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Messages - Wambly

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16
brainstorming & development / Re: Just Heroes: 2015
« on: October 15, 2015, 02:34:19 AM »
Glad to see you revisiting this. I haven't played any version of your game but I had downloaded your prior version and I have a particular interest in the rare superheroic AW hacks. Kudos.

17
blood & guts / Re: How much damage does a proton beam do?
« on: October 12, 2015, 03:52:37 AM »
I meant small arms actually, but I did presume one big thing -- either luck or having enough knowledge to realize where to shoot to cause major harm.

From real life: crack a heat-resistant tile on a space shuttle and it can -- theoretically -- cause a domino effect that will eventually destroy it if one is so unlucky.

"If one piece of tile falls off in a vulnerable spot during reentry, heat melts the underlying aluminum skin like a blowtorch and then adjacent pieces of tile fall off as heat penetrates from inside the structure." (Mark Drela, an aerodynamics researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

The loss of more than a dozen such tiles are argued by some to be a reason the Space Shuttle Columbia exploded, and that could have resulted from damage to just one tile, allegedly when a piece of insulating foam fell and hit the tile. If foam can do that, imagine what a single bullet could do.

Firing a firearm at or inside of a non-fortified vehicle that will be exposed to intense heat or pressure is potentially enough to cause complete disaster if you're unlucky.

Having said all of that, Apocalypse World takes a very cinematic approach to its world -- not realism -- and so your game certainly can do the same. Don't let my comments dishearten you. You're making a game, not a physics simulator. :)

18
blood & guts / Re: How much damage does a proton beam do?
« on: October 12, 2015, 01:38:53 AM »
A small ship (scout, personal etc.) won't give a flying f*** about small arms fire ...

Maybe in the movies. In real life, I think it would. Spaceships are hardened for the rigors of space travel, not combat. It is conceivable that a spaceship could be better protected but, like turning a limousine into a bulletproof car, it would be an extremely expensive project to do so. The attacks of space travel (requiring heat shields and such) are just too different than direct weapon attacks.

19
I had opposed rolls and variable dice in a super-hero hack I made. The dice (d6) that players rolled against could vary from 1 to 4 dice depending on difficulty, but it only went above 2 dice if the MC spent Destiny points to boost it (1 pt. spent for each +1 dice). Players rolled 1 to 3 dice depending on if they could leverage their wits (1d6), heart (1d6) and body (1d6) for an action -- and chose to do so. The player's result could be boosted by 1 to 4 points by bonuses.

If a player roll's result beat the opposing roll, the player succeeded. If it didn't, the player failed. However, if the player roll's result included a two of a kind, it was the equivalent of a 7-9 roll in normal Apocalypse World rules AND the MC gained a Destiny point.

There were some other rules clarifying when wits (skills or insight into a person), heart (desires and temptations) and body (powers, weapons and tools) could be used, but the core of the opposing roll dynamic is above.

20
However, I'm happy for the GM principles to be used outside of the steampunk and sci-fi spaces I'm currently working on, provided the use includes clear attribution and links to Beyond and Steampunk World (just opened the Steampunk World community at https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/108439627279414945168 )
If that works for you, let me know.

That would be fine with me if the link can be included on a credits page at the start of my hack (if I quote you). An appropriate attribution would be with any excerpt used.

Time will tell if I ever finish my hack of course and what the final version will look like. :)

21
I downloaded your PDF and am reading it. I like your "How It Works" section (page 7). It lays out the basics in a brief and easy to understand way I think. That is always an achievement for role-playing games I think. :)

Pages 8-18 are also easy to follow, though for my impatient mind that seems a lot of "homework" to go through before play (10 pages). I understand that is not abnormal for the type of game it is, but my RPG background is with games that put most of the work on the GM and the player just has to create a character and show up. As a GM, I love sharing the workload. As a player, I'd rather dodge it. Nowadays, though, I'm mostly a GM and rarely a player.

I like the attribute names (Geek, Handy, Sharp, and Vibe).

Pages 21-22 (Using Moves) is nicely done. Clear and straightforward. Page 24 is also well done (Suffer Harm).

I didn't read as closely when I got to your classes as I was more interested in how you handled the basic mechanics (up to page 28 I believe). But they seem complete at a shallow glance. You cover the basic science fiction tropes. The races too seem complete. The only thing missing is an empathic race but you have a class that covers that option.

The way to scale up starships when they interact with smaller vehicles is a good solution to differences between them without over-complicating the game mechanics.

Your GM principles are excellent (pages 97-99). I wish I could plagiarize them (but I won't unless granted permission -- oh, please, please). Kudos. The breaking up of GM moves into different types (story, action and "when things slow down") is helpful too. That was a good choice to do that.

In conclusion, you have done an impressive job with your RPG. I like it. I am glad I got this version before it went Steampunk, but I also am looking forward to seeing your Steampunk version. Please keep me posted.

