Firelfy RPG

POSTED BY: Seshat
UPDATED: Thursday, August 28, 2003 12:03
VIEWED: 22688
PAGE 1 of 1

SESHAT

Saturday, October 26, 2002 1:27 PM

I'm working on converting the old Star Wars rpg d6 system into a firefly rpg

Please post or e-mal me with questions, comments or sugestions,

Any and all is wanted

MOURNSTORM

Saturday, October 26, 2002 3:44 PM

I'm in favor of doing a FireFly RPG based on the old Arduin rules. Full on RPG with great elements of Roleplay and Action. Adaptable to any genre and fits FireFly to a "T"...add in elements of Kurt Russell's "Soldier" movie of a few years ago and you've got one cool concept for an RPG...JMO...

If you get a choice when you die of Regular Heaven or Pie Heaven, pick Pie Heaven. It might be a joke but if not, mmmmmboy!!

BROLAN

Sunday, October 27, 2002 2:55 AM

Firefly's role playing game system came out in 1977, its called Traveller.

http://www.farfuture.net/a0000.html Traveller website

LIVINGIMPAIRED

Sunday, October 27, 2002 10:34 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Brolan:
Firefly's role playing game system came out in 1977, its called Traveller.

http://www.farfuture.net/a0000.html Traveller website

Yeah, only with aliens.

________________

"You still don't get it. It's not about right. It's not about wrong... It's about Power." —Morph-O-Monster, "Lessons"

SESHAT

Saturday, November 9, 2002 6:15 PM

Quote:

LivingImpaired wrote:
Sunday, October 27, 2002 00:34
Quote:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Brolan:
Firefly's role playing game system came out in 1977, its called Traveller.

http://www.farfuture.net/a0000.html Traveller website
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yeah, only with aliens.

and it doesn't quite fit

any one who has played the old star wars who could help with stats and the like would be VERY helpful

i also need a good quote for down here
hmm...

VARDEN

Friday, January 3, 2003 7:34 PM

Cool, another gamer!

I thought from the first time I saw the show that it would make a perfect roleplaying scenario! All these diverse characters on a small transport ship looking for jobs every week - that is if you could get nine friends together for a game every week!

You can pretty much tell what their character classes are, and the culture and technology are very accessable - the same things that make (made) the show so accessable.

I gotta go with d20 though. The Star Wars d6 system was pretty cool, but don't you think the future of gaming is going d20?

There are Traveller d20 rules available right now, actually: http://www.travellerrpg.com/

Good luck converting!

SKULLNINJA

Friday, January 3, 2003 9:05 PM

I think I'd rather go with a game system that's a bit more coherent than d20. I ran a Star Trek game (post FASA, pre LUG & Decipher) using Hero, but I didn't think that did as well as some would today. Using the guts out of the Unisystem (All Flesh Must Be Eaten/Buffy the RPG) or Unknown Armies would probably be the best choices for heroic action, although d6 (Old Star Wars) would work nicely too. I'm think Unknown Armies (I know, most people, even gamers, are drawing a blank on this one) would work the best because of it's emphasis on light, but sturdy game mechanics and storytelling as opposed to dice rolling and chart checking.

FARADAY

Friday, January 3, 2003 9:45 PM

I saw a thread on the Fox board where someone was compiling a list of the planets/towns/etc. for use in a RPG. It had the names, along with episode references and what information was known about them.

Has anyone considered doing that for other aspects of the universe? Sort of a publically-available Firefly RPG sourcebook?

BROWNCOAT

Friday, January 3, 2003 11:54 PM

Ha! The very first time my friend and I saw Firefly we said to ourselves "Oh yeah..we need to role play in this universe."

We were thinking of doing something very stupid, like using a converted version of White Wolf's Storyteller system...someone should start up a website with all sorts of rules and conversions. Perhaps even a FireflyMUSH.

GUAILO

Saturday, January 4, 2003 12:31 AM

My first reaction is to say just use GURPS, but the West End d6 Star Wars is a great system for it too because it had very broad skill areas that were vague so as to promote role playing. Players had to develop thier rationalle for having a skill at a certain level and it added more to the feel of the game doing it that way rather then tagging on five dozen feats does in d20, IMO.

