[7:29 PM]sirlarkins:
Thanks, Dan! My name is David Larkins, and I am the co-creator of ACTION INTERNATIONAL, a d20-based TTRPG about kicking ass and taking names in a world where everyone knows martial arts and you can blow up a car with well-placed shotgun blast.
[7:30 PM]sirlarkins:
My co-author, Alex Drusts, and I got into gaming back in the early 90s after growing up on a steady diet of Hong Kong martial arts and Hollywood B-grade action movies, and one of the first games we fell in love with was Palladium’s Ninjas and Superpies—heavy emphasis on the “ninja”. What we particularly loved was the catalogue of dozens of martial arts styles we could pick from for our characters and their foes, and we found ourselves, a few years back, getting nostalgic for a game like that but with a somewhat less…clunky system.
[7:30 PM]sirlarkins:
ACTION INTERNATIONAL started out as a hack of a hack of a hack (specifically, the [Redacted] Hack, which was derived from the 1st edition of The Black Hack), but over time it ended up becoming its own system. The D&D DNA, so to speak, is still there if you know where to look.
[7:30 PM]sirlarkins:
We’re really happy with the final product, which produces fun, over-the-top action scenarios and never fails to pull players into the tropes of the genre. (done)
[7:30 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe):
Thanks, @sirlarkins! The floor is open to questions!
[7:31 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe):
Does the game have its own setting?
[7:32 PM]sirlarkins:
It’s an implied setting, for sure. There are two sample scenarios in the rulebook, plus a scenario generator. The pre-written scenarios are odes to GLOW and Karate Kid/Cobra Kai, if that gives you some indication.
[7:33 PM]sirlarkins:
We wanted to present as wide-open a game as possible, so although there are a dozen or so suggested “Roles” (like Mutant Animal or Street Fighter), there’s also plenty of space to make up your own roles and setting.
[7:34 PM]JustBarbarianThings: What feature(s) do you think really sets this system apart as one to try?
[7:36 PM]sirlarkins: I think the heart of the game are the two dozen martial arts styles. By picking a style, and maybe learning another one later on, you essentially define your character. Each style has its own suite of special Maneuvers to complement a big glossary of general Maneuvers (Elbow Strike, Nunchaku Attack, Expel Ki, etc.). Mix and match and even two characters with the same style will often have very different vibes in combat.
[7:37 PM]sirlarkins: Speaking of which, combat is designed to move fast, especially when you’re fighting Minions. You have to defeat enough Minions to fill up your Go-Time Meter–and once it’s “Go Time,” you unlock a Finishing Move you can deploy at any point. Which is pretty much essential for when you go up against the Boss and their Henchmen later!
[7:37 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): You mentioned Mutant Animals and Expel Ki, so I take it that the game goes beyond “merely” over-the-top action movie physics and into actual weirdness?
[7:39 PM]sirlarkins: Oh, totally! It’s all about emulating the tropes of the genre. For example, if you fire a shotgun at a door or car, you get a +5 bonus on the roll if you’re trying to destroy the object. Speaking of guns, Minions and Bosses won’t use them unless the Heroes bring them out first. So many of those movies have the baddies conveniently lining up to get their butts handed to them, and we wanted to emulate that.
[7:39 PM]sirlarkins: And yeah, it’s kind of up to the players and GM to decide how grounded they want the game to be. You could totally do a John Woo-style noir just as easily as Howard the Duck meets Street Fighter or whatever.
[7:40 PM]Santiago: How does the system support storybuilding/storytelling for GMs and player side?
[7:40 PM]sirlarkins: The main thing is: you’re telling a story where the Heroes get to be badasses most of the time, but get worn down by the baddies until the final blood-soaked finale.
@SantiagoHow does the system support storybuilding/storytelling for GMs and player side?[7:42 PM]sirlarkins: One of my favorite parts of the book is a chapter Alex wrote that is a structured collection of random tables (we love random tables, so there are plenty in the game) whereby going through and rolling you’ll produce a credible 3-act scenario, complete with Boss, Henchmen, Minions, even the title. My most recent outing on the tables gave me “Revenge Mission”, which legit sounds like an actual VHS action romp from the time.
[7:43 PM]sirlarkins: For players, you generate things like your Drive and Relationships. Doing stuff in accordance with your Drive gives you Advantage on the roll, while working against your Drive gives you Disadvantage. Relationships help you heal faster, or give you extra buffs before the Boss Fight, but of course can also be used against you (the old “they killed sensei!” thing).
