Anyone else check out Rel's den? The man got some awesome free settings on there. I would love to try Star Chasers or Mustache Force.

I've always had a laugh reading Low Life but never played it. I picked up the Whole Hole hard covered supplement a few months ago but just started to read it..... It is one of the funniest things I've read in a long time and I've been getting some very strange looks from people on the tube in the mornings due to my sniggering to myself.

Anyway I was just wondering if anyone had actually played the game and is it as funny to play as it is to read?

Always wanted to find that out too, J.  It looks and sounds great.  I have read some actual plays from conventions where people had a great time playing it.  The included adventure is, apparently, funny but also thought-provoking with its many puzzles.

One other thing I'd like to know about Low Life I hear rumours that there is going to be a new edition / revised addition coming out is this true?

In reply to jamat (msg # 848):

Yes it is fun if you get the right GM. If you get Mr. serious pants GM then it will suck. But if you get a GM who can get into wacky games it is a blast. As far as a new edition goes, I heard nothing either way but rumors or hearsay so I don't know.

Hello.

I'm looking forward to The Last Parsec. With that, looking into picking up the Sci-Fi companion. Do any of you guys already have the Sci-Fi companion?

No, but I am DEFINATELY getting it. One reason, OFFICAL MECHA RULES! That and the companions are always a good read and give me plenty of inspiration fodder.

Have the original release, still very useful.
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Hi all. Anyone have some template or ideas on how to convert AD&D or 2ed D&D to Savage Worlds? I have an existing campaign and would like to convert PCS, etc... Thanks in advance for any help offered.
This message was last updated by the player at 02:12, Sat 05 Apr 2014.

Such as Advanced Dungeons and Savages?
http://www.savageheroes.com/conversions/ADS.pdf
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Awesome. Thanks!

I found a thread on this question elsewhere some months ago, but can't remember where. Now I bring this to you, friends.

I have plans to run a Starcraft (or Starcraft/Halo/Mass Effect-style) game, including marines in powered armor. Powered armor as written in the book is mad powerful, +12 to Toughness, even ignoring the other perks listed. So a Marine with Vigor D8 (an expected baseline for comparison) starts with Toughness 6, modified up to 18 Toughness.

The comparable sci-fi rifle I found is the flechette rifle, an exact narrative match for the source weapon I'm using. 2d8+1 damage, rof 3 with three round burst and autofire capability, and Armor Penetration 2. 3RB gives +2 to hit and damage, and so that's a good chance for a raise for another 1d6 bonus damage. That's, at best, 2d8+1d6+3 damage, or about 15 damage, with AP 2.

A lot of extras will be equipped like this, and I wanted to see how that would work with no PC tactics involved, just a straight fight between a couple groups of evenly matched opponents. Toughness 18 vs 15 AP 2 damage is close to even, with the armor having the edge. Just over half the time a hit will result in no damage at all. I want these particular weapons to be dangerous even against "lightly" armored targets (that is, guys who aren't in outright vehicles).

I've been considering a few things in relation to this. First, I could leave it as is and just let the dice fall. It isn't quite the hit-to-damage ratio of Unarmored Normal Guy (Toughness 5) vs Pistol Guy (2d6 damage, average 7), but these guys /are/ wearing amazing protection. If I do want to make combat more dangerous, I could lower the armor values for power armor by, say half. That'd make standard armor +6, giving the Vigor D8 Marine a Toughness of 12, brought to 10 by AP 2, against an average damage of 15 on a raise. That's more what I was after. On the other hand, I could just give the guns a higher AP, like 4 instead of 2. Then that Toughness 18 opponent is effectively at 14 vs the average 15 damage, which I like much better.

I imagine I'm not the first person to have these kinds of thoughts, and was looking for feedback and such. I am very sure that I'm overthinking things and should just see how it plays as written before I fiddle with stuff, but this has been at the front of my mind for weeks now. Are these ideas any good? Did I break something or forget to take something into account?

I think you are overthinking it. Power armor (especially the battle armor listed) is supposed to be not a 'lightly armored' target, but something much tougher. Mini-tanks. Considering Modern Ops has a Bradley listed as Arm 16, you can see how it's stacking up!

