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So, I like the YZ engine but being a huge fan of PbtA games, I stopped thinking in terms of rounds and number of actions and such. I just can't go back to it, I find it unnatural and awkward. I especially don't like the whole tracking of fast/slow actions (I know they suggest the cards to track that, but that's not my jazz). Anyway, I came up with alternate rules to remove those. Figured some might like it so here goes :

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AG_ ... sp=sharing

I bought this up when I saw your thread for it in Forbidden Lands. Guess here works too.



If I might make a suggestion.

Instead of removing action economy entirely you should open it up with soft caps instead of the games current hard caps.

The game as written has hard caps. You get one slow action and one fast action or 2 fast actions and that is it. You are actually INCAPABLE of doing anything else.

Instead, you get 1 slow and 1 fast (or 2 fast). Each additional slow action you attempt comes with a cumulative -2 difficulty penalty and each additional fast comes with a -1 difficulty penalty.

So for example: I want to move forward and attack twice!

Move action (fast), 1rst attack (Slow), 2nd attack (slow -2 skill dice).

The opponent attacks you back. You attempt to parry (fast -3 skill dice (This turn you take the -2 from the second slow action and a -1 from the second fast action)).

Order of operations would be important. "I want to move twice and attack!" Move (fast), move (fast), attack (slow -2 as your first additional action).


(This part is in reference to Forbidden Lands but will probably apply to Alien as well)
As far as I can tell this would not negatively impact any of the Talents currently in the game as those talents give you additional actions for free or at no penalty for spending a WP. So those would still be super useful for getting more actions without penalty while still letting players attempt to defend themselves.

You don't NEED to spend WP OR suffer damage, but with the reduction of skill dice the chance of having to Push or spend WP for other perks is significantly increased and the more someone attacks you the more likely you are to fail/take damage anyway. Penalties continue to accumulate until the beginning of your next turn at which point they reset to zero. It's more interesting to give the players the choice with the risk and gamble then it is to draw a hard line in the sand or give them no other option but to pay.

I wouldn't use that (I don't like the idea of having to track an increasing penalty), but it's certainly also a good alternative!

This is a cool hack. Have you checked out Tales from the Loop, because it is competely narrative and the GM doesn't roll?

I like these ideas. Im also not a big fan of action economy. Love it in boardgames but not RPGs. 

After reading both Symbaroum and Kult: Divinity Lost (PbtA) I also have come to the conclusion that as a GM I want to roll as little as possible.
This is even more true for a dice-pool game!

But how would you treat an attack against a PC? Say an attack with 7 dice, damage 1.
Would you simply state that the attack hits with 2 successes and the PC rolls armor (if any)?
Or would you give them some kind of defense roll first?

I would also use Tales from the Loop rules for a rules-light version for hacks/one-offs.

Want to see a zombie hack! And vikings!