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Totally Guy
2013-05-25, 05:25 PM
Anyone else finding that the games you want to play are the ones nobody knows anything about?

I was describing this phenomenon the other day and we concluded that I must be an RPG hipster.

Do you ever find yourself talking to someone who says they're into RPGs when you realise they've probably never heard of the games you are talking about? Does it bug you when people use "new-school" to refer to ideas that were new a decade ago? Have you ever enjoyed a game like Action Castle (http://memento-mori.com/portfolio/parsely-2/) ironically?

Then you may be an RPG hipster! Welcome to our thread. :smalltongue:

The Rose Dragon
2013-05-25, 05:34 PM
RPG hipsterism is ultimately terminal, resulting in lack of players, buying new games because someone else already plays the ones you bought two hours ago, and mild skin rashes. Unfortunately, there is no known cure that works in all cases. Some people suggest that sucking it up and playing popular systems might attenuate the symptoms and slow the progress, but ultimately the only thing that can satisfy the RPG hipster is a game that he can't find players for.

One out of seven RPG players are diagnosed with RPG hipsterism every year. Do your best to spread awareness of this terrible condition.

Grinner
2013-05-25, 05:35 PM
So...what should we talk about?

The Rose Dragon
2013-05-25, 05:38 PM
Well, since it is unlikely you have heard of any of the systems I have (they are pretty underground), it is hard to have a real discussion. :smalltongue:

So let's talk about Nine Worlds, a weird little game half-Greek mythology, half-Mage, half-pulp fantasy (that's three halves) with a card-based conflict resolution system. Does that suit you?

Grinner
2013-05-25, 05:44 PM
Well, since it is unlikely you have heard of any of the systems I have (they are pretty underground), it is hard to have a real discussion. :smalltongue:

Does Noumenon happen to be one of them? If so, we could discuss the infinite mysteries of the Silhouette Rouge.


So let's talk about Nine Worlds, a weird little game half-Greek mythology, half-Mage, half-pulp fantasy (that's three halves) with a card-based conflict resolution system. Does that suit you?

Well, I think I've got it on my tablet but haven't bothered to read it yet.

The Rose Dragon
2013-05-25, 05:53 PM
It is pretty cool. I think you should give it a read. And I will do the same to Noumenon.

((At which point I will promptly lose interest in it, because hipster. I have the scarf and everything.))

Grinner
2013-05-25, 05:55 PM
((At which point I will promptly lose interest in it, because hipster. I have the scarf and everything.))

But of course. :smallwink:

Grinner
2013-05-25, 06:08 PM
Okay. Have you ever had idea and thought to yourself,"Wow! This is so original. Nobody's ever thought of this." Later, you discover that someone has, in fact, already thought of that.

That's what Nine Worlds is to me. A while ago I had an idea for a game. The details were indefinite, but the basic concept was "Individuals called Archons bend fate for fun and profit".

This is extremely frustrating. :smallsigh:

tensai_oni
2013-05-25, 06:25 PM
I like Bliss Stage (http://swingpad.com/dustyboots/wordpress/?page_id=244). You probably never heard of it.

warty goblin
2013-05-25, 06:35 PM
I find I get all my favorite extremely weird RPGs from my local used book store. So far the clear champion of all things odd is something called GateWar, which is the most delightfully bizarre, fantastically over-complicated mess. For instance you can bleed to death, but your total amount of blood is determined by cross referencing a truly intimidating table that accounts for your character's total size, among other things. You can also die from getting your limbs or head chopped off, but that uses an entirely different system of per-appendage durability.

It also likes its randomization. This is a game where you roll to determine how many times to roll on a particular table. Also there's a very small chance during character creation that you turn out to be, essentially, a god.

And the monsters...we need to talk about the monsters. Like weird ass alien that just just follows you everywhere, watching and listening. Or the draconic species that comes from another planet and has the reproductive and social order of an ant colony. Or the giant robotic battlesuit that wanders about, the bones of the pilot still inside. Or the randomly contracted and randomly lethal parasites. Or the giant assault frog with a humanoid shaped growth on the end of its nose it uses to lure prey into bogs. Or the parasite that bends back tree branches into catapults to throw itself at you.


GateWar isn't the sort of game that separates the men from the boys. It's the kind of game that separates the sane from unhinged people on mind-altering illicit narcotics. If you should ever happen across a copy, you owe it to yourself to read it.


edit: my local used book store also has a couple really quite sketchy looking books for playing out all your white supremacist, after-the-Rapture fantasies. I find them quite tempting, just to see exactly how deranged and offensive they are, but the shame of actually being seen buying them holds me back.

Totally Guy
2013-05-25, 06:40 PM
I've really got to get around to reading Tenra Bansho Zero. I got those PDFs ages back at the end of their kickstarter.

I've not read any Ben Lehman (Bliss Stage) but when I do I think it'll be Polaris.

Grinner
2013-05-25, 06:47 PM
I've really got to get around to reading Tenra Bansho Zero. I got those PDFs ages back at the end of their kickstarter.

I AM SO JEALOUS!!! :smallfurious:

Craft (Cheese)
2013-05-25, 07:28 PM
Anyone else finding that the games you want to play are the ones nobody knows anything about?

I was describing this phenomenon the other day and we concluded that I must be an RPG hipster.

Do you ever find yourself talking to someone who says they're into RPGs when you realise they've probably never heard of the games you are talking about? Does it bug you when people use "new-school" to refer to ideas that were new a decade ago? Have you ever enjoyed a game like Action Castle (http://memento-mori.com/portfolio/parsely-2/) ironically?

Then you may be an RPG hipster! Welcome to our thread. :smalltongue:

What if I enjoyed Action Castle unironically?

Zahhak
2013-05-25, 07:34 PM
I only mainstream titles.

Ironically.

Totally Guy
2013-05-25, 08:10 PM
What if I enjoyed Action Castle unironically?

You need to run Action Castle on a road trip or train journey to really appreciate its subtleties. :smalltongue: