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Post by southpaw on Apr 8, 2015 0:48:50 GMT
Peeps! While Sloth's taking a break I'd like to set up a quick campaign set in the Fallout New Vegas world. As it stands though I need to hear some feedback on the thoughts I've had so far as far as mechanics go.
Character Creation: I tried to come up with a bunch of perks and classes and feats and all that jazz but, frankly, I struggled and this is meant to be a quick-shot campaign anyway. So what I'm thinking is that I'll set you guys up with the basic attributes for you to roll (strength, agility etc), you'll come up with a quick character description and that'll be the extent of your character sheet. The idea is that it'd push the focus more towards roleplaying and less towards number crunching. Basically you'd say you want to do X and if I think its inkeeping with the character you've presented me then cool. If not, I'll say no or make you fail it. So if you say you're an ex-NCR soldier I'll expect you to be harder to intimidate and more switched on to ambushes and stuff. But if you tell me you want to stash a gun on you and go lockpicking somewhere high security I'll say no. Similarly if you tell me you're a caravaneer (trader basically) then I'll give you an advantage in talking to people, bartering, and some street sense. If you want to be a ghoul then you can be a ghoul, but expect people to treat you funny. If you're an engineer then you can do cool techy stuff but you won't be popping people with headshots from 100 metres out.
If that makes sense?
My only real fear here is that everyone will say they're an ex-soldier, but we'll cross that bridge if we come to it. I'll let you know now that I will be putting in situations where a gun won't help you but a smart word, or being able to fix a turret might.
Ammo: This is one I'm struggling with. On one hand, this IS post-apocalypse and ammo is meant to be scarce. On the other, do you really want me keeping track of how much you shoot, making you buy ammo, forcing you to consider magazine capacity etc? The way I'd prefer it personally is that it be abstract, but again open to fiddling with as it arises. So if you decide to provide covering fire to someone I won't let you then spray a building as your next attack. I'd also tie it in to dice rolls so a critical fail would be explained as a dead man's click for example. The trade off for this would be certain weapons like over-under shotguns or six shooters would be kept more track of since they're obvious, but will be more powerful.
Factions: The big problem with factions is it has a tendency to fuck with parties. Its the reason I don't like strict alignment systems. I am thinking of asking if your character has any particular loyalties one way or the other, but that's about it. Unless you guys would prefer to be able to say "yes, I'm an NCR trooper" or "I'll crucify your mother for Ceasar!" or what have you.
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Post by Bozza on Apr 8, 2015 4:13:27 GMT
I don't know anything about GMing (or most things in life), so...
Characters: I don't think that'll happen though. Just let everyone choose a class and say "nope" if there's too many of one class.
Ammo: Counting ammo would get too complicated and fiddly. Keep it abstract.
Factions: Why not choose one (or neutral), or let the dice decide? And we're all in that faction together or neutral. I can't remember how the whole faction thing worked out in Fallout, would people from different factions work together?
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Post by southpaw on Apr 8, 2015 12:24:57 GMT
Well here's what I have in a couple hours for character creation. The class perks aren't amazing because its actually quite hard to come up with them and since you'd be using guns and sticking with Sloth's 'no name NPCs can be killed easy' thing I don't want a lot of combat powers. Open to any suggestions on that front and any other feedback. STATS:Strength: - Measure of strength. Effects: Melee/thrown damage, carry limit, Perception: -Use of five senses. Effects: Lockpicking, explosives, spotting shit. Endurance: - Your health and fitness. Effects: Health, Poison + Rad resistance. Charisma:- Attractiveness and likeability. Effects: Barter and speech Intelligence:- Intellect, curiosity and critical thinking. Effects: Medicine, Repair, Energy weapons Agility:- Test of quickness and reflexes. Effects: sneak, initiative, guns Luck:- How lucky you are Effects: Crit chance, general fortune (chance to effect all checks) To create an ability score for your character, roll four six-sided dice (4d6). Disregard the lowest die roll and total the three highest ones. Except for luck. For luck you may take points from the others skills and add them at the value of 1 luck for every 2 points in the others. For every 3 points of luck, your crit roll value will be lowered by one. So at 3 luck you only need to roll a 19 to crit and so on. Hit points/ACAC: 10+armour+Agi.mod. HP: 10+End+Str.mod. Weight LimitStrength x 10 Classes/Perks:FighterDouble Tap: You may make two attacks with an accuracy penalty. Combat Readiness: You can never fall victim to a surprise attack (expect some of these in the Wastes.  ) Battle Hardened: You start with a bonus +5 to hit points and gain more per level up. ScoundrelQuickdraw: You may ignore the initiative order and make an attack with an accuracy penalty. Also allows you a surprise attack against unprepared enemies, again with an accuracy penalty. Sleight of Hand: Cheating at cards, picking pockets, concealing a weapon. These come easy to you. Dual-wield: You can dual-wield handguns or melee weapons with a -1 accuracy to the off-hand weapon instead of the standard -3 Medic/Scientist/Smart PersonPoison Bomb: Medical knowledge doesn't have to be used for good. You effect enemies in a 5 metre spread with a poison that does light damage and lowers their chance to hit for 2 turns. Heal: Surprisingly, the "medic" has the ability to heal others without stimpaks and can deal with more griveous injuries. Hacking: You're a nerd and can hack things. Engineer
