[7:31 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: Hello! I’m Michael Startzman, one of the creators of BattleSauce – an RPBG – Role Playing Board Game! (done)
[7:32 PM]Adam Craft: Hello and howdy all! My name is Adam Craft. I’m the supporting partner of BattleSauce, which I’m sure Michael is going oven in more detail, is a Role Playing Board Game, rules lite, and combines the more robust elements of typical role playing as well as board game rules and vibes on BattleMaps
[7:32 PM]Adam Craft: (done)
[7:33 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Thanks, guys! The floor is open to questions!
[7:33 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Is BattleSauce a generic system, or does it have its own setting?
[7:33 PM]Adam Craft: Can I?
[7:33 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: Please do
[7:34 PM]Adam Craft: We were at the Table Top Game Convention recently in Long Island, and this one got asked a lot, lol…
[7:34 PM]Eric E: Can you elaborate on “role playing board game”?
[7:34 PM]Eric E: What is a direct influence of the game?
[7:34 PM]Adam Craft: Essentially BattleSacue is a system that can be dropped into any setting needed…it’s meant to be fast and easy to understand, and able to handle the epic all the way down to the simple
[7:35 PM]Adam Craft: the board game part comes into play when characters are on a BattleMap, usually used like most games in areas where dungeon crawling takes place, or seiges, etc….ever seen the movie the Raid?…badass BattleMap
[7:36 PM]Adam Craft: on a BattleMap you use a deck of cards, normal playing cards, to pull for movement phases and landing outcomes
[7:37 PM]Adam Craft: this allows a map to be played solo if no one is able to join (the solo game is randomized), and allows you to use existing game boards like chess, Monopoly, Candyland, etc., overlap them, and use the same mechanics to create some WEIRD maps
[7:37 PM]Adam Craft: (done…for now, lol)
[7:37 PM]Adam Craft: hold on
[7:37 PM]Adam Craft: not done
[7:37 PM]Adam Craft: …yeah, done
[7:37 PM]Adam Craft: (done)
[7:38 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): (Heh. No need for the (done) after each answer, just after the intro. )1
[7:38 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): (Thanks, though! We used to do it that way.)
[7:39 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: I looked at a lot of games when working on BattleSauce, but mostly board games in order to discover what I liked about them and what made them appealing to me. I wanted the kind of randomness board games used but with characters we cared about.
[7:39 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): As a generic system, how does it cover various paranormal and superhuman abilities?
[7:39 PM]Adam Craft: omg yes
[7:40 PM]Adam Craft: so the main focus of BS (yes, it’s funny, and BattleMaps are BM’s), was to make sure we covered it all
[7:40 PM]Adam Craft: we have magic, mutations, inflictions (vampirism, lycanthropy, etc.), robotics, whatever you need
[7:41 PM]Adam Craft: the CookBook, which is like 98 percent ready to print, and is a lovely hardback, covers it all
[7:41 PM]Adam Craft: but the MAIN wonder of the system is the deck of playing cards1
[7:41 PM]Adam Craft: we were able to strip out most of the rules that you find in D&D or Rifts or Shadowrun, and make it slick and fast
[7:41 PM]Eric E: Are they custom playing cards, or generic 52 card deck?
[7:42 PM]Adam Craft: we’d LOVE to say yes to that at this point, but no, not produced by BattleSauce, but yes, to custom decks
[7:42 PM]Adam Craft: check this out
[7:42 PM]Adam Craft: we have a Trade (aka class in other games) called the Rounder…the Rounder is a gambler, and we fully encourage the player to buy a trick deck so they can cheat
[7:43 PM]Adam Craft: we WANT the custom decks, the fun decks, the lovely and the horrid looking art
[7:43 PM]Adam Craft: in that way also the cards take on value to the character, the setting, and is used in magic, skill mods, vehicles, and pretty much anything else
[7:43 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Do you have a character sheet that we can see?
[7:43 PM]Adam Craft: (startzman, do your thing)
[7:43 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: We wanted to create a system that was easy for players to get the tools they needed – instead of having to go specialty shops or hobby stores. So you use standard 52 but there are many, many luxury decks out there.
[7:44 PM]Adam Craft: we call the character sheet a Protein Pack
[7:44 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: We also use a 20 and 6-sided die
[7:44 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: I’ll grab a pack!
[7:44 PM]Adam Craft: our theme is food related, as food is universal to humans
[7:44 PM]Adam Craft: our ‘races’ are called Proteins
[7:44 PM]Adam Craft: Humans and Manimals are the most common
[7:44 PM]Adam Craft: Manimals are literally any human/animal hybrid
[7:45 PM]Adam Craft: Robots fall under Synthetic Proteins, lol
[7:45 PM]Adam Craft: all Proteins have an Evolutionary path, called Evos
[7:45 PM]Eric E: so you definitely are going for a tongue in cheek mindset1
[7:45 PM]Adam Craft: there are ten ranks for the Trades, and ten ranks for the Evos
[7:45 PM]Eric E: any thoughts on a beer-n-pretzels expansion? like maybe use that for custom decks purchasable through Drivethru?1
[7:45 PM]Adam Craft: yes, but it handles the epic as well
[7:46 PM]Adam Craft: we ran a game for the podcase NVNG, Nothing Ventured Nothing Gamed, and there were tears and cheers of joy at the end
[7:46 PM]Michael | BattleSauce:
[7:46 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: That’s the front of the Protein Pack with the back being a space for notes.
