Tabletop RPG Podcast and Roleplaying Resources

Month: June 2016 (Page 1 of 5)

Gaslight Heroes 1st Four Sessions

I’m terribly bad about posting game recaps, but I need to at least do a good job of tracking advancement 🙂ACTION-COMICS-28-

Last week we finished our four game. Our advancement history is as follows:

  • Game One: Minor Milestone
  • Game Two: Minor Milestone
  • Game Three: Major Milestone
  • Game Four: Minor Milestone

I’ll try to create a page with dates and better tracking. For now we just have this blog post.

Advancement Rules

Excerpted from Fate Core:

Minor Milestones

Minor milestones usually occur at the end of a session of play, or when one piece of a story has been resolved.

During a minor milestone, you can choose to do one (and only one) of the following:

  • Switch the rank values of any two skills, or replace one Average (+1) skill with one that isn’t on your sheet.
  • Change any single stunt for another stunt.
  • Purchase a new stunt, provided you have the refresh to do so. (Remember, you can’t go below 1 refresh.)
  • Rename one character aspect that isn’t your high concept.
  • In addition, you can also rename any moderate consequences you have, so that you can start them on the road to recovery, presuming you have not already done so.

Significant Milestones

Significant milestones usually occur at the end of a scenario or the conclusion of a big plot event (or, when in doubt, at the end of every two or three sessions).

In addition to the benefit of a minor milestone, you also gain both of the following:

  • One additional skill point, which you can spend to buy a new skill at Average (+1) or increase an existing skill by one rank.
  • If you have any severe consequences, you can rename them to begin the recovery process, if you haven’t already.

Major Milestones

A major milestone should only occur when something happens in the campaign that shakes it up a lot—the end of a story arc (or around three scenarios), the death of a main NPC villain, or any other large-scale change that reverberates around your game world.

Achieving a major milestone confers the benefits of a significant milestone and a minor milestone, and all of the following additional options:

  • If you have an extreme consequence, rename it to reflect that you’ve moved past its most debilitating effects. This allows you to take another extreme consequence in the future, if you desire.
  • Take an additional point of refresh, which allows you to immediately buy a new stunt or keep it in order to give yourself more fate points at the beginning of a session.
  • Advance a skill beyond the campaign’s current skill cap, if you’re able to, thus increasing the skill cap.
    Rename your character’s high concept if you desire.

Skill Columns

During character creation, you organized your skills into a pyramid. You don’t have to stick to that for character advancement.

However, there’s still a limitation you have to deal with, skill columns. This means you can’t have more skills at a certain rank than you have at the rank below it. So if you have three Good columns, you have at least three Average (+1) skills and at least three Fair (+2) skills to support your three Good (+3) skills.

Cinematic RPG Design Diary: Skills

I’m working on a multi-genre original RPG called ‘Cinematic’ that will have traits and skills with an optional stunt system (that you can use or ignore). There will be a Sci Fi implementation of Cinematic called Imperium RPG. First let’s talk about the generic Cinematic RPG core system.

Design-Diary

Stan designing the next version of Cinematic and Imperium RPGs

Two Attributes

Cinematic will work like Cortex Plus, Traveller, and other systems with two attribute that you add together for most checks. In Cinematic, you have 6 Traits: Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, Intelligence, Education, and Social. They work very much like D&D ability scores. You’ll also have up to 40 skills depending on the setting. For most checks you’ll add your trait modifier (which will range from -2 to +2) and your skill rank (which will range from -3 if you’re not trained in a skill, to +3). Total possible ranges based on trait + skill rank would be -5 to +5.

Core Mechanic

The core mechanic is this:

Roll 2d6, add relevant die modifiers (DMs). If you get an 8+ you succeed.

So a character with a Dexterity modifier of +2 and a Shooting (Slug) skill of +1 will get a +3 DM when shooting a slugged weapon like a rifle. They’ll hit on a 5 or better.

Adding Shift to Damage

If you score higher than the target number, the difference is called a Shift. In the above example, the character is shooting their gun, gets a +3 DM from their Dexterity modifier and Shooting (Slug) skill, and rolls a 5 and a 6 on their two dice. Their total score is 14, a Shift of 6 over the target number of 8. The 6 is added to the damage roll.

Skills in Cinematic Settings

Now let’s take a look at the skill system. In the most generic flavor of Cinematic RPG, you have the following skill lists which differ by setting. Some skills have specialties listed after the skill (I’ll explain more about who specialties work in the future). Cinematic will be like Chaosium’s Basic Roleplaying RPG, Fate Core RPG or Margaret Weiss’s Cortex Plus RPG where in most cases you’ll tweak the rules and skill list for each setting.