[7:44 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): What sorts of outright paranormal abilities can PCs have, and what sorts of paranormal enemies might they face?
[7:48 PM]sirlarkins: Good question! Paranormal abilities are limited to the aforementioned “Ki” abilities, mostly useful in combat. For foes, particularly Bosses, the sky is really the limit. I should mention that most dice rolls are player-facing, so essentially a GM you’re defining the Boss by exactly how much pain they can bring to a combat, but then the rest is up to you to define in terms of appearance, etc. For example, the Boss I rolled up for “Revenge Mission” was a radioactive mutant who we decided in play was a former rival of the Ninja player’s dead master (there’s that trope again!).
[7:49 PM]sirlarkins: But, honestly, the system is set up so the Heroes (what we call the PCs) can accomplish most tasks with aplomb, especially if the task falls within their Role and/or Drive. So Ninjas really are masters of stealth and shadow, slipping in and out of sight, getting the drop on their opponents, etc. It’s only after taking damage and in fighting the really tough opponents that suddenly you’re sweating your odds.
[7:50 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): What about the Mutant Animals? They don’t get any special abilities?
[7:51 PM]sirlarkins: Special abilities are defined by the role you select. So you could work with the GM to define your own vision of a Mutant Animal, certainly. But it really is in the martial arts styles where the special abilities really shine.
[7:52 PM]sirlarkins: Here’s an example from the Mutant Animal Role, giving suggestions for what activities that Role should get bonuses on: “What You’re Good At: hiding, stealth, ordering takeout, scrounging, reassurance, eavesdropping, being charmingly cute and cuddly”
[7:53 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): How would you compare this game to Feng Shui?
[7:55 PM]sirlarkins: There are definite similarities, as we’re drawing from similar wells. I would say ACTION INTL is more of a toolkit game for one thing, and its mechanics are less crunchy. It’s actually occurred to me that I could port in Feng Shui’s setting with almost zero effort, though!
@sirlarkinsThere are definite similarities, as we’re drawing from similar wells. I would say ACTION INTL is more of a toolkit game for one thing, and its mechanics are less crunchy. It’s actually occurred to me that I could port in Feng Shui’s setting with almost zero effort, though![7:56 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Really? How would you handle strangeness like magic and monster powers?
[7:58 PM]sirlarkins: It would certainly be an ACTION INTL treatment of Feng Shui, don’t get me wrong. Monster powers would be pretty easy to do, since they would likely fall under one of the three existing Foe moves (“I Must Break You”, “Some Trick or Two”, or “I Like Pain”), while Hero powers could either be incorporated into existing martial arts styles or maybe get some custom Maneuvers written up.
[8:00 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): What is the most outlandish ki ability in the game?
[8:01 PM]JustBarbarianThings: (queuing up) Is it better for one shots or campaign pay? I do like that working from the tropes it seems like you could lean very silly and fun or go pretty serious. But what’s the ideal length of game?
@Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe)What is the most outlandish ki ability in the game?[8:05 PM]sirlarkins: In terms of the general Maneuvers, I’d have to go with Burst Attack, which is exactly what it sounds like. There’s a Combat Mat where you track relative positions (Near, Far Away, etc.), and Burst Attack lets you “push” opponents into different range bands while doing damage. But as mentioned earlier, each Martial Arts Style has its own suite of special Maneuvers, and my favorite there is under the Pro Wrestling Style (because of course Pro Wrestling isn’t fake in this world!): Trash Talk, which (if successful) literally leaves your foe stunned while restoring spent resources to your character. You can use that one both offensively and defensively.
@JustBarbarianThings(queuing up) Is it better for one shots or campaign pay? I do like that working from the tropes it seems like you could lean very silly and fun or go pretty serious. But what’s the ideal length of game?[8:08 PM]sirlarkins: Alex and I designed the game with the understanding that this isn’t going to replace D&D any time soon, and most people would probably want to play it in between longer campaigns. So you’d run a single scenario, which I find takes about 2-3 game sessions (including character creation and assuming 3-4 hours per session), and then maybe come back to it a few weeks or months later. And that’s where the Downtime mechanics kick in! You essentially calculate, based on how many real-world weeks have passed, how many months have passed in the game world and get caught up on what the Heroes have been doing. The players have to decide how their character have prioritized Work, Relationships, and Training, with bonuses for focusing on one or two and costs for the elements that get ignored.
[8:08 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Do you have a character sheet that we can see?
[8:08 PM]sirlarkins: Absolutely!