@Eric Eany thoughts on a beer-n-pretzels expansion? like maybe use that for custom decks purchasable through Drivethru?[7:46 PM]Adam Craft: we have lots of thoughts like this; hit us up later if you want…we like fostering community; check us out on discord later
[7:47 PM]Adam Craft: …and if I miss a question, please let me know, lol
[7:47 PM]Eric E: maybe post the discord link?
[7:47 PM]Adam Craft: stand by
[7:47 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Can you describe how task resolution works? The example we like to use is a PC trying to jump over a gap.
[7:47 PM]Eric E: btw, I may be the target market for part of this (curse you @Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe) ) – I just got a copy of WWE Know Your Role in the mail last week.
@Eric Emaybe post the discord link?[7:48 PM]Adam Craft: unknown
[7:48 PM]Eric E: after the task resolution, what are sting, float, category?
[7:48 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: Actually, that link is to a locked channel Try this one: https://discord.gg/38vZveH6GHYOU’VE BEEN INVITED TO JOIN A SERVERThis is BattleSauce – The Server11 Online63 MembersJoin
[7:48 PM]GavinReadsWords: What are the core themes of BattleSauce and how do they present themselves in the mechanics and fluff?
[7:49 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): (Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee? )
[7:49 PM]Adam Craft: yup
@Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe)(Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee? )[7:49 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: 100 percent!
[7:49 PM]Adam Craft: we use black jack for combat resolution for melee
[7:49 PM]Adam Craft: Float and Sting add to or take away from your total
@Michael | BattleSauce100 percent![7:49 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Go me!(edited)1
[7:49 PM]Adam Craft: distance combat and difficulty rolls are a D20 roll
[7:49 PM]Adam Craft: sting and float apply there, as approrpiate
@GavinReadsWordsWhat are the core themes of BattleSauce and how do they present themselves in the mechanics and fluff?[7:50 PM]Adam Craft: in what way do you mean fluff?
[7:51 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: So, jumping a gap is resolved by a simple Difficulty roll modified by the Protein’s Trade Skills and/or Evo Traits.
@Adam Craftin what way do you mean fluff?[7:51 PM]GavinReadsWords: The story, lore, stuffs like that! the not so crunchy bits of the game.
[7:51 PM]Adam Craft: but for example, we have an Appetizer (3 to 5 hour game) where you play a WW2 (alternate history) sniper…any Face card laid aside before the game starts can be used as a head shot/instant kill in game play…that’s just one for that setting, but can be used in any way
[7:52 PM]Adam Craft: ahhh…right on…that’s a narrative element, if I’m understanding it right, but if you look at our art and such, we often weave in cards and suits to show what those things are, and how they might react1
@Michael | BattleSauceSo, jumping a gap is resolved by a simple Difficulty roll modified by the Protein’s Trade Skills and/or Evo Traits.[7:52 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): I see that there are no attributes. Are any of the Trade Skills and/or Evo Traits at all attribute-like?
[7:52 PM]Adam Craft: yes
[7:53 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: BattleSauce is largely a system and we have Ages which are the genres and “worlds” characters live in.
[7:53 PM]Adam Craft: when you’re dealing with any role playing game, the human is always, be default, the standar you have to deviate from
[7:53 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: BattleSauce does have a lore built in for the universe – how it came to be etc. – and the centeral planet is an Earth-like world called Goreth.
[7:54 PM]Adam Craft: we use the Common Sense rule for humans, depending on the setting, work from there…we don’t NEED an attribute to tell if a character is stronger than another, as long as the SB (Sauce Boss, or DM) knows how to adjust a Difficulty roll
[7:54 PM]Adam Craft: do you know HOW MANY rules you can drop when yo shift it just a bit like that??
[7:54 PM]Adam Craft: most of them, with a Thanos-snap of the fingers, and the flickering shuffle of a deck of cards
[7:55 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: It was vitally important to us that the rules didn’t bog the system and everything made sense. When creating BattleSauce, we didn’t want players to have to look up copious rules as that really takes people out of the game.1
[7:56 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): I’m a bit confused — if BattleSauce is a generic system, how can it have a setting? Is it actually meant to cover a multi-genre multiverse or the like?
[7:56 PM]Adam Craft: …for sure…also, as artists, we wanted to have a space for the visuals to tell as much about the settings as the words
[7:57 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: We also really wanted to involve the player more and that’s one of the big reasons for the cards – they provide an element of strategy and gameplay beyond the randomness of dice.
@Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe)I’m a bit confused — if BattleSauce is a generic system, how can it have a setting? Is it actually meant to cover a multi-genre multiverse or the like?[7:57 PM]Adam Craft: YES…we call them Ages…when enough content is generated from us about a partiuclar game (WW2, a sci fi bananza, a fantasy collection), these become part of an Age, and are then able to be woven together as a story
[7:57 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: OMG am I messing up the flow here?!
[7:58 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: SORRY!
[7:58 PM]Adam Craft: we’re always producing content to play, and we have themes we work from
@Michael | BattleSauceOMG am I messing up the flow here?![7:58 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): No, you’re fine!
[7:58 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): What is the story that binds the Ages together?
[7:59 PM]Adam Craft: so there is an Age of No Kings, which is fantasy…and Age of Illumination, which is a Lovecraftian cosmic sci fi horror setting, Age of Whispering Pines (think gravity falls and x files), etc.