GURPS has 3 stats and from ther on out, it's all skills. 3d6 to test. I'm biased towards the old Star Wars cause I played and ran that thing into the ground.

I too am not a huge fan of d20 and hope to the gamer gods that it's not the way all things go. (lol) Plus, it's too geared toward making an über-character eventually, so I'd stick with what you've got, use GURPS, Traveler or come up with your own system.

Getting info....that's the tough bit.

ALLRONIX

Saturday, January 4, 2003 1:41 AM

Star Wars D6 was my initial thought, too. The skill set is big enough, and there's the little munchkin-trap in the form of Dark Side points.

(When I was converting it to Galaxy Rangers, I used the concept of "Sanity" to cover the same ground. If a character started out a good guy and started acting in "dark side" ways, the explanation was that they were going nuts.)

ALLRONIX

Saturday, January 4, 2003 1:42 AM

Aspects of Deadlands could be adapted to the Firefly Verse, too, especially the "Hell on Earth" scenario - it has the right mix of tech, psionics (which you'll need if you convert River), and Western.

Only problem is that the whole Deadlands scenario reads like the 26th century equivilant of Giles shows up on Serenity and starts passing out wooden stakes.

Co-founder of the Evil Writing Crew - causing hell, one hero at a time!

JONSP

Saturday, January 4, 2003 2:13 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by BrownCoat:
We were thinking of doing something very stupid, like using a converted version of White Wolf's Storyteller system...

*ahem* Worked quite well actually, thanks.

Of course as any sensible person knows, Storyteller's perfect for anything.

God, I hope D20 isn't the future of gaming. Reminds me too much of Microsoft Windows -- a so-so system that everyone ends up using just because it's everywhere.

XERIAR

Saturday, January 4, 2003 2:25 AM

There's always GURPS - it's malleable enough. :-) Transhuman Space in particular looks like a nice starting point for rules & technology.

GUAILO

Sunday, January 5, 2003 10:47 PM

The more I think about it, and with what was mentioned about the Dark Side Points, take a look at Star Wars d20 as well. Dark Side could easily be "Bad Karma" or "Disreputableness" or some crazy thing which can result in ALlience Warrants or underworld enemies. SWd20 also uses a WOund Point that takes the longevity of D&D hit points out of the mix so the characters have to really fear getting injured.

Come to think of ot, one of my buddies worked on d20 Traveller and I offered up opinions on the damage system with him while it was in final playtesting. That system is very realistic for damage and has a more archaic starship system that might reflect the Firefly Verse well.

I'm still partial to SWd6, m'self, but try taking a look at the others.

KURUKAMI

Monday, January 6, 2003 12:20 AM

Nah... if I was going to run an RPG based on Firefly (and I have been considering it), it would have to be in the Shadowrun 3rd edition system. It's already got all of the firearms rules and various stuff, not to mention good rules for rigging vehicles and decking into computer systems. Add a spaceflight system and a few Reaction-based skills for piloting craft, and one is pretty much set.

And d20? Please. d20's a decent system, but the amount of crap you'd have to go through to create all of the various backgrounds, classes, feats, skills, and whatnot would be preposterous. Shadowrun's got the necessary framework and a strong system already in place -- and moreover, you don't need to depend on merely a single-die roll to know whether or not you succeeded.

Not to mention the beneficial use of Karma in cases of "oh crap, I missed...". Very useful for the heroic goings-on, and it better models the ability of experienced characters to get that incredible luck when they're in deep trouble.

History doesn't always repeat itself. Sometimes it merely shouts "Weren't you listening the first time?!?" and lets fly with a club.

SERGEANTX

Monday, January 6, 2003 12:39 AM

I've been working on an adaptation of the FUDGE system. I'm adding a system to try to simulate the deep character development and dialog that makes Firefly so cool. I should have something to look at in a week or two for anyone interested.

SergeantX

"..and here's to all the dreamers, may our open hearts find rest." -- Nanci Griffith

XENOBOB

Monday, January 6, 2003 10:15 AM

GURPS seems to be the way to go. GURPS Space is my favorite RPG supplement ever, except for maybe the Book of vile darkness... :)

GUAILO

Monday, January 6, 2003 3:37 PM

Never really looked at FUDGE, but I'd be up for it.

