jaws

Re: A Game Of Questions

what NGD stunt?

Re: A Game Of Questions

Do I look ok? or don't I?

Re: A Game Of Questions

personal? personal?? PERSONAL!? PERSONAL!!!!!!!!??

Re: [Magic System] Stoburu

Great Job!!! Keep up the good work. I always enjoy your magic systems.

Re: A Game Of Questions

Could it have all been a dream?

Re: A Game Of Questions

is there a way to tell? i mean Really Tell? ar is this just full of guesses?

Re: Mass Effect Campaign Setting

Awesome! I hope you ahve enjoyed it as much as I have. And yes I have the same issue. I actually dropped the campaign idea that is why this thread stalled. I have never really GMed a Sci-Fi adventure and all those holes you mention in race and other details really caused me grief since I am not very good on the fly in such a new genre for me. So I decided to let it slide for the time being until there is more info out there.

I got most of my info form http://masseffect.wikia.com it is loaded with info. Watch out for spoilers though.

I am looking o create a campaign structured similar to a T.V. Series. I want to keep focus on the most important things to be resolved for the session, with a larger unobtrusive storyline in the background that develops "seasonally" and ends with a bang after 4 or 5 "seasons".

I want to develop personal drama in each episode focused on one or more of the players so that each has their own storyline as well.

[If you don't like long posts you can skip to the question at the bottom at this point]

Structure looks like this.

* Looming epic storyline in the backdrop (multi seasonal).

Well that is general structure and feeling for the story. However never having never done anything even remotely like it; just used to the -one shot- or -the epic almost never ending open ended story- that the players strive for from the start, where the players complete minor objectives but are always focused on the big goal.

The game will be based on Mass Effect setting (yes the video game). And players are part of an multi-racial investigative special task force put together by the council and the Systems Alliance to investigate and control current (geth) and future(reavers) possible A.I. threats. The time line starts one year after the events of the game and assumes Captain Anderson is the council representative for humanity as an equal among the council races.

Bottom Line: I would appreciate any help and tips on developing this kind of story structure.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Re: How to organise space

That analysis document was a great read... Good find.

You must spread rep.. ugh..

Re: How to organise space

I agree that no matter what system you use. Communication is the key. Especially with wildly different cultures, or with out one major threat to force unity out of necessity.

Re: Mass Effect Campaign Setting

Where was I when this started? Oh yeah, I didn't make an account for the boards. Anyway, I've been tirelessly working on a Mass Effect campaign so I'll give you what I've come up with if you'd like. I found that going in the prefabricated sets of the video game were just too limiting and after explaining how biotics and technology worked, I gave my players free reign to make whatever they wanted bearing my approval. I have been tossing around ideas for weapons and armor if they decide to use them. I made up some templates for the major races if you want my take on them. Don't beat your head against the wall with biotics. I gave my players the option of making up their own powers so long as it fit in with the manipulation of dark matter. The more you limit your players, the less fun it is. I made a preset for the beginning of the campaign with a 50AP cap on any given power. Once we had things we could all agree on it worked out nicely.

 

The tech mines were the one thing I just couldn't give up though. I made an NPC who uses Sabotage, Overload, and Damping along with some custom builds that fit. I wrote them like grenades with different powers and effects. For instance I wrote up Overload as a Dispel Shields, Sabotage as a Suppress weapons and Damping as a suppress biotics.(and tech if you'd like) It worked out best when I put them into a multipower. As many others have said, some things don't come over to tabletop very well. That's the reason I wrote them up as physical mines that are thrown like grenades.

 

As far as the world is concerned I put them about a year before Eden Prime gets attacked. Plenty of stability and chances to get a feel of the galaxy. When I feel they have a full grasp on it, I'll start paralleling the game's story for my own amuzement and flavor. (none have played the game yet)

 

But more to the point I would love to bounce ideas off of people here since I only did my introduction last night and still have much work to do.

Some good ideas in here. I like making prefabs, mainly because it shortens character creation (especially NPCs), helps standardize and I just love tweaking systems. Also half my players are creative, the others just want to pick and chose.

Love the adventure ideas, however I have found that modeling most biotic powers with 50AP doesn't quite cut it. they are usually quite powerful with many limitations. I don't want to create the exact powers but it is important they are representative of what the books and game wish to portray.

Techmines are cool too. Loved them but I didn't want to make them items since I am sticking to heroic rules, meaning equipment is something you purchase. This really devaluates the usefullnes of technological knowhow. So techmines are generic explosive devices that allow special programming for those capable enough to use aganist well defended combat systems. (ie RSR, focus OAF, expendable, techmine)

I have revamped most of the mechanics for the prefabs i have uploaded. so I will probably be updating sometime soon. I hope. Real life sure eats up a lot of time.