[7:59 PM]Adam Craft: the underlying stories are up to the players and the SB’s…we give a framework of taste and tone, plus monsters and NPC’s
[7:59 PM]Adam Craft: we also seed smaller stories, for sure
[7:59 PM]Eric E: How reliant is the game on BMs?1
[8:00 PM]Adam Craft: and over time we DO have major players in these Ages, but BS is a home brew system, and we want the cummunity to be as deeply in it as we are
[8:00 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: So, the BattleSauce CookBook is the system and then we have Ages that are different periods on the universal timeline. Ages are comprised of Meals – full length, campaign-like games, Snacks – BattleMaps for playing quickly, and Appetizers – a single, epic moment in a larger game – like the climax of a movie.
@Eric EHow reliant is the game on BMs?[8:01 PM]Adam Craft: not at all if not needed, but integral typically in all of our content…I’m an old school D10er, and maps were alien to me for decades…I LOVE our BattleMaps, though, for the sheer creative potential they offer
@Eric EHow reliant is the game on BMs?[8:01 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Sorry, that just sounds funny.
[8:01 PM]Adam Craft: AS IT SHOULD!!!!
[8:01 PM]Adam Craft: it’s fun1
[8:01 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: Well, it’s actually SBers…SauceBoss!
[8:01 PM]Michael | BattleSauce:
@Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe)Sorry, that just sounds funny. [8:02 PM]Eric E: It was intentional, in the flavor of the game1
[8:02 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: All of the Flavor, none of the fat!
[8:02 PM]Adam Craft: i have a dear friend who is a bit of a curmudgeon for how a game should be ran (he is almost meta in how he plays now), and he was slapping his kneed and nearly peed himself over some of the nonesense his character got up to1
@Eric EIt was intentional, in the flavor of the game[8:02 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): That’s fine. Just don’t mention BMs on the regular.
[8:02 PM]Adam Craft: lol
@Adam Craftnot at all if not needed, but integral typically in all of our content…I’m an old school D10er, and maps were alien to me for decades…I LOVE our BattleMaps, though, for the sheer creative potential they offer[8:03 PM]Eric E: I’m still very much a fan of theater of the mind. But I do truly enjoy D&D4E, but it requires the right group of players. With my group, 13th Age is as complex as I want to get in positioning normally.1
@Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe)That’s fine. Just don’t mention BMs on the regular.[8:03 PM]Eric E: You want to clog my BMing?1
[8:03 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): So you mentioned that task resolution uses a d20, but is it roll-and-add or roll-under, and what is the skill scale?
[8:04 PM]Adam Craft: oh, make no mistake, other than when you’re on a battlemap, it’s exactly theater of the mind
[8:04 PM]Adam Craft: so let’s say you have a character that needs to pick a lock
[8:05 PM]Adam Craft: same deal; the SB assigns the difficulty of that task, and the player rolls for success or not…but that character might have mods or buffs, based on existing skill sets…or a Sting/Float bonus might apply
[8:05 PM]Eric E: Can you walk us through creating a character?
[8:05 PM]Adam Craft: sure can
[8:06 PM]Adam Craft: Michael, me or you?
[8:06 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: Some Trade Skills and/or Evos will also use cards to let the character perform the task without any issue. But you have to be careful because you may need that higher card later for combat or other Skills/Evos.
[8:06 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: I’ll take it!
[8:08 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: Creating a character is fairly straight forward: you pick your Protein (race) and then select an Evo from a pool of 10 available Evos. Then the same process for Trades (occupations). You create a Super Cool Finishing Move which is an over-the-top way to finish off an opponent – Mortal Kombat style.
[8:09 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: Based on the kind of character you want to play, you may also have an Infliction – which is something imposed upon the character – vamprism, lycanthropy, etc.
[8:10 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: You also have Street Skills which are simple skills picked up just from living in the Age and not related to your Trade or Evo. You typically start with three of those when creating a character with the assumption they’ve been alive and doing things up to the point of character creation.
[8:11 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: That’s largely it!
[8:11 PM]Eric E: (side note, why are trades called trades and not carbs?)
[8:11 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: ha! We count Calories – which are experience points!
@Eric ECan you walk us through creating a character?[8:11 PM]Adam Craft: …so here’s how it might go…what sort of setting would you like to play for this example?
[8:11 PM]Zarek – Rochai (Indominant): Maybe you described it earlier, sorry to hop in late, but what are Evos? Maybe you can provide some examples?
[8:11 PM]Eric E: (additional side note, why not “spice” instead of Evo’s?)
@Adam Craft…so here’s how it might go…what sort of setting would you like to play for this example?[8:12 PM]Eric E: Let’s do fantasy, since that is the elephant in the room
[8:12 PM]Adam Craft: Evos are evolutionary traits a Protein advances through during play
[8:13 PM]Adam Craft: alright…fantasy…what Protein sounds fun?…human, manimal (any human/animal hybrid), a giant, something more traditional, or something off the wall?
[8:13 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: We thought the terms helped people to better understand what they were!
[8:13 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: And we didn’t want them ALL food related 1
[8:13 PM]Eric E: Let’s do a lion-person, just for our bud @Silverlion who isnt here righ tnow3
[8:13 PM]Adam Craft: so a lion manimal
[8:13 PM]Adam Craft: that’s badass
[8:14 PM]Adam Craft: I drew a tiger manimal way back, loved him…
[8:14 PM]Adam Craft: okay, so your Protein is a Tiger Manimal…what Trade, or occupation?
