Re: [ORE] Digest for cult-of-ore@googlegroups.com - 3 Messages in 2 Topics

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• Power Review [1 Update]
• Digest for cult-of-ore@googlegroups.com - 1 Message in 1 Topic [2 Updates]

 Power Review

Sean Worcester <worcester.sean@gmail.com> Nov 17 07:52PM -0800  

Hello Longspeak, thanks for the help! I am in need of someone to bounce
these build off of.
 
One issue I see is you Attached the shapechange to the mind scan. Someone
> might have a different opinion, but to me "Attached" means the power goes
> for as long as the power it's attached to is running. So the mindscan would
> be continual.
 
hmm ok I didn't get that interpretation for Attached when I read it's
description. The way I read it was that it forces one Miracle's activation
to be dependent upon another Miracles activation. I wanted the Dead
Ringer/Shape Change Miracle to be dependent on a successful Mind Scan.
After the Mind Scan goes off, the Dead Ringer/Shape Change is automatically
triggered and can only be used in conjunction upon a successful Mind Scan.
To reflect the momentary application of Mind Scan I didn't give it a "Time"
descriptor like Duration or Endless as the initial idea was that the PC
would scan a Target, assume the shape with a basic idea of who it was
suppose to be based on the targets perception. That is why I initially
only gave the Dead Ringer portion of the Miracle a "Time" descriptor I
originally decided on Endless to give the PC some ability as a deep cover
operative if the Player so chose, but your suggestion is a good way to save
a few points and I kind of like the PC being unable to really hold a form
for a long period of time so yeah I'm going to change the Endless to
Duration. What do you think about my reasoning for Attached and Automatic?
 

 
 
> Alternately, us an if/then on the shapechange:
 
*Useful (Shapechange) Extras & Flaws*: Endless +3, Variable Effect +4, If
> Then (Must Mind Scan First) -1, If/Then: (Variable Effect is only for
> choosing shape of someone target knows) -1, Self Only -3. *Capacity*: Self
 
yeah I like this...Thanks!
 
In either case you might consider dropping the size change. If the PCs is
> around 150 pounds, the shift will let her adopt most people without need
> for the size shift. Size Shift really just enables extremes. Without those
> components, the cost of 2hd drops a fair amount.
 
Well the Player expressed the ability to go from a 3 year old to Andre the
Giant so I though Size Shift was needed...+ its like 1 point

 
> powers), the "subject" is the person you scanned, but the form is someone
> they know. They haven't scanned the person, to the limitation would draw
> on... the subjects assumptions?
 
Damn good catch I didn't even see that. So I will talk to the Player that
maybe Power Mimic isn't a good fit with the drawback that they were so keen
on.
 
This limits the PC to powers the subject knows the person has. This means
> record keeping for you. :) Again, this might just be my nitpick.
 
Yeah I am not to keen on lots of extra record keeping...
 
That's my two cents..
 
Man you rock thanks! I have 4 other PC's power sets created if you have
some spare time and the inclination you mind giving them a critical eye?


 

 Digest for cult-of-ore@googlegroups.com - 1 Message in 1 Topic

Caleb Stokes <stokes353@gmail.com> Nov 17 11:54AM -0600  

You're not doing it wrong, per se. There's just some things the book
doesn't make super clear for a first-time group.
 
In a first game of Better Angels, you've got to really encourage use of
advantages like Surprises, Secrets, and Weapons. And the GM has to be
generous handing out those bonuses. When that Alchemy roll fails, the
Natural Philosopher should have a wrench behind his back. They should be
riffling through the trash of any villains they want to fight the night
before the battle. In short, characters that want to be effective in early
stages of the game need to be sneaky, sniveling little assholes. In turn,
this usually leads to more sin, so they get more powerful more quickly.
 
But Better Angels isn't really a game about success. It's a game about
failure, getting tired of failure, cheating to taste success, and in turn
setting yourself up for greater failures (the ultimate of which is Hell). A
Venture Bros-esque tone worked best for my players. They didn't crit every
roll, but when they did fail they had a narrative framework with which to
build a reaction to that roll.
 
Failure is also just another motivation to offer up those MD. Demons should
be using repeated whiffs to lure their humans into a sweetly assured
success. Sure, the demon gets hurt in the short term, but they don't have
to turn on the perfection unless the human promises to do something truly
awful for them. If the human ditches out, that's just all the more reason
for a demon to turn the powers off at an inopportune time or deny Aspect
invokation. A promised atrocity traded for a MD can lead to entire subplots
over extended play.
 
Another thing you can do is start players off with Devilish Devices. There
aren't specific rules for it, but one Devilish Device can make even a
freshly stated-up character feel like a boss. From what you've described,
it sounds like your players were supervillains already at the time. It
would make perfect sense that they'd already built some toys.
 
Finally, a house rule I made is that while I still split character
generation between two people, I don't do it as written for brand new
players that haven't read the whole book. A lot of the powers have wonky
descriptions that don't line up entirely with what their title implies.
Doing the Power/Aspect and Power/Aspect split between two people that don't
know the system can lead to ineffective power sets like Arrogance/Ineffable
Defense (congrats! you're obstinate and unimpressed! super-powers?) or
defunds the dice pools to make cool powers work. The way I do char. gen.
for players entirely new to the game is that I let the demon pick all the
powers and aspects, then I let the human decide how close hell they want to
be at the beginning of the game with their dice pools. That allows for some
traditional power-gaming without totally unbalancing the game, and it gets
people interested enough in the setting and play dynamic that they'll come
back for traditional character generation and long-term play.
 
I hope that helps out. Give it another shot. It really is a great game.
 
 


 

Shane Ivey <shane.ivey@gmail.com> Nov 17 12:00PM -0600  

Caleb, can we blogify this?
 
On Sunday, November 17, 2013, Caleb Stokes wrote:
 
 
--
*Shane Ivey, Arc Dream Publishing*
The One Roll Engine and more: www.arcdream.com
Cthulhu Mythos gaming, every quarter:
TheUnspeakableOath.com<http://www.theunspeakableoath.com>
Is your world worth saving? Join the conspiracy: www.delta-green.com


 

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