[19:31] <+Eloy-3EG> Hello everyone! It’s your friendly neighborhood RPG designer, Eloy Lasanta here. I own/operate Third Eye Games, makers of games like the Pip System, Apocalypse Prevention, Inc., The Ninja Crusade 2nd Edition, and most recently the latest sourcebook for AMP: Year One
[19:31] <+Eloy-3EG> of course, that is called AMP: Year Four and it’s currently on kickstarter: (Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/eloylasanta/amp-year-four-the-year-of-the-invasion-tabletop-rp)https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/eloylasanta/amp-year-four-the-year-of-the-invasion-tabletop-rp
[19:32] <+Eloy-3EG> It’s a game set in the present actually… where people start developing super powers and the craziness that ensues in the world.
[19:32] <+Eloy-3EG> It’s not a 4-color approach to the genre, it can be light and it can be dark, but it usually rests somewhere right in the middle.
[19:32] <+Eloy-3EG> we’re had themed years for each release up to this point.
[19:32] <+Eloy-3EG> AMP: Year One was all about the AMPs discovering their powers
[19:33] <+Eloy-3EG> AMP: Year Two was about the reaction to the AMP phenomenon from normal people, called Saps
[19:33] <+Eloy-3EG> AMP: Year Three was about all-out war between the two groups… really massive things happened in this year
[19:33] <+Eloy-3EG> and now we’re to AMP: Year Four where the groups have to put aside past differences to face a greater threat together, the Orphans
[19:34] <+Eloy-3EG> that’s the brief intro to the game
[19:34] <+Eloy-3EG> (done)
[19:34] <~Dan> Thanks, Eloy-3EG! The floor is open to questions!
[19:34] <~Dan> For those unfamiliar, can you give us a recap of the game system?
[19:34] <+Eloy-3EG> sure thing!
[19:35] <+Eloy-3EG> AMP uses the DGS-Combo system
[19:35] <+Eloy-3EG> there are no attributes, it’s all skills. And when you want to do something, you pick the two mot appropriate skills, add their values together and then roll 1d20 to add to that in hopes of hitting a target number (10, 20, 30, 40 respectively)
[19:36] <+Eloy-3EG> for example, if you were going to be fix a computer, that’d be a Craft (for putting stuff together) and Technology (for what you’re fixing) roll.
[19:36] <+Eloy-3EG> Level range from 1 to 10
[19:36] <+Eloy-3EG> In most cases, your powers become just another skill you roll along with your skills.
[19:37] <+Eloy-3EG> for instance, the Healing power has you roll your Medicine + Healing.
[19:37] <+Eloy-3EG> it’s all pretty intuitive once you get into the creativity that this type of system allows.
[19:37] <+Eloy-3EG> (done)
[19:37] <+NicholasWMoll> Would it be right to assume there is a campaign that one could pick up and run with from year 1-4, or is it more a continuing timeline that supports ongoing play?
[19:37] <+Eloy-3EG> well (done) with how the basic system works anyway. lol
[19:38] <+Eloy-3EG> @nicholaswmoll it’s definitely the second one. Each yearbook details the events that happen throughout that year. Year 1 starts in 2015
[19:38] <+Eloy-3EG> so they give you a backdrop to the world that your characters will be running through. they can be a part of them or ignore them entirely and just focus on their own stories. as much as you’d want
[19:39] <+Eloy-3EG> but there is always more fun when you play in the setting and interact with the events
[19:39] <+NicholasWMoll> How so?
[19:40] <+Eloy-3EG> well, the storylines and events have their own characters and groups involved and they are interesting to interact with, but also it’s fun to be part of the bigger picture (imo).
[19:40] <+Eloy-3EG> for instance, I ran an adventure during the Battle of Reno in Year One, that’s a great one, because all the book says is that there was a huge fight between AMPs there, but the players got to see what caused it…
[19:40] <+Eloy-3EG> spoiler: it was them
[19:41] <+Eloy-3EG> The events of Halloween each year if fun, because we’ve given glimpses into the supernatural a bit more with each passing year
[19:41] <+Eloy-3EG> But I find that the timeline events make for an easy way to access the world as well.
[19:42] <+NicholasWMoll> Okay, so there’s a lattice work there with support for GM. Cool.
[19:42] <+Eloy-3EG> did you want your characters to discover their powers from the beginning, then pick a point in year 1
[19:42] <~Dan> Yeah… IRC, wasn’t there a power in Year 1 that let characters see ghosts?
