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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

From whats been said, it sounds like we'll have action stations and we'll run from station to station doing things. Along the lines of FTL, Lovers in a Dangerous Space Time, Void Crew, Sea of Thieves.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

That's probably part of the reason some char ops bounce off the system so hard, and some of us really love it. Personally I love the build game in general, and i like it more for the viable variety and tend to get annoyed when i find clear "wrong answers" in games.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

I would personally say that balancing the game is more about maintaining the fun of the build game, to avert an optimal order strategy from out competing the toolbox to such an extent the meta is narrow and stagnant. PF2e has a much wider meta.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Like if warhammer minis came pre painted so "no one had to paint them and could focus on playing warhammer."

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

In that context, learning what +1s to put together would be no different than studying chess openings. Baselining the jump height could be removing game play because its about the journey, rather than the destination.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

I think you've accidentally reinvented the concept of a game from first principles by the end here-- the semi-illusionary exercise of doing things you're given permission by the designers to do is fundamental to "game."

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

True, unless they're ruled to count the Drake Rider equivalent.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Apocalypse Rider and Beastmaster both offer good stuff from taking them around 12, and the specialization feat at 14 (or both at 14 in FA, or earlier for BM, whatever)

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

there was a mentality that avoiding encounters doesn't really achieve anything, since the encounters are the bones of the adventure and progression. Which tbf, i didn't see go away at my table until i embraced treasure-leveling.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

I think part of the conceit was a vibe that "it doesn't matter what happens next, itll be content" like, if you do something cool that avoids a dungeon, the GM will simply replace it with something equivalent. Perhaps because 4e presents itself as encounter centric, and the GM will want you to level

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

It's also why I like sandboxes, optional treasure, etc. so much, it becomes very easy to create dungeons that play different depending on what things you have/don't and work around this by including treasure that rewards the party's use of picked up options they can't get otherwise.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

forward, so it was always better to avoid taking it to optimize resource use. For some reason, that kibd of thinking has always stuck out in my mind as a "this is why we can't have nice things" in game design. It's a big driver of why I find posts like the one you responded to so frustrating.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

To build on what you're saying, there was actually something interesting I remember from a 4e optimization guide, where the writer was talking about a power or feat about language translation and asserted that if you don't take it, but the GM needs you to have the info theyll just give you a way (1)

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

Yeah seeing it as a fix is weird, its a fun build though!

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

As per wikipedia, the 1984 anniversary box set included the kidnapping of princess arelin: archive.org/details/tsr0... im noticing bricked up windows in the description.

archive.org

Tsr 09121 AC 3 The Kidnapping Of Princess Arelina ( Dragon Tiles I) : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

23p

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

PVP is still a big portion of live service, and in those games, players lose half the time or more.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

I do know someone like that. But overall, I'd love to know what live service data you're looking at. Tank/Healer games still dominate the MMO market over games like GW2 that tried to do that. Maybe something like Monster Hunter falls into that?

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

I think your instincts are right, and I think the game's underlying popularity is based on a desire for instrumental play in an rpg context that supports expression. I think it's a very vocal minority who are specifically in it for the "no tactics, only power" stuff. I always see the same names.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

I think pf2e gets more flack because it's a more credible threat in many ways, its the "sega does what nintendon't" of DND.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

Lancer is similar. You hit the gas, and your combo build just rips-- the optimization has a puzzle element to it. Haven't tried Draw Steel yet, but it's shiny and new, and the meta hasn't settled yet.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

From experience, 4e has the potential to do it well, but largely, it's a build game. The "actually good" layer of 4e is twin strike multi attack abuse, rebreather, radiant mafia, and cheesy powers that happen to outpace everything at their level.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

At the end of the day, pf2e is still the #2 game, above all the rules lite stuff (a lot of which is great in its own right). There's a definite demand out there for strong challenge and gamist elements, buildcraft, and combat-as-sport skilled play.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

I think it's very common, but it's discussed in the discourse less for essentially the reason you self-identified... vibes. Remember Souls is wildly popular, Magic the Gathering is super popular, competitive pokemon is currently exploding, MMOs continue to raise their skill, mobas were beloved.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

www.reddit.com/r/Pathfinder... #pathfinder2e #starfinder2e If you can't watch Paizo directly, feel free to follow my live write-ups!!

reddit.com

Paizocon 2025 Keynote LIVE WRITE-UP

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

Why, Magnolia and the rest of House Reinhart, of course! The most cuddly of the five families.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

Its funny how often i stop and look at your commentary like "wait wasn't I in this argument?"

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

I mean, in that instance you can just go be a cover band - you won't get 'big' as a cover band, but there's a lot of success to be had before the lack of original music is a meaningful barrier and an album can be written later in that process. Youtubers are their content.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

But if I don't make -10 MAP attacks, can I really claim to be roleplaying as a stormtrooper?

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

Hey, #pokemon, any pokedex or pokemon list makers you'd recommend so that I can track, organize and share a list of my favorites on an ongoing basis? One that lets me see them collected visually would be especially nice.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

This is why no one trusts my math. I'm clean-shaven.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

That's the face of a koromon who's aboutta shit on the bed.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

My take is generally that the psychological element of the topic is too wrapped up in social media spin. The only off ramps to the self-referential pessimism are math or play experience, depending on your tolerance for paratext. The spin about caster balance functionally predates the game itself.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

I thought gun kata was supposed to be a switch hitter, tbh.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

I think it's because it's built into the level 10 custom reload-- so it's probably a degree of playstyle enforcement for the melee component. Bullet Dancers want to melee to reload and because of the feat bonus at 4.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

Yes, they are being updated, this was confirmed on the forums IIRC.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

I'd take Dragonite over Garchomp, I'd rather take TTar than Garchomp for that matter. But I like Kommo-o and H-Goodra the most.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

To me, social problem-solving is face territory, but plenty of conversations with npcs aren't that and won't really trigger rolls.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

Note: I think I misremembered, it's not the level, its the number of total upgrades. Flaming, shock, etc. are still locked to level 8, but you have two slots by then, one at 1 and 1 at 4.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

If they kicked it to d10 with no other changes, its hard to imagine it being a big deal.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

I think itll work out because a lot of the Starfinder weapons are on the weak side in the playtest- like the Machine Gun is a d8 that can do its cone (which is potentially potent), but with less than half the range, no propulsive, and no deadly the way a composite longbow has (volley aside.)

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

It uses the enhanced/ streamlined Vancian Magic (and subcategories) that Pathfinder Second Edition uses. Which has casters that do and don't need to prepare spells and an option for casters that do to give up some slots to not have to, and finally classes that use magic without slots (Solarian!)

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

They did confirm some weapon buffs in the disembarking blog post! I think part of the solution was that level 1 upgrade slot, though, since it can have damage upgrades at a lower level than a maul can.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 31/12/2024

As I told you at PAX Unplugged, you're the best is what you are.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 30/12/2024

Yeah, I guess I was riffing more generally about niche overprotection like we sometimes see discussed as feedback when something new can do a job something old can do. "The Fighter is intentionally the best at Fighting, thats it's niche." Being sort of the most extreme example.

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The-Magic-Sword @the-magic-sword.bsky.social · 30/12/2024

Niche protection is weird to me conceptually because of the extent to which different classes can fulfill the same role. They'll just do it differently. But the niche itself is functionally unprotected, so most of what Pathfinder guards against is stacking core features from multiple classes.

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