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Post by maxstone on Aug 2, 2013 19:01:09 GMT -8
Hi all guys, I'm new to the forum, the game and RPGing in general.
I ran a couple of short sessions with my friends and I love the game! I'd like to ask some things I cant' understand:
1- If the group spots a beast in the desert at, say, 850 m away... how is the encounter handled? Do I, as GM, make a perception check to see if the beast spots the players? I'm quite confused... Same for every other area, but the desert has the biggest encounter range due to high visibility I think.
2- An assault rifle has a range of 900 m... so one player can fire up to that distance with no penalties? ( I've read that you can fire double your weap range whit some SV malus) At 900 m away one can hardly tell what the target is!
3- Is that right that one of our LV 1 characters has a base DMG of +10 (she has 80 strenght) ? She also rolled knife fighter AND knife thrower(4 points!)... so every freakin' knife she throws is dealing about 20-30 DMG... the other pure stock player are thinking abour killing her in her sleep and looting the corpse...
Hope this post is right and in the right session. Thanks a lot
by A very confused newbie GM
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Post by providence13 on Aug 2, 2013 21:23:46 GMT -8
Welcome to the forums, maxstone! I can tell you my opinion and what we have done. Keep in mind that I could steer you wrong. The first rule is to have fun. Since you're new to RPG's, you might want to stick to the rules a bit. Eventually, you may decide that some of them are more necessary than others in your particular game. The nice thing about TME is that it's designed for new GM's. If you can, get a hold of Mall of Doom or Beyond Red Crater. These are made with new GM's in mind. The basic rules and a good imagination are all you really need though. In answer to your queries.. 1- Perception Hazard Checks are a great way to handle it. (You make all of the Hazard Checks for everyone else in the world. Sometimes, you can make HC for the PC's if there is no way they could know the outcome; if they pass or fail. Some players are great about keeping player knowledge separate from character knowledge and want to roll as much as possible, some are not.) You can modify the HC by certain factors. Does the beast in question have great eyesight, good nose or some vibration sense? These might just be a bonus on initiative. Are the PC's using Stealth? Is the beast on higher ground than the players? Are they down wind or upwind? Are they loudly talking about how they will sneak up on it? Now, you could make rolls for each one of these factors, but I wouldn't as it would slow down my particular style of gaming. You could just modify the HC up or down based on its Perception as you see fit and make 1 or 2 rolls. The players may not know they have been spotted. If it's of minimal Intelligence, it might be able to appear as if it wandered off only to double back and attack them on their flank. At that extreme range, I might not even ask for initiative. I might just ask for HC's and then describe the scenario based on what they rolled. Now I would ask for intentions. I wouldn't track 3 second round by 3 second round for the next 10 rounds of everyone getting into position. If a PC's intention was to shoot the target at that range, then initiative is needed. If the target has "init", it might have moved behind a rock, or down an unseen gully or just out of sight. 2- Can you fire at the Range listed in the book without penalties? Yes. This is the Rules As Written (RAW) per page 100. You can double the listed range with 1/2 SV and 1/2 damage. These are good, simple rules that work. I agree with you that it might be a bit generous. My players think RAW is overly generous, If you have a scope, then I could see the RAW range as a possibility. My experience with real guns is limited. Most of my players are very knowledgeable on the topic and are OK with saying that the book's maximum range is on a perfect day on a perfect firing range when everything is working for you to make the perfect shot. If you want a simple answer that follows the rules, then you already have it. If you want to say that there is next to no way the average shooter can make a shot 900m away with no penalty, well that's OK too. Give them a penalty (maybe -15 or 20 SV..). Just be consistent so the players know how to interact with their world. 3- If you have a Rank 1 character with 80 Strength (!) they do receive +10 to any and all physical attacks. (TME pg 10) That's awesome at Rank 1. Being a trained Knife Fighter and Knife Thrower is a huge advantage. As I understand the rules, Knife Fighter is only used for melee attacks and Knife Thrower is only used for missile attacks. The bonuses don't add together. One for throwing and one for melee. It does make this person absolutely lethal no matter which way they decide to attack. She will eventually run out of knives. If she misses, it might be hard to find if landing in tall grass, or become chipped (-5 SV and -5 damage, just as an example) if it hits a rock or robots' armor. Her knives won't break with every miss, but she is very specialized and her effectiveness is dependent on having knives. You'd think the other players would see how valuable she can be. In all honesty you really can't do anything wrong in RPG's. Be fair and consistent with the players. They show up to have fun but it's a strange and violent world.. It might be OK to say "We're going to handle it this way now but we can talk about it after the game". This let's them know that you are in control, will listen to reasonable arguments, but you won't burn game time with debate.
