The N.O.W. Discussion Thread

[Morrus]

As you probably know by now, the final stretch goal is N.O.W. an entire additional 300-page RPG you'll get as a bonus (in PDF format) if we hit £40,000. Unlike the other two, I won't be writing it - N.O.W. will be written by Mike Myler.

What is N.O.W.? N.O.W. is the third book in the trilogy started with O.L.D. and N.E.W. It's a game set in the present day, and I want to give it to you for free as a 300-page full-colour PDF. To do that, we need to hit the final stretch goal of £40,000.

Play as the action heroes of the 80s, own the high-tech supervehicles of superspies and vigilantes, conduct espionage, or go to war. Secret agents, lone crusaders, and soldiers of fortune will all usher out the vestiges of the O.L.D. and pave the way for the N.E.W.!

N.O.W. features:

• 80s super vehicles - talking cars, supersonic helicopters, motorbikes with machine guns, Aston Martins with ejector seats and oil slicks, cards which turn into submarines, boats, and planes of dark vigilantes and billionaires. Build your own vehicle, give it weapons, armour, high-tech stuff, a turbo-boost, stealth mode, and use it in the awesome vehicle combat system.
• Secret Agents and gadgets. Superspies with laser watches and jet packs.
• Muscular action heroes and deadly martial artists.

And just imagine the possibilities when you combine N.O.W. with O.L.D. or N.E.W. Magic in the modern day? Aliens stalking commando units in the rainforest?

N.O.W. is for when you want: Schwarzenegger, Rambo, The A-Team, Knight Rider, James Bond, Batman, McGyver, Airwolf, Jean Claude Van Damme, Jackie Chan, Chuck Norris, Streethawk, Shaft, and more. It's about the action genres of the 1980s, but set in the present day.

 

[Bawylie]

I created an account just because this is the version of the game I really want. Gonna back it for sure, but I wonder if I can get a soft cover.

Also, if I can humble-brag, I had a teeny-tiny, miniscule role in this. Put the glimmer in papa's eye.

;-)

 

[thundershot]

I saw this last night on the kickstarter page and was definitely intrigued.

I was born in 1975, so the 80's were my prime time...

Slightly off topic, but you really haven't hit 350 books on either yet to get a hardcover?

Unless people are like me and holding off until the last hour. I'll probably do mine this weekend .

But yes, NOW would be awesome.

 

[Morrus]

Slightly off topic, but you really haven't hit 350 books on either yet to get a hardcover?

The pledge totals are all listed on the right side, next to the rewards themselves. There's a hell of a lot who went for the £15 PDF option.

 

[TiwazTyrsfist]

If we hit the 40k stretch goal, will N.O.W. be offered as a POD add-on?

 

[Morrus]

If we hit the 40k stretch goal, will N.O.W. be offered as a POD add-on?

Yup!

 

[TiwazTyrsfist]

Okay, here's a question.

In O.L.D. we have various fantasy races, and in N.E.W. we have various Alien races. However, given N.E.W.s setting and theme, unless you're going to include the option to be a teenage mutant ninja turtle (yes please) it seems like Race won't really be a component of the game. Except that in O.L.D. and N.E.W. race plays a big initial part in diversifying the characters stats and starting skills.

Will there be something to take the place of race in N.E.W.?

 

[Morrus]

Okay, here's a question.

In O.L.D. we have various fantasy races, and in N.E.W. we have various Alien races. However, given N.E.W.s setting and theme, unless you're going to include the option to be a teenage mutant ninja turtle (yes please) it seems like Race won't really be a component of the game. Except that in O.L.D. and N.E.W. race plays a big initial part in diversifying the characters stats and starting skills.

Will there be something to take the place of race in N.E.W.?

Well, bearing in mind Mike hasn't written a single word yet - we're not entirely sure. He has made some suggestions, but I want to keep the race/species vs. career distinction clear throughout the whole game line. So my current line of thinking is - human, mutant, and - maybe, maybe - robot (which won't be as advanced as the android from N.E.W.). But this is a long way from decided yet. I'm keen to avoid having "types" of human in place of race, because that doesn't translate over well to N.E.W. and O.L.D. where humans don't have that distinction. Cyborg, perhaps (six million dollar man, bionic woman).

 

[TiwazTyrsfist]

 

[Tashtego]

This will be great if/when it happens, sort of an update to one of the greatest RPGs of that era - Ninjas and Superspies, but with a more solid system (sorry Palladium fans).

Things from N&S I'd like to see in NOW:

• Rules for designing agencies. In N&S you could design a spy or clandestine agency, including location, base size, global resources, access to weapons and gadgets, etc
• Rules for martial arts. N&S had 41 martial arts, with a cool description of the style and how you had to track down people in far off locales to learn it. (The game system for these martial arts wasn't very exciting though e.g. Level 1: +1 punch, Level 2: 1d6 snap kick, Level 3: +1 to block etc.)
• Rules for gears and gadgets, but also having a quick system for gearing up. Nothing's worse than starting your espionage game while PCs kept scrutinising the shopping list for ghillie suits and other random things, buying each item individually. Maybe something like the Preparedness rules from Trail of Cthulhu. "GM: You make your Gadget roll. You are indeed carrying the trick cigarette lighter..."