[7:30 PM]Wyloch: Hi! I’m Bill, and I run the YouTube channel Wyloch’s Armory. Just today, I reached the funding goal for the first print run of my new cyberpunk/sci-fi TTRPG: Neon Skies. Today’s discourse seems to be around so-called “old school” or “high crunch” as opposed to “rules lite” or “rules get out of the way.” Personally, I fall exactly in the middle. I don’t believe a character sheet should EVER be longer than one page. But I like to roll a lot of dice. But I don’t want to do any mental math or have to track modifiers. But I wanted a system that still had a lot of breadth in its outcome, mathematically speaking. And so, about six years ago, inspired by the dice pool mechanic from the Vampire the Masquerade, I started to design my own. Then, during a hard drive cleanup, I found an old short story I’d begun back in high school (2003). It was about a world that deployed satellite-based internet, became dependent upon it, and then Kessler Syndrome struck, setting everything back to the stone age. That became the premise for what ultimately became Neon Skies. Believe me, I have no patience for re-hashes. I don’t like the current gold rush we’re seeing in the TTRPG sphere. Innovation – like, true innovation – is hard to come by. The way Neon Skies handles vehicle chases, combat, and hacking are – to my knowledge – a first. My goal is to abstract things JUST ENOUGH that gameplay is fast, but so that the players still feel like their preparation and their choices MATTER. I contend that some amount of crunch is necessary for that satisfaction. Lastly, during this chat, I am listening to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJeK_rEMAng
YouTube
Jonathan Belle
Synthwave and Chillwave Radio | Chill, Game, Study, Edit To
[7:30 PM]Wyloch: (done)
1
[7:31 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Thanks, @Wyloch! The floor is open to questions! Give me a sec to scroll back and read your intro… And thanks for having that ready!
[7:31 PM]Wyloch: certainly
[7:31 PM]Wyloch: And here’s a little appetiz.
[7:33 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): I note that you specify “cyberpunk/sci-fi” rather than simply “cyberpunk”. Can you say a bit about that?
[7:35 PM]Wyloch: Sure – so, about 100 pages of this book is pure lore and setting. The book is single-source for the entire experience, players and Admin alike. I’m an engineering manager by day. I moonlight with all of this. So the fictional setting has some out-there stuff, but I back it all up with science or psuedo-science. Engineers and other nerds will find a lot of nods and in-jokes here.
[7:36 PM]Wyloch: The focus is surely on the digital world. Hacking. Dystopia. All that. But there’s a strong sci-fi bent to it. Probably best explained by copy-pasting my bit on “Meta-Stable Material”…..
[7:36 PM]Wyloch: The existence of super-heavy isotopes, also called meta-stable material (MSM), has drastically expanded the boundaries of humanity’s imagination. These atoms are synthetic, and they carry a ridiculously high neutron count. For example, the naturally occurring Carbon-12 normally has 6 neutrons, but in the year 2150, the isotopes Carbon-587 and Carbon-944 exist.
[7:36 PM]Wyloch: Portable cells of MSM can be used as the raw fuel for many applications which border on being outright fantastical. Pocket-sized ampules of the stuff can be used for a multitude of wondrous tasks.
[7:37 PM]Wyloch: However, some of these species are highly volatile and must be handled with extreme care. Collecting too much in one mass and stressing it in just the wrong way can result in enormous explosions. Factories dealing with large quantities are built with a mandatory a mile-wide exclusion zone around them.
[7:37 PM]Wyloch: MSM is a part of daily life. The stuff is treasured enough that it isn’t really sold or bought. Instead, scattered about Rook City are hundreds of recycling kiosks. These terminals are about the size of an ATM. They can receive inorganic material and compress it down into miniscule amounts of MSM.
[7:37 PM]Wyloch: (done)
[7:38 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Can you give us a high-level overview of the tech level?
