sounding board, and an “idea cloud”. I’m going to create a game, and invite any GM who wants to participate (and isn’t in a game already being discussed), and provide everyone with space to post the details of their game. Then we can post ideas, suggestions, and provide the feedback that is a vital (at least for me) part of the writing process.

bq). The first rule of Plot Club is you do not talk about Plot Club.
The second rule of Plot Club is you DO NOT talk about Plot Club.

If anyone is interested, chime in.

"killervp":http://forums.obsidianportal.com/account.php?u=60627 will host the campaign page. We can all participate, but it will only get off the ground if you all show some interest! Chime in, my fellow plotters!



~ "PhoenixMark":http://www.obsidianportal.com/profile/PhoenixMark
~~ "Crimson Skies":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/crimson-skies OP COTM June 2012]]> https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4106/for-people-with-rl-games-or-maker-types Tue, 15 Dec 2015 15:32:18 +0000 weasel0 4106@/discussions "The GlowForge 3D Laser":http://glowforge.com/referred/?kid=S9cVTm

I'm hoping it's going to rock as much as the video for it claims it will, and not wind up like the Carvewright. Drag and drop, custom 3D cutting and engraving. I don't remember where or how I saw it, but as soon as I saw the video for it I knew I needed to have it for when I can get some local games back up and running. The video has a leather wallet cut out and "embossed" by the laser. The embossing is a map! For get the wallet....it's now a RL leather scroll prop to hand the players! Other 3D props. Check out the giant globe light out of cardboard. Now make local topography in whatever size square(or the superior Hex ;p) you want! Custom plaques and awards for your players or IG awards made in RL. A deed to a castle!!...or marshland.

I know many people don't come through here anymore and this is out of the "everyday" price range but.....the PROPS!!!!

I'm also going to use it for my church for who knows what yet. Important notes: the bed has a depth of 1/2' but the Pro's passthrough limits to 1/4". I think that's the only thing that isn't spelled out clearly in the description. Also, the link I put up is a referral link to get some money off the price for whoever wants to use it and myself.]]> https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4091/scale-for-donjon-random-world-map Mon, 30 Nov 2015 04:48:58 +0000 Doshi 4091@/discussions https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4095/removing-players-from-a-campaign Wed, 02 Dec 2015 11:07:31 +0000 rbg96 4095@/discussions
Is there a way to remove myself as a player from a campaign created by someone else?

I appreciate the info. :)]]> https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4090/happy-holidays Thu, 26 Nov 2015 10:32:59 +0000 Krothos 4090@/discussions https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4074/mysteria-session-three-begins Mon, 19 Oct 2015 23:06:05 +0000 twiggyleaf 4074@/discussions
Opening adventure log is "here":https://mysteria.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/unknown-pleasures

Likes and comments welcome!

twiggyleaf
CURRENT CAMPAIGN: "Mysteria":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/mysteria - set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.
Previous CotM Aug 2012: "Shimring":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/shimring]]> https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4079/weekly-blog Mon, 26 Oct 2015 15:02:53 +0000 Krothos 4079@/discussions https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4053/user-name Fri, 18 Sep 2015 07:30:53 +0000 NikMak 4053@/discussions
so I just spotted this in another forum and thought it may be interesting - well for every one except me, mine is so bland!


I will go first - my name is Nick McCarthy (aka Mac) so I went for NikMak. When I first used this name in IRC (in 'Planetarion' if anyone remembers that game?) It was the habit to describe someones username as their nickname (aka nick aka nik) so having 'Nik' as my nik seemed quite clever to me at the time... no one uses the phrase 'nik' to describe their username any more, so I'm the only one who still gets the joke... well except that I just explained it to you... now you get it too... but have you noticed that explained jokes are never as funny? ... I think I will stop now :)]]> https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4073/op-data-analysis-thread-on-rpg-net Tue, 06 Oct 2015 10:19:17 +0000 LexMajor 4073@/discussions
I recently posted the results of analyzing OP data on the number of campaigns for a year on RPG.net.

There it is:

http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?767448-For-a-year-I-collected-data-on-Obsidian-Portal-s-games-Here-s-what-I-found&p=19445240#post19445240

Regards,]]> https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4068/character-description Tue, 29 Sep 2015 09:38:55 +0000 Jahad 4068@/discussions
I did a search and didn't find if this is an issue:

I am using the DnD 5e template for the characters; I have stuff typed in Description - however it does not show on the standard view of the character after editing.

Is anyone else seeing this ?]]> https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4054/shadowrun-5e-through-obsidian-portal Sun, 20 Sep 2015 11:49:38 +0000 falloutmind 4054@/discussions https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4052/ascendant-membership Fri, 18 Sep 2015 00:40:09 +0000 Bret_ 4052@/discussions https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4055/new-to-dming Sun, 20 Sep 2015 14:58:56 +0000 Seltyiel 4055@/discussions https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4004/how-young-is-too-young-introducing-kids-to-gaming Sat, 01 Aug 2015 19:30:24 +0000 CoalitionDeadboysPod 4004@/discussions
I was just wondering what your opinion is about introducing kids to gaming. I have two little kids: my son is going to be five in October, and my daughter will be three in three weeks (yikes!). Right now, the older one enjoys games that don't involve any abstracts, save for "Move 4," or "Look for X." My daughter is about the same, but she likes to scatter things, so it's hard to sit and play games with both of them.