[19:42] <+Eloy-3EG> if you want them to develop their powers under a veil of oppression, then year two is for you.
[19:42] <+Eloy-3EG> if they are caught in the middle of a war, then year 3
[19:42] <~Dan> IIRC, rather
[19:42] <+Eloy-3EG> dan – yes., Mediumship.
[19:43] <+Eloy-3EG> and most of our supernatural has involved ghosts and the afterlife, not necessarily monsters or anything.
[19:43] <~Dan> Seems like I asked you during the Q&A for Year 1 if the supernatural existed based on that fact. I recall you being coy. π
[19:43] <+Eloy-3EG> in year 3, we introduced a new player option called the Twice Born, which are people who came back from the dead. they are creepy, yet fun to play. π
[19:44] <~Dan> Are they a different kind of AMP, or something else?
[19:44] <+Eloy-3EG> dan – Possibly. A lot of the time, I don’t like to answer what isn’t defined. I didn’t necessarily know the exact direction the supernatural was going to take when I was writing year 1. now that we’re going into year 4, we’ve had a lot of time to build it up
[19:45] <+Eloy-3EG> the Twice Born are their own thing.
[19:45] <+Eloy-3EG> not just another AMP… cause that’d be boring
[19:45] <~Dan> What sorts of abilities to Twice Born have?
[19:46] <+Eloy-3EG> their biggest ability is that they’ve already died once, so they can’t die again.
[19:46] <~Dan> Really? They’re flat-out immune to death?
[19:46] <+Eloy-3EG> that is also their biggest curse, though
[19:47] <+Eloy-3EG> oh yeah, that doesn’t mean they won’t lose limbs or be completely destroyed. they’ll just continue to exist in a state of pain
[19:47] <+Acenoid> thanks for the help
[19:47] <+Eloy-3EG> and every time they die, they come back a little bit broken mentally as well.
[19:47] <+Acenoid> going to bed now
[19:48] <+Eloy-3EG> Good night!
[19:48] <~Dan> Damn. That IS creepy.
[19:48] <+Eloy-3EG> but fun to play. π
[19:49] * ~Dan chuckles
[19:49] <+Eloy-3EG> (done)
[19:49] <~Dan> And as of Year 3, some AMPs are turning into monsters?
[19:49] <+Eloy-3EG> that was the reason we introduced a lot of new mental drawbacks in that book, by the way
[19:49] <+Eloy-3EG> Yep, in Year 3, there was a surge in some of the AMPs becoming what we call Rampagers.
[19:50] <+Eloy-3EG> basically the hulk, but huge mutated messes that resemble the hulk
[19:50] <+Eloy-3EG> large, lumbering, you get it
[19:50] * ~Dan nods
[19:50] <+Eloy-3EG> they are also no longer human in that form, so they just go on rampages through town and kill people and cause lots of property damage and stuff.
[19:51] <~Dan> Do they keep their previous powers as well, or are they just big and strong?
[19:51] <+WickedClever> So you can play at any of the years? They are all standalone yet interconnected games? You don’t have to start at 1, play through it, go to 2, and so on so forth?
[19:51] <+Eloy-3EG> a lot of Year 3, the characters are spending trying to find a cure for the condition
[19:51] <+Eloy-3EG> they eventually do at the end, but there is already so much destruction.
[19:51] <+Eloy-3EG> WickedClever – AMP: Year One has the core rules in it. So yo need Year One to play the game.
[19:52] <+WickedClever> Ok!
[19:52] <+Eloy-3EG> after that, consider the other books sourcebooks with some setting info and some new player/GM tools
[19:52] <+WickedClever> Gotcha. Thanks!
[19:52] <+Eloy-3EG> you don’t NEED anything other than year one, but getting them in order not only tells a fun story, but gives you context for the material included in each one.
[19:53] <~Dan> Are the power armors introduced in Year 2 or Year 3?
[19:53] <+Eloy-3EG> For instance, I got asked a lot about gadgeteering when Year one came out. That info was in year two, because contextually it didn’t make sense in year one. The story has be consistant
[19:53] <+Eloy-3EG> I’ve tried my best to keep it from being a kitchen sink setting. lol
[19:53] <+Eloy-3EG> power armor is Year 3, a lot of it based on the tech developed in gadgeteering.