The Battle armor also increases that Marine's Str by a die type, Pace by two, gives rocket-boosted jumps, and has a targeting system. In short, it IS a lightweight tank.

Halving the armor gives something more in line with modern kevlar armors. Which begs the question - why not just use Kevlar then?

More importantly, as you point out, it's about even with a slight edge to the armor. Which means that your players wearing them will have significant protection, but won't be invulnerable. Joe Mook can fairly easily injure them with a single pull of the trigger. If you really want players to mow through mooks, then give them something like kevlar or no armor at all (smoke gives wonderful cover... not being hit is better then being able to stop shots... hot smoke, white noise scramblers, RF generators, strobes... it's pretty easy to make sci-fi versions of 'smoke' that achieve the same things)

Yeah, before I started typing it out here, the math wasn't working out so well in my head. Now it looks almost even, which is good.

Well, the idea is that I actually plan to run a literal Starcraft game. A friend requested Warhammer 40K, but the lore for that is way too much for me to pick up. We're both already very familiar with SC, so I planned on giving the setting a whirl with Savage Worlds rules. Really, aside from the enhanced jumps, I think the Battle armor covers what I need.

Aaaand looking at the Savage Worlds Sci-Fi Gear toolkit, under "Power Armor Weapons" they list an option for a Flechette MG that's basically the rifle, but with AP4. That's exactly what I'm after, and fits exactly with what I'd envisioned. Also, it now means a dead average roll shakes a marine. Perfect. :D

I'd almost go for a vehicular machine gun or the like for a Starcraft marine. I think there are huge lists of machineguns in Modern Ops... I'd start there.

Gah, I started thinking again. A dangerous pasttime, I know.

I plan to allow Arcane Background (Psychic), which opens all kinds of powers to players. It's looking like the attack powers won't be viable with chraracters who have Toughness 17+ as the norm. Bolt does 2d6 per shot, or 3d6 for boosted PP. Blast does 2d6. In fantasy settings, Toughness+Armor leads to things like Toughness 8 (2), so wizards don't have much problem slamming people with magic. In sci-fi, with such powerful armor, it seems much better to get a rifle: deals more damage, comes with AP, and you can reload instead of running out of PP and being done. That doesn't quite fit the feel of the setting I want, where psionics are rare and powerful.

What do you do when the SW powers as written don't have the oomph you're after? Beef them up? Gloss over them?

On Modern Ops, I've been trying to get the most out of the books I've already bought (or been gifted, usually): Deluxe, Fantasy Companion, Sci-Fi Worldbuilding and Sci-Fi Gear. Several other threads and a few friends have brought up Necropolis when talking about SW Starcraft, so that's next on my list. Also the whole futuristic Knights vs Zombies thing sounds like all kinds of pure awesome anyway. My physical copy of SW Deluxe comes in probably Saturday, and I'd like to use as much from the core book as I can get away with. Physical copies are just easier to deal with.

Clint once commented about magic, that in a modern game, a mage is more likely to cast Smite on a gun that use blast.

On simple solution is to give bolt and other such spells the "mental" trappings.  Lowers the damage to d4s, but bypasses armor.

The other is to simply say something like a Telekinetic or pyrokinetic bolt has AP 10 or so.

The other is to consider all the non-damaging spells.  Blind and Confuse for example are pretty darn powerful.

Another thought on the power armor thing:

One of the issues (as I understand it) that the various militaries are having with making powered suits is not making them tough enough to stop bullets. The problem is that (especially with rapid fire) the pilot of the suit tends to get beaten against the inner walls of the suit.

So, adopt the Knockback rules from the Super Powers Companion, but add the caveat that it does knockback damage direct to the pilot, ignoring armor. This is the damage caused as their nose smashes into the front of the visor or the like.

Yeah, I've been considering having Psionic attacks ignore standard armor entirely, balanced by the Power Points cost. Have them count as Heavy Weapons, letting their mad AP bypass vehicle armor as well, for double the PP or so. Of course they'd also have a cloaking field, clairvoyance, telepathy, and other powers that also use PP, so they couldn't just go on a mad Kill All The Things spree. Infinite AP seems to fit the source, but maybe AP 10 is a better idea in terms of sheer character balance, though.

