Breath of the Wild got me thinking about this lately...

Weapon durability and lag (though I haven't experienced the lag) are probably the two major complaints, yeah.

I like the voice acting just fine so far.

>dat pic
holy shit that's hot. MTF artists get on it!!!

>lag
Even on the Switch?

>voice-acting
Zelda's voice is so terrible. You'd think they'd at least get someone competent for the main fucking speaking role. It's so obvious she's American/Canadian with her faltering accent.

I really like the voice acting. It isn't perfect, but I think it fits the more personal and emotional stories they're trying to tell with those particular characters. I think Zelda's design and VA are meh overall, but I like what they're doing with her, giving her more of a presence and a more explored character than she's had before in most games.

I agree with the durability complaints, if there's a way to enhance or repair weapons then I haven't found it yet. Weapon shops in towns and villages and the odd roaming weapon trader would go a long way as well.

Lag blows, can't even walk through Kakariko village on the Wii U without slight stuttering. No problems when exploring the world though.

I would say it's an 8.5. I've only done two of the dungeons so far and they were both disappointing. Much smaller and simpler and safer than I was expecting. For the big deal the Divine Beasts are you would think they would be some hard fucking dungeons.

For all of that though the game is amazing. Probably the first game I've played in a long time that sparked a sense of wonder in me. I was just dicking around on a pond with ice pillars not even 20 minutes ago when a massive serpentine lightning dragon erupted out of it right in front of my face. I shot it, and it dropped a scale that I have no clue what to do with. The fact that it wasn't a scripted moment and that it's an experience I had all on my own is really fucking cool.

Also no spoilers pls, doing Gerudos next.
/blog

I have it on the Switch, lag is rare (mostly on great plateau...)

Ditto. My only complaint beyond the occasional lag is Zelda's voice (everyone else's is okay, but hers is just, well, wrong sounding).

Also, shield-surfing is fucking awesome!

>when a massive serpentine lightning dragon erupted out of it right in front of my face.
Oh boy, you're in for a treat with the other 2. Also, the scale is craftable!

Scores are pseudo-objective cancer that should be scrapped. As much as I think Kotaku is bottom-of-the-barrel crap, at least it bottom-lines its games with an actual sentence.
Alright enough of my /v/irgin rage, what were we talking about?

I used to draw dungeon maps based on LoZ when I was a kid. I wasn't very clever with the puzzles.
I once thought of an item that was like the grappling hook from Wind Waker, except the "hand" could actually do things a normal hand can do because of it's mechanical and/or magical design. It also partially enhanced Link's strength.

I haven't seen any of the trailers. I want to go in as blind as possible, so I'll probably be shocked when I hear the voice acting regardless of quality.

>Hasn't seen the greatest game trailer in years

PLAY THE GAME

That said, let's focus in the RPG. Yes, it needs a beastiary, some things from the newer games (Link Between Worlds, TriForce Heroes and Breath of the Wild). Fuck, even the 5e hack of Zelda has some of those things.

The voice acting isn't terrible, although it can be awkward in places. I actually think that adding voice acting was a good move and is handled pretty well, unlike the addition of a voiced PC to Fallout 4.

Pretty much this. Link still gets a few choices of what to "say" (never voiced though) but they don't really amount to much. Some voice acting is good, most are fine, Zelda's is just meh or worse.

Now, let's stick to the RPG - 1d4chan has some info on monsters but it seems rather lackluster. How can we improve it? I'm thinking there are "base" monsters (like, say, the bokoblin) but each comes with a number of special modifiers to customize them (make the bokoblin undead, have a few meager spells, more resistant to certain types of energy and weak to others, etc). As per WW and now BotW we should really separate damage from the monsters that use weapons so they can just pick up whatever is on hand (rock, club, long stick, pointy stick, etc all the way up to the new weapons we can encounter).

1d4chan.org/wiki/Legend_of_Zelda_RPG/GM_Resources

Holy shit where was that pond? I've been looking for that scale for a quest!!

I think having simple Monster templates is the way to go, with customizable additional qualities.

I really just don't like the crunchiness of this particular system. Yes, I know it really isn't that cruncy, but I just think everything has too many numbers... I'd prefer it more streamlined, more narrative, where it's about leveraging the abilities of items and weapons, not looking at their numbers.

>I've only done two of the dungeons so far and they were both disappointing. Much smaller and simpler and safer than I was expecting. For the big deal the Divine Beasts are you would think they would be some hard fucking dungeons.
The dungeons are too samey aesthetically for me.

