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Jynk
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Re: Problems of Setting

Mon 26 Dec 2016, 23:39

Barb was barely an older person, being part of the group that three of the older main characters came from. Or are we just focusing on Eleven and the boys? 
I don't think the point is to kill the Kids, but the real danger of their actions should be considered and made aware to the Kids, if not by game mechanics, then possibly storytelling. This might be more of a homebrew thing, though.
I'd be thinking that Eleven and the Three Boys is a basic gaming group without having to worry about the older kids; they're playing a different game.
The "Can't be killed" could be abused, I suppose. So as a GM, I would be inclined to have them seem as if they're killed like in the old Cliffhanger serials but they can re-appear later. IF I feel the player has abused the privilege.
The older kids in Stranger Things were, for the most part, playing a different game, as you said, but their game still overlapped with the younger kids' game, if that makes sense.
As for the "can't be killed" aspect being abused. I'm totally going to homebrew in some hit points for the Kids and whatever they come up against. For the most part, the game is very non-combative, and that's great, but sometimes knowing how much life someone or something has left is also extremely helpful to further the story. Plus, it adds to the risk management when the players attempt something that might be dangerous to their Kids.
"What matters most is how well you walk through the fire." - Charles Bukowski
 
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pelorus
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Re: Problems of Setting

Tue 27 Dec 2016, 00:25

The older kids in Stranger Things were, for the most part, playing a different game, as you said, but their game still overlapped with the younger kids' game, if that makes sense.
As for the "can't be killed" aspect being abused. I'm totally going to homebrew in some hit points for the Kids and whatever they come up against. For the most part, the game is very non-combative, and that's great, but sometimes knowing how much life someone or something has left is also extremely helpful to further the story. Plus, it adds to the risk management when the players attempt something that might be dangerous to their Kids.
I'll use Conditions as is. Anything more than Broken means being removed from play. Like Ron in "Chamber of Secrets". There's a big difference between an 11 year old leaping for an iron bar and missing (and her plummeting into the mist below) and an 11 year old trying to stop a car by leaping in front of it and believing he's an immovable object.
The former deserves to be discovered. The latter deserves a telling off.
--
Have a look at "Nor Gloom Of Night" for T2K4 (A post-apocalyptic setting of hope)
CZTERY - 4 Mystery Scenarios for T2K4
Twilight Tangents - psychics and zombies for T2k4
http://www.lategaming.com/buy-the-books/
 
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Jynk
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Re: Problems of Setting

Tue 27 Dec 2016, 00:38

The older kids in Stranger Things were, for the most part, playing a different game, as you said, but their game still overlapped with the younger kids' game, if that makes sense.
As for the "can't be killed" aspect being abused. I'm totally going to homebrew in some hit points for the Kids and whatever they come up against. For the most part, the game is very non-combative, and that's great, but sometimes knowing how much life someone or something has left is also extremely helpful to further the story. Plus, it adds to the risk management when the players attempt something that might be dangerous to their Kids.
I'll use Conditions as is. Anything more than Broken means being removed from play. Like Ron in "Chamber of Secrets". There's a big difference between an 11 year old leaping for an iron bar and missing (and her plummeting into the mist below) and an 11 year old trying to stop a car by leaping in front of it and believing he's an immovable object.
The former deserves to be discovered. The latter deserves a telling off.
I agree that they shouldn't be trying to stand in front of cars, but there will be those players that will want to try and fight a dinosaur or robot. Having a way to gauge how much health each has could be beneficial in that instance. I'd probably try it with the Conditions first, but it's worth keeping a hit point system in reserve for special Showdowns. Even with 0 HP, that doesn't always mean death for the player characters.
"What matters most is how well you walk through the fire." - Charles Bukowski
 
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Björn Hellqvist
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Re: Problems of Setting

