Test Run - Sentinel Comics the Roleplaying Game - The Villain

Back again with Greater Than Games' Sentinel Comics the Roleplaying Game.  This time around, the villain creation method.  Villains in the game get a streamlined approach, making it easier for the GM to prep.  Villainous henchmen and minions are even easier, but, for now, just the villain.

Cyberpunk 2020 v Shadowrun - Intro

Something I've been meaning to try for a while is creating similar characters in the top cyberpunk RPGs from the 80s.  Cyberpunk 2020 is getting noticed again thanks to Cyberpunk 2077 while Shadowrun recently had its sixth edition released.  Let's see how similar characters compare.

There are a few ground rules.  The first, no magic.  Cyberpunk 2020 does not have magic.  That means, all characters will be human,  There's just no getting around it.  Second, the characters have to be viable in both games.  That shouldn't be an issue, but some of the roles in 2020 don't quite work in Shadowrun.  Third, gear needs to be equivalent.  This is going to be the tough one.  I can't go by costs; the two games use a different base of reference.  Instead of going by costs, I'll be going by rough equivalence - a heavy pistol is a heavy pistol in both games.  The same goes with cybernetics; enhanced reflexes are done differently in the two games but are still enhanced reflexes.  Finally, core games only.  No supplements, at least mechanically.

What does that leave me?  My plan is to use ideas from cyberpunk novels.  Character types like the Street Samurai and the Hacker, both from Neuromancer, a combat driver, loosely based off Cowboy from Hardwired, a combat medic, like Nadia from Trauma Team, and possibly a Rocker, like Priss from Bubblegum Crisis.  Try to tell me either version of Bubblegum Crisis isn't cyberpunk.

Obviously, this will take some time.  Expect the first comparison to be the Street Samurai.  The concept is simple, street muscle with cybernetics.  Until then, chummers and choombas, keep your stick on the ice.

Friday, Lost in Translation continues at Psycho Drive-In.

Saturday, Lost in Translation can be found at The Seventh Sanctum.

Test Run - Sentinel Comics the Roleplaying Game - Time Travelling Ada Lovelace

 A weird idea struck me for Greater Than Games' Sentinel Comics the Roleplaying Game.  I`ll go through the same steps as the last two times, using the directed method that I used with Ringette.

Test Run - The Return of Bert Ernesto!

 A long time back, I was playing around with Margaret Weis Productions' Demon Hunters, based on the setting created by the Dead Gentlemen, who also provided details for the game itself.  As time progresses, as time tends to do, games evolve.  The most recent version, Demon Hunters - A Comedy of Terrors takes the lessons learned from the original and improves the game.  However, since this is about Bert Ernesto and not Lost in Translation, enough about the mechanics.  Time to create!

Test Run - A Time of War

Over the past month, I've dipped into Catalist Game Labs' MechWarrior Destiny RPG.  A few times, I mentioned that it was more streamlined than A Time of War, the previous incarnation of the BattleTech RPG.  Today, I demonstrate the difference by creating a PC with ATOW.

Test Run - Sentinel Comics the Roleplaying Game - The Random Method

Time to go back to Greater Than Games' Sentinel Comics the Roleplaying Game.  A few weeks ago, I modelled Ringette using the game.  This time around, I want to try the random character creation method.  I finally figured out what they game meant by rolling dice now that I wasn't focused on modelling a specific character.  Both methods are viable in the game, which is a strength.  Since this will get long, everything starts after the break.

Test Run - MechWarrior Destiny - The Clans

Last outing with Catalist Game Labs' MechWarrior Destiny went well.  This time around, I want to try out the character creation system for a Clanner PC.  As usual, everything will be after the break.

