[24-Feb-21 07:31 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Okay, so to start off with, more about Cutthroats, then.
[24-Feb-21 07:33 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Cutthroats stemmed from my long-standing want for a fairly streamlined, quick-to-run multigenre RPG with an open system, and complete in one book. The system is covered by the Creative Commons Attribution Sharealike license.
[24-Feb-21 07:33 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
I wanted to provide a setting, and a mechanism for crossovers, so the book includes a setting, a transdimensional city with links to every imaginable kind of world.
[24-Feb-21 07:34 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Founded by an ancient Sumerian sorcerer, it has a starport district, a modern city, an Elven high-fantasy region, and parts of every major civilization that has been on Earth. It’s a crazy and chaotic place.
[24-Feb-21 07:36 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
The system is simple: 2d12, roll high to beat a target number. Matches indicate critical successes or failures, which can have a wide variety of effects. The book includes examples, but strongly encourages the group to make up their own, as long as it’s fun and impactful.
[24-Feb-21 07:37 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Character creation is point-based, but there are optional tables for randomization. NPCs can use the full PC rules or a simpler, stripped-down set of rules to get the out there quickly.
[24-Feb-21 07:38 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Question?
[24-Feb-21 07:38 PM] Kale#1990
What’s the baseline difficulty number?
[24-Feb-21 07:39 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Average is 20. Doable ~50% of the time provided a PC has a few levels in a Skill. You can always spend Edge to bump up your chances.
[24-Feb-21 07:40 PM] Kale#1990
So, to make sure I understand, the base bonuses that the average character has is 8? (Also, don’t quote me, but I believe whenever you’re done explaining, the developer adds (Done) at the end of their posts… Dan will be able to clear that up.)
[24-Feb-21 07:40 PM] saintnexan#6715
Were you inspired at all by the game Nexus: the Infinite City?
[24-Feb-21 07:41 PM] saintnexan#6715
(The (done) is optional after the intro. 🙂 )
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[24-Feb-21 07:41 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Dan: Never played that one. I would say I was a little more inspired by the comics Grimjack and Atari Force, and the Amber game and novels. And Planescape, very much so.
[24-Feb-21 07:42 PM] saintnexan#6715
Ah. Well, Nexus was basically Grimjack: the RPG, so that makes sense. 🙂
[24-Feb-21 07:42 PM] Kale#1990
I LOVED Atari Force. This is definitely on my radar now.
[24-Feb-21 07:42 PM] Kale#1990
Although I did overspend this month…
[24-Feb-21 07:43 PM] saintnexan#6715
What (if anything) surrounds the city?
[24-Feb-21 07:43 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Chris: Average level is 6. Broke out math-wise to about 45% success (I have success percentages for Levels 6 and 12 on the table with the Challenge Severities). That’s roughly equivalent to an average Star Frontiers PC (absolutely coincidental 🙂 ).
[24-Feb-21 07:43 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Dan: Here’s where it gets weird. 🙂
[24-Feb-21 07:43 PM] saintnexan#6715
Oh, here’s where…
[24-Feb-21 07:43 PM] Kale#1990
Ah, so you’re wanting a less than 50% chance of success, for the average character, or NPC?
[24-Feb-21 07:44 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Dan: Since the immortal wizard could go anywhere to build his city, he went to a dimension where human life never evolved. He hollowed out one of the rocks in the rings of Saturn to build his home. At first, it was just him and a few servants.
[24-Feb-21 07:45 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
But then you need cooks, and they need assistants, and librarians, and they need stuff, and so on …
[24-Feb-21 07:46 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
He liked to travel to worlds and find places where an entire community was about to be wiped out by a natural disaster, and then take them all to his home. And offer them jobs. With the alternative of sending them back where they came from. Like the movie Continuum, only … it’s a jerk-ass Wizard Did It. 🙂
[24-Feb-21 07:48 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Chris: I like when characters aren’t guaranteed success. With power levels ranging up to what I call Cosmic Heralds, it’s easy enough to build a character that can usually succeed. And the lowest PC, the Mere Peasant / Starport Trash, may be happy to get a 45% chance to succeed.
[24-Feb-21 07:48 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
This game does lean toward the old school mindset. I have OSR conversion rules planned for a blog post or maybe future book.
