Just heard about this from Mike Mignola when he retweeted this link https://gamefound.com/projects/mantic-games/hellboy-the-roleplaying-game#/section/project-overview
I'm guessing it's a D&D system game.
Quote from: Shawn Driscoll on October 12, 2020, 11:17:20 PM
Just heard about this from Mike Mignola when he retweeted this link https://gamefound.com/projects/mantic-games/hellboy-the-roleplaying-game#/section/project-overview
I'm guessing it's a D&D system game.
Looks neat. A "Pulp Horror"-themed game? 5E chassis is not even a bad fit. Hope they use a simplified version for it.
They had a free quick start, don't know if it's still up. I read though it and this is pretty much what unsold me.
Whenever you roll an ability check, attack roll, saving throw, or have an outcome decided by the roll of a d20 you also roll a d10. On a 1 you generate a Doom point. On a 10 you get an Ingenuity point.
Other things can generate both Doom and Ingenuity, like taking too much time someplace or succeeding on a roll by 5 or more.
Ingenuity replaces inspiration and can be pooled to a max of Proficiency Modifier +1 but are lost whenever you Take Time, which is a type of rest action. It has a lot more uses than Inspiration had.
Doom can be used by the GM to do things Doom lets them do in other games. It can be pooled up to # of PCs+1. If nothing is obvious atm, or the pool is full the GM can bank it on the Grand Conspiracy Sheet (unique for each case) and then use them later based on what the sheet allows.
PCs can also bank Ingenuity on their Investigation sheet (also specific to the case). The Investigation Sheet will have special uses for the points to be spent on as well as allowing for cancelling of Doom points. For example:
- the GM may spend 3 banked Doom to have the frog monsters swarm the next location the PCs investigate.
- after gathering enough evidence the PCs have banked 2 Ingenuity which they can now spend to make the Sheriff a trusted ally.
Quote from: Nerzenjäger on October 13, 2020, 08:30:25 AM
Looks neat. A "Pulp Horror"-themed game? 5E chassis is not even a bad fit. Hope they use a simplified version for it.
Mutants and Masterminds could certainly do Hellboy.
And anything is an improvement on GURPS. The old Hellboy one-shot really highlighted GURPS' inability to keep a superhero team on the same page.
Quote from: Lurkndog on October 14, 2020, 09:56:10 AM
Mutants and Masterminds could certainly do Hellboy.
And anything is an improvement on GURPS. The old Hellboy one-shot really highlighted GURPS' inability to keep a superhero team on the same page.
Sure, but even in its last edition, I've always found M&M a little too heavy. For that street level pulp feel, I'd rather see a stripped down 5E.
Hellboy is superhero horror so a streamlined 5e might be a good fit.
rgalex, why didn't you like the Ingenuity/Doom mechanic?
I think part of it is I hate seeing everything shoehorned into 5e when something original probably would have served it better.
Beyond that, it seems like too much extra book keeping that I wouldn't want to deal with in this case. You have the generic Ingenuity/Doom spends but then on top of that, as a GM, I have to come up with specific ones for every case the PCs go investigate. Maybe even specific ones for various locations and NPCs.
It reminds me of the Consequences & Opportunities mechanic in 7th Sea Second Edition. It can become exhausting having to always come up with and then track extras for every scene that the PCs can spend their special points on. I'd rather they just do some talking, make a roll if needed, and that's how they convince the sheriff they are worth trusting.
I hate how Doom-type mechanics seem to encourage an adversarial style of play between players and GMs, while simultaneously "allowing" GMs to pull shit on players that they, by virtue of being GMs, have the power to do regardless. Only now you have to track a BS resource to do it, cuz "Doom". Except some of this stuff shouldn't be done unless it fits the circumstances. And if they do, then you should do it anyways.
Don't necessarily have an issue with Luck/Resolve type meta-currencies on the player side, though, cuz IRL you can sort of push yourself to succeed at stuff or speed up your work pace through sheer focus and determination (or threats of being fired, etc). So it makes sense to have some sort of resource that represents your ability to burn energy to push yourself into success.
Yes! Doom currencies artificially constrain the GM's ability to make the world react in realistic ways or in ways that make a more interesting or challenging adventure.
This sort of think put me off playing Marvel Heroic RPG.
You never want to be like - well guys I'm out of doom so I guess the session is over and you win, even though logic suggests the opposite should happen. Guess we'll end two hours early.
While extreme this is the kind of negative side effect that a mechanic like that can have.