It took less than 24 hours for my new game, Ascendant, to be banned from discussion over at RPG.net. https://forum.rpg.net/index.php?threads/new-superhero-rpg-ascendant.860081/

Hopefully, RPG Pundit won't mind if I hold some Q&A here. Ask me anything! Game is Kickstarting now at //www.kickstarter.com/projects/autarch/ascendant

Quote from: amacris;1123345It took less than 24 hours for my new game, Ascendant, to be banned from discussion over at RPG.net. https://forum.rpg.net/index.php?threads/new-superhero-rpg-ascendant.860081/

Hopefully, RPG Pundit won't mind if I hold some Q&A here. Ask me anything! Game is Kickstarting now at //www.kickstarter.com/projects/autarch/ascendant

They banned it from discussion because they fear legal action from you. Apparently the posters can't resist calling you a nazi because of your unflattering one year working under you know who.

I was actually just looking at this yesterday thanks to the "Kickstarters projects for 2020" thread over at RPG pub. You might consider weighing in or starting up a dedicated thread over there.

In any case, the game looks really interesting. I'm a huge fan of logarithmic progressions in RPGs and this looks like a pretty nicely intuitive way of handling it. What sort of support does this system provide for playing inhumans (dragons? octopi? etc.)? What about pitiful dirt-eating peasants, ala sub-50-point GURPS characters? Given that it's a supers game, at the lowest end of the power scale does it become more difficult for PCs to differentiate themselves? The scalability looks solid based on the KS page but I'm curious about what you have to say on it personally.

Edit: And oh yeah of course the thread would be banned at TBP. You haven't been scapegoated for nearly long enough yet.

Quote from: Antiquation!;1123347Edit: And oh yeah of course the thread would be banned at TBP. You haven't been scapegoated for nearly long enough yet.

It was banned because they're afraid of being sued for defamation. The moderators know that posters won't be able to resist calling him a nazi, so they don't want to risk it.

Quote from: BoxCrayonTales;1123346They banned it from discussion because they fear legal action from you. Apparently the posters can't resist calling you a nazi because of your unflattering one year working under you know who.

It's better to be feared than loved, Machiavelli says.

Quote from: BoxCrayonTales;1123348It was banned because they're afraid of being sued for defamation. The moderators know that posters won't be able to resist calling him a nazi, so they don't want to risk it.

Because the Moderaters themselves and Applecline would *never* overtly say or dare intimate the same thing? Puh-lease.

This is just most spiteful vindictive bullshit from TBP. 112 Pages of Infractions against Wrongthink don't lie.

Quote from: BoxCrayonTales;1123348It was banned because they're afraid of being sued for defamation. The moderators know that posters won't be able to resist calling him a nazi, so they don't want to risk it.

Right. I may be mis-recalling but I thought even some of the mods themselves did as much. Afraid they should be then.

Quote from: Antiquation!;1123351Right. I may be mis-recalling but I thought even some of the mods themselves did as much. Afraid they should be then.

You're not misremembering. It was posts by the *moderators* that caused the ruckus. That said, my "legal threats" were simply an email to Shannon pointing out that his moderators were engaged in defamation and asking him to have them cease doing so.

Quote from: Antiquation!;1123347I was actually just looking at this yesterday thanks to the "Kickstarters projects for 2020" thread over at RPG pub. You might consider weighing in or starting up a dedicated thread over there.

In any case, the game looks really interesting. I'm a huge fan of logarithmic progressions in RPGs and this looks like a pretty nicely intuitive way of handling it. What sort of support does this system provide for playing inhumans (dragons? octopi? etc.)? What about pitiful dirt-eating peasants, ala sub-50-point GURPS characters? Given that it's a supers game, at the lowest end of the power scale does it become more difficult for PCs to differentiate themselves? The scalability looks solid based on the KS page but I'm curious about what you have to say on it personally.

Edit: And oh yeah of course the thread would be banned at TBP. You haven't been scapegoated for nearly long enough yet.

The game provides extensive support for playing inhumans. You can select an alternate Body Form from humanoid. You can choose various Disturbing Appearance drawbacks for disturbing cthulhuesque vibe. And he game includes statistics for a ton of animals so if you want to be a "super-tiger" or something you have the baseline to start from.

Pitiful dirt-eating peasants would be built as characters with between 200 to 400 Character Points. Ascendants (superheroes) start at 400 CP or more. I've posted some rules and stat blocks below.