[19:54] <+Eloy-3EG> the suits are what the Saps create to combat the Rampagers. Again, making sense within the story being told.
[19:54] * ~Dan nods
[19:54] <+Eloy-3EG> they really hold their own against each other.
[19:54] <~Dan> How strong are the Rampagers, by the way?
[19:54] <+Eloy-3EG> they are pretty damn strong.
[19:55] <+Eloy-3EG> takes a team to take one down.
[19:55] <~Dan> Well, I mean, are we talking Hulk scale? Omega-level threats?
[19:55] <~Dan> Skyscraper-bashing?
[19:55] <+Eloy-3EG> I don’t know the levels… it’s very strong
[19:56] <+Eloy-3EG> maybe not skyscraper bashing… but large building smashing. lol
[19:56] <~Dan> Warehouse smashing. Gotcha. π
[19:56] <+Eloy-3EG> let’s go with that
[19:56] <+NicholasWMoll> So, from the “it takes a team” statement it sounds like the Rampagers are akin to the original incarnation Doomsday?
[19:57] <+Eloy-3EG> that’s great imagery, yeah. though, of course, they don’t adapt to every attack that comes at them and remain unkillable. Doomsday is kind of ridiculous that way.
[19:58] <~Dan> What can you tell us about the Orphans?
[19:58] <+Eloy-3EG> Rampagers can definitely be taken down, but then it’s a question of what to do with them. they are people trapped in there. Killing them is killing a person, and only a small number of people even know there is a cure being researched.
[19:58] <~Dan> (Welcome to #rpgnet, Thozmp!)
[19:58] <+Thozmp> Hello?
[19:58] <+Eloy-3EG> Orphans are probably closer to the omega level thing you were talking about.
[19:58] <+WickedClever> Rampagers are PC options?
[19:58] <+Eloy-3EG> Rampagers are what happens when you give into your mutations and you are no longer a person. you become an NPC at that point
[19:59] <~Dan> Hello, Thozmp! Here for the Q&A? π
[19:59] <+Thozmp> yes
[19:59] <+Eloy-3EG> players can take mutations though… but too many and you become a Rampager
[19:59] <+WickedClever> Ahhh!
[19:59] <~Dan> In progress! The floor is open to questions. π
[19:59] <+Thozmp> Like insanity in WH40K rpg?
[19:59] <+Eloy-3EG> I’m answering the Orphans thing
[20:00] <+Thozmp> I meant the rampager thing, too much and loose your character
[20:00] <+Eloy-3EG> so near the end of year 2 there was a group of AMPs who saw the craziness happening in the world and said “you know what, we’re out” and one of them had the power to transport the off-world
[20:00] <+Eloy-3EG> at the very end of Year 3, one of those orphans returned to warn Earth that the Orphans were on their way back to take over the planet
[20:01] <+Eloy-3EG> Orphans have traveled to the edge of reality and discovered the secrets of how to manipulate said reality, and their return bring magic to earth.
[20:01] <+Eloy-3EG> Magic being one of those things the fans had been asking for for a while, but it never made sense until now
[20:02] <+Eloy-3EG> (done)
[20:03] <+Thozmp> I was wondering about that, will Year 4 have an explanation for how Starfield even knew where to go? I’d hate to think his plan was simply to teleport “away”
[20:04] <+Eloy-3EG> Starfield, being the AMP who could leave Earth, may have known or may not have. His goal for the Orphans was to get as far away from Earth as possible. They essentially went so far that they found the vast nothingness and everything ness at the edge of reality instead of, like, another world they could just live on.
[20:04] <+Eloy-3EG> essentially… be careful what you wish for
[20:05] <+Eloy-3EG> I will spoil that it was definitely not intentional
[20:06] <~Dan> When you say that the Orphans’ return brings magic, do you mean that they return with the ability to work magic, or do you mean that magic arrives along with them?
[20:06] <+Eloy-3EG> dan – both
[20:06] <+Thozmp> Was magic planned from the beginning?
[20:06] <+Eloy-3EG> they know how to wield it, and their presence unlocks it for others on Earth
[20:07] <+Eloy-3EG> plan? what is this plan you speak of?
[20:07] <+Eloy-3EG> hahah!
[20:07] <~Dan> Heh. π
[20:07] <+Eloy-3EG> I usually plan about 2 books ahead, so no it wasn’t planned from the beginning, but it was planned from Year two, which is why the Orphans left in Year 2
[20:07] <+Thozmp> cool
[20:07] <~Dan> Eloy doesn’t plan anything. His games are written in an opium haze.
