Categories
FATE Games Game Group Roleplaying

Diaspora Cluster

This cluster was generated at the Crazy Squirrel RPG Meetup in October 2010. Will, Brian, Bryan, and Scott participated, each creating two planets.

I didn’t drag home many notes, so this is incomplete. If you have additional information, particularly for the two worlds you created, please expand on them in the linked pages. (In fact, Sojurn and Xori are hazy recollections of the actual names–if I blew it, let’s fix them!)

Cluster Overview:

The cluster is in a 1950s style cold war, divided between the two slipstream faring powers, Creche and Wheeler.

Creche is the home of organized humanity, at least in this push since the last collapse; its corporate structure and viewpoint is stamped on all of space faring culture. The generally low tech levels in the cluster suggest that Creche and Wheeler attempt to retain their technological supremacy, and collude to keep technology out of the hands the other worlds. (This may be because of Wheeler’s successful breakaway/independence; they want no significant rivals.)

Access to anti-aging drugs on Xori is a major source of rivalry and competition between corporations, both on Creche and between Wheeler and Creche.

Worlds of the Cluster: Austeria, Boulders, Creche, Desolation, Pilgrim’s Rest, Sojurn, Wheeler, and Xori

An article about the session is here: http://www.gnomestew.com/specific-rpgs/diaspora-cluster-generation-in-action

Austeria

(T1,E2,R-1). Slipstreams to: Boulders and Creche
– Playground of the rich and famous

– Large Ag plantations

Boulders

(T-1,E-3,R2) Slipsteam links to: Austeria and Creche
– Life is hard and short; most who come here want to leave.
– Mining colonies are scattered across the system-wide asteroid fields.
– Many miners are prisoners from Creche, sentenced to hard labor.

The penal asteroids have a docking platform that ties into the original starting point of the mining operation. The first stage of building a penal mining facility is to create the tunnels and chambers that will make up the actual prison facility. This will contain administration, operations, and security. The chief administrator/warden is directly over the operations chief and security chief, who act as assistant wardens over those areas. Penal mines are placed only on the largest asteroids due to the stability and space required for such prisons. Mines that are played out can still be used as maximum security facilities or turned over to corporate council for a multitude of other purposes. It is rare for corporate to waste the facility once it has been established. All prisoners from Creche are implanted with a tracking/explosive device at the base of the neck. Once the prisoner reaches their assigned asteroid, the explosive device is activated. There is a grid of transmitters and relays across the prison facility. If a prisoner travels beyond 4 km from the grid, the explosive device will detonate and kill the prisoner. The devices can also be triggered by a Warden using a special code, but there must be exigent circumstances and the specifically input concurrence of the operations and security chief for summary execution to be carried out. These explosive charges are removed upon completion of sentence or parole. The tracking device remains during the parole period, after which it too is removed unless parole has been violated.

Creche

(T2,E-1,R-1) Slipsteam links to: Austeria, Boulders, Desolation, Pilgrim’s Rest, and Sojurn

– Corporate bureaucracy stifles everything.
– Struggling to maintain its colonial empire.
– The world is like a downtown; the place you go to work and make money, but not where you want to raise kids or retire.

Desolation

(T0,E-1,R-2) Slipsteam links to: Creche, Pilgrim’s Rest, and Wheeler
– The desert makes them strong
– They fight to earn what they lack
– The contract is king

Pilgrim’s Rest

(T-1,E1,R0) Slipsteam links to: Creche, Desolation, Sojurn
– The “quaint” first colony–nothing goes on here.
– Those with skills or ambition are drawn to Creche

Sojurn

(T-1,E3,R1) Slipstream links to: Creche, Pilgrim’s Rest, Wheeler, and Xori
– One gas giant is orbited by several lush moons
– It’s a balkanized neutral zone, with the moons divided between various corporations (including Wheeling)
– Temp World: Employees are only permitted to serve for four years before they’re shipped out
– It’s the gateway to Xori

Wheeler

(T2,E2,R3) Slipstream links to: Desolation and Sojurn
– Wheeler II is lush, ripe for exploitation; with factories concentrated in domed outposts on Wheeler I and III.
– “We’re close knit, cunning rebels, resisting Creche’s tyranny”
– Striving members of the Corporate Council

Wheeler is a large lush system with several worlds, dominated by the Wheeler Corp “family council”.  The system was discovered by Wheeler Corp after a “mis-jump” from Desolation . It has been quietly developed by Wheeler over almost a century since its discovery; a limited population and insular culture remain among the remaining challenges.

