Post AlnIRHXTGiPmgbGIuO by VVitchy@pagan.plus
(DIR) More posts by VVitchy@pagan.plus
(DIR) Post #AllealGDwUAa9GCTCa by lextenebris@social.vivaldi.net
2024-09-07T17:57:45Z
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Slowly recovering from DragonCon, I found an itch growing in the back of my head in reaction to what's going on in BattleTech. Why not convert Battledroids into Steel Rift? I think it's possible.https://grimtokens.garden/Thoughts/Trigger+Initiation+-+ORP+-+Battledroids+to+Steel+Rift#TTRPG #BattleTech #SteelRift #wargame
(DIR) Post #AllfnH75RNz4MnSPNQ by synlogic@toot.io
2024-09-07T18:11:11Z
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@lextenebris I played the OG, Battledroids. loooved it. way back.before forced to rename
(DIR) Post #Allg5EtoPZHiiDoXLc by lextenebris@social.vivaldi.net
2024-09-07T18:14:26Z
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@synlogic Then, if this turns out well, you might be reasonably pleased. If it encourages you to pick up a mini and push it around some terrain again, I'll consider that a total win.
(DIR) Post #Allh7slvEiSOuOwpV2 by synlogic@toot.io
2024-09-07T18:26:08Z
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@lextenebris ha, yep. I still remember some of the early mech names. like Marauder, Atlas...
(DIR) Post #AlnIRHXTGiPmgbGIuO by VVitchy@pagan.plus
2024-09-08T12:58:56Z
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@lextenebris I had that toy back in the day!
(DIR) Post #AlzFoO558vyvfepPhg by iamgerardthomas@mastodon.social
2024-09-14T07:26:04Z
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@lextenebris Now that's interesting. Seen DFA's Override?
(DIR) Post #Am01LFmvgyAZLxVlMO by lextenebris@social.vivaldi.net
2024-09-14T16:18:39Z
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@iamgerardthomas I have not, but poking around for a few minutes, they are deeply hellbent on not actually saying what Override is and instead just shove you to the unit creation interface to make unit cards. Sure, I could go ahead and download the whole thing without actually knowing what it is, but it makes me significantly grumpier than I should be when somebody's project doesn't have a splash page that is really happy to tell me about why it's something I should enjoy.Otherwise, the site is fairly well designed. It just doesn't feel like it needs to talk about what it's doing at any point. It's wrong, of course, but that would be what it appears the creators think.
(DIR) Post #Am0VjqCowPXXsKGIjI by iamgerardthomas@mastodon.social
2024-09-14T21:59:11Z
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@lextenebris Could not agree more, like wise with putting together the rules from 3 sources. In short though it's a blend of Alpha Strike, Classic and Destiny, so fast playing like AS but with limb blowing off from Classic and some campaign building. It's pretty cool and my preferred BT game play. I guess they just depend on their Patreon and followers, so don't really 'sell' it as such.
(DIR) Post #Am19ObdHvOfslM4SsS by lextenebris@social.vivaldi.net
2024-09-15T05:23:35Z
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@iamgerardthomas That just seems like a bad decision. Bad Decision Bear dropped in and they fed it, because how are you going to drive people to your Patreon if you don't talk about what you have to offer? That's just leaving money on the table. I don't know if I can countenance that.I did find a blog entry that talked about the overall project as a review of what they were doing, interestingly enough. And that's okay, I suppose. But it wasn't their blog. It just made my brain hurt a little bit.As an approach to BattleTech, I can totally see that being a pretty tight combination of things. But it does require that someone owns three different games, one of which not even I've heard of (Destiny).I absolutely understand the appeal of Alpha Strike, and understand how you could find it not quite crunchy enough for gameplay, especially if you are used to classic BattleTech.I'm pretty sure I would fall into that category myself.But good lord, we need to get people in the gaming industry a little more aware of how marketing works. One day, I promise, one day.
(DIR) Post #Am1DqGTIaurD3dqJdI by iamgerardthomas@mastodon.social
2024-09-15T06:13:24Z
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@lextenebris Marketing is not something that comes to most people with no experience with it :) I read enough good things, had most of the rules, picked up a PDF of Destiny and spliced it all into a single PDF… because I can. But what a PIA. I did it though as I found AS strips the character of the game to the point it became a little too generic, you know mechs instead of ‘vehicle type here’; and I just don’t have time or patience for Classic. Did in the late 80’s. Not now.
