The Miracle Mystical Whimsy Machine of Troika!
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- Опубликовано: 6 окт 2024
- Troika! It's hard to talk about a game that doesn't exist until you read it. So I'm here to help you out!
Patreon: / johnbattle117
Twitter: / thebestpupper
Itch: johnbattle.itc...
Hylics 2 really does feel like the most Troika game to use as background footage for this video
You've definitely sold me on Troika. The only real hard part is left to me; selling my group on it.
This is the first of your videos that I've watched and I have to say I'm absolutely charmed by your aesthetic decision to leave in the scrolling, the web searching. It's refreshing to see that sort of confident style choice. Reminds me of an NPR episode-- I think it was All Songs Considered-- and Bob Boilen was chatting with Thom Yorke. They were playing tracks, but the editor left in the finger-on-the-fast-forward scanning noise as they moved to the parts of the songs they wanted to highlight. It was so great! Lent a you-are-in-the-room immediacy to the listening experience.
hey! I'm so glad it was noticed and appreciated. I' fascinated by desktop films and really want to push a more meta approach to the essays moving forward.
Dude no kidding you I got chills from this video, the tone the background music, the quotes, the whimsycal cuts in the video editing software to make it resonate with Troika itself.
Simply amazing and I'm definetly subscribing
I’ve already tweeted at you, but for the audience reading the comments. I like the aesthetic and structure of your video essay, and I think you definitely do the game justice. It’s wonderful in its looseness, something I tried in 2012. many people told me “you need more setting for a corebook” but I decided against that bc I was feeling burned out by all the games with hundreds of lore pages I was supposed to read and repeat. I want people to get inspired and create their own world, and Troika! does that.
Besides, I also made a Michtim background for Troika! that’s kind of my endorsement.
Yes!!! Love the Ghibli comparison, never thought about it that way before.
This was beautiful. Your voice, the writing, everything. I'd always wanted a way to play the kind of stories Troika seems ready to crystallize. It reminds me of that one book where all the lands exist in a single hour of the day, and were always stuck in that hour. Morning was a physical place you had to take a ship to.
I've loved Toni DiTerlizzi ever since I saw his gorgeous illustrations in the Spiderwick books, created with Holly Black. It was only recently that I learned he illustrated for D&D, and I've gone trawling for old work of his.
In many ways, my favourite monster manual or beastiary from any game is actually the Spiderwick "Field Guide" which is filled with gorgeous watercolours of imaginary creatures that are presented as if they were drawn from life.
I first discovered him through his World of Darkness art for games like Changeling, and his style really was perfect for that setting.
I'm glad I'm not the only person that made the connection between Troika and Hylics. I immediately felt the pull to make a Hylics tabletop module with the Troika system and I always play the Hylics OSTs in my head when I've played. Lol
Having gm'ed this for the first time last night I am devouring everything I can on it. Wonderfully absurd game.
When I was trying to convince my group to try Troika, I told them to watch the old Beatles movie "Yellow Submarine". I told them "If you like that movie, you'll like Troika." Based on the number of people that liked the movie (5 out of 7 players), we agreed to try Troika. :)
This was a very different kind of RPG video than what I expected. And now I only want to see more like it. This is special.
Thank you.
Those Planescape maps are beautiful, I'm going to have to start using them as inspiration for my own games.
John, these videos are so good. These are the perfect introduction to the indie scene for people wanting to take a peak.
I went from knowing nothing about Troika, having only the barest notions about what it MIGHT be, to imagining a whole world and aesthetic, flavored by your video, but CREATED by ME.
My brain is now full of joyous contingencies. No more long planned campaign. Just various set peieces that may (or may not) be used to engage the player's imagination.
I’ve been pouring over the Troika pdf since I saw it in the itch.io bundle. I didn’t know about the plane scape inspiration but now I can’t unsee it in my head, it just makes sense.
Thanks for another great video! Here's a comment (which I also tweeted at you; sorry) so that I have a chance at that Melsonian loot: I think it's interesting that you went with Ghibli; when I read Troika!, I'm reminded of DAW paperback covers and how the prose was always disappointing compared to the stories I imagined based on the covers. And I guess that just speaks to your thesis: there's a lot of room in Troika! for the player to bring whatever evocative ill-defined fantasy feelings they have to the game while supplying just enough weirdness to sort of gate out more defined fantasy canon.