[7:39 PM]Wyloch: Sure – it’s 2150. After the Ross Ice Shelf calved a few decades ago, the water only partially receded. The few remaining mega-cities have become terrariums, economically and politically, as a result. 95% of the human race has opted to receive The Infusion, which introduces a fifth component to the DNA: in addition to AGCT, there is Y (cyber). A person who is Infused is able to mentally hack in realspace as well as on the OmniNet, which is the decentralized satellite-based amalgamation of all the old-world networks (such as the world wide web).
[7:40 PM]Wyloch: Laser and plasma weapons about. Boosters (drugs) are common sight on the street. Hover cars existr, but are reserved for the cops and just a few dozen of the ultra-rich. The sky is not literred with them.
[7:41 PM]Wyloch: The titular “Neon Skies” are caused by thousands of OmniNet satellites falling out of orbit every day. Their loss is offset with constant launches, but we aren’t able to keep up…which means at some point, maybe tomorrow, maybe in thirty years: the OmniNet will go down.
[7:41 PM]Wyloch: (done)
[7:42 PM]Wyloch: For some narration and artwork to help illustrate what daily life / tech looks like, consider: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLtSGWIOwYE
YouTube
Wyloch’s Armory
Neon Skies – Streamlined, accessible, fast-running cyberpunk tablet…
[7:42 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): (Oh, fyi, the (done) is strictly optional after the intro. )
[7:43 PM]Wyloch: Oh, gotcha!
[7:43 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Is there space travel?
[7:43 PM]Wyloch: No. Due to Kessler syndrome, we never even made it to Mars. It’s impossible to get beyond low Earth orbit now, due to the debris field.
[7:43 PM]Wyloch: We’re in a cage of our own making.
[7:44 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): What is Kessler syndrome? Overcrowding orbital space?
[7:45 PM]Wyloch: It’s a real world postulate that’s kind of terrifying. Imagine a tiny meteorite strikes a satellite going the other direction, blowing it up. One sateillte becomes a hundred small pieces of debris, which all go and hit satellites of their own…..and so on…..
[7:45 PM]Wyloch: It grows exponentially.
[7:45 PM]Wyloch: And a lot of this debris falls into the atmosphere, exploding in brilliant flares…..neon skies….
[7:46 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Why has there not been an effort to make a land-based network?
[7:47 PM]Wyloch: It was abandoned long ago when the OmniNet went up. And then the subsequent global floods washed away about 2/3 of the population and infrastructure. That was only about 70 years ago. Everyone went into a survive vs thrive mode.
[7:47 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Ah, I see.
[7:47 PM]Wyloch: Because humanity is Infused now, they’re also far too dependent on the OmniNet.
[7:48 PM]Wyloch: Like, imagine in our real world present day. Trying to unwind smartphones, back to flipphones.
[7:48 PM]Wyloch: Would never happen. Couldn’t.
[7:48 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Makes sense.
[7:49 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Aside from the Infusion, how common are cybernetics?
[7:50 PM]Wyloch: Very. The Infusion isn’t actually cybernetics. If you become infused, your body manifests some aesthetic tweaks….fiber hair….glowing arteries…..odd eye iris shape…..it varies from person to person. And these are strictly aesthetic. But anyone who IS infused is able to install Biografts on their body. These devices do all kinds of things. The book has 33 of them to start with. A good solid selection. Here’s an example or two:
[7:51 PM]Wyloch: WATCHDOG SERVO – This biograft replaces one of your shoulders. Whenever anyone attacks you in close combat, apply a +1D bonus to your first Sling. (this models the biograft scanning the battlefield and tracking incoming assaults, and moving your arm for you to help out)
[7:52 PM]Wyloch: INFINITOPTICS – You can see in the distance, the dark, and fog, all with perfect clarity.
[7:52 PM]Wyloch: ADRENADENRITES – Whenever you enter the subdued condition, Sling [3] and if successful, you recover one wound. (when you’re about to die, the biograft floods your body with adrenaline, potentially getting you back on your feet)
[7:53 PM]Wyloch: As far as the rules / mechanics go, these biografts all do a simple one-sentence thing, but it’s usually very powerful. It NEVER relies on the character’s statistics…the idea is that biografts are for everyone. They are neutral. They level the playing field.
