Jump to content
  • Sign Up

Gw2 Table Top RPG


Recommended Posts

I had a chat with my friends recently if we wanna go into Table Top/Pen and Paper. We probably start with DnD but I thought about modifying the Game mechanics and make a Gw2 Table Top Campaign.

Has anyone experience with this?

I have stumbled upon Guild Worlds but it wasn't as fleshed out as Dnd mechanics so I wanted to start from scratch.

Thx in advance.

Edit: Update on the project. I am making a 5e campaign set in tyria. Planned are all 9 classes with 3 or more subclasses each. I will add some additional combat rules for combo fields, weaponswapping and dodge roll (optional rule for dodge action).Bestiary is on my mind as well but this will be made at the end if at all.

If i am finishing the class resources i will post them on reddit (homebrew subreddits and gw2 subreddit) and here on the forum.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you want to get closer to what GW2 professions can do than D&D is likely to provide, you might look at Mutants & Masterminds: Warriors and Warlocks. M&M: W&W uses a variation of the D20 mechanics. However, character creation involves build points rather than classes. It would be easier to simulate a GW2 profession using a system designed to simulate almost any superhero concept. Power level can be adjusted to your taste (e.g., W&W suggests a lower power level for standard fantasy than for standard supers. Another option would be to use Hero, although its combat system works better for supers than for fantasy, imo.

Of course, if you're willing to approximate GW2 professions with the closest D&D analog, or if you are more concerned with the setting than the professions and are willing to just import the D&D classes as is, I think D&D would work fine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@IndigoSundown.5419 said:If you want to get closer to what GW2 professions can do than D&D is likely to provide, you might look at Mutants & Masterminds: Warriors and Warlocks. M&M: W&W uses a variation of the D20 mechanics. However, character creation involves build points rather than classes. It would be easier to simulate a GW2 profession using a system designed to simulate almost any superhero concept. Power level can be adjusted to your taste (e.g., W&W suggests a lower power level for standard fantasy than for standard supers. Another option would be to use Hero, although its combat system works better for supers than for fantasy, imo.

Of course, if you're willing to approximate GW2 professions with the closest D&D analog, or if you are more concerned with the setting than the professions and are willing to just import the D&D classes as is, I think D&D would work fine.

Alright thx.I am currently making patchwork class gathering and try to make a dual class system where the second class is the e-spec.I mainly struggle with the character sheets and the whole mechanics stuff because I didn't played dnd so far.

Could you recommend a good mechanic version that is in the middle ground of difficulty and user friendliness?Because as I said I am currently trying to make an rpg from scratch with all copy-pastable concepts from dnd.

I even think about a specialization mechanic that specifies the role of the character you play.

So a nature magic ranger plays different than a skirmish ranger etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@"InsaneQR.7412" said:I had a chat with my friends recently if we wanna go into Table Top/Pen and Paper. We probably start with DnD but I thought about modifying the Game mechanics and make a Gw2 Table Top Campaign.

Has anyone experience with this?

I have stumbled upon Guild Worlds but it wasn't as fleshed out as Dnd mechanics so I wanted to start from scratch.

Thx in advance.

So heres some advice. 4th Edition DnD rule set is designed to the mimic the mechanical approach of Modern RPG and MMORPGs. And frankly, it sucks. The underlying problem is that the sheer number of combat mechanics, and timer based cool downs, bogs the combat down to almost intolerable levels. It is severely unappreciated how much under the hood calculations go into action heavy games; and trying to mimic that in PnP RPG games weakens the whole experience. 3rd Edition DnD also had this problem, as it expanded the mechanics from 2nd edition with layers upon layers of additional modifiers and situational rules. A 3e combat session with more then 8 actors on the field (enemies or players) can take anywhere between 30-60 minutes.... boss fights could take literal hours if not handled well. This game was only designed to be played in stints of 3-4 hours; but the average adventure has anywhere between 6-10 encounters, and typically spans 2-3 sessions.

While ironically appropriate that a system that is mechanically heavy will spend 60-80% of its time dealing with conflict/mechanical resolution, DnD's strength is supposed to be in its story telling aspects. The combat and dice rolls are there to deal with probability. But spending too much time on that, and the adventure takes forever to complete.

I would highly recommend starting with more stream lined rules sets. 5e DnD is more streamlined, and I'd recommend it over 3e and 4e for beginners. However, a DnD rule books are expensive, and the class system doesn't mimic MMO staple classes. The class difference is important, as MMOs use a hard trinity model thats completely unique to Video games, and can only really function correctly there. DnD class structure is designed primarily for narrative flexibility, despite the amount of mechanical aspects involved in their design.

