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IC: Rules-light Transformers survival game.

Posted by Rinandien
Rinandien
member, 60 posts
Have fun,
help others.
Mon 18 Feb 2019
at 19:03
  • msg #1

IC: Rules-light Transformers survival game

Hello!
A fusion of several ideas I had bouncing around happened, and here I am offering you something a bit different.

Of all the incarnations it would most closely resemble the recent Prime Wars trilogy (Combiner Wars, Titans Return, Power of the Primes). Bots-centered (no organics in sight). Decepticons and Autobots working (gingerly) together against a large threat.

Things that I'm set on:
  1. Original characters only (canon bots can be referenced, but they won't appear.)
  2. A lot of action (not necessarily combat) and scarce resources
  3. Characters of variable levels of experience
  4.   Moderate posting rate (2-3 / week)

System:
  1. Anti-pool base with significant tweaking (fine tuned during the game if needed, with feedback from players)
  2. Action results are very player driven (with GM help if needed), be ready to make an interesting story over constantly favoring your character
  3. Will likely require characters to function in smaller groups on separate tasks with periodic meetings (and possible redistribution)

I'm aiming for a serious and gritty feel, with significant (and hard) choices over mechanics and details. I.e. I don't care what is the exact land speed of your vehicle form, I want to know if you take a shortcut through hostile territory or take the long way around it.

Pool system is very descriptive, with rolls being made only for very important Events or Ideas. Characters have a short description/background (which expands with play), and a few attributes and traits which define them.

What's open to discussion, apart from whether you're interested in the concept at all:
1. Location - planetside or in space (ship or station)
2. Group type - military companies or wardens and prisoners (or something else?)

A few examples of character creation (don’t worry about how the numbers are determined yet):

Dinobots:
Dinobots liked wandering the Primal Swamp, occasionally battling it out with Predacons. Then the Prima Wars came to their land and they had to join the ragtag heroes, or face certain destruction.

Affiliation: Dinobot (tentative Autobot)
Attributes: Experienced Daring Loaner
Traits:
I am Grimlock (1+1) - drawback: pride
Slug, Snarl, Swoop, Sludge (1)
Mode: T-rex (Grimlock) (2)
Mode: Triceratops (Slug) (1)
Mode: Stegosaurus (Snarl) (1)
Mode: Pterodactyl (Swoop) (1)
Mode: Brontosaurus (Sludge) (1)
Volcanicus (2+2) - limit & drawback: combiner


Megatron:
Megatron, the once leader of Decepticons, is tiered of war and battle. But his retirement doesn’t last long when he is called upon by Optimus, his once-nemesis, to help them destroy the Enigma of Combination.

Affiliation: Decepticon
Attributes: Cautious Cooperative Veteran
Traits:
Power flows to the one who knows how. (4)
Mode: Tank (3)
Mode: Blaster (2+2) limit: wielded; drawback: power-hungry
Still feared by Decepticons (1)

GreyGriffin
member, 266 posts
Portal Expat
Game System Polyglot
Mon 18 Feb 2019
at 22:26
  • msg #2

IC: Rules-light Transformers survival game

So how do you intend to reinforce the survival element in a rules-lite system?
T.S.
member, 225 posts
I stand in noone's shadow
except my own...
Tue 19 Feb 2019
at 00:55
  • msg #3

IC: Rules-light Transformers survival game

How much previous knowledge of the Prime Wars is necessary? Would a cursory wiki search be sufficient to catch up on what happened up until the story's start or would you expect in-depth knowledge to keep things going without you having to explain/reference much?
Rinandien
member, 61 posts
Have fun,
help others.
Tue 19 Feb 2019
at 01:41
  • msg #4

IC: Rules-light Transformers survival game

@GreyGriffin Energon will be a limited resource, both at base and bot level. So you'll need to balance spending it on acquiring more, stockpiling for recharge and various other activities.

@T.S. None whatsoever. It's just closest in feel to what I'm going for, not something the story will be based on. But I warmly recommend watching it at your own leisure.
GreyGriffin
member, 267 posts
Portal Expat
Game System Polyglot
Wed 20 Feb 2019
at 18:36
  • msg #5

IC: Rules-light Transformers survival game

Color me interested.  I've been picking away at a Cybertron-set game in the 1970s in the Aligned continuity for ages.  This seems right up my alley.
Rinandien
member, 62 posts
Have fun,
help others.
Thu 21 Feb 2019
at 08:59
  • msg #6

IC: Rules-light Transformers survival game

Well, if we get a few more people I'll set it up.

I might have downplayed my hand in a wish to make a dramatic reveal when we start. So in case you're not on board yet, this might help:
The threat you'll be facing is a cyberplague - i.e. Zombies
The first "session" will be about realizing what's happening and then seeing how to proceed

I'd still like to hear some preferences on who you are and where it will take place (see first post for possible options).
T.S.
member, 226 posts
I stand in noone's shadow
except my own...
Tue 26 Feb 2019
at 01:37
  • msg #7

Re: IC: Rules-light Transformers survival game

Rinandien:
I'd still like to hear some preferences on who you are and where it will take place (see first post for possible options).


Location: Planetside would be a good start, imo, with the potential for space travel down the road (in the event the planet can't be preserved and the group must find a new suitable home, for example)

Characters: I'm very much in favor of original non-canon characters. The group would work well, from a narrative standpoint, as a mixed group. Perhaps the plague has isolated the PC's to a specific location who were only there originally for their own reasons. A prison might be a good place to find your good / bad / morally ambiguous / militant / non-combatant / etc all in the same place even if for different reasons.
GreyGriffin
member, 271 posts
Portal Expat
Game System Polyglot
Wed 27 Feb 2019
at 02:42
  • msg #8

Re: IC: Rules-light Transformers survival game

Location
I actually think that the script is better flipped.  A ship is a really interesting place, especially for a first act with characters who are not necessarily on the best terms, like an Autobot/Decepticon group.  It's got limited scope, limited resources, and things are tightly interconnected - even if it's a vast interplanetary ark, everyone's relying on the same engines, and you can probably track someone down.  It's also got the potential to open up to a planetside game when the ship lands somewhere, rather than contracting the scope when you take off.

Characters
I'm fine with OCs, but I'd be fine with canon characters showing up at some point.  Transformers as a universe is really naturally character-driven, and having the universe be devoid of these outsized personalities that define the conflict would be weird, but they certainly don't need to smother the game or show up every other post.
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