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Lauguz

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Posts posted by Lauguz

  1. Posted

    Hello Fallout Nation!

    I'm going to be using elements of the board game to run a Fallout pnp rpg, however I've never played the bg on its own. Since I'm the GM I get to decide how the map is configured. I'm going to be using the New California scenario to start (fetch quest, classic!), and using the board game cards as a general guide to story elements. Does anyone have any recommendation for how I configure the map tiles? I'm currently thinking I'll spread the Vaults out with 84 a few hexes from Arroyo and then having 7, 44 and 109 as far from Arroyo and the NCR hex as possible. For the encounter hexes I'm generally having the easier (1-2 card) hexes close to Arroyo and the more difficult (3-4) further out, and making it so travel to the Vaults goes through the more difficult hexes. Anyone have any thoughts on that or other recommendations?

    Thanks!

  2. Posted

    Hey Gamer Nation!

    In tonight's session the party rescued a Princess who was under the influence of a Force User that was possessed by an Ancient Sith Lord. The Sith Lord had used soul transference to occupy a talisman the Force User and Princess liberated from a Sith Tomb. During the climactic encounter one of the PC Force users (party is mixed Edge/F&D) attracted the attention of the Sith spirit and proceeded to Despair several Discipline checks to fight the possession. So now I have a PC that's possessed and I want to give him a chance to fight the Sith, and I'm looking for suggestions for how to do it both narratively and mechanically.

    I'm think a short one on one session would be fun, where we play out a mental battle between the PC and Sith Lord, which all takes place within the mind of the PC? I don't want it to be a series of Discipline checks.

    Worth considering: the party is currently camped out in the Dawn Temple from the beginner game, which was a temple of healing. I've located the temple on the planet Ossus which was a center of Jedi learning thousands of years ago. The temple's holocron has locked itself because it can sense the Sith Lord. Maybe the holocron's Gatekeeper could help or guide the PC?

    What do folks think?

  7. Posted

    Hey Guys,

     

    Using the dice roller app is an awesome suggestion. I've got it but the player doesn't (and probably wont get enough value to justify the purchase), but I think he'd be cool with me rolling his pool and texting him the results.

     

    And although I appreciate everyone chiming in I'm a little surprised that the general comment has been "wrongfun, don't do it". I've been gaming for almost 36 years (Holmes Basic, Summer of '79!), and that is no guarantee I'm not an ass hat who doesn't know what he's doing in the GM seat, I've got thousands of hours of GMing and I think I know what I'm doing.

     

    That said, I believe that the game should challenge the player as much or more than the character, and things that are a surprise to the players are more fun than things that are a surprise to the characters. This isnt an arbitrary decision and I think the fun of the surprise factor is worth the secrecy. We're not plotting to have the Thief steal from the party here, we're planning a dramatic reveal that is going to be a great moment in the campaign.

     

    -Lauguz

    LethalDose, knasserII and Corg Ironside reacted to this

  8. Posted

    Hello Gamer Nation!

     

    In my new campaign I have a player who would like to keep the Force-sensitivity of his character a secret from the other players until it is revealed in-game. One idea we had was to have him make Force rolls ahead of time that I keep recorded (so hopefully he will forget them when the session comes around). Any thoughts on this solution, or any other suggestions?

     

    Thanks!

     

    -Lauguz

  9. Posted

    Hello Gamer Nation!

     

     

    ***WARNING: mild spoliers ahead***

     

     

    I just started running an EotE game that includes two Force-Sensitive characters. One of the characters is very interested in tracking down information about Force-using traditions (Jedi, Sith, and others) in game and eventually would like to find a holocron and build his own lightsaber. Based on the descriptions of the adventures in the various products it sounds like I could use and link many of them. I already have the Beginner Box and have ordered the F&D Core, but before I put down money for the GM kit + Chronicles of the Gatekeeper I was hoping some folks could chime in on thoughts around whether the adventures all work together well and if there is an order that makes sense.

     

    It sounds like there are so potential linking elements: the Beginner Box and "Lessons from the Past" in the Core both include an "old friend" NPC. In the Beginner Box + Lure of the Lost the characters gain access to a holocron, which seems like it could lead into Chronicles of the Gatekeeper.

     

    What do people think? Any suggested order?

  11. Posted

     

    I had no idea this existed! Wow, this solves many problems.

     

    A Tie Interceptor with mysterious Red Stripes. (Something they ransacked from an imperial convoy; they want to get rid of it quickly for obivous reasons.)

     

    A Z-95 with a hyderdrive in an apprent state of disrepair. The hyperdrive cooradinates lead to select locations in deep space, yet it doesn't belong to anyone of note. They are not interested in fixing it up but recongise enough value in it's rare mod to sell it for a tidy profit. Belonged to a explorier.

     

    A slab of cortosis alloys. (Actual analysis will reveal it not to be the case. Essentially it's a red herring. The pirates were also decieved.)]

     

    Various ores (basically to be sold on. Pirates got this basically free: They sell on to black market for profit.)