[7:54 PM]Wyloch: I have aimed to have the TECH in this system do DIFFERENT things, as opposed to just buff some other existing part of the rules.
[7:55 PM]Wyloch: Boosters (performance enhancing drugs) are also only usable to the Infused. They last ten minutes. When they wear off, you might gain system shock (a temp lowering of one of your scores). So there’s consequences for abusing tehc.
[7:56 PM]Wyloch: I’ll keep going.
[7:56 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Sure!
[7:56 PM]Wyloch: The other 5% of the population are called Nulls
[7:57 PM]Wyloch: oddly, about 95% of the wealth in the entire world lies with Nulls.
[7:57 PM]Wyloch: as if they see or know something that Infused can’t. it has spawned resentment, and open questioning as to whether the Infused are somehow under control without even realizing.
[7:58 PM]Wyloch: With regard to the tech level, here’s another important bit from the front of the book; AIR GAP The world in 2150 is an anachronistic place. Digital communication has progressed to its end state, such that almost anything with circuitry in it is vulnerable. As a result, new market demand emerged for so-called “old world” technologies that cannot be hacked. Precious items are still stored in manual safes with turn-dials. Food preparation is often still done manually in the interest of safety. Media is still consumed by watching a physical screen or listening to an audio broadcast over speakers. A second contributor to these inconsistencies is that a large segment of society still strives to embrace what’s left of their humanity simply by doing things manually, rejecting the machine, as it were (see The Rebel’s Paradox on page 1).
[8:02 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): What an interesting concept! I like that.
[8:02 PM]Wyloch: Yeah, I want to see a model year 2145 Vinteer Mobius with its curvaceous body racing against an old 1978 Trans Am.
[8:03 PM]Wyloch: The second largest crime family in all of Rook City is the Pollazo Family. Big Nick Pollazo has an original C6 Corvette. It’s priceless.
[8:04 PM]Wyloch: I just realized I haven’t said yet: the game takes place in Rook City, the largest remaining city on the planet. Named so for the massive obsidian black skyscraper at its center, shaped like a chess rook. New OmniNet satellites are launched from its top, several times an hour, all day long.
[8:04 PM]Wyloch:
[8:06 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): What’s left of the world outside of the cities?
[8:09 PM]Wyloch: Immediately outside of Rook City are the washed lands (“The Wash”). The exact location on Earth is never specified. I want everyone to be able to imagine it being in their part of the world, and injecting some of their modern-day culture into it. So: marshes. Much of the world that isn’t mountains or cities are swamps or marshes now. International travel (and even regional travel) is 99% done by air or boat. Driving is simply too dangerous, as the roads haven’t been maintained, and raiders abound.
[8:10 PM]Wyloch: That said, the book has a few locales in the immediate area (few miles) outside Rook City. I’ll paste a couple….
[8:10 PM]Wyloch: ЅОΝОКО The last exit before the city limits was high ground, and home to a large rest area complex including a gas station. It has since been converted into a trading post. Though the Ladder does claim jurisdiction out here, they very rarely devote any resources to cleaning it up. With far viewing distance and the presence of a scrambler (the only one in the region not found in a cybercafe), there is ample time for everyone to disperse long before any law enforcement would arrive.
[8:10 PM]Wyloch: МАUDЕ’Ѕ РLАСЕ About three years ago, over two dozen Awakened had been meeting in secret to discuss their abilities, train each other, and keep tabs on reports newly Awakened individuals across Rook City. One such meeting was raided by the Humanist Legion, and in the chase that ensured, all but five were slain. The strongest willed of them, Maude Ahura, commanded their morale and shepherded them out into the Wash until they found the long-abandoned South Clements Trailer Park. And upon that rock, she built her church. Now called Maude’s Place, this dilapidated bohemia is a safe haven for Awakened individuals. One or two newly Awakened street urchins arrive at the gates every week. It is believed that Maude’s ambitions continue to be peaceful, but no one knows for sure.
