TBD Warcraft Game (Looking for GM)

[InAction]

So I've been in kind of a Warcraft mood rather recently; thought I'd take a shot to see if anybody else on the playground might be feeling the same that they'd want to run me and some other players through a game?

For play I know options are a bit limited but I think they ought to be sufficient? There's a homebrew source I believe for 5E that's been made (that I don't have the relevant links to on me at the moment) and there's always the Warcraft/WoW TTRPG sourcebooks that were printed for the d20 system back in the 2000's.

Content is of course subject to whatever particular game system/source is decided upon and at the GM's discretion. I'll admit my interest tends to lean a bit more on the Horde side of things, but I'm generally open to most anything regardless of faction-focus; could be themed around the original RTS games like WC3, Classic WoW or any of its expansions, or even something wacky and off-beat as depicted in Hearthstone. (Though if I could make one small request? Please. No Shadowlands! Thank you.)

---

Edit: We have about enough players for a game I think so I'll be including a list below to show any prospective GMs that there is interest.

---

Warcraft Player List:

• InAction
• SCARY-WIZARD
• Aldhissla
• Taelas

[Aldhissla]

I've also had this itch (as a player) for a bit, although in my cause it's in no small part because I keep chickening out of other Warcraft advertisements. It's niche enough as a tabletop setting that most GMs come with a fully planned and particular campaign, so discussing one from the start is a nice change!

I've been reading the old 3.5E books a bunch lately, including the alternate systems from Even More Magic & Mayhem, so I'd be pretty comfortable with a game that uses those books as well as helping other players who don't have them handy. I'm also an old hand at Horde lore, but I like Independent-themed games too for the sake of character inclusivity.

Could I be so crass as to share my own idea? The original 3.0 Warcraft RPG book takes place entirely on Kalimdor right after Warcraft III where all of the rigid faction politics that led to the next 20 years of on-again, off-again cold war drama wasn't yet solidified and things are muddier- night elves hadn't yet joined the Alliance, the Forsaken weren't known to the Horde, and nobody on Kalimdor really knew if the Eastern Kingdoms had been completely destroyed by the demons and undead or not because travel across the Great Sea was so difficult. It's a post-apocalypse in miniature, and ever since I read that bit I've found it compelling.

[SCARY WIZARD]

Could I be so crass as to share my own idea? The original 3.0 Warcraft RPG book takes place entirely on Kalimdor right after Warcraft III where all of the rigid faction politics that led to the next 20 years of on-again, off-again cold war drama wasn't yet solidified and things are muddier- night elves hadn't yet joined the Alliance, the Forsaken weren't known to the Horde, and nobody on Kalimdor really knew if the Eastern Kingdoms had been completely destroyed by the demons and undead or not because travel across the Great Sea was so difficult. It's a post-apocalypse in miniature, and ever since I read that bit I've found it compelling.

I agree! It was such a cool "feel". And, I also veer towards Independent, though I, myself, main Alliance but still hang out on Horde.

[MrAbdiel]

Hey! I'm familiar with this itch - it's one I felt a couple of years ago before starting a Warcraft game myself. I probably shouldn't commit myself to another game as a player (let alone as a GM), but I wanted to chime in to suggest that you might consider a less-than-obvious alternative to D20 systems*.

I run my game in Mutants and Masterminds 3 (or rather, in the freely accessible d20HeroSRD). Mostly because character concepts in Warcraft are so wild and diverse that they don't neatly fit into class boundaries, but they do have many natural analogues for the kind of abilities we see in superhero systems. It's a pretty popular system on these forums, it doesn't require you to buy or download anything because the SRD is right there, and you can build exactly the character you want. My game runs at PL4 right now, which is super low level for superheroes but nice and grounded for a mob of heroes traipsing about in Dustwallow Marsh looking for missing Theramore Marines. My folks are a Sandfury Shaman Diplomat, a Quel'Dorei Mage Refugee, an Alteraci Warlock Engineer, and a two headed Ogress who just recently developed a mystical talent for countering magic by punching it. I'm in another IRL game where we use HeroSystemRPG for the Azeroth as well, just with about 300% more crunch for the number geeks.

Anyway, I'm not actually here to toot my own horn about how pleased I am by the way that game plays, but mostly to underscore that superhero games may actually have more of the character tools you're looking for for Warcraft than something adapted from D&D. Good fortune in your recruiting. Lok'Tar Ogar!