Either way, this lets them be badass and still have limits so as to not overshadow other characters.

And yeah, the non-damage spells are amazingly useful, and relatively cheap compared to straight up attacks. Infiltration, stealth, and combat support are valuable roles to fill. On top of all that, I always love the "holy crap, I have inhuman powers, am I a monster now?" character arcs.



Heh. I was just reading about that on the Starcraft wiki: the Maurauder's power armor had to be fitted with a foam undersuit because the pilots were squishier than the armor itself.

It seems like an extra couple steps I'd rather not take, but it would certainly make heavy hitters truly dangerous threats. Still, most things like flechettes or launched spines wouldn't cause much knockback. It'd take a big beast with a slam attack to do it. I'll definitely consider bringing it into play, though. Rather than doing 1d6 damage direct to the user, which isn't likely to hurt at all, I think I'll just tack it onto the total damage as in the SPC. Very cool suggestion to make players avoid getting hit rather than hoping the armor can protect them.

At some point, I want to figure out how to enforce the idea that the big awesome armor will only help a little bit, and somebody outside the armor can be just as amazing if they're clever and careful. I want to emphasize the grit and determination of the heroes over their gear and stuff, though the gear and stuff should give a clear tangible advantage. The little guy's chutzpah overcoming the big guy's resources, you might say. I really think SW is the right system for that, and you guys are giving me a lot of very good ideas that I think are shaping things in that direction.

Here's an idea one might consider: 'borrow' (see: steal) a bit of information from Necropolis and/or Tour of Darkness.  These are both SW RPGs which have several vehicles and weapons rivaling that of StarCraft.  Likewise, it would be exceptionally handy for military ranks and setting-specific skills.  Having ran a Necro RPG, and being a fan of SC since the day it first came out on PC, I can vouch for the many useful parallels you will find.  I'm fairly sure it is open source, but if you need help finding it shoot me a private message.

This thread, which I have found specifically during a search for further info to answer your question (and sate my own curiosity) might be handy:

http://peginc.com/forum/viewto...;highlight=starcraft

Actually, they have answered questions I hadn't even thought to ask yet.  There're even stats for several basic zergs on the second page, so that is definitely a strongly suggested read.

Further food for thought: the armor worn by the Marines was meant to make them more resilient in face of the new threats (Zerg, Toss).  So, by that thought, maybe you shouldn't nerf the armor of the Marines.  Rather, you should beef up the enemy's main forces (brutalisks and the likes).  As for zerglings, well, they're supposed to get mowed down by the score.  That's why you can pump out so many of them in the actual game, and that should be represented in an RPG in my opinion.  If a single zergling can rush and smash down a Marine it'll be pretty imbalanced, and your players will be overwhelmed and destroyed by the nigh endless numbers in little to no time at all.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:40, Tue 22 Apr 2014.

That's the thread! I found that one a month ago and have been searching for it again, but haven't been able to find it! Brilliant, thanks!

I definitely wasn't planning on making a zergling an even threat for a marine. It should take a group of zerglings to be a problem for a single marine, though a single hydralisk should be trouble. Still, if we assume Strength d4 and d4 claws with AP 2, a group of five zerglings with Wild Attack and the gang up bonus would be doing, on a raise, 2d4+1d6+6 damage. Minimum 9, maximum 20, average 17 vs Toughness 18 (reduced to 16 from AP). So yeah, a group of zerglings is dangerous, but a single one (2d4+1d6+2) isn't much trouble. Could still hurt on a good damage roll, but it only takes one good hit to kill it, too.

This is true.  Maybe I was allowing my own mischievous (and perhaps cruel) nature to cause assumptions. ;)  Me, I was running through all kinds of hellish campaigns.