Shadowrun isn't a bad idea, but it doesn't really support the spacecraft stuff that a Firefly RPG would need. The Farscape RPG is d20 (which does blow if one gets too crazy with feats and stuff - I agree there) but everything you'd need to have firearms, phsionics, starships and anything else is already in there. About all you'd need to really come up with is cows, because horses are in D&D3. (lol) Ignore all the alien races and just use the humans and you're good to go.

However, even in saying that, the SWd6 system has all that too, plus the Force points whhich act just like Karma in Shadowrun. I still prefer that.

SKULLNINJA

Monday, January 6, 2003 5:46 PM

Another alternative would be Alternity (which WOTC killed with d20, so that Star Wars d20 wouldn't have any in house competition). It is geared towards this type of setting.

GUAILO

Monday, January 6, 2003 6:56 PM

Yep. That is a pretty good system and very flexible. It's essentially d20, but it has that difficulty dice thing that adds a little more randomness to things. Good idea. Cross genre too so that western space adventure makes perfect sense. Real good idea.

Now we need that data base of worlds and vocabulary. (lol)

ANGELUS

Wednesday, January 8, 2003 8:01 PM

Im glad im not the only one doing A firefly rpg . I was thinking of using the BESM rules but mabe I will use D20 if I have 2

ALLRONIX

Wednesday, January 8, 2003 10:35 PM

My bro in law worked on the Farscape d20 (and the Red Dwarf d6), and has his notes and things. He's also a Firefly fan.

Ideas?

Co-founder of the Evil Writing Crew - causing hell, one hero at a time!

XERIAR

Thursday, January 9, 2003 12:14 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by angelus:
Im glad im not the only one doing A firefly rpg . I was thinking of using the BESM rules but mabe I will use D20 if I have 2

BESM RULES FOR FIREFLY!?!?!?!

Tell me you're joking, please, even if you have to lie about it...

ANGELUS

Thursday, January 9, 2003 6:35 PM

Xeriar whats wrong with BESM? the ruls are simple to learn and simple to run and its a fun game when done right. And to tell you the trouth I started working on the rpg last night and decided not to go that way im using the D10 system in stead.

MELI

Thursday, January 9, 2003 7:04 PM

Quote:
FARADAY wrote:

I saw a thread on the Fox board where someone was compiling a list of the planets/towns/etc. for use in a RPG. It had the names, along with episode references and what information was known about them.

Has anyone considered doing that for other aspects of the universe? Sort of a publically-available Firefly RPG sourcebook?

Actually, I've been working on developing a site like that -- with a database of every "noun" in Firefly, with lots of cross-referencing among tidbits of information.

At this point, I'm still working on the data architecture before I start collating everything from every episode and plugging it all into PHP/MySQL.

If anyone would be interested in participating in this activity, drop me a line.

-- Meli

FARADAY

Saturday, January 11, 2003 3:26 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Meli:
If anyone would be interested in participating in this activity, drop me a line.

I'm interested. Not sure where to drop you a line at, though, other than here.

HITOKIRI

Friday, January 24, 2003 9:22 PM

My personal opinion for a flexible, sound and playable system that would fit a firefly rpg would be Fuzion. I have personally found this system to be robust enough to handle either a loose story-telling style of play, or a more technical style. It is also available for free download, so that also helps.

HAPLO721

Saturday, January 25, 2003 5:33 AM

BuMp

I don't think there's anything wrong with d20, or any other system for that matter... it's all about the GM and the players. They make the game, not the rules.

D20 happens to have a LOT of material available, with more to come. I'd have to say that d20 Star Wars rules would provide a solid groundwork for a Firefly RPG. Additionally, the Sanity rules from d20 Call of Cthulhu could be patched in for River and Reaver victims. CoC also has expansive firearms stats.

RADIOJOE

Saturday, March 1, 2003 5:17 PM

> ... it's all about the GM and the players. They make the
> game, not the rules.

YEA! Give that man a cigar. Or a milk shake or something.