*EDIT: it’s true, M&M3 is a d20 system; but I suppose I’m referring to a lot of the leveling conventions you see in D&D and lots of fantasy d20 systems. You know what I mean!

[Taelas]

M&M is a d20 system too, y'know...

[Aldhissla]

Hey! I'm familiar with this itch - it's one I felt a couple of years ago before starting a Warcraft game myself. I probably shouldn't commit myself to another game as a player (let alone as a GM), but I wanted to chime in to suggest that you might consider a less-than-obvious alternative to D20 systems.

I run my game in Mutants and Masterminds 3 (or rather, in the freely accessible d20HeroSRD). Mostly because character concepts in Warcraft are so wild and diverse that they don't neatly fit into class boundaries, but they do have many natural analogues for the kind of abilities we see in superhero systems. It's a pretty popular system on these forums, it doesn't require you to buy or download anything because the SRD is right there, and you can build exactly the character you want. My game runs at PL4 right now, which is super low level for superheroes but nice and grounded for a mob of heroes traipsing about in Dustwallow Marsh looking for missing Theramore Marines. My folks are a Sandfury Shaman Diplomat, a Quel'Dorei Mage Refugee, an Alteraci Warlock Engineer, and a two headed Ogress who just recently developed a mystical talent for countering magic by punching it. I'm in another IRL game where we use HeroSystemRPG for the Azeroth as well, just with about 300% more crunch for the number geeks.

Anyway, I'm not actually here to toot my own horn about how pleased I am by the way that game plays, but mostly to underscore that superhero games may actually have more of the character tools you're looking for for Warcraft than something adapted from D&D. Good fortune in your recruiting. Lok'Tar Ogar!

Huh. Ya know, I've given a lot of thought to what kind of system would actually work best for Warcraft over the years. Various editions of D&D are kind of adequate in different ways, PbtA and Savage World have come up as well for that fast-paced and pop-fantasy kitchen sink feel, but this is the first time I'm seeing a superhero system vetted for it. It makes sense, though! Guess I have a new thing to read up on.

Sounds like a fun party, by the way! Does a different player control each of the ogress' heads?

(I somehow fell for that old April Fool's joke like 5 months after it was trotted out back in the day.)

[Feathersnow]

Huh. Ya know, I've given a lot of thought to what kind of system would actually work best for Warcraft over the years. Various editions of D&D are kind of adequate in different ways, PbtA and Savage World have come up as well for that fast-paced and pop-fantasy kitchen sink feel, but this is the first time I'm seeing a superhero system vetted for it. It makes sense, though! Guess I have a new thing to read up on.

Sounds like a fun party, by the way! Does a different player control each of the ogress' heads?

(I somehow fell for that old April Fool's joke like 5 months after it was trotted out back in the day.)

I am the player for the Twins, Mor and Lag. They are a lot of fun. Their complex Nietzchean philosophy and complicated reactions to both magic and The Horde are cryptically encoded in short couplets...

[InAction]

I've also had this itch (as a player) for a bit, although in my cause it's in no small part because I keep chickening out of other Warcraft advertisements. It's niche enough as a tabletop setting that most GMs come with a fully planned and particular campaign, so discussing one from the start is a nice change!

I've been reading the old 3.5E books a bunch lately, including the alternate systems from Even More Magic & Mayhem, so I'd be pretty comfortable with a game that uses those books as well as helping other players who don't have them handy. I'm also an old hand at Horde lore, but I like Independent-themed games too for the sake of character inclusivity.

Could I be so crass as to share my own idea? The original 3.0 Warcraft RPG book takes place entirely on Kalimdor right after Warcraft III where all of the rigid faction politics that led to the next 20 years of on-again, off-again cold war drama wasn't yet solidified and things are muddier- night elves hadn't yet joined the Alliance, the Forsaken weren't known to the Horde, and nobody on Kalimdor really knew if the Eastern Kingdoms had been completely destroyed by the demons and undead or not because travel across the Great Sea was so difficult. It's a post-apocalypse in miniature, and ever since I read that bit I've found it compelling.

No, yeah, I like the sound of that angle quite a bit. And I'd be okay with something more independently-focused as well to give other players' agency in their choice in character creation. I meant to say that more as like where my particular tastes tend to skew towards.