Ed-E: You have a little Ed-E drone to help you along. Can deploy him in combat where he will attack independantly with energy weapons. Low hit points however and if destroyed he will need to be repaired. Scrounger: Increased chance of finding phat lootz. Allows you to dismantle things for components. Repair: Much better ability to repair things be it robots, machines, weapons, whatever. I'll also let you Macguyver some shit if you make it halfway convincing. Or you can be boring and just make IEDs I guess. Combat
Melee/Thrown: D20+Str to hit. Damage is d20+Str.+weapon damage Ranged: D20+Agi. to hit. Damage is D20+weapon damage (Agi. switched with Int. for Energy Weapons) |
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Post by southpaw on Apr 8, 2015 12:33:19 GMT
I don't know anything about GMing (or most things in life), so... Characters: I don't think that'll happen though. Just let everyone choose a class and say "nope" if there's too many of one class. Ammo: Counting ammo would get too complicated and fiddly. Keep it abstract. Factions: Why not choose one (or neutral), or let the dice decide? And we're all in that faction together or neutral. I can't remember how the whole faction thing worked out in Fallout, would people from different factions work together? RE factions: Making you all be in one, or at least working for one, was the plan anyway but I was wondering if people would want it opened up for them to pick personal loyalties. It wouldn't make any difference apart from some special interactions and related knowledge for now. Off the top of my head the list would look like this: NCR: New California Republic, the government/military currently controlling most of the Mojave Wasteland Followers of the Apocalypse: A charity group based around providing medical care to citizens. Would likely be the group hiring you. The Strip: Loyal to one of the casino power bases on the Strip. Would let player pick which or invent their own Freeside/Kings: The poor district of the Strip Caravan/Merchant Company: Player choice which. Cass' caravan, Gun Runners, Van Graff Family Independant: Loner/Neutral. Loyal to one of the many scattered settlements or simply a traveller. Finding a way to make it work in-game would be a bit tricky though. It was more of a tidbit for character creation than anything substantial. |
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Post by Bozza on Apr 8, 2015 14:32:35 GMT
What about some kinda class based around trading / caravanning...a merchant of some kind. As for the factions - If it's just a titbit for char development we could always leave it out as it's a short game. But whatever...I'm easy going / very indecisive.  |
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Post by southpaw on Apr 8, 2015 14:52:32 GMT
People are free to throw points in charisma and be one. I can't make class feats based around it and I dont expect many people to play anyway. Those are ony there to provide some benefits since you said you'd prefer not to have a classless system and you're the only one whose replied so im going with what you want  But I still don't want people to feel stereotyped and pigeon holed. These are more background classes, not current careers. You'll are transporting a caravan after all. On which note, there will be a trader most likely but it'll be an npc you guys are escorting |
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Post by Bozza on Apr 8, 2015 15:15:05 GMT
I am the only one that cares!  I wasn't insisting on classes as such, my comment about classes (Characters: I don't think that'll happen though. Just let everyone choose a class and say "nope" if there's too many of one class) was just if we/you wanted to go that way. Seriously, I am happy to play and learn. I'll go with anything as long as it doesn't involved a pineapple up my jacksie in RL. Who's in though? |
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Post by southpaw on Apr 8, 2015 15:26:52 GMT
Meh, it works well enough. Honestly I was just intimidated by trying to come up with some. I'll leave it open to a vote most likely whether to use those, go classless, or dump all those feats into a pool and let people pick two that work well together. So far you're the only one replying once I have te rest of it sorted (should be done by tomorrow evening) I'll pm everyone else and see if they care. If not I'lol revive the MAP thread and try to get some off there. Or I'll chuck it I suppose and let someone else try  |
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Post by Bozza on Apr 8, 2015 15:51:13 GMT
Put it on the shelf and it'll be good to go later. I think if we are happy with our characters and the mechanics we should try a short game and then think about extending it later.