Test Run - MechWarrior Destiny

Going to try keeping this going for another week.  This time out, Catalyst Game Labs' MechWarrior Destiny, one of the BattleTech RPGs.  BattleTech is on a renaissance right now, with a popular video game, a successful Kickstarter campaign to get a new edition with new miniatures, and an extensive fandom.  And, yes, one of the RPGs.  Prior to Destiny was A Time of War, which had an extensive and involved character creation method.  Destiny kept the lifepath setup from A Time of War but simplified character creation by reducing the number of points to spend on drastically.

MechWarrior Destiny uses the Cue System, the same system used in the Valiant Universe Roleplaying Game, as seen with Nasty and Ringette.  There are differences between the games, reflecting the source material.  But the system does make character creation easier and faster.  Since this will get long, the meat will appear after the break.

Test Run - Sentinel Comics the Roleplaying Game

 Arise from the dead, blog!  Arise!

Again, it's been a while.  I don't have any serials prepped for posting, so it's been quiet.  However, I've been able to buy a couple of new RPGs.  I want to test out Sentinel Comics the Roleplaying Game from Greater Than Games.  To do so, instead of creating Nasty from Subject 13, I'll use a different character, one who is not under-powered.  I'll be using Ringette, who I've created using Superbabes and the Valiant Universe Roleplaying Game.

Remember her?  It has been six years.

Sentinel Comics is adapted from Sentinels of the Multiverse, a cooperative fixed deck card game where each player takes on the role of a superhero, saving the day against villains foul.  The RPG comes in four colours, is split into logical sections, with an intro with the mechanics that includes examples, character creation, a GM section, and a campaign section for the Sentinels setting.  I ordered directly from the company and got a bonus.

Jewel loves the box I ordered for her.  (photo by author)

This is going to get long, so things will continue after the break.

Test Run - The Witcher - The Witcher

It's been a couple of weeks, but I needed a small break.  I'm back with R. Talsorian's The Witcher RPG based on the video game based on the series of dark fantasy novels by Andrezej Sapkowski.  This time around, it's time to create a Witcher, since that's what the game is named after.  Again, I'm not familiar with the setting, only what I've read in the game.  But, the game looks thorough.

So, tally ho!

Test Run - The Witcher - Applying the Lifepath

While creating a mage for R. Talsorian's The Witcher RPG, it occurred to me that I could use the game's lifepath creation for the cast of The Efl's Prisoner.  Several of Mecha Academy's characters were inspired by the lifepath in Mekton Zeta.  The Witcher's lifepath would need a bit of tweaking to be usable for another fantasy setting, but the core would still work.

To demonstrate, I'll use Jyslyn, Wren, and Leomund from The Elf's Prisoner.  They predate the RPG, so what notes I have on them, minimal as they may be, won't be influenced by the lifepath as it is.  This is also a good way to show how choosing instead of rolling works.  It's going to be a long one, though, like the previous weeks' work.  This time, I'll break it down by chart.

Test Run - The Witcher - Human Mage

Last week, I tried creating an elven archer  for R. Talsorian's The Witcher RPG, based on the video game based on the series of dark fantasy novels by Andrezej Sapkowski, all with the same name.  Character creation can get involved, though some of that was self-inflicted with the age of the character.  The lifepath system can add to the time needed to create a character, as can missing a key sentence.  The archer was straightforward, though, no extra mechanics beyond the base rules.

This time around, I'm going to try a human mage.  Since last week's character almost became a bard until his life made him hideous and feared, I'll keep the options open, but the end goal right now is someone who can use magic of some sort.  I'll keep with a random lifepath, just to see what I get.  This time, though, I may ignore results that work against my concept.  After the break, character creation by the steps in the book.

Test Run - The Witcher - Elven Archer

Time to try a flesh and blood character instead of a cool starship.  This outing, I'll use R. Talsorian's The Witcher RPG, based on the video game based on the series of dark fantasy novels by Andrezej Sapkowski, all with the same name.  This isn't a Lost in Translation review; I'm not familiar enough with either the original novel or the video game, but I can glean information from the RPG well enough.

