kemoT
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Joined: Sat 26 Oct 2019, 11:06

Thoughts on CotG

Sat 26 Oct 2019, 11:38

So yesterday I completed Chariot of the Gods in a single 7 hour session and I have to say that it was quite an experience, especially considering the survivor count, which ended up being 0. I modified some rules, like supplies only depleting at the maximum of 1 per roll, because I was afraid of it feeling cheap if someone rolled low losing lots of air in a single turn. That was a mistake, definitely gonna play it as written in the future. I cut out the Sotillo and Davis was the android.

Highlights included the neomorphed birthed from Cooper. It got immediately lit up and rolling a 1 on the critical injury table. I described it dropping to the ground after being doused in flames and one of the players turned to ask the rest of the crew what just happened. I asked the only other PC in the room to roll observation and he panicked rolling Freeze on the table, so I had him stand there watching transfixed as the Bloodburster rose from the dead and skimpered off into a vent.

Another standout moment was the confrontation with 2 neomorphs in the lab sector corridor. Despite there being 5 people armed to the teeth waiting and ready for them, the xenos still managed to kill Miller and almost revealed Davis/Lucas. It also resulted in Flynn running away in panic and Wilson who was still on Montero ordering Reid to get him back to safety. I had her turn when she found the medic and described Flynn's screams on the radio being cut off by a shotgun blast.

Ultimately it ended with Wilson with the money in the EEV waiting for Davis to get to him so they can escape. He gave Davis an option to bring someone along but the third PC playing Johns wouldn't abandon Cham and Rey, the only other survivors. They ended up separating and with Johns and the rest tracking Davis to the escape pod. When Wilson opened the door for Davis they burst in and shot the Corporate liaison right in the head just as he was about to launch the EEV marking the first PVP kill I've ever seen (had them roll mobility to see if Wilson can launch the pod before getting shot). Davis/Lucas then revealed their true nature launching the pod empty and Johns succumbed to infection and we ended the session with Cham and Rye the two NPCs about to be torn apart by the android and mutants.

Overall the players were very happy with the session, but I recieved one complaint that I should've let the PCs taking a shot during the birth of the first bloodburster. They interrupted while I was describing the scene saying they try to shoot the alien, but I told them that they are too panicked at the moment and they ended up drawing a higher initiative and shooting it anyway. I'd appreciate any advice on how others handled this scene. Except for that, it was a blast.
 
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aramis
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Re: Thoughts on CotG

Sat 26 Oct 2019, 20:11

Several things come to mind.
1st: the players might know what to expect, but the characters are highly unlikely to have a clue.
2nd: did they have weapons in hand? No? No shooting. Fumbling draw, sure.
3rd: wits roll to avoid standing there paralyzed by morbid curiosity. (Remember point 1) Probably difficulty 3.
4th: until it actually emerges, the coup de grace rule applies - they're about to kill a person they've known for some time. Even attempting that wits roll is unsettling.
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Diego
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Re: Thoughts on CotG

Sun 27 Oct 2019, 05:48

Many people echoed the issue of supplies depleting rapidly, however I felt at the time it was one of those rules that people were not giving a chance. I mean, without even trying it people were talking about modifying it. I never think that's a good idea until it has properly been tried and tested. I'm glad your going back to using it, as honestly it adds so much more tension. Big numbers deplete fast, but those few remaining points can take so long to run out while people are on edge. Also that threat of rolling several ones in a single go? That's no problem you just narrate the reason. If I had someone roll 4 or 5 ones on a spacesuit, I would so be having a little mini scene as their air tank cracks and they have to plug it, realizing just how much of their air they have lost.

As for your issue with players wanting to do the ultra sensible ultra efficient thing, I personally would impose the coug de grai rules and have them roll empathy and need to fail it to act. End of the day you have to be nearly psycotic not to see someones head open up with a creature inside of it while they scream themselves hoarse. If they fail it, they act with that cold blooded efficiency in the face of a horror-show. If not they are distraught by what they see and hear to act. I will confess I was very lucky running this game and had a bunch of players that wanted to be scared and did all the horror tropes on their own. They watched in horror as the creature was born, split up the party, even had one person go scout on their own. But if you haven't got that, make them aware by making it difficult for them to act in such an inhumane way.
Alien: Wanderer
https://alienwanderer.obsidianportal.com/
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kemoT
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Re: Thoughts on CotG

Sun 27 Oct 2019, 10:26

I love the coup de grace idea. I'll probably use it and combine it with having to pass a panic roll to act (which is technically rules as written). That should be difficult enough.

While we're at it, how did you handle the Montero countdown? I had a timer on the table and described how much time each action took: 30 sec to get to the bridge, 15 to load a canister, etc. It worked pretty well and my players felt the pressure, but I'm curious how others did it.
 
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aramis
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Re: Thoughts on CotG

Sun 27 Oct 2019, 11:36

While we're at it, how did you handle the Montero countdown? 
I just announced the remaining time after each exploration turn...
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Diego
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Re: Thoughts on CotG

Sun 27 Oct 2019, 14:52

While we're at it, how did you handle the Montero countdown? I had a timer on the table and described how much time each action took: 30 sec to get to the bridge, 15 to load a canister, etc. It worked pretty well and my players felt the pressure, but I'm curious how others did it.
Very similar to you actually. I just laid out to them how many canisters there were and how many rolls they would be able to make until they 'needed' to launch. And basically I planned it so that there were more canisters than they had time. Of course that was so that they could start spending extra successes to half the time.
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Riggswolfe
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Re: Thoughts on CotG

Tue 29 Oct 2019, 18:26

I went to basically every "round" was a minute. I let them cover a couple of zones in a round and it more or less worked out.

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