Get your game on!

Culture
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I’m a huge fan of the Yakuza series, and Ryu ga Gotoku studios is making a bold move for future titles in the Yakuza universe by … actually giving gamers more of what they want. This should be a no brainer but it seems like so many studios these days prefer to take a contrarian approach. (Although it was a big shock to many when Like a Dragon (aka Yakuza 7) changed from having more arcade-like fighting to becoming a turn-based RPG.)

For years, fans have been asking for English versions of the two Samurai-era spin-offs and and not only are they going to do this, they are re-making them. People love Kiryu, the protagonist from the first 6 games, and so we get more Kiryu.

I wish more studios would actually listen to fans like this rather than shit all over them.

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This keeps showing up on my suggested roster on YT.

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It used to be a flash animation site of some renown.

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I believe someone mentioned the old Terran Trade Authority art books a couple years ago. 1 of them was remastered for the roleplaying game, and is currently on sale.

I don’t know if the others will follow.

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Well, this was higher than expected. I blame it on my purchase of a Steam Deck:

Steam Replay 2022
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You should be able to see your own at https://store.steampowered.com/replay

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Considering that I have a single pinball game, which I’ve played all of 4 hours on and last played 7 years ago… I’m curious what the logic is behind the graph choices :smiley:

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I didn’t play nearly as much as normal this year at all. I did start the year playing Fortnite (Epic) and am ending it playing Battletech (GOG), so Steam wouldn’t know about those, but still it’s a lot less than normal.

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There are a number of leaks implying that Hasbro/WoþC is planning to revoke and replace the Open Game License. If they can do this, they could kneecap most of their competition. Even publishers who use completely different systems and settings often use it.

Evil Hat uses it for Fate, Pinnacle uses it for Savage Pathfinder, Chaosium uses it for a few of their projects, etc.

Wyrmworks is cutting short proofreading in their disability module, Limitless Heroics, to try to get an official publication on the 12th, hoping to get ahead of the new version which hasn’t been released but is rumored to kick in on the 13th.

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They can make a new license, and license their new stuff under it, but can’t necessarily revoke existing ones.

As seen here:

  1. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License. – Open Game License v1.0a

and here:

Q: Can’t Wizards of the Coast change the License in a way that I wouldn’t like?

A: Yes, it could. However, the License already defines what will happen to content that has been previously distributed using an earlier version, in Section 9. As a result, even if Wizards made a change you disagreed with, you could continue to use an earlier, acceptable version at your option. In other words, there’s no reason for Wizards to ever make a change that the community of people using the Open Gaming License would object to, because the community would just ignore the change anyway. – Open Game License:Frequently Asked Questions

and by the original author:

Yeah my public opinion is that Hasbro does not have the power to deauthorize a version of the OGL. If that had been a power that we wanted to reserve for Hasbro, we would have enumerated it in the license. I am on record numerous places in email and blogs and interviews saying that the license could never be revoked. – Ryan Dancey -- Hasbro Cannot Deauthorize OGL | EN World | Dungeons & Dragons | Tabletop Roleplaying Games

Of course, lawyers will be lawyers, and Hasbro certainly has the money to legally hassle anyone. But it doesn’t seem like it would ever actually hold up if their victim decided not to cave to pressure.

As for games that use completely different systems, there’s no reason they should be using that license anyway. They could just switch to CC, GPL, FDL, OCL, or make their own equivalent. The only reason to use Hasbro’s license would be if you’re including some of their work in yours.

Of course, most small game content creators would reasonably fear Hasbro’s lawyers, so there’s a lot of FUD going around, but it seems to be a bit overstated.

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“However, it’s clear from the reaction that we rolled a 1. It has become clear that it is no longer possible to fully achieve all three goals while still staying true to our principles.”

“The next OGL will contain the provisions that allow us to protect and cultivate the inclusive environment we are trying to build and specify that it covers only content for TTRPGs. That means that other expressions, such as educational and charitable campaigns, livestreams, cosplay, VTT-uses, etc., will remain unaffected by any OGL update. Content already released under 1.0a will also remain unaffected.”

Looks like the community has pushed back sufficiently that Hasbro is backpedaling a bit to try to find some ground to stand on.

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The esteemed Mr. Doctorow weighs in too.

Much like Pantone can’t own colors, Wizards of the Coast can’t own the concepts of rolling dice, HP, Orcs, etc.

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“… until the next time we try this, or our lawyers decide to interpret either the old version or the new version differently. But, please, trust us and don’t all run away to other projects that are actually putting promises into their license instead of just promising an interpretation of it!”