So, that being said, if you have kids, when did you (or will you) introduce them to RPGs? There are other things naturally, like Gamewright's Story Dice that let kids tell imaginative stories and unlock that part of their mind. But when would you try getting into some simple RPGs, and what systems do you think would be best (i.e. not a lot of math involved, more story-driven)?]]> https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/3969/what-s-your-geek-cred Wed, 27 May 2015 09:23:48 +0000 UselessTriviaMan 3969@/discussions
I've been a gamer since 1982, but most of us can say we've been around this hobby for decades. What else have you done to earn your Gaming Geek pedigree?

- My most successful campaign thus far was a 2-year, almost-weekly 3.5E run through the Return of the Temple of Elemental Evil with an eight-player table. I was proud of that one, especially when I whipped out a 12" Human Torch™ action figure (as Imix, Elemental Prince of Fire) in the epic final battle. (I hope to surpass that effort with my new Ptolus campaign, which will be kicking off a week from Sunday.)

- I dragged my wife with me to watch the epic LOTR back-to-back-to-back trilogy in the theater on the opening day of Return of the King. All told, we were in the theater for just over 13 hours that day. (Totally worth it!)

- I'm an amateur voice actor and cast member of the fledgling "Shadowvane":http://shadowvane.net/ horror audio podcast.

- I've been to conventions on-and-off for many years, including two trips to Gen Con in 2006 and 2010, but I hadn't ever actually run a convention game until "our local convention":http://xenocon.weebly.com/ started in 2012. I'd like to think I'm a better-than-average convention GM, and I very much consider myself to be an ambassador to this hobby. I'm a XenoCon convention staff member and "Gamicon":http://gamicon.org/index2.php attendee/GM, and twice a year I run my "one-of-a-kind, spinning 3D miniatures arena combat":http://happyjacks.proboards.com/thread/319/grindhouse-evolution-game-lotsa-pics called the Grindhouse Arena.

So what have YOU done, geeks? :-)

"Ptolus":https://ptolus-city-by-the-spire-by-bryan.obsidianportal.com/wikis/main-page]]> https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/2410/hot-forum-topics Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:31:49 +0000 arsheesh 2410@/discussions
"Work Exchange":http://forums.obsidianportal.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=2275&page=1#Item_40 : a discussion wherein forum members trade skills with each other.
"How to Get Your Players More Involved":http://forums.obsidianportal.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=1231&page=1#Item_48 : This is one of the most vexing topics here, and one which arises frequently within the forums. This was also the topic of a recent "blog":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/portal-tip-getting-your-players-to-use-the-tools/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=portal-tip-getting-your-players-to-use-the-tools.
"Request for a New Game System":http://forums.obsidianportal.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=86&page=2#Item_20 : Is your system of choice not listed on the Campaigns page? If so then this page is for you.
"Dynamic Character Sheets":http://forums.obsidianportal.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=1307&page=5#Item_33 : a discussion on the dynamic character sheets on offer here.

*Discussions Regarding RPG Related Topics":*

"Dealing with Carried Items":http://forums.obsidianportal.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=1628 : a discussion regarding how to deal with encumbrance rules.
"Sandbox vs. Canned":http://forums.obsidianportal.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=2368&page=1#Item_13 : a discussion on different adventure design methods.
"Cheating":http://forums.obsidianportal.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=2361&page=1#Item_3 : a discussion on the relative merits of a DM's "fudging" certain rolls to help their players.
"Should Random Encounters be Level Appropriate?":http://forums.obsidianportal.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=2326&page=1#Item_0 : pretty self explanatory.
"What level should NPCs in Town Be?":http://forums.obsidianportal.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=2077 : a discussion of NPC levels vis-a-vis PC levels in D&D 3'ish games.
"Dealing with Death & Dangerous Encounters":http://forums.obsidianportal.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=1432 : a discussion of how to negotiate risk of PC death in a campaign.
"The RPG Formula":http://forums.obsidianportal.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=1273 : A discussion of collected tips on good campaign plot development.
"Designing Fantasy Countries and Cultures":http://forums.obsidianportal.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=1171&page=1#Item_21 : pretty self-explanatory.


If you think a topic deserves to be added to this list, have your say below.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh]]> https://forum.obsidianportal.com/discussion/4042/which-is-easier-to-play-between-the-shadowrun-or-star-wars-current-editions Fri, 04 Sep 2015 07:51:15 +0000 SilverBeetle 4042@/discussions
I'm looking to run a monthly sci fi (Star Wars) or cyberpunk (Shadowrun) game session that is not a campaign, but is more 1-2 game sessions adventures/missions.

I don't want to build my own world or design long drawn out adventures.

I want a prebuilt setting and short adventures I can customize quickly and on the fly.

Something that allows players to make new characters whenever they feel like and build them quickly.

Something that plays and feels more like a good comic book adventure, sci fi TV episode, or sci fi short story.

A game system lots of players know and want to play.

I want the RPG to be something that is easy for myself and players to learn, easy to run, easy to build characters and doesn't have the enormous d20 character build option massive campaign world feel of D&D and Pathfinder.

I've tried putting together a Savage World's sci fi or cyberpunk game like this but I could only find 2 players in my area despite advertising for months on multiple forums.

So this thinking brought me to Shadowrun and Star Wars.

I know players love both games and it should be easier to find and recruit players.

I know there are beginners box sets for both as well as full core rulebooks.

I'm looking to hear from GMs and players who have played either or both as far as:
• Ease of learning the rules
• Ease of teaching the rules to new players
• Ease and quickness of character builds
• Ease of putting together a game session

I'm hoping to be able to GM something that is quick fun and spontaneous so no matter what level of RPG experience you have you can show up at a game session, play and have fun.

Thanks

Grimjack]]>