If you want something free, I recommend GURPS (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GURPS). You can find the base rule book online for Free, and there are sample adventures posted in various RPG related message boards or as resource books. GURPS's rules are extremely streamlined, usually reducing any given action to a single dice roll ,typically using no more then 2 numbers for modification. Its character building system is essentially freeform, using points to buy abilities based on its traits. This is designed to let you create your own skills, and is flexible enough to recreate somewhat simplified versions of MMO styled skills. Note that unlike video games, which used distinct skills or effects for every plausible action, GURPS approach allows a single base effect/skill to be utilized in multiple ways, thus creating varied effects to mimic the massive skill list of a RPG video game. So a single healing spell can start a single target, and later learn or create a condition in which it can be used as an AOE with modified effects. So rather then learning multiple individual spells, you expand it by spending more points to add effects, or use the environment (or even other skills) to modify the output. So using the above example again.... A healing spell defined as x HP over y number of targets can be both single target or AOE. Or a single target healing spell cast on a prism scatters its effects to an area around it. They aren't necessarily distinct skills you have to keep track of... just figuring out and manipulating its use to replicate the idea of huge skill lists using a much smaller, easier to track rule set.

You can also local collector game shops, as most tend to host periodic "Game Nights" to both connect player groups, and generate business as a supplier of game materials. The hard part is finding a GM or Player that understands your mind set, so they can give relevant advice. MMO players wanting to dive into PNP is fairly common... but the rate of adoption tends to be pretty low, because MMORPG combat as a game structure is extremely difficult to do on paper, due to how much a video game automates the hard parts. Ultimately the greatest difficulty is getting people comfortable with the narrative/RP side of the game; which is normal supposed to take up the majority of session time.

2 things I recommend checking out is -

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8blPWVfzrI

These are examples of what a game session sort of looks like when you strip out all the time spent doing "mechanical checks". You'll notice that what you get is a flowing story, where the action plays out far faster then it does at the table. This is an idealistic view of what the game is about. By making sure the narrative points are strong, without getting too bogged down in the specific of mechanics, a streamlined session should have a cadence thats similar to the videos I linked.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh.... I almost forgot. Search "HarmonQuest" on Vimeo. Its a series run by Dan Harmon (the Rick and Morty guy), playing a session of DnD with is comedian friends, in front of a studio audience, and animated the session into a show series. Its definitely worth watching, as it imparts a HUGE amount of context on DMing players who may or may not know anything about DnD.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@starlinvf.1358Thx for the advice I will look into it.Atm I actually try to patchwork some rules together I like to make the whole game on from scratch.But as a starting point to start playing it sure is pretty handy to have simplified versions.

Basically I use 5e and modify the watered down stuff with some complexity from pathfinder or rather use some of the class designs and streamline stuff.

It will be a rather big project and will take some time but let's see how it works out.

Edit: I am now looking into gurps. It looks like exactly the template I was looking for. I will still modify stuff but whatever this will be great^^

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@starlinvf.1358Now I am currently in the middle of the GURPS manual.The character creation seems rather convoluted to me and the missing classes isn't something of my liking.

I love the simple saving throw mechanic though and the skill checks.I am not at the combat of either 5e nor GURPS.I will probably pick and choose the best of both worlds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Solvar.7953 said:While you can make a tabletop GW2 game for your own use and no one is likely to care, if you ever try to publish it (or even just put it on-line for free), you probably need permission from Anet to do so.

Yeah it's for private use mainly.If I distribute it I ofc will ask for permission first.Atm it's just a fan project.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

GURPS is a "GM-heavy" system, but "Player-Light".

It means that the GM has to sit down and create the restrictions and limitations, including what players are allowed to pick or not to create characters from the GURPS core book. Also create pre-made templates for races or classes etc. It is an extremely flexible system, but it requires a slightly different mentality from the GM.

If you tell a player to create a character from ALL the options in the core book, then yes, GURPS will be "Player-Heavy" because you have everything in the world to choose from.

If the GM first creates race templates, and class templates and say: "Each player pick one race template, and then one class template. If they got points spare, they can select from the list of available skills listed under each class template." That creates something much closer to what you'd expect from other games etc. This way you can also theme up so each class can only take class theme upgrades on later leveling.


Also speaking from experience: Creating a whole new rule-set from scratch is generally way more work than it is worth, even for experienced RPG players. Usually better to pick something existing and tweak and adapt it, most good rulesets have a lot of things that interacts with each others in small and weird ways, and I see all too often that inexperienced GM's decide to change something, but doesn't see the consequences of this. And sometimes you end up with players abusing this, and it can create a big mess.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@""joneirikb.7506"Not quite settled so far.It is nice as a generell template creator but it doesn't fit the vision how I would design stuff.The player light combat is awesome and that's what I will adapt.

@Tanner Blackfeather.6509I will look into FATE, I am currently gathering information and do research on systems.

After that comes design and play testing and gather feedback if something is unbalanced etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

@InsaneQR.7412 said:@""joneirikb.7506"Not quite settled so far.It is nice as a generell template creator but it doesn't fit the vision how I would design stuff.The player light combat is awesome and that's what I will adapt.

@Tanner Blackfeather.6509I will look into FATE, I am currently gathering information and do research on systems.

After that comes design and play testing and gather feedback if something is unbalanced etc.