[8:14 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): @Silverlion does love his lions, it’s true.
[8:14 PM]Adam Craft: with BattleSauce we have some really cool options, which i can outline
[8:14 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): I think it’s a matter of pride.11
[8:14 PM]Adam Craft: or you can make one up
[8:15 PM]Eric E: Let’s do a covert attacker
[8:15 PM]Adam Craft: but, for example, there’s a Revenant, which is a Trade that draws on past lives for skills and knowledge
[8:15 PM]Adam Craft: so like an assassin?
[8:15 PM]Eric E: think like the mad striker what strikes at midnight
[8:15 PM]Eric E: Like an assassin mage1
[8:15 PM]Adam Craft: right on
[8:15 PM]Adam Craft: so, check this out…what is a natural ability you want that lion manimal to have?
[8:16 PM]Adam Craft: something cool
[8:16 PM]Eric E: A roar, that terrifies or startles the enemies
[8:16 PM]Adam Craft: So your first Evo is Roar of Might (a working name)
[8:16 PM]Eric E: Or, if it helps, a roar that makes the enemy drop a battle map1
[8:16 PM]Eric E: (that was for Dan)
[8:16 PM]Adam Craft: you roar, and any face card you have you can use, and the target runs
[8:16 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): I see what you did there.
[8:17 PM]Adam Craft: you pull the face cards prior
[8:17 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: or save them when drawn during gameplay
[8:17 PM]Adam Craft: and just like that you decide what your new Evos are, and the SB helps you work the mechanics
[8:17 PM]Adam Craft: now, for the Assassin part
[8:17 PM]Adam Craft: what area of focus is your character?
[8:17 PM]Adam Craft: toxins, blades, a magical mix of both?
[8:18 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: shadow puppets of death
[8:18 PM]Adam Craft: take it Startzman!
[8:18 PM]Eric E: I’m leaning toward blades, or hand-blades. I would call them tiger-claws, but then I’d have to go with a Liger
[8:18 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: nah man, keep going!
[8:18 PM]Adam Craft: so, blades
[8:18 PM]Adam Craft: hand blades
[8:19 PM]Adam Craft: your fist Trade Skill might be: Razor Handed, where you can use weild two blades at once, with a Sting of +1 for each
[8:19 PM]Adam Craft: and a Sting of +2 on the first ambush attack
[8:19 PM]Adam Craft: this means that you get a mod on your black jack, which is how we do melee
[8:19 PM]Adam Craft: no initiative
[8:20 PM]Adam Craft: AND, let’s say, if you play an Ace on your ambush attack, they can’t defend, and you do what we call Carnage
[8:20 PM]Adam Craft: which is the most damage your weapon can do
[8:20 PM]Eric E: Ok, card value impacts the combat like that.
[8:21 PM]Adam Craft: yup
[8:21 PM]Adam Craft: magic is also handled by cards
[8:21 PM]Eric E: So le’ts say his magic is tied to manipulating shadows, sound, visibility, etc
[8:21 PM]Adam Craft: we have a Trade that does exactly that, in fact
[8:22 PM]Adam Craft: the Umbral deals with shadows and darkness
[8:23 PM]Adam Craft: so with the magic for shadows, we’d likely use the Spade suit to activate that magiv
[8:23 PM]Adam Craft: magic
[8:23 PM]Adam Craft: Michael is getting some examples right now
[8:23 PM]Adam Craft: but shadow manipulation is a big deal for Umbral magic, though we veered away from ‘dark’ meaning evil, and ‘light’ being good1
[8:25 PM]Adam Craft: (…epicness incoming…stand by…)
[8:25 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: One of our Trades, Umbral Weaver, is trained in using shadows. All Trades have ten Trade Skills for a player to choose from – this also helps differentiate characters who may have the same Trade. So, Umbral Weaver has a skill called Absorb Shadow that plays like this: Steal black-suited cards from any other player – even those still in the deck – and heal anyone with the value of the card x1D6. The recipient is chilled and slightly colder for the next few rounds. As agreed by the ‘ SB, this can be used at any time, and targeted decks can’t resist.1
[8:26 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: And Shadow Weapons: Create weapons – blades, tentacles, claws, etc. from shadows by using any Club card or combination of Clubs that deal damage equal to the sum of the cards and multiply by 1D6.
@Michael | BattleSauceAnd Shadow Weapons: Create weapons – blades, tentacles, claws, etc. from shadows by using any Club card or combination of Clubs that deal damage equal to the sum of the cards and multiply by 1D6.[8:26 PM]Adam Craft: @Eric E , this feels more like what your character might take, but maybe not…OR you could make your own spell
[8:27 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: Once you play your cards, they go into a discard pile until your deck is depleted – then you shuffle and start again.
[8:27 PM]Adam Craft: as a home brew system, creativity is the target, as that leads to greater fun and investment for the game
[8:28 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: Yep. Magic is handled a bit differently.
[8:28 PM]Adam Craft: hey, right on!
[8:28 PM]Adam Craft: @Eric E , does that track?
[8:29 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: the suits represent the different types of magic and the value of the cards represent the strength of the magic.
[8:29 PM]Adam Craft: …again, going for simple and robust over complex and peckish
[8:29 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: in this way, any spell can easily be created by the player.