Despite abundant resources and habitable space on both Wheeler II (a beautiful shirtsleeve world) and Wheeler III (a world of domed encampments, to retain warmth and oxygen in human compatible concentrations), Wheeler Corp restricts immigration to limit subversion by the other corporations of Creche.

In style, Wheeler’s relation to Creche is something like the relations between Britain and the US throughout the 19th century, and limited proxy wars/scuffles with Creche’s corporations. In general, Wheeler Corp is larger than any of the individual Creche Corporations, but is dwarfed by the human resources the Creche Council can command as a whole.

Xori

(T-3,E-1,R1) Slipsteam link to: Sojurn
– We drive out men into the forest; only the strongest return
– Only the priestesses know how to refine the anti-aging drug
– The spice must flow
– It’s a matriarchy, led by ancient but physically youthful women, who practice the old ways.

Categories
FATE Games Game Group

Otacon “Bookmark”

Aspects
Tech Obsessed, especially Military
Fixing Things / Breaking Things
Flint Inspires Me to Improvise
Lonestar is reckless — she’s never even read the manual!
(TBD)

Skills

SpacefaringPhysicalSocial
Gunnery +3Athletics +1Discipline +2
Pilot +1Fight Empathy
Tactics +2Notice +2Investigate +3
Technology +4Shoot Provoke +1
Sneak +1Rapport

Stunts
(TBD)

Categories
FATE Games Game Group

Norma “Lonestar” Nebraska

Aspects
Fun Lovin’ Cowgirl with a Heart of Gold
Carousing with Friends/Eats and Drinks to Excess
Cellblock is a Turd that needs Polishin’
Bookwyrm needs to get out and have some fun
It’s like my Grammy Always Says…

Skills

SpacefaringPhysicalSocial
Gunnery +3Athletics Discipline
Pilot +2Fight +2Empathy +1
Tactics +4Notice +3Investigate
Technology +1Shoot +2Provoke +1
Sneak Rapport +1

Stunts
Howdy Stranger: Gain +2 to Gunnery attacks when attacking an enemy for the first time
Just Tap the Dashboard: Once per session, ignore the results of a Technology roll

Categories
FATE Games Game Group

Stanislaw “Cellblock” Wyzowski

Aspects
Too valuable to rot in jail
Mandatory Rehabilitative Behavior Stabilization / Fun Violence
Lonestar is a bumpkin (oh, so mistaken)
Flint is a kindred soul, but weak
(TBD)

Skills

SpacefaringPhysicalSocial
Gunnery +3Athletics +2Discipline
Pilot +4Fight +3Empathy
Tactics +1Notice +1Investigate +1
Technology +2Shoot +2Provoke +1
Sneak Rapport

Stunts
Instinctive Flier – Use Pilot instead of Tactics in the maneuver phase

Categories
FATE Games My Game Ideas Roleplaying

Bookwyrm in one week?

How can Bookwyrm have stolen up on us so quickly?

While I have the bones of the scenario planned, I guess it’s time to reread the rules and start buttoning things up for next weekend.

I ran Roiled Spirits: Darkness Over New Orleans.

Categories
FATE Games

The Jedi mind control is working… on Fate designers

Recently, two different Fate designers have been starting up Star Wars campaigns and discussing how they modify the rules to match.

Rob Donoghue’s take: Shadow of the Sith blank character sheets, completed characters, and rules.

Meanwhile, Mike Olson has been working on a Faith Corps of Rebels for this weekend’s con. Overview, Maintaining Tone, Long Lasting Conditions, and Ships.

Each looks like a fun interpretation, though I don’t know Faith Corps (I haven’t seen the book yet), so I’d probably go for Rob’s take for now. Interestingly, both use a series of defined consequences, rather than Fate Core stress & consequences. I wonder if there’s a reason they both moved toward that design space…

Categories
FATE Games Roleplaying Books

Bulldogs, Fate Core Edition by Galileo Games

Bryan and I discussed the old Bulldogs game in the past, but this new edition was the first time I read through the game myself.

