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Messages - Zenguy

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16
brainstorming & development / Re: Beyond: Adventures in Hazardous Space
« on: December 15, 2014, 11:34:15 PM »
My first question is, what's the difference between this and Uncharted Worlds? What sort of stories does this do differently?

There's obviously room for multiple AW hacks in closely related genres, but Monster of the Week and Monsterhearts tell very different stories.
That's a good question.

I don't know Sean Gomes' Uncharted Worlds very well, but it looks like we're trying different takes on a similar setting.  (There's also Johnstone Metzger's Evil in the Stars, John Ryan's Rogue Trader Apocalypse, and others that appear in the brainstorming forum.  I guess many of us have been influenced by similar sources and have similar gaming interests.)

Beyond, is focussed on personal adventure, with an emphasis on personal stories and tech.  There are no trade rules in Beyond, nor are there rules for power/influence. The faction rules that are in development are more like fronts to help flesh out the setting, rather than being central to the play.  Starships are a major part of the setting but entirely optional as far as the characters are concerned (it's been bothering me that the first class people see when they scan through Beyond is the Captain with its ship based emphasis - but with that many classes it makes sense to put them in alphabetical order, so that will just have to wait until I have some classes with names that go ahead of it in in the alphabet).

My impression of UW (I've only done a quick scan over it), is that it's more space opera oriented, with an emphasis on trade, factions and power/influence.   The Intro blurb emphasises "The ship is home" and "Debt makes the galaxy go round" (which is very different from Beyond's emphasis on personal stories, aliens and tech).

I wish Sean all the best with Uncharted Worlds and if Beyond wasn't as far developed when I first noticed UW I'd be happily helping him with it.  However, given the potential for overlap between the two, I've been deliberately staying well clear.

(FYI, Beyond has its genesis in a Traveller conversion for Savage Worlds I put together in 2010, that soon evolved into something more.  I started hacking Dungeon World shortly after our local gaming group adopted switched to it - my first exposure to Apocalypse Powered gaming and I'm hooked - and the two threads quickly merged into the early (internal) Apocalypse powered drafts of Beyond.  Looking back over my drive, there's over 50 drafts/reworkings of Apocalypse powered Beyond that predate the version I first posted here, and more than twice that number from its Savage days.)

Does this answer your question?

17
brainstorming & development / Beyond: vA1.42
« on: December 14, 2014, 08:50:27 PM »
Here's the latest version of Beyond (vA1.42

Biggest changes are:
- Rework of Expertise/Attributes and bonuses (the revised version works nicely in play)
- Changes to the basic moves (one removed, two rewritten and at least one other tweak)
- All the classes have been updated (mainly around starting moves, but other changes as well)
- Also added names thanks in the doc to feedback contributors (Spigot, do you want me to use your name, if so, what is it?)

Currently working on the setting creation and more character classes. 
Ongoing task of making the text more thematic.
Still to follow up on Spigots observation about too many different titles for the GM.

18
brainstorming & development / Re: Beyond: Adventures in Hazardous Space
« on: December 12, 2014, 02:21:57 AM »
Playtesting with some more classes identified a couple more changes that are worth rolling out some of the other classes too.
The revised attributes/expertise worked really well - even the most sceptical player is happy with it.

Also making progress on more classes - these won't be in the next release but are on their way.

Hopefully just a few more days (other parts of life keep impinging) till the next version is out.

p.s. If you're new to Beyond, suggest you wait for the next version as the changes are widespread.

19
brainstorming & development / Re: Beyond: Adventures in Hazardous Space
« on: December 09, 2014, 07:39:32 AM »
Attribute (Expertise) and PIN changes done, plus a bunch of other things. 
All the feedback here (and elsewhere) is proving very helpful, thanks :-)

Playtesting again today. Will put a new version up after I've had a chance to process whatever comes out of this session.

20
brainstorming & development / Re: Beyond: Adventures in Hazardous Space
« on: December 07, 2014, 10:34:11 PM »
And again. more helpful feedback, thanks :-)

Currently doing a rework of attributes and bonuses:
- will have Geek, Handy, Sharp and Vibe only, capped to +2. 
- Expertise will become +1 bonus added to rolls for class moves.
- all moves will be based on Geek, Handy, Sharp or Vibe.