The first thing that strikes me when I look at the game's character creation is that it is familiar.  It's R. Talsorian's base rule set as seen in the various Mekton* and Cyberpunk games.  Character creation also follows a life path system, meaning as I create the character, I can choose what happened to him or her prior to the game starting, similar to the various versions of Traveller.  I like life paths; they let me get a better handle of who the character is beyond just numbers and skill sets and they give me a better idea of what the world is like.

For this first run through The Witcher's character creation, I'm going to use a fairly standard character, an elven archer.  Elves do exist in the setting, and they are known for putting arrows into pesky humans when needed.  For the life path, I'm going to roll, just to see what happens.  Right now, the idea is that I want a character that suits the setting when I'm not that familiar with it.  The elven archer is a good archetype to start from; I know what one can do in general, so applying that to the setting and seeing what comes out should result in a playable character.

Test Run - Scum and Villainy - Katya

Continuing with the test run of Scum and Villainy.  Last week, I recreated Tanya, the family assassin, with success.  Not many changes were needed, just adding on a few details.  This time out, I want to create a character who fits in with the included setting a little better.  To follow along, take a look at the playbooks available at Evil Hat's site.

Before getting into the trenches of character creation, I want to get an idea of who this person is.  The first idea I had was someone who is good with melee weapons, like a staff.  That concept is better suited for the Mystic, though, at least in the game.  Second approach, ex-military, a corporal who was dishonourably discharged.  If you have a problem, and if you can find her, no, wait, wrong setting.  Corporal Katya Orrin, though, feels that she was set up and that her discharge was uncalled for.  Slightly bitter, especially since the discharge cut her off from a number of legitimate career paths, she's now part of the crew of smugglers, the captain's stick when the carrot isn't enough.

On to character creation!

Test Run - Scum and Villainy - Tanya

I haven't done this in a while.  I recently purchased Scum and Villainy, a science fiction RPG where the characters fight against an evil interstellar government that's cracking down on the populace.  The inspirations for the game include Star Wars, Firefly, Farscape, and even Mass Effect.  I've been trying to wrap my head around the mechanics and now that I more or less have them worked out, it's time to create a character.

For this test run, I'll use Tanya, last seen as the test subject for the full Firefly RPG.  As a refresher, Tanya is the noble whose family uses her as an assassin against rivals.  For the Firefly RPG, I kept the concept, adding in that she was a medical student.  Easier to kill someone when you know how the human body works, right?  Tanya's not tied to any project yet; her story works better as part of a larger work.  I do have a few ideas, but they're not important here.

It may be easier to follow along with the player sheets available for Scum and Villainy, available for download from Evil Hat's site.  It helped me with some of the game's concepts, at least when it came to character creation.  While I was looking at the game to help with a possible project, it didn't quiet fit my needs there.  That's not the game's fault; the idea involves a smaller ship and crew than what Scum and Villainy is written for.

Hacking Valiant Universe RPG - The Magical Girl

I`m thinking of running a magical girls game at some point.  While I do have a few games that are meant for such campaigns, such as Big Eyes Small Mouth or even Tails of Equestria, I keep wondering if a superhero RPG could also fill the need.  The mechanical difference between a superhero and a magical girl is negligible, at least when looking at them for purposes of gaming.  The real difference between Sailor Moon and the Green Lantern or Card Captor Sakura and Captain American is cultural.  The cultural side impacts the roleplaying, not the powers.

The next question, which superhero RPG?  I've demo'ed a few here, including Valiant Universe: The Roleplaying Game and Superbabes, and I have access to several more, including Champions.  The goal here is to have flexibility while still being quick to create a character in.  Thus, the Valiant RPG.  I may try to recreate the character under a different system for comparison's sake, but for now, the Valiant RPG has the flexibility and quickness I want.

Leverage By the Numbers - Oz

Last week, I reworked Numbers from By the Numbers, bringing her from the Shadowrun setting into one of my own creation.  Numbers was the easy one to work with; her background came to the fore during the story and her role didn't really change despite the translation; she's the hacker of the group, and the new system, the Leverage RPG, has that as an explicit role.