Tue 27 Dec 2016, 00:48

The older kids in Stranger Things were, for the most part, playing a different game, as you said, but their game still overlapped with the younger kids' game, if that makes sense.
As for the "can't be killed" aspect being abused. I'm totally going to homebrew in some hit points for the Kids and whatever they come up against. For the most part, the game is very non-combative, and that's great, but sometimes knowing how much life someone or something has left is also extremely helpful to further the story. Plus, it adds to the risk management when the players attempt something that might be dangerous to their Kids.
I'll use Conditions as is. Anything more than Broken means being removed from play. Like Ron in "Chamber of Secrets". There's a big difference between an 11 year old leaping for an iron bar and missing (and her plummeting into the mist below) and an 11 year old trying to stop a car by leaping in front of it and believing he's an immovable object.
The former deserves to be discovered. The latter deserves a telling off.
I agree that they shouldn't be trying to stand in front of cars, but there will be those players that will want to try and fight a dinosaur or robot. Having a way to gauge how much health each has could be beneficial in that instance. I'd probably try it with the Conditions first, but it's worth keeping a hit point system in reserve for special Showdowns. Even with 0 HP, that doesn't always mean death for the player characters.
Absolutely! Sooner or later there will be a fight situation that needs a way of gauging damage.
My life fades. The vision dims. All that remains are memories. I remember a time of chaos, ruined dreams, this wasted land.
 
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Jynk
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Re: Problems of Setting

Tue 27 Dec 2016, 01:12

Right? I read through the Killer Birds sample Mystery and there's absolutely no discussion of combat in there, though it does mention that the Goshawk can be killed. I assume the action would require X number of success, but that's.. sorry.. kind of a lame resolution to the whole thing. A major boss or large enemy (dinosaur, robot, etc) should have some actual combat to it. Have a success roll needed, but then allow for a roll to determine how many HP it loses. So many failed attack rolls could allow for the enemy to escape. Eventually, there's going to need to be a combat system in place, even if it's not used often. Older Kids would be far more likely to stand their ground and fight back against an enemy than younger Kids, but I guess a lot of that would also depend on how brave the player makes their character, too.
"What matters most is how well you walk through the fire." - Charles Bukowski
 
starkllr
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Re: Problems of Setting

Tue 27 Dec 2016, 03:06

Thinking about the impact of Magnetrone, robots and other advanced technologies, and how they seemingly haven't impacted everyday life (or the larger economy and society) as much as one might expect, I can see a couple of explanations.

One is that some technologies just don't fulfill their initial promise. Nuclear power is a good example - it never became as inexpensive and widespread as initially imagined. There are still plenty of nuclear plants across the world, but nowhere near as many as anybody would have predicted in the 1960s. It could be the same with Magnetrine technology - there really aren't many Magnetrine ships out there, because they turned out to be way more expensive (or harder to maintain, or more dangerous/unreliable) than anyone anticipated. They work, and they're used in some places, where they are subsidized, or where they happen to be more economical or there's a concentration of expertise to run them, etc. but they have not replaced conventional aircraft, ships or trains as was originally envisioned.

Another is that sometimes even when all the elements seem to be in place for a technological revolution, it still takes the right person/circumstances to put it all together in a way that transforms society. Every individual technology necessary to create the steam engine was available in Roman times, but it never happened. Maybe it's that way in this setting. Yeah, AI robots and Magnetrine tech and whatever other bizarre inventions have been spawned by the Loop COULD be combined to totally reshape society (or produce consumer tech that would be in every home and replace VCRs and Commodore 64s and so forth) but theres no equivalent of Steve Jobs or Bill Gates to put those pieces together to actually do it.
 
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Björn Hellqvist
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Re: Problems of Setting

Tue 27 Dec 2016, 03:35

While reading through "Tales From the Loop", I saw that the magnetrine technology was useful mostly in the northern hemisphere, which limited its impact on the global economy. So, it's more a regional thing, and there are events in the book that appear to have made the technology more a complement to existing technologies, instead of replacing them. Then, in "Things From the Flood", there's mention of an event that scuttles the whole thing, the shift of the magnetic poles in 2001.
My life fades. The vision dims. All that remains are memories. I remember a time of chaos, ruined dreams, this wasted land.
 