[24-Feb-21 07:48 PM] saintnexan#6715
So the whole city is inside a space rock?
[24-Feb-21 07:50 PM] Kale#1990
Side note: anything less than a 100% does not guarantee success. I’m a little twitchy when people think that anything above 50% means they’ll always win. But that’s just a personal thing. Don’t let my meaningless opinion affect anything. I’m still curious about the setting/system.
[24-Feb-21 07:50 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Dan: The city is a network of hollow rocks, linked by Bifrost bridges, adamantine chains, graviton beams, teleport pads … it’s a hodgepodge of environments, and tech and magic levels.
It’s a very interesting challenge describing this well enough to an artist to get a good picture of! But I work with some awesome folks. Khairul Hisham did a great job illustrating the city.
[24-Feb-21 07:50 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
{Attachments}
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/780948065367490590/814313351395803146/unknown.png
[24-Feb-21 07:50 PM] Kale#1990
What’s the type of weaponry available?
[24-Feb-21 07:51 PM] saintnexan#6715
So are adventures stictly urban?
[24-Feb-21 07:51 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Chris: Everything from clubs up to laser rifles. I figure if you want to get into really exotic stuff, like assembler clouds and autonomous kill-drones like in the Culture, that will be very unique to the setting. But not hard to write up.
[24-Feb-21 07:52 PM] Kale#1990
Can you (the GM) make your own cultures, as in a table or two to help?
[24-Feb-21 07:52 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Dan: Not necessarily. I ran one long — and still running — Harry Potter-esque game based in the city’s magic school. I ran one game that didn’t hardly touch on the city at all, and that was pure space opera.
[24-Feb-21 07:53 PM] saintnexan#6715
What is the situation back on Earth? What time period is it?
[24-Feb-21 07:53 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Chris: Yes, Section 7 is all about designing new worlds, from the mundane ‘how many people are in this city’ to ‘what kind of trouble is going on and how can we get involved’?
[24-Feb-21 07:53 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Dan: Which one? There are infinite Earths. There is no ‘real’ Earth per se …
[24-Feb-21 07:54 PM] saintnexan#6715
The Earth that goes with whichever Saturn this is.
[24-Feb-21 07:54 PM] Kale#1990
So Saturn is the nexus of the multiverse?
[24-Feb-21 07:54 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Dan: It’s not stated in the text, but my assumption has been, somewhere after the rise of mammals.
[24-Feb-21 07:56 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Chris: The city (named Uru Ulan) is a possible adventure hub, but it’s not even the only interdimensional city. However, a few decades ago, there was a massive war between many of the interdimensional cities, and Uru Ulan came out on top. So, it’s definitely the biggest remaining … that anyone in Uru Ulan knows of.
[24-Feb-21 07:56 PM] saintnexan#6715
How is travel between dimensions handled?
[24-Feb-21 07:57 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
This is a possible adventuring spur for PCs, BTW: A massive war spilled over into your world and destroyed your home. You now need money … and there’s a glowing doorway in front of you. What do you do?
[24-Feb-21 07:59 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Dan: So, here’s the funny paradox of dimension travel games: you can’t make it too easy, or PCs can just run away from plot forever. Most worlds have naturally-occurring portals … that only open once a year, or when you say the right words in a magic language, etc. Science and magic can make artificial portals … that are usually in the control of powerful interests that want the PCs to do stuff.
[24-Feb-21 08:00 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Adventures are often like modern air travel, or the old ‘wandering the Earth’ TV shows … a series of layovers and putting down local trouble, on the way to fulfill a larger quest.
[24-Feb-21 08:01 PM] Kale#1990
How is it to tweak the system?
[24-Feb-21 08:01 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
But, you can easily run a game in one genre, in one world, and have fun just doing that. Like the space opera game I ran. Just hint ‘there are strange ships that disappear and reappear in that nebula’ if you want to introduce dimension travel later, or drop hints about a powerful new star drive, that might misfire and end you up … somewhere else.
[24-Feb-21 08:02 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Chris: Of course, it depends on what you plan to do. But I’ve tried to keep it loose and extensible.
[24-Feb-21 08:02 PM] saintnexan#6715
Are there local levels of magic and technology in different districts of the city, or does everything work everywhere?