The length doesn't bother me as much, mainly because of the shitton of shrines there are.

IMHO it's fine, but modularity should be the main focus for the enemies for sure.

I like the dungeons and the shrines both. The shrines are, technically, completely optional (outside of the Great Plateau) but do allow one to become healthier/have more stamina. And it's also the build up to the dungeons proper that I like. You get story build up among a lot of things before them. It's like how I like my D&D games - lots of little side adventures to better flesh out ones character and your parse these with major campaign points.

Yeah, Zelda's kind of a prick to Link (because of how much she sucks at her own job) for a while in this one and the bad voice actor does not help.

The dragon is Farosh. Nigga is chill as fuck, shows up in Lake Hylia and in the southeastern-most region, the one that looks like a tropical rain forest.

That's what I figured, as when I checked that forest out it was all lightning themed. And that's where I got the quest to pick up the scale too, if I recall. Thanks.

Where did you pick up the quest? I only have the one for Dinraal's scale.

Dracozu Lake. On the map it's a snake-like river that leads to a lake that looks like open jaws. There's a Goddess statue there that gives you the quest. You might need to find Kass in the forest nearby, though - that's the accordion Rito, to be clear.

Cool, thanks.

From a guy who hasn't played zelda ever beyond cutting some grass on a snes emulator.

Which 3-4 things would you say that are the most important points to portray in a zelda tabletop game?

Puzzles, cool races and locations, cool items, and Gerudo femdom musclegirls.

>Themed dungeons
>Unique items
>Badass races (playable or otherwise)
>Music
>Diverse locations and people

There is more but I need to head to work now.

>>Music
Zelda has always had great music. The Theophany covers for Majora's Mask are amazing, and the Breath of the Wild theme really captures the spirit of adventure.

youtube.com/watch?v=kZsbtOZWG4o

Would magic need to be expanded on for this game? I haven't played all of the Zelda games, but from what I know magic isn't portrayed the same way it is in other fantasy settings.

How would you make a spellcaster a viable class for a Zelda RPG?

If anyone wants an alternate system to OPs to run it in: mediafire.com/file/cfdffwwl84k5r1a/Zelda5eV0.8.pdf

The above is a Zelda setting adapted to 5e. It's still very much WIP (the above doc has no images and the locations section needs a heavy rework) but is quite functional. We've been running a weekly 5e game in the setting for about a year and a half now. Nothing of Breath of the Wild has been incorporated into it yet (none of my group has beat the game yet, and I don't even own it yet).

The setting in the 5e RPG is a branch of the official timeline. Basically, after the 70th bajillion time Ganon was defeated, Princess Zelda enacted a ritual that broke the reincarnation cycle for her, Link, and (most importantly) Ganon. In the process it also shattered the triforce. The Triforce isn't completely gone, it's effects can still be felt and the world isn't the danger of dying like Lorule in "A Link Between Worlds".

Fast forward a hundred years or so. The Royal family collapsed and Hyrule divided into a number of somewhat hostile nations, each with their own claim to the throne. Think "A Song of Fire and Ice" set pre-Game of Thrones but in Zelda. A "Neutral" city has grown around the former Lon Lon Ranch and is home to the Wardens of Hyrule, which is basically an adventurer's guild.

We have a bestiary, but it's even more WIP than the above doc.

I think Breath of the Wild lends itself really well to a ttrpg. The world feels lived in, especially compared to the other games, you run into random adventurers all the time, it has all the races that most people want to play as, a good variety of weapons and armor that normal people would have access to, and the 100 years that Link is asleep is the perfect window to set the game in without having to mess with the canon.

I agree. Just make a few changes and it's essentially a ready to go setting.

The only problem is that the Guardians and Divine Beasts were also asleep during those hundred years, right?

You really wouldn't need to mess with the Divine Beasts, so you can just keep them dormant.

As for Guardians, I would say they're awake and corrupted. Just have it so that they're more like sentinels. Ganon corrupted them so they're hostile to everything but other Guardians, but they stick to their programmed patrol routes. Have them guard Hyrule castle in force and other locations with sweet loot inside them, like temples or Sheikah outposts or whatever. Makes for outlined dangerous areas and real high risk and high reward situations.

You can justify this in the lore by saying that Ganon's power corrupted the Divine Beasts and the Guardians, but when Zelda sealed him in the castle she cut off his control of them. Since the Divine Beasts need pilots, they're essentially just sitting around doing fuck-all, and the Guardians can only do what they were programmed to do on their own.

