Lot's going on around the ole' Other Side over the last few days. Let's recap.
New Followers
Welcome all new followers and thank you for your continued support to all! If there is anything you would like to see me opine about, shoot me an email or a post. I turned off moderation, which means I do get the occasional spammer, but I thought it would be better for ease of communications.
Ronnie Jame Dio
RJD died. Truthfully he was as much an influence on my games as are names like Moorcock and Tolkien. OK, maybe not that much, but he was still an influence.
Twilight the RPG
WOW. That struck a nerve. I want to spend some more time on this one. Just not sure what else I want to say yet.
Pathfinder weekend
Got to play Pathfinder with "the big kids" again this weekend. I am just 125 XP for leveling up! IT was a great time. We were also just a table down from where Mike "Chgwiz" was playing his old school OSRIC game. I didn't talk to him about his leaving the blog scene (I thought that would be rude), but it sounds like he has a hell of a game going. So that is awesome.
More later today I think.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Willow & Tara: d20 Modern
d20 Modern and Urban Arcana
D20. To many it was the best thing since sliced bread and the Internet. To others, well, they were vocal on how much they hated it. D20 Modern is the modern version of the 3.x Dungeons and Dragons game (there is no Modern d20 game out yet for 4th edition). I was always mostly neutral to it. I liked it, yes, but it seems like a huge tool to do the job I was already doing quite well with Unisystem. Though I really wanted to run a modern D&D game that took place on Oerth or even my own world. So all the same countries and species, in a world where jet fighters and computers exist next to dragons and magic. Yeah Dragon Mag talked about doing it years ago with their Greyhawk 2000 game. One day I'll get to do it.
Anyway, back in the day I was doing tons of conversions. I would (and still do really), pick up a game read it, digest it, and then figure out how to convert some of my characters. I have a lot I convert, an immortal assassin, a teen witch, a staunch defender of good and a hunter of demons, and an occult scholar. All of which are very interesting. To me. But not so much to others I think. Sure I have had a long history with these character since the early 80's in some cases. I know them, but no one else really does. My old players from High School and College might, but I don't think they read this blog or my posts at all.
So I figured if I was going to do conversions then I needed a) the same character(s) each time so I could compare and contrast the outcomes, b) characters others knew so I could talk about them and get some opinions back and c) had magic since that was what I most interested in. Since I had already been playing a Willow and Tara based game that began with WitchCraft, moved to Buffy and then Ghosts of Albion the choices seemed obvious to me. Plus it was part of my mandate to get Willow and Tara together in every world. So, my course was set. I was going to try out a bunch of d20 based modern games to see if I could create a world that was a modern supernatural horror game with more of an emphasis on character building and role-playing than I had done before. Unisystem was perfect, but if I wanted to do something on my own I needed a system I could use on my own.
The best way to emulate a Willow & Tara RPG style game using the core d20 Modern rules is to use the Urban Arcana supplement. Urban Arcana is a little heavier on the open magic than your typical Unisystem game, but less so than your average D&D game. But perfect for my Willow & Tara, Season 3 game that I had planned out. In fact I would have to say that it was these d20 conversions, in particular this one, the Mutants and Masterminds one and even, if I dare, the Macho Women with Guns d20 one. The whole idea here is this would be a world where everyone knew magic was real and the monsters that used to haunt the night would walk about during the day. Urbana Arcana then seemed a good fit. Almost.
Here is the first problem. None of the six basic core classes has a magic using option. Most of the magic using advanced courses require at a minimum 6 ranks of a skill. Sure you can get to that in two levels, so that is not so bad (and actually works well for Willow) it is more difficult with someone like Tara who has been casting since she was little. The Hedge Wizard profession works ok for level 2 and the magical heritage feat can cover some more, but this feels less organic than say just taking a level of Sorcery/Magic or the Gift.
Here are Willow and Tara for the d20 Modern RPG
Willow Rosenberg: Female Human, Smart Hero 5, Occultist 1, Mage 7 (level 13). Medium Humanoid. Student/Hedge Wizard, hp 45, DC 14, Init +0, BAB +3 (+2 melee, +3 ranged), Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +7, Reputation +3, Wealth +1 Action Points 75.
Strength 9 (-1), Dexterity 11 (0), Constitution 11 (0), Intelligence 18 (+4), Wisdom 16 (+3), Charisma 17 (+3)
Height 5’3”, Weight 110lbs, Eyes Green, Hair Red, Date of Birth Jan 1981 (25 in 2006)
Skills: Bluff +4, Computer +19, Concentration +10, Craft (Chemical) +10, Craft (Electronics) +8, Craft (Mechanical) +7, Decipher Script +14, Diplomacy +4, Disable Device +9, Drive +2, Escape Artist +2, Gather Information +8, Handle Animal +4, Hide +1, Investigate +9, Knowledge (Arcana) +18, Knowledge (Earth Sciences) +8, Knowledge (Physical Sciences) +8, Knowledge (Theology) +9, Listen +5, Navigate +5, Perform (Ritual) +7, Read/Write Languages (Latin, French, Hebrew) +2, Repair +8, Research +20, Sense Motive +4, Speak Languages (Latin, French, Hebrew) +2, Spellcraft +14, Survival +5, Use Magical Devices +9.
Feats: Archaic Weapons Proficiency, Educated (Arcana and Sciences), Focused, Gearhead, Magical Affinity, Meticulous, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Spell Slinger, Studious, Toughness, Trustworthy
Talents/Special Abilities: Savant Computer Use +5 and Research +5, Plan, Spell Resistance +6, Arcane Spells and Skills, Combat Casting
Tara Maclay: Female Human, Dedicated Hero 6, Mystic 6 (level 12). Medium Humanoid. Student/Hedge Wizard, hp 49, DC 12, Init -1, BAB +4 (+5 melee, +3 ranged), Fort +6, Ref +1, Will +9, Reputation +2, Wealth +1 Action Points 41.
Strength 12 (+1), Dexterity 9 (-1), Constitution 12 (+1), Intelligence 16 (+3), Wisdom 18 (+4), Charisma 16 (+3)
Height 5’5”, Weight 125lbs, Eyes Blue, Hair Blond, Date of Birth Nov 7, 1981 (25 in 2006)
Skills: Bluff +4, Computer +7, Concentration +6, Craft (Chemical) +3, Decipher Script +9, Diplomacy +10, Gamble +7, Gather Information +3, Handle Animal +7, Hide +3, Investigate +7, Knowledge (Arcana) +12, Knowledge (Philosophy) +11, Knowledge (Theology) +11, Listen +10, Navigate +3, Perform (Dancing) +8, Perform (Painting) +8, Perform (Ritual) +7, Perform (Singing) +8, Read/Write Languages (Latin, Greek, French, Japanese) +2, Repair +3, Research +12, Sense Motive +13, Speak Languages (Latin, French, Japanese) +2, Spellcraft +12, Survival +9, Use Magical Devices +8.
Feats: Archaic Weapons Proficiency, Cautious, Creative, Educated (Humanities), Focused, Iron Will, Low Profile, Magical Heritage, Meticulous, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Studious, Trustworthy
Talents/Special Abilities: Spell Resistance +6, Divine Spells and Skills, Arcane Skills Talent: Empathy, Talent: Intuition 5/day, Talent: Healing Knack, Brew Potions, Combat Casting, Turn Undead
Willow is obviously a Smart Hero, no question. I also gave her a level of Occultist to cover her “dabbling” stage and Mage to cover her spell casting. Tara on the other hand is less obviously a Dedicated Hero but it fits well. I opted for Mystic for her and not Mage since magic feel different. This does give her the troublesome Turn Undead which is a power that does not exist in Unisystem. However, since this is the Dragon and Phoenix canon Tara did gain the divine ability to frighten vampires and undead. I’ll tone down this power and amp up her Healing Knack to cover her Healing power in Unisystem.
