In the Dojo (O.O.C. Chat - Session Zero)

[Purr]

Hard to say - I'm looking for something short, melodic that fits the character. Looked for names that mean darkness, moonlight, ember, and general bird names as well. Two I just noticed on my way home: Ayla (Hebrew, Turkish - with the moonlight) and Merel (Dutch - blackbird).

Neat names but... well, what's her Ethnic background?

Also, I just noticed After the Bomb has no Medical Doctor Skill (I blame the bombs!). 198X San Fran certainly had them so... consider Medical Doctor 70/60% (+3%) in the game!

 

[Silanon]

Neat names but... well, what's her Ethnic background?

Hard to say - first answer would be European simply because I feel that I'll have enough basic understanding to not have it become too much of a horrible parody. Might want to branch out a little, though. Can't imagine her in the eastern parts of Asia, but maybe the middle east or towards India...

I rarely build characters with their ethnicity in mind. Some are inspired by it (Ylva, for example), but many just come from somewhere... Maybe that ought to change, for once? Hmm... More decisions to be made, I reckon...

 

[Purr]

Hard to say - first answer would be European simply because I feel that I'll have enough basic understanding to not have it become too much of a horrible parody. Might want to branch out a little, though. Can't imagine her in the eastern parts of Asia, but maybe the middle east or towards India...

I rarely build characters with their ethnicity in mind. Some are inspired by it (Ylva, for example), but many just come from somewhere... Maybe that ought to change, for once? Hmm... More decisions to be made, I reckon...

Well one of the beautiful things about San Francisco is that it's a city with people from everywhere! Europeans, Asians, Pacific-Islanders, African-Americans, Hispanics, you name it - it's there! The game itself will have strong American and Asian influences (with a name like Big Trouble in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, what would you expect, right?).

 

[Purr]

Also, I just noticed After the Bomb has no Medical Doctor Skill (I blame the bombs!). 198X San Fran certainly had them so... consider Medical Doctor 70/60% (+3%) in the game!

Correction! They do - it's just called Internal Medicine. =)

 

[Purr]

Kaerri Psychie Sherwood Silanon

Question for everyone - would you guys and gals mind if I created an Apprenticeship based on Scouting?

Kaerri would like to play Kiseko (a kitsune she's had around for quite a many years now) but After the Bomb really doesn't have a single Background that offers Rogue (lots), Physical (some), and Military skills (some). I'd rather not create a whole new Background, but an Apprenticeship? I'd like to give it a shot!

But how do you feel about it? What solutions might you have in mind?

 

[Sherwood]

If it is ok with you, I have no objection to it. Go for it.

 

[Psychie]

We are breaking new ground here! You go, Purr! Go with your bad self! Woo hoo!

Seriously, I'm fine with it.

 

[Silanon]

Question for everyone - would you guys and gals mind if I created an Apprenticeship based on Scouting?

You'll get two answers for that one.

Do I mind having a scout apprenticeship in the game? Heck no, go for it. If it's missing, let's add it so it's not missing any longer.

Do I mind it being added after rolling for backgrounds? Very much so. Soundly defeats the point of limiting options by rolling if we then go ahead and add whatever we feel like afterwards.

Feel free to go ahead with it, though - I dislike the path to get there, not the outcome.

 

[Purr]

We are breaking new ground here! You go, Purr! Go with your bad self! Woo hoo!

Hey! 8D I can do that! Because I got it goin' on! 8D

 

[Purr]

You'll get two answers for that one.

Do I mind having a scout apprenticeship in the game? Heck no, go for it. If it's missing, let's add it so it's not missing any longer.

Do I mind it being added after rolling for backgrounds? Very much so. Soundly defeats the point of limiting options by rolling if we then go ahead and add whatever we feel like afterwards.

Feel free to go ahead with it, though - I dislike the path to get there, not the outcome.