Basic Skill List

  1. Animals — Handling, Veterinary, Training
  2. Art — Performer, Instrument, Visual Media, Writing [in modern settings add Videography, and in Sci Fi settings add Holography]
  3. Athletics — Dexterity, Endurance, Strength
  4. Boating — Ocean Ships, Personal, Sail [in modern or Sci Fi settings add Submarine]
  5. Carousing
  6. Deception
  7. Diplomat
  8. Gambler
  9. Healing
  10. Investigation
  11. Language — [Setting specific specialties]
  12. Leadership
  13. Melee — Unarmed, Blade, Bludgeon
  14. Navigation
  15. Notice
  16. Persuasion
  17. Profession — [Setting specific specialties; in Sci Fi they are Belter, Biologicals, Civil Engineering, Construction, Hydroponics, Polymers]
  18. Reconnaissance
  19. Shooting — Archaic [Modern setting adds Slug; Sci Fi setting adds Energy]
  20. Sleight of Hand
  21. Stealth
  22. Streetwise
  23. Survival
  24. Tactics — Military, Naval
  25. Trade

Fantasy

In Fantasy settings, we add the following skills:

  1. Arcana
  2. Knowledge — [Setting specific specialties]
  3. Lore
  4. Nature
  5. Religion

Modern

In Modern or Sci Fi settings, we add the following skills:

  1. Admin
  2. Advocate
  3. Aircraft Pilot —  Airship, Rotor, Wing [Some Sci Fi setting add Gravlift, Ornithopter]
  4. Driving — Digger, Track,Wheel  [Some Sci Fi setting add Hovercraft, Walker]
  5. Electronics — Comms, Computers, Remote Ops, Sensors
  6. Engineer — [Some Sci Fi settings add STL, FTL, Life Support, Power]
  7. Explosives
  8. Gunner — Turret [Some Sci Fi setting add Orbital Artillary, Screen, Capital]
  9. Heavy Weapons — Artillery, Man Portable, Vehicle
  10. Mechanic
  11. Science — Archaeology, Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Cosmology, Cybernetics, Economics, Genetics, History, Linguistics, Philosophy, Physics, Planetology, Psychology, Robotics [Some Sci Fi setting add Psionology, Xenology]
  12. Steward

Sci Fi

Finally, in Sci Fi settings, we add the following skills:

  1. Astrogation
  2. Spacecraft Pilot — Small Craft, Spacecraft, Capital Ships
  3. Vacc Suit

Skills in Imperium

The Imperium RPG has the following 40 skills:

  1. Admin
  2. Advocate
  3. Aircraft Pilot — Airship, Gravlift, Ornithopter, Rotor, Wing
  4. Animals — Handling, Veterinary, Training
  5. Art — Performer,  Instrument, Videography/Holography, Visual Media, Writing
  6. Astrogation
  7. Athletics — Dexterity, Endurance, Strength
  8. Boating — Ocean Ships, Personal, Sail, Submarine
  9. Carousing
  10. Deception
  11. Diplomat
  12. Driving — Hovercraft, Digger, Track, Walker, Wheel
  13. Electronics — Comms, Computers, Remote Ops, Sensors
  14. Engineer — STL, FTL, Life Support, Power
  15. Explosives
  16. Gambler
  17. Gunner — Turret, Orbital Artillary, Screen, Capital
  18. Healing
  19. Heavy Weapons — Artillery, Man Portable, Vehicle
  20. Investigation
  21. Language — Setting specific language skill specialties
  22. Leadership
  23. Mechanic
  24. Melee — Unarmed, Blade, Bludgeon
  25. Navigation
  26. Notice
  27. Persuasion
  28. Profession — Belter, Biologicals, Civil Engineering, Construction, Hydroponics, Polymers
  29. Reconnaissance
  30. Science — Archaeology, Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Cosmology, Cybernetics, Economics, Genetics, History, Linguistics, Philosophy, Physics, Planetology, Psionology, Psychology, Robotics, Xenology
  31. Shooting — Archaic, Energy, Slug
  32. Sleight of Hand
  33. Spacecraft Pilot — Small Craft, Spacecraft, Capital Ships
  34. Stealth
  35. Steward
  36. Streetwise
  37. Survival
  38. Tactics — Military, Naval
  39. Trade
  40. Vacc Suit

[Edit: since I first posted this I removed Jack-of-All-Trades and added in Notice].

