SuperBiasedMan

Pen and Paper and Roll20.net Games

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Twig, do you actually have your heart set on being a Once-Cat? If you are, that's cool, I'm looking over the PDF now and it seems interesting. It's just my preference not to add in more rules when we're all new to the game (I've played it but not GMed), so unless it's something you really want to do and you're willing to bear a bit of that rules burden, I'd rather stick with the core game.

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Heart set? Maybe a little. Willing to not do it? Yeah probably. Depends on what everyone else does, kinda!

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Twig, do you actually have your heart set on being a Once-Cat? If you are, that's cool, I'm looking over the PDF now and it seems interesting. It's just my preference not to add in more rules when we're all new to the game (I've played it but not GMed), so unless it's something you really want to do and you're willing to bear a bit of that rules burden, I'd rather stick with the core game.

 

I mean, to be fair, the Once-Cat is really just an alternate template that overlays an existing playbook, so the rules overhead is mostly during character creation. I think it's kinda silly (the end of the PDF has the creator acknowledging it as a joke/prank for a friend) but if Twig's got his heart set on it, I'm sure we'll find a way for it to fit into the tone of the setting you described. I'm excited by the implications that wireless connectivity and social media exist in this cyberpunk world, too often the "wires everywhere" aesthetic of Lain and Ghost in the Shell dominates things.

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Yeah the Once-Cat is defo super silly, but I still love it. U:

 

(Does The Sprawl have, like, holograms and shit?)

 

(I should really actually read more specifically what the setting is about. I get it Gibson cyberpunk, but uh. Reading time I guess!)

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Yeah the Once-Cat is defo super silly, but I still love it. U:

 

(Does The Sprawl have, like, holograms and shit?)

 

(I should really actually read more specifically what the setting is about. I get it Gibson cyberpunk, but uh. Reading time I guess!)

 

Haven't read the Once-Cat playbook, but the Driver can pick the Drone Jockey move at character creation and you could basically create a mind-controlled cat.

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I mean, to be fair, the Once-Cat is really just an alternate template that overlays an existing playbook, so the rules overhead is mostly during character creation. I think it's kinda silly (the end of the PDF has the creator acknowledging it as a joke/prank for a friend) but if Twig's got his heart set on it, I'm sure we'll find a way for it to fit into the tone of the setting you described. I'm excited by the implications that wireless connectivity and social media exist in this cyberpunk world, too often the "wires everywhere" aesthetic of Lain and Ghost in the Shell dominates things.

 

For sure. On reading the PDF, it's really not that complicated. I just wanted to avoid the "hey, here's some extra rules, you figure it out, I'll play a cat" problem. Not saying Twig was doing that, I just wanted to be clear about my apprehensions.

 

Yeah the Once-Cat is defo super silly, but I still love it. U:

 

(Does The Sprawl have, like, holograms and shit?)

 

(I should really actually read more specifically what the setting is about. I get it Gibson cyberpunk, but uh. Reading time I guess!)

 

I don't think there's any specific references to holograms in the book, but there is a full virtual-reality Matrix that all information technology is linked up to, so holograms make total sense to me.

 

On that note, anybody who wants to play a Hacker (or kit another Playbook to jack in to the Matrix) be aware that the Matrix rules add another layer of complexity to the game. They're cool and fun and I'll help you through it, but it will be a little bit more upfront work to get your head around it.

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I don't think there's any specific references to holograms in the book, but there is a full virtual-reality Matrix that all information technology is linked up to, so holograms make total sense to me.

 

The world intro says that the system's designed to be broadly compatible with cyberpunk visions of the eighties (megacorps, magnetic tape, and wires everywhere), nineties (miniaturized tech, rampant piracy, and holograms), and naughties (mandatory social media, wireless everything, and the one percent). They recommend the group discuss what tech is and isn't there, although smartphones seem like a given in a lot of the book's examples of play.

 

On that note, anybody who wants to play a Hacker (or kit another Playbook to jack in to the Matrix) be aware that the Matrix rules add another layer of complexity to the game. They're cool and fun and I'll help you through it, but it will be a little bit more upfront work to get your head around it.

 

I'll be honest: I'm really leery of the Matrix rules. They seem to take the strength of the Powered by the Apocalypse system (a small set of player and GM verbs that have narrative hooks built in) and throw it out the window by introducing a subset of verbs that only serve to increase overhead and split the party. I'm not saying I don't want anyone to play a Hacker, I'm just saying it's not going to be me.

 

I'm planning to be a Soldier myself. Ex-military, ex-corp, trying to make good as an independent contractor now. The governments and corporations of the West, their indifference seems like evil, but that's because they lack the right people on the ground, giving perspective and taking action. With my heart and their hardware, there's a chance to make a difference.