[8:08 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Taking a look here…1
[8:10 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): I don’t see a place for skills. I take it that skills are based on Role?
[8:12 PM]sirlarkins: That is correct. In fact, we specifically state in the rulebook that you don’t have to worry about consistency of skills from scenario to scenario, which is very in keeping with the genre. The Power of Plot and all that. As long as the player can justify why their Role would apply to a given task, they can get a bonus on the attempt. The GM then decides which of the five attributes best fits, and asks for a test using that attribute.
[8:14 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): What is Heat in this context?
[8:15 PM]sirlarkins: As you can see, the attributes are tracked on a scale. That’s because when you take damage, the GM rolls 1d6; on a 1-5, the damage goes to one of the attributes (reading down from top to bottom on the sheet), while on a 6, the damage is applied to all of them. Once an attribute hits 0, the Hero is potentially knocked out of the fight.
@Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe)What is Heat in this context?[8:15 PM]sirlarkins: “seduction, distraction, mental intimidation; resisting attempts to see through a disguise or similar deception”1
[8:16 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Can you describe task resolution, using the example of jumping over a gap?
[8:19 PM]sirlarkins: Sure! All tasks are resolved by rolling 1d20, with 2-3 modifiers. The biggest modifier is whatever attribute the GM assigns to the task. Leaping a gap would be a Grace roll, for example. So if my Grace is 14, I’d roll 1d20+14. I’d also add my “Grit Dice” rating, which starts at 1 for average beginning characters. If the action falls under my Role (maybe I’m an Ex-Cop and this is a rooftop chase, so I could argue it’s something I’ve done many times in the past while chasing perps), I can double the Grit Dice bonus. More rarely, a Martial Arts Style might give you a bonus (Ninjutsu gives you a +2 to sneaky tasks, for example). If the total equals or exceeds 20, I succeed.
[8:21 PM]sirlarkins: This means most rolls are succeeding on rolls of 5 or better, somewhere in that range. There are two ways this gets complicated: first, if it’s an opposed task, I have to subtract my opponent’s Grit Dice. Obviously this applies most often in combat. Then other way is through damage–as mentioned, taking damage reduces your attributes, so as you progress through the scenario, those tasks that seemed so easy earlier are no suddenly more challenging. Different genre, but think of Deckard trying to leap the building gap at the end of Bladerunner…
[8:21 PM]sirlarkins: I should also mention that attributes are rolled on 3d6, so most average 10-12.
[8:23 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Is 18 the human maximum, or the universal maximum?
[8:23 PM]sirlarkins: Effectively the universal maximum, at least in this iteration of the system.
[8:24 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): So not that this is likely to happen, but how would you simulate the strength of, say, a gorilla?(edited)
[8:24 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): (brb)
[8:28 PM]sirlarkins: Remember that all dice tests are player-facing, so I actually don’t have to worry about a gorilla antagonist’s Power rating or whatever. If the Heroes are apt to fight the gorilla (most likely as a Henchman), I would just need to assign the gorilla an appropriate number and type of Grit Dice of its own (and there are guidelines for that in the book). If the Hero was a gorilla (a Mutant Animal, most likely, but you never know…), I would expect to see that Power attribute in the upper teens for sure. Although the default character creation method is random rolls, the text does note that the player and GM can work together to create a specific type of character by moving points around. (The Government Experiment Role specifically calls for this.)
[8:29 PM]sirlarkins: The game is highly subjective–it’s movie logic. So we don’t really worry about how strong a gorilla actually is in real life, but rather how strong a gorilla Hero might seem compared to his fellows.
[8:30 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): How does combat work?
[8:33 PM]sirlarkins: Combat starts with the Heroes making Heat tests. Those who succeed can act before the Foes, while those who fail act after the Foes. The GM then uses tokens on the Combat Mat to track where Foes are in relation to each Hero. In keeping with genre tropes, Foes obligingly only fight 1:1, even if there are more of them than the Heroes. Positioning is key, as each Maneuver has its own range bracket(s) that it will work within. Punches, for example, usually only work at Close range. Heroes acting first get to name their range bracket of choice, while Heroes going last have to either work within a range bracket selected by the Foe or use a Maneuver (like Burst Attack) to shift the bracket.
[8:34 PM]sirlarkins: Attacking Maneuvers use the test mechanic outlined above, with each Maneuver linked to an attribute (Punches use Power, for example). You roll the test, and if you succeed you do damage to your opponent. If they’re reduced to 0 Grit, you mark your Go-Time Meter and move on to the next one.