It’s a good setting, with a lot of the Diaspora/Traveler/Firefly feel of tramp freighters crossing the galaxy, trying to make ends meet. The decision to set the game mostly in a balkanized neutral zone between two great powers does a great job of reinforcing the feel of small-fry trying to keep under the radar. Smuggling and the like are a sure result.

The character creation section is good, with another good discussion of Aspects. Alien Species are handled well-they come out as flavorful, but not just stereotypes, with common aspects and species abilities that replace stunts. And the Aliens are pleasantly alien. Sure, there are a few Aliens that are basically humans (with or without scrunchy noses), but space slugs and tripeds are great. Similarly, there’s a nice implementation of Credits and Gear.

The debate around heirachry in ship games is settled in Bulldogs by making the Captain an NPC representative of the company. Everyone has an aspect reflecting their relationship to the captain.

Anyway, rather than lots of detail, I’ll just end with: this game looks great. I’d be happy to play it.

Categories
FATE Games Games My Game Ideas

King Brion’s Heir deconstructed PCs

I’m going to create the PCs as three “snap together” segments to create a complete character. The idea first came to me when planning out my Spirit of the Century game, but I realized that I’ll work well too for this–and prevent me from falling into “it should follow the novel” expectations. I’ll pass out blank character sheets and

Core Concepts

  • High Concept: The Rightful Heir
  • Trouble: Precious, but still a kid
  • Skill: Empathy +4
  • Stunt: You’d be a fool to cross me: +2 Provoke when overcoming opposition by reminding them that you’ll soon be king.
  • High Concept: Deyrni Duke (or Duchess)
  • Trouble: Reviled by the Church
  • Skill: +4 Deyrni Power
  • Stunt: +2 to Notice Deyrni Power manifestations
  • High Concept: King Brion’s Brother
  • Trouble: Obligations to the Throne
  • Skill: +4 Fight
  • Stunt: Leader of Men: +2 to Rapport with Pages, Squires, and Knights trained at Rhemuth.
  • High Concept: The King’s Confessor
  • Trouble: The Episcopate has many demands
  • Skill: +4 Rapport
  • Stunt: +2 Stealth to avoid the notice of your superiors.
  • High Concept:
  • Trouble:
  • Skill: +4
  • Stunt:

Strong Elements

  • Aspect: Deyrni Halfblood
  • Skills: Lore, Deyrni Power +3
  • Stunt:
  • Aspect: Hidden Deyrni
  • Stunt:
  • Skills: Deceive, Stealth +3
  • Aspect:
  • Stunt:
  • Skills:
  • Aspect:
  • Stunt:
  • Skills:
  • Aspect:
  • Stunt:
  • Skills:
Categories
DnD FATE Games Roleplaying

Bookwyrm and new D&D links

Bookwyrm is coming soon; we’re beginning to wrangle GMs. Patrick and I are in charge of the indie track… and there’s a lot of people who’ve previously run that we’d love to see again. My GM recruitment post is here.

Beyond Bookwyrm, two recent developments in D&D:
web browsable basic D&D rules and a hyperlinked D&D FAQ (for AL)

Also, WotC is recruiting players to write adventures and website articles for D&D.

And Fate…
Fate new player’s guide

Categories
FATE Games My Game Ideas Roleplaying

Recent finds

Simple World, a purpose built Apocalypse World hack for one-shots.

FAE con “pregens” — an excellent technique. I can’t get no…

Making characters was fun. I didn’t want to do full char gen at the Con, even with a simple game like FAE. Too long, or more likely, choice paralysis. Nor did I want to do full pregens as a big part of Fate’s fun is the group making the decisions. So I mooted a card based idea, and ran with it in the end. I wrote 6 high concepts onto cards and let the players pick.

This got great buy in straight away. None of this is set in stone and I deliberately wrote Aspects with flex in them. Then, Troubles, on another six cards, and again with plenty of flex and some obvious conflicts written in.

At this point the players were brainstorming away and looking at each other’s picks. This was a big plus for me. Usually with pregens, players are so intent studying their own paper that they don’t pick up on the other PCs. With this, everyone was super aware of the party, all of it.

Then I put out some rules in the form of some pre picked Approach numbers, written on cards, taken straight from the FAE book. (see page 10). Easy. Then I killed the entire party.