Grim Tales: SLAVELORDS of CYDONIA - Advance Copy: Taking Q&A!

[JoeGKushner]

Well... No.

The big fight at the end with the government comes about because the government sees the PCs as a THREAT.

I think that pretty much encapsulates the empowerment that the PCs achieve. The goverment doesn't want to be toppled and the PCs have, at this point, achieved the power and status necessary to topple the government.

That goes far beyond the common understanding of "slave."

It's kind of like saying, "I wouldn't want to be Spartacus, cause he was just a slave."

(And as we all know, in the end, they ALL wanted to be Spartacus.)

Well, not quite at the end. My memory isn't what it used to be, but I believe it's, "Why won't you die Spartacus..."

 

[Haffrung Helleyes]

thoughts

Some thoughts:

I think that this campaign could be played with the slave thing toned down quite easily. Just skip the more railroady adventures (like the one where they go back to earth to mine naquada (oops, I mean mouldstone).

You could convert this setting to a fantasy setting quite easily... just let the gate lead to Tekumel.

I like the idea of playing up the 'Earthmen are stronger due to the gravity' thing. It makes sense for the PCs to be exceptional in this campaign, given the roles they end up playing.

I would love to run this with a stargate theme. Someone should write up some Stargate conversion notes. One problem is that you're throwing away much of the stargate feel, which to me revolves around doing missions and returning to the SGC. But running it as Stargate would make it way more accessible to casual players, since everyone is already familiar with the Stargate universe, while not many people have read Burroughs.

-Ken

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

I think that this campaign could be played with the slave thing toned down quite easily. Just skip the more railroady adventures (like the one where they go back to earth to mine naquada (oops, I mean mouldstone).

I don't know what naquada is. A greater inspiration for mouldstone was warpstone (from WHFRP).

I like the idea of playing up the 'Earthmen are stronger due to the gravity' thing. It makes sense for the PCs to be exceptional in this campaign, given the roles they end up playing.

Action points work well too for separating the heroes from the schmucks.

I would love to run this with a stargate theme. Someone should write up some Stargate conversion notes. One problem is that you're throwing away much of the stargate feel, which to me revolves around doing missions and returning to the SGC.

I don't watch the Stargate series, but really enjoyed the movie. And in the movie, weren't they basically trapped "on the other side"? Seems like a pretty straightforward analog to me.

I don't know what else you'd need in terms of "conversion notes." Unless you're talking about a Stargate RPG of which I am unaware; and in which case I suggest just making GT characters anyway.

 

[Haffrung Helleyes]

Stargate

Yes, there is a Stargate RPG.. it's pretty well done, and has a lot of supplements. AEG did it...unfortunately they just lost the license.

In the Stargate TV series, on which the RPG is based, they aren't trapped on the other side...they run missions out of the SGC. You should check out the TV series..it's actually quite a bit better than the movie. I recommend buying the DVD sets...they're pretty reasonably priced.

You might consider seeing who gets the Stargate license, and pitching a megacampaign to them.

Ken

 

[Haffrung Helleyes]

oh

And in the Stargate universe, Naquadah is a material that the bad guys (the Go'uld) are always mining that powers all their devices. It's highly explosive, of course. The Go'uld didn't create the Stargate network though, and I don't think the Stargates run on naquada.

Ken

 

[scourger]

I like the idea of playing up the 'Earthmen are stronger due to the gravity' thing. It makes sense for the PCs to be exceptional in this campaign, given the roles they end up playing.

Thanks. It's one of the things that makes ERB's John Carter so compelling. Of course, he acts like a princess-rescuing hero, which is the game I would like to run. In the books, he is protrayed as stronger, faster and tougher; so a bonus to STR, DEX & CON might be appropriate. I'm pondering allowing an extra d6 whenever a roll based on 1 of those abilities is made, including hit dice. Maybe a bonus Toughness feat at every level with other ability-enhancing effects. I'll think of something.

 

[scourger]

Action points work well too for separating the heroes from the schmucks.

I use chips already. Each is given for role-play that I want to encourage and may be redeemed to re-roll a d20 or at the end of the session for +5% xp.

 

[tameszu]

like how the sponsors, late in the game now mind you, not in chapter one or two, put some stuff in the characters that will kill them if they don't come back.

That adventure came up in discussions between me and the writers (Eric and Matt).

I knew I should have killed that adventure. I tried, Joe.

(It's not like I had a light editorial hand on the book, either.)

At any rate, that adventure is very definitely optional. Check the "Play Note" add the end. I would personally drop it every time. I can't imagine that adventure adding so much to the players' experience that it would offset the trouble it's inevitably going to cause.

Hey, some context here please!

To clarify, that adventure is not only optional for the GM and the plot, it is presented as explicitly optional for the PCs, as the PCs' sponsor gives the PCs complete choice as to whether to accept this mission. There are absolutely no negative reprecussions for refusing it.

The reason the PCs are under such a tight leash is because this is an opportunity to return and visit Earth for a bit. The PCs are entirely aware of the constraints they will suffer if they accept and would presumably only willingly accept if they were interested in the rewards and in a chance to taste the air of their home planet, even if only briefly.

The reason the adventure was scripted in this way is that we wanted to give the PCs the chance to visit Earth, but the entire campaign would go down the tubes if they escaped onto another planet, from which they would have a very hard time returning, even if they wanted to. This is very different from escaping from slavery, which can work fine within the campaign--this would be falling out of the campaign setting itself. Could we have scripted it so that it would seem less railroady? Probably, but I at least hope you understand the actual parameters and the design rationale for the adventure.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

I use chips already. Each is given for role-play that I want to encourage and may be redeemed to re-roll a d20 or at the end of the session for +5% xp.

I strongly encourage you to use Action Points.

I'll also be publishing a PDF pretty soon that brings some really heroic, high-adventure action to the game. An overlay onto the existing leveling structure that I think folks are really going to like. (And it's fueled by Action Points.)

 

[scourger]

I strongly encourage you to use Action Points.

I kind of remember them from d20 Modern and recall them as similar to Force Points in Star Wars. My version was inspired by those and chips or bennies from the Deadlands people. But, I'm open ot new ideas--I don't even have a solid rules set that I want to use for the game, yet. What do Action Points do in Grim Tales?