@Adam Craft@Eric E , does that track?[8:29 PM]Eric E: Yep, either works. The custom or using the Umbral Weaver
[8:29 PM]Adam Craft: right on, yeah
[8:30 PM]Eric E: So the Umbral weaver is in the fantasy age, right? But not in the other ages? Or would it be portable between ages?
[8:30 PM]Adam Craft: it’s surprisingly easy to get a handle on, and again surprisngingly capable of handling pretty much any level of game
[8:30 PM]Adam Craft: any age
[8:30 PM]Adam Craft: fantasy is the Age, but the system, and the skills we have in the CookBook, are universal1
[8:30 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: So Umbral Weaver could be used in any Age really.
[8:31 PM]Adam Craft: for example
[8:31 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: Within reason.
[8:31 PM]Adam Craft: take umbral weaver and drop it into Bladerunner
[8:31 PM]Eric E: So you could do the WW2 mixed with Hellboy of sorts
[8:31 PM]Adam Craft: or Star Trek
[8:31 PM]Adam Craft: yup
@Eric ESo you could do the WW2 mixed with Hellboy of sorts[8:31 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: Absolutely!
[8:31 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Did you say earlier that there are 10 Trades and 10 Evos?
[8:31 PM]Adam Craft: in the CookBook, yes
[8:32 PM]Adam Craft: but your content is designed to introduce new Trades and Evos regularly
[8:32 PM]Adam Craft: our, not your
[8:32 PM]Adam Craft: (low battery; getting my charger)1
[8:32 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: And each Trade and Evo has a pool of 10 skills and traits, respectively.
[8:33 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: So at some point, your character would have all ten of each.
[8:33 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Can you list the Trades and Evos?
[8:33 PM]Eric E: Is this going to be a kickstarter or other crowdfunding?
@Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe)Can you list the Trades and Evos?[8:34 PM]Adam Craft: the ones from the CookBook, you mean?
[8:35 PM]Adam Craft: at this point we have many, MANY Trades from various content (our Snacks, Appetizers, and Meals)
@Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe)Can you list the Trades and Evos?[8:35 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: In the CookBook we’ll have these ten Trades, maybe more: Chef, Body Snatcher, Umbral Weaver, Toy Maker, X Trade, Monster Magnet, Watier, Waiter, Jack of All Trades, and Revenant.(edited)
[8:35 PM]Adam Craft: for real, they’re all very, very cool
[8:36 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): What is a Watier?
[8:36 PM]Adam Craft: Waiter; misspelled1
@Eric EIs this going to be a kickstarter or other crowdfunding?[8:36 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: We’re looking at multiple options right now. We launched a KS and canceled it and are thinking about various options for how and what we are going to release and have printed.1
@Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe)What is a Watier?[8:37 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: fancy beer term for Waiter.
[8:37 PM]Adam Craft: show him a pic of the one Waiter!!!
[8:37 PM]Adam Craft: Watier
[8:37 PM]Adam Craft: Waterer
[8:38 PM]Adam Craft: Tom Waits?1
[8:38 PM]Michael | BattleSauce:
[8:39 PM]Adam Craft: YES
[8:39 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): That looks like the Hulk on the left.
[8:39 PM]Adam Craft: obviously these are slick and stylish, like John Wick, but could apply to any Age
@Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe)That looks like the Hulk on the left.[8:40 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: And could do a lot of damage to the customers! 11
[8:40 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Why are they called “Waiters”?
[8:40 PM]Adam Craft: well
[8:40 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: Because they can get you anything you want.
[8:41 PM]Adam Craft: lol…food and food themes play a big part of the lore, and Chefs are a rather big deal…a Category X Chef (level ten in common), is about as badass as it gets, and an eatery owned by a Chef of such ranking is a big deal as well
[8:41 PM]Adam Craft: lots of business and stories happen there
[8:41 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: and, as an exclusive first look to this Trade, the description reads: Emissary, acquisitions, courier, or infiltrator, in the realms of BattleSauce, Waiters can get you anything you need – specializing in acquiring the unattainable, retrieving the elusive, and delivering the impossible. Waiters forge their skills under the secretive umbrella of “Houses,” which operate as a collective network of restaurants across the Ages, and are comprised of Chefs, Vendors, and Waiters.
[8:42 PM]Adam Craft: Watiers are part of that network and system of commerce
[8:42 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): I see. Cool!1
[8:42 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): What are the 10 Evos?
[8:43 PM]Eric E: I’m glad you recognized it was John Wickian (Wickins)? After my marathon of JW yesterday, i was 100% thinking that from the picture. And, do you have an age for Wickinanigans?
[8:43 PM]Adam Craft: so in my head, yes…fully realized
@Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe)What are the 10 Evos?[8:44 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: The CookBook won’t necessarily have 10 Evos since they will vary so greatly depending upon the Protein. We will show examples of Evolutionary Traits and how to make them.
@Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe)What are the 10 Evos?[8:44 PM]Adam Craft: depends on the Age and the game…we have a selection of Human Evos across a variety of games, and depedning on the game they’re different…for the WW2 game we wanted gritty and real
[8:44 PM]Adam Craft: for the Age of No Kings, it’ll be fantasy
@Eric EI’m glad you recognized it was John Wickian (Wickins)? After my marathon of JW yesterday, i was 100% thinking that from the picture. And, do you have an age for Wickinanigans?[8:44 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: Big inspiration for that Trade.
