Farcast "review"

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virgil
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Post by virgil »

I've always enjoyed the more quotidian material in gaming resources. It's annoying to come up with essentially random patrol patterns and response times in Shadowrun. Comparatively blank slate NPC stat blocks similar to your PACKS concept are a plus; like a typical speak-easy bartender, generic ruffians, guards used in Category 3 facilities, etc. Many gazetteers love to wax poetic about the scenic delights and upper end politics, but the kinds of questions most relevant to PCs are so often ignored; like how easy it is to catch a cab, what typical bribes are for the area, or how good the city's forensics team is and how much better it is if the archdeacon is missing.
Come see Sprockets & Serials
How do you confuse a barbarian?
Put a greatsword a maul and a greataxe in a room and ask them to take their pick
EXPLOSIVE RUNES!
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Post by Hadanelith »

Do want. I loved Farcast, and I love me some Mythos. I'd love to see what sort of weird/wonderful artifacts and tomes and such you can conjure forth. Go for it!
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Ancient History
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Post by Ancient History »

I don't think I'm gonna do it. I still haven't seen 7th edition yet, and the concept I've gone for is far enough away from traditional play I don't think it would be well received.
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Post by virgil »

Now I'm curious; what is your concept and what is traditional play?
Come see Sprockets & Serials
How do you confuse a barbarian?
Put a greatsword a maul and a greataxe in a room and ask them to take their pick
EXPLOSIVE RUNES!
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Post by Ancient History »

Let me just copy out a chunk of the design document:
Working Title: Cold Start

Synopsis

Cold Start is a yearblog dedicated to Lovecraftian roleplaying. The goal of this blog is a single entry every day for 2015—new locations, groups, NPCs, artifacts, tomes, and ideas for players and gamemasters to user or take inspiration from in their games. Each entry will be about 500 words in length and posted ever day. While each entry is designed to be as easy to port into your game as possible, taken together the entries are going to connect and build on each other as part of an arcing plot. To make it easier on readers, every 28 entries will be collected and released as a stand-alone “chapter,” and at the end of the year all 13 chapters will be collected as a single PDF.

Cold Start uses the Basic Roleplaying System as embodied in Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition, with notes and references to how the material can be used in related games like Trail of Cthulhu and The Laundry RPG. While set primarily in the modern day, it will also have notes on how the material can be adapted for other eras, particularly the popular Classic (1920s-1930s) and Gaslight (1890s) periods.

Unlike these games, the emphasis of this blog is going to be on Lovecraftian roleplay rather than Cthulhu Mythos roleplay. Investigators will not stumble onto the Necronomicon or Book of Eibon in these pages, nor run afoul of the typical cults of familiar Elder Gods and Great Old Ones like Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth, Yig, Shub-Niggurath, and Tsathoggua. While that doesn’t mean there won’t be references to the Deep Ones or the Elder Things or whatnot in these entries, they certainly won’t be called out by their old familiar names, and gamemasters will be free to make or ignore such connections as convenient for their games.

This is all completely unofficial fan material; I have no affiliation with Chaosium or any other Lovecraftian roleplaying game company, though I think they’re a great bunch.
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Post by Ancient History »

It's too bad we didn't make it to 245: Mr. Attercop. But Fection got married! Which is a good excuse.
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Post by momothefiddler »

Ancient History wrote:
Omegonthesane wrote:Reiterating the request for someone stupid enough to do Gehenna,
I'll do Gehenna when one of you finishes the Farcast review. I don't even care if it's a team effort.
Welp.

110: Risk

As someone who takes medication in part to decrease impulsive behavior, I am highly intrigued by the idea of a drug to increase it. I'd have enjoyed less focus on the problems in malfunctioning types, though (especially in the seeds), and more on the intended effect. While people with stagnant brains can use it beneficially, what about people who don't need it? Leave one seed as "Risk is broken", but make another be "Risk is working exactly as intended - and is being used as an economic roofie for spiking the food of casino-goers, suicide soldiers, and potential investors."
A-

111: Smoking Oil

While reading this, I kept waiting for the actual content. Guy believes that because [math] we should [transhumanism], proselytizes. I mean I find that somewhat interesting, but it falls a bit flat in a setting where transhumanism is a big thing anyway, and the math is left unexplained (and unexplainable). There's nothing wrong with this one, it's just unengaging for me.
C