Both start out as students and then gain the Hedge Wizard occupation as well. This gives them a few more cantrips (minor spels) before they enter their magic classes proper. Both can use incantations. Tara also has intuition and empathy to cover her Empath and Sight qualities from Unisystem.
Neither are strong fighters, here or in Unisystem, so that converts well enough.
Qualities convert to Feats as per AFMBE-R (Eden's "All Flesh Must Be Eaten"). Many were based on what feats were offered by class and what makes sense. At this point I’d imagine both girls (and any Unisystem character for that matter) would have Archaic and Simple Weapons Proficiencies.
Willow has Magical Aptitude to cover her quick rise in the magical ranks and Tara has Magical Heritage since her mother and grandmother were both witches.
Toughness (feat) is roughly the same as Hard to Kill (quality).
Skills convert on a 1 for 2 basis, so every one rank of Unisystem gives you 2 ranks of d20. That works fine as a base, but the two games are not powered the same. So to get a level based on Spell power, you end up with a higher level character (Willow is 13th level here) and a lot more skill points to spread around. Fortunately there are a lot more skills in d20.
Drawbacks are (will continue to be) the big issue. Modern d20 has nothing similar and this is a problem because they really should. For this we will have to move to other games. To use the Nega-Feats rules from AFMBE-R then conceivably we swap in a few feats and reduce their overall level. But that might not be an issue really and should only give us an extra level or at best two.
Overall I was pleased, just not overly so. They certainly worked but they were not as satisfying as the Mutants and Masterminds versions I post earlier (but actually did later). The nice thing about d20 was (and is for those still using it) that there was always going to be some 3rd party product that would come along that I could add in to all of this.
After I wrote these conversions the d20 Dark*Matter came along. I had been a fan of the Alternity/Dark*Matter game when it came out, but went down the path of the WitchCraft RPG instead. I added some bits from that, but mixing Urban Arcana and Dark*Matter is like mixing WitchCraft RPG with Conspiracy X. Yes tehy cover similar ground, use the same rules and even have things in the games that the other game can use, but most of the fundamental philosophies of the games make even the same thing look complete different. So they were less compatible than I hoped.
I have other ones I have tried to various levels of success. But in every case I took something away from the process that I would use in later games, regardless of the system used. From this I got obviously the d20 feel, but also the idea that running a modern game in a magic rich world is a good idea.
D20. To many it was the best thing since sliced bread and the Internet. To others, well, they were vocal on how much they hated it. D20 Modern is the modern version of the 3.x Dungeons and Dragons game (there is no Modern d20 game out yet for 4th edition). I was always mostly neutral to it. I liked it, yes, but it seems like a huge tool to do the job I was already doing quite well with Unisystem. Though I really wanted to run a modern D&D game that took place on Oerth or even my own world. So all the same countries and species, in a world where jet fighters and computers exist next to dragons and magic. Yeah Dragon Mag talked about doing it years ago with their Greyhawk 2000 game. One day I'll get to do it.
Anyway, back in the day I was doing tons of conversions. I would (and still do really), pick up a game read it, digest it, and then figure out how to convert some of my characters. I have a lot I convert, an immortal assassin, a teen witch, a staunch defender of good and a hunter of demons, and an occult scholar. All of which are very interesting. To me. But not so much to others I think. Sure I have had a long history with these character since the early 80's in some cases. I know them, but no one else really does. My old players from High School and College might, but I don't think they read this blog or my posts at all.
So I figured if I was going to do conversions then I needed a) the same character(s) each time so I could compare and contrast the outcomes, b) characters others knew so I could talk about them and get some opinions back and c) had magic since that was what I most interested in. Since I had already been playing a Willow and Tara based game that began with WitchCraft, moved to Buffy and then Ghosts of Albion the choices seemed obvious to me. Plus it was part of my mandate to get Willow and Tara together in every world. So, my course was set. I was going to try out a bunch of d20 based modern games to see if I could create a world that was a modern supernatural horror game with more of an emphasis on character building and role-playing than I had done before. Unisystem was perfect, but if I wanted to do something on my own I needed a system I could use on my own.
The best way to emulate a Willow & Tara RPG style game using the core d20 Modern rules is to use the Urban Arcana supplement. Urban Arcana is a little heavier on the open magic than your typical Unisystem game, but less so than your average D&D game. But perfect for my Willow & Tara, Season 3 game that I had planned out. In fact I would have to say that it was these d20 conversions, in particular this one, the Mutants and Masterminds one and even, if I dare, the Macho Women with Guns d20 one. The whole idea here is this would be a world where everyone knew magic was real and the monsters that used to haunt the night would walk about during the day. Urbana Arcana then seemed a good fit. Almost.
Here is the first problem. None of the six basic core classes has a magic using option. Most of the magic using advanced courses require at a minimum 6 ranks of a skill. Sure you can get to that in two levels, so that is not so bad (and actually works well for Willow) it is more difficult with someone like Tara who has been casting since she was little. The Hedge Wizard profession works ok for level 2 and the magical heritage feat can cover some more, but this feels less organic than say just taking a level of Sorcery/Magic or the Gift.
Here are Willow and Tara for the d20 Modern RPG
Strength 9 (-1), Dexterity 11 (0), Constitution 11 (0), Intelligence 18 (+4), Wisdom 16 (+3), Charisma 17 (+3)
Height 5’3”, Weight 110lbs, Eyes Green, Hair Red, Date of Birth Jan 1981 (25 in 2006)
Skills: Bluff +4, Computer +19, Concentration +10, Craft (Chemical) +10, Craft (Electronics) +8, Craft (Mechanical) +7, Decipher Script +14, Diplomacy +4, Disable Device +9, Drive +2, Escape Artist +2, Gather Information +8, Handle Animal +4, Hide +1, Investigate +9, Knowledge (Arcana) +18, Knowledge (Earth Sciences) +8, Knowledge (Physical Sciences) +8, Knowledge (Theology) +9, Listen +5, Navigate +5, Perform (Ritual) +7, Read/Write Languages (Latin, French, Hebrew) +2, Repair +8, Research +20, Sense Motive +4, Speak Languages (Latin, French, Hebrew) +2, Spellcraft +14, Survival +5, Use Magical Devices +9.
Feats: Archaic Weapons Proficiency, Educated (Arcana and Sciences), Focused, Gearhead, Magical Affinity, Meticulous, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Spell Slinger, Studious, Toughness, Trustworthy
Talents/Special Abilities: Savant Computer Use +5 and Research +5, Plan, Spell Resistance +6, Arcane Spells and Skills, Combat Casting
Strength 12 (+1), Dexterity 9 (-1), Constitution 12 (+1), Intelligence 16 (+3), Wisdom 18 (+4), Charisma 16 (+3)
Height 5’5”, Weight 125lbs, Eyes Blue, Hair Blond, Date of Birth Nov 7, 1981 (25 in 2006)
Skills: Bluff +4, Computer +7, Concentration +6, Craft (Chemical) +3, Decipher Script +9, Diplomacy +10, Gamble +7, Gather Information +3, Handle Animal +7, Hide +3, Investigate +7, Knowledge (Arcana) +12, Knowledge (Philosophy) +11, Knowledge (Theology) +11, Listen +10, Navigate +3, Perform (Dancing) +8, Perform (Painting) +8, Perform (Ritual) +7, Perform (Singing) +8, Read/Write Languages (Latin, Greek, French, Japanese) +2, Repair +3, Research +12, Sense Motive +13, Speak Languages (Latin, French, Japanese) +2, Spellcraft +12, Survival +9, Use Magical Devices +8.