[8:10 PM]Wyloch: ЕDЕΝ At some point, someone became curious as to what effect the Infusion would have on other organics; after all, plants have DNA. As it turns out, a few species of flora are indeed compatible. These plants have minor alts such as glowing petals, fiber optic stalks, and silicate pollen. They choked out the non-compatible species in the area as they spread, and as of present day this “cyber swamp” has grown to be nearly a mile in diameter. Walking through it is tantamount to an acid trip; it is utterly overwhelming with light, colors, and shapes. Scientific studies have noted how certain species seem to “talk” to each other by intercepting the binary flowing through the air.
[8:12 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Freaky!
[8:13 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): What is the Ladder, and what are the Awakened?
[8:15 PM]Wyloch: ТНЕ АWАКЕΝЕD A mere five years ago, what seemed to be a shocking leap in human evolution occurred. Reports of people able to control matter with nothing but their thoughts went from hoax fodder to fully proven in a matter of weeks. It is believed that an Infused can train their brain to energize their alts in resonant patterns creating a short window of quantum entanglement with nearby matter allowing them to manipulate it. In cruder terms: psionic ability has been revealed, although that name is a misnomer as the phenomena is fully attributable to technology and not supernatural in the slightest. This revelation is still new. Less than 1% of the population demonstrate the ability to manifest these impulses, and among those 1%, only 1% are able to do anything more than parlor tricks such as levitate a dinner plate or light a candle. Those able to tap into this new power have been called the Awakened, and their place in society is yet undefined. On one extreme, cults have sprung up worshipping the Awakened as gods, and on the other there is a new branch of government dedicated to hunting down and imprisoning or killing these walking weapons of mass destruction who are dubbed too dangerous to be allowed to live. To become Awakened requires severe trauma. Only in a near-death experience is the unique cocktail of adrenaline, glutamate, and emotional enlightenment injected into the body. When that occurs, the individual must deliberately throw all caution to the wind as they dump their psyche wholly over into their neuralnet. That decision is fraught with risk. Many die in the process. Those who survive undergo a dramatic metamorphosis lasting up to a minute.
[8:16 PM]Wyloch: Game-wise……….your character can try to become Awakened. It’s dangerous but when it happens it’s epic. In playtests, whenever it happens, people go nuts. And the special “psionic” talents are only available to the Awakened.
[8:19 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): How powerful can Awakened abilities get?
[8:20 PM]Wyloch: You can move shipping containers with your mind. Focus matter into a bolus of energy (“magic missile”, basically) which ignores armor completely. Teleport (nightcrawler…BAMF!) Heal organic matter rapidly. Read minds.
[8:21 PM]Wyloch: Most can do minor versions of those things. Some have grown. A few are walking weapons of mass destruction. Nobody knows what to do with them.
[8:21 PM]Wyloch: …………………………….let’s be blunt. X-Men. They’re X-men.
[8:21 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Heh.
[8:21 PM]Wyloch: But hey, tropes exist for a reason! They resonate. They work.
[8:21 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): So there are Akira-level Awakened out there?
[8:22 PM]Wyloch: Yes. In fact, some are secretly called out in the book. I have peppered subtle clues and am eager to see who solves one major mystery first.
[8:23 PM]Wyloch: Like, I have transparent text in the PDF…..messages and patterns hidden in some artwork….and so on. You’d never notice it if I didn’t say anything. But there are puzzles in teh book like that.
[8:23 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Very slick.
[8:23 PM]Wyloch: yeah fun
[8:24 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): I take it that there’s no way to start out with an Awakened PC?
[8:24 PM]Wyloch: The rules state that it requires Admin permission, and should be the rare exception, not the norm. Of course. You can easily do it. Just pretend the attempt was successful, roll up your new DevPoints, and buy the talents you want. I only write it that way because the experience of becoming Awakened is so fun and so intense, in playtestring.
[8:25 PM]Wyloch: If you fail, you die.
[8:25 PM]Wyloch: It’s intense.
[8:25 PM]Wyloch: Naturally, there are ways to improve your odds. There’s a new booster on the streets called Nirvana: “Whenever you Sling to attempt to become Awakened, apply a +4D bonus.”