112: Conviction Therapy

Whoah, christ. Ties into a broader concept of chemically changing your own stance on a matter, but in a way I personally find really creepy. Provides solid reasoning, makes it believable. And creepy. I love it.
A

113: Hope's End

Fascinating. Presented in a way that makes me surprisingly uncertain as to which seed I'd take if both were offered. Odd that there's no reference to people interested in finding out what actually happened or why or how to prevent it elsewhere, but that's a minor complaint.
A-

114: Relicteurs

Amusing, lighthearted (on it's surface at least), and intriguing. Having found myself on hobby sites for running ancient hardware/software while I was repairing computers, I have a clear image of their copylefted archives and am pleased. I quite like the bounty concept in the seed.
A

115: Zelda Amenatsu

Not much to say here except nice. Admittedly, I don't know what many of the stats mean, but still.
B+
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Post by Ancient History »

momothefiddler wrote: 110: Risk

As someone who takes medication in part to decrease impulsive behavior, I am highly intrigued by the idea of a drug to increase it. I'd have enjoyed less focus on the problems in malfunctioning types, though (especially in the seeds), and more on the intended effect. While people with stagnant brains can use it beneficially, what about people who don't need it? Leave one seed as "Risk is broken", but make another be "Risk is working exactly as intended - and is being used as an economic roofie for spiking the food of casino-goers, suicide soldiers, and potential investors."
A-
That one was actually inspired by an article of a guy in RL that claimed gambling addiction and homosexual affairs due to some medication he was on.
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Post by fectin »

Ambien apparently does do crazy, crazy things to you: http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/APA/45637
Vebyast wrote:Here's a fun target for Major Creation: hydrazine. One casting every six seconds at CL9 gives you a bit more than 40 liters per second, which is comparable to the flow rates of some small, but serious, rocket engines. Six items running at full blast through a well-engineered engine will put you, and something like 50 tons of cargo, into space. Alternatively, if you thrust sideways, you will briefly be a fireball screaming across the sky at mach 14 before you melt from atmospheric friction.
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Post by momothefiddler »

Ancient History wrote:That one was actually inspired by an article of a guy in RL that claimed gambling addiction and homosexual affairs due to some medication he was on.
fectin wrote:Ambien apparently does do crazy, crazy things to you: http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/APA/45637
holy shit
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Post by momothefiddler »

116: Scale Tree

Whoah, there. What the hell is this? Where did it come from? What's it doing? As a single entry this is good but I'd quite like some further elaboration on it.
A-
117: Knapping

If this is more than a hobby, I'm missing something. There's no practical reason to fabricate blank bricks and then make something out of them rather than fabricating that thing, right? Is there something I don't get about the setting's fabricators?
C+
118: Zen0

Yes good social structure vs individuality and a fun and mysterious game antagonist besides.
A
119: Blackballs

Hrm. We start out with "nonlethal" vs "less-lethal" stuff, which has a lot of potential, but that doesn't actually go anywhere and by the time we get to the seed it's just "a combat-time drug weapon", which is... underwhelming.
B-
120: The Plutonium

I find it hard to get past my "burial is weird" thing long enough to comment reasonably on this, but it's as good a justification for a radioactive space dungeon as I could have asked.
B
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Post by Ancient History »

momothefiddler wrote: 117: Knapping

If this is more than a hobby, I'm missing something. There's no practical reason to fabricate blank bricks and then make something out of them rather than fabricating that thing, right? Is there something I don't get about the setting's fabricators?
C+
One part Star Trek, one part Snow Crash; there's stuff that the replicators aren't going to let you make, things that the authorities won't let you bring on board, and glass knives are incredibly sharp.
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Post by momothefiddler »

Hrm ok I'll accept that.
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Post by momothefiddler »

121: The Future Keepers

Seems a bit of a stretch to say they all work together and haven't had sufficient disagreement to go off and sulk, much less try to murder each other, but otherwise good.
B
122: Jzon

I like him. I'm admittedly a little lost on the shamans<=>fixers thing and feel like there was good potential there that missed me entirely.
B+
123: Blemmyes

Nicely different from rubber-foreheads, but I'm not sure why the rather notable disadvantages (esp. speech) haven't just been patched...
A-
124: EasyGraft

Hah! Yes, why /wouldn't/ geneengineers at least attempt a universal pnp port?? Beautiful.
A+
125: MultiMhari

