Hey Man, well this is Babylon

If you are a member of my closer circles of friends, you probably by now think I must be secretly working for the marketing team of OnLive. I’ve been a major shill for this company since I first encountered them at PAX 2009, and rarely a week goes by that I don’t spout out more OnLive propaganda, entirely of my own free will. A recent major technical difficulty that I’ve experienced with their service serves as yet another example of how awesome this company is, to me.

A while back, the Capcom game Dark Void went on sale for pretty cheap via the OnLive system, and I jumped on it. I’d played the original demo at PAX that same year, and I’d been wanting to give the full game a try for a while. I wasn’t disappointed, either: despite some fairly scathing reviews, I find Dark Void to be a pretty awesome action game. It’s more or less The Rocketeer, and I effing loved that movie.

Unfortunately, a critical game-crashing error has consistently plagued me at the very end of the first episode of the game (out of three). The error happens every single time I activate a crucial mechanic in the game. In fact, there’s no way to avoid the error, as that crucial mechanic is required to advance a certain scene and complete the end of the first episode.

Trial and error and a whole lot of guessing have led me to believe that the error is exclusive to the use of a game controller in that scene; mouse and keyboard work fine without issue. This wouldn’t be a huge deal for me (being a mouse-and-keyboard shooter fan on PC) if it weren’t for the fact that Dark Void is a much more enjoyable console-and-couch experience than a PC one.

The error is specifically limited to the OnLive platform, and their service team has been on the frickin’ ball with helping me resolve this. Believing it might be an issue specifically related to my own unique user data, the support representative assigned to the case even went so far as to play through the game from the beginning all the way just past the point that was blocking me, and then replacing my save data with his own. I would do terrible secret things if I were able to land a job that let me play video games in order to help out customers, all as part of a day’s work.

The error persists, unfortunately, but I can bypass it using the mouse and keyboard, for now. But their tech team continues to work on it, their support rep continues to communicate with me, and their response time and service level continue to wow me.

I’m impressed. Service teams today rarely do that for me.

I have no effing clue why these sheets are so damn impossible to find online. I looked pretty much everywhere I could think of looking, but could only ever find the 2nd Edition sheets. So I took the time to scan the ones out of my own actual print copy of Adventures on the High Seas, and after compiling them I have uploaded them here for you to use.

Download away!

I could use some input on this, folks.

On the homeward commute yesterday, I began considering the idea of using Playing cards, instead of dice, as the core tangible resolution mechanic. This thought process all started as I was trying to work out some ideas for the All-Out Pack Warfare rules. I was initially thinking it could be a system in which two players face off over a row of seven “fields” or spaces on the table. Each member of the pack would play a card in a field of their choice, showing their effort in that field of the battle. Cards would get played, revealed, and matched in an order currently undefined, wht the results of those matches would score the fields and ultimately declare a victor in the battle. A quick game of strategy to determine the tides of an entire battle. Future product tie-ins, as well, but that’s thinking much further down the line.

This got me thinking: why use dice at all, then? How about just do the entire thing in cards?

Re-working the cards ideas a bit, the variables could be modified as follows:

• Pack Rank: Determines # of cards in your set hand
• Alignment Scale Position: Determines maximum # of cards you can play at once during relevant conflicts (scaled from 3 at the lowest to 9 at the highest)
• Ki Pool: Spend tokens to add cards to your hand before playing
• Grabs: Evoke a Grab to play more cards from your existing hand.

Cards are still played in sets of either 3 cards or 7 cards. Ranks are added and used to beat targets, card combos multiply scores or add to them somehow. Possibly even anime-esque levels of power escalation and exponential growth. I can see a well-played seven-card set totally destroying a mountainside, that kind of thing.

This gives me a whole new idea for implementing the Risk Investment theme of the Broad Scenes. To re-cap, what I’m calling “Broad Scenes” function primarily as storytelling and narrative exploration scenes. It is in the Broad Scenes that the stakes are set for future Action Scenes. While exploring Broad Scenes, characters can pursue side goals and missions to attempt to Up the Stakes for action scenes, such as persuading the town guard to fight for your cause, or convincing the mistress to reveal your enemy’s secret weakness.

Previously, I had figured these could give extra dice if established before a conflict, at the risk of higher stakes for loss. Instead, I’m conceptualizing a way for players to find these side goals, work them, and then invest face-down cards into them for future use. Say, work the mistress over, and then place one or more cards face down on the side for her, which can then be re-drawn into your hand as bonus cards later, should you work her into an actual conflict.

Aside from providing roleplaying direction and serving as separate character lifelines, the three Codes’ scales will directly relate to the conflict resolution mechanics. Your positions on the scales will set your base number of dice rolled in these action scenes. My goal is to have each of the three codes empower two modes of conflict resolution.

For example, I’m currently aiming at having the Code “Way of the Sword” empower the resolution of conflicts via both the direct application of violence and the complete avoidance of violence altogether. A character who is at Balance within this Code (aka “Rank 4″ out of seven spots on the scale) will roll a base of five dice in either situation. Each space further outward on this Code (towards the seventh spot) will raise the Violence ability by one die while likewise lowering the Non-Violence ability, with the furthest-outward space giving the character eight dice for violent acts and only two for non-violence. Likewise, moving instead inward does the opposite, and at the innermost space (spot #1) the samurai would have eight dice for non-violent ways, and only two for acts of violence.