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The concessions Wizards and D&D make in this announcement are huge: it will not attempt to deauthorize the OGL 1.0a; it is putting the entirety of the Systems Reference Document for D&D 5.1 into the Creative Commons; and it is abandoning its previously stated intentions for Virtual Tabletops.

One thing to note is that Brink states that putting the entire 400-page SRD into the Creative Commons means that fans don’t need to “take [Dungeons & Dragons’] word for it.” That Brink would explicitly acknowledge the lack of trust between fans and publishers and Wizards of the Coast is incredible.

Finally, the company finished the statement with an olive branch, publishing the SRD immediately, and stating, “Here’s a PDF of SRD 5.1 with the Creative Commons license. By simply publishing it, we place it under an irrevocable Creative Commons license. We’ll get it hosted in a more convenient place next week. It was important that we take this step now, so there’s no question.”

That is a LOT of backpedaling in a rather short period of time. I suppose the question is, are there any other little time bombs laying around…

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This weekend, I decided to try something new. I saw a thread on another site asking about how ChatGPT might be used in gaming. And I just decided to give it a try.

I kickstartered the Old Gods of Appalachia RPG. It’s not done yet, but should be soon. I want to have some stuff ready for my group, so when it gets here we can just dive in and go with it. But I get writer’s block and was drawing a blank on where to start. I know a bit about modern Appalachia, but not much about a dark supernatural 1920s-era version of it.

So I asked ChatGPT. And much as expected the first few responses were fairly bland and equivocating, and not really useful. But starting from question 4, it really blew me away. It totally picked up on the theme, tone, and genre and started giving me so many ideas. And worded in a way that fits too!

It’s not perfect, but it totally put together a whole menu of ideas I could draw upon, and when I asked for more detail on some, it responded right in line with the intended tone and theme, and in detail.

I’m amazed, and can totally see this as a very valuable assistant to writers and GMs and such. Once you get it on your wavelength, it can just start bouncing ideas off you, and you can follow up on whichever ones you are interested in.

This AI is not going to replace people, but it is certainly going to empower them. Possibly enough to make being a creative a better-paying job choice. And it’s going to open opportunities for people who want to create games or write stories.

This is my transcript so far: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TUgmSlIlyv46eEbQy3qOpAhuQ_OTiwqV/view
Look at how simple it is.

And how interesting the followup is!

Me: Our main character encounters the moonshiners, but doesn’t do anything you suggested, and it doesn’t go well. They are after him, and he is running through the woods. He takes shelter in a run-down cabin which happens to have the enchanted banjo. What happens next?

ChatGPT: As the main character takes shelter in the run-down cabin, they may be surprised to find the enchanted banjo. The banjo may seem to call out to them, and they may feel compelled to play it. As they do so, the music may take on a life of its own, filling the cabin with a haunting melody that seems to draw on the power of the forest itself.

As the main character plays, they may feel the tension and fear of the encounter with the moonshiners begin to fade away. The music may seem to protect and guide them, leading them on a path through the forest that the moonshiners cannot follow. Along the way, they may encounter other mysterious creatures and spirits of the forest, but the music of the enchanted banjo keeps them safe.

However, there may be a heavy price to pay for the protection of the banjo. As the main character plays, they may feel their energy and strength draining away, and they may begin to see strange visions or experience eerie sensations. They may also realize that the banjo’s power is not entirely under their control, and that they may be called upon to perform tasks or make sacrifices in exchange for its help.

Overall, the enchanted banjo is a powerful and mysterious artifact, and the main character will need to navigate its powers and limitations carefully. While it may offer protection and guidance through the dangers of the forest, it may also demand a heavy price in exchange for its help, and its motives and loyalties may not be entirely clear.

And there’s more, but I’m not going to copy it all because this is already long.

the witch’s mirror is a dangerous tool, and it may not always reveal the truth. Its visions and revelations may be distorted or misleading, and the main character may find themselves drawn into dangerous and unpredictable situations as a result. They will need to use the mirror with great care and caution, and be prepared to face the consequences of what they learn from it.

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Returning to Buzz Aldrin’s Space Program Manager. Managed to get to the moon without losing anyone, though it took until 1970.

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I don’t know where else to post this, so I’m posting it here. I am going to be doing one of the nerdiest things I’ve ever done next weekend. I’m going to a crossword puzzle tournament: Lollapuzzoola in NYC. Are there any other cruciverbalists here?

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Wait… is that what you call someone who does crossword puzzles? TIL!

Good luck!

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