RPG is in the works!!

http://www.deadlyfredly.com/2012/01/atomic-robo-wears-the-evil-hat/

Craig

>RPG is in the works!!
>

Considering how well Evil Hat did on Dresden Files (It's a toss up between that and SR4 for my favorite RPG so far this century) I'm very, very much looking forward to this.

--
-Pasha
What was that feeling again?
Oh yes.
-Rage-

Huh. Interesting.

Thank you for telling us.

“They planned their campaigns just as you might make a splendid piece of harness. It looks very well; and answers very well; until it gets broken; and then you are done for. Now I made my campaigns of ropes. If anything went wrong, I tied a knot; and went on.”
-- Arthur Wellesley, First Duke of Wellington

>RPG is in the works!!
>
>http://www.deadlyfredly.com/2012/01/atomic-robo-wears-the-evil-hat/
>
>Craig

I know Necroing is generally bad form, but a) this is a very short thread to begin with, and b) I didn't want to start a new one on this topic:

This RPG is out in the wild, with stats for Jenkins.

--
-Pasha
"Don't change the subject"
"Too slow, already did."

I've got a copy. It's amazingly well done, and is easily adaptable to other things. You could probably run a UF game in it.

>I've got a copy. It's amazingly well done, and is easily adaptable to
>other things. You could probably run a UF game in it.

Well, it's underpinnings (Fate) is designed as a universal system allowing for the group telling of very pulpy action adventures, to which UF fits quite like a glove. Ever since getting into the system, I've tend to read scenes looking for compels and stuff, and I'll just say that Corwin is a compel whore.

--
-Pasha
"Don't change the subject"
"Too slow, already did."

>I'll just say that Corwin is a compel whore.

"I have no idea what that means, sir, but it seems very negative to me."
- Airman Edward Garlick (Forest Whitaker), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

:)

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

>>I'll just say that Corwin is a compel whore.
>
>"I have no idea what that means, sir, but it seems very negative to
>me."
> - Airman Edward Garlick (Forest Whitaker), Good Morning,
>Vietnam (1987)
>
>:)

Quick and dirty explanation: No, it's not bad.

Longer explanation: There are parts of your character called Aspects (which are pithy but important parts of your character, eg "I Am The Atomic Robot"), and things called Fate Points that you can use to mechanically affect the in game fiction (usually by giving you a bonus on a roll after the fact, but also to declare facts true). One of the ways in which you can get more of these is called a Compel, in which you do something that is relevant to your character that complicates your life (or the GM can offer you one in exchange for you doing something like that).

So, Corwin's player takes compels all day long, usually involving getting involved in things he really shouldn't, in order to have them available to do cool things like "I have the keys to Daggerdisc" and "I can calculate fold coordinates in my head". :)
--
-Pasha
"Don't change the subject"
"Too slow, already did."

LAST EDITED ON Jul-28-14 AT 01:54 PM (EDT)
 
>So, Corwin's player takes compels all day long, usually involving
>getting involved in things he really shouldn't, in order to have them
>available to do cool things like "I have the keys to Daggerdisc" and
>"I can calculate fold coordinates in my head". :)

Ah, I see! So it's sort of like an in-the-course-of-gameplay parallel to the old Disadvantage system the Champions character generator had, under which, e.g., Korra's player obviously took the 500-point Disad "Emotional Cripple: Spent 13 years as a prisoner of religious fanatics in lieu of a childhood" in order to start play with three out of four elements mastered, and has been slooooowly paying it down throughout the course of the campaign instead of improving her stats.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

>>So, Corwin's player takes compels all day long, usually involving
>>getting involved in things he really shouldn't, in order to have them
>>available to do cool things like "I have the keys to Daggerdisc" and
>>"I can calculate fold coordinates in my head". :)
>
>Ah, I see! So it's sort of like an in-the-course-of-gameplay parallel
>to the old Disadvantage system the Champions character
>generator had, under which, e.g., Korra's player obviously took the
>500-point Disad "Emotional Cripple: Spent 13 years as a prisoner of
>religious fanatics in lieu of a childhood" in order to start play with
>three out of four elements mastered, and has been slooooowly paying it
>down throughout the course of the campaign instead of improving her
>stats.

Exactly. Aspects (or at least the good ones) are double edged swords. So Corwin's "Norse God in Training" aspect gets used both for "I can make cool shit happen" but also "I can get caught up in Aseir politics", depending on who's spending the Fate Points. It's a pretty elegant system.

ARRPG is also nice because it's skills are broken into groups called Modes, which can be called whatever you want. Jenkins, in fact, has Survival mode, Action mode, and (for when shit gets nasty) Jenkins Mode.

--
-Pasha
"Don't change the subject"
"Too slow, already did."

LAST EDITED ON Jul-28-14 AT 02:19 PM (EDT)
 
>Exactly. Aspects (or at least the good ones) are double edged swords.

One important point: the player doesn't have to accept the fate point when the GM compels an aspect. Corwin could choose to avoid the political situation but he won't have that fate point to spend later.

The combat system has what I think is one of the best features that I've ever seen in any RPG: concession. When a character is defeated in a contest he is "taken out". The victor has his way with the loser within the context of the contest. A character can, at any time prior to being taken out, concede the contest. The character loses the contest but he, rather than the victor, controls his fate. In other words, it's how nearly every long-running villain makes his escape at the last minute. He still loses -- his base and plans and what-not are captured or destroyed by the heroes -- but he escapes to plot and enact revenge.