Feats: Archaic Weapons Proficiency, Cautious, Creative, Educated (Humanities), Focused, Iron Will, Low Profile, Magical Heritage, Meticulous, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Studious, Trustworthy
Talents/Special Abilities: Spell Resistance +6, Divine Spells and Skills, Arcane Skills Talent: Empathy, Talent: Intuition 5/day, Talent: Healing Knack, Brew Potions, Combat Casting, Turn Undead
Willow is obviously a Smart Hero, no question. I also gave her a level of Occultist to cover her “dabbling” stage and Mage to cover her spell casting. Tara on the other hand is less obviously a Dedicated Hero but it fits well. I opted for Mystic for her and not Mage since magic feel different. This does give her the troublesome Turn Undead which is a power that does not exist in Unisystem. However, since this is the Dragon and Phoenix canon Tara did gain the divine ability to frighten vampires and undead. I’ll tone down this power and amp up her Healing Knack to cover her Healing power in Unisystem.
Both start out as students and then gain the Hedge Wizard occupation as well. This gives them a few more cantrips (minor spels) before they enter their magic classes proper. Both can use incantations. Tara also has intuition and empathy to cover her Empath and Sight qualities from Unisystem.
Neither are strong fighters, here or in Unisystem, so that converts well enough.
Qualities convert to Feats as per AFMBE-R (Eden's "All Flesh Must Be Eaten"). Many were based on what feats were offered by class and what makes sense. At this point I’d imagine both girls (and any Unisystem character for that matter) would have Archaic and Simple Weapons Proficiencies.
Willow has Magical Aptitude to cover her quick rise in the magical ranks and Tara has Magical Heritage since her mother and grandmother were both witches.
Toughness (feat) is roughly the same as Hard to Kill (quality).
Skills convert on a 1 for 2 basis, so every one rank of Unisystem gives you 2 ranks of d20. That works fine as a base, but the two games are not powered the same. So to get a level based on Spell power, you end up with a higher level character (Willow is 13th level here) and a lot more skill points to spread around. Fortunately there are a lot more skills in d20.
Drawbacks are (will continue to be) the big issue. Modern d20 has nothing similar and this is a problem because they really should. For this we will have to move to other games. To use the Nega-Feats rules from AFMBE-R then conceivably we swap in a few feats and reduce their overall level. But that might not be an issue really and should only give us an extra level or at best two.
Overall I was pleased, just not overly so. They certainly worked but they were not as satisfying as the Mutants and Masterminds versions I post earlier (but actually did later). The nice thing about d20 was (and is for those still using it) that there was always going to be some 3rd party product that would come along that I could add in to all of this.
After I wrote these conversions the d20 Dark*Matter came along. I had been a fan of the Alternity/Dark*Matter game when it came out, but went down the path of the WitchCraft RPG instead. I added some bits from that, but mixing Urban Arcana and Dark*Matter is like mixing WitchCraft RPG with Conspiracy X. Yes tehy cover similar ground, use the same rules and even have things in the games that the other game can use, but most of the fundamental philosophies of the games make even the same thing look complete different. So they were less compatible than I hoped.
I have other ones I have tried to various levels of success. But in every case I took something away from the process that I would use in later games, regardless of the system used. From this I got obviously the d20 feel, but also the idea that running a modern game in a magic rich world is a good idea.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Twilight RPG? Sure, why not.
I was talking with some friends online and couple of topics came up that were not-quite but sorta-related. The first was the rash of vampire fiction and the "changes" happening to it. Namely that vampires are no longer terrible monsters but super powerful, but dangerous, boyfriends. They do things now like fall in love with women several decades their younger or move about in sunlight.
To this I simply say.
When was this new? Cause I seem to recall reading similar things in "Interview with a Vampire" and "Dracula".
We are in the midst of another "Vampire Craze" that seems to pop up every so often. The last one was of course Anne Rice, Lost Boys and Vampire the Masquerade. Now it is Twilight, The Vampire Diaries and even True Blood. I am going to focus on Twilight a bit since it is the most contentious of the lot.
Honestly, I have no big issue with Twilight's vampires (except they are not really vampires are they) or even the fact that a 100+ year old is in love with a High School Girl. I tend to believe that if a person becomes a vampire that regardless of the chronological age their body is stuck at a certain physical age and mental age. They might learn more, but in a sense their mentality is stuck, frozen in time. My biggest issue with the books is the vapid empty dialog, Mary-Sue characters, and thinly veiled personal sermons. But I will grant this. The success of those books has lead to an entire publishing craze of "Modern Supernatural Romance" or "Chick Lit" that has been a huge success in their own right.
Laurel K. Hamilton may have been one of the first, but it took Stephenie Meyer and her "Sparkly Vampires" to make it cross-over.
Which leads me to my next thought.
Should there be a Twilight RPG?
There are a lot of compelling reasons to do so.
Let's start with the obvious, Twilight sold nearly 30 million books in 2008 and 27M in 2009. There have been two movies of her books, which have made close to $1.2 Billion (that's a "B"). That's a lot of money. A licensed RPG would be make money if only for the Twilight fans wanting more of this world.
Other obvious reasons.
There is the werwolf/vampire back-story that, and lets be honest here, seems totally cribbed from White Wolf, but it is more of a turf war ala "West Side Story" than the bloody wars of "Underworld". Though now the mental image of vampires and werewolves singing while fighting is certain to haunt me for days. But it does make for a good game.
Lets talk marketing. Who loves "Twilight" besides Kelly Clarkson and President Obama? Pre-teen and teenage girls.
What market have RPGs not done particularly well in? Yeah.
"Twilight the RPG" could be the gateway drug to RPGs for this market. Look, this is 2010, we have dropped the stereotypes. We know girls like and play RPGs. Maybe we have White Wolf to thank for that as well. But we also know that it is still a very territory for marketing. AND I should point out it is not just young girls and women. It is "older" women (and by that I mean older than the protagonist Bella, so 20+) that buy and enjoy these books. What do we know about women in the marketplace? Well how about this (from Neilsen Media) Women make the buying choices in the family, women have more money now than they ever did, and while men are being laid off at double-digit rates, women are keeping their jobs.
And the game companies know all of this.
We have products out now that are specifically try to appeal to young girls. Games like Bella Sara are a perfect example of this.
A Twilight game would need to focus on the things that made the books so popular. Interpersonal relationships, destiny, fated-loves and so on. As a game it would need to have mechanics that were simple so they do what they need to do and then get out of the way (for the newbie gamers) and powerful enough to keep the narrative flowing (for the more experienced ones). Blue Rose I think tried to do this to some degree, and I think design-wise they mostly got it right. It does all the things I mentioned above, but I think ultimately Blue Rose was hampered more by what people thought it was rather than what it really was.
By putting the Twilight label on the game you eliminate that and everyone knows what you are getting up front. Plus we all know I am convinced that Blue Rose would be fantastic as a horror game.
Combat would be minimal, but it would still occur. Afterall these vampires and werewolves have to attack something sometime.
Of course I could see this using White Wolf's World of Darkness games too or even Cinematic Unisystem. Though in both cases somethings might need to be tweaked or redesigned.
The downsides though are numerous as well. Gamers, it seems to person, hate Twilight. Or at least I never met one that likes it. I don't even like it. The vampires of Twilight are mocked and rightfully so. Gamers would not buy a Twilight RPG unless it had something so mind wracking cool about it that getting it was more of a lure than anything else.
So lets pretend for a second there is a Twilight game out there and people pick it up for whatever their personal reasons are. Who is going to play this game? and how?
The trouble with the RPG biz is there is shit all nothing in terms of market research.