Got a copy of this game when I bought the Bundle for Racial Justice & Equality (a fantastic Bundle BTW!) and even though the rules are very light and as an old Fighting Fantasy nerd I more or less know them by heart, I was overwhelmed by everything else. Thanks to your beautiful, inspiring & educative video I finally grasp its potentials. To give something back: please do take a look at Wonderbook by Jeff Vandermeer, a very "Troikan" piece of art. Many thanks from the depths of my heart.
This is absolutely delightful.. I love the way you approached this, inbetween review, essay and collaborative art piece. Definitely checking out your other work.
(Please don't consider me for the giveaway, I already have a copy of Troika numinous edition! Someone else could probably use it more)
I've read through Troika probably three times now, but have yet to play it as my regular group is kinda stuck in wotc land
I'm so used to having more guidance for a setting that I have this urge for more of it to be laid down for me, but I feel like that's the point. What little is filled in for us, allows for the most captivating empty spaces
My only potential complaint about the game is that it does fall into the adventure game trope of assuming violence and giving violence its own (almost) seperate resolution system, which for me feels like it undermines some of the sense of limitless adventure suggested by the text. I do love the stack initiative system though. And it would, in theory, be relatively easy to hack and tack on additional systems for like diplomatic enagement, and maybe relationship building, which, maybe I should do!
Daniel Sell made a post on his Patreon back in August with some rules on "social combat," for resolving impasses by means other than physical combat. I suppose the fact that these rules were developed post-publication, whereas the combat rules were an integral part of the original rules, does have a lot to do with RPG creators "assuming violence" on the part of the players - but I think that's a justified assumption. I love it when players find ways around challenges other than combat, but I think in most adventure games combat is going to become inevitable at some point, and it makes sense to develop a system for it that helps establish the risks of combat. Given the fact that Troika! is such a rules-light game, I think it might have been deliberate to not include too many additional systems - if a player has a good idea for a verbal appeal to an NPC, the GM can either just rule it works or ask the player to test their luck or have them make a skill check, depending on the situation.
I ran a couple of D&D players through the Troika! Numinous Ed Starter scenario a few months back, and imagine my surprise when the warrior character, confront by a sudden influx of large feline carnivores into their elevator, decided to offer them tea from his "ornate tea set" as his very first action. They were delighted to accept and had a nice chat about how folks never seem to know proper feline etiquette these days don't you know.
... later on depending the same building they made a horrible faux pa by assuming some other large felines of the same species must be the same ones from earlier in the adventure. Much affront was taken and combat did ensue (to be fair they were also very hungry at the time).
keep being amazing batts! loved this video and im sharing it everywhere
Yes! Troika rules! If only I played more of it.
Got a digital copy of this in a bundle a while back, but haven’t gotten a chance to really look at it. Your video has made it more of a priority though!
it’s a wonderful game! and if you ever need more backgrounds, itchio has TONS of accessible options bc we had a Troika background game jam last year.
Intrigued. Thanks for posting this video. Looking forward to checking out your other videos.
Absolutely beautiful, I will share this with my friends immediately.
This was a truly lovely video! An excellent explanation of Troika's appeal. Well that and the art. The art is what got me to buy the book in the first place.
This and your Anti-Sys video is *exactly* the content that this Gremlin Catcher needs. Inject more into my brain
Glad I decided to lookup some videos on troika, this is a wonderful little essay
I'm really loving your videos! I've been wanting video essays like this on RPGs. This is great and you're doing a great job.
It gives me chills to find out that something this perfectly fantastical exists, I'm so excited and inspired!
Going to show this to my friends to try get them to try troika. An amazing video.
I have to wonder if the British absurdist sense of humour had an influence on the game. I definitely see things like Monty Python, or Mighty Boosh in it.
I listened to this for 3 and half minutes with it playing in two different tabs out of sync. I honestly thought it was John doing a bit, that's how out there Troika! is.
This video nails it. It says everything I feel, but can't explain about Troika!. The artwork and absurdity draws me in. I don't understand what is happening. But I can't leave and I love it. My favorite thing about 2020.
Thanks for the vid!