[20:08] <+Eloy-3EG> there are things that happened in Year 3 that won’t pay off until Year 5, for instance
[20:08] <+Eloy-3EG> I’m all about laying the seeds and then people going “oh crap! that’s what that was!”
[20:08] <+WickedClever> How many years are there?
[20:08] <+WickedClever> And do you release one a year?
[20:08] <+Eloy-3EG> I have a 5 year plan for the game, and the current kickstarter is for Year 4
[20:09] <+Eloy-3EG> Link for quick reference: (Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/eloylasanta/amp-year-four-the-year-of-the-invasion-tabletop-rp)https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/eloylasanta/amp-year-four-the-year-of-the-invasion-tabletop-rp
[20:09] <+Eloy-3EG> I release one major yearbook per year and supplemental stuff inbetween
[20:10] <~Dan> What sorts of things can magic accomplish that AMP powers can’t?
[20:10] <+Eloy-3EG> there are a number of groups and secret societies in the game that get fleshed out in their own expansions, which is always fun.
[20:11] <+Thozmp> Will Kairam/Paradox have to make a stable time loop where he assassinates Aldridge so he can wake up as a twice born?
[20:11] <+Eloy-3EG> We’ve got a few different versions going through playtesting right now, but the current form is a lot more flexible than how AMP powers are structured.
[20:12] <+Eloy-3EG> a lot of magic works with energy types, but not all. I almost hate to give too much detail, because then stuff might change too. lol
[20:12] <+Eloy-3EG> but right now, we’re not doing like D&D school or anything.
[20:13] <+NicholasWMoll> D&D school? I don’t quite get the reference (other than the Dungeons & Dragons acronym).
[20:13] <~Dan> Is magic flat-out more powerful than AMP powers?
[20:14] <+Eloy-3EG> we’re going kind of freeform magic that works within the current system too. allowing you to do more creative things with your power.
[20:14] <+Eloy-3EG> Is it more powerful…
[20:14] <+Thozmp> NicholasWMoll In D&D magic is divided into separate “schools” depending on what the spells do.
[20:14] <+Eloy-3EG> oh man… that is a loaded question that I answer the same way a lot of the time that I’m here.
[20:14] <+NicholasWMoll> Ah, D&D magic. Cool.
[20:14] <+Eloy-3EG> the idea of power creep is shied away from in my games. Each book doesn’t up the power level, but gives lots more options
[20:15] <+Eloy-3EG> versatility is power in my book, not how much damage you can do.
[20:15] * ~Dan nods
[20:15] <+Eloy-3EG> hold on… there’s questions I’m missing here.
[20:16] <+Thozmp> I think mine, regarding Paradox making a stable time loop by assassinating Aldridge
[20:17] <+Eloy-3EG> Thozmp – He’s a paradox… so no. it happened because it happened already. time travel is a fun thing, because there are some rules but everything works differently. He does some other stuff in year 4 with time travel that you might like though. I won’t ruin it here, but it’s cool
[20:17] <~Dan> (Howdy, Crazy-Cabal!)
[20:17] <+Eloy-3EG> NicholasWMoll – D&D has schools of magic, like Illusionist, Necromancer, etc. We’re not subscribing to that with out magic is what I was saying
[20:18] <+Eloy-3EG> we’re going with a more free-form version of energy manipulating magics for AMP
[20:19] <+Eloy-3EG> just waiting for playtest reports back. π
[20:19] <~Dan> Does anything distinguish Orphans from other AMPs aside from magic?
[20:19] <~Dan> (Not that that’s not a big deal.)
[20:19] <+Thozmp> So, regarding magic: will it be something that some people just instinctively unlock, or will there be people out there Scienceing! magic? Also, can people have both AMP powers and magic?
[20:20] <+Eloy-3EG> mechanically, they’ll have different rules when making them (yes, they are playable).
[20:20] <+Eloy-3EG> Orphans also have purple skin and belonged features, because they’ve been warped by their travels through reality
[20:21] <~Dan> Belonged features?
[20:21] <+Eloy-3EG> elongated features. weird autocorrect
[20:22] <+Eloy-3EG> magic will be intuitively unlocked. and yes, some will have powers and magic. hell, if they have the Clean Bill of Health Gift, they could have a power suit, magic, and powers. lol. Magic is one of those things that will be available for everyone.
