[19:31] <+JohnDodd> Morning All, My name is John Dodd and my game is Quest, it’s a fantasy setting with a twist.
[19:32] <+JohnDodd> The twist being that the world has been at war with itself for a number of years following a cataclysm involving the spirits of the world itself, and in the aftermath of that war, as both sides retreat to opposite sides of the world, another race, watching from the heavens, chooses that moment to invade
[19:32] <+JohnDodd> Inspired by War of the Worlds (obviously), but also with an eye to the epic with such games as Exalted, I wanted to make something that was epic without the players needing to read a million rules just to start playing.
[19:33] <+JohnDodd> I think it might be best to go with questions, and I’ll answer from there, there’s literally 11 years worth of notes and concepts that have been put forwards before I got to this stage.
[19:33] <+JohnDodd> done
[19:34] <~Dan> Thanks, JohnDodd! The floor is open to questions!
[19:34] <~Dan> Are the invaders tech-based? Is this a science vs. magic thing?
[19:36] <+JohnDodd> The invaders are very much tech based, the bodies they pilot (all the way down the human sized bodies) are metal suits. The invaders themselves are far smaller than anything else, being between six and ten inches tall, their entire power is in their technology.
[19:36] <+JohnDodd> The magic part comes from the nature of the world, I wanted magic to be a very natural thing, something that the whole race is familiar with using and uses it every day, even for mundane things, the same way you or I might turn a tap on.
[19:37] <~Dan> Is magic unique to the planet being invaded?
[19:37] <+JohnDodd> I designed a magic system that allows the characters to come up with spells of their choice, rather than presenting them with a book of spells to choose from, they would instead build the spell and then cast it.
[19:38] <+JohnDodd> No it’s not, both magic and technology are present on the planet being invaded, but the technology of things is a part of the Mesohem, who are the vanquished from the first war, they retreated to the other side of the world when they were driven back
[19:38] <+JohnDodd> Magic is a part of life for this side of the world, and it’s this side that I’ve written up for this kickstarter, there is a dark side to the world
[19:39] <+JohnDodd> just getting the link
[19:39] <+JohnDodd> (Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1395218924/adventure-on-the-edge-of-extinction-in-a-war-betwe/posts/2129363)https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1395218924/adventure-on-the-edge-of-extinction-in-a-war-betwe/posts/2129363
[19:39] <+JohnDodd> Which shows the map of the dark side when one of the backers asked if you could play the bad guys.
[19:40] <+JohnDodd> There’s a whole war between the gods going on in the setting
[19:40] <+JohnDodd> the goddess Alenis was imprisoned within the world millenia ago
[19:40] <+JohnDodd> from her grew all the life on the planet while the other gods sought to wreak havoc across the multiverse.
[19:41] <+JohnDodd> Some of those gods used technology, some used magic
[19:41] <+JohnDodd> the forces returning to the planet now are the chosen of one of the other gods, returning to conquer once again
[19:41] <+JohnDodd> done
[19:41] <+JohnDodd> (lest I ramble all night…)
[19:41] <~Dan> Ah, so they’re familiar with magic.
[19:42] <~Dan> They just don’t use it?
[19:42] <+JohnDodd> Very much so, they think they have the upper hand in the conflict, but they presumed the previous war would have taken the fight out of the survivors, when all it did was sharpen their instinct for it.
[19:42] <+JohnDodd> Done
[19:43] <~Dan> Are the bad guys on the planet aligned with the aliens?
[19:43] <+JohnDodd> To give some idea, on the dark side of the world, the machines being used are powered as the nature side uses magic.
[19:44] <+JohnDodd> the Dark side of the planet are not aligned with the aliens, but they have similarities in technology
[19:44] <+JohnDodd> the initial thought for those who encounter the aliens is that they Mesohem have returned
[19:45] <+JohnDodd> but when they find more and more, and the tech encountered starts to change in ways they’ve never seen before, they realise something else is happening.