Thanks for pointing out about NIP - I'll change that around.  PIN ok?

21
brainstorming & development / Re: dedicated hack forums
« on: December 05, 2014, 03:10:42 PM »
Hi Vincent,

Can you please create a hack forum for Beyond: Adventures in Hazardous Space.

Thanks, Michael D

22
brainstorming & development / Re: Beyond: Adventures in Hazardous Space
« on: December 05, 2014, 07:49:40 AM »
Thanks Spigot, really helpful feedback.

You're entirely right about the setting creation mechanics being too crude.  An evocative questionnaire is definitely where this is going (I too think Johnstone Metzger has done a great job with his setup for Evil of the Stars).  I just need to get a few other things tidied away first and get my head clear again for this part. 
I love your suggestions - Mind if I use them to help me reboot this section?

The Captain's Starship move used to say "spend a week" but I dropped it as being too prescriptive - looks like it needs to come back again.  Starship wasn't the only move this happened to - I'll have a dig through and put time parameters back in again.

Your advice on making +1 bonuses specific to certain actions or circumstances is good.  That’s the case for some bonuses but not others - I’ll have a look at those (and hope play testing will shake out any that are still too broad).

The whole Attributes, +Expert and +bonuses question gets really interesting. 
The character attributes we normally associate with RPGs ’re make sense in a world where there is little technology.  But what do you when you have settings full of tech that can make any attribute redundant?
  • Need to do some heavy lifting? Use a grav lifter
  • Need to shoot a rapidly moving target? Use smart ammo
  • Need to access some obscure information? Use a search engine
  • Need lightning fast reactions? Get a reflex upgrade
  • Want to make the best decision about something? Consult an AI
  • Etc.
The ‘social’ attribute is the only one that survives this sort of assessment, and that’s only because humanity hasn’t yet worked out how to make computers good at social interactions – when we do…

I could have made the attribute system in Beyond cope with things like reflex upgrades.  But the attribute system is a very crude instrument to use for the enormous range of character enhancements possible in the settings people are likely to play in Beyond.  The moves system, on the other hand, is ideal for this: it can be as fine grained as we want and is much more descriptive to boot.

I’ve gone with the approach that the character’s expertise is king (when technology can do anything, the determining factor becomes how well you use it to perform different tasks = expertise); their natural attributes a poor second.  Rather than abandon attributes entirely, they’ve been retained to add dimension to the character’s actions outside their areas of expertise.

Using +Expert for all playbook moves is also a conscious design decision based on the idea that tech will do what it does, irrespective of who activates it.

The result is that, in Beyond, characters are defined far more by the moves they take than by their attributes.
This is different to how most of us are used to attributes working – a point that may need to be explained clearly in the rules.

What, then, are the best values for +Expert and the other attributes?  Running the math, gives the following:
  • +3 is probably the sweet spot for a characters expertise: successful a lot of the time but with the occasional fail (~50% chance of a 6- every 8 rolls)
  • +2 is the sweet spot for a favoured attribute: successful most of the time, but expect a fail every few rolls (~50% chance every 3-4 rolls)
  • +1 is a good place to be for anything you want them to do ok with: mostly successful but fails are frequent (~50% chance every 2 rolls)
Should +Expert start at +2 and require a character development spend to get to +3? The only ‘benefit’ that comes from starting at +2 is that the character has a higher failure rate until they upgrade to +3 (which they will do at the first opportunity if they are playing their class).  Is the game better for requiring that higher failure rate?  I suspect not – hence the decision to start at +3.

Another to getting to the +3 level and is to cap Expert to +2 and let players take the +1 ongoing for a move they can get from a Level Up.  This would mean that +Expert rolls will have regular failures, and even those the character has invested in will fail about every 8 rolls. 

On reflection, capping attributes at max +2 but allowing moves to be pushed to +3 (or even +4) in selected situations may work better overall.

There’s more around the differences between class moves and basic moves and the + levels that are suitable for each of these, but I won’t go into that now.

23
brainstorming & development / Beyond: update and opening for playtester
« on: December 04, 2014, 05:21:25 PM »
Now at player draft version 1.33: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzRDxotrnPmTNGktN1NLclh0am8/view?usp=sharing

Underlying content is proving robust, but have clarified wording in several places (most notably on the basic moves and dropped one basic move), reorganized a few parts to make it easier to navigate, and made other tweaks.