[20:22] <+Eloy-3EG> Saps, AMPs, and Twice Born can all wield magic
[20:22] <+NicholasWMoll> I am now curious of what the Superpower of Belonged Features would entail….
[20:22] <+Eloy-3EG> Orphans will be the best at it, with Twice Born being second best, as they are created through magic itself
[20:22] <+Eloy-3EG> “You have a long nose.”
[20:22] <+Eloy-3EG> “Yes! And it’s mine. leave it alone!”
[20:23] <~Dan> Wait… The Twice Born were created by magic, but they showed up before the Orphans?
[20:23] <+Thozmp> “My, what long eyes you have…”
[20:23] <+Eloy-3EG> right. again, there has been the slow leaking of magic in the setting. we talked about that earlier. lol
[20:23] <~Dan> “The better to gaze at you longingly, my dear.”
[20:23] <+Eloy-3EG> year 4 is where it’s coming in full force, but it’s been peeking out a bit here and there
[20:24] * ~Dan nods
[20:24] <~Dan> How many Orphans are there?
[20:24] <+Thozmp> All Souls Day? The day all the spirits just decided to go for a walk, that was magic leaking in, right?
[20:25] <+Eloy-3EG> Thozmp – yep
[20:25] <+Eloy-3EG> subtle, huh?
[20:26] <+Eloy-3EG> Dan – like, maybe 50. In their final form, they are pretty damn powerful. cosmic is probably what you’d call it.
[20:26] <+Eloy-3EG> see? I’m picking up your lingo. lol
[20:26] * ~Dan chuckles
[20:26] <+Eloy-3EG> playable Orphans are those who have shed portions of their power to regain their humanity, thus they aren’t as powerful as the antagonist Orphans you’ll be facing
[20:27] <+Eloy-3EG> because Orphans are no longer AMPs or Saps and are completely alien in their thought process. They show no emotion and are as inhuman as they come.
[20:27] <~Dan> So are Orphans on the scale of, say, the Silver Surfer?
[20:28] <+Eloy-3EG> They are very powerful… and that’s why in the storyline, all the existing groups./characters have to work together to take the Orphans down.
[20:28] <+Eloy-3EG> sure… i didn’t read any silver surfer. π
[20:28] <~Dan> Heh. π
[20:28] <+Thozmp> That’s gonna be interesting…
[20:29] <+Eloy-3EG> but they are powerful enough that normal things just don’t phase them.
[20:29] <+Eloy-3EG> magic will, because that’s their power source.
[20:29] <+Eloy-3EG> and some of the signature characters have some tricks up their sleeves as well.
[20:29] <~Dan> Did the Orphans encounter any aliens out there?
[20:30] <+Eloy-3EG> no. they became the aliens
[20:30] * ~Dan nods
[20:30] <+Eloy-3EG> are there actual aliens out there? who knows?
[20:30] <~Dan> Well, you do, presumably. π
[20:30] <+Eloy-3EG> maybe I’ll do an aliens expansion later on
[20:31] <+Eloy-3EG> right now, I’m focusing on the core story being told though. and that makes the Orphans the aliens. they are no longer AMPs or humans, so what else would you call them?
[20:31] <+Thozmp> Looking up in my books, will we see Shell’s advice being used this year?
[20:31] <+Eloy-3EG> Dan – remember that not having a plan thing?
[20:31] <~Dan> Ah, right. π
[20:32] <~Dan> Through all four years, are AMPs still limited to 3 powers?
[20:32] <+Catseye> hi
[20:32] <~Dan> (Howdy, Catseye!)
[20:32] <+Eloy-3EG> I don’t remember Shell giving any advice. lol
[20:32] <+Thozmp> Eye of Omega
[20:33] <+Eloy-3EG> Dan – Only through Mutations can you get more powers. Thus you become much more powerful, but risk becoming a Rampager if you dip too deep.
[20:33] <~Dan> So are Mutations simply more powers?
[20:33] <+Eloy-3EG> Thozmp – right! Yes, of course. I guess that’s advice.
[20:34] <+Eloy-3EG> Mutations have a lot of things attached to them, and more powers if one of the options.
[20:34] <~Dan> What are some of the forms Mutations can take?