     

    Various craft: Most of which they take on themselves, but certain crafts they sell in a bangged up state for some extra captial. I'm talking it would take sangicant investment; heck they might have even taken the hyderdrive out, but happen to have one for sale...

     

    Heavy blaster weapons. (Most certainly not legal in most respectable systems. These are not respectable fokes who don't mind selling rotary cannons to the wrong people. Sans any power couplings to actually make it work.)

     

    Various art pieces/archological pieces (These guys are oppertunists, they might sell some art off for what they think is a reasonable price. These are worth a fair bit to the right people mind you. If people bulk buy from pirates, they could generally make a profit.)

     

    Drugs. (Goes without saying, not every person they bust up is legit.)

     

    Medicine (again, they is a lot of this on certain vessels. Remembered reading a novel which basically the priates pulled up; asked for supplies or be fired on, they got the supplies sent to them in escape pod.)

     

    Some exotic weapons (Pirates generally probably want to do away with any weapons that don't fit in with their standard gear; after all parts can be difficult to come by.

     

    Awesome suggestions! Especially the faux cortosis and and art objects.

     

    People

     

    Spice

     

    information on something the Pirates can't do anything about but is valuable to someone else

     

    Their old ship

     

    Info on something would be awesome. What thing? Codes to get them into an Imperial facility or prison? Treasure map?

  12. Posted

    Hello, Gamer Nation!

    I'm running a session tomorrow and I came up with a great scene, but I need some help crowd sourcing part of it.

    The PCs will learn about an upcoming black market auction being held by a group of Rakata savers and pirates who are selling off the ships and equipment they've acquired since their last sale.

    What I need help with are suggestions for the cool, rare equipment that a group of pirates might have taken off captured ships in the Outer Rim. I'm not familiar enough with the non-Core equipment lists to cherry pick for the auction. I'm not looking for just the best gear: the pirates are going to keep the best for themselves. What I want is help identifying some stuff that is both expensive, and possibly not immediately useful to a group of pirates.

    So for example, an electronic lock breaker is something they would keep. Cybernetic eyes on the other hand, are rare and expensive but they aren't likely to be bothered to find a doc to implant them. Also, implants that have obviously been forcibly removed from their original owners plays up that the Pirates are Eeeevvvilll.

    Something like Heavy Battle Armor might work: it might be more of a pain to deal with than pirates are willing to put up with.

    The session is tomorrow, Wednesday 7/22 (evening, U.S. Eastern time).

    Thanks!

  13. Posted

    Thanks to everyone for the input. I talked through some of the points brought up in the thread with one of my players and he suggested that we leave it at Sil 5 but allow an upgrade that allowed the ship to use manuvers normally available to Sil 4 ships. Is this going to destory balance or have unintended consequences that I can't see as a new FFG Wars GM?

     

    Keep in mind the goal: to have a player ship that starts out weak and only able to take on fighters and freighters but builds up to take on small caps ships, and that is fun for the PC pilot (fly, turn and fire weapons is not as much fun as all the other things a smaller ship can do). Is that just an unreasonable goal with a single ship?

  14. Posted · Edited by Lauguz

    Hello, Gamer Nation!

     

    I'm starting up a campaign where the characters have been given a ship and asked to go privateering. I'm considering giving them a small Silhouette 5 ship instead of a more typical Sil 4. Are there any hidden dangers to this decision you veteran GMs can fill me in on?

     

    The reason I'm thinking of a Sil 5 ship is that it feels like it will have more longevity. At the campaign start the ship is in bad shape, so one of the goals of the early part of the campaign is getting back into fighting trim. So a banged up small Sil 5 ship seems like it will play like a Sil 4 ship and fighters/freighters will make good opponents.

     

    As the campaign progresses the ship will improve as the PCs improve, which will allow them to take on larger prey. Eventually they can start upgrading the ship to the point where they can probably take on small capital ships live Blockade Runners, Neb-Bs, and smaller imp cruisers/frigates.

     

    From a mechanics standpoint, I understand that Sil 5 ships cant do some of the maneuvers that are available to smaller ships. Is this going to make the pilot role more boring?

     

    Thanks!

    Osprey reacted to this

  16. Posted

    Greetings, Gamer Nation!

     

    I've convinced my D&D 3.5 game to start a FFG Star Wars game and the campaign I've pitched is the Pirates of Drinax campaign for the Traveller RPG. Now I need some help for you deciding where to place it in the Star Wars galaxy.

     

    If you're not familiar, the Pirates of Drinax is an epic pirates and privateers campaign that Mongoose has been publishing episode by episode for a couple of years. Just recently they published episode 9 of 10. If you haven't checked it out, I highly recommend you do because A) it is amazing and B) it is free. As in beer. Go get it here: http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/ebooks/traveller/adventures-and-campaigns/campaign-2-the-pirates-of-drinax.html

     

    The summary I pitched to my players:

     

    With the rumored destruction of the second death star, the Empire has weakened and many Outer Rim systems are now left to their own devices. You play a band of adventures who are entrusted by the King of Drinax with a letter of marque, permitting you to prey on 'illegal' trade within the borders of the vanished kingdom. The King hopes that this piracy will give him the leverage he needs to restore Drinax to its former glory so he doesn't want cutthroats and murders, he's wants thieves.