(DIR) Post #Am1EaJyXtnF7FJQ5D6 by lextenebris@social.vivaldi.net
2024-09-15T06:21:45Z
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@iamgerardthomas If we're being honest, the entirety of what passes for the "tabletop industry" is an elaborate vanity press. That's true of everything up to the biggest seller in the market and if you exclude the side merchandise, real sales of the big boys aren't that impressive either.There are really good reasons for that, and the lack of understanding marketing and cultivating an audience is part of why that's always been the case.On the positive side, up until recently, we've been largely free of parasitical free riders because there's just not enough money in the hobby as a whole to make them viable. Things are different now.Alpha Strike is entirely too minimalist, and I say this as someone who will play the RPG Lasers and Feelings, which has two stats: Lasers and Feelings.It feels like somebody wanted to build a massive Titanicus/Epic Scale/Battalion Scale game out of BattleTech, and the necessary compromises just pushed too far.BT really works best at the squad to platoon level, and I would argue platoon is pushing it a little bit. You need that personal identification level.I have an old school understanding of classic BT, but it was never my war game of choice. I love the setting.I find the mechanics a little too classic.
(DIR) Post #Am1EapZqPAUvFy6o9Q by lextenebris@social.vivaldi.net
2024-09-15T06:21:51Z
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@iamgerardthomas I would accept a reasonable argument that Steel Rift is still a little too minimalist to really capture all of modern classic BattleTech. I would believe that. But anything that gets people away from giving money to Catalyst at this point is a glorious positive in my book. And if it gets people to look at a game which I consider a very overlooked pleasure that comes from a very indie place I am all in on that too. Besides, I'll drive a Locust in any game I play, that's just true.
(DIR) Post #Am1Q0m7SyxFbYdPQIK by iamgerardthomas@mastodon.social
2024-09-15T08:29:45Z
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@lextenebris Yep! I find up to lance level a perfect playing size, so squad level teams. At this size you can keep the personality and (at least with the DFA system) crunch and speed. Larger and it's just another war game. As far as the TTG 'industry'.... most of it looks to me as a justification for making overpriced minis that so easily suck people in; so vanity projects seem like a perfect description.
(DIR) Post #Am1QP8uxs03nDQBH5U by iamgerardthomas@mastodon.social
2024-09-15T08:34:11Z
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@lextenebris I am not a fan of Catalyst overall. While they are doing well pushing stuff out, 'stuff' seems to sum a lot of it up. I find most of the minis disappointing and all the rest fodder fuel, not quite Games Workshop level but I am sure if they could, they would.
(DIR) Post #Am249FsAEz3GJoqki0 by lextenebris@social.vivaldi.net
2024-09-15T15:59:30Z
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@iamgerardthomas If we separate looking at the tabletop wargames and the tabletop RPG hobbies, even though they are closely related, in a real sense the tabletop wargame hobby industry is a lot healthier because they actually sell something that people want. People want those minis. They are trading funds for a material object they feel good about having purchased. If they continue to play, they will probably want more, thus establishing a pretty good base.Compared to RPGs, realistically I sell you the core mechanics and the core book, and maybe a couple of expansions which increase your lateral options. And that's all you have to buy from me forever.I know the scenario mill is the classic way of making money, but it's terrible, and the results are bad.Watching that part of the industry collapse has been one of my greatest pleasures over the decades.I'm quite happy for businesses to actually sell me a thing I need and want. It is increasingly rare. A bit of a shame, but here we are.
(DIR) Post #Am2bXSljF20hkjzU2a by iamgerardthomas@mastodon.social
2024-09-15T22:13:38Z
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@lextenebris Everyone wants to have that shelf of shame (I stick mine out of sight)!
(DIR) Post #Am2dOvY74Ds6JdgCEi by lextenebris@social.vivaldi.net
2024-09-15T22:34:31Z
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@iamgerardthomas I have no shame about any of the things that I've picked up, whether it be some really crappy miniatures or some really excellent miniatures that are just well beyond my capability of making look good, or really obscure RPGs, or really obscure RPG-adjacent creations.As I see it, all of my shelves are shelves of shame, and I should be proud of that.
(DIR) Post #Am2doMmqw1gi21hjea by iamgerardthomas@mastodon.social
2024-09-15T22:39:05Z
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@lextenebris LOL…. ‘Shelf of shame’ usually means all the unpainted minis you keep accruing
(DIR) Post #Am2vomVR6tseyNuCNE by lextenebris@social.vivaldi.net
2024-09-16T02:00:53Z
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@iamgerardthomas I'm well aware. But we all have a lot more shameful things than just our pile of unpainted plastic. (It used to be unpainted pewter. Ah, the good old days.)
(DIR) Post #Am2x5ON8C1Hb03VO6q by iamgerardthomas@mastodon.social
2024-09-16T02:15:04Z
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@lextenebris Oh I do love me some pewter/white metal :)