If you wanted something between D&D and Fate, Savage Worlds Adventure Edition would be good, and the way that powers and trappings work, it would be really easy to skin things as GW2 stuff without having to make new mechanics. For example, using the Summon Ally power to represent Mesmer Illusions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@GDchiaScrub.3241 said:Warning: Necromancy Magic was used to cast Bump on this thread.

Did this idea get anywhere?

D:

I am working on it.I scrapped the idea of making it from scratch after 12 weeks.

I will make a campaign settibg for DnD 5e, because its the one i play and I am most familiar with.I am working on the classes atm (each will get 3 subclasses)I will make a combofield ruleset and a ruleset for weaponswapping and dodgerolls (dodge action enhanced).Bestiary will be last.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To start i would suggest using the 5e d&d ruleset to make a homebrew gw2 campaign with custom classes, races, magic items etc. As others have pointed out, most of the fun in tabletop rpg's comes from the storytelling, player interactions, problem solving, and roleplay. When it comes down to actual "gameplay" and combat, its best to keep things as simple as possible. For example, in d&d its very easy to design a class that looks good on paper, but is actually a hassle to play due to unnecessary complexity. Even incredibly basic things like using multiplication or division as modifiers to rolls or attacks can make combat calculations take forever. Its probably a good idea to try out your ideas before committing to making a brand new game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@"Paradoxoglanis.1904" said:To start i would suggest using the 5e d&d ruleset to make a homebrew gw2 campaign with custom classes, races, magic items etc. As others have pointed out, most of the fun in tabletop rpg's comes from the storytelling, player interactions, problem solving, and roleplay. When it comes down to actual "gameplay" and combat, its best to keep things as simple as possible. For example, in d&d its very easy to design a class that looks good on paper, but is actually a hassle to play due to unnecessary complexity. Even incredibly basic things like using multiplication or division as modifiers to rolls or attacks can make combat calculations take forever. Its probably a good idea to try out your ideas before committing to making a brand new game.

Yeah i plan on making a 5e campaign setting instead of a new game.Its less of a hussle and with some optional rules like enhanced dodge action, weaponswap and combofields I can bring the gw2 feeling within the boundaries of 5e.

Currently working on the classes and the optional ruleset.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@kharmin.7683 said:Might I suggest 13th Age as a basic ruleset? It's very open and more focused on the story-telling and character interaction aspects than 5e IMO

Well its DM dependend how well story is told. And because i am familiar with 5e and like its 3 pillars of gameplay i think enhancing some of them may be enough.

I sadly have not the time to learn an additional mechanic system, so i stay with 5e.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@InsaneQR.7412 said:

@kharmin.7683 said:Might I suggest 13th Age as a basic ruleset? It's very open and more focused on the story-telling and character interaction aspects than 5e IMO

Well its DM dependend how well story is told. And because i am familiar with 5e and like its 3 pillars of gameplay i think enhancing some of them may be enough.

I sadly have not the time to learn an additional mechanic system, so i stay with 5e.

No skin off of my teeth. Just a suggestion. Of course, run with whatever makes you comfortable. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome to the world of Table Top, it is fun and you can complete almost anything you can imagine.

Trying to recreate a for game into an RPG is a daunting task. If this is you and your friends first adventure into Table Top RPGs, might I suggest you not try to create a one to one conversion. Since you are going with D&D, just keep those classes the same and start by using the world of Tyria as your setting. If you try to convert every class into a perfect match, you are going to find it really difficult.

So I would keep the classes as they are in D&D (Fighter, Cleric, Wizard, Thief, Warlock, Sorceror, Bard). Use the already given races to reskin as Tyria:Human = HumanAsura = Gnome or HalflingCharr = Dragonborn (Minus breath weapon)Sylvari = ElfNorn = Really tall Humans

Keep it Simple until you master the mechanics

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@InsaneQR.7412 said:

Edit: Update on the project. I am making a 5e campaign set in tyria. Planned are all 9 classes with 3 or more subclasses each. I will add some additional combat rules for combo fields, weaponswapping and dodge roll (optional rule for dodge action).Bestiary is on my mind as well but this will be made at the end if at all.

If i am finishing the class resources i will post them on reddit (homebrew subreddits and gw2 subreddit) and here on the forum.

For a Bestiary, I would look at the Monster Manual and Reskin what they already have. Take the concept of the GW2 monster and find the already create stats and abilities on a monster and change its name. Poof new monster.

I have reskinned many creatures to use in my home campaign myself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@mike.6957 said:

Edit: Update on the project. I am making a 5e campaign set in tyria. Planned are all 9 classes with 3 or more subclasses each. I will add some additional combat rules for combo fields, weaponswapping and dodge roll (optional rule for dodge action).Bestiary is on my mind as well but this will be made at the end if at all.

If i am finishing the class resources i will post them on reddit (homebrew subreddits and gw2 subreddit) and here on the forum.

For a Bestiary, I would look at the Monster Manual and Reskin what they already have. Take the concept of the GW2 monster and find the already create stats and abilities on a monster and change its name. Poof new monster.

I have reskinned many creatures to use in my home campaign myself.

Basically my plan.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...