My group has been playign firefly for several months with a system created by a young designer who works with this same philosophy. I'll see if I can get his permission to post it the rules he created.

Games not rules. What a concept!

-------
Out of my mind. Back in 10 minutes.

RADIOJOE

Wednesday, March 26, 2003 4:22 PM

Well, I couldn't get permission, but I've posted another system my friends and I have been using for quite a while. It is 3d6, point based, Stat + Skill and a minimalist approach. The players, the action, the story and the fun -- not the mechanics. Heritage through HERO and FUZION type things, weapons reduced to small, medium, bigger and way big. Keep it simple.

It's at http://members.ispwest.com/radiojoe/firefly

I've also collected two other documents - the general Firefly references people have contributed, and the Chinese references, with a few additions.

I have been working on a low-tech, no aliens, relatively near future sci-fi setting and also posted a link to the beginning of the atlas.

It's basically a kit - the system has worked for a variety of settings, including a very Firefly like game we have played for a few years. Take what you need, leave the rest.

And comments are invited.

While the Bible is very specific on the subject of killing, it's a might hazy on the topic of kneecaps...

ZEKE023

Thursday, March 27, 2003 3:50 PM

d20 I would recommend against. It's too hack and slash oriented.

Have you played GURPS? Since Traveller is now a GURPS system... and GURPS is so adaptable... it may be the best way to go.

WERESPAZ

Thursday, March 27, 2003 4:10 PM

Quote:

Games not rules. What a concept!

Better yet: Story not rules.

My only two cents about RPGs and systems is this: As a storyteller, I like a system that gives you degrees of success, as it adds more to the story than just "You hit him for four points of damage".

-The SpAz

RIVERSIDE

Thursday, March 27, 2003 8:09 PM

Actually it was partially the kinda Deadlands-y feel to Firefly that made me want to watch. I miss the old rules though, no matter what my bro' says. Poker hands for combat is just too cool.

Quote:
Originally posted by Allronix:
Aspects of Deadlands could be adapted to the Firefly Verse, too, especially the "Hell on Earth" scenario - it has the right mix of tech, psionics (which you'll need if you convert River), and Western.

Only problem is that the whole Deadlands scenario reads like the 26th century equivilant of Giles shows up on Serenity and starts passing out wooden stakes.

Co-founder of the Evil Writing Crew - causing hell, one hero at a time!

RADIOJOE

Friday, March 28, 2003 4:08 PM

A couple good comments and the files have been reduced to a single PDF which contains ...

Generic Firefly refs (locations, factions, planets, moons, ships, tech and a complet (fuctional) gaming system to get a group together, roll some dice, hoot and holler.

For them as what need's 'em.

And free.

http://members.ispwest.com/radiojoe/firefly

Email would be nice.

While the Bible is very specific on the subject of killing, it's a might hazy on the topic of kneecaps...

RADIOJOE

Saturday, March 29, 2003 3:56 PM

Okay - I'm done for a while. A new group is organizing here to buy a refurbed firefly and traipse off into the 'verse for whatever we can get.

Revised character sheet.

Also, I can't find deck plans for the Firefly, so I did a quick and dirty job on a Firefly-01 (Serenity is a Firefly-03 to explain discrepancies). Good enough for the game.

http://members.ispwest.com/radiojoe/firefly

Email would be nice.

------

While the Bible is very specific on the subject of killing, it's a might hazy on the topic of kneecaps...

RADIOJOE

Sunday, April 13, 2003 5:09 AM

Thanks to great feedback the RPG page is coming together. Notes have een added for the FUDGE system, which is a word-based RPG available free on the net or through Grey Ghost Games in bookstores.

If you have Firefly RPG materials up on a web page, let me know and I'll provide a link to it.

http://members.ispwest.com/radiojoe/firefly

While the Bible is very specific on the subject of killing, it's a might hazy on the topic of kneecaps...

CAPTAINZEE

Wednesday, April 16, 2003 3:04 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by zeke023:
d20 I would recommend against. It's too hack and slash oriented.

A game is only as hack-and-slash as its players and referee want it to be.

