Fria Ligans forum

I like the melee rules from what I've read, allows defenders to attack on the attackers turn even. I was surprised it takes an action point but that makes sense.

I still have a few quarrels with the melee rules, but on the whole, they're a definite improvement over the Mutant Year Zero ones, and those were good already!

For one thing, a much more sensible defense mechanism is in place. In MYZ, it's "you're being attacked. Would you like to stand there without defending so that you get to attack next turn?". It's much better in Coriolis, there's more strategy involved. Move and attack (3 AP) in hopes to have the enemy down with the first strike, not being able to defend later in the turn? Move and quick attack with a knife (2 AP), even though the enemy's defense roll could be stronger than your attack roll? Lower initiative so the enemy gets to strike first?

Also in MYZ, the critical injury roll always comes when your "Hit Points" reach zero, but never before. That makes battles much less epic, as PCs never carry on after an injury! Coriolis has wiped that flaw off the table, though I'm a bit disappointed that they're not temp reducing any attributes ever. There are some very gruesome critical injury results that I may have to change so that not too many player characters just die, lose the function of a limb entirely ... and players don't get reminded of similar ugly shit that happened in their family. Yup, the older you get, the more you have to reckon with real life trauma that the "cool and edgy" results in an RPG may in fact trigger. Nothing a few house rules couldn't fix, thumbs up on the whole!

The rules for initiative have been streamlined into an even simpler version, and I like it. All those sci-fi RPGs where reaction time really is the only relevant thing, where reflex boosters enable several actions a turn, making these players effectively fight action scenes alone and hog the entire GM for a half hour. And here's the kicker: I hear the old Coriolis version from 2008 was a pretty brutal offender in that respect. But no more!


Things that still irk me in the Combat rules

• Spend Darkness Points to have NPC defending? Oh come on. I understand why it was done, PCs in a heroic setting should/must have a decisive advantage over opponents to make it through the day. But this system way overpowers e.g. three quick light weapon jabs at the enemy.
• "Disarm" is too easy (a single additional six), the attempt always succeeds and it's a nightmare for the GM to describe in ranged combat. I can't use the rules like that. I'd have a never ending cascade of diverse weapons being slapped and shot (!!) out of enemies' hands. I'd rather this happened once every four fights, actually. Even in most stereotypical and boring action movies, it happens once per two hours.
• I'm not sure if I'm OK with the "grapple" rules. It basically makes opponents defenseless without a defense roll of any kind, which irks me, but then again, attackers can't use their precious melee weapons while grappling, so they have a choice to make. 

Things that still irk me in the Combat rules

• Spend Darkness Points to have NPC defending? Oh come on. I understand why it was done, PCs in a heroic setting should/must have a decisive advantage over opponents to make it through the day. But this system way overpowers e.g. three quick light weapon jabs at the enemy.
• "Disarm" is too easy (a single additional six), the attempt always succeeds and it's a nightmare for the GM to describe in ranged combat. I can't use the rules like that. I'd have a never ending cascade of diverse weapons being slapped and shot (!!) out of enemies' hands. I'd rather this happened once every four fights, actually. Even in most stereotypical and boring action movies, it happens once per two hours.
• I'm not sure if I'm OK with the "grapple" rules. It basically makes opponents defenseless without a defense roll of any kind, which irks me, but then again, attackers can't use their precious melee weapons while grappling, so they have a choice to make. 

i agree that disarm seems pretty easy, but i wonder how often it comes up in game play. i also read the disarm option as "dropping your weapon because of the injury" and not the attacker literally disarming the opponent (though that is also possible if it makes sense in the narrative). if it is that its not so bad, injury and exhaustion can cause onessssss weapon to fly out of their hand fairly often, and getting shot could cause it... but again if it happens often it will flavor the stories so...

Maybe my group is just terrible with dice, but disarm has only come up once - all the other times have been failed rolls or a single six.

One roll was assisted and also prayed for. A total of 24 dice rolled. A single six came up.

Maybe I can help with some of that headache!
I'm guessing you have only gotten a sample of the books in english so far? Not the chapters with equipment and/or talents?
As for the loosing of limbs this is not a disaster in Coriolis. You've got several options to replace them. Either cybernetically or by using biotech (however the skin and size might not be a 100% match unless you pay for cloning of a spare limb from your very own dna, preferably before getting hurt!)

At first I also noted the issue with disarming your opponent, but then I realised that all it actually mean is that your opponent will have to spend one AP to pick it back up (or draw another weapon). In most situations you will much rather want to use your extra success to deal an extra point of damage.

Regarding Dark points and NPC defending themselves this might sound harsh, but then I haven't found any lack of Dark points flying my way when GM'ing Coriolis. Lots of fights will also be settled with firearms and parrying won't be an option.
It also kind of speed up the fights and makes the GM save the Dark points for the important NPC's. Let the PC's feel a little thougher than the henchmen!

Maybe I can help with some of that headache!
...
At first I also noted the issue with disarming your opponent, but then I realised that all it actually mean is that your opponent will have to spend one AP to pick it back up (or draw another weapon). In most situations you will much rather want to use your extra success to deal an extra point of damage.

As a GM, that's the first thing I thought of: use AP to grab the fallen weapon.
But without more info— quickstart rules! —I hate to guess about the resolution of issues.
Thanks, Krönikören!

If I may chime in as well?

Will Coriolis have rules to play younger or older characters like in "GenLab Alpha"? We gotta have crusty space captains and kid mechanics after all!

The Swedish rules make no mention of age whatsoever, even at character creation and there are no rules (such as stat changes) for playing a young or old character. I interpret this as allowing players to play whatver they want without any penalties or special bonuses, but as a GM I might assign some anyway if the player wants it (an old character might have fewer attribute points or a limit to the two physical attributes, but more skill points - a division now handled by your choice of background).

In most of the p&ps I played, "age rules" do not exist. In my youth, this usually meant that player characters were 20 to 25 years old, all of them, by player choice. Boring! Suits me right to buy a roleplaying game that has only 20 to 25 year old Mutants around. Next session, I'll introduce a kid, I tell yas. 

In short, the age diversity in Coriolis is very welcome to me and will be played up to maximum effect.

If I may chime in as well?

Will Coriolis have rules to play younger or older characters like in "GenLab Alpha"? We gotta have crusty space captains and kid mechanics after all!

Your best bet is for very young and very old characters to put low scores in physical traits as appropriate, and roleplay any remaining differences.
There are only four stats after all, so a lot of interpretation of what a low (or high) score means is left up to each player.