I've just been reading the Ad Astra boards - as I was discussing starship combat wargames over in the general forums here, when I came across a posting by one of the writers for the game Mass Effect. He evidently also plays Squadron Strike which was the game I was mentioning.

Anyhow, he's going to be converting the ships from the game to be playable in Squadron Strike. You can find his post about it here-

http://www.adastragames.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=15034#p15034

That sounds owesome. I'd love to see the results of that work though. Couldn't really find them on the forum.

Re: New Disadvantage Idea: Phobia

The consistency behind a single persons response to the phobia is the key... I like this reuse of a good mechanic idea.

Re: Blast with Fade

I'll give it 1 1/4 going once...

Re: Blast with Fade

No argument' date=' on the surface, but the core of what I resolved as to "how Thia would do it" is as a scalable modification to Lingering. Normally, linger is BLAH per extension, then it gets modified for the Fade Out. Continuing Charge is moot in that regard, Lingering handles the whole thing.[/quote']

 

However... isn't lingering optional and instant... I mean technically lingering can be used on any phase during before it expires only paying for those phases. So you could shoot you blast and let it sit for 2 phases, then save some END and not pay for the third cause no one is there and then pay for it again later when some one enters. It is visible through out though, but not effective.

 

Also lingering powers don't affect people except when you activate them on your phase, So people will be able to walk through your napalm while you don't have a phase with out getting burned.

Re: New Disadvantage Idea: Phobia

I vote for predictable response idea but it needs a better name.

Ops a little necromancy... sorry hadn't noticed it.

Re: Blast with Fade

This is actually a very useful thread! great work guys!

UPDATE: Mass Effect Campaign Setting

UPDATE: After some play testing I realized Weapons and armor are too point heavy, though very "realistic" in simulating the incredible power of these futuristic weapons.

There are some draw backs i didn't like.

• Too much focus on Equipment over characters: If it all comes down to who has the bigger gun in such a way that tactics start to not make enough of a difference then they are too powerful to be fun.
  
• DC Resource Points: Since I am using this mechanic most characters cant afford a decent gun, much less armor and other stuff. However if I just up the Resource Points to compensate, then other equipment is too available.
  

I am working on he prefabs but in effect am just halving the DC's for weapons and the DEF for armor and shields.

It is simple, keeps all the proportions right and makes weapon base damage max out at 4d6k (which is plenty anyway).

By the way I didn't really explain the mechanics of the weapons and armor. Kept it as faithful to the HS as I knew how, but a little explaining helps smooth out assumptions and mental gymnastics:

• Weapons: Weapons usually have high rates of fire, being Gauss weapons. Their main limiting factor is that over heating causes them to burn out. Burn out rolls are made after the gun has fired non-stop (meaning it has been fired every phase the character has) more shots than are in the burnout comments field. If use continues the burn out target drops one (ex 11- to 10-) every phase it is used. It takes one full phase of not using a weapon for it to cool down. (I wanted something that wasn't dependent on the characters speed, but couldn't find a simple rules valid way for this.)
   
  A failed burn out roll means the weapon is blocked for one turn as the safety mechanisms work to protect the weapon. Should an 18 ever be rolled the weapon burns out permanently and at the GM's option may explode causing it's base damage to the user and anyone near him.
   
  Some weapons are better than others (not reflected in the prefabs yet) and may have higher burnout rolls and are more resistant to tech and Biotic attacks (Represented as Power Defense only to protect the weapon).
   
  
• Armor: Armor has 6 parts:
  
  • Armor: This provides the PD/ED of the armor, weight from mas is calculated off of it.
    
  • Kinetic Field: This is ablative shielding that only blocks super sonic particles and effects. (Guns, explosives, rammed by a super-sonic ship). Melee attacks, being hit by a car and other similar things are transparent to the shield.
    
  • Field Booster: This is a recharging mechanism for the ablative shielding which helps it recover 1 point of shielding per turn.
    
  • END Reserve: Is what the Field Booster for recharging Shields. It recharges in about 5 minutes when plugged in with shields off.
    
  • Biotic/Tech Defense: Is Power Defense that protects the armor and wearer against most biotic or tech attacks.
    

This also makes technological powers and biotics work against equipment with out having to be so expensive.

NOTE: Armor prefab is updated with the base constructs. Will upload the detailed specs soon.