[24-Feb-21 08:04 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
My personal preference is to definitely not let PCs pay a lot of points for something they can’t use on a regular basis, so in general, everything can be used everywhere.
[24-Feb-21 08:04 PM] Kale#1990
A system I don’t house rule, is a system I don’t play. (As in, it’s a reflex I can’t help!)
[24-Feb-21 08:04 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Chris: Oh, I hear that! 🙂
[24-Feb-21 08:05 PM] saintnexan#6715
Hmm… So what keeps magic and tech levels from totally blending within the city? What keeps the fantasy regions fantasy and the high-tech regions high-tech?
[24-Feb-21 08:07 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Each area tends to be dominated by a coalition of cultures, and they tend to work together to keep outsiders out. That’s not to say, some rogue faction in the starport district that’s strong in magic can’t try to seize power. And that’s a great adventure idea, right there! But they’ll face stiff opposition from the local psions. And the psions may themselves cut a deal with dealers in anti-magic to preserve the status quo.
It’s a chaotic place, but that sort of thing can and does happen.
[24-Feb-21 08:08 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
One entire district was destroyed when a crazed cult got too powerful and their leader lost his mind. Only quick thinking (and base treachery) saved the rest of the city from being wiped out. Same thing could happen to the magic sections if someone plowed a starship into them.
[24-Feb-21 08:09 PM] saintnexan#6715
Generally speaking, how much action takes place within the city as opposed to in other dimensions?
[24-Feb-21 08:09 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Depends entirely on what you want from your game. The setting is just an option, and it’s loosely coupled to the rules.
[24-Feb-21 08:10 PM] saintnexan#6715
You’ve mentioned magic and psionics… Are there any other powers available to PCs, like superpowers or mutations?
[24-Feb-21 08:12 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Oh, yes. There are character creation packages in the main book for Blessed Ones (clerics), Chosen (Shazam! and Sailor Moon), Combat Cybords, Mages, Mutants (six different power archetypes), Psions, Super-Scientists, and Super-Soldiers. Plus a handful of alien packages, and I’ve written up Battle Suited, Vampires … anything goes.
[24-Feb-21 08:13 PM] saintnexan#6715
Impressive!
[24-Feb-21 08:13 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
And the packages are just a shortcut. There’s a full-on Power creation system, with advantages and disadvantages.
[24-Feb-21 08:13 PM] saintnexan#6715
Very cool.
[24-Feb-21 08:14 PM] saintnexan#6715
Speaking of clerics, what’s the cosmology of the setting? Does it vary by dimension? If so, what’s the cosmology of the city’s dimension?
[24-Feb-21 08:16 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Uru Ulan’s government and infrastructure elements of Sumerian and Babylonian civilizations, but many gods are worshiped in the city. The assumption is that all gods are real, and all beliefs are true, somewhere, to some degree.
[24-Feb-21 08:17 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
So you can very much have priests of Zeus arguing with priests of Jupiter in the streets, while Heracles himself (or two or three of them) stand by smirking, thinking everyone is wrong.
[24-Feb-21 08:17 PM] saintnexan#6715
Heh. 🙂
[24-Feb-21 08:17 PM] saintnexan#6715
How would you describe the power level of a starting PC?
[24-Feb-21 08:19 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Depends on what you want, but the default PC, a ‘Fledgling Adventurer’, is fairly competent, but still on the mundane side. They have enough points to make trouble for a handful of lesser thugs, but they might not be ready to face a major mythological creature. But of course, if you want to make a Veteran Realms Merc or a Minor Superbeing, that’s there.
[24-Feb-21 08:21 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Like many point-based games, it really helps to have an idea what you want before you get started! There are enemies and monsters in the book that range from big rats (Conduit Vermin) to nastier threats (Nacho Elementals) to world-shaking terrors (Kaiju, Titanium Dragons).
[24-Feb-21 08:22 PM] saintnexan#6715
I’m assuming the nastier threats aren’t actually in the city itself?
[24-Feb-21 08:24 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Oh they’re all over the city. The sewers and the Ruined Quarter (remember the mage who destroyed a big chunk?) are infested with ghouls, Conduit Vermin are everywhere chewing on the mana pipes that feed the portals, organized crime goons buy golems to go break legs and collect on debts … Some areas are relatively safe, but even in the rich part of town, you can be challenged to a duel by drunken elves or whatnot.