Companies rarely know what people wan't and they rarely can provide it when they do know. There are exceptions of course. Paizo and Green Ronin take a lot of customer feedback for example. But I bet you that if there was a demand out there for a particular game, no company would know about it in any systematic way. We rely a lot on word of mouth. Maybe this is fine, but it is very reaction-based and sometimes companies move too slow to do anything about it.
Twilight the Role-Playing Game is not coming to a FLGS near you anytime soon. But part of me still wonders that maybe it should.
To this I simply say.
When was this new? Cause I seem to recall reading similar things in "Interview with a Vampire" and "Dracula".
We are in the midst of another "Vampire Craze" that seems to pop up every so often. The last one was of course Anne Rice, Lost Boys and Vampire the Masquerade. Now it is Twilight, The Vampire Diaries and even True Blood. I am going to focus on Twilight a bit since it is the most contentious of the lot.
Honestly, I have no big issue with Twilight's vampires (except they are not really vampires are they) or even the fact that a 100+ year old is in love with a High School Girl. I tend to believe that if a person becomes a vampire that regardless of the chronological age their body is stuck at a certain physical age and mental age. They might learn more, but in a sense their mentality is stuck, frozen in time. My biggest issue with the books is the vapid empty dialog, Mary-Sue characters, and thinly veiled personal sermons. But I will grant this. The success of those books has lead to an entire publishing craze of "Modern Supernatural Romance" or "Chick Lit" that has been a huge success in their own right.
Laurel K. Hamilton may have been one of the first, but it took Stephenie Meyer and her "Sparkly Vampires" to make it cross-over.
Which leads me to my next thought.
Should there be a Twilight RPG?
There are a lot of compelling reasons to do so.
Let's start with the obvious, Twilight sold nearly 30 million books in 2008 and 27M in 2009. There have been two movies of her books, which have made close to $1.2 Billion (that's a "B"). That's a lot of money. A licensed RPG would be make money if only for the Twilight fans wanting more of this world.
Other obvious reasons.
There is the werwolf/vampire back-story that, and lets be honest here, seems totally cribbed from White Wolf, but it is more of a turf war ala "West Side Story" than the bloody wars of "Underworld". Though now the mental image of vampires and werewolves singing while fighting is certain to haunt me for days. But it does make for a good game.
Lets talk marketing. Who loves "Twilight" besides Kelly Clarkson and President Obama? Pre-teen and teenage girls.
What market have RPGs not done particularly well in? Yeah.
"Twilight the RPG" could be the gateway drug to RPGs for this market. Look, this is 2010, we have dropped the stereotypes. We know girls like and play RPGs. Maybe we have White Wolf to thank for that as well. But we also know that it is still a very territory for marketing. AND I should point out it is not just young girls and women. It is "older" women (and by that I mean older than the protagonist Bella, so 20+) that buy and enjoy these books. What do we know about women in the marketplace? Well how about this (from Neilsen Media) Women make the buying choices in the family, women have more money now than they ever did, and while men are being laid off at double-digit rates, women are keeping their jobs.
And the game companies know all of this.
We have products out now that are specifically try to appeal to young girls. Games like Bella Sara are a perfect example of this.
A Twilight game would need to focus on the things that made the books so popular. Interpersonal relationships, destiny, fated-loves and so on. As a game it would need to have mechanics that were simple so they do what they need to do and then get out of the way (for the newbie gamers) and powerful enough to keep the narrative flowing (for the more experienced ones). Blue Rose I think tried to do this to some degree, and I think design-wise they mostly got it right. It does all the things I mentioned above, but I think ultimately Blue Rose was hampered more by what people thought it was rather than what it really was.
By putting the Twilight label on the game you eliminate that and everyone knows what you are getting up front. Plus we all know I am convinced that Blue Rose would be fantastic as a horror game.
Combat would be minimal, but it would still occur. Afterall these vampires and werewolves have to attack something sometime.
Of course I could see this using White Wolf's World of Darkness games too or even Cinematic Unisystem. Though in both cases somethings might need to be tweaked or redesigned.
The downsides though are numerous as well. Gamers, it seems to person, hate Twilight. Or at least I never met one that likes it. I don't even like it. The vampires of Twilight are mocked and rightfully so. Gamers would not buy a Twilight RPG unless it had something so mind wracking cool about it that getting it was more of a lure than anything else.
So lets pretend for a second there is a Twilight game out there and people pick it up for whatever their personal reasons are. Who is going to play this game? and how?
The trouble with the RPG biz is there is shit all nothing in terms of market research.
Companies rarely know what people wan't and they rarely can provide it when they do know. There are exceptions of course. Paizo and Green Ronin take a lot of customer feedback for example. But I bet you that if there was a demand out there for a particular game, no company would know about it in any systematic way. We rely a lot on word of mouth. Maybe this is fine, but it is very reaction-based and sometimes companies move too slow to do anything about it.
Twilight the Role-Playing Game is not coming to a FLGS near you anytime soon. But part of me still wonders that maybe it should.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Review: Still Sucks to Be Me
Kim Pauley is back and so is new vampire Mina Hamilton Smith in the new (as in as of today new) book "Still Sucks to Be Me".
This book is of course a sequel to her Freshman attempt, Sucks to be Me. StbM was a great book. It surprised me how quickly the characters grabbed me and how I wanted to know all about them. You can read my review (linked) and then read this one. This review will assume that you have read StbM, so if you haven't then here there be spoilers….
Ready? Great.
Ok "Still Sucks" starts off not too long after Mina's conversion and her "funeral". No. She did not get to go. So deaths faked, names changed the Vampire Council relocates them to Louisiana. Not somewhere cool like New Orleans or even Bon Temps, no they end up in a one-stoplight town so Mina's dad (now called her brother) can study with this ancient vampire historian. Very nice for him, terrible for Mina.
Mina discovers that vampire powers not withstanding she is now, again, an outsider at her new school. Sure she is the "New Girl from California" but that doesn't help when the local school jock takes and interest in her and not in the girl that wants him.
Kim Pauley does a great job of juxtaposing Mina-as-a-vampire with Mina-as-a-teenager-in-a-new-school very well. Yes, Mina can easily overpower or glamour anyone in the school to get what she wants, and she knows it, but she doesn't. Of course life is made more difficult by the arrival of Cameron, a new vampire who is cute and smells nice, who may or may not be a Black Talon. Plus she has not heard from her best friend Serena (with whom she broke like a zillion laws to keep in contact with) or her boy-friend George since getting to Nowhere, LA. Yeah. Life, or Unlife can suck like that.
Kim gives us another great tale that in many ways mirrors the first. In the first book Mina's school life was finally going good and it was her vampire life that needed all the work. No her vampire life unlife is going as well as can be expected (she is even learning to glamour and shape-change) her school life is a chaotic mess.
What I liked most about this book was the ending. It was a reminder that we are dealing with vampires here. Not sparkly guys with bad orthodontic work that talk about their feelings all night, but some pretty nasty characters that not only can, but want to kill people. I'd love to see Kim try her hand, even if for a short story, something a bit darker. I bet she would do well.
Now there are a few caveats here. Yes, this book is aimed at the Young Adult crowd and my blog isn't. So if you pick up this book (and I would like it if you did) then keep that in mind. There is a lot of "Teen Girl Angst" here, but not as much as you might suspect given it is about teen girls and teen vampires. There is angst, but a lot of it is not the "my life is miserable teenage sort but of the "OMG this crazy chick is trying to kill my best friend!" sort.
I don't know if there are future books in store, but I hope so. I'd like to see how a college bound Mina reacts to situations. Or maybe she could tour Europe or something. Either way I can see a lot of adventure ahead for Mina and her friends.
Like I said of her first book, this is a good, well-written book with characters that a likable that relatable. I liked the new aspect to Mina's parents' lives unlives. I did miss seeing more of Uncle Mortie, but hey, it's not his book. The Black Talons were interesting, what little we got to learn of them and so were the Carters.
