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View Full Version : Player Help Need some help for a rookie



Jay Dako
2016-08-17, 08:11 PM
Okay, so I have now been invited to join both a NWOD (Or Chronicles of Darkness) and a Big Eyes Small Mouth game. I am branching out here and trying something new. For the NWOD, I am thinking a mage. I have never played before and have not looked at the books yet, nor do I know what books I need. The group has a Geist, Vampire, and a Beast in it and they play almost totally subtle/social. This is fine but I feel like I should have something in case something bad goes down. Overall though, for someone that knows nothing at all about this outside of the OWOD video games like VtM:B, I need help.

For BESM, I know absolutely nothing. I don't even know where to begin. All I know is they are playing a game based on Infinite Stratos with all the cringy stuff, like harem and ecchi, removed and are playing it somewhat more serious.

In both of these, all I can say is I need help. Please help me as I am already over my head. I have only played multiple editions of D&D, Dark Heresy, Shadowrun, AFMBE, Paranoia, CoC, TMNT, Ironclaw, and Marvel Superheroes FASERIP previously.

tensai_oni
2016-08-17, 08:40 PM
Your WoD group sounds really weird. Usually when playing WoD, all players in the group play the same type of supernatural being - all vampires, all werewolves, etc. This is because various types tend to be highly antagonistic towards each other, somewhere between "stay right there where I can see you" and "kill on sight". Also it's a pain to run without some players overshadowing others. There is a lot of power disparity - for example, a mage is much more powerful and versatile than all but the most experienced vampires.

About BESM - generally I gotta admit, Big Eyes Small Mouth is not a very good system. It's easy to break, both ways: you can create two characters with the same number of starting points, one will be absolutely useless and the other is a total powerhouse, and that's without abusing obvious cheese. So my advice for that game is, work with the game master when creating your character. Ask them if the character is what they expect mechanically - do your attacks deal enough damage (not too little, but not too much either), how's your armor, other powers and so on.
Also I wonder if the game master wants to run a transforming heroes/power armor game then why run one based on a bad anime with fanservice removed instead of basing it on a good transforming hero or power armor anime, but whatever.

Jay Dako
2016-08-17, 10:21 PM
Well they want to play a crossover game. So since I never played before, I figured mage since it sounds the hardest. I always try to jump into the most difficult one first. I play video games on the hardest setting after all and get good with it. So with mage, what is recommended for someone that is completely new?

SethoMarkus
2016-08-19, 02:59 PM
Well they want to play a crossover game. So since I never played before, I figured mage since it sounds the hardest. I always try to jump into the most difficult one first. I play video games on the hardest setting after all and get good with it. So with mage, what is recommended for someone that is completely new?

First, you would need the book Mage: The Awakening.

Second, discuss it with GM and see how the game will be run/what role magic plays. Like Tensai_Oni said, nWoD generally is played with everyone in the same "book", so it can get dicey if it's mixed. Just double check with the GM how they expect things to interact. Don't want to show up to a knife fight with a cruise missile, and don't want to show up to a tank skirmish with a water pistol.

Third, Acanthus/enchanter seems to be a good fit for your group, but to be honest my group had never run a game with a PC as a Mage. We tend to stick more towards X-Files or Torchwood feel; normal humans investigating the supernatural