[24-Feb-21 08:25 PM] saintnexan#6715
Speaking of elves, how may species are available to play right out of the box?
[24-Feb-21 08:25 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
counting
[24-Feb-21 08:26 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
17, counting Androids and ‘Bots. And that’s without adding power packages, like Mutant, Super-Soldier, etc.
[24-Feb-21 08:27 PM] saintnexan#6715
Pretty impressive. What’s the difference between an Android and a ‘Bot? Is the former humanoid and the latter not?
[24-Feb-21 08:27 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Yep.
And as the joke from Red Dwarf goes, the ‘Bots have a better union. 😀
[24-Feb-21 08:28 PM] saintnexan#6715
Heh. 🙂
[24-Feb-21 08:28 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Might mention vehicles
[24-Feb-21 08:28 PM] saintnexan#6715
Sure.
[24-Feb-21 08:29 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
A pretty big variety written up. Want a starfighter? How about an ark ship? Spelljammer galleon? Maybe just a chariot, or a hovercar, or just a hawg? All written up. And fairly extensive advice and guidelines for using the existing systems to write up new vehicles.
[24-Feb-21 08:30 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Dirigibles for your steampunk games, a couple flavors of mecha.
[24-Feb-21 08:30 PM] saintnexan#6715
Did you hear that, @GenoFoxx? Mecha!
[24-Feb-21 08:30 PM] saintnexan#6715
(He really loves mecha.)
[24-Feb-21 08:31 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
I call ’em LuciFrames in this setting. 🙂 Uru Ulan has a dedicated mercenary corp that provide mecha support when one of the other cities … or space pirates … get too uppity.
[24-Feb-21 08:32 PM] saintnexan#6715
You talked a bit about monsters earlier. Does the game have a bestiary, and if so, how extensive?
[24-Feb-21 08:32 PM] Kale#1990
People likely would shorten it to ‘Frames.
[24-Feb-21 08:32 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Not Lucies?
[24-Feb-21 08:32 PM] saintnexan#6715
And then when someone is defeated by one, they’ll say, “It’s not fair! I’ve been ‘Framed!”
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[24-Feb-21 08:33 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Another piece, by the inestimable Gennifer Bone.
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https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/780948065367490590/814324197261049877/unknown.png
[24-Feb-21 08:33 PM] saintnexan#6715
Nice!
[24-Feb-21 08:34 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Damn robots. Won’t take gold pieces.
[24-Feb-21 08:34 PM] saintnexan#6715
Actually, that picture brings up a point: How serious is this game?
[24-Feb-21 08:37 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
I tend to like games with a bit of a silly tone, but that get serious when they need to. I mean, I have Kaiju and Nacho Elementals fighting Jedi and Supergirl. But, as PCs aren’t necessarily starting off world-killers, and as the severity of criticals is up to GM and PC interpretation, things can get serious quick. You don’t stick in stuff like a murderous cult wiping out a big chunk of a city, or millions dying in an interdimensional war, if you don’t want the door open for serious themes at times.
[24-Feb-21 08:37 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
So, again, depends. It certainly can be serious, or super goofy.
[24-Feb-21 08:37 PM] saintnexan#6715
nods
[24-Feb-21 08:38 PM] saintnexan#6715
So let’s turn to the system… Do you have a character sheet that we can see?
[24-Feb-21 08:38 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Sure, one moment:
[24-Feb-21 08:38 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Here’s the form-fill PDF sheet.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1igxJ3Q0sWoAvFDoFS4Oq9deCg9STAokE/view?usp=sharing
{Embed}
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1igxJ3Q0sWoAvFDoFS4Oq9deCg9STAokE/view?usp=sharing
cosmic_cutthroats_sheets_printfriendly_v5.pdf
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/qGMzTyBd87mKx_s9MPH1QVa-gDoT1dlCGnpee2uE9HeAIbmTMw0sRhTwmhWXqv6P5nw=w1200-h630-p
[24-Feb-21 08:40 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
There isn’t a ton of math involved, but there is a little. To speed up calculations for those skills in particular, you can always use this Google Docs sheet, also.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1emMUr5PFAq0sYScTIkTdbet_k75n3YAN021RafEIEac/edit?usp=sharing
{Embed}
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1emMUr5PFAq0sYScTIkTdbet_k75n3YAN021RafEIEac/edit?usp=sharing
cosmic cutthroats – autocalc charsheet
Abilities
Cosmic Cutthroats RPG — Autocalc Character Sheet
Character Name,Name,Player Name,Name,Campaign,Name
Attributes (Step 5),Level,Cost,Basic Skills and Formulae (Step 2),Base Level,Add’l Levels,Final Level,Level Cost,Extra Cluster Options,Final Cost
Body (BOD),1,5,Athletics (BOD+REF)/4,1,0,1
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/uJ7_1w-gfz4HB_fttOChNQciRg4ZNIgtGHJ8kls8xWjpzFMVnczvyRRq9pco8Psy-N1YPp6xgrA0mA=w1200-h630-p
[24-Feb-21 08:41 PM] saintnexan#6715
That’s handy.