[8:36 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): How is damage determined?
[8:36 PM]sirlarkins: If the opponent is still standing, or is acting before you, there are three actions they can select from (“I Must Break You”, “Some Trick or Two”, or “I Like Pain”). Minions can only select the first one, actually, and that’s very straightforward: the GM rolls the Foe’s Grit Dice (usually 1d4 for Minions) and does that much damage to the Hero unless the player wishes to either spend Parry Points to negate damage on a 1:1 basis, or attempt a Defensive Maneuver, which is not guaranteed to work (it’s another d20 test), but if it does it imparts some benefit: maybe it allows an immediate counterattack, or it negates all damage for just 1 Parry Point, or gives you or an ally a buff, etc.
[8:37 PM]sirlarkins: The damage Heroes inflict is based on the Maneuver they used, and most Maneuvers scale. So you might learn Elbow Strike I, then later learn Elbow Strike II and go from doing 1d4 damage to 1d6.
[8:38 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): How do weapons and armor function in the system? (And yes, I realize that most armor is unlikely in this setting.)
[8:40 PM]rocket_queen (Des): (adding to the questions) What makes this game fun to play? I feel like that element gets lost when we get in the weeds about rules.
[8:40 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): A fair point.
[8:42 PM]sirlarkins: Correct—most armor is incidental, and it functions like free Parry Points, reducing damage on a 1:1 basis. Equipment can get used up, too, with something called a Usage Die. Weapons work two ways: guns are straightforward, in that you must make a Cool test against a foe at Far-Away range and if you succeed you roll damage. You can also use guns to intimidate Minions, blow stuff up (as mentioned), or lay down suppressing fire. Melee weapons are baked into the martial arts Maneuvers. So learning Karate gives you the opportunity to learn Bo Staff Attack, for example. They work like other Maneuvers, but are based off Heat and so are a good option for Heroes with lower Power or Grace scores.
@rocket_queen (Des)(adding to the questions) What makes this game fun to play? I feel like that element gets lost when we get in the weeds about rules.[8:44 PM]sirlarkins: Combat is the central activity of the game, but we designed it to give you lots of tactical options and move quickly. The real fun kicks in as you watch your Go-Time Meters rack up and you draw closer to the boss fight. It’s all about timing. Call the Boss out too soon and at least one Hero is ending up in the hospital! But maybe that’s what the group wants? Very in-genre, after all. Ultimately, that’s the heart of the game: if you like cheesy action and martial arts movies, this game really delivers that flavor.1
[8:44 PM]Santiago: Can you talk about the finishing move on the character sheet? Not sure if I missed that.
[8:47 PM]rocket_queen (Des): What movies or series inspire the general vibe of this game?(edited)
[8:48 PM]sirlarkins: Sure! Mechanically, the finishing move works the same way for all Heroes: when you are engaged with a Foe (ideally the Boss, but there’s nothing stopping you from using it on Minion…), you declare you’re using your finishing move on your action. The move automatically succeeds and does 25 points of Grit damage. That’s it. The trick is getting there (you have to fill up your Go-Time Meter to unlock it); also, once you use it, your Go-Time Meter resets to 0. You also get to define/name your finishing move during character creation. We provide a table (naturally) for folks who like randomness or aren’t feeling particularly inspired, but I’ve found most players like coming up with their own to fit either their Role or their Style.
[8:49 PM]sirlarkins: Sometimes it takes more than one Hero landing a “finishing” move on a Boss to actually finish them! Those are the moments I live for.
@rocket_queen (Des)What movies or series inspire the general vibe of this game?(edited)[8:52 PM]sirlarkins: The whole game arose from me and Alex talking about Steven Seagal’s career, so you’d think that would be a big influence. And certainly movies like Hard to Kill have their place in the inspirational canon. But we also loved movies like Ninja III, Hard Ticket to Hawaii, and Never Too Young to Die, as well as the classics of Hong Kong action cinema. Tournament movies like Bloodsport, Mortal Kombat, Master of the Flying Guillotine, and Enter the Dragon were also big influences, because who doesn’t want to match up, say, krav maga and wing chun and find out which one is “better”?
[8:52 PM]JustBarbarianThings: What is the role and martial art you would pick if someone was running the game for you?
[8:52 PM]sirlarkins: Oh wow, no one has ever asked me that before! 1
[8:54 PM]sirlarkins: I have actually gotten to play ACTION INTL a few times (the benefits of having a co-creator who can run playtest sessions too!), but it’s been a while so I honestly cannot remember what style I picked last time out. I know we were federal agents, and we ended up blowing ourselves up in a botched attempt to take out the Boss with a gasoline truck…1
[8:54 PM]sirlarkins: But yeah, in this very moment, I’d probably have to go with the Street Fighter role and Muay Thai for my style.