Using Mina in your Games
Of course it is very tempting to use Mina in a game. And since I tend to give in to temptation, here we go!
Cinematic Unisystem (Ghosts of Albion/Angel/Buffy)
Mina Smith (Apprentice level in Ghosts of Albion)
Life Points 44
Drama Points 15
Attributes
Strength 3
Dexterity 3
Constitution 4
Intelligence 3
Perception 5
Willpower 4
Qualities
Attractiveness +1
Hard to Kill 2
Fast Reaction Time
Situational Awareness
Vampire (Ghosts of Albion type)
- Glamour (note: this is shape shift ability from the book) 1
- Mesmerize (note: this is the glamour ability from the book) 1
- Sunlight Immunity (part of the Vampire package in this world. They do not burn up, but it is uncomfortable and they try to avoid it.)
Drawbacks
Adversary (Black Talons, anti-vampire groups)
Honorable 1
Love (George?)
Teenager (from Buffy/Angel)
Useful Information
Actions 1
Perception 1d10 + 8
Skills
Acrobatics 2
Art (writing) 2
Crime 1
Doctor 1
Driving 1
Getting Medieval 1
Influence 2
Knowledge 3
Kung Fu 1
Languages 1 (English)
Notice 3
Occultism 3
Science 1
Sports 1
Witch Girls Adventures
Mina Smith, Vampire
Rank: 2
Body: d6 Mind: d6 Senses: d6
Will: d6 Social: d6 Magic: d8
Life Points: 12 Reflex: 9
Resist Magic: 11 Zap Points: 16
Skills: Athletics +2, Basics +2, Fighting +1, Hear +2, Look +2, Magic Etiquette +2, Mundane Etiquette +4, Mysticism +1, Mythology +1, Streetwise +2
Abilities: Brave, Friendly
Heritage: Vampire
Common Vampire Abilities
Links
http://community.wizards.com/bookclub/blog/2010/05/11/five_tips_for_writing_funny_fiction
http://www.amazon.com/Still-Sucks-Be-Me-Confessions/dp/0786955031
Monday, May 10, 2010
BloodRayne. Post 200
Bloodrayne
"Stop whimpering... it's unattractive." - Bloodrayne.
I love my Wii. Not only does it have awesome games, it allows me to play old Game Cube games. So recently I picked up Bloodrayne (the first one) for the Game Cube and have been playing it. A Lot.
I had it for the PC and would stay up till very late playing, much to my wife's annoyance. So, here is something old. My conversion of Ms. Rayne to WitchCraft / Buffy for Unisystem. And since this is my 200th post, then it seems fitting to use one of my favorite characters.
Might have to kick off a vampire week here!
Ok. So I am totally addicted to this game! Is it because she is a hot red-head with a tendency to kill people and things that piss her off? Or maybe this is what a vampire slayer should really be like? In any case, BloodRayne rocks!
Since I do a lot of RPGing as well, here is my attempt to represent her in the WitchCraft/Armageddon/Buffy RPG game universe. Exactly how does Rayne end up in your game? Well, I figure she gained enough essence over the years to slow her aging, but of course no one has done Dhampires in Unisystem (that I know of) so maybe they age slowly anyway. Either way, she makes a great NPC! Added: New information from Bloodrayne II tells us that Dhampirs can live to 200 years. Bloodrayne II takes place in modern times (so Rayne is still hot at 87!)
Rayne's Background
In 1932 an American teenage girl was apprehended in Europe after carving a path of destruction trying to track down and kill her biological father. The girl's name was Rayne and she claimed the people she killed, and her father who was still at large, were vampires.
Before more information was attained, the girl disappeared.
That girl is a Dhampir; a product of her human mother's rape by her vampire father. Born with powers of a vampire without all of the weaknesses. She was taken in by an underground organization calling themselves the Brimstone Society--a top-secret fraternity that hunts down and destroys supernatural threats. Agent BloodRayne, as she is now known, protects humanity from things that ordinary people shouldn't have to deal with.
Storyline
In the years between the World Wars, Agent BloodRayne works as a killing machine for a top secret fraternity, The Brimstone Society, that hunts down and destroys supernatural threats. Two missions, five years apart, turn out to be connected by one man. For years, this man has been searching the world for powerful occult relics to bring Germany into a new age of domination. Agent BloodRayne must face this man's elite Nazi army to prevent them from releasing creatures of unfathomable terror onto the world in their unwavering quest for the relics. Agent BloodRayne will brave the darkest backwater bayous of Louisiana, a formidable German Sub-bay and mysterious temple in Argentina, and an immense vampire-infested cathedral-like castle in Germany. She finds more than an isolated outbreak of mutated humans and Swamp creatures. She catches a glimpse of a much larger plot - a plot perpetrated by her soon-to-be nemesis, Jurgen Wulf, to find powerful relics that will enable the Germans to rule the world.
Unisystem/Buffy RPG Stats
"Buffy is just a cheerleader, Rayne is a killer!" - one review of the Bloodrayne game.
Unisystem Character Type: Lesser Supernatural
Buffy Character Type: (Very) Experienced Hero
Hair: Red
Eyes: Green (red when Rayne is in Bloodrage)
Born: 1917
Nationality: American
Height: 5'11" (6'4" in heels)
Weight: 115lbs
Relatives: Mother: dead, Father: Kagan a vampire, hunted by Rayne (killed after WWII, but not by Rayne), Siblings: Half-sister (Svetlana Lupescu?[conjecture]).
Allies: Mynce, Mentor and friend. Brimstone Society.
Supernatural Qualities and Drawbacks
Dhampir*
The Dhampir quality (15 points) can be applied only to the Lesser Supernatural (or Hero) character type. At the start the
character gains the following modifiers. +3 to STR, DEX, & CON and +1 to PER.
They may regenerate 1 life point per CON per hour. They can also drain essence to refill life points on a one to one basis.
Dhampirs are considered Gifted and have access to Gifted and Vampyric powers. They appear human but it costs essence to use
their unique powers. A dhampir does not need to spend essence to maintain a human appearance. Unlike mundane humans Dhampirs cannot self-replenish their essence, they must feed like a vampyre to do
so. Humans only release 1D6(3) Essence points due to fear around a dhampir.
Dhampirs do not gain extra essence due to being a dhampir.
In addition Dhampirs have the following powers and drawbacks.
BloodLust A Dhampir can absorb Essence to power her BloodRage. This acts like a 2 point Bloodthirst drawback.
BloodRage A Dhampir can enter Bloodlust and for the duration gain +2 to STR, CON, a +1 DEX and PER, and a penalty of -1 to WILL. They also gain 2 extra levels of Hard to Kill. This costs an initial 3 essence points for the first minute and 2 more
essence point for each additional minute. Typically a Dhampir will only use this power when their essence is "full"
or they have the means (i.e. victims) to replenish it.
Enhanced Vison A Dhampir can also see in the dark as if it were normal daylight. They also can see the aura of Essence. Individuals with higher Essence look brighter than people with lower Essences.
Vulnerability to Sunlight Like vampires, Dhampirs are harmed by the sun's rays. Rayne loses 5 life points each turn in full sunlight.
Combat (Buffy RPG format)
"Stop whimpering... it's unattractive." - Bloodrayne.
I love my Wii. Not only does it have awesome games, it allows me to play old Game Cube games. So recently I picked up Bloodrayne (the first one) for the Game Cube and have been playing it. A Lot.
I had it for the PC and would stay up till very late playing, much to my wife's annoyance. So, here is something old. My conversion of Ms. Rayne to WitchCraft / Buffy for Unisystem. And since this is my 200th post, then it seems fitting to use one of my favorite characters.