[24-Feb-21 08:41 PM] saintnexan#6715
I take it that this is an attribute + skill system?
[24-Feb-21 08:41 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
No, most rolls are just 2d12+Skill. Much faster that way, less to add up on the fly.
[24-Feb-21 08:42 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
That’s one reason Attributes are baked into the Skill Level. Front-loads the effort a little.
[24-Feb-21 08:42 PM] saintnexan#6715
Really? From the sheet, it looks like base scores are… yeah.
[24-Feb-21 08:43 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
All the Skills have a formula next to them. That’s the Base Level. Buy one Level, and you can add the Base Level from that formula.
[24-Feb-21 08:43 PM] saintnexan#6715
Yeah, I got it. Makes sense.
[24-Feb-21 08:44 PM] saintnexan#6715
Are there degrees of success beyond just criticals on doubles?
[24-Feb-21 08:45 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Generally, for simplicity sake, just simple pass/fail. Degrees of Success are easy to implement if you want to go that way. There are also effects that can make criticals more likely, ie crit success if the two numbers are within 1 of each other, for example.
[24-Feb-21 08:45 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Another thing that could be helpful to know is the cost structure. I gave some thought to this.
[24-Feb-21 08:46 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Most games have a simple cost structure. Each level costs X points, period. Easy to understand, also easy to game. Rewards hyper-specialization a little bit, which can be less fun for the group.
[24-Feb-21 08:47 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
OTOH, some games have a cost structure like, (New Level x Cost Rating). That badly punishes anyone who wants to excel in one area, and might even strongly discourage some character concepts.
[24-Feb-21 08:48 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
So instead, I wanted costs to increase gradually. Might mean more looking at tables when leveling up, but it also means there’s room at the table for both the Swiss-Army-Knife Multi-Talented Guy, and the “I’m The Best There Is at What I Do … And I Only Do the One Thing”.
[24-Feb-21 08:49 PM] saintnexan#6715
Is this a level-based game, then?
[24-Feb-21 08:50 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Not really. And a lot less than, say, Invulnerable. You get an Awesomeness Level at creation (yes, I re-used that term from Invulnerable; I like it 🙂 ), and that gives you a point allotment and some hard limits on ability levels, but that’s it.
[24-Feb-21 08:50 PM] saintnexan#6715
Gotcha.
[24-Feb-21 08:51 PM] saintnexan#6715
Can you describe how combat works?
[24-Feb-21 08:52 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
In Invulnerable, Awesomeness also contributed to your hit points, and a number of other survivability calculations. You can, of course, make a character that’s not as powerful as they could be, but that’s down to who you want to play, and the expectations of the group. I’ve really bought into the idea that the game should force you to play a certain way, or reinforce certain behaviors.
[24-Feb-21 08:53 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
I want an endless buffet, where everything looks delicious. 🙂
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[24-Feb-21 08:53 PM] saintnexan#6715
(Did you mean “never really bought into”?)
[24-Feb-21 08:54 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
yes, fingers can’t keep up with my caffeinated brain, lol
[24-Feb-21 08:54 PM] saintnexan#6715
Heh. 🙂
[24-Feb-21 08:54 PM] saintnexan#6715
So, combat?
[24-Feb-21 08:57 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Combat is fairly simple and flows naturally from the Skill system. It should be fairly familiar to most modern gamers. In a slight nod to realism, damage has a type, and some forms of armor may be more or less effective against some forms of damage. There is a martial arts system, though there’s certainly room there for expansion, and a social combat system.