[8:26 PM]Wyloch: There’s a talent you can take called Natural Spark: “Whenever you Sling to attempt to become Awakened, apply a +1D bonus for each Rank in this talent.”
[8:26 PM]Wyloch: and so on
[8:26 PM]Wyloch: Rumors of the ultra-rich having masque parties in their mansions, Eyes Wide Shut style, taking doses of Nirvana and trying to Awaken.
[8:27 PM]Wyloch: It’s become so prevalent that the cops have a new standard response code for it….failed Awakening attepmt….come pick up the body.
[8:27 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Generally speaking, who are the PCs, and what do they do?
[8:29 PM]Wyloch: They are Infused individuals who embrace the culture of “nocturning.” Given all the uncertainty in the world with regard to the notion of freewill (re: Nulls) as well as the impending doom of the OmniNet, they say screw it. Sleep all day, come out only at night, and do the dark jobs that need to get done. And get paid to do it.
[8:30 PM]Wyloch: Not all Infused are nocturners. There are plenty of working stiffs in the city.
[8:31 PM]Wyloch: There are many gangs, all detailed in the book, one could ally with. There’s even government work or corporations who want matters dealt with in an untraceable manner.
[8:31 PM]Wyloch: Nocturners are expendable.
[8:31 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Ah, so PCs can’t be Nulls?
[8:34 PM]Wyloch: THey can – there are rules to allow that. It is notably more challenging, not nearly as fun (in my opinion) but it can be done.
[8:35 PM]Wyloch: You can’t use biografts. Or boosters. Or Cyphers. You can’t “see” or interact with the OmniNet. You can’t perform syncs.
[8:35 PM]Wyloch: You’re a normal-ass human.
[8:35 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): How do Nulls get to be so powerful in society, then? Or is that part of the underlying mystery?
[8:36 PM]Wyloch: It’s a mystery. It’s THE mystery.
[8:36 PM]Wyloch: Like, if I imagine, in my wildest dreams that this book takes off and becomes a franchies……dozens of campaign books later….ten years from now……..I’d put out an “End Times” sort of campaign, in which the truth is finally revealed. And maybe the oMniNet finally goes dark.
[8:37 PM]Wyloch: Sort of like World of Darkness did with their end of days stuff a few years back. It’s the whole heart of the matter.
[8:39 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Going back to the Wash for a minute, how has wildlife adapted to this new state of affairs?
[8:42 PM]Wyloch: That paragraph is all that’s written about it. Open to the Admin / players’ imaginations. But it proves that all forms of DNA have a chance to be compatible with the Infusion. You want cyber-wolves? You can. Book is silent on it though. Most of the adventuring will be done within city limits.
[8:43 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Is there a way for a creature to be inadvertently Infused?
[8:43 PM]Wyloch: No. The Infusion is a two-part injection, seven days apart.
[8:44 PM]Wyloch: Failure to get the second dose means the nanites are flushed and you have to start the process over.
[8:44 PM]Wyloch: (mechnically….I couldn’t just have crazies running up and down the street sticking Nulls and suddenly Infusing them)
[8:44 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): (So that idea was Null and void?)
[8:44 PM]Wyloch: well done.
[8:44 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): bows
[8:44 PM]Wyloch: now get the hell out of here.
[8:45 PM]Wyloch:
[8:45 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe):
[8:45 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Let’s take a look at the system. Do you have a character sheet that we can see?
[8:45 PM]Wyloch: Does that come through proper sized or get reduced?
[8:46 PM]Wyloch: Bah, it’s reduced rez.
[8:47 PM]Wyloch: Here is a link to a full native rez version: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HEtHDExkFD7ApUp2j2A1JC_KI79DQ3tEGoogle Docschar-Burke.jpg
[8:48 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Let’s have a look here…
[8:50 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Does Strain have any mechanical effects?
[8:53 PM]Wyloch: During character creation, yes. There are seven known strains of the Infusion floating around the globe. Each has some different benefits. Extra DevPoints (so you get an extra talent or two), or raising the cap on one of your scores, etc.