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24 is so far away!!!

(Listening to latest Friends at the Table, so I'm feeling antsy.)

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I was thinking I'd play a Tech with a focus on gunsmithing and cool who worked for a corp were he got in an accident that left him looking like one of the corp's service androids.

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I'll be honest: I'm really leery of the Matrix rules. They seem to take the strength of the Powered by the Apocalypse system (a small set of player and GM verbs that have narrative hooks built in) and throw it out the window by introducing a subset of verbs that only serve to increase overhead and split the party. I'm not saying I don't want anyone to play a Hacker, I'm just saying it's not going to be me.

 

I agree that the Matrix rules are a hair overcomplicated, but remember that Apocalypse World itself has a whole set of case-specific Battle Moves, so having a subset of less often used moves isn't unprecedented. I also think it helps that you basically answer the question of "Are we using the Matrix moves?" in character creation (or by taking an advancement) which means the GM and the players are always very clear as to whether or not those moves are part of their game.

 

I was thinking I'd play a Tech with a focus on gunsmithing and cool who worked for a corp were he got in an accident that left him looking like one of the corp's service androids.

 

 

(I'm thinking Fixer.)

 

I'm planning to be a Soldier myself. Ex-military, ex-corp, trying to make good as an independent contractor now. The governments and corporations of the West, their indifference seems like evil, but that's because they lack the right people on the ground, giving perspective and taking action. With my heart and their hardware, there's a chance to make a difference.

 

I'm loving these character ideas. I think the choice of Fixer has sold me on the Once-Cat. A cat who knows all the right people.

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I agree that the Matrix rules are a hair overcomplicated, but remember that Apocalypse World itself has a whole set of case-specific Battle Moves, so having a subset of less often used moves isn't unprecedented. I also think it helps that you basically answer the question of "Are we using the Matrix moves?" in character creation (or by taking an advancement) which means the GM and the players are always very clear as to whether or not those moves are part of their game.

 

Fair enough. I just read them and was like, "There is no circumstance where I'd want to swap out my cheat sheet for another cheat sheet, just so the GM and I can have our own little cyberspace adventure." I'm sure there are people who are not like me out there.

 

I think the choice of Fixer has sold me on the Once-Cat. A cat who knows all the right people.

 

I immediately thought of the Shop Cat (does it have an official name) from Invisible, Inc.

 

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Oh man, can't believe I didn't think about that, since I love Invisible, Inc

 

Also, if you guys want to just entirely base your characters on the Invisible, Inc characters, I wouldn't argue.

 

EDIT: OOOH SHIT, Masks, the teenage superhero game that is at the top of my "most want to play" list is now available for purchase! And on sale!

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I haven't played that game!!!!!!!!!!

 

I honestly forgot all about it. >_>

 

But now maybe I'll install it to play over lunch break at work.

 

eDIT: WHAT THE HELL I DON'T HAVE IT D:

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Fair enough. I just read them and was like, "There is no circumstance where I'd want to swap out my cheat sheet for another cheat sheet, just so the GM and I can have our own little cyberspace adventure." I'm sure there are people who are not like me out there.

 

While I think the Matrix moves themselves are definitely a little much, almost every mission I've experienced in my Sprawl game has us splitting up at some point so that there's effectively 2-3 scenes happening concurrently. The cyberspace layer just feels like another one of those scenes happening with a different fictional theming.

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How easy it is to jump from The Sprawl to Dungeon World once you know the rules? They use the same rulesystem right?

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How easy it is to jump from The Sprawl to Dungeon World once you know the rules? They use the same rulesystem right?

 

The use the same baseline, so you'll be familiar with how Moves work, the "roll 2d6 +stat" system and fictional positioning, but there are a few significant differences, most notably in how enemies work and the experience/leveling system.

 

I'm going to set up the game in Roll20 now, but I wanted to confirm what time works for everybody. We'll be playing on Saturday the 24th. Most of you said evenings would be best, so does 6PM EDT work?

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I'm going to set up the game in Roll20 now, but I wanted to confirm what time works for everybody. We'll be playing on Saturday the 24th. Most of you said evenings would be best, so does 6PM EDT work?

 

Oh, are we shooting to start in the evening instead of the afternoon? I'll see if I can do that.

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Oh, afternoon works fine for me too. I just did an evening time because that's what most of you put as your availability in the Google doc.

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Did I do anything in the doc?! I don't remember marking down anything. Id on't even remember a doc existing! Not that it matters since I'm free all day Saturday. Ain't no thang.

 

I may or may not have ordered The Sprawl book today (and the cat book!!!) because I'm a weak human and I just kinda want to have it. It won't be here for a couple weeks, but at least I have the PDF in the meantime I suppose.

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