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    1. Tell me about your RPG campaign

      Hey folks, I haven't posted in a hell of a long time and thought why not get this going again. So when I last posted I think my Paladin had just been basically killed off and I wrote up a druid....

      Hey folks, I haven't posted in a hell of a long time and thought why not get this going again.

      So when I last posted I think my Paladin had just been basically killed off and I wrote up a druid. Well this one has been amazingly fun to role play, being that he has lived most of his life in solitude he has no social skills and tends to do things that can be a little off at times. Our merry band of misfits had cleared a small towns problem warerats who turned out to be a family of Gnomes who lived there, while trying to console the final member of the family Rolen (my druid) felt the best way to give emotional support would be to congratulate the young Gnome on becoming the head of the family. This actually broke the whole table for about a minute, the DM sat in silence for a moment, laughed, tried to role play the distraught girl but failed epically.

      We have also got another campaign going with a few of the same guys as the bigger campaign, this one is mostly homebrew. The first character I made I really wasn't happy with so spoke to the DM and we worked out how to kill her off and introduce the new character I made, completely homebrew this one and it's again been far more fun. He is a Dwaf Shaman whose ancestors speak to him constantly, sometimes good and sometimes not so much.

      So what has been happening in your RPGs? anything big, fun or just want to chat about? painted anything cool? got new dice? anything at all.

      18 votes
    2. Tildes' Valentine's Day Game Giveaway: Gaming Blind Dates!

      Gaming Blind Dates Event For Valentine's Day, the Tildes Game Gifting Group is offering up a number of "blind dates" for any gamer who is interested in trying out something new. Each gift is a...

      Gaming Blind Dates Event

      For Valentine's Day, the Tildes Game Gifting Group is offering up a number of "blind dates" for any gamer who is interested in trying out something new. Each gift is a game, but you won't know the game's name -- only the top 4 tags describing the game. Select the tags which most interest you, then find out the exactly who the game is once it's given to you! Hopefully it's a keeper!

      How can I participate?

      You may choose to:

      • gift a game/games as a blind date for others,
      • go on a gaming blind date (i.e. receive a game gift),
      • or both!

      Steps to enroll:

      1. Comment either in this thread here on Tildes, or in the thread on the Steam group (if you are already a member).

      2. In your comment, identify whether you would like to gift a game, go on a gaming blind date, or both!

      3. If you are not already a member of the Tildes' Game Gifting Group on Steam, PM me with a link to your Steam profile so that I can friend and add you (the group is invite-only).

      4. If you are gifting a game, PM me or message me on Steam with the name of the game, how you will gift it (e.g. store purchase, key, etc.), and the platform it's on (if not Steam).

      Timeline

      You may enroll up through Thursday, February 13. Once all the participants have enrolled, the blind dates will be set up and will begin on Valentine's Day, Friday, February 14.

      Additional Info

      To ensure that giftees will have a good chance of liking their gifted game, we are requiring that gifted games have a combined user review score of at least 80%. You don't need to worry about getting a bad or junk game!

      Games are given freely by their generous donors, and there are no strings attached or hidden catches. You ARE allowed to receive a game even if you don't gift one!

      For other questions/specifics, full details are available in the event thread in the Steam group.


      Note: If you do not wish to see this thread in your Tildes feed, please use the ignore function to hide it!

      21 votes
    3. What are your thoughts on how romance is handled in gaming?

      Romantic relationships in gaming are often heavily debated, with lots of criticism and lots of support for the myriad experiences out there. I don't have a single specific question related to the...

      Romantic relationships in gaming are often heavily debated, with lots of criticism and lots of support for the myriad experiences out there. I don't have a single specific question related to the topic, only some guiding ones. Feel free to answer any/all of these, or simply give your thoughts on the topic:

      • What are some games that you feel have handled romance well?
      • What are some games that you feel have not handled romance well?
      • What particular advantages does gaming have with regard to portraying romantic relationships?
      • What particular disadvantages does gaming have with regard to portraying romantic relationships?
      • Are there any games that have depicted romantic relationships that were particularly resonant to you?
      • What would you define as some "best practices" for game writers/designers with regard to in-game romance?
      • What would you define as some "mistakes/errors" for game writers/designers to avoid with regard to in-game romance?
      15 votes
    4. Openish-world, Mystery, Walking Simulator recommendations?

      My wife and I enjoy playing mystery walking simulators together and have been looking for more-- Steam's recommendation engine is pretty terrible in finding others or lesser-known titles, so I...

      My wife and I enjoy playing mystery walking simulators together and have been looking for more-- Steam's recommendation engine is pretty terrible in finding others or lesser-known titles, so I thought I'd ask around for what others play! They don't have to be full-on walking simulators, just games where dying is rare/not a big component of the experience (looking at you, Visage!), and the rest of the game is all about solving a mystery/thriller of some sort. Preferably first-person games with realistic-enough graphics.

      Ones we've played so far and have loved are:

      • Dead Secret
      • Gone Home (loose fit)
      • The Painscreek Killings (really loved this one)
      • The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

      Ones I've got in my queue:

      • Anna
      • Bohemian Killing
      • Dead Secret 2
      • Return of Obra Dinn

      I've also played What Remains of Edith Finch, Dear Esther, Firewatch, and some others-- but those didn't really have a big enough mystery component to them (to be clear I liked them, they just didn’t have a dark/thriller vibe to em).

      Any other suggestions?

      20 votes
    5. Humble Choice - February 2020

      February's Humble Choice (the new version of Humble Monthly) is now available, with 12 choices for games again this month: Frostpunk + The Rifts DLC Pathfinder: Kingmaker Book of Demons Cryofall...