[20:34] <+Eloy-3EG> year 3 had a LOT of stuff in it. lol
[20:35] <+Eloy-3EG> malformations is what we call them. there are minor ones that are just like cosmetic, like tentacles, sharpened teeth, glowing eyes, etc.
[20:36] <+Eloy-3EG> then you get into the more afflicting ones, like hearing voices, growing eyes, self-induced mental trauma, etc.
[20:36] <+Thozmp> Dan beneficial mutations, or bad ones? because you take both
[20:37] <+Eloy-3EG> then the worst of them are things like blacking out and waking up to the destruction you’re other self caused, becoming a lumbering mutant, or even becoming partial incorporeal. lo
[20:37] <+Eloy-3EG> mostly bad though.
[20:37] <+Eloy-3EG> well, the bad ones are the fun ones in my opinion
[20:38] <~Dan> π
[20:38] <~Dan> How common are mutant AMPs?
[20:38] <+Eloy-3EG> I like the idea of having more power
[20:39] <+Eloy-3EG> but I LOVE the idea of growing larger and larger beyond your control every time you do. lol
[20:39] <+WickedClever> That sounds awesome!
[20:39] <+Eloy-3EG> dan – not very many. we didn’t specific numbers in the book, because the GM should be able to tailor that in their own game.
[20:40] <+Thozmp> I personally liked the Spirit Siphon and Metamorphosis malformations
[20:40] <+Eloy-3EG> there is a mutation, though, that if you use your powers about other amps, they have a chance of mutating as well. and that’s a scary one
[20:40] <~Dan> A contagious mutant?
[20:41] <+Eloy-3EG> Spirit Siphon is great. sucking life from everything you touch, even the ground you walk on. crazy
[20:41] <+Eloy-3EG> dan – yep!
[20:41] <~Dan> Yikes.
[20:41] <+WickedClever> Unfortunately, I am fading fast. Glad to see you are already funded, Eloy! Good luck with everything. The game sounds great!
[20:41] <+Eloy-3EG> I just reread Metamorphosis… I forgot how cool that one was Thozmp. lol
[20:41] <~Dan> Take care, WickedClever!
[20:42] <+Eloy-3EG> Thanks WickedClever
[20:42] <+Eloy-3EG> rest well
[20:42] <~Dan> What does Metamorphosis do?
[20:42] <+Eloy-3EG> you human shell melts away and you become your power
[20:42] <+Thozmp> Dan, you pretty much become an expression of your power
[20:42] <+Eloy-3EG> “For example, a Fire Elemental is constantly aflame, a Technopathy Shaper has wires threading through their flesh and a Feral could become almost completely animalistic.”
[20:44] <+Eloy-3EG> (done)
[20:44] <+Eloy-3EG> The most fun the writing team has had with Year 4 is which of our beloved signature characters have to bite the dust.
[20:45] <+Eloy-3EG> this is a massive battle, so not everyone can make it to Year 5
[20:45] * ~Dan nods
[20:45] <~Dan> Well, that depends upon what the PCs do, doesn’t it?
[20:45] <+Eloy-3EG> I have a few definite that have to survive to make Year 5 happen, but there are a lot of potential deaths that we’ll have to experience.
[20:46] <+Eloy-3EG> well, that brings us back to how involved the characters are with the timeline
[20:46] * ~Dan nods
[20:46] <+Eloy-3EG> if they are fighting the orphans on their own terms, then they have no way to preventing some of the deaths
[20:46] <+Eloy-3EG> if they are working in tandem with some of the groups in the setting, then they have a chance of crossing paths with sig characters and even interceding to save them.
[20:46] <+Eloy-3EG> but that’s your home game.
[20:46] <~Dan> Right.
[20:47] <+Eloy-3EG> the story still goes a certain way in the books. I have to tell you someone dies first, so that your group can prevent it from happening. lol
[20:47] <+HDP_Dave> Will year 5 take that into consideration offering a few different outcomes?
[20:48] <+Eloy-3EG> Dave – No. Year 5 will be the finale to the ongoing story, so that it has a definitely beginning and end.
[20:48] <+Eloy-3EG> with that said, I do have a Split Timelines books I’ve been pondering as well, where different possibilities for certain large-scale events will be presented.
[20:49] <+Eloy-3EG> I’m going to be sourcing that to the fans, though, because I would find it uber-fun and a great product, but I need to make sure the fans want such a product.
[20:49] <+Eloy-3EG> but I love the idea
[20:49] <~Dan> AMP: What If…?