I like the sound of it, but I love post-apocalyptic/dystopian stuff and Fallout was awesome. Got my RPG and post-ap fix in one hit.
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Post by southpaw on Apr 8, 2015 16:38:00 GMT
That's the plan. Assuming people want to play it of course
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Post by southpaw on Apr 8, 2015 16:39:51 GMT
Was that an ok on those classes by the way? If it is then I can leave them and focus on writing the first bit of the adventure
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Post by Bozza on Apr 8, 2015 22:27:17 GMT
Yeah - that's fine with me.
Any other opinions?? Anyone?? Hello....
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Post by southpaw on Apr 9, 2015 13:53:21 GMT
Here's your vague scenario layout:
Quick point: We're ignoring the events of the game and placing it a couple years later. That lets me fuck with the area a bit as there's actually not a huge amount of stuff for you guys to play with on the roads unless you want to explore every building you come across. Even for a quick game you'd get halfway across the map before you ran into a settlement for instance.
Onto plot! (I do have a map with circles and shit but its too big to attach. Will PM to you.)
The war between the New Californian Republic (NCR) and Legion has hit a stalemate. Both sides are battered and are struggling to gain (or hold) ground and Nevada is looking increasingly checkerboardy. Unfortunately civilian towns are caught in the middle. The town of Novac in the South is one such town
As the NCR's manpower deteriorated the bandit gang calling themselves "The Vipers," and the Powder Gangers, a group made up of escaped convicts, took the opportunity to start exerting their own control over the local settlements and extorting them. Which went fine until both tried to stake a claim to the town of Primm. While both sides shot and blew each other up, Legion took advantage, rolled in, and set up shop in Primm themselves. The Powder Gangers withdrew to their prison stronghold, and the Vipers fell back to a series of mines they had fortified and turned into a web of tunnels and booby traps to make the Vietcong jealous. A peace was quickly established: Legion had too few men to push on either group, and instead offered to supply them with equipment (both bandit groups basically relied on scrounged kit) in return for help dealing with the NCR.
The NCR, realising shit got real, prioritized their forces to defending the HELIOS ONE station which supplies power to large amounts of civilians in New Vegas. Ranger Station Charlie (yellow circle) was given a unit of NCR Rangers reinforced with a couple NCR patrols and a pair of elite First Recon snipers to provide some form of buffer and protection to HELIOS ONE and to the civilians caught between the two sides. Including Novac. The station is still undermanned however and can't cover all the land meaning raids from the Vipers, and occasionally Legion, into the area are common. The Powder Gangers haven't been seen in the area for a while and NCR patrols report hearing energy weapons and catching the occasional glimpse of the power armoured Brotherhood of Steel soldiers engaging in skirmishes with the convicts west of HELIOS.
The frequent raiding has killed trade in the area and Nipton (which had relied heavily on caravans for water) is under severe strain. The NCR, realising it was spread too thin to help, hired a group of mercenaries to provide security to the town which they're doing, but they're also taking priority of the town's dwindling water and medical supplies.
Which is where you come in! You will be transporting a caravan from the Strip in the North, down to Novac. I'll explain a little more about the specifics of that in-game.
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Post by zerojoke on Apr 9, 2015 22:20:23 GMT
I'm in. Can I be a former vault dweller named Stan who is hopelessly ordinary in every way except that he is extremely likable and extremely lucky? |
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Post by southpaw on Apr 9, 2015 22:25:34 GMT
Yes you can |
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) 
But I still don't want people to feel stereotyped and pigeon holed. These are more background classes, not current careers. You'll are transporting a caravan after all.