      February's Humble Choice (the new version of Humble Monthly) is now available, with 12 choices for games again this month:

      1. Frostpunk + The Rifts DLC
      2. Pathfinder: Kingmaker
      3. Book of Demons
      4. Cryofall
      5. Okami HD
      6. Eliza
      7. Shenzhen I/O
      8. Project Warlock
      9. The Hex
      10. Warstone TD
      11. Underhero
      12. Night Call
      11 votes
    6. Website puzzle that was posted to Tildes?

      A while ago, maybe like a year ago? There was a thread and two websites were linked to that were basically puzzle sites. As in the sites themselves were the puzzle and you had to find clues in the...

      A while ago, maybe like a year ago? There was a thread and two websites were linked to that were basically puzzle sites. As in the sites themselves were the puzzle and you had to find clues in the site to get to the next page. It was very cool but I managed to lose the link and was hoping someone might know what I'm talking about. We ringing any bells?

      10 votes
    7. What are all the different ways in which we can appreciate games?

      I know my question isn't worded great! If anyone has a better edit after reading all of this, let me know! I have a half-formed idea in my head and I want to brainstorm a bit. Here's the idea:...

      I know my question isn't worded great! If anyone has a better edit after reading all of this, let me know!


      I have a half-formed idea in my head and I want to brainstorm a bit.

      Here's the idea: games as a whole have a ton of different aspects/lenses through which we can enjoy and appreciate them, and I want to know what they all are. Here are some examples to show what I mean:

      Aspect Description Examples
      Narrative We can appreciate a game with a good story To the Moon, The Walking Dead
      Exploration We can appreciate a game that lets us explore a digital world The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Minecraft
      Movement We can appreciate a game that lets us move in compelling ways Forza Horizon 3, Mirror's Edge

      I feel like there are dozens of these we could come up with if we get really specific. The diversity of gaming experiences and genres really lends itself to a broad swath of these aspects. After all, the appreciation someone gets from playing something like Katamari Damacy is very different from that which someone gets from, say, ARMA 2.

      I think later it might be interesting to try to apply some sort of analysis or taxonomy to this, but right now I just want to brainstorm. What are all of the different reasons we can like games? Be as specific as you can, try to cover lots of different titles and genres so that all of gaming is represented, and feel free to critique or edit my examples as well (e.g. I think it might be worth breaking up "Narrative" into "Plot" and "Characters", for example).


      Aggregated List So Far

      I'll keep updating this as we go. For entries that didn't follow the table format (which I didn't intend to be prescriptive but it looks like it caught on!), I've tried to incorporate them as best as I can, but if you feel I've misrepresented something let me know! Again, I'm mostly just interested in brainstorming at the moment, and then I think we can have a secondary thread later for analysis/synthesis.

      Aspect Description Examples
      Narrative We can appreciate a game with a good story To the Moon, The Walking Dead
      Exploration We can appreciate a game that lets us explore a digital world The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Minecraft
      Movement We can appreciate a game that lets us move in compelling ways Forza Horizon 3, Mirror's Edge
      Empathy We can appreciate a game for who / what it positions us as, and the degree to which it gives insight into that position. Benefits for the player range from novel emotional experiences to genuine moments of learning. Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor, The Beginner's Guide
      Escapism Sometimes you simply need a break from real life and to escape into a fantasy world for a bit. Videogames are a highly effective way to do this IMO, since you are actually granted agency as an actor in them, which you don't get in most traditional escapist mediums like novels, movies and shows. Almost every game with a story, to varying degrees
      Catharsis When you manage to deeply emotionally connect with any story (regardless of medium) and it reaches its climax or denouement, it can often help you break through the emotional barriers you have set up over time, which then allows you to safely release your pent up emotions. Surprisingly, I find games to be somewhat less effective at this than novels, but it still happens with them often enough to be a major component of my enjoyment of them. Gris
      Emotional Challenge Sometimes the opposite of catharsis is great too. Getting to experience emotionally challenging things, like a truly mind-bending or depressing story, in the relatively safe environment of a game can be incredibly fulfilling. Although, those sorts of games often require me to be in the right frame of mind to experience, so that I don't have a breakdown afterwards, and as a result I don't seek them out all that often... I can only handle so many existential crises per month. ;) Disco Elysium
      Intellectual Challenge Whether it be from difficult puzzle elements or strategy mechanics, intellectual challenges presented in games can be incredibly gratifying to solve and overcome. Europa Universalis, puzzle games by Zachtronics
      Eureka Moments This goes hand in hand with the above two, but also applies to most games. Those moments when you finally figure something out that you were struggling with beforehand, or a major plot twist is revealed, can be truly glorious in games, and IMO they tend to occur more often in them than most other entertainment mediums. Portal, Portal 2, The Talos Principle, The Witness
      System We can appreciate a game that lets us explore a well crafted system of interacting logical parts. The player can learn the rules of the system by observation and experimentation, and apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to achieve goals. Stephens Sausage Roll, Factorio, The Witness, Antichamber
      Competition We can appreciate a game for fostering a competitive spirit among peers, to test themselves against each other as teams or individuals Dota 2, Rocket League
      Cooperation We can appreciate a game that allows and encourages two or more people to work together towards a common goal A Way Out, ibb and obb, Portal 2
      Audio experience We can appreciate games that use music or sound in interesting or resonant ways Bastion,Metal Gear Solid III
      Visual experience We can appreciate games that use visuals in interesting or resonant ways Tetris Effect,Super Hexagon
      Effort We can appreciate games that adequately convey the effort required for the task happening on-screen Don't Look Back, The Witcher 3, Dishonored
      21 votes