[8:55 PM]Dammit Victor 🐙: Well, you say that and it’s Adon deal.1
[8:55 PM]rocket_queen (Des): Are there sidekicks in this game?
[8:55 PM]rocket_queen (Des): just feels like that should be part of any good action movie
[8:56 PM]sirlarkins: There’s actually a Sidekick role! It’s not for everyone, but–I’ll just let it speak for itself:1
[8:57 PM]sirlarkins: You can also have a Sidekick as one of your relationships. They help you with rolls on the Training Montage table, naturally.1
[8:57 PM]rocket_queen (Des): Can you show us what Roles look like?
[8:58 PM]sirlarkins: In keeping with the lighter approach of the core mechanics, Roles are very succinct. That Sidekick example above is a typical example.1
[8:58 PM]sirlarkins: Here’s another:1
[8:59 PM]sirlarkins: As you can see, you can use your Role to start with some bit of equipment or adjustments to your starting abilities. And the game easily accomodates custom Roles, too. The Karate Kid homage scenario included in the rulebook, “Rumble on Dojo Strip”, has pre-generated characters with Roles like The Star Pupil, The Troubled Youth, The Psycho, and The Nerd.
[9:01 PM]rocket_queen (Des): Are there any other mechanics GMs can use to create the action movie feel of this game?
[9:05 PM]sirlarkins: One thing we came up with, and this is perhaps the game at its most subjective, is describing scenarios by their budget. This doesn’t equate to overall challenge rating/power level/whatever–that’s determined by the total Grit Dice of the Heroes in the party–but is rather a metric the GM can use when describing the world. So a lower-budget scenario might prompt me, the GM, to describe things in very prosaic terms, because the crew was doing a lot of guerilla-style filmmaking in back alleys and their friends’ apartment and whatnot. The higher the budget, the more elaborate I can get with my descriptions, even with all other elements of the scenario being equal.
[9:06 PM]sirlarkins: To assist in this, we came up with a silly little “mechanic” called Hollywood Points. Your budget gives you a certain number of these, which are basically an excuse to go all-out with some effect or stunt. Maybe in an otherwise low-budge, straight to VHS level affair, I could spend a Hollywood Point to blow up a helicopter during the finale. That sort of thing. Again, not really meant to be a concrete game mechanic, just a guide for GMs.1
[9:09 PM]rocket_queen (Des): When will this game come out?
[9:10 PM]sirlarkins: It’s currently Kickstarting! There’s a link over in the promotion channel, posted earlier today. 1
[9:12 PM]rocket_queen (Des): How is this game different from the other games/scenarios you have edited and written in the past?
[9:16 PM]sirlarkins: Oh yeah, I should probably mention I’ve worked on the Call of Cthulhu and Pendragon lines (and a couple others in minor capacities). I know you asked what’s different, but one thing that is very much the same (and is something I enjoy in most RPGs I play) is how the mechanics push players to act according to the tropes of the genre, whatever that might be. ACTION INTL feels different to other games I’ve worked on with its focus on building your character through what are essentially their powers. It’s a very simple, easy to grasp core mechanic, but the complexities show themselves in character creation (selecting or creating a Role, choosing your Style and Maneuvers) and in pacing during the scenario (as mentioned, going after the Boss too soon is a recipe for disaster, but if you wait too long you start losing Go-Time marks). It’s one of those “easy to learn, hard to master” type games, which we didn’t set out to create it that way but I’m really glad that’s where we ended up!1
[9:25 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): I didn’t quite follow you on how weapon damage works.
[9:25 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): How would you determine how much damage a hit from a sword does, for example?
[9:28 PM]sirlarkins: Think of it this way: all Maneuvers do damage. Weapons are just another type of Maneuver. They use a different attribute for the test, and often have special rules of their own–nunchaku, for example, do 2d4 damage, but you can choose to apply each d4 against a separate opponent (one you are fighting and one your ally is fighting) or do both dice of damage against your own opponent–but fundamentally, you’re rolling whatever damage the Maneuver dictates. And weapon Maneuvers come in levels, too, so the “Nunchaku Attack” Maneuver starts at 2d4, but moves up to 2d6 at level 2, etc.
[9:29 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): What are some gun-based Maneuvers?