A concept that really needs to be explored more often; good job. On the downside, I'm not sure how distinguishable this is in practice from 5 people with identical skillsets who work unusually well together?
A
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Post by Ancient History »

momothefiddler wrote:121: The Future Keepers

Seems a bit of a stretch to say they all work together and haven't had sufficient disagreement to go off and sulk, much less try to murder each other, but otherwise good.
B
Inspired by the Prophet comic.
124: EasyGraft

Hah! Yes, why /wouldn't/ geneengineers at least attempt a universal pnp port?? Beautiful.
A+
Actually has its origins in an old submission for Augmentation for Shadowrun.
125: MultiMhari

A concept that really needs to be explored more often; good job. On the downside, I'm not sure how distinguishable this is in practice from 5 people with identical skillsets who work unusually well together?
A
Initially based on Typhoid Mary from the Daredevil comics.
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Post by momothefiddler »

126: The Lilith Sequence

Good job on the little warning there. Can't say it makes sense to me that someone who wanted people to be able to "have children on their own terms and schedule" would set it up such that "[o]vulation and conception are typically stimulated through sexual contact and orgasm", though.
B
127: The Concentric Trees

I find myself having a hard time visualizing this, so that doesn't help. But I like what I can get out of it?
A?
128: The Scholars of Bacon

Ooh! Information wants to be free! Or, at least, we want it to be free. Some of it. Y'know.
B
129: Mela Latifey

The "earthy" farmer might be commonly done, but I like it. And when it doesn't come with any antagonism vs technology or academia, even better.
A
130: Stars Less Bright

I hate death. I imagine some people might find it a bit preachy but I liked it.
A
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Post by Ancient History »

momothefiddler wrote:126: The Lilith Sequence

Good job on the little warning there. Can't say it makes sense to me that someone who wanted people to be able to "have children on their own terms and schedule" would set it up such that "[o]vulation and conception are typically stimulated through sexual contact and orgasm", though.
B
Future technology imperfect.
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Post by Ancient History »

momothefiddler wrote: 130: Stars Less Bright

I hate death. I imagine some people might find it a bit preachy but I liked it.
A
I wasn't sure people would like that one, as it's essentially a small set-piece instead of a setting or character or whatnot.
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Post by momothefiddler »

131: The Locker

I don't understand why it's a spaceship built out of a space whale rather than a dead spacewhale, or how we can even tell the difference, especially if it's littered with remains?
B
132: The Oracle Eater

Intriguing, but a bit... abstract? for a game. Maybe not, but it seems like a good start for a novel but not a game.
C
133: Drooga

Whoah, whoah, whoah, that's terrifying. I didn't need to sleep tonight, thanks.
A
134: Marsfall

I don't know enough about Farcast to comprehend this entry. Looootsa jargon here. Someone else please review this.
-
135: Outcaste

Once again, I appreciate your frank acknowledgment of the risks inherent in including this in a game. That said, I'm not sure I understand the issue with irradiated morphs if the setting has widespread easy swapping, and if it doesn't it seems that radiation is auxiliary to the class separation between egos that can afford new morphs and egos who can't.
A
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Post by Ancient History »

momothefiddler wrote:131: The Locker

I don't understand why it's a spaceship built out of a space whale rather than a dead spacewhale, or how we can even tell the difference, especially if it's littered with remains?
B
It was actually inspired by Mechagodzilla, which was built out of the corpse of Godzilla.
133: Drooga

Whoah, whoah, whoah, that's terrifying. I didn't need to sleep tonight, thanks.
A
...really? What part of it is terrifying?
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Post by momothefiddler »

Ancient History wrote:
133: Drooga

Whoah, whoah, whoah, that's terrifying. I didn't need to sleep tonight, thanks.
A
...really? What part of it is terrifying?
The one time I got drunk it was absolutely awful because I had no inhibition whatsoever and everything in my head that I normally keep at least a little sorted just exploded all over my mind and spilled out my mouth and it was just terrible and I don't know why people like it.