We've played a D&D 3E campaign consistenly for almost three years now and I've found d20 to be intuitive, flexbile and adaptable.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME

KENWOOD

Wednesday, April 16, 2003 6:16 PM

>We've played a D&D 3E campaign consistenly for almost three years now and I've found d20 to be intuitive, flexbile >and adaptable.

It's got some problems 'out of the box', most notably the skill system. But with some mod's it really is a good system. Wouldn't be my choice for Firefly though. I'm lookin at either Deadlands or Millenium's End.

Don't look back, som'thin' might be gainin' on ya.
Who let the pigs play poker?
Evo Shander was right!

ZEKE023

Thursday, April 17, 2003 9:51 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by zeke023:
d20 I would recommend against. It's too hack and slash oriented.

A game is only as hack-and-slash as its players and referee want it to be.

All I meant was... d20 games are not oriented toward story telling. You can tell a story with them, like you can with any game.

However, the system works against you. Players have 3/4 of a character sheet to represent how combat efficient they are... and only a few spaces for any kind of character personlity or social skills. Not only this, but players are not rewarded whatsoever for taking any kind of flaw that would give their character depth. I know that good role-players will play good characters regardless of system... but the fact is the d20 system doesn't encourage this like White Wolf or GURPS.

You can adapt your own methods to encourage good role-playing... but it isn't inherent within the system. Hence, it is a system oriented toward combat.

I once ran a whole campaign that only had a single combat in it. That type of campaign was BEAUTIFUL for role-playing and great for storytelling - but if I had run it in d20 - 3/4 of the character sheet would have been worthless (all that would have mattered would have been alignment and the diplomacy skill).

But this is just my opinion. There are many different types of gamers - you gotta go with what you like.

-Zeke

LONESAIL

Friday, April 18, 2003 10:10 PM

What would be really great is a MMORPG set in Firefly universe. MMORPG is a massively-multiplayer online RPG - a persistent online game kinda like "StarWars Galaxies".

RADIOJOE

Sunday, May 11, 2003 12:24 PM

Work on the Firefly conversion to FUDGE continues. FUDGE was determined to be simple, fast and scaled for humans against humans. We've been bashing several previous sci-fi near-future settings sans aliens to come up with a variety of ships, worlds, cultures and such.

if you are in the Denver area, probably an older gamer, and would like to participate in some playtesting, drop me a line.

The work so far:

http://members.ispwest.com/radiojoe/firefly

If anyone has sites with other Firefly gaming systems, let me know and I'll provide links to the sites.

------------
The bible is very specific on the issue of killy, but it's a mite hazy on the subject of kneecaps.

ZEKE023

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 3:53 PM

I've been working on a Firefly Campaign in GURPS. And I have a few questions that you guys might know about.

Communication? How does the FTL radio work? I seem to recall hearing something about becons from planet to planet that boost the signal (their not being near one was why "Out of Gas" was such a hazardous perdicament).
Any ideas about this?
Their has to be some sort of deep space communication network for the Cortex to work.

Anybody who knows anything about GURPS can also chime in with any ideas they have about Tech Levels and ship drives.

-Zeke

SESHAT

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 6:59 PM

hey,

when i started this thread I ment to post some conversions for SWD6 fairly soon, but r/l got in the way

i sugested SWD6 beacuse the way i play we mostly role play to keep things moving

i have never heard of some of the stuff mentioned but it's good to see so much enthusiasim

just thought i make a plug for the second best fansite ever (bet you can guess the number 1 ) and the #1 Matrix site, www.thelastfreecity.com

peace

SESHAT

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 7:02 PM

hey,

when i started this thread I ment to post some conversions for SWD6 fairly soon, but r/l got in the way

i sugested SWD6 beacuse the way i play we mostly role play to keep things moving

i have never heard of some of the stuff mentioned but it's good to see so much enthusiasim

just thought i make a plug for the second best fansite ever (bet you can guess the number 1 ) and the #1 Matrix site, www.thelastfreecity.com

peace

MISHAADO

Thursday, May 22, 2003 11:32 PM

I've been putting together a GURPS campaign for Firefly as well and ran across a similar situation.
The solution I decided on wasn't perfect, but it works so far.