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DoubleSupercool
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Re: Problems of Setting

Tue 27 Dec 2016, 07:56

I have only read a bit of the PDF yet, but my general feeling is:

"How did sci-fi and current day tech exist together in 80's movies, like Flight of the Navigator, Explorers, War Games etc?".

Best vibe I can liken it to is Explorers.  River Phoenix coding an alien "bubble shield" with his Apple IIe.  I can understand wanting more detailed BG and I will be happy to incorporate it, but I can absolutely see them co-existing in this fantasy world.
 
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pelorus
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Re: Problems of Setting

Tue 27 Dec 2016, 15:19

I have only read a bit of the PDF yet, but my general feeling is:

"How did sci-fi and current day tech exist together in 80's movies, like Flight of the Navigator, Explorers, War Games etc?".

Best vibe I can liken it to is Explorers.  River Phoenix coding an alien "bubble shield" with his Apple IIe.  I can understand wanting more detailed BG and I will be happy to incorporate it, but I can absolutely see them co-existing in this fantasy world.
Well, in FotN, they didn't do-exist. In Explorers, the tech was the focus as it was plans sent from aliens. In War Games there was no advanced tech.
I see Magentrine as something that must be easy to build but horrendously difficult to maintain or power. Which is why there are great rusting hulks. Or maybe they need to be made out of significantly large amounts of iron not steel and that's why they rust. 
--
Have a look at "Nor Gloom Of Night" for T2K4 (A post-apocalyptic setting of hope)
CZTERY - 4 Mystery Scenarios for T2K4
Twilight Tangents - psychics and zombies for T2k4
http://www.lategaming.com/buy-the-books/
 
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menschi
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Re: Problems of Setting

Tue 27 Dec 2016, 18:05

I'll use Conditions as is. Anything more than Broken means being removed from play. Like Ron in "Chamber of Secrets". There's a big difference between an 11 year old leaping for an iron bar and missing (and her plummeting into the mist below) and an 11 year old trying to stop a car by leaping in front of it and believing he's an immovable object.
The former deserves to be discovered. The latter deserves a telling off.
I agree that they shouldn't be trying to stand in front of cars, but there will be those players that will want to try and fight a dinosaur or robot. Having a way to gauge how much health each has could be beneficial in that instance. I'd probably try it with the Conditions first, but it's worth keeping a hit point system in reserve for special Showdowns. Even with 0 HP, that doesn't always mean death for the player characters.
Absolutely! Sooner or later there will be a fight situation that needs a way of gauging damage.
I'd be interested to see what damage tracking system you guys try out (maybe like Star Wars d20's vitality points, that track the characters ability/energy to dodge blows, before they start taking physical damage?), but I think this game's Conditions rules look fine. Gradually increasing penalties to players' die rolls will eventually put them out of the situation, whether you rule that to be getting knocked unconscious or just physically restrained (which isn't hard for an adult to do). My two gaming groups have decades of fantasy combat experience, so I think this system will be a welcome change from yet another life-or-death rpg. They have to roll 6's to succeed, so a -2 penalty basically means they need to use items, drives and all their luck to accomplish anything, so they will eventually have to withdraw. But it's pretty easy to deal with a foolhardy player who charges a raptor or robot with his baseball bat -- if s/he flubs his roll, the raptor slashes him so s/he's on the ground, screaming in agony or the robot smacks him or her into the wall and they fall unconscious. Then, if the rest of the hopefully smarter players manage to circumvent or draw the monster away, the foolish player gets to wake up in the hospital, trying to deal angry & distraught parents or legal guardians and will have to make several Charm rolls to avoid being grounded for several lifetimes. Or to avoid getting sent away to boarding school or to live with their grandma in the safe and boring boondocks.
"His name is Bobo. He knows no mercy."
-- Simon White-Thatch Potentloins (a/k/a Peanuts the chimpanzee)

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