Yeah, I know what you mean. The entire idea of rolling was two-fold - so that current and future players wouldn't go straight for the options with the most skills and because I loved the idea of you sharing with one another before the game even started. Every other solution I can think of involves diving into other books and I don't know if it's worth the effort. I also feel if After the Bomb had a Rogue track, I wouldn't be having to make one - as it stands, I've seen Kaerri's desired Skill list for Kiseko and even I, the GM, can't make it happen within the rules given.

But hey. What if I offered a compromise of sorts? What if (I love that question!)... I made the offer of a custom Apprenticeship for each of your characters? What if I offered it to your chosen Background whether or not it offered one (because, I think the Backgrounds with no Apprenticeships really are lacking). I'm not making any promises here because game balance is a thing, but... I can try to make something that fits in this world I'm putting together. =)

Also, this conversation started because of the idea of Roles - something I wish I would have brought up earlier, but I can certainly bring up now. What role(s) would you enjoy seeing your character in?

Kaerri Psychie Sherwood Silanon

Just so we're on the same page together, Oxford says a role is, "the function assumed or part played by a person or thing in a particular situation." Example: "she greeted us all in her various roles of mother, friend, and daughter" In the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Leo is a dedicated leader, Raphael is an often-angry brawler, Donatello is a tech-loving super-geek, and Mikey's a comical caregiver. Splinter, a wise and skilled father-figure, is their Ninjitsu master (and more).

So... hey! Maybe this'll be fun! =)
1. What role(s) (if any) would you like to see your character in?
2. Would you like a custom-made Apprenticeship for that role?

EDIT: I changed question #1 slightly. Not everyone wants a role!

 

[Psychie]

I am personally satisfied with the package that Haoyu has so while I appreciate the offer, I am good with my current build. Thank you.

 

[Purr]

Roles! They're important and often fun!


(Image credit: The amazing Fico Ossio for IDW Publishing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!)

 

[Purr]

I am personally satisfied with the package that Haoyu has so while I appreciate the offer, I am good with my current build. Thank you.

Psychie You're welcome! That answers question #2. How about question #1?

1. What role(s) (if any) would you like to see your character in?

 

[Psychie]

Psychie You're welcome! That answers question #2. How about question #1?

1. What role(s) (if any) would you like to see your character in?

Haoyu is going to be the Raphael of the group, wanting to be the lead of any fight to take out the bad guys, but with his crafting skills, I also want to spend some time making custom armor for my family to keep them safe.

 

[Purr]

Haoyu is going to be the Raphael of the group, wanting to be the lead of any fight to take out the bad guys, but with his crafting skills, I also want to spend some time making custom armor for my family to keep them safe.

O.K.! Let's see. For that you'll need a shop and some tools and you should bring a whole lot of attitude, but you've already got the last part down so I'm not worried about that! Hee hee!

 

[Kaerri]

You'll get two answers for that one.

Do I mind having a scout apprenticeship in the game? Heck no, go for it. If it's missing, let's add it so it's not missing any longer.

Do I mind it being added after rolling for backgrounds? Very much so. Soundly defeats the point of limiting options by rolling if we then go ahead and add whatever we feel like afterwards.

Feel free to go ahead with it, though - I dislike the path to get there, not the outcome.

I'm not entirely comfortable with something new being developed because I can't make my character work with what exists. But if it helps, I'd still be picking an extant background (still haven't decided which one works). Purr says he's considering a new apprenticeship, which I'm guessing will be added to the options of some of the backgrounds in the book? Which actually I wasn't expecting, even after we talked my problems yesterday. I'd been half-considering weaponsmith apprenticeship so if he does put in a scout apprenticeship, I'll have more rethinking to do.

 

[Purr]

O.K.... who else besides me had to look up "extant?" =)

 

[Purr]

Purr says he's considering a new apprenticeship, which I'm guessing will be added to the options of some of the backgrounds in the book?

Yes!

Kaerri

1. What role(s) (if any) would you like to see your character in?

=)

 

[Kaerri]

O.K.... who else besides me had to look up "extant?" =)

Oops.