[24-Feb-21 08:58 PM] saintnexan#6715
Armor: AC or DR?
[24-Feb-21 08:58 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
DR
[24-Feb-21 08:58 PM] saintnexan#6715
Good man.
[24-Feb-21 08:59 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
lol 🙂
Characters have a static Ranged Combat Defense and a Close Combat Defense, that is calculated based on their Skills, and acts as the difficulty for enemies to hit. It is easy to convert this to a random roll if desired, for even more craziness in battle.
[24-Feb-21 09:00 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
For supers, there are Power Duels, and Power Flexing (players of FASERIP will recognize this as Power Stunts).
[24-Feb-21 09:01 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Close weapons have Reach, which can provide a bonus to hit and defend, but martial arts maneuvers can mitigate or enhance this advantage.
There are no provisions for multiple attacks, aside from an expensive Power. Less chance for someone to hog the limelight.
[24-Feb-21 09:02 PM] saintnexan#6715
How is damage determined?
[24-Feb-21 09:03 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Each weapon or attack has a damage rating. Melee weapon damage is based on punch/HTH damage rating.
[24-Feb-21 09:04 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Goons can be dropped with a well-placed critical hit, or applying certain Conditions to them, but Bosses aren’t subject to this.
[24-Feb-21 09:04 PM] saintnexan#6715
Is damage rolled or fixed? Do critical successes affect damage?
[24-Feb-21 09:04 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
You can get damage bonuses if you score a critical, of course, but there are lots of situations where you can parlay your criticals into even better situations — lasting bonuses for the whole team, say.
[24-Feb-21 09:04 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Damage is rolled.
[24-Feb-21 09:06 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
For example, if you roll a critical, and didn’t really want to drop a Goon yet, you can ask the GM if the Goon is bleeding enough you can track them back to their lair, say. Criticals — or Triumphs, I call them — can have larger effects on the ongoing plot, they need not just do more damage.
[24-Feb-21 09:07 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Similarly, Mishaps can have lasting effects far beyond just ‘I drop my weapon/break my bowstring.’ Maybe the priceless artifact you were sent to retrieve is dropped and broken.
[24-Feb-21 09:08 PM] saintnexan#6715
Do you have an example of one of those simplified NPCs you mentioned?
[24-Feb-21 09:08 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Or maybe, you tripped on a loose cobblestone, and the enemy gains some Edge at their laugh at your ridiculousness — Edge they can use to fuel more spells.
[24-Feb-21 09:08 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Sure
[24-Feb-21 09:08 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
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[24-Feb-21 09:09 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
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[24-Feb-21 09:09 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Breaking out Skills into ‘Combat’ and ‘Non-Combat’ speeds play a lot, I find, as does omitting most skills that aren’t going to immediately contribute to combat.
[24-Feb-21 09:10 PM] saintnexan#6715
Is that an example from the bestiary?
[24-Feb-21 09:10 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Yep
[24-Feb-21 09:10 PM] saintnexan#6715
I think this question got lost in the shuffle back there, but how large is the bestiary?
[24-Feb-21 09:10 PM] Kale#1990
Dan also likes Armour as Damage Reduction? AWESOME! @Imperfekt Gammes, how nitty gritty are the skills?
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[24-Feb-21 09:12 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Let me answer Chris’ question first Dan, it’s a bit quicker 🙂
[24-Feb-21 09:13 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Chris: I’d say, slightly. A little more than say, my beloved Champions 4th Edition, but nowhere near GURPS. If there’s a big overlap in how a Skill functions, it tends to get lumped together into one Skill, a Cluster Skill. You can then unlock different uses of that Skill.
[24-Feb-21 09:13 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
So like, Firearms is one Skill, and you can unlock Pistols, Rifles, Automatic Weapons, etc.
[24-Feb-21 09:13 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Dan: So for NPCs in general, they are broken out into categories:
[24-Feb-21 09:14 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Bystanders don’t generally fight, but you might want stats anyway. Only 2 of those.
[24-Feb-21 09:14 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Goons are rank-and-file enemies, quick to go down. 7 of those.
[24-Feb-21 09:15 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Bosses are generally named, and always Bad News. 3 of those, the dragons, the kaiju, and a named evil super-scientist Dr. Doom type.