Also, we're looking for 1-2 more people for the core playtest group.  Gaming is via video Tuesdays 4pm PST / 7pm EST. 
If you would like some sci-fi gaming and are good with providing feedback, please get in touch.

24
brainstorming & development / Beyond: Adventures in Hazardous Space
« on: December 02, 2014, 06:15:33 AM »
"Beyond is a sci-fi RPG, based on the successful Apocalypse World and Dungeon World systems, that's all about playing the sorts of space adventures that make for great TV, movies and books."

The flavour: co-op adventure on the edges of known space and Beyond.

The design goal: produce the system I’d love to use for RPG'ing any (or all) of my favorite future space TV shows, movies and books

A few of the design principles I’ve endeavored to follow:
•   The characters are the stars of the show
•   Back the fiction all the way
•   Any character can do (or try to do) anything (aka ‘railroading sucks’)
•   When tech can do everything, Expertise rules
•   Future tech, alt tech, aliens, starships, sci-fi combat, space settings - they’re all cool but keep the complexity to the fiction
•   Players can use their favorite setting, including all its own tech
•   Borrow techniques from successful TV shows and movies
•   Death to accounting
• (And again) the focus is on the characters and what they do

What Beyond isn’t:
• Military sci-fi – think Firefly rather than Starship Troopers
• Full Cyberpunk – Beyond has implants and hacking, but not cyber-reality
• Post apocalypse/alt-earth – Earth is just another planet (probably)
• Social/political – more action focused (every character can influence but the overall flavor is co-op adventure)

I'm sure there's a lot more work to be done, especially around things that we've taken for granted or and getting key concepts across to people who aren't familiar with the game.

There's also a whole lot still to come, mainly for the GM (Episodes, Factions, NPCs, Foes, Locations, Adapting Beyond, Hazards, etc.), but there's more playbooks I want to add for players plus a ton of examples and of course things like quick ref Player and GM sheets.

However, there should (hopefully) be everything here you need (assuming a willing GM) to play and enjoy some sci-fi adventuring based on the Apocalypse.

All feedback gratefully appreciated:
- What do you like?
- What doesn't work as well as it should?
- What’s good enough? 
- What wants or needs to be better??
- What needs major surgery?

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BzRDxotrnPmTS1MxMnZDZW5GcVE

25
Dungeon World / Re: The Elemental Monk - feedback please
« on: August 04, 2013, 05:02:49 PM »
Thanks for the feedback so far. :-)

@Jeremy. I like the role playing possibilities of that change. Your idea sounds great for groups that that are good at co-op story development.  Less developed groups (i.e. those who rely more on the GM to hold the story together) would probably benefit from the GM providing the advice.  Thinking this through, the solution is probably to give the player the option of choosing who will provide the advice - this allows both options while letting the player feel like the move and its outcome is still their initiative.  I'll have a think about how to word this concisely.

@Glazius. Good point, I forgot to transfer that across from the sheet I've been working off.
Damage die is d8. HP is 8 +Con.

How does this class look overall?
  • Too strong?
  • Too weak?
  • Is it distinct enough from other classes?

26
Dungeon World / The Elemental Monk - feedback please
« on: July 30, 2013, 12:55:17 AM »
Here's another (draft) version of a monk - all feedback, criticism and suggestions to improve it gratefully accepted.  Plus, of course, I'd love to hear how great it is and what you really like about it :-)

Why do yet another Monk?
There's some great cuts of a Monk class out there (as will be obvious from the number of things I've borrowed from other Monks). However, I was looking for a Monk that:
a) was straight forward to use (i.e. didn't rely on a complex mechanic - aka accounting - for its moves/flavour),
b) had access to the moves/abilities of movie and anime 'monks' (the ones that studied in an asian monastery); and
c) was distinct from other classes.
While the other Monks all have some of this, I couldn't find it all in one package, hence the attempt to do this as a new class.