1. What role(s) (if any) would you like to see your character in?

We talked about Scout, yesterday. I don't know what else I would say in answer to the question. I'm a multiple-choice person, not a short-answer or essay person, but I don't know what the options are here.

 

[Purr]

We talked about Scout, yesterday.

Yeah! I just wanted that information out here so the Gang can be to let in on it and maybe introduce helpful opinions too.

Kaerri

I'm a multiple-choice person, not a short-answer or essay person, but I don't know what the options are here.

Ah! Let me try this. Since your character is a kitsune ninja, what can your fellow team members expect in terms of personality? =)

A. Wallflower. Introverted, naturally silent, quiet even when silence is not necessary. Dutiful and loyal, thinks before taking action, plans instead of rushing headlong. Good team player but even better when acting alone.

B. Adventurous. Brave and intrepid, loves to be that person the party can rely upon to get the job done. Enjoys training. Loves to test her abilities to their limits. Not a daredevil but sometimes mistaken for one.

C. True to Tradition. Tries to closely follow the Bushido code of honor. Loyal and honorable to a fault. Some might call her an idealist for following this way of life. Devoted to ninjitsu and its history. A serious history buff.

D. Practical. Goes with the flow, adapts and bends like the willow tree. Not hard-headed. Loves to use ninjitusu to create solutions and thwart enemies. Creative. Friendly. Easy to get along with most of the time. Sees tradition as useful, but is not "bogged down" by it.

 

[Kaerri]

Did we shift from role to personality? I'm lost.

 

[Purr]

Did we shift from role to personality? I'm lost.

Fixed! (This is the benefit of being married - we can discuss this together at home.) =)

 

[Silanon]

But hey. What if I offered a compromise of sorts? What if (I love that question!)... I made the offer of a custom Apprenticeship for each of your characters? What if I offered it to your chosen Background whether or not it offered one (because, I think the Backgrounds with no Apprenticeships really are lacking). I'm not making any promises here because game balance is a thing, but... I can try to make something that fits in this world I'm putting together. =)

Just wanted to point out that I'm not looking for any sort of compromise. All I was saying is that the way of adding it after the rolls is unfortunate from my perspective. From my point of view, the only compromise we apparently need is a background that let's Kaerri play her character. And if your fix is to add a decent apprenticeship for that, that works for me.

In fact, I see this idea critically. Didn't we just consider simplifying previous games? Kaerri needs a change. The others seemed to be fine, unless I missed something. Adding custom backgrounds/apprenticeships (for me, changing the available apprenticeships decisive changes the backgrounds) leads us straight down the path of unnecessary complexity we meant to avoid.

1. What role(s) (if any) would you like to see your character in?
2. Would you like a custom-made Apprenticeship for that role?

1.) Her role is to find her role, I believe. Quietly and passivelyfills in where needed, but with bursts of aggressive, proactive activity when she feels it matters. More of a follower than a leader, but with the ability to lead the way when necessary.
2.) No, on principle. If that comes as a surprise, please read the above =D

Purr says he's considering a new apprenticeship, which I'm guessing will be added to the options of some of the backgrounds in the book?

To me, changing one drastically changes the other.

I'm not entirely comfortable with something new being developed because I can't make my character work with what exists.

You go and play the character you envision, Kaerri .If the game as-is doesn't allow that, let's change it. Just would have liked saying "hey, with 31-40% you get this background, but with that new apprenticeship we came up with" before the rolls, not after. We didn't, so now we fix it.

 

[Purr]

I am nodding my head while reading your entire post twice, Sil. Especially this:

You go and play the character you envision, @Kaerri .If the game as-is doesn't allow that, let's change it. Just would have liked saying "hey, with 31-40% you get this background, but with that new apprenticeship we came up with" before the rolls, not after. We didn't, so now we fix it.