[19:46] <+JohnDodd> In the full campaign of the Tyrannous Stars, the mesohem (who also come under attack) eventually send an envoy to ask for terms of surrender
[19:46] <+JohnDodd> only then realising the true nature of what is happening.
[19:46] <+JohnDodd> Done
[19:47] <~Dan> Who are the PCs, generally speaking?
[19:48] <+JohnDodd> The PC’s are the chosen of Alenis, each of them bearing the sigil of Alenis somewhere on their person.
[19:49] <+JohnDodd> There is no pattern to who they are and where they come from, when the madness descended upon the world, much of the written records of the world were lost. Those that survived had only memories of the world before, and those memories were tainted by the thoughts of war that had haunted them for so long.
[19:50] <~Dan> What are their abilities?
[19:50] <+JohnDodd> There are those now who see the time before the Night of Wrath, not because they were born before it or lived through it, but through a vision of something that survived the destruction, something that refused to be crushed, and lives on somehow. There is no pattern, young or old, woman or man, from Aetheric to Wilde, the visions of the world before come to
[19:51] <+JohnDodd> All characters can do magic, there are no character classes, and the system was designed to allow characters to be anything they want to be
[19:51] <+JohnDodd> There are three races
[19:52] <+JohnDodd> Human, the most numerous of the races, adaptable and capable, but not possessing any other gifts
[19:52] <+JohnDodd> Aetheric, These were humans whose parents were exposed to the flow of the Aether for prolonged periods and the flow has caused a change in their bodies.
[19:53] <+JohnDodd> they can channel the flow of magic far more efficiently than others, but they risk becoming intoxicated on the power, whereupon they’ll try and use all their magic power to keep the intoxication going
[19:54] <+JohnDodd> Wilde were not heard of before the war, but towards the end of the war and in the aftermath, humans who possessed some aspect of creatures of the wild began to appear
[19:55] <+JohnDodd> the nature and extent of these aspects varies a great deal, from different coloured eyes and more hair, to enhanced sense and increased animalistic behaviour
[19:55] <+JohnDodd> I didn’t go down the line of giving the characters fantastic abilities, Exalted did that as well as any game could
[19:55] * ~Dan nods
[19:55] <+JohnDodd> and if something with the power of an Exalted took the field, the machines of the invaders would not last long
[19:56] <+JohnDodd> and I wanted the invaders to be a real challenge, not just another creature in the world
[19:56] <+JohnDodd> Might I talk about creatures for a second?
[19:56] <~Dan> Sure!
[19:56] <~Dan> I was just about to ask about that, as it happens.
[19:56] <+JohnDodd> 🙂
[19:57] <+JohnDodd> (Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1395218924/adventure-on-the-edge-of-extinction-in-a-war-betwe/posts/2117897)https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1395218924/adventure-on-the-edge-of-extinction-in-a-war-betwe/posts/2117897
[19:57] <+JohnDodd> Something that always concerned me about monster manuals in general, is that you have these clear pictures of monsters, all in colour, easy to identify…
[19:57] <+JohnDodd> Why would you ever get that?
[19:58] <+JohnDodd> I mean, there you are, out in the wild and there’s a dragon tearing up the countryside
[19:58] <+JohnDodd> you wouldn’t get the sketchbook out and start drawing it, you’d get to a safe distance and draw what you could before it looked your way
[19:58] <+JohnDodd> and I wanted creatures to have that unknown quantity, if it’s not a dangeous beast, then by all means, sit down, have a sandwich, draw away
[19:58] <+JohnDodd> if it’s dangerous…
[19:59] <+JohnDodd> sketch the bits that stand out
[19:59] <+JohnDodd> fill in the rest from memory when you get back home safe
[19:59] <~Dan> Interesting approach. 🙂
[19:59] <+JohnDodd> so some of the creatures, things like the Cheni for example, aren’t done as full images, only the bits that the artist remembered
[19:59] <+JohnDodd> when we broke the artwork stretch goal, I commissioned a bunch more images for other creatures I’d already written up
[20:00] <+JohnDodd> but it’s never going to be clear what you’re up against, and that puts the ball back in the GM’s court.
