Why does Crafting in TTRPGs Kinda Stink?

[@Kephirus]

Dude you are on fire as of late, so manny uploads with different topics/rants!

[@amanisalone]

@@Kephirus my uploads have actually been quite slow recently because of a surgery… Expect double this next week. My goal is to demonstrate that my human mind can outperform all major AI systems in mass drivel production.

[@RoNPlayer]

Big agreement on the casualness of exploration and collecting resources. TTRPGs mostly circle around more interesting happenings - where the boring background stuff gets canceled out. One interesting observation: A lot of groups don't track Arrows + coins, which falls in the same mindset imo. The counterquestion might be: Maybe tables that *do* track coins should just add small amounts of collected raw materials whenever you explore and travel.

[@RoNPlayer]

Ah! I see you have dismantled this suggestion in the video later on :D

[@tara5742]

Transmuting “Worker Placement” board game mechanics to solo RPG might add that layer of satisfaction and in-game resources. It would line up well with the Save-for-Later idea proposed in the video. Everdell and Stone Age seem to be quite popular. But for Solo play, maybe it’s an enchanted ax we let grind away, or a familiar or companion that circles back later to tell you what they’ve gathered. Before listening to all of the video, I was getting lost in the thought of how one might add resource location or extraction method discovery within random encounters. Something that triggers maybe only half the time or less so when it happens it’s a titillating little zing knowing you have some treasure unlocked somewhere. I was also simultaneously in the wind and rain trying to unclog a gutter, so these suggestions are only half remembering what seemed like fun ideas at the time. But maybe they’ll spark something in someone elsewhere

[@paradeduck]

In my Forbidden Lands game, I treat the town as a separate character. So in some solo sessions, between my group sessions, I play through the town actions, and decide what they gathered and what they want to build. And if I decide that some ogres moved into the quarry and scaring off the workers, I have a quest for my next group (or solo!) session that has tangible rewards.

[@DesertDwellerSoloGaming]

Video 87 of me liking and then commenting on every new upload to tell the viewers that the Man Alone Podcast is absolutely some of that sweet, unhinged audio/vocal-honey. Psssst. What would be the best item to have a micro-version of? It can’t already exist. I want a micro version of one of those rubber chickens that scream insanely loud when you squeeze them, but I want the volume to stay just as loud on the micro one.

[@Andysavyd69]

Wow it pays to stay up late ! New video !

[@crapphone7744]

First you talk about finding resources, and then you decide you need to be able to buy and sell resources, then you need a medium of exchange so that you can exchange resources, and eventually you're playing a game about economics and not role-playing anymore.

[@RoNPlayer]

I think the core difference is that TTRPG are about storytelling or about mechanical boardgaming. So eg. D&D has a very mechanized boardgamey combat system. Crafting in TTRPGs often falls into the category of storytelling, while also concerning very boring stories (e.g. finding 5 herbs to craft a 1d4 healing potion). You could make it interesting by giving it very complex mechanics - if that's your style. But the easier way imo is to make it relevant to storytelling. Crafting a small thing like a simple tool should probably be handled shortly in the story, with only a die roll or smth. While you can dedicate big time to find the 3 epic monster bodyparts to craft the holy sword ofsomethingorsomesuch. Which does make for an interesting story. And we do the same dedication with most other stuff anyways. A lot of crafting i've seen just simply isn't interesting, while also taking up a huge amount of tabletime and upkeep.

[@Sacred_Art_of_Gaming]

Just what I needed the day after Christmas

[@ike_d5402]

I absolutely love tech trees and crafting in video games. I've always abstracted it so much in RPGs so much that it's no fun at all.

[@chromeego7903]

1 :21:00 "Games that already do this...." Fallout RPG.

[@subjectt.change6599]

Why don’t I like crafting on the tabletop? Imagine playing *My Summer Car*, but with dice rolls. Sounds less like a game, and more like WORK.

[@evanfarrar7226]

so distracted by the keyboard layout, where is O,P,L?

[@RoNPlayer]

Twilight 2000 has an advantage for the cost of this - because the game is run on a tight time-schedule anyway, so you can really make a time cost be relevant.

[@nobodyinparticular5639]

50:40 I think really the big thing You have to consider is that games like Rivals and Fortnite are meant to be games of still and if you make a purchasable item give you a mechanical advantage you’ve made it not about skill but about pay to win.

[@amanisalone]

@@nobodyinparticular5639 yes I understand that, all of the purchases are cosmetic. I wasn’t suggesting that the purchases should give a power advantage in that game, I was saying that me personally I would never buy anything in a game that only changed how I looked.

[@wanderlking8634]

*looks at thumbnail* "Yeah it has been a minute since I've watched an AvE video."

[@JigglyPKMN]

Dragon Quest IX did crafting right. I want my trpg to do that.

[@wanderlking8634]

It may not really be helpful to the discussion but I highly recommend Subnautica. It is probably my favorite crafting and exploration game.

[@SaintSolo]

YYYYES! MUHAHAHAHAHA AWW.....