BODY FORM
The character has an unusual body form resembling that of an avian, fish, insect, quadruped, or worm. He cannot use Crewed or Worn Objects unless specifically designed for his body form. He cannot use his MIG to throw Objects. He can use his MIG -3 to clumsily pick up objects with his mouth, paws, talons, etc. He can use his full MIG to carry or pull objects that are strapped to him, to push objects, and to stop moving objects, as the Damaging Attribute for Melee Attacks, and as the AV for Wrestling Attacks. Should he attempt an Action that would require a biped to use its hands for fine manipulation (e.g. disarming a bomb, giving first aid, driving a vehicle, or writing information), he must resort to teeth, paws, talons, etc.; he is treated as having an INS and AGI of 0 for purposes of that Action. If the character has an Additional Limb, the limitations of this Drawback do not apply to the Additional Limb.

When this Drawback is selected, the character must choose from one of the following types of Body Forms, which determines the Base Refund for the Drawback. Some forms have additional effects.

Avian (20 CP): The character's body has a pair of wings and a pair of legs. All of the normal effects of Body Form apply. This Drawback doesn't necessarily have to coincide with Winged Flight; an ostrich has Avian Body Firm without having the Flight Power.

Aquatic (40 CP): The character's body has flippers, fins, or other means of submarine locomotion instead of arms and legs. All of the normal effects of Body Form apply. The character does not have a Jumping Speed or Running Speed on land unless purchased separately. He has a Jumping Speed in water equal to his Swimming Speed – 2, if any. He can take a Challenge Action to move at a Running Speed of 0 SPs on land by crawling, twisting, or flopping around. If the character does not have another Speed (through a power, object, or other means), his DV against Ranged Attacks is also reduced to 0 SPs when on land. He suffers a -1 penalty to his AV and DV when making and defending against Melee Attacks on land. He suffers a -2 penalty to his AV and DV when making and defending against Wrestling Attacks on land.  This Drawback doesn't grant Swimming Power but it's highly recommended!

Insectoid (20 CP): The character's body has many legs and no arms. All of the normal effects of Body Form apply.

Quadruped (20 CP): The character's body has four legs and no arms. All of the normal effects of Body Form apply. A quadruped with one Additional Limb has a grasping trunk or tail. A quadruped with two Additional Limbs might be a centaur.

Vermian (20 CP): The character's body has no limbs of any sort, similar to a snake or worm. All of the normal effects of Body Form apply.

Here's an example of two different 200-point characters. You can see they're very different even though they have same points.

OBNOXIOUS IT GUY (200 CP, CR 0.75)
Attributes: MIG 2, AGI 3, VAL 2, RES 3, INS 5, CHA 3, Weight 3, Height 0, Running Speed 3, Jumping Speed -1, Initiative 2, Income 2, Reputation 3
Skills: Avocation (videogames) 6, Craft (miniatures painting) 4, Engineering (IT) 7
Perks: Wealthy
Drawbacks: Duty (9-to-5 job), Easily Winded (-2 SP Time), Unlikeable

SELF-ABSORBED FASHIONISTA (200 CP, CR 0.75)
Attributes: MIG 2, AGI 3, VAL 2, RES 3, INS 3, CHA 5, Weight 2, Height 0, Running Speed 3, Jumping Speed 0, Initiative 2, Income 1, Reputation 12 (Notoriety 6)
Skills: Avocation (beauty & fashion) 5, Craft (selfies) 5, Sport (yoga) 5
Perks: Famous (social media influencer), Sex Appeal, Wealthy
Drawbacks: Hunted (stalker), Notorious (haters), Unobservant

Here's a 400-point commando, about as tough as a real person can be.

SPECIAL FORCES SOLDIER (400 CP, CR 4)
Attributes: MIG 5, AGI 5, VAL 5, RES 4, INS 4, CHA 4, Weight 3, Height 0, Running Speed 5, Jumping Speed 2, Initiative 5, Income 0, Reputation 3
Skills: Alertness 6, Combat Posture 6, Engineering (combat engineering) 6, Intimidate 6, Interrogate 6, Marksmanship (shooting) 7, Martial Arts 7, Parkour 7, Persuasion 5, Piloting (ground vehicles) 6, Smack Talk 6, Stealth 7, Stoicism 5
Perks: Authority (NCO), Combat Maneuver (Super-Fast Ranged, Super-Power Ranged), Contact (buddy at DoD), Criminal Connections (terror networks), Multitask, Watchful
Drawbacks: Code of Honor (Army code of conduct), Dependent (family back home), Duty (enlisted soldier)

And here's a few animals. You can see that animals (when you really take into account their senses and abilities) are basically mini-superheroes. This makes playing a shapechanger/animal mimic really fun.