[20:00] <+JohnDodd> the analogy would be the film Alien, to the film Aliens…
[20:00] <+JohnDodd> In Alien, they didn’t know what it was, it was massively powerful, wiped out everyone in no time
[20:01] <+JohnDodd> In Aliens, they’d gone and read the monster manual, saw “Vulnerabilities 10mm caseless” and stocked up…
[20:01] <+JohnDodd> no longer a fearful creature, just something to get XP from
[20:01] <+JohnDodd> meeting something in the wild should never be a casual experience
[20:01] <+JohnDodd> there should always be that moment of concern
[20:01] <+JohnDodd> that you’re up against something you don’t understand
[20:01] <+JohnDodd> as it would be in life.
[20:01] <+JohnDodd> Done
[20:02] <~Dan> How much of a challenge is posed by the world as opposed to the invaders? How wild is the planet?
[20:03] <+JohnDodd> Equal amounts in the first instance, much of the world has been forgotten in the cataclysm, and while much has been found again, many things remain unknown
[20:04] <+JohnDodd> An example can be found in the Quickstart rules ((Link: https://www.thedodd.com/quest,)https://www.thedodd.com/quest, click on the logo for the adventure) where the characters end up against a Geven
[20:04] <+JohnDodd> A Geven is a massive, six legged avian
[20:04] <+JohnDodd> the creature in the scenario is the smallest one that it’s possible to encounter, but it outclasses the characters easily
[20:04] <+JohnDodd> The lesson has to be to think smarter, not fight harder
[20:05] <+JohnDodd> But there are other challenges, the feeling I wanted to convey was one of exploration, of rediscovering a world that had once been known
[20:05] <+JohnDodd> The visions of the past that each of the chosen receives guide them towards the things that the planet is trying to have remembered.
[20:06] <+JohnDodd> But as the invasion picks up pace, as more of the invaders land, and make concerted efforts to attack the natives, so the threat from the things to be found in this world will diminish as they have to marshall their resources to fight against the Invaders.
[20:06] <+JohnDodd> There are other threats as well
[20:07] <+JohnDodd> Just as the characters are the Chosen of Alenis, so there is another faction
[20:07] <+JohnDodd> The House of the One Truth
[20:07] <+JohnDodd> These are individuals who have different visions, of events that led up to the cataclysm, and of what they believe to be the cause of the cataclysm
[20:08] <~Dan> (Howdy, DLB_Chuck!)
[20:08] <+JohnDodd> Morning DLB_Chuck
[20:08] <+DLB_Chuck> howdy dan
[20:08] <~Dan> (JohnDodd, meet DLB_Chuck, author of Don’t Look Back, a horror/conspiracy RPG.)
[20:08] <+DLB_Chuck> hi JohnDodd
[20:08] <+JohnDodd> The living campaign that’s planned will allow those playing to decide how things go
[20:08] <+JohnDodd> Hi DLB, how’s things?
[20:08] <+DLB_Chuck> good
[20:09] <~Dan> What is the tech level of the magic side of the planet?
[20:10] <+JohnDodd> Basic in most places, it’s barely beyond dark ages on most of the planet, but there are some continents where technology has been harnessed
[20:10] <+JohnDodd> Balion, on the southern ocean, has the Tasen Forge, a construction from the Age of Wonders that survived the cataclysm, they have the power to engineer iron battle engines and war machines.
[20:11] <+JohnDodd> Then there’s Tyravig, on the north east of the Nasonheim continent, who hold true to the ideas of the Mesohem, without siding with them, they have a clockwork technology that allows them to use assisted suits to fight.
[20:11] <+JohnDodd> The Engine Men is their name
[20:12] <+JohnDodd> They wear clockwork suits that wind as they move, allowing them to store the power they’ve built up just walking around to be used in battlefield and construction situations.
[20:12] <+JohnDodd> They’re ruled over by the Mind Union, another construct from the first age, where the thoughts and impulses of one person can influence hundreds, possibly thousands.