Hey! I'm familiar with this itch - it's one I felt a couple of years ago before starting a Warcraft game myself. I probably shouldn't commit myself to another game as a player (let alone as a GM), but I wanted to chime in to suggest that you might consider a less-than-obvious alternative to D20 systems.

I run my game in Mutants and Masterminds 3 (or rather, in the freely accessible d20HeroSRD). Mostly because character concepts in Warcraft are so wild and diverse that they don't neatly fit into class boundaries, but they do have many natural analogues for the kind of abilities we see in superhero systems. It's a pretty popular system on these forums, it doesn't require you to buy or download anything because the SRD is right there, and you can build exactly the character you want. My game runs at PL4 right now, which is super low level for superheroes but nice and grounded for a mob of heroes traipsing about in Dustwallow Marsh looking for missing Theramore Marines. My folks are a Sandfury Shaman Diplomat, a Quel'Dorei Mage Refugee, an Alteraci Warlock Engineer, and a two headed Ogress who just recently developed a mystical talent for countering magic by punching it. I'm in another IRL game where we use HeroSystemRPG for the Azeroth as well, just with about 300% more crunch for the number geeks.

Anyway, I'm not actually here to toot my own horn about how pleased I am by the way that game plays, but mostly to underscore that superhero games may actually have more of the character tools you're looking for for Warcraft than something adapted from D&D. Good fortune in your recruiting. Lok'Tar Ogar!

Actually, it was stumbling upon your campaign that kinda helped to get my itch acting up - I love reading through it. I'll confess I'm not much of a fan of Mutants & Masterminds myself - I can totally get the logic of why you implemented it for your game, I just find it way too confusing most of the time with trying to build powers how I want and tracking things like damage in combat. I appreciate you chiming in with the suggestion however and thank you for your favor. Throm-Ka!

[SCARY WIZARD]

I agree on M&M3E and Savage Worlds... That other system, though, that's worth a look, thank you for letting me know about it! I'll pass it around to all my friends.


More System Discussion

Spoiler

Show

I've felt, at times, like Warrior, Rogue & Mage might also be a good pick.
It's a classless system so you can replicate a lot of different concepts fairly easily, Races and Talents and Skills can be added easily enough, and exploding die makes for a cinematic experience -- who's to say that both Groms didn't dispatch Mannoroth in a single blow because they got lucky with a damage roll? :'D My Sorceror Wanderer in one game took out a giant crab, courtesy exploding die, with a dagger that she threw out of desperation.
There's also all these different spins on magic. There's a system that's gated behind a Talent, there's free-form... And then there's the standard system in the Core book, where spells can sometimes reflect training or maneuvers instead of magic. So, Multishot could be a Wounding Blast spell (From the Imperial Library), Rend could be one of the posion-based Touch spells reflavored into a Bleed effect, and so on. And then, for things like Frost Arrows, you could rule that it's possible due to a magic weapon OR it's from a Missile spell -- rather than reach into your quiver and draw an arrow, you're manifesting an icy arrow in your hand and then firing it from your bow... Just the same, some things might be difficult to reconcile, such as the RTS version of Black Arrow, Heroic Leap, and Shadowstrike, to name a few.

Having played in two flops using the White Wolf rules, they've got their own charm to them! At the end of the day, though, I'll play in whatever's offered at the end of the day. I really, really liked the variant kits iin the Alliance/Horde/Dark Factions books, those were cool.

[InAction]

Having played in two flops using the White Wolf rules, they've got their own charm to them! At the end of the day, though, I'll play in whatever's offered at the end of the day. I really, really liked the variant kits iin the Alliance/Horde/Dark Factions books, those were cool.

Oh yeah, love those source books, some great stuff in there. Ultimately it's up to whoever GMs what the system is, but my preference leans heavily on those. The playable options for creatures outside of standard are crazy - like, you could play as a dang magnataur if you wanted to!

Not that it matters much; knowing me, I'll probably roll up a tauren.

[SCARY WIZARD]

Oh yeah, love those source books, some great stuff in there. Ultimately it's up to whoever GMs what the system is, but my preference leans heavily on those. The playable options for creatures outside of standard are crazy - like, you could play as a dang magnataur if you wanted to!

Not that it matters much; knowing me, I'll probably roll up a tauren.

