Psuedo-Quasi-Intellectual review of Black Crusade

Psuedo-Quasi-Intellectual review of Black Crusade

Black Crusade is Fantasy Flight's 4th RPG for the Warhammer 40k Universe and the first to not be told from an Imperial point of View. Playing as Chaos Renegades of various stripes the game could be played as an exploration of what happens when a group of alpha personalities is forced together by circumstances beyond their control. Sadly I have a feeling it will be more of an orgy of dark one-upmanship, but more on that later.
The Good Black Crusade carries on with the lovely d100 based system that all FFG 40k RPGs use, allowing for intermixing of characters. That alone is awesome, as a character from any previous game line that was made an npc for being evil or corrupted can show up. Secondly characters generated for Black Crusade can be used as Big-Bad-Evil-Guys in other 40k games. Instead of generic villians they can be as rich and detailed as the players, mechanically. Thirdly, with some player buy-in you could tell a rich story of the fall and damnation of a character with Black Crusade - an excellent story idea to me.
But wait there's more coolness. Rather than artificially tie murderous reavers and fell sorcerors to penny pinching accountants FFG created a renown mechanic that allows you to bully, bribe or con npcs into providing you with equipment. What better way to emphasize "might makes right, take what you will" mentality, without having a combat every shopping trip? Another great mechanic is how characters align themselves with one of the four great Chaos powers, or struggle to go it alone. Rather than arbitrarily declaring your allegiance you shift as the various abilities you gain are keyed to the powers. Take enough Nurgle keyed traits and you're his servant, and that's how the fiction describes it.

The Bad The bad really isn't that bad. The key things I wish were there are a better explanation of what a campaign would be like and some discussion of how to handle a characters fall into darkness. Here's hoping they're covered in a supplement.

Custom/Experimental RPG notes, part 2

Here are some additional ideas for my custom brew of D&D.

• Rather than sticking with death at 0 hps or -10, I think a more characterful idea is death at hp = -(max on hit die). Therefore a wizard would shuffle off at -4 while a fighter would last to -10.
• Im considering digging out a master list of the kits available in 2nd edition AD&D to blend into a list of archetypes. This would allow for the changes needed in some kits *cough* Bladesinger *cough* to make them all playable, roleplaying features to add to the game. This should dovetail nicely into my revamp of nonweapon proficiencies.
• Im thinking of at least writing up a version of the minion concept from 4e, as it simplifies large scale combat alot, even if it weights things in the favor of the players more than I like.
• Quite possibly one of my favorite concepts in rpgs, I want to draw on the concept of degrees of success, like is found in Alternity. If specialties work much like 2e's proficiencies, roll under the stat+1, then using the same algorithm from Alternity for degrees of success. A straight roll under is an ordinary success, meaning you completed the action successfully. A roll thats half or less of the target number is an excellent success, granting extra damage, bonus profits or benefits or simply a heroic success. A roll thats under under the a quarter of the target number is an amazing success, one that gives significant damage increase or a success that the player can narrate (within reason).

We're all one big cult here

 I have to give full credit to Steve at Postcards from the Dungeon for the bullet points in this write up.

Cults are a wonderful possible villain for campaigns, but most are portrayed in very cartoonish, one dimensional ways (I'm looking at you Cthulhu cults). This is a complete shame as many, many more stories can be spun out of these groups. If they arent monolithic cartoonish cults, suddenly there can be interplay between factions and with the party, roleplaying of negotiations or turning a faction, and resources for fighting the cult. 

1. Three main categories of people
   1. The ignorant outsider (hasn’t been inducted into the mystery, yet)
   2. The loyal insider (is a member of the cult)
   3. The apostate outsider (is an ex-member of the cult)
2. Three subcategories within the cult
   1. The nominal member (in name more than deed, does the minimum)
   2. The active member (whole heartely believes; volunteers; above & beyond)
   3. The inner group (the leader & those immediately around them; same rules do not apply, may violate the very premises that are imposed on the other members)
3. Three rings of information
   1. Outward facing truth (intended for the ignorant outsider)
   2. Inward facing truth (intended for the loyal insider)
   3. Core (secret) truth (what’s known by the leader & inner core)
   
   Rather than use this just for cults, I think almost any group based villain could be explored this way. In fact I think blending the opponent creation section from Misspent Youth with this list to create a quick build enemy creation process.