[20:13] <+JohnDodd> Tyravig has a lot of technology and most of the other nation states don’t trust them as a result
[20:13] <+JohnDodd> Dansyr has a massive shipyard, but the ships built there are constructed using magically enhanced techniques rather than technology
[20:14] <+JohnDodd> A part of the ongoing storyline is Strous’ Gambit, a huge colony ship being constructed in stages to take the people of Loyice on board safely when their island sinks
[20:14] <+JohnDodd> which it’s in the process of doing at the moment…
[20:14] <+JohnDodd> Done
[20:15] <~Dan> How effective is magic against technology?
[20:15] <+JohnDodd> It depends on the magic you’re using.
[20:15] <+DLB_Chuck> What size is the book? 8.5×11 or 6×9 etc.?
[20:15] <+JohnDodd> And that may sound like a flippant answer, but given the nature of the magic system, it’s not
[20:15] <+JohnDodd> Currently planned for A4
[20:16] <+JohnDodd> But I’ll come to that in a second
[20:16] <+JohnDodd> the magic system allows you to come up with any spell you like as long as your character has the knowledge for it
[20:16] <+JohnDodd> so a mage who had also studied science may understand that metal warps when overheated and may make a spell based upon that to warp the battlesuits of the invaders
[20:17] <+JohnDodd> others may use something as simple as a movement spell to cause the invaders to miss the target when firing
[20:17] <+JohnDodd> the opening fiction has several examples of that
[20:17] <+JohnDodd> The key to the magic is in using your imagination and your characters skills, it’s possible to throw lightning bolts and have them be perfectly effective
[20:18] <+JohnDodd> but if you had a spell that causes the war machine to fall after slipping…
[20:18] <+JohnDodd> that might prove equally effective if used properly.
[20:18] <+DLB_Chuck> sorry i joined late. if you covered this let me know and i’ll read the transcript later — what are the d6 dice mechanics like?
[20:19] <+JohnDodd> no problem at all DLB
[20:19] <~Dan> We haven’t discussed the mechanics yet, DLB_Chuck, so you’re good.
[20:19] <+JohnDodd> In answer to your first question on the size, we’re looking at A4 as some of the artwork wouldn’t work well at smaller sizes, but if there’s sufficient interest in the digest sized books, we’ll go that way as well.
[20:19] <+JohnDodd> Mechanics
[20:20] <+JohnDodd> All rolls are done with opposition, the characters roll is equal to their rank in the skill +1 dice, so even someone with no skill has a chance to do something, but someone with even the most basic training will have twice their ability.
[20:20] <+JohnDodd> There are two different types of test, Static and Live
[20:21] <+JohnDodd> Static tests are done against a predetermined number, beat the number and you pass the test
[20:21] <+JohnDodd> Live tests are done with one skill against another, both sides roll at the same time and the higher roll is the winner
[20:21] <+JohnDodd> in situations like combat, the roll also works out how much damage is dealt and how much experience points are learned
[20:22] <+JohnDodd> In a static test, the experience gained is equal to the difficulty of the test
[20:22] <~Dan> Are the dice pools additive, or are you counting successes?
[20:22] <+JohnDodd> In a live test, the experience gained is equal to the roll of the opponent
[20:22] <+JohnDodd> Dice pools are additive
[20:23] <+JohnDodd> in combat, the difference between the winner and the loser is the amount of damage taken by the loser, this in turn is multiplied by the weapon being used
[20:23] <+JohnDodd> an example can be found in the quickstart at (Link: https://www.thedodd.com/quest)https://www.thedodd.com/quest
[20:23] <~Dan> Do you used damage reduction for armor?
[20:24] <+JohnDodd> Yes, but the damage reduction is taken from the damage before the weapon multiplier is added, armour doesn’t make you harder to hit, but it makes all the difference when you are hit.
[20:24] <+JohnDodd> Experience points gained are gained to the relevant pool of experience, if you’re using ranged combat, you can’t use that experience to increase your magic abilities
[20:25] <+DLB_Chuck> so you get varying amounts of experience from each “fight” based on how it progresses?