[8:53 PM]Wyloch: During gameplay, there’s really only one interaction with it. Datastorms. About once a week, the network becomes unstable and a Datastorm commences. It usually affects only one particular strain, determined randomly.
[8:54 PM]Wyloch: So if this happens, any player-characters of the matching strain have….stuff to do. I won’t go into the nuaunces.
[8:54 PM]Wyloch: But it matters there.
[8:55 PM]Wyloch: АLРНА The original formula of the Infusion deployed in 2050. DЕLТА The first known branch of the Infusion. Switched focus from augmenting cognition to enriching the neuralnet. DЕLТА‐К A tertiary branch which swapped a few bits in the Delta strain recipe to bolster the Hippocampus. ЕURАЅІА A particularly hardy strain that propogated mostly throughout the Eastern hemisphere, widely believed to have been authored by a lab coat in debt to a conglomerate of crime families. DЕЕРВLUЕ Rumored to have been a secret military effort leaked by accident or malice, this strain aims to blur the line between human and synthetic intelligences. GЕΝ‐3ӏ A version of the Infusion titrated 31 times to distill out a mapping that maximizes one’s creativity. GRUММАΝ Named after the unstable doom-saying scientist who created it, this strain was aimed at preparing the human race for survival after the so-called “coming apocalypse.”
[8:57 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): I notice that there are no attributes. What was your thinking there?(edited)
[8:59 PM]Wyloch: What you think of as Attributes are called Pillars. Body, Mind, and Soul
[9:00 PM]Wyloch: you assign six points among them (minimum of 1 each)
[9:00 PM]Wyloch: Easy example….you want to bust down the back door so you can escape to the alley? Sling [Body] That means roll [Body] number of dice and if at least one of them is a six, you succeed.
[9:01 PM]Wyloch: You want to look around the tossed-up apartment and try to figure out what they were after? Sling [Mind]
[9:01 PM]Wyloch: You want to talk the bouncer into letting you into the club? Sling [Soul]
[9:02 PM]Wyloch: There are many ways to apply extra dice to those Slings. Perhaps you have two ranks in the “Charismatic” talent, which reads: “Whenever youtry to influence someone through social interaction, apply your Soul score as a bonus for each Rank.(edited)
[9:02 PM]Wyloch: Thus, if you have two ranks in Charismatic, you will instead Sling [3 x Soul ](edited)
[9:03 PM]Wyloch: Maybe you have a dose of Affection in your pocket. This booster’s effect is: “Whenever your Soul score is used in a Sling, apply a +3D bonus.” So now you’re going to Sling [3 x Soul + 3](edited)
[9:04 PM]Wyloch: Talents all rely upon one of your Pillars. So you have few points for your Pillars….and they really, REALLY matter. They will properly define what you’re good at.
[9:06 PM]Wyloch: …..okay I edited the above. Geez. After five years working on the same few pages and testing testing testing, you start to remember older verions.
[9:06 PM]Wyloch: sorry
[9:06 PM]Wyloch: Anyway, you can see in this example….if your Soul score is a 3, you’re way up at nine dice. Appropriate, considering your investment.
[9:06 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): No problem.
[9:07 PM]Wyloch: But anyway – a key point here is, you are not adding dice results. You are not modifying dice results. EVER. You are simply seeking a single six.
[9:07 PM]Wyloch: “Modifications” refer to dice added or removed, not to the dice results.
[9:08 PM]Wyloch: I realize this isn’t a new concept at all.
[9:08 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): There’s nothing wrong with applying an existing concept in a new way, IMHO.
[9:08 PM]Wyloch: But by also saying NOTHING ever modifies a die result, and number of successes don’t matter, it produces a very realiable and clean probability model that the player can memorize.
[9:09 PM]Wyloch: Rolling a d20 gives a straight line. A D6 dice pool (with no re-rolls, no mods) produces the above curve. It’s beautiful.
[9:09 PM]Wyloch: It models real life very well. It is easy to become pretty good at something. It is very difficult to master it.
[9:10 PM]Wyloch: The graph tapers off at higher dice, appropriately.
[9:10 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): How does combat work?
