Spycraft: I just ran my first game

[Piratecat]

Initial impressions are excellent. Not only does it read well, it plays well, too.

I ran a 3rd lvl game. The PCs are sent to Florida to investigate a cloning scientist's disappearance and subsequent death at Joe-Bob's Alligator Corral. Apparently, someone pushed him into a gator pit.

But we started in media res, racing at 90 mph down Alligator Alley across the Everglades late at night, with two mook-laden limos and a pickup truck in hot pursuit. After a couple of rounds of combat, we flashed back to their visit and investigation at Joe-Bob's. After the chase, the PCs traced the victim to a robotics engineer at Disney World. Apparently, the cloning engineer and the robotics scientist were allied to make something most horrible....

It was a very cinematic game. Speeding golf carts, seduction, sneaky computer tricks, flashing alarms, and speeding car chases. Several EN Worlders played, including Blood Jester, Balsamic Dragon and Sagrabah.

My one disappointment was with the car chase rules. There's simply too much math involved; I found it bogged down the game and interfered with play. Has anyone else run into this as well?

 

[Plane Sailing]

So are we expecting a story minute

- and who'se playing with your picture and moniker?

 

[Piratecat]

So are we expecting a story minute

- and who'se playing with your picture and moniker?

Morrus - although I've adjusted it.

 

[jonrog1]

My one disappointment was with the car chase rules. There's simply too much math involved; I found it bogged down the game and interfered with play. Has anyone else run into this as well?

It's just practice -- and God, you tried running vehicle combat with the D20Modern rules yet?

I've been tearing the Spycraft rules apart for a while trying to make them more"open ground combat friendly" rather than linear, and the trick is to treat the pursuers as one unit, with the "aid another" +2 added to the lead driver's checks.

So it's just:

Terrain -- and mods, which are easy, or you can ignore the handling mods and just use the collision dice.

Choose moves.

Roll driver checks.

Apply results.

Collision checks if necessary.


Idiotically (which is weird because the rest of the book's designed so flawlessly) all this info insn't in one place. Trust me, you grab all the charts onto one sheet for yourself, bippity-boppity boo, no worries.

Oh, and don't think I haven't guessed what the scientists were working on. Consider it YOINKED for my next Dark*Matter.

 

[Ascending Crane]

I have just started to run a SpyCraft game, three sessions thus far. I could go on and on about how great it is, and how far improved over D&D it is, but I'll stick with your question!

The chase rules are the cherry on the top of the ice cream - IF you prepare. I typed up all - and I mean ALL of the chase maneuvers, divided them into sections, printed them out, cut them, and laminated them. The player gets the Prey or Predator cards, and I get the other set.

Then, I wrote a single page (both sides) that describes all the steps, and what can impact each step in easy to read format. We don't have to refer to the books at *all*.

We ran a chase, and it went flawless, fast, and very cinematic.

Except when the PC's car failed a crash check, flipped, and bodies went flying. No one died, but it was close.

So with a bit of work, it hums like a finely tuned Aston Martin. =)

 

[Piratecat]

I typed up all - and I mean ALL of the chase maneuvers, divided them into sections, printed them out, cut them, and laminated them. The player gets the Prey or Predator cards, and I get the other set.

Then, I wrote a single page (both sides) that describes all the steps, and what can impact each step in easy to read format. We don't have to refer to the books at *all*.

And you'd consider posting a link here, attaching the doc to a post, or emailing them to me -- right? Right? (insert hopeful look here!) Please?

JonRog, I think you called it. I need more familiarity with them. I also need to do less page flipping!

Incidentally, the "underworld" under Disney - the city under the city - is vast and deep. Lotta stuff down there....

 

[Baron Von StarBlade]

PC how do you think it compares to Feng Shui?

 

[Ascending Crane]

Posting them here would prolly be a bad idea - don't wanna get sued by AEG!

However, I'm willing to email it to you if you'd like. Word format. I could put it in a PDF file, but I figure if you want to make mods to it, feel free.

I'll send it to you later tonight when I get home.

AscendingCrane

 

[jaults]

Posting them here would prolly be a bad idea - don't wanna get sued by AEG!

However, I'm willing to email it to you if you'd like. Word format. I could put it in a PDF file, but I figure if you want to make mods to it, feel free.

I'll send it to you later tonight when I get home.

AscendingCrane

    Just attach the d20 license and you'll be good to gp. All those rules are open content...

    Jason

 

[Ascending Crane]

I'll admit to being relatively ignorant of d20 license issues - but I typed up my chase cards directly from the book. SpyCraft is not open content.

Unless I'm mistaken?