22
brainstorming & development / Re: Lords of the City
« on: March 26, 2015, 03:12:10 AM »
I've never played any of the Saint's Row video games or equivalents, but I'd guess AW would be a good match for it. The fact that it is a video game with its own mechanics can be helpful too, though I imagine you'll need to simplify or adjust them to fit the AW scheme of things.

23
Is there a question hidden in here?

24
blood & guts / Re: Help with magic system: learning from reality
« on: October 06, 2014, 01:42:38 AM »
Forgive me for being a little off topic, but your premise reminds me of the 8-book Spellsinger series of fantasy novels by Alan Dean Foster, although I'd guess you'll handle it a little more seriously than he did. As a teenager, I loved the series though. :)

25
I'm familiar with the basics of Carl Jung's personality theory and the basic idea behind Campbell's monomyth. I agree with the critique of Campbell, but I am still curious about your project enough to follow this thread when I visit this forum.

I really like some of your covers. But, as a former full-time graphic designer, I'd caution against the temptation of making your prototypes for your game polished or pretty in appearance, because that will raise expectations of your play testers, which is not good for an unfinished project that still (if normal) has many flaws to work on. This was advice from a published tabletop game maker that I took to heart.

It also is premature to toy around with the visuals at this stage. Wait until it is done and you know exactly what you have to offer so you can convey it accurately -- or at least don't show off your covers beforehand.

EDIT: Also, on one of your covers it says "and building an civilization underground." That should be "and building a civilization underground."

26
brainstorming & development / Re: Pro Sports Hero
« on: September 04, 2014, 05:26:45 AM »
I'm not into athletics or role-play of it, but I like the stats. I don't trust my knowledge of sports to critique the moves, but you may want to use spell check on them. :)

27
brainstorming & development / Re: Questions from a new Hacker
« on: August 28, 2014, 05:44:03 PM »
Thank you for the welcome, explanations, and answers, Vincent. :)

28
brainstorming & development / Re: Questions from a new Hacker
« on: August 28, 2014, 04:09:20 AM »
Thanks, As If. I will add that I have found game design to be quite engrossing, stimulating and satisfying even though it seems a quixotic task. I'm an artistic type and love to create in many ways, but it is rare to find a single creative endeavor that can keep my interest for years. Either I finish it or abandon it long before then. So this had been an unexpected discovery for me.

29
brainstorming & development / Questions from a new Hacker
« on: August 28, 2014, 02:59:16 AM »
I've been working on an ever-evolving roleplaying game project for more than three years, but only discovered the approach used by Apocalypse World this summer. As it seemed to achieve important goals I had for my project, I decided to begin my project again with a blank document using both Apocalypse World and my previous version of my game as inspirations and models. I've avoided using "copy and paste" with either project, but have paraphrased both to force myself to try to find better ways to express the concepts.

I only joined this forum yesterday, and I had several questions.

( A ) At what point in development should a game be presented here for critique? Or seek a dedicated forum?

( B ) I'm a bit confused by the different sections of the forum. Would a RPG project based on Apocalypse World go in "Powered by the Apocalypse", "Hacks" or "the swamp provides"? I have seen hacks in all three section, such as Vincent Baker's "The Dragon Killer" in "the swamp provides" section. What determines which threads go where?

( C ) I'm also curious about the empty forums, which appear to have been created a few years ago and remain empty. Is there ever a point at which a forum is deleted for any reason?

( D ) I seem to be taking a somewhat backwards approach to designing my roleplaying game at this point insofar as I have a stronger sense of its design and philosophy than of its setting, and I get the impression that isn't how development should be.

This state of affairs is a result of my complicated motivations for this project, which include -- for examples -- a desire for character personality to impact gameplay more than physical attributes, at least a little psychological realism when it comes to killing or horrific experiences, more low-powered characters rather than over-the-top godlings, and a satisfying roleplay experience without swamping the DM/GM/facilitator/referee with heavy work.

So is the tail wagging the dog so-to-speak?

( E ) My original project, for its first year, was a fantasy setting. But my initial play testers had no interest in fantasy (admittedly a saturated RPG genre right now) and asked for a superhero setting. I obliged and it has been so ever since. Yet I keep struggling with the tropes of my RPG's chosen genre, which in broad strokes are ridiculous to me as I scrutinize them critically while working on my game. I have come up with several settings at this point that could work, but none satisfy me personally as a game I'd have a desire to play AND could suspend disbelief for. I haven't given up but I'm unsure how to solve this.

( F) In my rewrite so far, I have used different terms than those used in Apocalypse World. I discovered this evening that at least one of my replacement terms is used in Vincent Baker's game "Dogs in the Vineyard," which I've never played or read. I am guessing this coincidence in word usage is acceptable? I don't think absolute originality is humanly possible with any creative work.

Thank you for your insights or feedback.

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