I heard about the game, and I know Clash hangs around here, so sell me on the game: what's awesome about it?

Here's a bit about my tastes: I like space operas, though I tend towards the low-fi style - basically space-westerns rather than big pulpy affairs. Even there, I'm flexible; Space 1889 doesn't seem interesting me, but the equivalent of pulp in space certainly could. This is obvious by now, but: yeah, Firefly is a key work in my heart. A game that lets me set up a cogent crew that works together in space is cool.

In addition, I like my sci-fi with modern trappings. Landing on a planet with an emperor or something isn't as interesting as landing on a planet with a fragile parliamentary system and popular insurgency. I enjoy modern political questions coloring in the style of the game. (So, I'm quite curious about the FTL Now modern timeline.)

Scientific realism: eh, I'm flexible.

I want to hear about the system, even though - warning! - I'm Swine-as-Fuck and may well port it to some system like My Life With Goddamn Master or something. (I exaggerate, but I'm likely to port a cool settings to a system I'm better with.)

Extra cred-points if you've actually played the game.

Cold Space: Alternate timeline, where the Cold War is fought in space.

FTL Now: A "sequel" of sorts, it's set after the fall of the Berlin Wall and 9/11.

I haven't had the time to fully read them, but both looked very interesting when I saw them at Pundit's. Maybe he has more to add.

I've played Cold Space.

The system is roll-under percentile based for skills and a set of stats that is either 2d6* or percentile system. Char-gen uses a life-path system where you pick a profession for a year and then roll to see what skill you acquired. Older characters are more skilled.

Weapons all do d100 plus a modifer.

Armor makes you harder to hit.

The dice mechanic is a d100 roll-under and you usually make two rolls: one for success and one for quality of success. There are a few nifty mechanical tricks in here (such as taking a negative modifier on, say, your Initiative roll to hit better or do more damage).

The game itself has a very gritty nuts-and-bolts-in-space feel to it, in my opinion. There's no wonder-tech healing (in fact: there's no cell-phones depending on when you play in Cold Space). It's ... actually ... kinda like BattleStar Galactica in that the ships fire guns and rockets and the action is all kinda close to each other (no StarTrek firing photon torpedoes across a solar system).

There's a heavy political component and where you go will be heavily influenced by what your politics are (and what you experience wherever you go will be influenced by what the politics of that place are).

Some Notes:
1. It's not that easy to kill a PC. There are a few things that work in favor of the PCs mechanically and you have a lot of hit points.
2. Note that it's not too hard to get pretty badly hurt (my character took a rifle shot in the chest and was in the infirmary for pretty much the rest of the game).
3. It's built (IMO/IME) for an immersive style of play. There's not much meta-game. If you play with the rule that any one roll per session can be a perfect success then, if you aren't in a roll-heavy game (where the GM is making you roll for everything or roll a lot) you can use that to have a *powerful* influence in what your character does/plays like.


-Marco
* I might be wrong here about the exact mechanic for computing stats.

Let me say first that I'm really lousy at selling anything. My guess is you'd be happier using your favorite system - Cold Space uses the StarCluster System, which is pretty straight forward trad immersive sim. Percentile roll under task resolution, lots of broad, overlapping skills, lifepath chargen, character advancement by age rather than XP. The standout (read odd) thing about the system is the ability to shift points from initiative to chance of success to quality of success, due to the extreme unity of scale. Chargen can be done three ways in Cold Space, two in FTL Now - CS has random, determined (pick from pool) and modified archetype available, and FTL Now skips random, but has the other two.

You may like the setting, It'vs very political - not in the sense of advocacy, but in the sense of there's a lot of politics floating around out there, and it's easy to get involved in them. Aside from the initial supposition and it's immediate derivations, all tech is what we had at the time. 9/11 in FTL Now is far more deadly - if anyone flew a plane into a tower then, no-one ever noticed. The setting in FTL Now does not go past 2006 as canon, but there is an optional timeline that continues things further.

There are several optional rules in the back of the book, which can change the feel of the system radically, if you are so inclined.

Gad I'm dry! Apologies!

-clash

Quote from: flyingmiceLet me say first that I'm really lousy at selling anything. My guess is you'd be happier using your favorite system - Cold Space uses the StarCluster System, which is pretty straight forward trad immersive sim.

You know, using Forgespeak to describe your own game around here; especially when said forgespeak is the most derogatory possible term possible in the eyes of the Forgeites? Its not good. I don't like it.

Forgespeak: :forge:

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPunditYou know, using Forgespeak to describe your own game around here; especially when said forgespeak is the most derogatory possible term possible in the eyes of the Forgeites? Its not good. I don't like it.

Forgespeak: :forge:

RPGPundit

He's using the term in the GDS sense, not the GNS sense. I know that:
(a) because I know clash.
(b) because GNS-Sim doesn't really mean too much.

Now, you could have the same feeling about GDS (although it's not much at all like GNS) but then you need a Go Back To r.f.g.a. smilie.

-Marco

Quote from: RPGPunditYou know, using Forgespeak to describe your own game around here; especially when said forgespeak is the most derogatory possible term possible in the eyes of the Forgeites? Its not good. I don't like it.