Then to that you add everyone else's mind too and fuck. Fuck. What the fuck.
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Post by Ancient History »

Fair enow, I suppose.
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Post by LeadPal »

momothefiddler wrote:134: Marsfall

I don't know enough about Farcast to comprehend this entry. Looootsa jargon here. Someone else please review this.
134: Marsfall
Calling the settlement of Mars "Marsfall" is confusing when the setting also has "The Fall." TITANs are bullshit, and I have some trouble looking past that. And the hooks are bit weak. I don't like this one.
D

136: Ben Choudhry
You spend too much time building up Ben's reputation and not enough on the man himself. A guy who saves all of those tears in rain should really be more compelling; I found myself thinking of this as a filler NPC.
C

ENTRY 137: $ense
The hook is good, but this is also a strong setting detail that a game can reference again and again.
B

ENTRY 138: The Reliquary Cluster
I assume that the amber is supposed to scintillate in mind-bending impossible colours, but the mechanical description suggests it's merely outside the typical spectrum. That's not a limitation for transhumanity, at all. Besides that, this seems like a serviceable mystery, although it didn't really grab me.
C

ENTRY 139: I Am Thief
Amusing, yet poignant. This NPC is rich enough to be worth developing as a long-term sidekick for the party. Heck, I could see playing him as a PC, the writeup is that good.
A
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Post by momothefiddler »

140: The Vengeance of Enki:
I particularly like how, like a proper virus, it goes through a stage where it incentivises its own propagation by causing hosts to use the icons in which it resides. Other than that... I don't see a lot that can be done with it in a game? But it's a cool set piece.
C

141: Gagarin's Rest:
I dunno if it's because I've been up for a long time or if it was really that good but I gotta say that's some evocative imagery there and while this is, like 140, largely a set piece, it's a damn good one and I find myself touched.
A+

142: Heartbulb Brinkers:
Huh. An interesting option, but definitely incompatible with the default setting (as I understand it) so good call making them isolationist. I wonder how it would work that, as beings with some need of physical proximity, Heartbulb Brinkers would in some ways be more relatable to players than their own characters? Intriguing.
B

143: Brainbug:
Innnnteresting. I like the NPC, though (depending on the rules for custom morphs in this game) it could quickly wreck a game by taking me from "we gotta do the plot thing" to "YOU MEAN THERE ARE NO BOUNDARIES??? WHY AM I IN THIS THING I AM IMMEDIATELY SPENDING THREE OUT OF GAME WEEKS DESIGNING MY NEW MORPH" so there's that.
Definite approval for explicitly violating assumptions though.
A

144: Shipslug:
Aw man, a built-in game that gives you virtual quests? That is cooler than any other prison plot ever what with the whole "things happen" and "you don't have to give the PCs an implausible escape or kill them when they inevitably try". I like it a lot just for that. The seed's... serviceable. Surprisingly mundane, I feel, given some of the content here but it plays up the nature of the slugs well.
A
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Post by Prak »

145: The Faceless-
So, this is meant as a sort of adventure location/hook, right?
It's really interesting and a very good way to run a Halloween game. The ideas about the mesh script effects alone are great, and a way to play on on player worries to create an atmosphere of suspense and dread. The implication that they might find a physical sphinx could also make for an interesting adventure.
A

146: Innata Jane-
I like this. I've alluded to my interest in anarchism before, and my concerns for how it could work. Innata herself is almost a side point to an examination of anarchism which points out that it can only work when people get past the "someone else's problem" habit. Innata makes me curious about the skill system of EP, with her points in knitting, but her having them doesn't mean the system actually has a way for characters to have fluff skills that don't detract from useful ones. Really this now makes me wonder about anarchist commune plumbers given same attention.
C for Innata, A+ for the thought provoking treatment of Anarchism.

147: Blackbodies-
The concept is an interesting one, though the natural assumption that "sci fi=aliens" in my mind obfuscated it for a moment. As a plot seed, however, it seems that it only gets the most perfunctory response. Most players will not take on the job of "sit here with a camera for a week" unless promised obscene money, or possessed of superhuman dutifulness towards the gm. I think you'd almost have to break character and out of game promise the players that something will happen.
C+
Last edited by Prak on Sun Jun 07, 2015 12:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Cuz apparently I gotta break this down for you dense motherfuckers- I'm trans feminine nonbinary. My pronouns are they/them.
Winnah wrote:No, No. 'Prak' is actually a Thri Kreen impersonating a human and roleplaying himself as a D&D character. All hail our hidden insect overlords.
FrankTrollman wrote:In Soviet Russia, cosmic horror is the default state.

You should gain sanity for finding out that the problems of a region are because there are fucking monsters there.
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