This... this is art. This is all art. TROIKA, this video... all of it.
thank you
this does a great job of highlighting what makes troika (and a lot of modern envelope pushing osr design) special by the virtue of excluding aspects of design in favor of player creativity, something I aspire to in my own design and really great to see as a bridge between the rumored divide of story games and trad games
That's an amazing video. It's very carefully crafted, and I want more!
Thank you for putting words to why I love the idea of Troika! so much.
My mind is spinning. I hope I can convince some folks to play this with me!
I had never seen those Planescape maps before. Those are righteous.
Looks like a fun system. The backgrounds remind me of WHFRP careers where you can end up being a rat catcher or a runesmith.
Its like Adventure Time on even more shrooms
Yes! The first comparison that came to mind was Luca Rejec's UVG, an incredible setting with most of its "lore" missing, left to be filled in by the players.
And Planescape, developed by Monte Cook, might have been too lore-heavy, but since leaving DnD, I think he and the team behind Numenera understand the importance of mystery and delightful discomfort of confusion
I saw a add for this rpg and was sold on it because of the art, but I didn't know what I was getting. Decided to see what was online for it. Your video made me regret I didn't shell out for express shipping. I want to step into this right away.
Like a lot of people I got Troika in the itch bundle. Hard to figure out what in that bundle is worthwhile so thank you for selling me on this.
Great video! The first thing that leapt to mind for when encountering Troika! for the first time was L. Frank Baum's "Oz" novels. They are so weird and whimsical and you never quite know what's going on.
Reminds me of Fellowship, a game where the players get to Command Lore about not only their characters, but also their entire races. After all, who would know more about the Elves than Legolas the Elf PC? While maybe it doesn't give you such wacky ideas, it definitely welcomes weird realities.
You've done it! You've actually done it! I've been wanting something like your content forever now and I hope you know you've done it! You've built a place which interprets tabletop gaming (and other things!) and I'm happy! It's not just tips and tricks, it's actually discussing philosophy and idea and you've made me happy for this! Thank you! Have A Great Day!
Love the focus on asking questions and extrapolating your own setting information from small details in the text instead of just accepting a minor oddity and moving on.
"[X] exists here, what does that mean for this reality?" is such a fantastic question to riff on.
I think I got a contact high from this review
Troika! is like delicious, esoteric sausage. You love every bite, but you have to be down with it containing ::strange meats::.
While watching this video I just can't stop crying. So beautiful
Which other adventures do you recommend for Troika! Besides, The Stolen City, and the official adventures?
I played Troika at the weekend, and rolled up a Chaos Champion, while my friend rolled a Gremlin Catcher.
You were only missing a Rhino man.
This sounds awesome, I'm a big fan of movies and things that just feel strange or dreamlike where things don't quite make sense or have concrete explanations, this seems like a game that could fulfill that fantasy, also kinda reminds me of adventure time in a way.
I like the slightly outside of the box visuals choices. Never heard of Hylic 2 before but the visual style of it totally blew me away and it made a great choice to compliment what you were talking about. Ditto the others but that one in particular stuck out.
late to finding this but as a Troika player you are spot on. Well done Sir!
Nice 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 RUclips is woefully bereft of Troika! content, thank you for this!
Did you make this video just for me? Because I’m in love with Miyazaki and I’m in love with this game for exactly the reasons you describe
Fantastic video reviews. Keep them coming!
Oh my, this video is gold
Troika confused the absolute shit out of me at first and drove me away bc it doesnt explain like any rules at all and I was so used to that from other ttrpgs. Then I realized that that was the point, and I laughed at myself. I had complained for years about how I didnt want to have to read a 600 page book just to pretend for 4 hours with friends, and Troika had given me less pages with infinitely less words, pictures, and a parody of the rulesets I was used to, where it seemed like every item, background, and setting were referencing another source that didnt exist. I fell in love.
I watched an actual play on youtube a while ago and it’s incredible how narrative and unwieldy the game and characters could be with each other unrestrained by a traditional ruleset. To my surprise, the gm seemed fully prepared, which was my problem.
For new ttrpg players, or players like me with autism who need some guidelines and rules to play with, troika is simply daunting. It laughs at you for attempting to understand. It almost drove me away for good, but the love and quality of the art drew me back in. I think that a video like this is INTEGRAL for new troika players to understand the weird and wacky way the book is written.
D&D on acid? i am in!