[A2Z] V is for Verenthus

Verenthus is the Gibbet Lord of Bridgeport, a massive treant who has been bound as the city's executioner for the last 300 years. Once a week the towering walking tree leaves the depths of the Great Mire to march to the Tower of the Lawgiver down the grand Venue, the gibbet cages swinging from his branches, some even still bearing raving convicts. Verenthus stops his march for no man or beast, so a bell is rung ahead of the behemoth in an effort to limit the number of fatalities.

[SFD] Recap of 3/12

As we joined our "heroes" again for the first full session they were bedded down in old ruins, the remains of a pre-war tavern. During the downtime David Davidson, the Vault security guard sent out by Sal began to convulse and even the medical ministrations of Josef and his Vault training could not save him from the ravages of radiation, succumbing to it puzzlingly fast. After finding a picture that made them realize that copper was used in major amounts in the brewery industry before the Fall.

A major commotion in the streets brought everyone to look as an elderly figure ran down the streets, followed by a horde of degenerate humans, chasing after him with various blades and clubs. The young scruffy girl climbed up ontop of Fluffy for protection, just in time for Fluffy to charge into the fray, presumably to "play". The battle was extremely lopsided as the players had ranged weapons and the cannibals only had a leader with a sawed off single barrel shotgun. Jeeves entered a bizarre and vengeful state, while Fluffy playfully crushed all who came into reach, as the cannibals frantically flailed at him with no success. No one knew what exactly to do when the newcomer pulled out a strange firearm and blasted at the cannibals with searing light. The cannibals broke and ran after the dirty young girl vaulted off Fluffy to land behind the cannibal leader and neutered him with her straight razor (greatly assisted by a massive critical hit from Jane Doe's hunting rifle).

After the battle, and a bloody Jeeves returned from chasing cannibals, introductions were made, energy weapons were drooled over and plans were made. Newcomer Jeremiah led the party to a weird walled off street, inhabited by a community of black ghouls who apparently had worked at the nearby Glow before the fall. Trading on the canned goods found in ruins in the February session, the party was able to gain the recipe of pickles, food and some ammo along with some additional information for the surrounding area. After much debate it was decided to clear out the nest of cannibals at their source, as no one would complain about taking valuables from dead cannibals, and hopefully some work later on. The plan to destroy the cannibals revolved around using the dirty girl as bait and lead the degenerates into the blast radius of a bomb cobbled from car power-plants. A believable plan, good dice rolls and an obsession with using rat bodies as some sort of distraction for the cannibals managed to lead to a massive, earth shaking explosion only a few blocks from the nest of cannibals, a pre-Fall bus depot.

Who will notice the explosion? What will be found in the depot? Can the players survive their plans?

[SFD] Recap of the game 2/12

Here is a short recap of the first session.

Edison, leading his motley band of scavengers, had bought a scavenging permit for the remains of Grosse Point. Using some secret records he had recovered, Edison was hoping to find the remains of a hereto unknown Vault that he could recover tech from. At the same time, S.A.L. was preparing to sen "her" group into the Wastes on their "Shopping Run". As Fluffy pounded on the massive door sealing the Vault, opening procedures began. An awkward introduction followed, vastly facilitated by the "movies" that Jeeves managed to project, especially enjoyed by Fluffy. Making the decision that working together would allow both groups to have a better chance of success, the new band set out. Almost immediately a man ran by, chased by dogs. Jane Doe decided to randomly shoot one dog as Fluffy tripped the running man. Following after the dogs were handlers and a man on horse. When the one handler saw his now dead dog he had a fit, before being shot by the rider. After determining the party had a valid scavenging permit the newcomers simply dragged the fallen man off.

After rooting through some ruins the party stumbled on to a small personal fallout shelter, filled with canned goods. Chasing after a possible lead on pickles the party began to head west.

The travel west was assisted by the cobbling of a Supermutant powered wagon. Strange sights were noticed coming from the city center, including a sight of some weird light in the sky leaving the center of town.

The session wrapped up after a close encounter with the radiation of the Glow. The party pulled off the highway and bedded down for the day.

[SFD] Random thoughts and notes

Just a miscellaneous post with the hope to organize my thoughts some.

Overland travel in Savage Fallout: Detroit

• Walking - 4.5 mph or around 24 miles for an average days travel
• Horses - 25 miles roughly, can be pushed to around 50 miles
• Motorcycle - 40-60 miles per hour
• Cars - as fast as the engine and your nerves will handle
• Sail ships - 120 miles in a day

Scavenging permits - I think it would make sense for some of the more organized (or ruthless) power groups in the area to issue scavenging permits to various wandering scavengers. In return for a portion of all scrap or relics found the scavenger is legally allowed to hunt through ruins in the power groups area. Punishment for scavenging without a permit will be branding on first attempt and probably death on a repeat offense. Variation in the cost of the permit or what is expected to be recovered makes perfect sense, as someone digging through a pile of beams and bricks is one thing, cracking into a military storage depot is much different.