[20:26] <+JohnDodd> Yes, if you have a close fight between two well matched opponents, they can both learn a lot from the fight, on the other hand, if you have someone with skill 5 and someone with no skill at all, the very best result that the no skill person is going to get is if the skill 5 character botches the whole roll, and even then, they’re going to be at a draw
[20:26] <+JohnDodd> the idea being to get people to seek challenges, rather than playing it safe
[20:27] <+JohnDodd> it’s possible to get to a high level of skill by fighting nothing but smaller creatures and lesser challenges, but if you do, it’ll take forever.
[20:27] <~Dan> You know, that’s a really cool idea.
[20:27] <+JohnDodd> Living closer to the edge will get you there faster.
[20:27] <+JohnDodd> Cheers 🙂
[20:27] <+DLB_Chuck> cool idea but does that mean for each round of combat or each attack, you have to record experience?
[20:28] <+JohnDodd> There’s an experience point tracker in the game, that keeps each pool separate and allows you to record the numbers individually.
[20:28] <+JohnDodd> alternatively, you can just add it to your character after each roll
[20:28] <+JohnDodd> but we found in playtesting that most people were happy to record as they went and then get it all at once
[20:28] <+JohnDodd> It also prevented most of the playtesters from minmaxing
[20:29] <+JohnDodd> Swordy McSwordface will be very good at using the sword, but they’ll have to seek out challenges the rest of the group can’t handle to get the experience they need, and even then, they’ll forever be one sided.
[20:30] <+JohnDodd> Playtesting usually had between ten and thirty separate experience point scores to record
[20:30] <~Dan> Speaking of which, how useful are medieval weapons like swords against the invaders?
[20:30] <+JohnDodd> the sheet we devised to allow the GM to record the experience allows them to do that easily.
[20:31] <+JohnDodd> I taught HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) a long time ago, so I wanted to ensure that combat was true to life
[20:31] <~Dan> So you were a HEMAn?
[20:31] <+JohnDodd> Never thought of it that way, but….
[20:32] <~Dan> (Howdy, Ben!)
[20:32] <+JohnDodd> Armour is a simple thing, if you can find the chink in it, you can damage anything
[20:32] <+JohnDodd> but when you’re fighting with something in plate armour, you should use something that penetrates, like a pick or something that damages the matter underneath without needing to penetrate, like a hammer
[20:33] <+JohnDodd> Morning Ben, how’s things?
[20:33] <+JohnDodd> use the right weapon for the tool and anything can be broken 🙂
[20:33] <~Dan> I think Ben’s on your side of the Pond, so I’m surprised to find him up. 🙂
[20:33] <+JohnDodd> If you’re up against something that has thick metal, look to break things underneath, hammers and maces are superb for that, but also staffs
[20:34] <+JohnDodd> My comment was always that a six foot sword will split you in half
[20:34] <+JohnDodd> a six foot staff will do the same thing and make it messy….
[20:34] <+JohnDodd> So, a fellow midnighter.
[20:34] <+JohnDodd> done 🙂
[20:34] <~Dan> Do you have a character sheet posted that we can see?
[20:35] <+JohnDodd> I do, one second for the link
[20:36] <+JohnDodd> (Link: https://www.thedodd.com/quest,)https://www.thedodd.com/quest, and the Pregens are attached at the bottom of the page, these are using the plain character sheet rather than the ornate one
[20:37] <~Dan> Note to readers: Delete the comma before following that link. 🙂
[20:37] <+JohnDodd> The Ornate character sheet has the world map faded in behind it
[20:37] <+JohnDodd> Yep, sorry everyone, fingers too fast.
[20:37] <+JohnDodd> Morning LW, how’s things?
[20:37] <~Dan> Hmm…. Can’t seem to enlarge the sheets.
[20:38] <+JohnDodd> Just noticed that myself, will work on that now, please continue
[20:39] <~Dan> Oh, here we go… Found the sheets in the quickstart.
