The Witcher: Pen & Paper RPG

Polish here and I'm definitely willing to help a bit. I'm still a student, so I usually have a decent amount of free time.

Isn't this the really bad one?

Nope, this one is pretty dope. The translation is wonky, but the people behind it were always reminding everyone this is just a rought draft.

If you want bad Witcher stuff, go watch film adaptation TV series is okay, even if done by the same people.
If you want bad Polish TTRPG, try Kryształy Czasu/Crystals of Time. But better just commit suicide than read that piece of filth

TV series was ok for its time, at least for Polish cinematography standards, but nowadays? Acting holds up I guess, but the "special" effects are just comically bad.

Not even a Pole, but watching it was pretty fun, even if the effects aged like milk. But judging just about any film by quality of effects years after it was made is pointless - "The Thing" is the best horror ever made, while it's entirely based on crappy animatronics that also aged like milk.

Safety Bump

Bumpaloo

>What's the Polish national dish?
>Burned.

You monster.

Cool stuff!

Funny thing - there is not a single dish that can qualify as "national" one.

How does a Witcher RPG work? Is everyone a Witcher? No one?

You can, you know, read the source book, it's posted in this thread.

The idea is to run preferably no-witcher party OR only one witcher at the time. There is a whole chapter (sadly untranslated) about it in the book and how to deal with it when everyone wants to be a witcher.
Either way, it's suprisingly workable.

Also, NPC witchers >>>>> party witcher

Being a witcher is treated as a race by the game, mixed with specific class (even if the whole game is class-less). And it's generally advised to have a single witcher in a party and no more, regardless of circumstances.
The "one witcher per party" is mostly related with the fact how witchers are immune to shitload of things that would require absurdly powerful character otherwise to even try to resist. So while it's a very viable option to play without witcher, they make a lot of things easier and survivable (like venomous monsters). Said that, I've once run for a year for a party that was all human and a single half-elf. No witchers and no magic users. But those were all experienced players who knew all the rules by heart, thus perfectly capable of facing just about anything short from higher vampires, proper dragons and supernatural.

Bump

Whoa, it sure bring back memories. The first TTRPG i ever played. I remember it as a good system, but it can be because of nostalgia. One thing we always hated about it was "destiny/fate" dice. We didn't use that rule, because it basically meant 16% chance to critically fail any ability test.

That's because most people never actually read how critical fails work. If you roll 1 od fate die, you can still counter it by having 2 successes more.
So depending on dice pool, you could easily avoid crit fails, to never experience one.

This comes from the pocket edition of the book, which most people were familiar with and which failed to explain properly dice mechanics. The full-fledged book spent entire page on explaining crit fails and how to avoid them. Page 64 if I'm correct. Or something around it. The short chapter between character making and combat mechanics, anyway.

>while it's entirely based on crappy animatronics that also aged like milk
Dude, what? The Thing aged pretty well. It often looks better than modern digital effects.

Adding to above, the most "problems" with the book comes from people skipping that chapter, thinking there is nothing useful in it, while it carefully explains:
- crit fails and how to avoid them
- crit success and how it works depending on outcome of other dice
- opposed checks
All written in clear and simple terms, thus saving a lot of issues later on. But since the chapter looks at first glance as repetition of what was already said, a LOT of people skip it. This is usually first thing I do with new players - give them the book to read that chapter specifically. Based on it alone, you can invent few viable tactics allowing to endure the early game hell, where your skills are low.

I'm not questioning they look better than modern CGI (just compare them with the shitty stuff from the pointless prequel). But they are still highly questionable in quality today, while in the 80s they were the peak of possible effects and were often noted as such in reviews.

On the other hand, have you seen LotR films recently? And how they've aged in most of mass scenes? Or, for even more stark contrast, the god-awful Avatar? Which was praised to heaven for visuals, but 6 years later it looks like SHIT

Wait, what? This dragon breaths ICE?!

If I recall correctly, the most common type of dragon breaths streams of concentrated chlorine. So rather than setting you ablaze, it will choke you in truly horrifying manner, while in the same time causing serious chemical burns inside and outside.

Yup, green dragons breath chlorine. And their nests are always in some low-positioned cave or crevice, so just going there means there is still thick wall of gas inside and no real way to get rid of it, regardless if you already slayed the dragon (good luck with that) or it's away hunting for some nice, juicy sheep or cow. In fact, this is the main reason why they are the most common type of dragon - their nests are very hard to attack, making hatchlings safe, whole their hoard is hardest to loot.