Forgespeak: :forge:

RPGPundit

Marco's right - I was referring to GDS Sim. I'm not a Forge guy - in fact I really have no clue what Sim means in Forge speak.

-clash

(OH NOEZ TEH IMMERZIONZ) The description made sense, and the shifting thing between init/success/outcome sounds neat.

Something else I read elsewhere, that there's like one page each for each colony world. Is that right? How is the setting presented? Because I'm all for planet-of-the-week stuff.

Also, to what extent is copy of Cold Space needed to play FTL Now?

Quote from: MarcoThere's a heavy political component and where you go will be heavily influenced by what your politics are (and what you experience wherever you go will be influenced by what the politics of that place are).

I have not played it yet, merely had a hurried once over - damn players and their "let us look through it first...you know rules ain't your strong point.." but there is a strong vibe of what Marco says. Here's what I'm going to do with.

First read up on my John Le'Carre.

Second rewatch spy thrillers such as The Manchurian Candidate (original), The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (couldn't resist ) to get the claustrophobic feel of I want to project in the game...I'm seriously thinking of setting the game in black and white ...here's some Forge stuff for you..

Third, the campaign tagline is going to ripped off from Star Trek - The Undiscovered Country, (I never thought I'd see the day :eek: ):

"In space all warriors are cold ones"

Regards,
David R

Political space-noir? Niceness.

So I haven't read "FTL Now" yet, but I've been watching way too much of The Wire lately, so I can definitely envision a situation where the Earth government are basically desperate cops without the resources or evidence they need, reduced to hassling innocent and bitter spacers for info. You could play that from the POV of the cops or the spacers. It looks like that could definitely fit into the Interplanetary War on Terror motif.

Quote from: DevP(OH NOEZ TEH IMMERZIONZ) The description made sense, and the shifting thing between init/success/outcome sounds neat.

Something else I read elsewhere, that there's like one page each for each colony world. Is that right? How is the setting presented? Because I'm all for planet-of-the-week stuff.

Also, to what extent is copy of Cold Space needed to play FTL Now?

That's correct, at least in Cold Space, where all the colonies were big, government efforts. In FTL Now, not only are there more major colonies, but there are a host of unregulated mocrocolonies, launched by anything from the SCA to Shell Oil. There are a few microcolonies shown to lillustrate the concept. but they are really up to the GM.

The same colonies are described in Cold Space and in FTL Now, except there are more of them in FTL Now, and they have advanced in time. The descriptions in Cold Space are all by a journalist from Time magazine doing a 'Grand Tour' to every known colony - there are several secret colonies launched by the Soviets revealed in FTL Now. The descriptions for FTL Now are collected from various sources - speeches, log books, blogs, email, and the like. They give a quick impression of the colony, rather than a lot of detail. In both games, there's star system, gas giant sub-system, and planetary maps, as well as a picture of each world-globe.

FTL Now is a full game, so it's not necessary to have Cold Space, but there are references, and the history of the Oikumene - the settled worlds - is only from the end of the Cold Space Era in 1990 to 2006.

-clash

Quote from: David RI have not played it yet, merely had a hurried once over - damn players and their "let us look through it first...you know rules ain't your strong point.." but there is a strong vibe of what Marco says. Here's what I'm going to do with.

First read up on my John Le'Carre.

Second rewatch spy thrillers such as The Manchurian Candidate (original), The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (couldn't resist ) to get the claustrophobic feel of I want to project in the game...I'm seriously thinking of setting the game in black and white ...here's some Forge stuff for you..

Third, the campaign tagline is going to ripped off from Star Trek - The Undiscovered Country, (I never thought I'd see the day :eek: ):

"In space all warriors are cold ones"

Regards,
David R

Cold Space is a particularly juicy setting for spies. I've run several short spy games in it, ranging from Bond to LeCarre, all very successful.

What do you mean by "setting the game in black and white?" :O

-clash

PS - I missed these posts when they were first put up - they apparently came at the same time I was answering another!

Quote from: DevPPolitical space-noir? Niceness.

So I haven't read "FTL Now" yet, but I've been watching way too much of The Wire lately, so I can definitely envision a situation where the Earth government are basically desperate cops without the resources or evidence they need, reduced to hassling innocent and bitter spacers for info. You could play that from the POV of the cops or the spacers. It looks like that could definitely fit into the Interplanetary War on Terror motif.

Definitely! That fits nicely into the IWOT theme! Those colonies which haven't been abandoned are probably chafing under the unrealistic and politically expedient orders from home, particularly those related to smuggling items the colony needs and Earth isn't supplying, while the space military have to do more and more with less and less - no new ships since 2001, too few supplies, meagre wages, and all resourches stretched to the limit and a bit beyond.



-clash

Quote from: flyingmiceWhat do you mean by "setting the game in black and white?" :O

Well, I describe everything in black & white..colours I mean, not characters/situations...like Schindlers List..(which was in black & white, but was not a b & w situation)...this makes me look so uncool...

Regards,
David R

Quote from: David RWell, I describe everything in black & white..colours I mean, not characters/situations...like Schindlers List..(which was in black & white, but was not a b & w situation)...this makes me look so uncool...

Regards,
David R

Ah! Gotcha! That's why I used monochrome - actually sepia-tint - illos in much of the game.

-clash