You know, guard shit.

Sounds good.

Also, there do appear to be some other ruins of temples throughout the lands - such as the Temple of Time obviously - so those could replace the role that Divine Beasts and Shrines fulfill.

I think Shrines are good as an idea in an RPG (they are just mini-dungeons by and large) and one could easily remodel and stuff the Divine Beasts into being more dungeonesque with more monsters and stuff to fight. I still think puzzles should be a big thing but I'm not too sure how these work out on the table 9 times out of 10.

Right, but the Shrines were dormant before Link was awoken. A few NPCs mention that.

I've used plenty of Zelda-style puzzles in my campaigns for other systems and settings. They usually work out well.

It could be that no one else could really get lucky enough to find a Shiekah Slate, locking the shrines off. Alternatively, you could run with Calamity Ganon's rampage having affected all the magitek making it so that things didn't lock or work...but you need to do some things before you can take full advantage.

That said, getting a Sheikah Slate would be a BIG DEAL in terms of being an adventurer. Accessing shrines, getting the runes, fast travel, a handheld encyclopedia, that thing is an adventurer's best friend!

I THOUGHT THIS PICTURE WAS A JOKE
HOW WRONG I WAS

Right. I'm not far in the game, but the vibe seems to be that only destined people get Sheikah Slates.

I also like the idea of the campaign straight up having the premise that the players can't even permanently defeat threats facing their settlements or the land - because the blood moon will bring the monsters back - but they can still change things and protect what remains. (They can also scare away monsters and intimidate them from harassing villages and what not.) I like the feeling of knowing your contributions add up, even if they aren't "destiny". Kinda like Rogue One.

The only guys who are more destined than RPG PCs would be Link and the Champs. You're a PC, Destiny is practically a pre-requisite! kappa

Wouldn't know one way or another friendo. Don't have the funds for a Switch or the time to watch someone play the game badly.

bump

Another idea, the Blood Moon is when Ganon gets to be his strongest, right?

So instead of having it be a fancy respawn mechanic in the rpg, have it instead be a time where he has enough power to reach out to some Guardians (but not the Divine Beasts) and urge them to travel outside their patrol routes for that night, making it exceptionally dangerous to travel during the night of the Blood Moon, and to have settlements too close to Guardian controlled areas.

You could have some quests to showcase this, like a family in a village is worried about a group that went off to start a new settlement near a mine that they didn't know held a Guardian guarded temple, and when the party arrives all they see are the burning ruins of the would-be village (and corpses of the settlers, if you want to be extra-dark).

I like the idea of the occasional monster respawn but only at select sites. The rest of the idea is really badass though! Going to steal it (modify it just a bit though) and use it in my Lamentations of the Flame Princess game (I hate my players and how hard it is to make them use new systems besides Pathfinder, Palladium Fantasy, LotFP and 5e...)

>I like the idea of the occasional monster respawn but only at select sites
You could have monsters respawn from the Pools of Malice then.

I just thought that Sheikah slates were common tools for the ancient Sheikah race, and that Link is only considered "destined" for having one because there would be no slates out there for anyone to find, since the Royal family excavated and claimed pretty much all the old Sheikah technology.

I think you'd have to look at magic in few different ways, seeing as there tend to be three different forms of magic in the series as a whole. Hylian spells tend to be given down from their goddess, and the various spirits around them. Typically focused on sealing or damaging evil creatures, and otherwise buffing or supporting other people.

There's the typical sort of all-around utility based abilities that allow for the crafting of magical items and potions, which could be a nifty class in and of itself.

And lastly, the weird, sometimes offensive spells that border on true offense, like those used by the Yiga clan in breath of the wild, and the Sheikah at different points in the history. Ninja-shit, and other stuff that borders on the edge of evil.

There's a lot of shit involving the natural elements too, though it appears to have later been co-opted by the Godess(es)

Well considering just how centered the universe can be on Link, it would be difficult to have a full party of people being impactful.

Plus the chickens would instantly be utilized by players for ridiculous stuff. And don't even get me started on what happens if they get a hold of the Triforce.

What would Hylia's domains be?

definitely Light

Light and maybe Time?

>I still think puzzles should be a big thing but I'm not too sure how these work out on the table 9 times out of 10.
Lots of visual representation, I imagine.

Did you mean Breath of the Dropped Frames?

Nobody cares.

The lag is actually one of the game's biggest issues though, especially on Wii U.