Really? They are all borrowed or too related to other nationalities?

user you are forgetting about Bigos (polish hunter's stew).

It's about the country being pretty diverse. Commies tried to set up few dishes as "national", but utterly failed, instead giving them the connotation of what pleb might consider glamorous dish
Said that, Polish cuisine is pretty rich. Just no dish can be considered as "all-Polish" stuff.

Tell that to just about anyone outside Poland B. They will laught right into your face

That's only because they're white. A national dish requires a culture to produce such a thing.

This bait is so weak I won't even bother with low quality bait image

Still holding out for Translator user.

Well then good for you, because I've just started doing monsters.

What? LOTR still looks objectively great. While for comparison the Battle of Five Armies looked like a damn video game on premiere already.

Then watch it again. Especially large battle scenes with loads of characters.
And tell us again with straight face it looks still good.

Hard mode - convince us Legolas scaling an oliphant looks good.

I did a month ago. And yes, apart from few individual moments it does look good, not even because of fanboying or nostalgia glasses.

Good news is - you can watch Witcher tv series without it feeling odd or awkward.
Bad news - you probably have some eye problems and should see ophthalmologist

I'm actually a guy who first complained about how it aged. And I'm sorry user but I think you're the one with eye problems if you seriously think that this

Has aged as bad as this

Maybe you didn't notice, but I'm constantly talking about MASSED scenes. As in - how artificial it looks when Army A tries to smash Army B.

I just checked them again on youtube, just to be sure. I mean, sure you can tell this isn't a film released yesterday but they still look pretty damn good for me. Sure, if you think they look like shit then that's like, your opinion man, but even if I'd have to be harsh I would say they still look at least decent.

>When it's your opinion, it's just an opinion
>When it's my opinion, it's an objective truth
Wew lad

>They still look good for me
>Even if I'd have to be harsh I would say

Where do you see stating a fact in here?

Nothing like good old shitstorm about meaningless shit.

Translation when?

Fuck yes! Thank you.

Ok, last bump for tonight, tomorrow around noon (GMT) monsters should be either ready or at least mostly done

Should we continue bumping it or will you make a new thread?

Bump, just in case

This is a dumb meme, pierogi are Eastern European and are applicable to any country, sure, but that doesn't exclude them from being a dish that inspires national identity

Bump before I sleep.

I'm Silesian. For me pierogi are foreign stuff. Where is your God now?
Also, plot twist - Poland is not in Eastern Europe.

Save this thread bump.

>There is a whole chapter (sadly untranslated) about it in the book and how to deal with it when everyone wants to be a witcher.
>Either way, it's suprisingly workable.
As I recall, the gist of it was that groups of Witchers going around adventuring is the sort of thing that gets angry mobs burning your house down with you in it.

I did not know there was an already existing Witcher P&P. Is it any good? Does it have a lot of polish?

>Is it any good?
Very, especially for newbs, but also workable for grognards
>Does it have a lot of polish?
It was written in Polish, so I'm not sure what you are asking about. Redefine the question

>unsure if pun or just thick

I've only realised now this could be just a pun...

Assuming this is a pun-question, then the translation is so-so (VERY rough), but the game itself was suprisingly well-made, as long as you were willing to carefully read the rules and pay attention to the wording.
In short - the type of game where reading comprehension makes a difference between loving the game for precise rules or hating it for being incoherent.

>I've only realised now this could be just a pun...
It's a good one, if it is. Makes me grin.

So I heard that Geralt has some special mutations that the other Witchers didn't. What are they?

White hair.

I've never really seen what special mutations he got compared to other witchers, at least in ability. To me, it feels like he's one of the last Wolf School witchers to get the mutations that turn your hair white. In one of the short stories, it's mentioned it was nastier than most mutations that witchers-to-be go through.

I think Geralt's mutation was gone to an older gen of witchers, it would explain why Eskel and Lambert don't have white hair. Heck they'd look normal if not for their yellow cat eyes.

He was part of a "test batch" with slightly changed mutagens. Didn't really change anything, but made him white haired and pale even for witcher standards.

I thought it was just that he took to the base-line ones pretty well, so they decided to try more on him. That was the product of his albinism?

I see. So he just got swankier hair. Thanks anons.

Chances are it just lets him take more potions without blacking out, that seems to be what the largest part of the mutations are for.