The rest of the cast of By the Numbers will take work.  The Mecha Academy setting doesn't have magic or cybernetics, meaning the rest of the crew will have fundamental changes made to them.  Yet, the goal is to keep to their personalities, not their abilities.  Having learned my lesson the first time I created characters for the game, I'll just focus on one character, Oswald, the mage.

Leverage By the Numbers

I've worked on a character from By the Numbers, writing up Numbers for Shadowrun.  The main problem with the story is that I'm playing in someone else's intellectual property.  The characters, though, are mine.  If I can translate them into a new setting, I have a more or less original work.  Heists occur in all genres; Ocean's 11 is a good example.  Move the heist to a different time and setting, like a fantasy world or the far future.  Liberating heirlooms from a dragon's horde is still a heist, as is stealing data from a privately owned space station.  The trappings are different, but the key is how the characters overcome their challenges.

To this end, I'm going to try to create Numbers using the Leverage RPG.  I've delved into the game before, getting ready to write Unruly.  Having learned my lesson the first time, I'll just create Numbers, though the rest of the cast will chime in.

Before starting, though, I do need a setting.  I want to move away from the mash up of cyberpunk and epic fantasy that is Shadowrun while still staying in the realm of science fiction.  The Mecha Academy setting is there ready for expansion.  What that means is no magic (sorry Oz), no elves (sorry Treehugger), and no trolls (sorry Charles).  Cybernetics aren't a thing in the Mecha Academy setting, more for prosthetics than willing replacement.  The setting's gone through that phase.  WIth all that out in the open, let's go steal, er, make us a Numbers!

Star Trek Adventures (Modiphius) - Starships

Continuing with Modiphius' Star Trek Adventures, I want to try a few ships.  Instead of being a set of stats, ships in the game are almost a character unto themselves.  Players and GMs can work out what exactly the ship can do, starting with a ship class.  Creation isn't as involved with characters, so I can try out a few ships.  The game doesn't have a large selection, possibly due to space.  There's nothing from Enterprise, a few from the moves, the rest from TNG.  The game has the USS Enterprise from TOS, plus -A, -B, and -D, but no Ambassador-class for -C.

Because the steps are simple enough, I'll create a ship for the TOS, movie, and TNG eras.  For TOS, the ship will be in service during the same time as Kirk commands the Enterprise.  The movie era is set around The Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock, and The Voyage Home.  The TNG ship will serve after the return of Voyager.  Years will become important, so I'll select 2268, during the run of TOS, 2284 for the movie era, and 2379 for TNG.

Star Trek Adventures (Modiphius) - The Vulcan Ship's Counselor

Back in February, I tried creating a character using Star Trek Adventures from Modiphius.  The character was fairly straightforward, a Vulcan engineer, something one would expect on a Starfleet vessel.  Standard types only scratch the surface, though.  To really test a game, I want to see if an odd combination is still possible.  Today, I present a Vulcan ship's counselor.

The concept is odd, I'll grant that.  Vulcans aren't known for being all warm and fuzzy.  They shun emotions.  Some go through the kolinahr rite to purge the last traces of emotion.  Yet, the various Star Trek series have shown Vulcans use an emotional logic of sorts.  They tend to rationalize the decision as being logical.  Still, the series have shown Sarek with Human wives and protecting his son.  Why not have a Vulcan character who wants to learn how other species deal with emotions?  If reunification with the Romulans does happen, Vulcan society will have to adjust to take into account that there will be newcomers who don't have the control culture expects.

The life path character creation system should help here.  The seven steps, eight if deciding on a concept, help flesh out the player character.  I have the concept worked out, and that determines the era as during Star Trek: TNG or later.  All the attributes start at 7; all the disciplines start at 1.  After the break, one Vulcan psychologist.