Hm this seems pretty interesting, what is curious to me though, is that I guess it relies on the players of the game having enough imagination to come up with a cool/novel/interesting enough of a story or setting to play in. Which I imagine some players especially DMs love, but seems intimidating. Ie it would be like "here are the cover images of Dragonlance's three first novels, with the red dragons, blue, green, the scruffy adventurers, etc - ok, now go ahead and come up with a story, names, the gods, the adventures, etc everything of these characters" - to me that seems hard, maybe since I'm not a writer. I'm kindof depending or hoping that the writer of these roleplaying books comes up with the interesting concepts and settings, characters, history, etc that I can then enjoy and try to add my own cheesy characters into, rather than just providing interesting images that then need your own ideas to be made up for. That being said, the images of course are awesome in and of themselves (just look at a bestiary book)
It would maybe be like the difference between watching Howel's Moving Castle in Japanese with no subtitles on and not understanding any of the words, yet still seeing all the crazy awesome images which maybe are intriguing to watch just in their own right - but is that preferable (especially on an emotional level) to watching it with the subtitles on, and getting both the crazy images + the plot, characters, etc written by the creator? That's perhaps why I don't mind the idea that they explained Planescape - to me that's awesome as long as it was done awesomely, it's something to read/absorb the work of an author, and I suppose if one didn't like it, they could just ignore it and make up their own explanation for the crazy images and become a Troika. Those details existing ie the author writing them doesn't seem to take anything away since you could always ignore them if desired, it seems just additive to me. Ah what this also reminds me of is seeing a painting in a museum, knowing nothing about it/what the author's intent was, yet still enjoying it -- which is something I've done a lot, so I can get that. That being said, the fact that the artist did in fact mean something by the painting is just an extra layer of depth that could be enjoyed if it was known. Anyway just random thoughts, I just need to give it a play, nice video
Ah also reminds me of Legos without an instruction booklet
Not enough video style TTRPG content out there. I’d love another in a similar vein on UVG, which you referenced.
It really is just hylics the rpg isn’t it
I have to say, this sounds like exactly my thing. Unfortunately, my primary gaming group is very.... VERY... conservative. They don't want to think about what might be. They want to KNOW what is. Uncertainty causes them a great deal of concern.
Wow, this should be the official advertiser of Troika! You did great in explaining what it is, why to buy, and play it
It reminds me more of Adventure Time than Ghibli, but nevertheless, great video!
Maybe Troika is Adventure Time based on the original pilot short, before we had explored the lore, all teasers and ideas, no explanations.
Troika! is a great example of how strong a game the original FF rpg was and is…once you slightly expand it and allow and encourage extreme imagination!
It does a good job giving advice for original characters and very, super easy, too!
Ya don’t need Troika. You can just use FF (or the excellent clone Spellzard! especially).
But Troika’s atmosphere and attitude helps.
You can use it for Tolkien fantasy or Lieber or Howard S&S or 80s fantasy movie stuff or sword & planet stuff or any wild and weird stuff you want or don’t want but happens anyway! Heheh
I just discovered Troika! thanks to Geek Gamers, and I have got to say that this video is the most Troika-esque presentation of Troika! that there could possibly be. _chef's kiss_
Wow that was incredible.
Great! I actually just got it on the Kindle version... and am looking for the Character Sheet... it doesn't have one... also, I have nobody to play it with... so... I do love it though...
This sounds wonderful
i love this video so fucking much... makes me realize how limited my imagination was thx to the abundance of same-y fantasy ttrpg i played
the chaos warrior seems exactly like warhammer fantasy
I am so glad I found this!!
I feel..spoken to.
I want the Fronds!
anti-canon is the best canon
I never quite understood the appeal of Troika. But I think I do now. And I think I know why I didn't get it. I've been subconsciously searching for the underlying canon.
Ayy, didn't expect to see Else Heart.Break() in there but I'm glad I did
If anyone asks me to run D&D ever again, Troika will be my first counter-offer. Fantastic video.
Great video! Thank you ;)
I'm too late to win the book, aren't I? I'm always too late.
guess I gotta find me a d66 now
So absolutely true!
This game is bonkers in the best kind of ways!
HYLICS!!
Wow
what is the clip at 10:10 from?
What is the song used in 9:25
i was going to like, but i could not ruin the 666 likes
Roll d66
please talk faster
no