It's never really discussed in the stories or the saga, only implied. He was part of a bigger experiment, conducted ages ago, but the results - even if there were any - were so meaningless for the alchemist conducting it, they never applied it further.
So even if he has any real or practical advantage due to different series of mutations, the "main effect" is looking like an albino (aside eyes). Pretty useless, if not outright harmful if you think about it.

Even if the games did pretty him up a bit.

Fortunately, that's what mods are for.

Actually, some albinos have regular eyes.
Albanism has various levels of physical severity.

'tism is strong in you

Now we await an update from Translator user.

Goood morning ladies and gentleman, I'm user, and this is /t/unes for listenin/g/, the one and only internet radio show by tabletop gamers, for tabletop gamers.

Up first on our "Hour of the Wolf" segment, we have Miracle of Sound, with Silver and Steel.

Take it away Gav!

youtu.be/24z6ejrS7GM

Pretty good for one of his older ones, huh? I've heard that the actual Polish part isn't pronounced properly, but I wouldn't know myself.

While we're on the topic, up next is the always lovely Malukah with her rendition of the Wolven Storm. Malu's left a little bit for our native Polish listeners as well, so listen up.

youtu.be/eOR2QYy670k

Moving back from fan-covers or filk or a minute, we have Steel for Humans; a tune most of you will probably recognize, but never heard in its entirety before.

youtu.be/BLqktDBIew8

I'm told that it's a Hungarian folk song.

Now we return to the Miracle of Sound, albeit with a considerably more contemporary creation, straight from his Level Six album, Lady of the Worlds.

Gav provides the musical accompaniment for this fast-paced ballad, but it is his friend Ailin who captures the voice of the Child of the Elder Blood.

Go for it!

youtu.be/43FnCO1DkOU

And so, as the Hour of the Wolf draws to a close, we have one last song to send us off. I think you already know what this is going to be.

youtu.be/s2oVSwflClQ

Thanks Music user for those tasty tunes. One last bump before I sleep.

Bump

This is good. Real good

Is that Villentretenmerth?
Looks a bit too sentient to be a common dragon.
I have no idea if the tv-series did their own thing or the stories.

Yup
"Dragon" episode was probably the most faithful of them all (still has its issues) in the entire series.

But ask common witcherfags (Complainus Neversatisfietus) and they will rail it to no end for "THAT HORRIBLE CGI!" and "WHY DID YENNEFER WEAR RED COAT!". Also, if they are old enough - "WHY STĘPIEŃ IS PLAYING EYCK!?", since the actor playing Eyck of Denesle is infamous for playing blind drunk in a late 90s sitcom (never mind he was an acclaimed actor with almost 40 years of experience, witcherfags were too young to know his older roles)

Well the tv series had terrible cgi, rubber monsters, appaling acting and sword fight, but at least Ciri was cute.

Btw. what actor would you like to see as Geralt in western installment of the series?

>appaling acting
Zamachowski was so fucking good old-ass grognards stopped complaining about him not looking the part in the slightest.

>Long, long ago
>In a far away land
>Andrzej Chyra not only still had hair
>The hair were curled

Swordfights were shit, because...
... they never hired anyone to do choreography of fights. They've instead used the aikido trainer to improvise swordfights for them. Hence they look as if everyone was using a walking cane rather than a sword.

I say Mads. He can act cold bastards with soft side and looks good enough.

Poland is not eastern europe per se, sure it touches germany and is catholic. But it also touches Russia and is Slavic.

That perogi are foreign to you does not mean they cannot inspire a feeling of identity, again, this is a dumb meme

Identity to what? user, let me put it into perspective. It's like saying "Taco is my favourite Italian food". This is what you are trying to convince me to.
Pierogi are foreign and alien. If they relate with anything, then it's shitload of post-war refugees taken from steppes of Ukraine and dumped in Opolszczyzna. That's the kind of relation or identity pierogi have for me.
And somehow I am Pole and consider myself Pole, with my family being "tutejszy" for at least 8 generations (that's how far local parish book survived)

...

What the hell is that?

Beastie from the first Witcher game.

witcher.wikia.com/wiki/Bloedzuiger

Pic somewhat related.

Monster from first vidya. Basically a man-sized leech

So are there any major Dwarf or Elven settlements left or all they all in human cities now?

Dorfs got their entire country. Elves are living on scraps, unless you are playing one of the expansions, they they control a tiny-ass piece of land and call it their kingdom, but not even among themselves they take it serious.
Humans won centuries ago. And somehow, the setting avoids being HFY

Because it's just that based. Also bump.

>implying ukraine is 'alien' to polish identity

You really are a Sileasian.