[20:39] <~Dan> So the attributes are Muscle, Verve, Mind, and Spirit?
[20:39] <+JohnDodd> They are there too, but the ones on the page were supposed to download full size
[20:40] <+JohnDodd> Yes they are
[20:40] <+JohnDodd> in OSR, Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom
[20:40] <+JohnDodd> but a little broader than that
[20:40] <+JohnDodd> Each attribute feeds down the number of points you get for the skills governed by it
[20:41] <+JohnDodd> and then the secondary attributes in the centre bottom of the character sheet
[20:41] <~Dan> Yes… I see that Muscle governs Agility…
[20:42] <~Dan> Interesting.
[20:42] <+JohnDodd> Very much so, the ability to control your body precisely is a matter of muscle and muscle memory
[20:42] <+JohnDodd> Back to the swordfighting
[20:43] <+JohnDodd> Muscle very much governs those things where raw physical capability is more in evidence than the progression of a learned skill
[20:43] <+DLB_Chuck> What is perform under muscle?
[20:43] <+JohnDodd> Dancing and physical performances
[20:44] <~Dan> To clarify, attributes contribute directly to skills?
[20:44] <+JohnDodd> Perform is a measure of the characters ability to dance with rhythm, sing in tune, and generally stage performances for both pleasure and profit. It takes a great degree of physical proficiency and practise to properly master any performing art, being a talented amateur will only get you so far.
[20:44] <+JohnDodd> (from the rulebook)
[20:44] <+JohnDodd> Attributes contribute directly to skills
[20:45] * ~Dan nods
[20:45] <~Dan> What is the attribute scale for humans?
[20:45] <+DLB_Chuck> got it
[20:45] <+JohnDodd> when building a character, you get ten points to divide between the four attributes, minimum of one
[20:45] <+JohnDodd> those skills then feed down to the ranks below at four times the level of the attribute
[20:45] <+JohnDodd> thus skill level 4, 16 points
[20:46] <+JohnDodd> skills cost the same as their rank, so a level one skill is one point, a level two skill is two points and so on
[20:46] <+JohnDodd> you must have the previous rank in a skill to buy the next one
[20:46] <+JohnDodd> so to buy a level two skill from scratch, you pay three points
[20:46] <+JohnDodd> for a level three, six points and so on
[20:46] <~Dan> And these points come from the attributes?
[20:47] <+JohnDodd> Yes they do, multiply attribute by four to get the skill points available
[20:47] <~Dan> Okay, so am I correct that attributes don’t act as a base level for skills, but instead provide the pool of points from which skills are purchased?
[20:47] <+JohnDodd> Skills also come from the characters background, which gives them skills before they start spending their attribute points.
[20:47] <+JohnDodd> That is correct
[20:48] <+JohnDodd> there’s a diagram in the main rulebook that shows the points costs for the skill ranks in each box, just to clarify
[20:48] <~Dan> Okay, that makes more sense, actually. That means that someone who’s musclebound isn’t automatically agile as well, for example.
[20:49] <+JohnDodd> Absolutely 🙂
[20:49] <~Dan> Does Muscle affect melee damage?
[20:49] <+JohnDodd> Conan had to be a Reaver, Thief and Slayer before he became a Destroyer
[20:50] <+JohnDodd> Muscle adds to melee and rending damage, but after the multiplier has been added, otherwise the most lethal thing in the world would be to go out there with knuckledusters on
[20:51] <+JohnDodd> We had a number of mathematicians in the Playtest teams pointing out where things could be easily gamed or misused, we think we’ve got all of the issues sorted on it
[20:52] <+JohnDodd> There’s nothing to stop a player from dumping all the skill in rend and muscle and going around hitting things, but their skill level will make far more of an impact than their muscles will
[20:52] <~Dan> What is Rending in this context?
[20:52] <+JohnDodd> Unarmed combat
[20:53] <+JohnDodd> Part of the combat training, most unarmed fights end up with people trying to rend bits off each other
[20:54] <+JohnDodd> liked the sound of it better than brawl.
