First Session Feedback

[Morrus]

Did you think about using a countdown for Luck vs. a static # of dice added? I think people would be more apt to use it rather than sit on it then.

How do you mean? Sounds interesting, but I'm not clear on the implementation there!

 

[Peter Holland]

So....?

 

[Morrus]

Dividing into suggestions and questions/issues.

Questions:

3) Stun on Phasers? Same as others?

I don't think the phaser stun feature has been written quite yet - I'd put that aside for later. But basically, it's going to be a type of non-lethal damage. Get reduced to zero HEALTH with a stun, and you fall unconscious but stable.

4) Ammo- how much actual ammo do weapons have? or do you roll each shot and on a 1? 6? you run out?

For now, ammo isn't being tracked. Originally I was going to use the countdown mechanic, but it doesn't work quite right for ammo. It'll likely end up just as a track of charges/ammo.

5) What's the difference between a Blaster and a Laser Pistol? essentially a Blaster seems better on all counts.

They are. Laser pistols are more primitive than blasters. The blaster is the better choice in settings where both are available.


Suggestions:

2) Assisting on skill checks? Half the lower skill? Or add your skill ranks to theirs?

There isn't currently a rule for assisting. I have a couple of different ideas in mind.

1) Shooting into combat rules? Penalty to shoot? One roll- compare against all Defence- hit the lowest? Perhaps if you roll 5 higher than that you may hit the next highest? .g. firing against Def 12, you roll a 17- you may choose to try and hit the next highest Def- you may miss, but miss your ally too?

It's unlikely that I'll include a rule like that. I very much want to encourage skirmishy ranged combat, so I'm avoiding barriers to it.

6) Character sheet is cumbersome- the character creation stuff is nice but gets in the way- would it be better on the back of the sheet for now? There are only 10 spaces for skills, should there be more slots? As a starting character you potentially have 8. More space for abilities? Double-space stat boxes- with a space for stat and then dice pools.

Modifying the sheet is a big (and expensive!) task for an artist/layout person, so it doesn't get updated nearly as often as the rules. It'll gradually change, though.

 

[Peter Holland]

Surely it would make sense for the phaser stun to be the same as the three other weapons that stun?

I did wonder if you were going to do Ammo like that: I think it would work.

If the blaster is supposed to be better, then it should either be at a higher tech-level or cost more, otherwise the only reason it won't get used is as loot (and I can't see why anyone would have one anyway as they are worse even on price).



Not having a penalty for shooting into combat seems silly- melee is surely two people dancing around each other- shooting one of them would be difficult- it goes against all sense not to have a rule governing it.

 

[MarkB]

Not having a penalty for shooting into combat seems silly- melee is surely two people dancing around each other- shooting one of them would be difficult- it goes against all sense not to have a rule governing it.

If you want something like that, I have a quick-fix suggestion:

Melee combatants grant cover bonuses to people behind them, and a character engaged in melee is not subject to the Pinned Down mechanic.

 

[Morrus]

Surely it would make sense for the phaser stun to be the same as the three other weapons that stun?

More that I'll likely change them to the way phasers will do it. Simpler, fewer dice rolls, faster gameplay.

I did wonder if you were going to do Ammo like that: I think it would work.

Playtest feedback was very negative. I didn't feel it felt right, either. If you want, try it and let me know how it goes.

 

[Peter Holland]

Pinned down isn't an issue- as there is nothing stopping you leaving a combat (and chances are if you are the one being shot you probably want to move away). But cover doesn't quite cut it. With combat being so dynamic there needs to be a chance of hitting anyone.


Edge of the Empire works in a similar manner and actually works really well.

 

[Morrus]

Edge of the Empire works in a similar manner and actually works really well.

I personally find that a bit fiddly.

 

[Peter Holland]

Really? It's a fantastic way to spend Despair... and makes it so narrative.

 

[LucasC]

How do you mean? Sounds interesting, but I'm not clear on the implementation there!

Unfortunately I have not had a chance to run a session since the change to exploding dice but without them, I am quite concerned that things will go too slowly. In all the encounters I ran, both personal and ship-based, exploding dice were essential to both

1. hitting some combatants and
2. doing actual damage

In the first case (successful hits), the extra dice from combat modifiers helped and sometimes made all the difference and, without exploding dice, would almost certainly be embraced more wholly.

In the second case (damage), the extra dice were often required to overcome a targets SOAK. Someone in a basic battlesuit has SOAK of 10. That pretty much renders the person immune to small weapons fire (2d6) and highly resistant to even medium fire (3d6). Maybe that is in the intent, I'm not sure how scarce you expect such armor to be. We needed those exploding dice to overcome most ship armor + shields also.

OK, so all of that to was to explain why I think a small number of extra LUCK dice (as it exists today) is not going to be sufficient.

I haven't thought through this a great deal, but for the countdown I'd be thinking something to the effect of this...

You begin w/a Luck pool based on your LUCK attribute. Let's just assume that's a 4d6 pool. You can use some of those as extra dice on rolls (probably not damage, just attacks/skills). Maybe half your luck pool, rounded down, minimum 1. Probably declared before an attack roll. Each time you use it, you make a countdown check as normal and your LUCK pool shrinks according to the countdown rules.

So, if I have a LUCK pool of 4d6 and am shooting at a dude in heavy armor, I decide I need extra help to hit him so I invoke my LUCK. I add 2d6 extra to the roll. Regardless of the success or failure, after the roll I make a LUCK countdown and my LUCK pool decreases by an amount equal to the 6's I roll.

A LUCK pool could recharge at the rate of 1d6 per day or maybe you make a roll and recharge it based on the results of the roll.

Just thinking out loud.

One other concept I had while considering this the other day...

Everyone has 1 exploding die no matter how many dice they roll. They have to roll this die separately. It explodes on attack rolls, damage rolls, skill checks, etc. Basically the old exploding rule but added only to 1 die.

This solves a separate personal problem I have with no exploding dice. I always enjoy having a 'critical' option of some sort. Something to look forward too if actual luck is in my favor. Something that, given the right circumstance, lets me do the impossible.

By limiting the exploders to 1 die you should get rid of some of the weaknesses, specifically that the exploding mechanic favors those that are already favored by rolling more dice.

You could also add Careers that give you more exploding dice, either all the time or during certain instances. A sniper might get an extra die when sniping, for instance, and a reckless brawler might get an extra die when swinging his sword at someone.

Again, just some ideas.