[9:10 PM]Wyloch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUnH-Kt8WH0YouTubeWyloch’s ArmoryHow to Run Combat (Neon Skies Rules Overview)
[9:10 PM]Wyloch: In short…..
[9:11 PM]Wyloch: There are no squares, no distances to care about. You select one of five maneuvers, and then perform one action. Your maneuver selection persists until your next turn.
[9:11 PM]Wyloch: There are no rules for tactical miniatures. You can use miniatures to help track maneuver selection, but again: there are no distances, no line of sight, none of that to care about.
[9:12 PM]Wyloch: It’s supposed to feel more like chess, less like basketball.
[9:12 PM]Wyloch: One example maneuver….Hold. “Apply a +2D bonus to any attacks you attempt. However, any attacks against you also apply a +2D bonus.”
[9:13 PM]Wyloch: Another…..Take Cover. “Apply a -2D penalty to any hostile actions you attempt. However, any hostile actions toward you also apply a -2D penalty.”
[9:13 PM]Wyloch: and so on
[9:13 PM]Wyloch: It’s all in that video above.
[9:14 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): How is weapon damage determined, and how does armor function?
[9:15 PM]Wyloch: Suppose weapon DMG is 3. And suppose armor is 1. Then the victim takes two wounds. If they accumulate wounds equal to their Tough score, they become subdued. One minor tweak to that: weapon damage always has a TYPE. Ballistic, Energy, or Immolative. Armor also always has a TYPE. The same three. If the DMG TYPE and the ARMOR TYPE are a match, then you must reduce the DMG by one.
[9:15 PM]Wyloch: This means you could wear weight 0 armor…..zero points of armor….but if it’s a leather jacket, then perhaps it’s Ballistic armor. That means it can still have an effect on Ballistic attacks that hit you.
[9:16 PM]Wyloch: DMG usually is in the 1 to 3 range. So is Armor.
[9:16 PM]Wyloch: The BIG guns can get up to 4 or 5.
[9:17 PM]Wyloch: So a laser rifle does 2 Energy DMG. You are wearing 1 Energy Armor. That becomes zero wounds.
[9:18 PM]Wyloch: And yet, if you’d been hit by an assault rifle that deals 2 Ballistic DMG, you would take one wound.
[9:18 PM]Wyloch: Armor is built and designed for different purposes. This is intended to reflect that. And provide an avenue for “right tool for the right job.”
[9:20 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Speaking of armor, is there power armor in this setting?
[9:20 PM]Wyloch: Yes. It’s in the Special Equipment section. It’s crazy expensive.
[9:21 PM]Wyloch: POWER ARMOR (U25000) – WT 0 — Treat as being WT 3 for the purpose of damage reduction. This armor can be targeted by Reboot syncs (Cyber 4). While it is being rebooted, treat as being WT 1 instead of WT 3.(edited)
[9:22 PM]Wyloch: I mean to be clear it’s exotic. You will 99% of the time see leather jackets, spiked couture, trenchcoats, kevlar, MSM-based body plating, etc.
[9:22 PM]Wyloch: Subtler.
[9:23 PM]Wyloch: EXAMPLE ARMORS (from the book) ВАLLІЅТІС WT0 Plain clothes WT1 Kevlar vest, trenchcoat WT2 Tactical gear, punk pauldrons and greaves WT3 Car door platemail, carbon-weaved leathers ЕΝЕRGҮ WT0 Plain clothes WT1 Cellophane jacket, pearlescent skinsuit WT2 Thermal dispersion chestplate, mylar jumper WT3 Diamond dusted paneling, inverse momentum shield ІММОLАТІVЕ WT0 Plain clothes WT1 Firefighter’s jacket, chemically sealed skinsuit WT2 Aerogel infused padding, non-Newtonian spanx WT3 Air-sandwich dual layer plating, ordnance disposal suit
[9:24 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): In the time remaining, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?