ELEPHANT
Attributes: MIG 7, AGI 3, VAL 3, RES 5, INS 1, CHA 4, Weight 8, Height 1, Running Speed 5, Initiative 3
Powers: Additional Limb (trunk) 5, All-Frequency Hearing 5, Extended Hearing 4, Lacerating Strike 8, Narrowband Radio Communication (ultrasonic vocalizations) 12, Noncombatant Super-Strength 10, Physical Invulnerability 4, Running 5, Super Senses 5, Ultra-Sensitive Hearing 8, Ultra-Sensitive Scent 8, Ultra-Sensitive Touch 2
Drawbacks: Body Form (quadruped), Dim Vision (Passive Spotting Range 5 SPs), Illiterate, Unspeaking

MIMIC OCTOPUS
Attributes: MIG 1, AGI 4, VAL 2, RES 4, INS 1, CHA 2, Weight -2, Height -1, Swimming Speed 4, Initiative 2
Powers: Additional Extended Limb 2 (set of tentacles), Burrowing 1, Dark Vision 3, High Pressure Protection 7, Invisibility 5, Instant Self-Range Fog 1, Naked Animal Replication 5, Super Senses 5, Swimming 4, Underwater Vision 3, Ultra-Sensitive Scent 8, Ultra-Sensitive Touch 1
Skills: Escape Artist 6, Stealth 6
Perks: Grappling Expertise
Drawbacks: Body Form (aquatic), Power Flaw – Miscellaneous (Fog only works underwater), Illiterate, Unspeaking

Quote from: amacris;1123352You're not misremembering. It was posts by the *moderators* that caused the ruckus. That said, my "legal threats" were simply an email to Shannon pointing out that his moderators were engaged in defamation and asking him to have them cease doing so.

LMAO wow, holy shit. That last part I was *not* aware of. Every time I think I've seen the most petty, pitiful and infantile TBP reactionaries can get they surprise me with a new low.

Quote from: amacris;1123353The game provides extensive support for playing inhumans. You can select an alternate Body Form from humanoid. You can choose various Disturbing Appearance drawbacks for disturbing cthulhuesque vibe. And he game includes statistics for a ton of animals so if you want to be a "super-tiger" or something you have the baseline to start from.

Pitiful dirt-eating peasants would be built as characters with between 200 to 400 Character Points. Ascendants (superheroes) start at 400 CP or more. I've posted some rules and stat blocks below. [snip]

These look great, thanks for the examples. Way less fiddly than I've come to expect from both GURPS and HERO (and way, WAY less than EABA even though I want to like it). Maybe I missed it from the KS page, but how do the Drawbacks and Vulnerable States work with the point system? Do these provide build points back ala GURPS or are they active-use-reward based like Fate? Are Vulnerable States required or optional?

Quote from: Antiquation!;1123357Maybe I missed it from the KS page, but how do the Drawbacks and Vulnerable States work with the point system? Do these provide build points back ala GURPS or are they active-use-reward based like Fate? Are Vulnerable States required or optional?

They offer a refund on build points.

VULNERABLE STATE
Base Refund: Special
The character has some sort of vulnerability that, when triggered, leaves him substantially less powerful. There are three aspects to determining the Refund afforded by selecting a Vulnerable State: The effect of the Vulnerable State (how weakened is the character while vulnerable), the frequency of the Vulnerable State (how often the character becomes vulnerable) and the duration of the Vulnerable State (how long the character stays vulnerable).

Effect of Vulnerable State: Determine what the character's Primary Attributes, Powers, Skills, Perks, and Drawbacks are when in his Vulnerable State. Then calculate the difference in CP cost between the character's normal state and his Vulnerable State. The CP difference is the Effect Refund for the Vulnerable State.

Imagine Airborne has a Vulnerable State that deprives him of his 12 SPs of Flight. The difference in cost between Airborne's normal condition and his Vulnerable State is [15 + (12 x 4)] = 63 CP, so that's the Effect Refund.


Frequency and Duration of Vulnerable State: The frequency and duration of an entity's Vulnerable State will depend on what triggers the state. Some Vulnerable States are triggered by common circumstances ("exposure to daylight"), others by a period of usage ("operates for 8 hours"), others by a combat outcome ("disarmed of the sword of power" or "reduced to half Health"). The triggers determine a Refund Modifier which is applied to the Effect Refund to find the Total Refund for the Vulnerable State. The more frequent the Vulnerable State, and the longer the duration, the higher the Refund Modifier, and hence the bigger the Total Refund. The method to calculate the Refund Modifiers for a variety of Vulnerable States is described below.