[24-Feb-21 09:16 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Creatures are like Goons, but they’re differentiated as they may be created differently and have more animalistic behavior and goals. 5 of those.
[24-Feb-21 09:16 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Finally, Allies can be friends of the PCs, or be used as PCs. 4 of those.
So, total of 21.
[24-Feb-21 09:16 PM] saintnexan#6715
nods
[24-Feb-21 09:17 PM] saintnexan#6715
So, it’s now time for… @danhunsaker’s Favorite Question(TM)! Are you there, @danhunsaker?
[24-Feb-21 09:17 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Where’s that drum roll coming from?
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[24-Feb-21 09:17 PM] saintnexan#6715
Hmm. Looks like he’s away. I shall do the honors, then.
[24-Feb-21 09:17 PM] saintnexan#6715
Oh, here he comes!
[24-Feb-21 09:17 PM] danhunsaker#2553
It’s actually a tad late for my question. 😜
[24-Feb-21 09:18 PM] danhunsaker#2553
What is your least favorite aspect of Cosmic Cutthroats?
[24-Feb-21 09:19 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
My least favorite is while I made nods toward realism here and there, and it can handle a wide variety of genres well, it’s not really designed well to handle truly realistic games.
[24-Feb-21 09:20 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
I’ve fiddled with optional rules to break out damage by body part, for example, and I have a way to do it now that may make it into a blog post, but it took too long to implement that kind of thing.
[24-Feb-21 09:21 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
It leans toward the cinematic, which is great, oh, 90% of the time. But every once in awhile, when I want something with really gritty realism … well, Dan, we might be doing this in another 1-2 years and talking about my next project. 🙂
How’s that, Dan H?
[24-Feb-21 09:23 PM] saintnexan#6715
He may have vanished as quickly as he arrived. 😄
[24-Feb-21 09:23 PM] saintnexan#6715
For what it’s worth, I thought it was a great answer! 🙂
[24-Feb-21 09:24 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
I can always give a very easy answer, too: I wish I had $10k to invest in more interior art. 🙂 But I’m very happy with what I got, and all the artists are so great to work with.
[24-Feb-21 09:24 PM] saintnexan#6715
Cool.
[24-Feb-21 09:24 PM] saintnexan#6715
In the time remaining, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?
[24-Feb-21 09:26 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
I’ll just say, Cutthroats is on DriveThruRPG and itch.io in PDF, and on Lulu in print.
And, just approved in Lulu for distribution, so in a few months, it will be in print on Amazon also!
[24-Feb-21 09:26 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Here’s a Google Doc with links, errata, and supplemental material:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZSzC_G9yDFR4Iv79PE5P-EUf3MqZ2jmO8hbF9wLffOw/edit?usp=sharing
{Embed}
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZSzC_G9yDFR4Iv79PE5P-EUf3MqZ2jmO8hbF9wLffOw/edit?usp=sharing
Cosmic Cutthroats Links and Errata
Cosmic Cutthroats RPG Links and Errata Available now! A Psychedelic RPG of Dimension-Hopping Science-Fantasy Renegades, by Joshua Kubli, Imperfekt Gammes Links Content Released Link Cosmic Cutthroats RPG (Core rulebook, PDF, $9.99) 19jan19 https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/316410/…
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Fa-bEJZOdYkvadLuMmhCr0qmE5trVMOqdYY_XxpDcGj2WvLgBotS5w7SUASwMPe3uym4yImX-2HN4w=w1200-h630-p
[24-Feb-21 09:26 PM] saintnexan#6715
Great!
[24-Feb-21 09:26 PM] saintnexan#6715
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! 🙂
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[24-Feb-21 09:27 PM] saintnexan#6715
Also, I’d be interested in reviewing the game. 🙂
[24-Feb-21 09:27 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
I’ll shoot you a copy!
[24-Feb-21 09:27 PM] saintnexan#6715
Thanks!
[24-Feb-21 09:27 PM] Imperfekt Gammes#2209
Thanks Dan, it was fun as always.
[24-Feb-21 09:27 PM] saintnexan#6715
You’re very welcome!
[24-Feb-21 09:27 PM] saintnexan#6715
Now, if you’ll give me just a minute, I’ll get the log posted and link you!
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