[20:54] <+JohnDodd> Done
[20:55] <~Dan> Do you have any sort of drama/hero/fate point mechanic?
[20:58] <+JohnDodd> No, we’ve done a lot of work on the system itself to stop things going wrong unless the characters choose a fight they couldn’t possibly have won.
[20:58] * ~Dan nods
[20:58] <+JohnDodd> The scenarios are engineered so that players thinking things through rather than charging in will always have several different ways in which to deal with things
[20:59] <~Dan> On a scale of 1-10, how gritty-to-cinematic would you say the game is?
[20:59] <+JohnDodd> in the quickstart, there are more than three ways that the characters can get through the adventure without ever once getting in a fight if they choose not to. I wanted to encourage people to work through the solutions rather than just draw swords and get the board out every time a possible fight occurs.
[21:00] <+JohnDodd> if gritty is 1, then 4, it’s not Exalted 🙂
[21:01] <+JohnDodd> You’re not going to find Quest Characters launching a hundred arrows a round
[21:01] <~Dan> Yes, 1 = WFRP-gritty, I suppose. 🙂
[21:01] <+JohnDodd> without magic anyway…
[21:01] <+JohnDodd> We’re not quite Grim and Perilous yet 🙂
[21:01] <~Dan> 🙂
[21:02] <~Dan> How large is the game’s bestiary?
[21:02] <+JohnDodd> There is provision to turn the cinematics up with the various tools and weapons that the characters can use, but each of them is grounded in the use of magic points, rather than being self powered.
[21:02] <+JohnDodd> The Rainbow for example
[21:02] <+JohnDodd> The Rainbow is a long bow of Ironwood infused with three Cho crystals, Ruby, Sapphire, and Amber. The Bow operates by channelling the shooters energy through the crystals to make different effects. Each shot takes a single magic point per crystal being used and the bolt fired is selected from depressing the relevant crystals in the centre of the bow.
[21:03] <+JohnDodd> Red (Ruby): Heat bolt, invisible to the eye, the bolt does x8 damage against living targets and x4 damage against inanimate objects. Flammable objects will be set alight and repeated shots will burn through metal.
[21:03] <+JohnDodd> Yellow (Amber): Lightning bolt, has double the range of a normal shot, but does x6 damage to living targets, x8 to targets wearing metal armour of any sort
[21:03] <+JohnDodd> Blue (Sapphire): Cold bolt, does x4 damage to living targets and slows them to half speed for two rounds. Does x 2 damage to inanimate objects but will render them brittle if they are susceptible to cold.
[21:03] <+JohnDodd> and then combinations for pressing more than one button at once when firing
[21:04] <+JohnDodd> Legendary weapons such as the Maelstrom Stave are detailled, but the use of them would take a foolhardy adventurer at best
[21:05] <+JohnDodd> At the heart of the game is the notion that the characters are ordinary people who are called upon to do extraordinary things
[21:05] <+JohnDodd> Heroism at it’s best
[21:05] * ~Dan nods
[21:06] <+JohnDodd> Other magical items like grinder gloves
[21:06] <+JohnDodd> which when powered allow the character to dig into rock and stone easily
[21:06] <+JohnDodd> originally designed as an implement to help miners
[21:06] <+JohnDodd> repurposed for a more combat orientated purpose
[21:07] <+JohnDodd> Done 🙂
[21:07] <~Dan> Did you see my bestiary question?
[21:08] <+JohnDodd> No, could you repeat please?
[21:08] <~Dan> Oh, I just asked how large the game’s bestiary is.
[21:09] <+JohnDodd> There’s thirty creatures so far, and there’s likely to be more by the time we’re finished
[21:09] <+JohnDodd> that’s not counting the mundane creatures like wolves, horses and other such
[21:10] * ~Dan nods
[21:10] <+JohnDodd> I figured that things that people already know about, don’t need that much illustration
[21:11] * ~Dan nods
[21:11] <~Dan> I was amused that a game I’m currently reviewing includes illustrations and game stats for such things as chickens and ducks. 🙂
[21:11] <+JohnDodd> Runequest derivative?