As someone playing the WiiU version, it's really not that major deal. The WiiU and Switch versions have the same FPS kind of issues, but it's mostly having to due with the game buffering rather than losing frames during huge combat.

It took over two dozen moblins intentionally kited around together to be in a group before I got frames loss due to active content instead of buffering content.

I lose frames all the time on the Wii U. At stables, in villages, and even in combat with Bokoblins.

Sometimes, when I send enemies flying with heavy hits from hammers and claymores, the game will just stop dead for a couple of seconds. The first time this happened I thought it froze.

I've been playing since launch night and it's not been a concern for me. Slight drop on rare occasion but meh.

>Why can't I keep using my favorite sword?
I think that is exactly the reason. It forces you to look out for resources and step out from your comfort zone of relying only on one weapon.

Although it was quite shocking, I have grown to like it because it affects the game feel so positively.

I feel like there could be a middle ground though. You can enhance your clothing with a Great Fairy, why not have a Great Fairy that will do the same for you weapons? You could gather resources to give them different effects like enhanced durability or critical damage, like you find on rare weapons.

Is that already a thing in the game? I've only found the one Great Fairy and the horse god.

Actually the more I think about it the more I think it might be a thing already. It makes sense. Four Great Fairies, one for clothes, one for weapons, one for shields, one for bows.

I'll be disappointed if that isn't the case.

I'm not sure if that is a thing in any manner. Would be nice to have but haven't seen anything like that yet. Great Fairies will make you disappointed.

Hovewer, there are some weapons that can be reforged at certain places with certain materials.

That horse god though, it was reeeaaally scary if you ask from me.

Horse god threw me for a loop, which is probably what they were going for with the hands and all.

Quick cover design I whipped up. Feedback?

Fuck, chose an old design by mistake

Looks neat.

I like it, but it seems a little, I don't know, plain, I guess? Like aside from the big triforce and "ZELDA" it's just your average fantasy castle.

I oft play in gamepad mode at times and don't even get this. Perhaps this is relating to the different hardware version releases of the WiiU?

Granted, my console has far less use-wear than many people. Or I'm actually an ork and generating a psychic WAAAGH! field.

I find myself wanting a house to store weapons in just to display them.

The yellow used in the font looks really shitty with that texture, since it's shading with black instead of hue-shifting.

I've had my Wii U for less than a year, and I've never played it much aside from Smash with friends. I guess I'll just upgrade to the Switch when I can, even though the game won't be the same since I'll have already experienced so much of it.

I long for the day when selective memory wipes are possible.

>I find myself wanting a house to store weapons in just to display them.
Then go buy one. 3000 rupees isn't too hard to get if you mine for ores, gamble and just generally explore.

I like it but might I suggest moving the main tile to the bottom and shrinking the sub-text there some?

I get money easily because I don't really make elixirs so I just sell monster parts.

Awesome. Totally using this in something even if not Zelda

Cool. I'm glad you guys like it so much.

would probably make more money if you made elixirs and sold them

...

bump

Agreed. It's a really cool mechanic.

I've also heard the stamina meter is not well done and the controls are sorta awful (And can't be modified because Nintendo are morons)
Nah, fuck you, they could have made durability a temporary thing at least, let you repair things back in towns.

I'll wait for a potentially hacked ROM with repair mechanics even if it takes a decade.

Best of luck missing out on best game, user.

Now, back to the RPG!
Nice! I really like it.

I think letting you hold on to weapons for too long would be too rpg-esque.

Yeah, now that you mention it. I changed it to a more traditional red and I think it looks a lot better.

Yeah that's way better.

I still think it needs a more unique backdrop though.

The art ismy uniquely zelda and it's very stagnant and lifeless looking. The cover needs to draw more interest

Isnt, not ismy

So what race would you play in a Zelda rpg?

I'm torn between Hylian and Rito.

Windwaker Bokoblin.

I like the mix of tusks and horns and the big cleavers.

Can Bokoblins even be intelligent?

Or nice?

Honestly I think BotWs new mechanics are perfect for making a Zelda tabletop game. Having magic, stamina, and health all be factors provides different builds, and the inclusion of cooking and elixirs allows players to compensate for weaknesses with creativity. Not to mention the new armor and weapon mechanics, taking horses, etc

You could have a chef in the party, or a potion master, and more. Perhaps a BotW edition of the tabletop should be made to start fresh.

>Blood moon soon, fellow hero!
>Oh really? When?
>NOW.