The principles this Monk has (hopefully) followed:
1. It is a dynamic martial artist whose combat style emphasises a) reflexes/movement to evade attacks and create advantages, b) well placed blows rather than brute force damage.
2. It has enhanced movement abilities and reflexes.
3. It has simple (optional) elemental abilities
4. Its control over its own bodies gives it (optional) healing and survival advantages.
5. Being a Monk is a vocation, not a job.
6. The Monk is a distinct from other classes - it is not a martial arts version of another classes e.g. Cleric (healer monk), Druid (nature monk), Fighter (warrior monk), Thief (ninja).
7. No accounting or similar mechanic is required to play the Monk.

LAdies and gentlemen, for your comment and critique, I present:

The ELEMENTAL MONK

Name
Elf: Illothin, Selariel, Mefanis, Teigan, Angasil, Genfaron, Feolin, Darothis
Halfling: Cudry, Thorn, Meada, Keraldan, Rill, Tremell, Comfrey, Bartly, Lannar
Human: Lan Wu, Ethan, Zarraza, Francoro, Mayoki, Sillar, Hiyao, Drenet, Mal

Look
Wise Eyes, Penetrating Eyes, Calm Eyes or Laughing Eyes
Bald, Tattooed Head, Hooded, Tonsure or Pony Tail
Simple Robes, Travelling Robes, Dignified Robes or Loin Cloth
Lean Body, Round Body, Compact Body or Built Body

Alignment
Lawful: Work to right an injustice or restore someone’s honour
Chaotic: Prove your kung-fu is superior
Good: Protect those who cannot fight

Race
Elf: Your natural grace gives you +1 to the Wind Flows Over the Water and Wind Flies Over the Mountain moves
Halfling: When you Defy Danger and use your small size to advantage, take +1
Human: You are naturally aggressive; take +1 Forward on your first move in combat

Bonds
___________ fights well, one day I will surpass them.
I will earn ___________’s respect as a Monk.
___________ is undisciplined and dangerous, I cannot trust them.
My master warned me about ___________.

Starting Moves
Martial Arts
You have mastered a school of martial arts. Choose a style (all are Hand range, Precise, and 0 weight.)
? Ancient/formal
? Animal imitating
? Classic grace
? Hardened fury
? Loose/drunken
Choose two elements/enhancements:
? Fire Melts the Rock. Your powerful attacks do +1 Damage
? Rock Breaks the Wave. Your skilled blocks and deflections give you +1 Armour
? Water Seeks the Slightest Flaw. You seek out weaknesses in your enemy’s defences: +2 Piercing
? Wind Buffets the Tree. Your style targets nerve centres. When you hit chose one effect:
•   Confused
•   Disable 1 limb
•   Shaky
•   Sick
•   Stunned
•   Their control of their magical power is loosened
•   Weak
? Enlightened Combat. You fight with an awareness of the whole battle: When you hit with a 7-9 take +1 Forward or grant +1 to an ally.  When you hit with a 10+ take +1 Forward and grant +1 to an ally.
? Tools Obey the Craftsman. Your style includes weapons: +1 damage when using a weapon and add the weapon’s range(s).

Enhanced Senses
Your well trained senses mean you are never caught by surprise.

Monk’s Evasion
When you wear no armour and carry no shield, you get 2 Armour.
Wind Flows Over the Water
When you run across a surface that cannot hold your weight (e.g, wall/ceiling), roll +Dex.  On a 10+, you make it across smoothly. On a 7-9, you make it across but expose yourself to danger (the GM will tell you how).

Gear
Your Load is 9+STR. You start with one Dungeon Rations (5 uses, 1 weight), a staff (1 weight) and your monk’s robes (0 weight) describe them.
 Choose one:
? Book of Wisdom (0 weight)
? Monastic Symbol (0 weight)
? Prayer Beads (0 weight)
Choose two:
? Adventuring Gear (1 weight)
? Antitoxin, Poultices and Herbs (0 weight)
? 2 Healing potions (0 weight)