[8:44 PM]Adam Craft: for Age of Illumination, it will be more dark horror sci fi oriented
[8:45 PM]Adam Craft: the whole idea of Evo’s and Trade skills are that there will never, ever, ever be two characters that are the same, even if they’re both lion manimals that are assassins
[8:45 PM]Adam Craft: they’re each unique
[8:45 PM]Adam Craft: skills and evos are chosen from pools, not by progression of teir
[8:45 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): How many Proteins do you define in the core rulebook?
[8:46 PM]Adam Craft: hmm…like four or five?…but that covers most of creation…Creation, rather
[8:48 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: Yep. We obviously can’t cover all the Manimal/Womanimal types out there but we give a couple of examples. Same with Robots/Androids/etc. Evos can vary greatly depending on the Age. Each Age will have defined Proteins and Trades to fit the flavor.
[8:48 PM]Adam Craft: yup1
[8:49 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): I think one of my questions got lost in the shuffle back there… Are the d20 rolls roll-and-add or roll-under?
@Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe)I think one of my questions got lost in the shuffle back there… Are the d20 rolls roll-and-add or roll-under?[8:50 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: It’s typically a Difficulty set for the task and the character has to roll over using any Trade and/or Evo bonus they may have. If it’s combat related, Sting gets added to roll over.
[8:52 PM]Eric E: So as you Evo-up, do you get more competent? I could see people as correlating Evo’s and Trade skills to levels potentially.
[8:52 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: I should also add that I own a small restaurant in my little Kentucky town. Might have something to do with all the food lingo.
@Eric ESo as you Evo-up, do you get more competent? I could see people as correlating Evo’s and Trade skills to levels potentially.[8:53 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Evoing up could chafe. You might need some Evo lotion.11
@Eric ESo as you Evo-up, do you get more competent? I could see people as correlating Evo’s and Trade skills to levels potentially.[8:53 PM]Adam Craft: for sure, the Evo’s stack here and there, and some of them can get weird, but it’s more like you refine the character into the toughest, coolest version of them you can make
@Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe)Evoing up could chafe. You might need some Evo lotion.[8:53 PM]Adam Craft: dude, you should see some fo the mutations1
[8:53 PM]Adam Craft: Startzman often very gently reigns me in
[8:53 PM]Adam Craft: some of, rather; sorry, excited there!
[8:54 PM]Adam Craft: start talking about shadows and tentacles and mutations, and i forget how to spell
[8:54 PM]Adam Craft: speaking of
[8:55 PM]Adam Craft: mutation in the game is built in…some magic and arcano items are more or less magically radioactive, and can cause mutations
[8:55 PM]Adam Craft: …it’s common knowledge in some circles to avoid collectors that have too many…oddities1
[8:56 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): How do you handle superpowers?
[8:57 PM]Adam Craft: essentially the same way…so for a character that might be like, say, an X man?
[8:57 PM]Adam Craft: what would be a super power you’d enjoy?
[8:58 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Well, given the lack of attributes, I’d be curious to know how you’d handle something like super-strength.
[8:58 PM]Adam Craft: sweet
[8:58 PM]Adam Craft: check this out
[8:58 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: @Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe) we also have a Hardboiled Trade! 11
[9:00 PM]Adam Craft: your super power could be called ‘Mega Strong’ or whatever, or Titan’s Might, but it would work like this…character can use this super power to inflict damage to objects he normally couldn’t…for example, you might use the Club suited cards for this power, and anytime you took a swing at something you wanted to inflict ‘mega damage’ to, you did your normal damage -usually around the 2D6 range for humans, and then said that any Club suited card you pulled got added to that damage, and became ‘mega’
[9:01 PM]Adam Craft: which means, yes, you could, on one punch, do the entire added amount of the Club suited cards as your damage…and if you did Carnage on this attack, double that…and Max Carnage?…double that again…
[9:01 PM]Adam Craft: though the Carnage rule has a built in danger…just saying
[9:01 PM]Adam Craft: you could also say that you can use any Spade suited card in such a manner, as long as you had at least one club card to use the power at all
[9:01 PM]Adam Craft: and that was just off the top of my head, sitting here right now
[9:02 PM]Eric E: So you’d definitely want some cards set aside from the start, so you could do that trick and not whiff because you drew a heart
[9:02 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): So in terms of power scale, is there a level of superhero that BattleSauce couldn’t really handle?
[9:02 PM]Adam Craft: sometimes yes
[9:02 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: So, knowing that you play 21/Blackjack for combat, you might also not want to spend your high cards all willy-nilly
@Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe)So in terms of power scale, is there a level of superhero that BattleSauce couldn’t really handle?[9:02 PM]Adam Craft: nope
[9:04 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Really? How would you handle cosmic-scale supers?
[9:04 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): (brb)
[9:04 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: We actually have an Age for when your character gains all their Evos and all of their Trade Skills – which progress at different rates – that’s tentatively called the Age of Gods and Monsters – where your character essentially becomes a god-like being.
[9:04 PM]Adam Craft: …for Cosmic level powers, say, you have an entity like Galactus…eats worlds…
[9:04 PM]Adam Craft: that’s BIG
[9:04 PM]Adam Craft: but it’s still a scale of the value you place on the powers with the cards
[9:05 PM]Eric E: In most ages, how do player characters compare to: normal humans or normal proteins, and, how do they compare to foes?
[9:05 PM]Eric E: Are foes built like heroes? or are there monster/foe stat blocks?