[20:49] <+Eloy-3EG> but again, there are things that are already set in place that take shape in Year 5 that I can’t wait to share
[20:50] <+Eloy-3EG> exactly, an AMP: What If
[20:50] <+Eloy-3EG> I’ll likely call it Split timelines, just in case Marvel owns “what if” lol
[20:50] <~Dan> π
[20:50] <~Dan> AMP: Just Suppose…
[20:51] <+Eloy-3EG> hahahaha!
[20:51] <~Dan> π
[20:51] <+Eloy-3EG> AMP: What’s the Deal with All This Superpowers? (Seinfield Edition)
[20:51] * ~Dan chuckles π
[20:51] <+Eloy-3EG> okay… I’m getting loopy now.
[20:51] <+Eloy-3EG> next question?
[20:52] <~Dan> (wb, Akyla)
[20:52] <~Dan> Do the Orphans have any minions?
[20:52] <+Eloy-3EG> No… and that’s the scary part. They come and destroy entire portions of a city at a time.
[20:53] <~Dan> (Howdy, Janus!)
[20:53] <+Eloy-3EG> no minions… and there’s only one person in the setting that has survived an encounter with one so far
[20:53] <+Eloy-3EG> Spearfinger, leader of Retribution, tried to make allies with one of the Orphans and they torn her and her friends apart in seconds
[20:53] <+Eloy-3EG> luckily, her power is to separate her limbs
[20:54] <+Eloy-3EG> only reason she’s still alive in Year 4
[20:54] <+Eloy-3EG> that was a fun read too. cause she’s cocky as hell and she realized just who she was dealing with at that moment
[20:54] <+Eloy-3EG> a real eye-opener
[20:55] <~Dan> So what do the PCs do in Year 4 other than fight the Orphans?
[20:55] <~Dan> (Howdy, BPIJonathan!)
[20:56] <+Eloy-3EG> As with all the rest of the game, each character has their own agenda. There isn’t a “this is what you do in AMP”
[20:56] <+Eloy-3EG> you make the character you want
[20:56] <+BPIJonathan> (Howdy, Dan & Eloy-3EG
[20:56] <+Eloy-3EG> In year 4, maybe you are just developing your powers, so you are mostly just trying to control those.
[20:56] <+Eloy-3EG> there are like 50 orphans and they aren’t invading the US, they are invading EARTH!
[20:56] <+Eloy-3EG> so they are spread out.
[20:57] <+Eloy-3EG> you could tell stories that have nothing to do with the orphans if you want, even in Year 4
[20:57] <+Eloy-3EG> most AMPs have personal agendas
[20:57] <+Eloy-3EG> some want to be heroes. if you do, the Aegis Squad might be for you
[20:58] <+Eloy-3EG> they may want to find out more about why they are. The Seekers of Enlightenment fit these characters
[20:58] <+Eloy-3EG> They may want revenge for the way Amps have been treated by humans, that’s Retribution.
[20:58] <+Eloy-3EG> a lot of what you do is often defined by what Affiliation you pick.
[20:59] <+Eloy-3EG> so there’s no clear answer to that, sorry
[20:59] <+Eloy-3EG> (done)
[20:59] <~Dan> How quickly are the Orphans moving?
[21:00] <+Eloy-3EG> They don’t come in an destroy everything in a few weeks, if that’s what you’re asking. we couldn’t fill a year with that. lol
[21:01] <+Eloy-3EG> the orphans themselves came from Earth but they don’t know it as much as they used to, so they are trying to understand why the lesser are fighting back in the first place.
[21:01] <~Dan> Can one just show up and destroy a city?
[21:01] <+Eloy-3EG> then their own numbers start turning (rebel Orphans that become playable characters)
[21:01] <+Eloy-3EG> It’d take a bit, but yeah they could. It’s not just snap their fingers and poof, city gone. But if they snap their fingers enough
[21:03] * ~Dan nods
[21:03] <+Eloy-3EG> plus, if everywhere you go, you are fought tooth and nail by the AMPs there, you won’t move as fast as you might have otherwise
[21:04] <+Eloy-3EG> and the twice born
[21:04] <+Eloy-3EG> and saps in power suits
[21:04] <+Eloy-3EG> and all kinds of craziness
[21:04] <+Eloy-3EG> (done)
[21:04] * ~Dan nods
[21:05] <+Eloy-3EG> I don’t want to give anything away, though, but there are significant things that some of the groups do to the Orphans to slow them down along the way.
