BaseRaiders

[Gorkamorka]

I keep meaning to ask.  Why did none of the PCs from the campaign get a write up as NPC or example PCs in the book?

[clockworkjoe]

I keep meaning to ask.  Why did none of the PCs from the campaign get a write up as NPC or example PCs in the book?

I wanted the NPCs to be usable as allies/rivals/enemies/whatever you needed them - even the heroes can be used as villains or antagonists. If I used the PCs from Heroes, I was afraid that some podcast fans would only see them in that role. Plus, I have plans for the NPCs to show up in Base Raiders fiction and the Heroes of New Arcadia already have their own arcs.

If you notice, the heroes do show up in the artwork of Base Raiders though.

[Gorkamorka]

I keep meaning to ask.  Why did none of the PCs from the campaign get a write up as NPC or example PCs in the book?

...

If you notice, the heroes do show up in the artwork of Base Raiders though.

That's why I asked. 

[clockworkjoe]

I'll probably stat out the Heroes of New Arcadia and post them to the website at some point.

[Ezechiel357]

I got my book ten days ago (I live in Switzerland), in good conditions and went through it quickly. Excellent job! I was very please with the creation rules of "strange skills", and already had some fun building "Domino", the last Heir of "Whom-who-whispers-in-the-Shadow", a colour-blind adept, and Scarecrow and his hords of tiny hungry pumpkins, an ecologist, who was looking for way to undo accidents like Three-Miles-Island meltdown and other man-made ecological disaster.

I will post later some specific questions to check if I understand well the Strange skills creation mechanism - I would like to run soon a game, with initially some pre-gen to introduce both Fate system and Baseraider.

[clockworkjoe]

This web page helps calculate strange skill point costs: http://apopheniaevolved.com/content/kerberos_club_custom_skill_generator

Base Raiders combined skulk and hide into stealth - so use skulk if you need to use stealth. That's the only difference.

[Ezechiel357]

The calculator works great, thanks.

I might still need help to craft certain strange skills.
Here is my first one, for Domino, Last Heir of Those-Who-Whisper-in-the-Shadow

I named it "Shadows are my world", with Stealth+Unusual, Move, Dodge, Leap+Unusual+Range, Environment.
This strange skill allows Domino to walk in the shadow, to "jump" from shadow to shadow (a short range teleport with Leap+Unusual+Range; I am pretty sure I got this one right since it is in one example).
Stealth+unusual is to allow him to hide where there is no place as long as there is a shadow - here, I am less sure.
And I added Environment, because I would like him to be able to see in the dark, here I am not sure at all. Maybe I need to add Unusual. My initial thought was that since the whole skill is about the shadow, I do not need to add the unusual feature since Environment will not apply to anything else.
I will balance with a Minor Weakness (light) and a Major flaw (snag): Domino is colour-blind (argument could be made for this being a minor flaw, but I feel in our modern world with all the technology, colour-blind is a major handicap).

And to round that, he would have another power:
"Black blood": Menace+Zone, Major Snag (need to pour his own blood). He would bleed, but instead of dripping on the floor, black tendrils of smoke would take the shape of terrifying nightmares, scaring everybody around.
I could find another Flaw, but I found it well suited for the theme. Now how could I translate that in game term. The easy answer is a Fate point, I was wondering what about some Stress ?

It is really pumping my creative juice 

[clockworkjoe]

See in the dark would be best represented by Notice + Unusual I think.

[clockworkjoe]

Need a quick base map? Go to http://davesmapper.com/ and select Sci-Fi ship. Spaceships can have pretty similar layouts to a high-tech base.

[Tim]

Working through the skill creation and have a few questions. In some of your example skills you reference a trapping called Hide (See pickpocket) but it does not appear in the book. I assume stealh is the sub.

I also see some trappings that are followed with a number. In the pickpocket skill example I see Hide (2) and Stealth (2) and Notice (1). Not sure I understand what those means. It seems like the trappings are fixed cost and do not individually 'level' but maybe I am missing something.

[Tim]

Reading this thread again I see you note the hide skill was put into the stealth skill. That answers that question.

