hix

Couch the UBI in game terms. The UBI covers all of your basic expenses- housing, food, ammo, fuel...all the stuff that is tedious to track anyway. This cuts on both edges.

Roll STR on resistance table vs SIZ would be the standard way to do it, so by referencing SIZ chart you can get an idea of lifting capacity.

Very cool book, excellent work. Well worth the wonderfully low price point.

@Nikolii Hey I sent you a copy of the playtest book, I'm still working on Space Cowboys and getting ready to start playtesting again soon.

I like the idea of using allegiance as a racials. So there would be one WAY passion, just re-skinned for any race? Maybe the player can define his racials by describing X number of things that define that passion.

Something like that. I guess we already make those decisions on the fly, and I often enjoy making some enemies use pack tactics while others ambush or use combined arms. I suppose having something like that for specific adversaries would be more interesting than a set of if/then statements.

2 hours ago, g33k said:

antithetical to RPGs

I was actually using a video game term for deciding who the NPCs attack, not determining player action.As a GM, I would welcome this, though I would only use it when it felt right.

6 hours ago, Questbird said:

attack the one with the lowest APP

This is not a terrible idea, actually. Come to think of it, I can't recall ANY rpg system that had a method for determining aggro. I guess Shadowrun has "geek the mage", but I can't think of an actual mechanical system in any book that I've read. Maybe a wargame?

1 hour ago, Lloyd Dupont said:

some Mythras game do

characteristics used as opposed pools with successful opposed rolls doing damage to the pool. So pretty close.

Some games in the mythras family use your characteristic as a pool of HP. Contestants must then make opposed rolls to deplete the others' pool. Or something like that, it's interesting.

FIrst, explain to them that character creation is front-loaded, meaning you do the math during chargen and then just read the values during play. The derived characteristics will seem complex at first, and the tons of options in the BGB can definitely be overwhelming.

It's your job as the GM to pare it down for them. One of the things I do for newer players is use something from one of the Elric games. I disconnect characteristics from skill ratings, and bump up the personal skills. This cuts out a lot of math for them during chargen, and allows me to have a character sheet that lists skills alphabetically without categories. This is easier for new players to read.

Rolling for characteristics is another thing that can really speed up chargen. Point-buy is a bottleneck for something that doesn't matter that much.

Choose one and only one magic system, with a limited spell list. The analysis paralysis can get deep here.

Equipment packs. Make some, with groups of occupations in mind.

If you are using Knowledges and Sciences, make a list of the available ones. Same for repair types and crafting. If you want this to be part of your game, define it.

Most importantly, you need a chargen document for them. If you have them flipping around the BGB, they will get frustrated.

I kind of doubt that those games have enough traction to warrant a sub-forum, so why not talk about them here?

So has anyone actually used the impulse system from Ringworld? Seems like it would work in theory, but in my experience most players can barely keep track of strike ranks in a 10 or 12 round RQ system, let alone one that purports to go up to 100 impulses and beyond. I can only imagine the fustercluck that would cause at the table. Any better impulse systems or strike rank systems you can recommend?

1 hour ago, Kloster said:

On that matter, the old TSR Top Secret SI used a simple mechanic for non firearms combat. You roll 1D100. If it is over your skill, you miss, if it is under or equal, the 10's die is the damage (modified by strength and weapon) and the 1's die is the hit location. That way, the higher your skill, the higher your potential damage. No special and no critical, and IIRC, you can not have a skill over 100, but the system can be adapted.

The One Roll Engine used in Unknown Armies has a similar way of doing it. While it uses a different HP scale, the ORE reads the percentile roll as the damage, so rolling a 17 under your skill of 50 does 17 damage. This allows the same effect of higher skill=higher damage potential.

4 hours ago, g33k said:

Have you copy/pasted any of the BGB? 

Nope, all the text is either from the SRD or my own.

4 hours ago, g33k said:

Ringworld

I'm a Niven fan (and I'd love to actually play Ringworld), but nothing in this book could be considered his IP.

2 hours ago, Nikoli said:

Starship design and combat rules.