"If the game as-is doesn't allow that, let's change it." Funny you mention that, dear Sil! Because I was just finishing up a post on that. Thank you for having that spirit! =)

Finding a balance between simplicity and the game that's in my head is daunting, but the more I get into this, the more I like what I see. I think the end result will be a blast for me - but me is not enough. I want all of us to have fun. Even if the change I recommend in my next post is welcomed or tossed aside. It's just an idea - feel free to take it or leave it! =)

 

[Purr]

Big post (written while Sil was posting his last post, not in response to it)!

("Huh. Maybe that'll work better for everybody than After the Bomb," I said to myself tonight. "I certainly like the Skill selection and balance a lot better. No more Apprenticeships, but something brand new for this game. But how is this new idea going to be received?")

There's only one way to find out! Heya Gang! Kaerri Psychie Sherwood Silanon I have a problem and (I hope) a solution. =)

The problem? After the Bomb's Skills, Background, and Education are not only getting in my way, but one of my players (Kaerri) is having the darndest time getting a character to fit in a 198X game... who should fit in this 198X game! Why? In part because the After the Bomb Skill selection is made up for post-apocalyptic play. Not the 198X game I'm building here.

One solution? Dropping After the Bomb's Background, Education, Apprenticeships, and Skills entirely in favor of a reasonably-nerfed Ninjas & Superspies O.C.C. pick - using that book's Skills instead of After the Bomb.

This is taking from a book we're already using for our martial arts data (and not some third book).

This would put 198X Skills into our 198X game. This would allow each of you to pick an O.C.C. (yes, thus ditching the sharing idea, but providing each of you something closer to a 198X option than After the Bomb).

I imagine at least half of your characters will have more relevant Skills than you have now, but not as many as a Ninjas & Superspies character would have - which is a good thing for our game. Also, I think this solves Kaerri's character problem (you know me - I'm not happy unless all of my players are happy and that's the spirit of this post!). Why? Because there's a Thief O.C.C. that seems to fit Kiseko! But only Kaerri will know for sure!

This is an idea - feel free to take it or leave it - I'm just Purr-brainstorming. =)

Spoiler: The details.

The details:
1. Players could pick almost any O.C.C. from Ninjas & Superspies with the following limitations:
1a. Mutant Animals/Yokai have a Maximum Skill Program of -2 Skill Programs and -2 Secondary Skills (base Ninjas & Superspies really overdoes it with Skills. You'll see.).
1b. Humans (whom I want to have an educational edge) have a Maximum Skill Programs of -1 Skill Program and -1 Secondary Skill (I think you'll still have plenty!).
1c. No cyborgs or cybernetics (that's a different conversation than the one we're having now).

What this means:
1. We would have to re-Skill our characters and drop everything from Background and Education.
2. We would have to jump into the Ninjas & Superspies book (some of you for the first time) and look at the O.C.C.s, Skill Programs, and Skills there (it's the same idea that we used in Robotech: Broadsword but with more Skill Programs and less "Primary" Skills).
3. After choosing an O.C.C., you decide which Skill Programs go and stay for your character.

Notes:
1. Characters that have already been made can keep the After the Bomb selections if they don't like this option.
2. Most of the O.C.C.s come with a Martial Art System. If your O.C.C. provides any Martial Art System, consider yours paid for.
3. Disregard Starting Age, Attribute Requirements, Educational Level, Superspy Modifications Available,, Money, Income, and Social Contacts.
4. Skills like Acrobatics and Gymnastics will provide +1 P.P. each, not 1d4.
5. Ninjas & Superspies has a huge amount of Weapon Proficiencies. I can condense them into smaller groups but I'll also have to lessen the number of W.P.s that some of the Skill Programs provide for balance. Or, I can keep them as-is? I don't mind either way.
6. Starting S.D.C. is based off of the Size Level and Mutant Powers chosen, not the O.C.C..
7. Starting money and equipment will be provided using other means I haven't yet decided upon.
8. (That's all I can think of at the moment.)

The end result? Every character, both present and future, can have 198X Skills using a Skill selection program we've used before (back in Broadsword), with a balance that I think will work a lot better for Big Trouble in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. As always, how do you feel about it?