[D6xD6 - Chris]

I am trying to design a good framework for a sandbox-style campaign for Base Raiders using the origin rules.  Here is what I have so far:

Campaign:  The Adjusters

Premise:  The players begin the game as employees of an insurance company.  The insurance company had scammed many low-level superheroes to pay for life and disability insurance by using their bases and assorted property as collateral.  They basically said that they would keep their information and beneficiaries completely confidential, and offered low premiums as long as they offered sufficient collateral.

However, since the heroes would have no real proof of the policies to retain because of the need to protect their identities , they were basically just giving the insurance company a nice list of all their stuff.  And if something "unfortunate" were to happen to a hero, the company would be the only ones to know what exists.

Which they would have no problem liquidating on the black market for a nice profit.

And since Ragnarok, the company has an immediate need to collect on their pledged collateral.

This is where the players come in.  When designing their character, the players would choose an initial aspect that would be a valid reason why the company would select them to join a new department of "Priority Claims Adjusters."  Then, the company would send them to investigate a base to cross-reference the inventory and collect the goods.

Unfortunately, a gang of nasty base raiders managed to find out about the base, and they ambush the players.  Then the players have the choice to go. . . wherever.

Basically, the players can keep working for the insurance company and getting assigned "missions."  Or they can escape with the stuff and knowledge of other bases, and try to beat the insurance company to the goods.  The company, however, will not respond very kindly, and will send other teams of "Adjusters" to "claim" the players.  The players can join the gang of base raiders, and deal with the consequences of that.  No matter what, the players will have plenty of opportunities to get powers.

Thoughts?  Suggestions?  Improvements?  I'm HOPING to get a campaign started in January using this framework, and any areas of improvement would be much appreciated.

[clockworkjoe]

I'd set it up so that the scam required the aid of a corrupt Ideal hero - basically a senior hero who persuaded the newbie heroes into signing up for the plan. The senior hero also kept the scam secret from the rest of the Ideal - the whole purpose of the Ideal was to protect superhumans from exploitation by normal human society so if they had learned of the scam, the insurance company HQ would have shortly become a smoking crater.

The rival gang of base raiders learns of the scam via the notes the senior hero left behind in one of his bases (obviously the senior hero did not give the insurance company info on his bases)

However, it quickly becomes apparent that this was more than a simple scam for money - the senior hero and insurance company both had hidden agendas. Complications could include:

1. The senior hero only used money as an excuse - he wanted intel from the newbie heroes. He was looking for something specific but what was it? Did he think that one of the newbie heroes was a spy sent by a villain? Did one of the newbies have an artifact or know something they shouldn't?

2. The insurance company wanted more than just money. Perhaps they were secretly led by a cabal of human supremacists who wanted an edge on superhumans or they were a front for a villain or they were revolutionaries who wanted to overthrow the Ideal so they could then conquer the world and install a one world government led by superhumans?

3. The newbies were not all that they seemed. Perhaps they were the cat's paws of an unknown third party waging war against the senior hero and/or insurance company. Maybe one or more of the newbies knew about the scam and laid a trap - one that includes weapons of mass destruction or hordes of zombies/robots/demons aimed at invading the insurance company's HQ

This is just off the top of my head

[D6xD6 - Chris]

Yeah, I was definitely going to have some other motive for the insurance company for the scam.  Your suggestion is similar to one I had about the chairman of the board being a power addict that is using the acquired goods and money for...something.  Human supremacy is a great angle to approach that with.

And I LOVE the idea of using a corrupt Ideal.  That will add a whole new realm of possibilities and challenges for the players.

How is the idea overall?  Is it logical and sensible?  Does it capture the design goals of Base Raiders?  Is it an adequate way to begin as an origin story?

I have not designed a campaign for years, so I am a little more uncertain about what might work. 

[clockworkjoe]

It fits perfectly with Base Raiders with the corrupt Ideal member - without an agent on the inside, how would normal humans scam superheroes for extended periods of time without being detected by one super genius hero or the other?

As another idea - I'd compartmentalize the base info in the company. One master list would be too valuable and vulnerable. The company would probably break the intel up into accounts, which were handed out to different departments or corporate officers - each account is kept separately and securely. PCs work for one officer but once they use that info they have to make an arrangement or bribe or steal the intel from the next officer/department.