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Post by maxstone on Aug 3, 2013 4:39:20 GMT -8
Wow Thanks a lot Providence13! What a quick and exhaustive answer! You must be a big RPG expert from what I see here and on the other threads . I would like to stick to che rule book as much as I can ... I didn't feel confortable using house rules before fully understanding the game mechanics. Anyway I'll follow your advices! I just fear that the freaking Rank 1 - 80 strength mutant will take over every battle and make the game too easy ( not to mention 90 END points). Unfortunaltely ( for the game balance, not for her) she rolled a good STR number and the 10 mutations she has made her a living tank. Do you think I should nerf her? And do you personally allow PC to kill each other? I think it's a bit extreme but, you know, pure stocks and their racial hate!
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Post by providence13 on Aug 3, 2013 6:14:16 GMT -8
Sorry to be so verbose. I'll work at brevity. A few too many beers after work.. With 10 mutations, she probably has a few Flaws. Work those into the game. This may be all the nerf you need. If the opposition notices a badass, they'll concentrate on her. It's not up to me if PC's want to kill each other. I describe the world, they describe how they react and interact to it; rinse, repeat. My question is why do the PC's want to kill each other? Are they 2 opposing groups? Doesn't sound as if you planned it this way from the beginning. There doesn't have to be PSH racial hatred. That's kind of painting with a broad brush. It's OK to give the PC's a reason they're together. They can cooperate. Check out the descriptions of Bestial Humans. Many of the more extreme deviants won't be allowed to enter town unless accompanied by a friendly PSH.. Can't we all just get along?
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Post by maxstone on Aug 3, 2013 8:11:13 GMT -8
Thanks again, and don't get me wrong, I appreciated the in depth answer! Main problem is, I think , that purestocks are a bit jealous of her power haha. Only one flaw she has is alitosis, wich can be even useful in combat against humans.
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Post by rexbannon on Aug 4, 2013 16:35:08 GMT -8
Maxstone let me start by saying welcome to the forum!
Ive run into similar problems with my game group . Ive got one character now in my world that is rank six with a STR of 75 and the strength burst mutation. This mutation gives him effectively a STR of 300 for 12 secs . He has a rank four in martial arts and can do d6+20 dam per attack already but when he uses Strength burst he does d6+80 per attack. Seems incredibly overpowered right? Well consider that he needs to get into melee to be unstoppable. A sniper or mutant bounty hunter with similar mutations and abilities easily balances this character out during game play . This in mind the game is supposed to be fun and could become unbalanced if you try to make an opponent as strong as your strongest pc. So what i do is i increased the number of enemies in a normal random encounter to offset there skil.And mutations. Purist soldier's moving through the region really gave them a run for their money when they throw grenades at them. Yes the RAW are overpowered but you as the GM need to see what your PC's do with this power and push back with equal power to challenge them.
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Post by maxstone on Aug 5, 2013 7:46:02 GMT -8
Thanks Rexbannon for the welcome and the answer Yesterday night we run our third session. The player that used the overpowered mutant couldn't come and was replaced by another player which rolled a good cyborg character ( still much stronger than Barabba, the purestock ex-slave and Robert, the purestock technician). Situation was similar as before: Mind-0 the cyborg leaded the way across the desert and down a bipedal rat cave, always facing first the enemies and blocking the way to shield his friends from damage. I found it right that way, the humans have much lower endurance. Problem is: if I put in the game something that's a real challenge for the only strong character... what are the other 2 supposed to do? run?? I hope that leveling up all these power differences will be less noticeable
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Post by providence13 on Aug 5, 2013 8:02:06 GMT -8
maxstone, it's great to hear about other people's campaigns.
I thought the Ranking disparity was too much for us. I gave maximum skill point bonus on pg 34; TME-1-21. I would hate it if I was a player and rolled a 1 every time I went up in Rank when somebody else rolled max. This helped balance out chargen, a bit. (One guy stated with manacles and 1 bullet, another had a Laser Carbine..) Now at 5-6th Rank, the PC's are more balanced.