Might have to kick off a vampire week here!
Ok. So I am totally addicted to this game! Is it because she is a hot red-head with a tendency to kill people and things that piss her off? Or maybe this is what a vampire slayer should really be like? In any case, BloodRayne rocks!
In 1932 an American teenage girl was apprehended in Europe after carving a path of destruction trying to track down and kill her biological father. The girl's name was Rayne and she claimed the people she killed, and her father who was still at large, were vampires.
Before more information was attained, the girl disappeared.
That girl is a Dhampir; a product of her human mother's rape by her vampire father. Born with powers of a vampire without all of the weaknesses. She was taken in by an underground organization calling themselves the Brimstone Society--a top-secret fraternity that hunts down and destroys supernatural threats. Agent BloodRayne, as she is now known, protects humanity from things that ordinary people shouldn't have to deal with.
Storyline
In the years between the World Wars, Agent BloodRayne works as a killing machine for a top secret fraternity, The Brimstone Society, that hunts down and destroys supernatural threats. Two missions, five years apart, turn out to be connected by one man. For years, this man has been searching the world for powerful occult relics to bring Germany into a new age of domination. Agent BloodRayne must face this man's elite Nazi army to prevent them from releasing creatures of unfathomable terror onto the world in their unwavering quest for the relics. Agent BloodRayne will brave the darkest backwater bayous of Louisiana, a formidable German Sub-bay and mysterious temple in Argentina, and an immense vampire-infested cathedral-like castle in Germany. She finds more than an isolated outbreak of mutated humans and Swamp creatures. She catches a glimpse of a much larger plot - a plot perpetrated by her soon-to-be nemesis, Jurgen Wulf, to find powerful relics that will enable the Germans to rule the world.
Unisystem/Buffy RPG Stats
"Buffy is just a cheerleader, Rayne is a killer!" - one review of the Bloodrayne game.
Unisystem Character Type: Lesser Supernatural
Buffy Character Type: (Very) Experienced Hero
| Attributes | Secondary Attributes | |||||
| Strength: | 8 | Life Points: | 105 | |||
| Dexterity: | 9 | Endurance Points: | 71 | |||
| Constitution: | 8 | Speed: | 34 | |||
| Intelligence: | 3 | Essence Pool: | 40 | |||
| Perception: | 6 | (Current:) | 40 | |||
| Willpower: | 6 | Channeling Level: | 0 |
Hair: Red
Eyes: Green (red when Rayne is in Bloodrage)
Born: 1917
Nationality: American
Height: 5'11" (6'4" in heels)
Weight: 115lbs
Relatives: Mother: dead, Father: Kagan a vampire, hunted by Rayne (killed after WWII, but not by Rayne), Siblings: Half-sister (Svetlana Lupescu?[conjecture]).
Allies: Mynce, Mentor and friend. Brimstone Society.
Supernatural Qualities and Drawbacks
Dhampir*
The Dhampir quality (15 points) can be applied only to the Lesser Supernatural (or Hero) character type. At the start the
character gains the following modifiers. +3 to STR, DEX, & CON and +1 to PER.
They may regenerate 1 life point per CON per hour. They can also drain essence to refill life points on a one to one basis.
Dhampirs are considered Gifted and have access to Gifted and Vampyric powers. They appear human but it costs essence to use
their unique powers. A dhampir does not need to spend essence to maintain a human appearance. Unlike mundane humans Dhampirs cannot self-replenish their essence, they must feed like a vampyre to do
so. Humans only release 1D6(3) Essence points due to fear around a dhampir.
Dhampirs do not gain extra essence due to being a dhampir.
In addition Dhampirs have the following powers and drawbacks.
BloodLust A Dhampir can absorb Essence to power her BloodRage. This acts like a 2 point Bloodthirst drawback.
BloodRage A Dhampir can enter Bloodlust and for the duration gain +2 to STR, CON, a +1 DEX and PER, and a penalty of -1 to WILL. They also gain 2 extra levels of Hard to Kill. This costs an initial 3 essence points for the first minute and 2 more
essence point for each additional minute. Typically a Dhampir will only use this power when their essence is "full"
or they have the means (i.e. victims) to replenish it.
Enhanced Vison A Dhampir can also see in the dark as if it were normal daylight. They also can see the aura of Essence. Individuals with higher Essence look brighter than people with lower Essences.
Vulnerability to Sunlight Like vampires, Dhampirs are harmed by the sun's rays. Rayne loses 5 life points each turn in full sunlight.
| Qualities | Mod |
| Attractiveness | +4 |
| Fast Reaction Time | +1 |
| Hard to Kill | +9 |
| Nerves of Steel | +1 |
| Drawbacks | Mod |
| Adversary (Lots) | 8 |
| Honorable | 2 |
| Obligation (Brimstone Society) | 1 |
| Obsession (kill all vampires); | 2 |
| Skills ('Buffy' RPG skill equivalent in parentheses) | Mod |
| Acrobatics | +9 |
| Martial Arts (Kung Fu) | +7 |
| Hand Weapon, sword (Getting Medieval) | +9 |
| Hand Weapon, harpoon knife (Getting Medieval) | +9 |
| Guns, hand gun (Gun Fu) | +9 |
| Guns, submachine gun (Gun Fu) | +9 |
| Guns, rifle (Gun Fu) | +8 |
| Guns, grenade launcher (Gun Fu) | +8 |
| Knowledge, General (Knowledge) | +3 |
| Languages, English, German | +3 |
| (Mr. Fix-It) | +1 |
| Notice | +6 |
| Influence | +2 |
| Occult Knowledge (Occultism) | +2 |
| Seduction | +4 |
Combat (Buffy RPG format)
| Maneuver | Bonus | Base Damage | Notes |
| Dodge | 18 | None | Defensive Move |
| Punch | 16 | 16 | |
| Kick | 15 | 18 | |
| - (Groin Shot) | 12 | 18 | Ouch! |
| Spin Kick | 14 | 20 | |
| Jump Kick | 13 | 27 | |
| Sweep Kick | 15 | 8 | Knockdown move. |
| Grapple | 18 | None | |
| Toss | 12 | 8 | |
| Sword (2, mounted on each arm, silver) | 18 | 32 | Stabbing/Slashing damage. Can attack with either hand. |
| - (Decapitation) | 13 | 32 | x 5 vs vamps. |
| Gun, Handgun (Light) | 18 | 15 | Covers all light handguns. Can use either hand for multiple targets |
| Gun, Machine gun (Heavy) | 18 | 20 | Covers all heavy guns such as machine guns. |
| Gun, Special (Special) | 17 | 25 | Covers Shotguns, Rifles, Grenade Launchers, usually require both hands |
| Stake | 18 | 18 | Stabbing/Slashing damage. |
| - (to the Heart) | 15 | 18 | x 5 vs vamps. |
| Thrown Stake | 17 | 18 | Stabbing/Slashing damage |
| - (to the Heart) | 14 | 18 | x 5 vs vamps. |
Saturday, May 8, 2010
John Eric Holmes 1930 - 2010
By now many of you have heard about the death of Dr. John Eric Holmes, known better to us in game circles as Eric Holmes. Holmes was the editor of the first "Basic" set of D&D, often called "the Blue Book Basic" where I grew up. The cover of that book pretty much tells you everything you need to know about D&D.
Holmes gave us a new edition of D&D and opened the doors to many people to play the game. You didn't the "Little Brown Books" anymore. Holmes D&D was set up to run in parallel to Gygax's own AD&D released at the same time.
Myself, like many in the OSR and RPG community, have fond memories of this book.
Dr. Holmes will certainly be missed. March it seems is turning into a terrible month for gamers.