[9:32 PM]sirlarkins: So in the core rules, guns are the one way to do damage that don’t require you to know any Maneuvers. This is intentional: a game of ACTION INTL that focuses on guns (let’s say you wanted to do a Predator-style scenario) won’t focus as heavily on the martial arts side (as would be appropriate in a Predator-style scenario). That being said, guns can be used against the Heroes, and usually do more damage than the Minions can dish out. A Minion fighting you hand-to-hand rolls 1d4 damage. A Minion shooting at you will do 1d6 or even 2d6! And remember: Foes don’t use guns themselves until the Heroes do. So the whole thing is set up to encourage genre tropes in a variety of ways.
[9:33 PM]sirlarkins: (I say “in the core rules” because I hope to eventually do some zine-style supplements in the future, and I could definitely see creating some kind of “Gun-Fu” Style that would incorporate guns as Maneuvers, thus bypassing the “Foes don’t use guns until the Heroes do” rule.)
@sirlarkins(I say “in the core rules” because I hope to eventually do some zine-style supplements in the future, and I could definitely see creating some kind of “Gun-Fu” Style that would incorporate guns as Maneuvers, thus bypassing the “Foes don’t use guns until the Heroes do” rule.)[9:35 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Grammaton Clerics!1
[9:35 PM]sirlarkins: Exactly!
[9:36 PM]sirlarkins: I’ve been talking with a friend about what a sequel game would look like that leans more heavily on 90s and early 2000s action movies. Thinking of calling it ATTITUDE INTERNATIONAL. 1
[9:37 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): In the time remaining, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?
[9:39 PM]sirlarkins: Just a couple things: I’ve alluded to Training Montages. Basically, before the Heroes go to fight the Boss for the first time, they can roll on a Training Montage table that gives a description and bonus related to the activities in an imaginary training montage flashback. Players are encouraged to describe these montages in detail, of course, and I always put on the track “Training Montage” from the Rocky IV soundtrack as they do so.
[9:40 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Nice.
[9:40 PM]sirlarkins: The other fun rule is called “Jackets Off,” named after the tendency in these movies for a Hero, beaten and bloody, to shed their shirt or jacket as a sign that they’re ready to fight to the finish. You can go “Jackets Off” once an attribute is knocked down to 0. You automatically heal all damage and restore spent Grit Dice, but after that point, if you hit 0 again in any attribute, your Hero dies. It is pretty much the only way for a Hero to die in the game, and I’ve seen it happen. Always a super dramatic moment.
@sirlarkinsThe other fun rule is called “Jackets Off,” named after the tendency in these movies for a Hero, beaten and bloody, to shed their shirt or jacket as a sign that they’re ready to fight to the finish. You can go “Jackets Off” once an attribute is knocked down to 0. You automatically heal all damage and restore spent Grit Dice, but after that point, if you hit 0 again in any attribute, your Hero dies. It is pretty much the only way for a Hero to die in the game, and I’ve seen it happen. Always a super dramatic moment.[9:41 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): (Unless it’s a Marvel movie. Then it’s “Masks Off”.)2
[9:41 PM]sirlarkins: I have some actual-play episodes if folks want to hear how character creation and game play run. Should I post those here or in promotion?
[9:42 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Both, if you like! That way, they’ll be visible here and in the chat log.1
[9:43 PM]sirlarkins: Awesome, thanks! Really appreciate the opportunity to come on here and talk all things ACTION INTERNATIONAL! 1
[9:43 PM]sirlarkins: Actual-play: https://www.eorpodcast.com/post/action-international-revenge-missionEORAction International – Revenge MissionACTION INTERNATIONAL is ready to make its Kickstarter debut, and so we bring you a fresh look at the system with an actual play.
[9:44 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Thanks very much for joining us, @sirlarkins! I hope you’ve enjoyed your visit and will continue hanging out with us. 1
[9:44 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Usual reminder: If you’ve enjoyed this Q&A and would like to treat me to a coffee or two, you can do so at https://www.ko-fi.com/gmshoe. Anything’s appreciated! Ko-fiBuy Dan Davenport a Coffee. ko-fi.com/gmshoeBecome a supporter of Dan Davenport today! ❤️ Ko-fi lets you support the creators you love with no fees on donations.
[9:45 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): If you’ll give me a minute, I’ll get the log posted and link you!1
@Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe)Thanks very much for joining us, @sirlarkins! I hope you’ve enjoyed your visit and will continue hanging out with us. [9:45 PM]sirlarkins: Absolutely!