It might seem too generous at first, but PC's do Rank quickly and they need skills to survive.
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Post by maxstone on Aug 5, 2013 8:28:21 GMT -8
Well that's a good idea, I think I'll grant max stats bonus to the pure-stocks while I'll normally roll for the others. At least for the first ranks! PS: Manacles & Laser Carbine ? haha what an hilarious couple !
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Post by providence13 on Aug 5, 2013 8:37:47 GMT -8
Your game, your rules! Just to be clear, I give them max skill points on the 1st table and they roll their own Traits on the 2nd table. I found that some of the "races" already have a huge advantage with starting Traits; End, Str, Agi.. For Rank advancement, I let the players roll as much as possible. This way, they feel more in control of their characters' lives.
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Post by rexbannon on Aug 5, 2013 9:43:36 GMT -8
My PC's are like lost kittens when playing epoch. They always show up on game day so i know im doing something right but they lack initative to walk their own path. They look to me for guidance as to what to do instead of coming up with something to do on their own. Granted i try to make a mission for them to run through every week which makes things pretty black and white for them about what needs to be done. They are very imaginative and inventive as a group but lack focus or leadership amongst the party. Its all hens no rooster. When they fight battles they are brillant tacticians and wipe the floor with whatever i put into play (within reason). I know they dont want to get themselves killed so they are being timid but it seems like they are confused about the goals of the game. I tell them its to get rich off of relics excavated from the ruins and retire happy(basic excavator dream) but they dont seem to be buying it or have an alternative plan as what to do with their characters.
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Post by maxstone on Aug 5, 2013 11:55:37 GMT -8
Yes, I understand that, as my PC were lost too at the beginning . To give them a reason to wander the dangerous wasteland I gave everyone a secret goal to achieve ( written behind their character sheet ) and one common to the entire team. Once they complete one ( secret or public), I give them another one, of increasing difficulty. This can create interesting situations ,tension and a bit of distrust between the players. It's really fun to see them try to gain each other's respect and trust ( always playing their in-game role) and adds immersion to the session IMO. Furthermore it's useful to me as it helps telling a good and rich main story , plus a bit of back story for every player. Is it possible to post custom images? I'd like you opinion on my world map and some ideas for the story line
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Post by rexbannon on Aug 5, 2013 15:00:34 GMT -8
Sure you can post custom images and id be happy to give you some pointers. Good idea with the seceret missions and public missions. I think ill try that with my group. Might get them out of their funk.
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Post by maxstone on Aug 5, 2013 15:57:37 GMT -8
ok Here's the map. It belonged to Skiddy, a local " relic scout". As the party gets to him, to buy this item, a dune buggy speeds by and fires on the poor guy with no appearent reason,killing him . That's why there are bullet holes and blood stains (BBQ sauce). Party starts outside Ratway at night. Barabba is an ex slave ( no equip, no skills ), just escaped with the help of Robert ( various tech skills ). They're the purestocks.They need a new place to live and they have a misterious map. They travelled a bit with a mutant called Big Red ( the overpowered girl) and when they reached East Lake things went a little bit crazy...they decided to exterminate the few poor inhabitants because they didn't want the mutated being in their town. During the next session Big red left, Barabba got almost killed by some raiders on an ATV and the party met Mind-0 , a super-intelligent cyborg. They raided Lake Mary Jane ( location unknown at the very beginning) wich was home of a small tribe of bipedal rats ( description on the rule book is hilarious). In the next sessions they'll go to Barter Town to buy a house, shop, solve the various local quests and fight in the arena, I think. The rest of the story is yet to be written! Excuse the poor quality and my poor writing skills
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Post by providence13 on Aug 5, 2013 21:24:11 GMT -8
That map is damn cool! Your players are lucky. Let us know what happens next. Watch out for ATV's! My players would expect the mayor to ride by in his Dune Buggy/ATV next. Players: "Well, this is the third time, so it's probably a trap that we set for ourselves.. If we shoot, it'll be a busload of school kids; mutant school kids... OK, I think the GM watched Billy Jack again last night so pay attention". Hmm.. I need to get more original in 2nd, 3rd, 4th guessing my players.
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