You can read more about the man and his work in these links. They say everything I would have said.
Holmes gave us a new edition of D&D and opened the doors to many people to play the game. You didn't the "Little Brown Books" anymore. Holmes D&D was set up to run in parallel to Gygax's own AD&D released at the same time.
Myself, like many in the OSR and RPG community, have fond memories of this book.
Dr. Holmes will certainly be missed. March it seems is turning into a terrible month for gamers.
You can read more about the man and his work in these links. They say everything I would have said.
- http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2010/05/rip-j-eric-holmes-1930-2010.html
- http://underdarkgazette.blogspot.com/2010/05/osr-news-from-underdark-gazette_08.html
- http://blackmoormystara.blogspot.com/2010/05/rip-john-eric-holms-1930-2010.html
- http://eiglophian.blogspot.com/2010/05/rip-john-eric-holmes-1930-2010.html
- http://cyclopeatron.blogspot.com/2010/05/j-eric-holmes-1930-2010.html
- http://blackmoormystara.blogspot.com/2010/05/holms-obituary.html
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Willow & Tara: Mutants & Masterminds
Willow and Tara: M&M Conversions
A while back my semi-regular Willow and Tara game was coming to an end. I had just finished the second season, "Season of the Witch" and wanted to work on a third season. But for this season I wanted to do something different. I wanted to change to a new system. Nothing against Cinematic Unisystem, I love it in fact. But I had been eating and breathing it for years. I also tried out BESM and liked a lot of it and experimented a bit with Fudge, Fate and True 20 (more on all of those in later posts).
I had been toying around with the idea of them teaching at a school for “gifted youngsters” for some time before all of this. I honestly thought though I’d do it in BESM. But since by 2006 the girls were already living in or near Boston (for many reasons that seemed to converge at once) the idea firmed up when I saw that MDSnowman (from the Atomic Thinktank) had put his version of Freedom City in Massachusetts (his is much farther south).
I had just done a conversion of Erzsébet Báthory and had a great idea. What if Bathory had taken over Claremont and Duncan Summers went to Willow and Tara for help. My "mini series" "A Mid-Semester's Nightmare" was born. I kept the school fairly non-descript in-case I later converted back to another system. But M&M just seemed to work very well.
So it was settled, Willow and Tara are teaching or working at Claremont Academy. It’s possible I could still work in my BESM and other ideas with this, but this was my start. As things progressed though, we switched systems from M&M, to Marvel super Heroes, had a brief flirt with BASH and even Witch Girls Adventures. None though ever really worked out they way I liked. You have seen the WGA versions, I might post the others as well.
So here are my witches in their Mutants and Masterminds guises for the short lived mini-series. These versions of the girls are post "The Dragon and the Phoenix". So it is many years later and Tara is alive and her and Willow are well and living together.
Willow Rosenberg “The Witch”
Quote: “Wow. And here I thought my high school was weird.”
PL: 11 (165 pp)
Abilities: STR: 9(-1) DEX: 11(0) CON: 11(0) INT: 18(+4) WIS: 16(+3) CHA: 17(+3)
Skills: Acrobatics 8 (+8) , Bluff 4 (+7), Climb 4 (+3), Computers 15 (+19), Concentration 10 (+13), Craft(Chemical) 9 (+13), Craft(Electrical) 6 (+10), Craft(Mechanical) 2 (+6), Diplomacy 1 (+4), Disable Device 4 (+4), Disguise 0 (+3), Drive 2 (+2), Escape Artist 2 (+2), Gather Information 9 (+9), Handle Animal 1 (+4), Intimidate 4 (+7), Investigate 7 (+11), Knowledge (Arcana/Magic) 15 (+19), Knowledge (Chemistry) 8 (+14), Knowledge (Math) 8 (+14), Knowledge (Physical Sciences) 8 (+14), Language (English, French, Greek, Hebrew, Latin) (4), Medicine 4 (+7), Notice 7 (+10), Perform (Ritual) 7 (+10), Pilot 0 (0), Profession (Computer Analyst) 2 (+5), Ride 0 (0), Search 0 (+4), Sense Motive 0 (+3), Sleight of Hand 0 (0), Stealth 0 (0), Survival 0 (3), Swim 0 (-1)
Saves: Toughness +11 Fortitude +5 Reflex +5 Will +6
Feats: Attractive, Ambidexterity, Ritualist
Powers: Magic 16 (Telekinesis 16, Telepathy 11, Astral Projection (dimensional only) 11, Lightning bolt 11, Force Field 32, Magical Sight 32)
Combat: Attack +9 (Meele +9, Ranged +9) Defense +19 (+13 Flat-footed) Init +0
Drawbacks: Minority (Lesbian Jewish Wicca)
Real Name: Willow D. Rosenberg
DOB: August 1, 1981 (Age 23 in Summer 2005 when game takes place)
Identity: Public, but unknown as a witch
Occupation: Part time computer instructor at Claremont Academy; Private Computer Security Systems Analyst.
Height 5’3”, Weight 110lbs, Eyes Green, Hair Red
Tara A. Maclay “The Sorceress”
Quote: “I am not teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. I know they don’t have it, I am just saying.”
PL: 11 (165 pp)
Abilities: STR: 12(+1) DEX: 9(-1) CON: 12(+1) INT: 16(+3) WIS: 18(+4) CHA: 16(+3)
Skills: Acrobatics 4 (+3), Bluff 4 (+7), Climb 2 (+3), Computers 4 (+7), Concentration 6 (+10), Craft (Alchemical) 4 (+7), Diplomacy 6 (+9), Disable Device 0 (+3), Disguise 0 (+3), Drive 3 (+2), Escape Artist 1 (0), Gather Information 4 (+7), Handle Animal 4 (+7), Intimidate 4 (+7), Investigate 2 (+5), Knowledge (Arcana) 15 (+18) , Knowledge (Theology/Philosophy) 8 (+11), Knowledge (Art) 4 (+7), Language (Greek, Japanese, Latin, Spanish), Medicine 4 (+8) , Notice 6 (+10), Perform (Rituals) 4 (7), Perform (Painting) 4 (7), Perform (Song and Dance) 4 (7), Pilot 0 (-1), Profession (HS Teacher) 5 (+9), Ride (Horses) 6 (+5), Search 6 (+9), Sense Motive 6 (+10), Sleight of Hand 2 (1), Stealth 4 (3), Survival 6 (+10), Swim 0 (+1)
Saves: Toughness +11 Fortitude +5 Reflex +5 Will +6
Feats: Attractive, Fearsome Presence (to Demons and Vampires only), Ritualist
Powers: Magic 14 (Telekinesis 14, Magical Sight 14, Astral Projection 2), Healing 5 (by touch).
Combat: Attack +9 (Meele +8, Ranged +10) Defense +18 (+12 Flat-footed) Init -1
Drawbacks: Minority (Lesbian Wicca)
Real Name: Tara A. Maclay
DOB: 11/07/1980 (24 in Summer 2005 when game takes place)
Identity: Public, but unknown as a witch
Occupation: Youth Counselor and Art instructor at Claremont Academy
Height 5’5”, Weight 125lbs, Eyes Blue, Hair Blond
Notes:
As usual, I am going with “The Dragon and the Phoenix” versions of these characters.
Briefly: Tara is back, Season 7 never happened, they defeated Leviathan. This would be the start of my Series 3 with Willow and Tara.
Neither are strong physical fighters, here or in Unisystem, so that converts well enough.
No dynamic Powers. I opted, for a couple of reasons, not to give Willow and Tara dynamic magic powers. Partially because they start this series as semi-retired but mostly I have something in mind for them later and dynamic magic plays a role in that.