     

    Once the characters have their letter and their ship, it's up to the players for what to do next. Will you stay loyal to the King and help restore Drinax? Will you ally with one of the Noble Houses? Will you turn rogue and create your own kingdom? Will you be heroes or monsters, pirates or privateers? Will you make your fortune amid the pitiless stars, or will the cold depths of the Outer Rim be your grave?

     

    So what I need your help with is finding a Star Wars location that shares some of the following characteristics:

    • The homeworld is an independent world that was once rich and/or powerful and was reduced to an ashy waste (orbital bombardment by the Empire or Separatists)
    • Two nearby powerful political entities that are unfriendly - part of the awesomeness of the campaign is that PCs playing off the two and deciding which side to ally with

    My initial thought is that the two powerful entities could be an Imperial Remnant and the fledgling New Republic, just after the Return of the Jedi. For one thing this fits what i need but it also leverages mine and my player's excitement about Episode VII. Also I could start to leverage some of the canon stuff coming out this fall like Star Wars Uprisings. If I go this route I'd prefer a more politically moderate Imperial Remnant so there's a possibility the PCs would want to interact with them rather than just see them as Space Orcs who are there for face blasting.

     

    I'm not a slave to canon and could happily make it all up, however I'd love to leverage some existing content. Does anyone have any suggestions for some planets that might make a good home base for this campaign?

     

    Thanks!

     

    -Lauguz

    kaosoe reacted to this

  17. Posted

    Thanks for the quick response.

     

    I'm thinking that the campaign literally starts with them waking up on the pirate ship after being drugged and/or beaten unconscious. How would they have Obligation to people on the ship? Would they all have a single large Obligation to the captain of the ship?

     

    What I was imagining is that they would develop small to medium Obligations to various crew members through play. So maybe everyone would have a 5pt Obligation to the Master-of-Arms who is in charge of whipping them into shape, and the PC who draws special hate would earn a 10pt Obligation. Maybe someone would befriend the cook and earn a 5pt Obligation related to that relationship.

     

    -NB

  18. Posted

    Hello Gamer Nation!

     

    Inspired by Paizo's Skull and Shackles adventure path I'm thinking about kicking off a pirate themed campaign by having the PCs being forcibly press-ganged into the crew of a pirate ship. The question I pose to you is: how does this impact starting Obligation?

     

    I've run a few sessions of Edge and I think I under-used Obligation, but as I understand it when properly used Obligation can really drive narrative similar to Aspects in FATE. I like this a lot, BUT starting characters with Obligation means they have lots of pre-existing, external, character specific story hooks which will pull them away from the pirate-theme of the campaign rather than reinforcing it. So what I was thinking is that they characters would start with no Obligations and would develop them in play.

     

    For example, they could develop Obligation as they make enemies and allies in the pirate crew, and they would certainly earn Obligation based on their actions as pirates.

     

    Does this make sense? Any hidden pitfalls to starting characters with zero Obligation? Anyone have any input or ideas?

     

    -NB

  21. Posted

    Hello Gamer Nation!

     
    In the most recent session of my home campaign the team was blasting their way off a planet. Off the cuff I needed to know how long it would take to calculate a jump and not knowing any rule about it I used my best judgement and ruled it would take 4 turns. This made the Astrogator a little grumpy so we agreed to bring the question to the Forum. Anyone know of a rule in any of the RPGs for how long it takes to calculate a jump?
     
    -NB

  22. Posted

    Hello Gamer Nation,

    Can anyone point me to a ship repair & modification facility I can use in a game this weekend? Any source (WEG, d20, Traveller, etc) will do. I'm looking For something appropriate the EotE, so not Kuat Drive Yards, but bigger than a one man garage. I'd prefer something plug and play with maps and a description of the NPCs at the shop, but it it's cool enough I can build out a less well developed idea.

    -NB

  24. Posted

     If you're looking for real world inspiration for the Imperial Guard I highly recommend the HBO mini-series "Generation Kill". It potrays a US Marine recon unit in the early days of the current war in Iraq, and its based on the experiences of a journalist imbedded with the unit. Its Produced by the team that made The Wire which I also highly, highly recommend as both entertainment and inspiration for narco-gangs and general Hive corruption.

    Generation Kill is a remarkable portrayal of the modern military, especially the language, prejudices and decision making process of soldiers.

  25. Posted

     Hi there,

    I'm busy developing storylines for my DH game and I'm pulling a lot of inspiration from pulp stories and rpgs. Many of those stories are based around "foreign" cultures like Russia and China and I'm wondering if there are canonical examples of non-US/UK cultures in 40k. I know the Vostroykans are Russians, but otherwise the Imperium seems both homogenous and filled with diversity at the same time (which sounds oxymoronic but somehow the setting pulls it off). Looking at the sample names they're all pretty devoid of non-Latinish influence. Warhammer fantasy has a lot of examples like Tilea and Cathay. Are there similar cultures in 40k?

    Thanks for any help.

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