[9:05 PM]Adam Craft: for where your superhero does a straight multiple for Club and Spade damage, Galactus might multiply that by 100
[9:05 PM]Adam Craft: sure, he can squish you with a hit, but that’s why there are super hero teams, right??
@Eric EIn most ages, how do player characters compare to: normal humans or normal proteins, and, how do they compare to foes?[9:07 PM]Adam Craft: it’s all made to scale in the same way a ‘typical’ game is…the main difference is humans, oddly…we make an effort ot show the uniqueness of a human in their Evos a lot of the time, allowing for how magic and science might change the Protein over time
@Eric EIn most ages, how do player characters compare to: normal humans or normal proteins, and, how do they compare to foes?[9:07 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: It depends a lot on the Age. Each Age has a Monster Horde of 20 monsters for easy, random selection (or pick one if you’d rather) and we try to include a range of difficulty vs annoyance vs scary.
[9:07 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): (back)1
[9:07 PM]Adam Craft: (welcome)
[9:08 PM]Eric E: Can we see a monster horde or stat block?
[9:08 PM]Adam Craft: lol, I was about to ask Michael to show one1
[9:08 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: Monsters can also be used across Ages. Will do. Gimme a minute!1
[9:10 PM]Adam Craft: lol, so I just started an IG account as a character from one of our Ages, called Whispering Pines…I’m using it as a ‘real world’ interface along the lines of a young cryptozoologist…gonna be pretty fun; I’ll look you guys up later if you’re interested
[9:11 PM]Silverlion: Evos? Are they evolved?
[9:11 PM]Eric E: I recently stopped using IG because it was taking too much of my time (reels)
[9:11 PM]Adam Craft: man, for real…no pun intended
@SilverlionEvos? Are they evolved?[9:12 PM]Adam Craft: in a manner of speaking, lol
[9:12 PM]Adam Craft: all characters have an Evolutionary trait that grows as they do
[9:12 PM]Silverlion: Oh neat.
[9:12 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: ok, here we go
[9:13 PM]Adam Craft: thanks, and yeah, we love it!
[9:13 PM]Michael | BattleSauce:
[9:13 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: That’s a look at human enemies for the WW2 game we call an Appetizer – playable in a single sitting.(edited)
[9:13 PM]Michael | BattleSauce:
[9:14 PM]Eric E: That bouncing betty is no joke!
[9:14 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: This one is for a Snack called Dungeon Krawl III
[9:14 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: and is rather straight forward – teeth and claws
[9:14 PM]Michael | BattleSauce:1
@Eric EThat bouncing betty is no joke![9:14 PM]Adam Craft: for sure…for this one we wanted it very, very gritty
[9:15 PM]Silverlion: Is this game about fighting (like Street Fighter?)
[9:15 PM]Eric E: Ok, the aintnoladybug reminds me of that movie, Love & Monsters
[9:15 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: That one has a singular, special case attack
@SilverlionIs this game about fighting (like Street Fighter?)[9:15 PM]Adam Craft: …it’s a role playing board game, officially…role playing that is rules lite, and has a unique way for using maps
@Adam Craft…it’s a role playing board game, officially…role playing that is rules lite, and has a unique way for using maps[9:15 PM]Silverlion: Ah, cool.
[9:16 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): I see what I assume are damage ratings, but I don’t see any skill ratings for the monsters. Am I missing something?
[9:16 PM]Silverlion: And you’ll have several settings? (I just came in a bit ago.)
[9:16 PM]Eric E: So some of these are pretty stout damages potentially. how much grit does a character normally have just starting out?
@SilverlionAh, cool.[9:16 PM]Adam Craft: it is, for real; we spent a lot of time hammering it out…there’s a TON to read if you wanns scroll up, too…1
@Eric ESo some of these are pretty stout damages potentially. how much grit does a character normally have just starting out?[9:16 PM]Adam Craft: starting is around 80 to 90, normal human…1
[9:16 PM]Adam Craft: sometimes higher, sometimes lower
@Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe)I see what I assume are damage ratings, but I don’t see any skill ratings for the monsters. Am I missing something?[9:17 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: Monsters are very simple in their creation, though some can be complex. They are almost never built like characters though – to help facilitate ease of play and keep the action moving when it happens.
@SilverlionAnd you’ll have several settings? (I just came in a bit ago.)[9:17 PM]Adam Craft: …actually, it’s a system for home brew, which means it’s designed to handle any setting it needs to
[9:17 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): So how do you determine if a monster succeeds at an action?
[9:18 PM]Eric E: @Silverlion it sounds pretty interesting and maybe would be a supers game to run on discord1
@SilverlionAnd you’ll have several settings? (I just came in a bit ago.)[9:18 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: Yes! We will release our own settings – we call Ages – and encourage everyone to create their own or use their favorite!
@Eric E@Silverlion it sounds pretty interesting and maybe would be a supers game to run on discord[9:18 PM]Silverlion: It is sounding pretty neat. Not sure about the map situation though.