Tara has healing separate from her Magic array same as her Unisystem counterpart. This plus her fearful presence to vampires and demons are the remains of her divine power as a Keribum (Kerubim). Tara also Magical Sight to cover her Empath and Sight qualities from Unisystem, but to better emulate it I might pull it out of her Magic array.
To mimic the Cinematic Unisystem magic better you can add Fade to the magical effects.
Casting together.
In my games Willow and Tara can cast together to produce phenomenal effects via Anamchara Quality. In M&M this would be a special power or a special feat. In either case the results would be the same, Willow and Tara add their Magic levels together when casting together.
Links
My version at the Atomic Think Tank, http://www.atomicthinktank.com/viewtopic.php?t=14876
Also have a look at Narsil's builds for Willow and Tara on the Atomic Think Tank.
A while back my semi-regular Willow and Tara game was coming to an end. I had just finished the second season, "Season of the Witch" and wanted to work on a third season. But for this season I wanted to do something different. I wanted to change to a new system. Nothing against Cinematic Unisystem, I love it in fact. But I had been eating and breathing it for years. I also tried out BESM and liked a lot of it and experimented a bit with Fudge, Fate and True 20 (more on all of those in later posts).
I had been toying around with the idea of them teaching at a school for “gifted youngsters” for some time before all of this. I honestly thought though I’d do it in BESM. But since by 2006 the girls were already living in or near Boston (for many reasons that seemed to converge at once) the idea firmed up when I saw that MDSnowman (from the Atomic Thinktank) had put his version of Freedom City in Massachusetts (his is much farther south).
I had just done a conversion of Erzsébet Báthory and had a great idea. What if Bathory had taken over Claremont and Duncan Summers went to Willow and Tara for help. My "mini series" "A Mid-Semester's Nightmare" was born. I kept the school fairly non-descript in-case I later converted back to another system. But M&M just seemed to work very well.
So it was settled, Willow and Tara are teaching or working at Claremont Academy. It’s possible I could still work in my BESM and other ideas with this, but this was my start. As things progressed though, we switched systems from M&M, to Marvel super Heroes, had a brief flirt with BASH and even Witch Girls Adventures. None though ever really worked out they way I liked. You have seen the WGA versions, I might post the others as well.
So here are my witches in their Mutants and Masterminds guises for the short lived mini-series. These versions of the girls are post "The Dragon and the Phoenix". So it is many years later and Tara is alive and her and Willow are well and living together.
Willow Rosenberg “The Witch”
Quote: “Wow. And here I thought my high school was weird.”
PL: 11 (165 pp)
Abilities: STR: 9(-1) DEX: 11(0) CON: 11(0) INT: 18(+4) WIS: 16(+3) CHA: 17(+3)
Skills: Acrobatics 8 (+8) , Bluff 4 (+7), Climb 4 (+3), Computers 15 (+19), Concentration 10 (+13), Craft(Chemical) 9 (+13), Craft(Electrical) 6 (+10), Craft(Mechanical) 2 (+6), Diplomacy 1 (+4), Disable Device 4 (+4), Disguise 0 (+3), Drive 2 (+2), Escape Artist 2 (+2), Gather Information 9 (+9), Handle Animal 1 (+4), Intimidate 4 (+7), Investigate 7 (+11), Knowledge (Arcana/Magic) 15 (+19), Knowledge (Chemistry) 8 (+14), Knowledge (Math) 8 (+14), Knowledge (Physical Sciences) 8 (+14), Language (English, French, Greek, Hebrew, Latin) (4), Medicine 4 (+7), Notice 7 (+10), Perform (Ritual) 7 (+10), Pilot 0 (0), Profession (Computer Analyst) 2 (+5), Ride 0 (0), Search 0 (+4), Sense Motive 0 (+3), Sleight of Hand 0 (0), Stealth 0 (0), Survival 0 (3), Swim 0 (-1)
Saves: Toughness +11 Fortitude +5 Reflex +5 Will +6
Feats: Attractive, Ambidexterity, Ritualist
Powers: Magic 16 (Telekinesis 16, Telepathy 11, Astral Projection (dimensional only) 11, Lightning bolt 11, Force Field 32, Magical Sight 32)
Combat: Attack +9 (Meele +9, Ranged +9) Defense +19 (+13 Flat-footed) Init +0
Drawbacks: Minority (Lesbian Jewish Wicca)
Real Name: Willow D. Rosenberg
DOB: August 1, 1981 (Age 23 in Summer 2005 when game takes place)
Identity: Public, but unknown as a witch
Occupation: Part time computer instructor at Claremont Academy; Private Computer Security Systems Analyst.
Height 5’3”, Weight 110lbs, Eyes Green, Hair Red
Quote: “I am not teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. I know they don’t have it, I am just saying.”
PL: 11 (165 pp)
Abilities: STR: 12(+1) DEX: 9(-1) CON: 12(+1) INT: 16(+3) WIS: 18(+4) CHA: 16(+3)
Skills: Acrobatics 4 (+3), Bluff 4 (+7), Climb 2 (+3), Computers 4 (+7), Concentration 6 (+10), Craft (Alchemical) 4 (+7), Diplomacy 6 (+9), Disable Device 0 (+3), Disguise 0 (+3), Drive 3 (+2), Escape Artist 1 (0), Gather Information 4 (+7), Handle Animal 4 (+7), Intimidate 4 (+7), Investigate 2 (+5), Knowledge (Arcana) 15 (+18) , Knowledge (Theology/Philosophy) 8 (+11), Knowledge (Art) 4 (+7), Language (Greek, Japanese, Latin, Spanish), Medicine 4 (+8) , Notice 6 (+10), Perform (Rituals) 4 (7), Perform (Painting) 4 (7), Perform (Song and Dance) 4 (7), Pilot 0 (-1), Profession (HS Teacher) 5 (+9), Ride (Horses) 6 (+5), Search 6 (+9), Sense Motive 6 (+10), Sleight of Hand 2 (1), Stealth 4 (3), Survival 6 (+10), Swim 0 (+1)
Saves: Toughness +11 Fortitude +5 Reflex +5 Will +6
Feats: Attractive, Fearsome Presence (to Demons and Vampires only), Ritualist
Powers: Magic 14 (Telekinesis 14, Magical Sight 14, Astral Projection 2), Healing 5 (by touch).
Combat: Attack +9 (Meele +8, Ranged +10) Defense +18 (+12 Flat-footed) Init -1
Drawbacks: Minority (Lesbian Wicca)
Real Name: Tara A. Maclay
DOB: 11/07/1980 (24 in Summer 2005 when game takes place)
Identity: Public, but unknown as a witch
Occupation: Youth Counselor and Art instructor at Claremont Academy
Height 5’5”, Weight 125lbs, Eyes Blue, Hair Blond
As usual, I am going with “The Dragon and the Phoenix” versions of these characters.
Briefly: Tara is back, Season 7 never happened, they defeated Leviathan. This would be the start of my Series 3 with Willow and Tara.
Neither are strong physical fighters, here or in Unisystem, so that converts well enough.
No dynamic Powers. I opted, for a couple of reasons, not to give Willow and Tara dynamic magic powers. Partially because they start this series as semi-retired but mostly I have something in mind for them later and dynamic magic plays a role in that.
Tara has healing separate from her Magic array same as her Unisystem counterpart. This plus her fearful presence to vampires and demons are the remains of her divine power as a Keribum (Kerubim). Tara also Magical Sight to cover her Empath and Sight qualities from Unisystem, but to better emulate it I might pull it out of her Magic array.
To mimic the Cinematic Unisystem magic better you can add Fade to the magical effects.
Casting together.
My version at the Atomic Think Tank, http://www.atomicthinktank.com/viewtopic.php?t=14876
Also have a look at Narsil's builds for Willow and Tara on the Atomic Think Tank.
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