[9:24 PM]Kieyotie: Evening gentlefolk, my questions are always on a different track from the conversation, so I try to wait and see what gets answered. Pardon anything that would be answered by the linked videos. . Would there be a real reason to play as a null? As a beginner it would be easiest to walk around in amusement. I’m picturing my uncle, would he enjoy the gameplay and have a role? . ‘It models real life very well. It is easy to become pretty good at something. It is very difficult to master it.’ Can you be pretty good at several things in this system, or are you limited to single class skillsets? (I like playing myself, and have a wide skillset.) . I may misunderstand, is this more theater of the mind than minis? (Not an issue either way.) . Layering armor is available? It’s a pet peeve considering available body armor. I like your system there. .
[9:25 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): brb
[9:25 PM]Kieyotie: Jeez, ask a dozen questions and run the host off…(edited)
[9:26 PM]Wyloch: “In the time remaining, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?” Whew, no I don’t think so, thank you.
[9:27 PM]Wyloch: “Would there be a real reason to play as a null? As a beginner it would be easiest to walk around in amusement. I’m picturing my uncle, would he enjoy the gameplay and have a role?” No real reason. Not very fun. Can’t do most of the cool stuff that’s really intended.1
[9:28 PM]Wyloch: “Can you be pretty good at several things in this system, or are you limited to single class skillsets? (I like playing myself, and have a wide skillset.)” Yes, there are NO predefines or classes at all. You can completely assign your points and buy whatever talents you like. You get 20 DevPoints to buy talents. That’s enough to really kind of excel at two different things…..like you could be a ninja chemist. Or a detective who also builds weapons. If you spread thinner than that….you certainly can. But you’ll encounter failure a little more often unless you embrace life enhancement through drugs (boosters) or other assets. But it’s totally allowed and totally possible.1
[9:29 PM]Wyloch: “I may misunderstand, is this more theater of the mind than minis? (Not an issue either way.)” Yes, it was specifically designed to run pure theater of the mind, if you want. You can use terrain and miniatures to help keep track of maneuver selections, but you could just as easily do that by writing names on a sheet of paper in the center of the table for everyone.1
[9:29 PM]Wyloch: “Layering armor is available? It’s a pet peeve considering available body armor. I like your system there.” No. You get to wear one piece of armor at a time.
[9:29 PM]Wyloch: However……
[9:30 PM]Wyloch: There are other ways to protect yourself. Eariler I mentioned biografts. For example, there’s a biograft called M.E.V. REFLECTOR – Whenever you are hit by Energy damage, reduce it by one.
[9:30 PM]Kieyotie: Thank you, I misunderstood that. The different damage resistance types make sense.
[9:30 PM]Wyloch: That is basically armor, just in a different asset.
[9:30 PM]Wyloch: But it will count against your maximum allowable biografts. (You cannot install more biografts than your Soul score)1
[9:31 PM]Kieyotie: That’s all I had, thank you for your time. I look forward to going through your videos.
[9:31 PM]Wyloch: Thank you!
[9:32 PM]Kieyotie: I like the ShadowRun/Cyberpunk etc, but like a more science mind in my scifi. This looks good and I look forward to seeing the lore(edited)
[9:32 PM]Wyloch: Cool, thank you, I look foward to sharing it!
[9:33 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): (back, sorry — the dog needed out, then I needed to go. )1
[9:33 PM]Kieyotie: Who are your artists? And team? Or is this solo?
[9:34 PM]Wyloch: The main artist is David Simons (moniker Arcvein art) – he did 90% of the work you see in it. Some of the NPCs were drawn by David Richmond, and two more pieces were done by Steve Boshear.
[9:34 PM]Wyloch: I commissioned them all out of pocket. So this Kickstarter is solely to fund the actual print run. The book is done.1
[9:35 PM]Wyloch: Anyone else?
[9:36 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Thanks very much for joining us, @Wyloch!
[9:36 PM]Wyloch: No, thank you for the invite!
[9:36 PM]Wyloch: and the opportunity
[9:36 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): Absolutely!
[9:36 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.
[9:36 PM]Wyloch: Have a good rest of the week, all
[9:36 PM]Dan (Hardboiled GMshoe): If you’ll give me a minute, I’ll get the log posted and link you!
[9:37 PM]Wyloch: Sure