I’m hoping to set each of the other two codes into a similar template. What mechanical empowerments, then, would the Codes of the Pack and the Highway respectively provide? The Code of the Pack represents the balance between individualism and Pack Identity – further inward makes the character more self-empowered, further outward makes him stronger as a member of the group. My immediate thought is that it would be the difference between “Acting alone” and “Acting With the Pack,” but that actually seems a bit too situational. Another idea would be to connect this to Honor, using it as a means to an end much in the same way that the Way of the Sword uses violence. Further inward could then empower your use of your own personal Honor as a tool (as well as when you defend it), while the outward could empower your application and defense of your Pack’s honor. I’m not sold on this yet, as I’m not picturing any exciting conflict scenes in which these would be used.

As for the Highway, I’m equally perplexed. The immediate reaction to the question is to apply it to your character’s riding skill, but what would be the relevant dichotomy? What could the Code of the Highway, which represents the balance between human empathy and a zen-like connection to your bike, bring to the table that isn’t already covered by the violence/peace empowerment of the Way of the Sword?

Or is the Way of the Sword too broad as it is?

My goal is to have the Pack Roles inspire out-of-conflict role-playing while also directly tying into the Pack Warfare rules. I’m seeing the latter as an almost Diplomacy-like minigame of strategy and moves, involving the Roles themselves as chesspiece-like tools in the battle.

First, let’s address the roles specifically. These are separate from the pack Ranks, mind you. Ranks cover things like Leader, Core Guard, Masked, and Prospect. Roles, on the other hand, describe your duties and responsibilities within the Pack, both in daily life and in Battle.

I’m wanting there to be at least seven roles available, each with its own narrative guidelines and battle mechanics. So far, here are the few notes I’ve drafted up last night on these Roles:

The Tail Gunner

1. Always rides at the rear of the convoy, usually with a heavy and/or loud bike. Responsible for carrying medical and other important supplies for the Pack.
2. When the pack retreats, the Gunner is responsible for issuing a “parting challenge” to the pursuing enemy, in order to stain their honor somehow. “Bet you can’t hit this target!” or the like.
3. Battle Move: “Parting Challenge”

The Historian

1. Responsible for keeping the Pack’s records, and maintaining their “mon” (badges)
2. During Battle, the Historian chants the lineages of the members and the exploits of the Pack. This should be done aloud and in character. This is to both bolster the Pack’s confidence and intimidate the enemy.
3. Battle Move: “Litany of Glory”

The Road Captain

1. The Road Captain rides at the front of the convoy, and in Battle, he always leads the charge.
2. This is the rider the enemy will see first, thus the Road Captain must be visually representative of his Pack’s spirit.
3. Battle Move: “Rallying Charge”

The Trail Blazer

1. A good ‘Blazer scouts out the battlefield in advance.
2. When traveling, the ‘Blazer rides ahead of the pack, sometimes far, but rarely closer than just visible cresting that far hill.
3. Battle Move: Undecided

The Armsman

1. Responsible for keeping the pack in line, and enforcing Pack Law within the ranks at the behest of the Leader.
2. Is rarely the leader, but more frequently the Leader’s right hand man.
3. Acts primarily as a thug and enforcer.
4. Battle Move: Undecided

The Errand Boy

1. Usually filled by the Prospect
2. Cleans the bikes, gets the coffee, packs the gear, executes all the items on the Honeydew lists.
3. Battle Move: Undecided

The Den Mother

1. Strong samurai packs keep their ranks free of women and avoid the wily affairs of the fairer sex. The strongest Packs dismiss this superstition, and ride with a strong Den Mother in their ranks.
2. The Den Mother is a unifying force on the battlefield, bolstering those who ride with her.
3. Battle Move: Undecided

I’m mulling over ideas on how to both A) further define these roles outside of combat, and B) further define the rules of actual Pack Warfare. I’m also considering having the rules be changeable in-game. Maybe give each role two special moves – one for whoever happens to switch into that role in the fly, and one additional move that only the true holder of that role knows (the guy who chose it during character creation).

I have mostly been using a private journal for the small-scale fielding of initial ideas, before bringing them more into focus and posting here. Lately, a flood of these have been discussed, and here are the most recent revisions of my newest ideas on this game.

On Stages of Play

I’m seeing actual play happening in two major stages, which for now (and lack of better theme-appropriate terms) I’m calling the Broad stage and the Action stage. Play will flow freely between the two stages, often with definite scene breaks to signify their transitions. Musings on these follow.

The Broad Stage:

In the Broad stage, the players guide their characters along, trying to complete a mission given to them by their Patron, whoever that may be in the scenario. This is akin to “exploration” and “open” scenes and play from other more mainstream rpgs. It is through Broad stage play that the players explore the setting and scenario.

The only real mechanic is based in the uncovering and completion of minor scenario objectives. These involve the character putting something important on the line now in order to reap the benefits of it later. The samurai puts his life on the line by swearing to provide protection to the troubled magistrate, in order to secure the magistrate’s backing against the town council. He puts his honor on the line by talking to the prostitute, in order to learn the secrets she knows about the evil Lone Ronin. Read more

In this game setup, one player has been previously tasked with bringing a picture to the session. We all sit around the table, and the player kicks off the game by laying down the picture face-up. The guy sitting to that player’s left then looks to the guy sitting to his left and asks a question about an action that is happening now, such as “What is that girl running from right this very moment?” That guy answers, then looks to his left and asks another question, and so on.