Advanced Moves
When you gain a level from 2-5, choose from these moves:
? Confound Your Enemies
When fighting multiple enemies or one-on-one against a clumsy foe you gain +1 armour.
? Elemental Shield
When you use your mastery of the elements to protect yourself or another, choose an element (Fire, Water, Air, Rock/Earth) you have mastered in your Martial Arts and roll +Wis.  On a 10+ you create a shield of this element in front of you.  On a 7-9 the shield appears, but choose one:
•   You draw unwanted attention to yourself or put yourself in a spot
•   You take -1 ongoing to Elemental moves until you meditate and re-attune to the Elements
•   The effort drains you of 1d4 Hit Points
? Hurricane Uproots the Tree
When you attack an opponent to disarm or throw them, roll +Dex.  On a 7-9 chose one, on a 10+ choose two:
•   Disarm them
•   Throw them in a direction of your choice
•   They are Stunned
? In Harmony with Nature
Take a move from the Druid class.  Treat your level as one lower when choosing the move.
? Master’s Wisdom
When you think about what your master would do in a situation, you will think of an insight relating to the current situation. Ask the GM a question about the situation as if you were asking your Master. Roll +Wis. On 10+, the advice is helpful and clear. On a 7-9, it’s potentially relevant but vague.
? Mastery of the Body
Once per day you may enter a deep trance from which you cannot be woken. Make a +Con roll. On a 10+ choose two; on a 7-9 choose one:
•   You are healed an additional 2d6 Hit Points damage
•   You are healed of one Debility
•   While in the trance you appear dead and do not breathe
•   You are aware of your surroundings and may exit the trance at any time
•   The trance takes 1d4+2 hours only, instead of the usual 8
? Mastery of the Elements
Choose one extra element/enhancement for your Martial Arts.
? My Opponent is My Teacher
+1 to your Martial Arts when fighting a foe you have fought before.
? Spirit Senses, Spirit Moves
Your heightened senses and reflexes help you evade danger. +1 to Defy Danger.

When you gain a level from 6-10, choose from these moves or the level 2-5 moves:
? An Honourable Vocation
When you approach someone with humble dignity, roll +Cha.  On a 7-9 they show you respect and consideration. On a 10+ they consider you an honoured guest and treat you and your companions accordingly.
? Elemental Fury (Requires Elemental Shield)
When you channel a blast of elemental energy at an opponent, choose an element you have mastered in your Martial Arts and roll +Wis.  If you roll 10+ the blast is successful.  On a 7-9 the blast is successful, but choose one:
•   You draw unwanted attention to yourself or put yourself in a spot
•   You take -1 ongoing to Elemental moves until you meditate and re-attune to the Elements
•   The effort drains you of 1d4 Hit Points
? Elemental Purity
When you are exposed to harmful special effects (e.g. poison) conveyed by physical touch or proximity, roll +Con.  On a 10+ you are unaffected by those special effects.  On a 7-9 the special effects are reduced but not completely negated (the GM will tell you the reduced effects).
? Fortress of Qi (Replaces Monk’s Evasion)
When you wear no armour and use no shield, you get 3 Armour.
? Grandmaster of the Elements
Take a Martial Arts enhancement/element a second time, doubling its effects. If you choose an element, your Elemental Fury with that element does +1d8 damage.
? Strikes like Lightning
When you hit with your Martial Arts attack you do an additional 1d6 damage to the same or an adjacent opponent.
? Turn Your Enemies On Themselves
When you are attacked while in melee with multiple enemies, roll +Dex. On a 10+ you deflect the attack from you to an adjacent enemy.  On a 7-9 you take half the damage and deflect the other half to an adjacent enemy.
? Wind Blows the Leaves
When you deflect a missile attack, roll +Dex.  On a 7-9 you deflect the attack away from its intended target but thereafter its path is out of your control (GM will tell you where it goes). On a 10+ you catch the missile or redirect it to an adjacent target of your choice.
? Wind Flies Over the Mountain (Replaces Wind Flows Over the Water)
When you leap and fly to a new location, roll +Wis.  On a 7-9, you make it but expose yourself to danger (the GM will tell you how). On a 10+ you arrive safely.  On a 12+ you disappear and (choose one):
•   Reappear at the new location and take +1 Forward
•   Hold 1 to reappear at will at the new location

[In the process of creating this I've borrowed a number of superbly appropriate moves from other versions of the Monk and other classes.  These may have been renamed to match the Elemental flavour of this Monk and there may be other tweaks I've lost track of (I've been working on this as a whole, so individual changes have got a bit lost).  Some moves I've borrowed have appeared in multiple places, making their true origins unclear. If anyone can identify the correct origin of any moves in here, please let me know so I can give appropriate credit.]

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