>>Exactly. Aspects (or at least the good ones) are double edged swords.
>
>One important point: the player doesn't have to accept the fate point
>when the GM compels an aspect. Corwin could choose to avoid the
>political situation but he won't have that fate point to spend later.

Yes, the player could spend one of their own (when the compel is offered you either take it, or spend one out of your pool to avoid it)

>The combat system has what I think is one of the best features that
>I've ever seen in any RPG: concession. When a character is defeated in
>a contest he is "taken out". The victor has his way with the loser
>within the context of the contest. A character can, at any time prior
>to being taken out, concede the contest. The character loses the
>contest but he, rather than the victor, controls his fate.

Not only that, but you get Fate points for doing so! I think that was the hardest part to get into my players heads when playing with new people, that *they* could concede, and still get partial victories ('We escape with the hostage, but the bad guy's plan still goes off').

--
-Pasha
"Don't change the subject"
"Too slow, already did."

In other
>words, it's how nearly every long-running villain makes his escape at
>the last minute. He still loses -- his base and plans and what-not are
>captured or destroyed by the heroes -- but he escapes to plot and
>enact revenge.

And also how old mentors may be defeated by a villain but still live long enough to gasp out vital exposition to the young hero.

>The combat system has what I think is one of the best features that
>I've ever seen in any RPG: concession. When a character is defeated in
>a contest he is "taken out". The victor has his way with the loser
>within the context of the contest. A character can, at any time prior
>to being taken out, concede the contest. The character loses the
>contest but he, rather than the victor, controls his fate.

Heh, there's one of those in Weapon of Choice - in the "abandoned foundry" scene, Gryphon basically tells the GENOM Black Ops team, "Fine, you guys take the win, I'm out." :)

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

>>The combat system has what I think is one of the best features that
>>I've ever seen in any RPG: concession. When a character is defeated in
>>a contest he is "taken out". The victor has his way with the loser
>>within the context of the contest. A character can, at any time prior
>>to being taken out, concede the contest. The character loses the
>>contest but he, rather than the victor, controls his fate.
>
>Heh, there's one of those in Weapon of Choice - in the
>"abandoned foundry" scene, Gryphon basically tells the GENOM Black Ops
>team, "Fine, you guys take the win, I'm out." :)
>

"...but I get to take your gengineered assassin with me."

Peter Eng
--
Insert humorous comment here.

>>>A character can, at any time prior
>>>to being taken out, concede the contest. The character loses the
>>>contest but he, rather than the victor, controls his fate.
>>
>>Heh, there's one of those in Weapon of Choice - in the
>>"abandoned foundry" scene, Gryphon basically tells the GENOM Black Ops
>>team, "Fine, you guys take the win, I'm out." :)
>
>"...but I get to take your gengineered assassin with me."

To be fair, they clearly didn't want her any more.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

>>>>A character can, at any time prior
>>>>to being taken out, concede the contest. The character loses the
>>>>contest but he, rather than the victor, controls his fate.
>>>
>>>Heh, there's one of those in Weapon of Choice - in the
>>>"abandoned foundry" scene, Gryphon basically tells the GENOM Black Ops
>>>team, "Fine, you guys take the win, I'm out." :)
>>
>>"...but I get to take your gengineered assassin with me."
>
>To be fair, they clearly didn't want her any more.

They probably wanted the bits. I mean, repurposing the claws would have saved them a bundle of money at the least.

--
-Pasha
"Don't change the subject"
"Too slow, already did."

LAST EDITED ON Aug-02-14 AT 06:35 AM (EDT)
 
>They probably wanted the bits. I mean, repurposing the claws would
>have saved them a bundle of money at the least.

They could have saved more money (in 15 minutes!) by switching to GENOM....

(Why yes, I _am_ going to Hell. ;) )

I finally got a chance to walk into my (quite FATE heavy) FLGS, and was surprised that they didn't have the ARRPG or the dice.

When I asked the owner if I'd missed their stock or something, he gave me this horrified "OH NO" expression and said "...it's out?"

"Yaaah."

About five minutes later and a bit if "Why didn't you tell me these things?" in a phone call with his distributor, I was told to check back Tuesday and my copy should be behind the counter. :)

>I finally got a chance to walk into my (quite FATE heavy) FLGS, and
>was surprised that they didn't have the ARRPG or the dice.

I have to admit, EH's pimping of their dice as collectable items kinda grates on me. Then again, my huge complaint about the new fantasy flight star wars RPG is that it requires that I buy their dice for the game. I have a giant bag of dice (including several sets of Fate dice!) for a reason, damnit!

>When I asked the owner if I'd missed their stock or something, he gave
>me this horrified "OH NO" expression and said "...it's out?"
>
>"Yaaah."
>
>About five minutes later and a bit if "Why didn't you tell me these
>things?" in a phone call with his distributor, I was told to check
>back Tuesday and my copy should be behind the counter. :)

Erm, isn't it his (the owners) job to keep track of his local stock, not the distributors?

--
-Pasha (man, relevant sig is relevant)
"Don't change the subject"
"Too slow, already did."

I don't mind the dice being out there - they aren't essential for me, but I thought the AR set looked pretty nice.

As to the distributor, he's not required to track their in-store stock, but highlighting new releases (especially based on what they've previously been ordering) is fairly up his alley.

I think there's a copy on the shelf of my FLGS (which has got progressively more focused on comics and boardgames over the many many years I've been their customer - hell, they even sell GW stuff despite being approximately 200m from an actual Games Workshop) but honestly, it didn't particularly grab me when I flipped through it.