Playtest Feedback (8/19)

There were 7 players in this playtest and we are using the August rules.

One of my players has given me a large volume of feedback on psionics and changes he would like to see. I will post those under a separate thread and restrict my commentary in this thread to feedback that arose out of the playtest.

Combat Feedback
The game involved two battles. The first was vs a t-rex and the second a custom creature (stat block below). So as to playtest the encounter w/out opening it to problems already discussed regarding psionics, I rendered both creatures immune to mental damage.

• Due to its 34 DEFENSE, the t-rex posed a target the PCs could not hit w/out crossfire bonuses. This subsequently forced them to revert back to an earlier mindset where they were cooperatively working together to get the full +3d6 crossfire bonus. Many remarked that this encounter was the best they'd had in a long time.
• To a lesser extent, the same could be said for the battle vs. the hulk but that was paired with a sandstorm that made movement almost impossible. In that encounter it was the 1d6 bonus per turn immobile that provided the bonuses needed to hit it.
• Everyone grumbled about not having an exploding attack die. On numerous occasions they simply didn't bother to roll their attack as they knew there was literally no chance of hitting.

Regarding combat-centric characters
In last weeks thread you observed that 100% of my players had 3 ranks in combat skills and wondered why that was the case. Here's my opinion on it -

1. Consequences: Combat always has the most dire of consequences. If a character is killed the player must create a new character. They lose all history and investment in the now-dead character and start again. As we tend to play games that last from 3-12 months or more, this can be quite disheartening. Often this is not the case with non-combat encounters. A negotiation, chase or travel (for example) might complicate the adventure but the demands of the story dictate that alternative courses be provided. It's possible a non-combat encounter could end w/death but that's going to be the exception rather than the rule.
2. Consistent Usefulness: Broadly, I divide encounters into two types: (1) combat and (2) non-combat. Combat skills such as Pistols or Daggers are typically useful in 100% of combat encounters. There are a few one-offs where that isn't the case but we can safely ignore them for now. Conversely, non-combat skills are more narrowly focused. A negotiator might have skills like Diplomacy or Charm and they're critical for negotiating but not so useful when tracking a wumpus across the desert. And that tracker might have Tracking or Survival skills which are awesome out in the desert but pretty useless in the ball room.
3. Specificity: A t-rex has a DEFENSE of 34. To shoot that t-rex your attack roll must meet or exceed 34. Intimidating a prisoner to get information, sweet-talking a guard to let you past a doorway, searching a room for a clue... all of these things might be assigned a target number or you might just wing them in gameplay or even circumvent the need altogether (for example, if you search a room and roll bad you might miss the ring hidden in the lining of the chair... unless you tell your GM that you cut open the chair and search the lining for anything tucked away).

For these reasons, and others I'm not thinking of, my players always assume a competence in combat is essential. Despite this, most of them do not define themselves by their combat skill. They define themselves by whatever else they have. The Pilot also has the max bonus in Piloting and thinks of his character as a pilot. The healer also has max bonus in Medicine and thinks of his character as a healer.

Countdowns
The adventure included one Fast Countdown that began with a pool of 10 dice (a sandstorm). It went extremely fast. I think it ran out on the 4th roll. Some guidelines (that I believe your working on) would be good here just so GMs can pick a countdown appropriate to their situation.

Contests
I wanted to try out the contest rules so when the players attempted to interrogate a prisoner I followed them. It's probably worth noting that in most social situations I let the players lead in and only call for rolls where I think its necessary (and usually these will be opposed rolls). In this case I started right off with contest the rules.

This feedback is specific to an interrogation contest.

• The rules don't seem to offer any incentive to actually roleplay. Although we always do it, you could easily state, "I'm going to interrogate that guy." then both the GM and the player start making rolls. Eventually one of the dice pools empties and the GM reveals the information (or doesn't) depending on the rolls.
• I found the entire affair intrusive to roleplaying, stopping conversation and asking the player to make a countdown roll and an opposed roll, both of which had absolutely no relevance to the actual conversation. In the future I'll likely do all this rolling myself on behalf of both the player and the NPC.

I have some additional contests planned for future games and think these rules may lend themselves better to something like a chase.

General Feedback

• When creating a new creature I don't find a type that fits well for an elemental.
• Large brute creatures will always end up with a very high DEFENSE.
• Is SOAK meant to apply to falling damage?
• The Star Knight's do not feel that 5 DEFENSE is a worthwhile trade for SOAK.
• Telepathy seems to be the only skill that actually has a technical impact on psionics as all the other powers just work.

Ideas
This section is for ideas my players have tossed out. Consider or ignore as you see fit.

• Have armor reduce the attackers die pool instead of, or in addition to, SOAKing damage.

Typos

• p148- (SOAK) ...materials tabl;e indicates...
• p153 (environmental dice, bullet 1) ...hold or cold...
• p153 (using the environmental dice) ...you environmental dice...

--
Lucas



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I'm glad to hear that the t-rex worked out. That's the right sort of challenge for your party. The thugs and gobbers are just mooks to mow down. (I very nearly made them 1 HEALTH, like 4E minions).

That's good feedback on the contest mechanic, and something I was worried about. Social encounters and mechanics are something every game struggles with (the problem you describe is one I've had with D&D editions over the decades, too). I need to solve that. I think I know where to look for a few clues, too...

So my two main thoughts right now are that plus the non-combat skill focus. I think you (or someone) suggested splitting combat and non-combat skills; I didn't want to do that as it bothers me aesthetically, but after all these months and the phenomenon persisting, that may be the only way to go.