That’s it for now. I am working on a MVP (minimum viable product) set of Imperium rules this week which I hope to beta-test on Thursday’s one-shot game. 🙂

Top Stuff I Want To Run Someday

Been thinking about the ‘stuff I’m itching to run someday’ so thought I’d jot it down. Interesting how things evolve: see my post in 2014 of things I was itching to run two years ago. Probably the Sci Fi stuff has my biggest interest at the moment.

a9fae6c1b8ea2a0ca4902edf6cd14820Sci-Fi Campaigns

  • Blood & Steel (Imperium RPG) — After investigating a space anomaly, a group of fighter pilots find themselves on a starhopping quest to save humanity. (Think Battlestar Galactica)
  • Scientorium (Imperium RPG) — Hidden away by sheer distance and forever shrouded from the minds of the curious lies a mammoth artifact from the previous galactic age, the library of Scientorium. Its strange experience chambers offer passage to a million histories on a million worlds, secrets and technologies undreamed of. Now abandoned by all but its automated security systems and enigmatic caretakers, its workings are oddly twisted and jealous, meting out reward and punishment in equal measure. This is a classic science fiction saga, an epic journey across space and time in the vein of Niven or Heinlein!
  • Eris Beta-V (Imperium RPG) — A team of explorers investigates a magnificent ringed gas giant with its numerous moons. Ancient artifacts of enormous power can be found among the rings and asteroids. Every moon is a unique world to be explored. When the system’s valuable commerce is threatened by unscrupulous agencies, the team must root them out and put themselves at great risk on the icy fringes of interstellar space.
  • Eschaton: The Dark Star (Imperium RPG) — Interstellar explorers investigate a mind-boggling megastructure hidden in deep space. (Think Ringworld)

Fantasy Campaigns

  • World of Redmark: The Wheel of Time (D&D 5e) — Reboot of the campaign started at https://dicehaven.com/dnd/the-island-of-death/ but with new 1st level characters.
  • World of Redmark: Caress of Steel (D&D 5e) — New sandbox D&D campaign based on the 80’s Rush albums ‘Caress of Steel’ and ‘Fly By Night’.
  • Middle-earth: Darkening of Mirkwood (5e The One Ring) — The Necromancer may have been cast out of Dol Guldur, but a lingering darkness remains over Mirkwood, a shadow that will grow ever longer as the years draw on – unless a band of brave adventurers step forward and hold back the gloom.
  • Middle-earth: Chronicles of Arnor (5e The One Ring)-– Adventure in Middle-Earth a millienium before the Lord of the RIngs. “Know this, people of Gondor: were it not for the selfless souls in Arnor who with flashing blades and spilled life-blood fought against the Witch-King and his foul blight in Angmar, our free lands would not have known peace, and our bright cities would long ago have crumbled into forgotten ruins.”

Mini-Campaigns (~ 6 sessions)

  • Firefly: Civil War (Imperium RPG) — Epic mini-campaign conclusion to a Firefly campaign Todd, Mason and Stan were running a few years back.
  • Reich America: The Shadow Covenant (Custom D&D 5e Modern System) — Resistance fighters uncover a terrifying secret about the Final Reich.

One-Shots

  • Star Trek: The Original Series (Imperium RPG) — Boldly going where no man has gone before, the U.S.S. Ares explores mysteries and fights alien enemies on the Federation Frontier.
  • Boot Hill: Bounty (Custom D&D 5e Modern System) — You’re the law, but keeping the peace in Texas is a deadly business. Can you survive to collect the bounty on Bad Bart and a dozen other scoundrels whose Wanted Posters litter the sheriff’s desk?

Upcoming Games; June 30 One-Shot; Imperial Assault

Game Schedule

Here’s a weekly roundup of upcoming games listed on the Dicehaven Google Calendar. Look for further details and RSVPs from your respective GMs.

  • Texicon — Thursday, June 23 to Sunday, June 26 (see Texicon.net; Robert, Jeff & Mason and maybe others will attend at least one day)
  • Gaslight Heroes — Thursday, June 23 6:30pm (Stan’s House)
  • Bonus Game (Imperium One-Shot) — Thursday, June 30 (Stan’s House)
  • 50 Fathoms — Saturday, July 2 6:30pm (Stan’s House)

Imperial Assault

Star Wars: Imperial Assault won ‘best board game’ and ‘Origins Fan Favorite’ awards at this year’s Origins convention.

Sci-Fi One-Shot Description: “Footsteps in the Dark”

alien-planet-wallpapers-hd-2-0-s-307x512“You were on your way to investigate an alert from an unmanned survey station in the outback when your transport was shot down by energy weapon fire. Now, stranded on an alien planet with nothing but their wits and the will to survive, a group of desperate heroes find themselves in a dangerous game with a voracious pack of proud hunters.”

This is the conclusion (of sorts) of a The Last Parsec one-shot I ran many months ago. We’ll have all-new characters using the Imperium rules. Time permitting, the story will segue into an epic space battle that we’ll run using miniatures.

Particular house rules we’ll be looking to test are:

  • Armor that soaks variable damage (1d6-1, etc.)
  • Hit Location rules
  • Using fixed DEX score for initiative
  • Revised Starship Miniatures rules

 

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