[21:06] <+Eloy-3EG> plus, as was said earlier, they were warned by a rebel Orphan, Shell, of exactly what their weakness is. The problem is, he told one of the Changelings, and they aren’t known for sharing that kind of information.
[21:07] <~Dan> What is the Orphans’ goal? Domination? Destruction?
[21:08] <+Eloy-3EG> Destruction of some, subordination of others (so yeah, Domination).
[21:08] <~Dan> Does anyone try surrender?
[21:09] <+Eloy-3EG> at this point, no. everyone fights, lots of people die. but that’s a good point… there would likely be a few who do surrender *runs off to make note*
[21:09] <+Eloy-3EG> *comes back*
[21:10] * ~Dan chuckles
[21:11] <~Dan> Is there any indication of what an Earth ruled by the Orphans would look like?
[21:11] <~Dan> What are their demands?
[21:12] <+Eloy-3EG> they aren’t really communicating all that much, until one agrees to speak with a news outlet to share their demands. Basically, everyone surrender peacefully or be destroyed. Why? They’ve come to liberate Earth. In their own warped minds, that means taking away the essence of choice, the same thing they ran away from.
[21:13] <~Dan> So they haven’t really expressed how they want to rule — just that they do want to rule?
[21:14] <+Eloy-3EG> correct.
[21:14] <+Eloy-3EG> rival armies hardly ever share their exact plans… if they did, then they could be thwarted. haven’t you ever watched a Bond movie?
[21:14] <~Dan> Fair point. π
[21:15] <+Eloy-3EG> Okay, last questions? we’re reaching the end
[21:16] <~Dan> I know what you’ve said about plans and all, but are you deliberately adding more elements of a full-blown comicbook universe a year at a time?
[21:16] <+Eloy-3EG> how do you mean?
[21:17] <~Dan> Well, I mean, are you moving toward something resembling the “anything goes” nature of the Marvel or DC universes a step at a time?
[21:18] <+Eloy-3EG> I guess so. we have a lot of the elements necessary for such a thing right now, but they are all firmly planted and grown from an organic setting where everything makes sense.
[21:18] <+Eloy-3EG> likely won’t have gods running around. lol
[21:18] * ~Dan nods
[21:18] <~Dan> Gotcha. π
[21:18] <+Eloy-3EG> but yeah, by the end, the majority of the options that other games give you will be there
[21:19] <+Eloy-3EG> by its nature, it was bound to happen, but I’m not one to rush things
[21:19] <~Dan> Sure.
[21:19] <~Dan> Do you ever plan on revealing the source of AMP powers?
[21:19] <+Eloy-3EG> That was revealed in Year One… Project Black
[21:20] <+Eloy-3EG> I give the origins right up front. it’s kind of how everything makes sense. you have to know where you came from before you know where you’ll end up
[21:20] * ~Dan nods
[21:20] <+Eloy-3EG> and even then, if you read Project Black carefully, it was science… with a little bit of magic in there.
[21:20] <~Dan> Cool.
[21:20] <+Eloy-3EG> not everyone catches it, but it’s there
[21:21] * ~Dan nods
[21:21] <~Dan> In the time remaining, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?
[21:21] <+Eloy-3EG> I think we covered a lot during out time. Can’t think of anything else.
[21:22] <~Dan> Alrighty then!
[21:22] <+Eloy-3EG> I’m really excited about Year 4, though. the penultimate book is almost as sweet as the finale
[21:22] <~Dan> As usual, those wishing to back my Q&As can do so here: (Link: https://gmshoe.wordpress.com/the-gmshoes-tip-jar/)https://gmshoe.wordpress.com/the-gmshoes-tip-jar/
[21:23] <~Dan> I can’t wait to see your finale. π
[21:23] <+Eloy-3EG> and don’t forget to visit the kickstarter! (Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/eloylasanta/amp-year-four-the-year-of-the-invasion-tabletop-rp)https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/eloylasanta/amp-year-four-the-year-of-the-invasion-tabletop-rp
[21:23] <~Dan> Thanks for joining us, Eloy-3EG!
[21:23] <+Eloy-3EG> Thank you for having me
[21:23] <~Dan> If you’ll give me just a minute here, I’ll get the log posted and link you. π
[21:23] <+Eloy-3EG> sure