[9:18 PM]Adam Craft: same as with anything else…they will have clear combat mechanics, and otherwise if there’s a difficulty you handle it like any other one…say the monster decides it needs to climb a wall to reach you, but ‘climb’ isn’t on the sheet…basically the SB determines a difficulty for it, and go from there
@SilverlionIt is sounding pretty neat. Not sure about the map situation though.[9:19 PM]Adam Craft: lol, it’s different, for sure
@SilverlionIt is sounding pretty neat. Not sure about the map situation though.[9:19 PM]Eric E: Maps can always be optional, esp if playing on discord(edited)
[9:19 PM]Adam Craft: but super fun
[9:19 PM]BryanMc: Oh hey its @Adam Craft
[9:19 PM]Adam Craft: yeah…one of the main reasons we did maps like that is to make sure there’s a fully random mode of play, so it can be solo
[9:19 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Howdy, @BryanMc!
@SilverlionIt is sounding pretty neat. Not sure about the map situation though.[9:19 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: Yeah, Adam was weary on the map idea too at first, being a hard-nosed D10 gamer. But he loves em now.
@BryanMcOh hey its @Adam Craft [9:20 PM]Adam Craft: sup dude!1
@Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe)Howdy, @BryanMc![9:20 PM]BryanMc: Hey hey
@Adam Craftsup dude![9:21 PM]BryanMc: B A T T L E S A U C E 11
[9:21 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: Have we missed any questions? A lot going on back there!1
@Michael | BattleSauceYeah, Adam was weary on the map idea too at first, being a hard-nosed D10 gamer. But he loves em now.[9:21 PM]Silverlion: I’d be with him. Heh
@SilverlionI’d be with him. Heh [9:22 PM]Adam Craft: no kidding, man, it killed me at first, it really did…we had more arguments over the maps than anything else, lol…but for real, they’re a blast, and I get it now…and at the end of the day, if you need the map to be something other than it is in the rules, it’s home brew; do as thou wilt, you know11
[9:22 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): In the time remaining, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?
[9:22 PM]Adam Craft: dude
[9:22 PM]Adam Craft: yes
[9:23 PM]Adam Craft: so much wonder
[9:23 PM]BryanMc: maps need purpose or they are simply extra for the GM. battlesauce has it going on thanks to team @Michael | BattleSauce 1
[9:23 PM]Adam Craft: lol, but I think we hit the high points nicely1
[9:23 PM]Eric E: I think the last question I’ll have for tonight is: what kind of timeline do you have in mind for development/release?1
[9:23 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: The maps also worked really well in the more realistic WW2 game allowing for randomness of encounters as well as movement turns. Good stuff.1
@Eric EI think the last question I’ll have for tonight is: what kind of timeline do you have in mind for development/release?[9:23 PM]Adam Craft: Startzman, take this one?
[9:27 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: Absolutely! We currently have a very sparse version of the CookBook available for free download on our website. We, of course, call it BattleSauce Boiled Down: less art, less examples, printer friendly etc. The full color, fully illustrated, book with examples and Trades etc. is nearly finished and we’re looking at a few options for release – including digitally as a PDF. We’re also about to launch a new Age on our website that we will add to and have a KS for that as a print edition as well.
[9:28 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: drat. that was a long time for short answer! Apologies!(edited)
[9:28 PM]Eric E: website link?
[9:28 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: www.thisisbattlesauce.com
[9:28 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: well, that didn’t work. hang on
[9:29 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: https://www.thisisbattlesauce.com/BATTLESAUCEBattleSauce a free RPG and the world’s tastiest RPBGBattleSauce is the world’s tastiest RolePlaying Board Game! Free, rules-light system for beginners, veterans, and homebrewers alike! Join the fun today!
[9:29 PM]Eric E: Ok, i like the splash page
[9:29 PM]Eric E: a lot21
[9:29 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: Thank you!
[9:30 PM]BryanMc: been following the project for sometime – it’s only gotten more engaging as time wears on 11
[9:30 PM]Adam Craft: thank you good sir1
@BryanMcbeen following the project for sometime – it’s only gotten more engaging as time wears on [9:30 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: Thanks for the kind words and support!
[9:30 PM]Adam Craft: also, this has been a blast…will it be around somewhere to read again?
[9:31 PM]Adam Craft: I know I’d love to go back through and see what we can learn from this; we LOVE the idea of community, for real, so please feel welcome to come join our channel on discord, and see what we keep doing
[9:32 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: This has been so much fun! Thank you so much @Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe) for having us!2
@Michael | BattleSauceThanks for the kind words and support![9:32 PM]BryanMc: Adam is great to work with and Michael has always answered my questions – a great team happening there.2
[9:32 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: And for everyone tuning in and asking questions!1
@Adam Craftalso, this has been a blast…will it be around somewhere to read again?[9:32 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Yes it will! I’ll be posting the log and linking you momentarily.1
[9:33 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Usual reminder: If you’ve enjoyed this Q&A and would like to treat me to a coffee or two, you can do so at https://www.ko-fi.com/gmshoe. Anything’s appreciated! Ko-fiBuy Dan Davenport a Coffee. ko-fi.com/gmshoeBecome a supporter of Dan Davenport today! ❤️ Ko-fi lets you support the creators you love with no fees on donations.11
[9:33 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Thanks very much for joining us, @Adam Craft and @Michael | BattleSauce!1
[9:33 PM]Adam Craft: thank you for the space to chat!
[9:33 PM]Michael | BattleSauce: An absolute pleasure!
[9:33 PM]BryanMc: sorry to be late to dinner! I’ll be back in the kitchen doing dishes as punishment 1
[9:33 PM]Adam Craft: dude!
[9:33 PM]Adam Craft: yes!
[9:33 PM]Adam Craft: lol
[9:33 PM]BryanMc: Thank you guys