"Hold the line."
"But one Zergling just killed Frank!  There are a thousand more coming!"
"Hold the line, Marines.  You have to hold the line."
(several minutes later, new squad is made)
"The last squad died honorably attempting to hold the line, but the Zerg broke through.  Your mission, Squad 4-A, is to push forward to this junction of the trench through the endless sea of Zerg.  If you make there, to the final resting place of Squad 3-A, hold the line."

Rinse, lather, repeat.  It'd be like the most one-sided football game in history.  Only, you know, with more carnage. ;)

if you wanted to terrorize them I suppose you COULD always consider taking it back in time, say a few decades, before they got their fancy schmancy new power armor. <<  Hint, hint.  Then they'll appreciate those extra layers of heavy metal if they survive long enough to get their first clunky combat suit.

http://starcraft.wikia.com/wik..._Powered_Combat_Suit

The suit in itself holds many possibilities if you make use of the lore.  Imagine having to change out the energy system every XX hours, like one does in real life with gas mask canisters.  Could be damn terrifying if you're down to the squad's last battery in a pre-fusion core prototype, the Z's are knocking down the gate, and there's no resupply in sight.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:16, Thu 24 Apr 2014.

While an interesting read, I'm missing where the fun of playing is.
Care to inform?

I'm going to assume you were talking about my 'hold the line' part above.

Depends on several factors:

1.  What kind of roleplayers you have.
2.  How good you are as a writer and DM/GM/Storyteller/Warmaster/whatever.
3.  How much you fluff it with vivid detailing and your players do the same.
4.  How much you've led up to the situation.

First, if you have committed RPers then they'll stick through it and ensure it doesn't bog down.  Considering the RPers in question like war strats (and they specifically asked for Warhammer or SC so assume they do) then the occasional defensive side-mission will be right up their alley.

Next, if you are good with detailing (and they are even decent) then the body piles will be quite interesting.  So long as you don't just one-line it and say 'the bodies are piling up' but rather describe such things as the enemy crawling over the twitching corpses of their own blood-soaked fallen, it adds to the realism.  While I understand there are those that don't like gore, I myself being one on some occasions, if they're playing a war strategy they should probably at least be open to it.

If you add in the 'uneven ground' rules and eventually make sections of ground impassable with said body pile (ie: no 'dissolving enemies' which only happened due to windows' requirements and not game canon) then there will be an ever-changing dynamic of the battlefield.  In all war strats, even war-strat based RPGs, maps are a MUST.  So if you used a .gif of dead zerg bodies it would only go further to add to the affirmation of 'realism' of the setting.

That being said, if you and your players all only post one liners it's basically screwed no matter what you're doing.  In my opinion, endless one-liners could crush even the best premise and lay to waste one's best laid plan.

Finally, if they've spent a whole 'chapter' of the roleplay KNOWING the zerg were coming and preparing, they'd have a chance to alter the flow of said battle.  You could do this quite well, really.  Recon missions to track the flow of the xenos, allowing your players to 'place' (ie: assist building, or guide drops) defensive structures and whatnot on the maps, and give them a chance to help set up the battle they'll be more committed- and that aids greatly in ensuring the first statement.

In closing, while it might not be everyone's cup of tea it might be theirs.  I mean, they play Warhammer 40k.  That is a very drawn out tabletop war strat, and it can take several hours of dice rolling just to win a skirmish.  Pretty sure they have patience.  And if they asked for something based on a war strat, mowing down waves of xenos (in this case Zerg) is probably their wet dream- or at least their guilty pleasure.


Consider the following: Zombies.  In reality, no matter what you do, 99% of them are just shambling corpses and people will spend a great deal of time running from a group of them.  However, people still love zombies.  It can be done right or it can be done wrong.  If you're just calling them zombies you're doing it wrong in my book...  I can't imagine someone sticking it out when the GM just cranks out endless, faceless masses of zombies and details it as simplistically as "A horde of zombies stumbles up the street."  (Seen it, know it happens.)

However, with the right descriptions and some forethought a zombie can still be very entertaining.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:25, Thu 24 Apr 2014.

"First, if you have committed RPers then they'll stick through it and ensure it doesn't bog down."
<check>
Seems to be a shortage of those, especially in the PbP format.
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