Speaking of scavenging Ive decided on a location for the Vault that starts up the campaign will be in Grosse Point and the exit to the outside world faces South.

Pirates of the Big Lakes - this idea needs expansion, wonder if there is a Gammaworld module for this...

What is the starting date of Savage Fallout: Detroit - I think I need a random day generator and work from there. 

[SFD] Player goals, or "what to show up with?"

As we move into the final weekend before character generation and kicking off Savage Fallout: Detroit people have been talking more about their characters goals.

I dont need, or even want, players showing up with detailed plans for their characters. Thanks to the disaster of both my abortive D&D 4E campaign and the Changeling: the Lost misadventure have shown me that allowing character motivations to become too widely divergent is a recipe for disaster. So here's a general list to keep in mind

• Keep it simple and basic - we WILL flesh it out later
• try to keep it suiting Fallout, and if you dont know Fallout think generic or "Book of Eli" for motivation
• dont get totally attached to a motivation or goal - you might hear something that inspire you to something you never thought of
• be open to other comments or ideas, you might get a twist on your idea thats even cooler

==========
Heres some additional old advice I found on Greyhawk Grognards blog

Advice for Players from... the Players Handbook

There's a whole section in the back of the Players Handbook called "Successful Adventures." I liked to think I was being pretty slick, since I read it over and over, and none of the other people I played with at the time seemed to even realize it existed in the "flyover country" between the spell descriptions and psionics.

• set an objective
• survival at lower levels is usually dependent upon group action and team spirit
• Avoid unnecessary encounters
• Do not be sidetracked.
• If the party becomes lost, the objective must immediately be changed to discovery of a way out.
• Co-operation assumes mutual trust and confidence

Yes, it is OLD advice but still true

[SFD] More resources and some thoughts

Ive started fleshing out material and ideas for Savage Fallout:Detroit and Ive found some additional materials.
www.forgottendetroit.com
http://becomingfearless.typepad.com/notesonbecomingfearless/2010/02/the-ruins-of-detroit.html
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Large_Detroit_Landsat.jpg

Thanks to Wikipedia
Known as the world's traditional automotive center,^[6] "Detroit" is a metonym for the American automobile industry and an important source of popular music legacies celebrated by the city's two familiar nicknames, the Motor City and Motown.^[7][8] Other nicknames emerged in the twentieth century, including City of Champions beginning in the 1930s for its successes in individual and team sport,^[9] Arsenal of Democracy (during World War II),^[10] The D, D-Town, Hockeytown (a trademark owned by the city's NHL club, the Red Wings), Rock City (after the Kiss song "Detroit Rock City"), and The 3-1-3 (its telephone area code).^[11][12]

Ive managed to find some maps of Detroit, predominately downtown so Im starting to look into some of the major landmarks marked on the maps. But some early emerging trends/groups

1. Automotive production
2. Automotive workers
3. The former canadian border
4. Michigan Wolverines
5. gangs
6. musicians
7. Red Wings fans - random tentacly creatures too?
8. Gross Pointe

And its quite strange to see "is it Detroit or a Fallout 3 screen capture" games online...

Random Material

• The construction of Detroit's skyscrapers began after World War I. Hudson's department store, the tallest in the world, was completed in 1924, the same year as the 29-story Book-Cadillac Hotel, the city's most exclusive and then the world's tallest hotel. The Buhl Building was completed in 1925; the Penobscot—the city's tallest building for half a century—followed in 1928; the Guardian Building opened for business, along with the David Stott Building, in 1929.
• In 1919 Henry Ford declared history to be “more or less bunk.” A decade later Outlook magazine proclaimed Detroit to be “the most modern city in the world, the city of tomorrow. There is no past, there is no history.” Derided and dismissed, historical laws have nonetheless had their say.
• Midwest BoS Citadel, a pre-war motor/ammunition factory that built some of the first fusion powered cars for America and Ammunition for the Alaskan Frontline and American Army stationed in Canadian cities to "keep the peace."