[21:12] <+JohnDodd> Because combat ducks and such 🙂
[21:12] <~Dan> Nope! Based on OpenD6.
[21:12] <+JohnDodd> Giant Chickens?
[21:12] <~Dan> Oh, now I get it, re: ducks. 🙂
[21:12] <+JohnDodd> Rabid Ducks?
[21:12] <~Dan> And nope. Just normal ducks and chickens. 🙂
[21:12] <+JohnDodd> Why…?
[21:13] <+JohnDodd> In the name of Gygax, why…?
[21:13] <~Dan> Not sure. 🙂
[21:13] <+JohnDodd> That said
[21:13] <+JohnDodd> (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8pknnncODo)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8pknnncODo
[21:14] <+JohnDodd> I apologise in advance for the ridiculous nature of it
[21:14] <+JohnDodd> Maybe they were watching that…?
[21:14] * ~Dan laughs
[21:14] <+JohnDodd> I think the singing might be more dangerous than the chicken to be fair…
[21:14] <+JohnDodd> None of that in Quest 🙂
[21:15] <~Dan> 🙂
[21:16] <~Dan> You touched on this earlier, but can you describe the tech of the invaders?
[21:16] <+JohnDodd> Absolutely
[21:18] <+JohnDodd> the Invaders are using battlesuits of various types, ranging from the human sized attack suits, to the vehicle and building sized constructs that might need several of the smaller suits to pilot it. The idea was to have an enemy that could not stand against the characters physically, but would have a massive technological advantage
[21:18] <+JohnDodd> The smaller suits are human sized, stronger, faster, and more heavily armoured for the most part, but the characters will usually outnumber them.
[21:19] <+JohnDodd> The larger constructs will require planning to defeat, it won’t simply be a matter of running around it’s legs trailing a rope behind you.
[21:20] <+JohnDodd> Both suits and constructs are able to repair damage caused to them over time, so the plan is usually to ensure that the external shell is down before trying anything with the occupants.
[21:20] <~Dan> What sorts of weapons do they have?
[21:22] <+JohnDodd> Energy weapons, powered melee weapons, the strength of machines to use ordinary weapons with.
[21:22] <+JohnDodd> The larger constructs are often used as siege engines, ranging from rock launchers to large scale fire and ice launchers
[21:23] <~Dan> Are humans able to make use of this technology?
[21:23] <+JohnDodd> The campaign’s success requires that the characters don’t just try and hit everything, they have to figure out what it is they’re dealing with before they can defeat it
[21:24] <+JohnDodd> a part of that is understanding their enemy
[21:24] <+JohnDodd> They’ll never be able to use is in the same way the invaders do
[21:24] <+JohnDodd> but certainly in the case of the larger constructs, there’s the possibility that they’ll be able to turn one of them against their own.
[21:24] <+JohnDodd> It won’t be as simple as picking up a gun and firing back, but there will be options.
[21:25] * ~Dan nods
[21:25] <~Dan> In the time remaining, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?
[21:26] <+JohnDodd> Not really, I’ve really appreciated the time to talk to everyone though, I’ll probably think of something the second I’m off the comm 🙂
[21:27] <~Dan> Well, please know that you’re always welcome to hang out with us any time you like. Even at sane times of day. 😉
[21:27] <+JohnDodd> 🙂 that is much appreciated Dan, and thanks to everyone for taking the time to drop in and talk.
[21:27] <~Dan> Quick reminder to readers: tips are welcome at (Link: https://gmshoe.wordpress.com/the-gmshoes-tip-jar/)https://gmshoe.wordpress.com/the-gmshoes-tip-jar/
[21:28] <~Dan> JohnDodd: If you can hang just a minute longer, I’ll get the log posted and link you. 🙂
[21:28] <+JohnDodd> Thanks Dan
The Hardboiled GMshoe's Office 