Design/upgrade: The upgrade rules are working fine with my home group, allowing a crew to increase shield regen, add turrets, missile bays, sandchuckers, more cargo, speed and acceleration. The design rules use these same upgrade modules to construct a ship from scratch. They take inspiration from games like Traveller, attempting to streamline that kind of system.
Combat: Ship crewmembers have roles like Pilot, Gunner, Sensor Op, Co-pilot. Their role affects their strike rank and available actions. This is an attempt to keep all players involved during a starship battle while retaining the same combat round structure as other types of combat. A crewman acts on his Dex rank plus his role's rank.
 

2 hours ago, Nikoli said:

If I finish writing it up, and it works, I’ll post it for feedback.

Looking forward to checking it out.

1 hour ago, Chaot said:

Would you consider putting together some basic packs

Absolutely, good idea.

1 hour ago, rsanford said:

what inspiration did you take from Revolution D100?

Revolution D100 has so many great ideas in it. I don't think any mechanical similarities survived editing, but the Powers, Weird Science and Adventuring sections really captured my imagination and gave me related ideas, not to mention the author's help to me in understanding how OGL, SRD and other alphabet soups work.

Thanks to all you for your interest and compliments. Those of you who frequent these boards may see the huge amount of inspiration I have taken from the posters here, especially those who have contributed to the scifi section. I owe a debt of gratitude all of these wonderfully creative folks.

Thank you for your kind words.

Will it handle big ships vs. big ships?  X-Wing scale "dogfighting"?

Yes, from pirate corsairs to fighters to couriers. Still working on capital ship details, but the basics are in place.

a commercially-salable product?

Yes, I am hoping to release the game in the next few months.

are you planning to release it under the BRP-OGL license?

I hope so. Still waiting on Chaosium to define some things before I can determine if I have made too many changes to call my game BRP.

Grab your plasma pistol, load up on adhesive grenades, and fire up an energy shield as you get ready for action in the sci-fi roleplaying game about building a legacy in the frontier of the galaxy. Play as a mutated animal hybrid, a cybernetically enhanced robo-freak, or an uplifted plant-thing in a world where anything is possible and freedom is as close as your starship’s airlock door.

Space Cowboys is a Game about folks on the edges of civilization doing what it takes to realize a vision of the future.  Build a merchant empire, found your own cites, create a government, found a mining corporation or unite the pirate tribes to conquer and plunder. Gonzo sci-fi is what my group calls it.

Generate your profession and backstory with the easy-to-use Gigs system, filling your character with life before you begin play.
New futuristic weapons, vehicles, armor and gear.
Control the fundamental forces of physics with your mind.
Simple and powerful starship creation and upgrade system.
Includes the Conesta Rho setting: Organizations, NPCs, Planets and Places ready for play.
World creation is fast and easy, create entire societies on the fly.
Gene freaking, Cybernetic enhancements and advanced drones.
Flexible system for creating and upgrading structures, vehicles and starships: Build cities from the ground up, design and operate humongus capital ships, create an army.
Fast and detailed combat using the Strike Rank system.
Uses simple and intuitive d100 core mechanic.
Skills and powers improve as you use them, no arbritary levels or experience points.

Original systems: Chargen inspired by Traveller, Starship Roles and Combat, Domain Play, an elegant use of the Fatigue system to determine encumbrance,  and more.

Got it. Anyone else interested in Space Cowboys playtesting just DM me. And thanks for the high praise, @Chaot

And here's the .odt if anyone wants it. This was made with the freeware and open source program LibreOffice Writer.

Character Sheet Fillable BNW.odt

Here's something I used in my game with some blanks thrown in. Uses strike ranks and hit locations, so you might not need all of it, but here ya go.

Character Sheet Fillable BNW.pdf

11 minutes ago, rsanford said:

more effective when you are trying to persuade them

And that sort of thing I would apply to the Persuade skill.

Insight is on my list of deleted skills, along with Listen, Move Silently, Bargain and Jump/Climb/Swim. Combined into Spot, Stealth, (Persuade/Etiquette/Streetwise depending on the situation), and Athletics respectively.