My initial reaction in 2007, when I opened up Horde Player's Guide and saw ABOMINATIONS as a playable race: *revulsion*
My reaction two seconds later: *amused revulsion*
My reaction five seconds later: *approval*

GOOD TIMES~

[Aldhissla]

I remember flipping through HPG to the Potion Doc PrC and thinking it was the neatest thing, only for my enthusiasm to slowly drain away as I realized how absolutely meaty the mechanics of it were. It preempted the Pathfinder Alchemist by a full decade and offers so many cool things up to and including the comically good capstone ability of just getting a second spell list, but you gotta engage fully with 3E crafting rules to make the class really shine. I'd never been annoyed by XP discounts before, like "ugh, more math to do?"

[SCARY WIZARD]

I remember flipping through HPG to the Potion Doc PrC and thinking it was the neatest thing, only for my enthusiasm to slowly drain away as I realized how absolutely meaty the mechanics of it were. It preempted the Pathfinder Alchemist by a full decade and offers so many cool things up to and including the comically good capstone ability of just getting a second spell list, but you gotta engage fully with 3E crafting rules to make the class really shine. I'd never been annoyed by XP discounts before, like "ugh, more math to do?"

*looks at own character sheets scattered around Giant ITP, M-W, RPoL* *throws them at Enchanter, Martial Enchanter* *marks them off of sheets*

I remember I was trying to run a game using the rules with my sister and some friends in 2008, and when we got to how Runemasters worked, we just went, "Uhh...". :'D I just said, "house rule, Runemasters can do that as a Standard action, and you... it's glowy hand thingies -- like, you've got the runes inscribed on you, and you touch the... ehh, you know what I mean". She just nodded, and we continued on with the game.
I liked the older Demon Hunters. And the Death Knights, too. All versions were Serious Business, but the Demon Hunters will spell ability?! I'd slap a note on every demon I vanquish, that just says, "Keep 'em coming, Argus!". And I owe my perceptions of Paladins to the Paladin Warrior prestige class! I liked them, just like I like the "look" of the Unearthed Arcana Prestige Paladin.

I used to while away the hours from 2007 to 2009, just looking at Taelohn and Tagar Bearclaw's pages.

[Aldhissla]

I remember I was trying to run a game using the rules with my sister and some friends in 2008, and when we got to how Runemasters worked, we just went, "Uhh...". :'D I just said, "house rule, Runemasters can do that as a Standard action, and you... it's glowy hand thingies -- like, you've got the runes inscribed on you, and you touch the... ehh, you know what I mean". She just nodded, and we continued on with the game.

Funny you mention that, I've been working on a 3.5E Runemaster handbook for a few months. Scribing runes with all the different levels of permanence is definitely one of the quirkier bits of the class (though I'd personally say all the hacked-to-pieces monk abilities the class gets to pick from piecemeal are sillier).

You can do exactly that with spontaneous runes probably 90% of the time and be totally fine without having to worry about anything other than plain old Standard Actions, scribed runes don't seem worth the effort since they last for a few days but then vanish anyway when you activate the spell, and permanent runes are mostly useful for self-buffs with free metamagic shenanigans from a feat.

[InAction]

So it seems like we have least about three (maybe four) players interested in participating? Maybe one more body? Then all we need is a GM interested in picking this up and we can come to a consensus on stuff like what system we'll be running, yeah?

[Taelas]

Yeah, I'm interested as a player, too.

[SCARY WIZARD]

I could always put this up on the Lava Lash Discord, and see if there's any bites either which-a-way. It's a long shot, especially since we're likely going to get more prospective players, but I thought I'd offer. Otherwise, I/one of us could go to RPoL and ask on Offsite Gaming.

[InAction]

Yeah, I'm interested as a player, too.

Cool cool. Sorry, hadn't been sure before. I'll edit the thread topic to reflect that.

I could always put this up on the Lava Lash Discord, and see if there's any bites either which-a-way. It's a long shot, especially since we're likely going to get more prospective players, but I thought I'd offer. Otherwise, I/one of us could go to RPoL and ask on Offsite Gaming.

It's a nice thought, but I'd prefer to keep things on the forums here. I fear taking this off-site to Discord or somewhere else would shift this to being a live game and I'm not sure if I have the time to commit to that. I'd rather keep this as a PBP affair.

[Aldhissla]

Do you have any preferences as far as system or content, Taelas? We all might be able to hash out some common things to ask for if a GM bites.