• Climate - Detroit and the rest of southeastern Michigan have a humid continental climate (Koppen Dfa) which is influenced by the Great Lakes. Winters are cold, with moderate snowfall and temperatures at night occasionally dropping below 0 °F (−17.8 °C) around six times per year, while summers are warm to hot with temperatures exceeding 90 °F (32.2 °C) on 12 days.^[33] Snowfall, which typically peaks from December to through February, averages 43.3 inches (110 cm) per season. Monthly averages range from 24.5 °F (−4.2 °C) in January to 73.5 °F (23.1 °C) in July. The highest recorded temperature was 105 °F (40.6 °C) on July 24, 1934, while the lowest recorded temperature was −21 °F (−29.4 °C) on January 21, 1984.^[34]

Social Strata in an rpg

How important should social strata really be in a game? Ive been reading an older book on medieval technology and its effects on social change, and one of the recurring themes is how there was a clear line between the peasants and just about everyone else. Which leads to the question - does that kind of line really belong in an rpg? Should it be a mechanic or is it just enough to roleplay it?

Mechanically this can get really messy really quickly. In all honesty the higher up the social ladder someone is dramatically affects vast numbers of things, from what they are allowed to own, to who they can marry and what they are allowed to do. But Im very conflicted as to how much that should be involved in a game. While Im sure there are "vegan wrap eaters" out there in the blogosphere that think playing a realistic peasant would give you a wonderful story, I for one play rpgs to have fun, and playing someone who is all but legally tied to the land, probably married before they are 18 and legally not allowed to own "real" weapons doesnt sound too terribly fun to me. You see, I want to play a character who can, or run a game where characters can, sally forth to save the day or wrest booty from the clawed hands of the enemy. While combat can be enjoyable, I use it more as an ends to a means (much like most of history has used it). Im somewhat interested in what the PCs do during a combat but Im much more fascinated with what they do after it. Prisoners, booty, wounds and the dearly departed tend to involve a much more intricate story then any sort of sword thrust or parry.

But I entered the hobby with AD&D 2e, I remember the issues some of the kits had (kits for you youngin players were a fascinating concept where picking a kit let you narrow down a class to a more specific archetype), where mechanical advantages where NOT balanced by mechanical advantages. Instead they were "balanced", by and large, with roleplaying disadvantages, and they are not the same thing.

In an ideal world every gamer would be fine being restricted by roleplaying disadvantages, chosen to fit a specific concept they created, with a wonderful and compelling backstory that explains motivations and provides story hooks to interact with the campaign world. And also in an ideal world I wouldnt have to work and could spend my time expanding and perfecting my abilities in anything I wish. Since that isnt reality I have to pare back to a more realistic view, perhaps something as simple as players willing to buy into a world I craft, willing to name their character, and try and explore a few of the plot hooks I toss out.

So what does this mean for social strata? First of all there needs to be some sort of mechanical representation of the differing statuses, and in mechanics simplicity is a virtue. Second, there needs to be some sort of advantage to pick a lower class or some sort of random mechanic, unless the game is intended to be began with the party all being roughly one status. Third there needs to be some sort of system for increasing or decreasing status. One key idea I thought of to help with this is a list or chart showing the where races and classes stand relative to each other.

==Example==
While bored at work I started plotting out some of the strata Id use in the Lamentations of the Flame Princess game I'm prepping for call "Bridgeport Blues". As the game is fairly heavily based on Lankhmar stories and Garrett P.I. stories, there are some similarities to Late Medieval and Early Renaissance social groups.

Racial Strata
1. Humans - humans are top dogs in the city. Rumors of decadent parties and orgies among the noble families are constantly circulating
2. Dwarves - dwarves are less powerful than human nobles, but the difference becomes much less the lower down the social ladder you go. Rumors have every dwarf rich by human standards but their unpleasant habit of slowly and painfully executing thieves has kept most from discovering if there is any truth to the rumors.
3. Lizardfolk are accepted but actively disliked by many humans in power, and dwarves view them with distrust due to their arcane powers. Rumors are spoken of dark rituals on moonless nights, and lizardfolk are often blamed when people go missing.
4. Golems do exist in Bridgeport, though most people never see them. Most are not mystical protectors of treasure but rather unsleeping, unceasing manual labor around and mostly under the city. The major reason more are not found is the hideously high cost and impressive skill needed to produce them.
5. Ratmen are usually treated just better than animals, trusted with dull, menial, but necessary tasks in a city of Bridgeports size, like waste management. Regardless of their actual intelligence the average Ratman is treated like a dim witted child by most, when they are noticed.

Class strata
1. Nobles
2. Rich Merchants
3. Warriors (noble scions serving as officers)
4. Working merchants and Master Craftsmen
5. Soldiers and Yeomanry
6. Craftsmen
7. Workmen
8. Peasants
9. Slaves (yes Im going to deal with them)