Essentially FTL communications only require a small amount of hardware to receive broadcasts, however to send something FTL, you need a piece of gear too expensive and massive to put anywhere except for dirtside or on destroyer-class vessels.

A Firefly ship, for example, would only be able to send messages a distance of, say, a solar system, but would have to make planetary stops to get a message back to the core....

Unless, they happen to be near one of those new-fangled beacon/boosters I didn't think about the first time around. Put yourself within spittin' distance of one of them and you can tap into a longer-range broadcast mode.

Thus, in deep space (a la Out of Gas), far away from any beacon/booster, Serenity only had a solar system's range to send, but could probably receive transmissions via the Cortex...

It ain't pretty, but it has worked thus far...

========================================
Jayne Cobb, Man About Town:
"That's why I never kiss 'em on the mouth."

ZEKE023

Friday, May 23, 2003 12:32 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by mishaado:
Thus, in deep space (a la Out of Gas), far away from any beacon/booster, Serenity only had a solar system's range to send, but could probably receive transmissions via the Cortex...

It ain't pretty, but it has worked thus far...

BEACONS
I like the way you've explained this plus the beacon thing.
There need to be beacons. I don't remember where I got this idea from (I'm not sure it was Out of Gas - but if you, or someone else, can confirm that I'll be mighty pleased) - but without a beacon no one could ever send information back to whatever their futuristic equivalent of a web server is. So when Inara was choosing men on the cortex, she needed to send the information of which one she chose back to the planet. Without a beacon, she could not have done this.

Visual and Audio
I remember several episodes (including the pilot) where characters have made reference to being close enough to get a visual transmission. If you listen to the dialogue, you can deduce that at far range you can comunicate via auido but not visual, and at closer ranges you can do both.

Visual involves sending a lot more information in a shorter amount of time than audio. So this means that there is something similar to "bandwidth" that is going on here. Ideas?

-Zeke

ZEKE023

Friday, May 23, 2003 1:19 PM

Perhaps the cortex is very similar to our own internet, but instead of hard wires that carry information - there are beacons. If you are near a beacon it's like you have a broadband connection... where the farther away you are from one, you're connection is more like a modem.

Kinda like today, in how far away from a DSL hub you are?

Thoughts?

-Zeke

KNIGHTNAVRO

Friday, May 23, 2003 9:04 PM

There's one school of thought that Firefly takes place in one star system with a lot of habitable worlds. If this is the case, the time delay for communications (including Cortex) would be pretty manageable. Yeah, the bulletin board you post on might lag behind the one on Persephone by a few minutes, but nothing that would show up in the show's presentation.
I wish there were a Firefly writer's bible available to answer a question like this.

As for voice or video communications, it's less bandwidth for a video only feed. I imagine it would be easier to transmit a smaller transmission over a greater distance. There may also be a limitation to how much information can be packed into a radio wave before background interference damages it too much. The greater the distance it travels, the more signal degradation, I think.
In any case, it seems analogous to shortwave radio versus television broadcasts.

That being said, in the Firefly campaign I'm running (modified Traveller: The New Era rules and technology), there is more than one star system. Ships can travel faster than light, but information can't travel any faster than the ship that's carrying it. The fastest ships (an updated Firefly class called a Lightning Bug) can move between close systems in about 16 hours. That means news tends to spread slowly. It takes weeks for news from one end of space to another.
How does Cortex work in my sprawling galaxy? Kinda like the example described above but with a much greater time lag. Lightning Bugs regularly travel between systems with mail and data. Presumably, a lot of this data is updates to each system's Cortex. The courier's computer compares the data from system A to system B and updates the data as appropriate. The Alliance would be vital in setting up and maintaining this kind of communications protocol system.

Though I do like MISHAADO's solution with huge transmitters and small receivers.

KENPOSAN

Wednesday, August 27, 2003 1:31 AM

d6 conversion? would love to see it!

SOUTHERNMERC

Wednesday, August 27, 2003 7:55 AM

One thing about systems, make sure you make your combat deadly, helps ensure your players roleplay more and don't get into fights as much.