Re: CE vs Activation rolls

Maybe a clarification will hep get some answers:

Let me rephrase the question. I am not looking for CE to add an Activation roll on a power that doesn't have one. So here goes the question.

IF a power does have an activation roll. Could CE potentially trigger the activation roll and/or even apply penalties to it?

A more specific example. Weapons with high auto fire rates that overheat and Burnout if too many shots are fired.

Banshee Gamma: RKA 3d6 (vs. PD), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1), Autofire (19 shots; +1 1/2); STR Minimum (STR Min. Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1 1/4), OAF (-1), Activation 11-, Burnout (-3/4), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Beam (-1/4), Real Weapon (-1/4)

VS

Mine that releases heatwaves causing the weapon to overheat anyway.

Overheat: CE 2" radius, -3 to Jam Roll for weapons; Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), -1 1/4), OAF Expendable (Easy to obtain new Focus; Techmine; -1), Instant (-1/2), Requires A Decyption Roll (-1/2), Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -1/2), Concentration (1/2 DCV; -1/4), Range Based On STR (-1/4)

Possibly add some temperature raising levels to better represent the over heating but that's just SE.

Reply With Quote Multi-Quote This Message

Hopefully this gets you before the operation as a large part of the powers I'm developing could potentially be affected by it.

Let me rephrase the question. I am not looking for CE to add an Activation roll on a power that doesn't have one. So here goes the question.

IF a power does have an activation roll. Could CE potentially trigger the activation roll and/or even apply penalties to it?

A more specific example. Weapons with high auto fire rates that overheat and Burnout if too many shots are fired.

Banshee Gamma: RKA 3d6 (vs. PD), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1), Autofire (19 shots; +1 1/2); STR Minimum (STR Min. Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1 1/4), OAF (-1), Activation 11-, Burnout (-3/4), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Beam (-1/4), Real Weapon (-1/4)

VS

Mine that releases heatwaves causing the weapon to overheat anyway.

Overheat: CE 2" radius, -3 to Jam Roll for weapons; Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), -1 1/4), OAF Expendable (Easy to obtain new Focus; Techmine; -1), Instant (-1/2), Requires A Decyption Roll (-1/2), Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -1/2), Concentration (1/2 DCV; -1/4), Range Based On STR (-1/4)

Possibly add some temperature raising levels to better represent the over heating but that's just SE.

Re: Mass Effect Campaign Setting

Here go the others.

Think I am done posting for today. Let me know your thoughts.

PM me if you would like a writeup version for those of you with out HDv3

Re: Mass Effect Campaign Setting

Racial Tempaltes are also done... I think.

I jumbled their Every(race) skills in to each one too.

C what you guys think.

Hopefully some one is still following this thread.

Re: Mass Effect Campaign Setting

Still battling how to do tech powers and biotics but here are my prefabs so far.

I have also attached armor so it can be compared to weapons. The armors in the prefab have only the most powerful versions of armor, still working on the others. They also should have up to 30 (approximate) PowDef to resist tech and biotic attacks.

Biotics will probably have a slow recovering END pool and Techs will have a large end pool in their Omnitools that must be recharged at power sources.

If you dont know what i am talking about please see:

http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Equipment

http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Talents

Re: Mass Effect Campaign Setting

So far I have been working on weapons and armor.

I went a head and made an excel sheet copied off the mass effect wiki with all the values for weapons and converted their values with formulas to something usable for HS.

The most powerful weapon goes up to 8d6k which might be a bit overkill, but considering the power of armor I think it shoudl work out. It will be prety deadly for unarmored combatants though. but then again it wills t the tone, leaving ights as a last resort,a nd only when you are really ready for them.

I think it will make it a DC meets SH type campaign.

Atached are prefabs for pistols, Shotguns, Assault rifles and Snipers.

C what you guys think.

Hopefully this will get to you in time before you get your operation. GL by the way!

CE when it gives penalties to skills it normally triggers a roll.

So a CE -5 to DEX rolls could in effect cause somebody to fall unless they make a DEX roll at -5. (IIRC)

How about powers or items with a burn out/JAM activation roll.

Can a CE -X to activation roll force a roll with penalties that if failed, jams/burns out the power?

Hopefully this will get to you in time before you get your operation. GL by the way!

CE when it gives penalties to skills it normally triggers a roll.

So a CE -5 to DEX rolls could in effect cause somebody to fall unless they make a DEX roll at -5. (IIRC)

How about powers or items with a burn out/JAM activation roll.

Can a CE -X to activation roll force a roll with penalties that if failed, jams/burns out the power?

TY