And then the game offers up a bunch of guidelines on various common Vulnerable States, including "Exposed to Substance", "Caught out of Costume", "Deprived of Device", and so on.

What if Airborne's Flight Power is nullified when he gets wet? Water is a common substance (50% Refund Modifier). Getting wet is touch (10% Refund Modifier). Let's say that the Vulnerable State lasts for 5 Pages after he's immersed, as he has to be fully dry for his Power to be restored (130%). His Vulnerable State's Frequency Modifier is 50% x 10% x 130% = 6.5%. With an Effect Refund of 63 CP, Airborne's Total Refund is 63 x 6.5% = 4 CP.
What if Airborne's Flight Power is nullified by sunlight? Sunlight is a common substance (50% Refund Modifier). It's ambient (100%). Let's say the Vulnerable State lasts only while he is directly in the sunlight (80%). His Vulnerable State's Frequency Modifier is 50% x 100% x 80% = 40%. Airborne's Total Refund is 63 x 40% = 25 CP.

Quote from: amacris;1123356MIMIC OCTOPUS
Attributes: MIG 1, AGI 4, VAL 2, RES 4, INS 1, CHA 2, Weight -2, Height -1, Swimming Speed 4, Initiative 2
Powers: Additional Extended Limb 2 (set of tentacles), Burrowing 1, Dark Vision 3, High Pressure Protection 7, Invisibility 5, Instant Self-Range Fog 1, Naked Animal Replication 5, Super Senses 5, Swimming 4, Underwater Vision 3, Ultra-Sensitive Scent 8, Ultra-Sensitive Touch 1
Skills: Escape Artist 6, Stealth 6
Perks: Grappling Expertise
Drawbacks: Body Form (aquatic), Power Flaw – Miscellaneous (Fog only works underwater), Illiterate, Unspeaking

I love this one.

Quote from: amacris;1123358They offer a refund on build points.

VULNERABLE STATE
Base Refund: Special
The character has some sort of vulnerability that, when triggered, leaves him substantially less powerful. There are three aspects to determining the Refund afforded by selecting a Vulnerable State: The effect of the Vulnerable State (how weakened is the character while vulnerable), the frequency of the Vulnerable State (how often the character becomes vulnerable) and the duration of the Vulnerable State (how long the character stays vulnerable).

Effect of Vulnerable State: Determine what the character's Primary Attributes, Powers, Skills, Perks, and Drawbacks are when in his Vulnerable State. Then calculate the difference in CP cost between the character's normal state and his Vulnerable State. The CP difference is the Effect Refund for the Vulnerable State.

Imagine Airborne has a Vulnerable State that deprives him of his 12 SPs of Flight. The difference in cost between Airborne's normal condition and his Vulnerable State is [15 + (12 x 4)] = 63 CP, so that's the Effect Refund.


Frequency and Duration of Vulnerable State: The frequency and duration of an entity's Vulnerable State will depend on what triggers the state. Some Vulnerable States are triggered by common circumstances ("exposure to daylight"), others by a period of usage ("operates for 8 hours"), others by a combat outcome ("disarmed of the sword of power" or "reduced to half Health"). The triggers determine a Refund Modifier which is applied to the Effect Refund to find the Total Refund for the Vulnerable State. The more frequent the Vulnerable State, and the longer the duration, the higher the Refund Modifier, and hence the bigger the Total Refund. The method to calculate the Refund Modifiers for a variety of Vulnerable States is described below.

And then the game offers up a bunch of guidelines on various common Vulnerable States, including "Exposed to Substance", "Caught out of Costume", "Deprived of Device", and so on.

What if Airborne's Flight Power is nullified when he gets wet? Water is a common substance (50% Refund Modifier). Getting wet is touch (10% Refund Modifier). Let's say that the Vulnerable State lasts for 5 Pages after he's immersed, as he has to be fully dry for his Power to be restored (130%). His Vulnerable State's Frequency Modifier is 50% x 10% x 130% = 6.5%. With an Effect Refund of 63 CP, Airborne's Total Refund is 63 x 6.5% = 4 CP.
What if Airborne's Flight Power is nullified by sunlight? Sunlight is a common substance (50% Refund Modifier). It's ambient (100%). Let's say the Vulnerable State lasts only while he is directly in the sunlight (80%). His Vulnerable State's Frequency Modifier is 50% x 100% x 80% = 40%. Airborne's Total Refund is 63 x 40% = 25 CP.

Very nice, thanks for the summary. I'm digging the way Vulnerable States are priced. I think you've sold me on at least a PDF copy.