Every study conducted has demonstrated that humans are no better than chance at detecting deception (Ekman & O'Sullivan 1991, 913-920; Granhag & Strömwall, 2004, 169; Mann & Vrij 2004). If you want to read minds, use powers. That's why I exclude insight.

If I want the player to know something about the character's behavior or nature, I don't leave it up to my acting skills. I tell them outright. If it is supposed to be ambiguous, then I don't want it up to a die roll, I want the player to have to make up his mind about this NPC. getting rid of Listen does make Spot more powerful, but I'm running a sci-fi game, so half the spotting is done with Computers anyway.

Athletics is a compromise for my players, allowing them a little more ability. Doesn't include Throw, because grenades.

Rewritten rules for using Strike Ranks. This should be distinct from the BGB's wording.

Strike Ranks
Combat rounds are divided up into strike ranks, counted up from 1 to 10. Ties are simultaneous. If your total rank for an action is over 10, you can’t act. At the top  of a round of combat, the GM calls out Strike Rank 1, counting upwards. Characters act on their associated rank. To get the total strike rank for an action, add the character’s Dex Rank plus the weapon’s strike rank to the current Strike Rank.

DEX Rank

Compare your character’s Dex to the table below. The number listed is your Dex Rank.

Example: Bob has Dex rank 2 is punching a mook. Fist attacks are SR3, so Bob’s first attack launches on Strike Rank 5, and again on Strike Rank  10.

Multiple Actions
Characters can act repeatedly, as long as their total rank is less than 11. Combining movement, attacks, powers, and item use is as simple as adding up the ranks  and counting to 10.
 

Defense
You can Dodge or Parry unlimited times without using Strike Ranks, but you can only parry once per Rank.

Powers

Powers are activated on the Strike Rank equal  to the number of Power Points being spent on the effect.

Movement
Base movement is 3m per strike rank, rounded up. The GM may divide up the movement or resolve an associated action with it as he sees it.

Surprise

Base surprise costs 3 ranks to overcome, adjusted by the GM up to a full combat round.

Preparing a Weapon

Switching to a holstered or shouldered weapon costs 3 Strike Ranks, as does pulling an item or grenade out of a belt. If the item is in a backpack, it takes 6 ranks.
 

First Aid

Performing First Aid requires concentration and time. Use requires a full uninterrupted combat round, 10 ranks.

Aim/Rush

Take more time or hurry an action. Each strike rank delayed adds 10% to the hit chance. Each strike rank hurried subtracts 10%, maximum 20% adjustment.

PERSONAL HISTORY
Your character’s personal history is defined by three periods: Birth, School and Job. Birth and
School must be rolled for, Job can be chosen. The results give skill points.

Birth Results
Farm +20 to: Climb, Repair, Throw
Military +20 to: First Aid, Navigate, Spot
Survivalist +20 to: Fine Manip, Ride, Track
Orphan +20 to Fast Talk, Bargain, Sleight of Hand
School Results
Home +20 to Literacy
6th grade +40 to Literacy
University +60 to Literacy, Major Field skill
Job Goals
The goals below are examples and templates. Players should work with the GM to create specified
goals for each character.
Artist
1. Sell first work for $1 or more.
2. Secure a repeating performance at a venue.
3. Raise related skill to 51, hire apprentice
4. Build own performance venue.
Business/Professional
1. Establish business in a temporary location.
2. Build a permanent store.
3. Raise related skill to 51, hire employee
4. Expand location to more than double size.
Criminal
1. Evade arrest.
2. Form gang of 4 or more.
3. Commit Major crime.
4. Attain bounty of more than $200.
Politics

1. Local Office

2. County/territory

3.State office

4. Federal office

Lawman
1. Get deputized.
2. Make an arrest for Major crime.
3. Form a posse, and achieve its goal.
4. Capture a bounty of more than $200

Personal Goals
These can be almost anything in the game world not related to the character’s profession. Create a
4-tier progression. Start a family, alter the destiny of the territory, learn to play pool.
Completing Job or Personal goals increases the Status skill as well as the relevant skill for the task.
A percentile roll for increase is not required.