While the Storyteller system has gobs of roleplaying support hardwired into it, its combat system is a bit on the weak side. As an example, if someone with average attribute and ability were to shoot someone, they would have to roll PERFECTLY in order to drop them. Not kill, just drop them. PERFECT ROLL. This tends to make combat situations more cinematic (which is cool, still), but the PLAYERS won't mind starting trouble as much. The weapon rules are also a bit vague in the sense of how weapons work on ppl. Again, good cinematic feel.

Shadowrun 3e system (ignoring magic) is EXTREMELY deadly. The average Joe with a gun in SR3 can stop anyone in their tracks, even without a perfect roll. Granted, luck plays a part in every system, but SR3's combat system tends to be unforgiving to the person receiving the bullets. It also has the added plus of being very fleshed out, rules wise, and allows a more tactical approach to a firefight. It also makes players jump when someone reaches for a gun (as they should). The system is quite gritty, though someone can probably find a more hardcore combat system (please let me know what system, I'm interested!), it does convey the quick, pulse pounding sense of a firefight. Oh, yes, I guess I should mention that this is my favorite game.

GURPS combat system. Haven't played with it enough to rate it. Have heard some odd things about it, but haven't experienced them myself. Someone else will have to rate that one.

D20. This system is fairly simple, quick, and fun for combat. If you use the modern rules, or perhaps the Blood and Guts rules for military types (a fairly new one), it avoids odd happenings like drilling someone with 30 arrows and watching them walk away. The d20 Star Wars uses vitality to represent critical body damage, and makes those crit hits scary. Downside is folks will look at a weapon, know its max damage, and then evaluate the threat level based on whether or not they could suck a direct hit or not. Also has no graded success level of damage, ie. you either hit or you don't, with critical hits being more damaging, but alot more rare. Pros include the fact that just about EVERYONE knows this game. Cons include the fact that just about EVERYONE knows this game.

I have mentioned combat because although I'm sure your players would never think of doing something so reckless to the story as kill your important story character (COUGH COUGH hack splutter COUGH), combat is still a great dramatic moment and tension reliever. Inevitably, someone is gonna draw down on someone else, making someone's life difficult (follow that?). The biggest choice, though, is whether to make it cinematic or gritty. Cinematic has characters making dramatic statements, dying confessions, and heroic leaps into the fray. Gritty has blood, death, and pain; reminding the characters of their own mortality and inspiring heroic acts of bravery.

I prefer gritty to cinematic for gunfights, but cinematic for melee. Whichever you choose for your game, make sure the players know before hand.

Jayne: "How big a room?"

FARADAY

Wednesday, August 27, 2003 12:46 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by SouthernMerc:
The system is quite gritty, though someone can probably find a more hardcore combat system (please let me know what system, I'm interested!)...

Millenium's End has the most deadly and realistic combat system I've ever seen in a RPG. It accounts for broken bones, bleeding, shock, different types of damage (burns, gunshots, blunt, etc.), hit locations that mirror the position the person's actually in (a crouching person is less likely to be hit in the legs) as well as what you were aiming at. It's very neat.

Unfortunately, all this detail makes it a pain to use. I would not recommend it for a casual gamer who prefers cinematic combat. But for a hardcore gritty combat gamer, I think it's neat.

SOUTHERNMERC

Thursday, August 28, 2003 9:18 AM

Thanks! I will take a look at that.

Oh, I just remembered I had seen one even more accurate, "The Morrow Project." One hundred hit locations, each one accounted for (shudder).

By gritty I also mean "OMFG I'VE BEEN SHOT I'M GONNA DIE" deadly. As opposed to "Eh, what's that noise? Oh, bullets hitting my skin."

Jayne: "How big a room?"

ANTHONYT

Thursday, August 28, 2003 12:03 PM

I'm sorry I didn't see this thread sooner.

I've been running Firefly with the Friday Night Firefight system for a little while now.

You know, Cyberpunk. Subtract the cyberware, and your remainder is 100% Firefly. I even created stats for a few of the more flavorful Wild West weapons seen on the show.

Anybody ever seen Ariel? (Heh.) That ambulance was an AV if I ever saw one.

--Anthony