RPG - Serenity - Any takes/reviews of it

Prophet2b

First Post
molonel said:
Ah. So they actually work a lot like Action Points in d20 Modern

Yes, very similar, in fact! Except they play a much more integral part of the game (I believe). Which is why I'd say they're part of the system, and not just trumping it... The system really is very "small" - very few rules at all. Plot Points are a large part of those rules.
 

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molonel

First Post
Prophet2b said:
Yes, very similar, in fact! Except they play a much more integral part of the game (I believe). Which is why I'd say they're part of the system, and not just trumping it... The system really is very "small" - very few rules at all. Plot Points are a large part of those rules.

Is it difficult to succeed in actions when you do NOT use plot points?

In other words, do the mechanics seem to require that the plot points are the primary vehicle of heroic action as opposed to character abilities and skills?
 

Chiaroscuro23

First Post
Is there a good alternative available for folks who just want background fluff but not the system? I mean, chances are there's a "World of Serenity" coffee table book released for collectors and TV show fans, and if there is, it might be both cheaper and more filled with what you want if you don't like Cortex. I'm wondering if such a book was actually published.
 

Jim Hague

First Post
molonel said:
Is it difficult to succeed in actions when you do NOT use plot points?

In other words, do the mechanics seem to require that the plot points are the primary vehicle of heroic action as opposed to character abilities and skills?

Not really. The rules state that for most non plot-affecting actions, like a normal landing on a pad or flat ground, you're not ever going to roll; it's assumed that a character of sufficent skill does it as a matter of course, a sort of assumed Take 10 or Take 20 equivalent. The dice system is designed to work in conjunction with resource spending (Plot Points) to accomplish actions; sort of like the old SAGA system or other resource-spending hybrids.

Combat is a bit wonky - if you can catch an enemy flat-footed, they get a defense of 3; not much, considering that a low-average skill is d4+d4 for combat, IIRC, so you've got a better than average chance of just blasting them to Kingdom Come. Otherwise, it's a skill vs. skill contest most times, modified by circumstances.

The big thing to remember here is that the Cortex system (which isn't perfect - hand to hand combat is still a mystery to me after playing for 6 months, for example) is designed to maximize roleplay through minimizing dice rolling. Plot Points are meant as a resource, and not just for die rolls - they can also be used for dramatic editing. If you're rolling for every little action, it's going to get tedious, and it's going to seem broken because that's not how the system is meant to be used. It emphasizes the roleplay over the dice by far, so the polyhedrals should only hit the table in life-or-death, plot-affecting, dramatically-important situations.
 
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