General Eclipse Phase Thread (Or, TITANs in the Playground)

[golentan]

Well, the fact it even has mechanics for it was a pretty strong indicator to me. But I have never actually played the game. If you can run it low horror, how would you do that? Or do it elegantly... or... How would you lower the horror aspects of Eclipse Phase while keeping it as close as possible to the default feel of the game? I mean just "you don't take SAN damage is rather crude". (And isn't SAN called something else in this game?)

Ever read John Varley's Invaderverse/8 Worlds stories? Bodyswapping, custom printed goods, death as a minor handicap, people in all sorts of body mods...

[Anonymouswizard]

I'd definitely tone down the horror. I'd keep Lucidity, but it's for shock, not the unknowable. Your lover just suffered permanent death? 1d10 LUC damage! You just recsleeved? 1 LUC damage! Cthulhu appeared? Try to get something to reverse engineer. Basilisk Hack? Quarantine and test on forks. The unknowable appeared? Study it. LUC can also be healed easily, although traumas can't.

I'd also establish that some TITAN tech has been reversed engineered. Our version isn't reliable, but it's sped up advancement a bit. If reclaiming earth remember to pack high velocity weapons and be careful, you can kill it, but not easily.

[LibraryOgre]

Well, the fact it even has mechanics for it was a pretty strong indicator to me. But I have never actually played the game. If you can run it low horror, how would you do that? Or do it elegantly... or... How would you lower the horror aspects of Eclipse Phase while keeping it as close as possible to the default feel of the game? I mean just "you don't take SAN damage is rather crude". (And isn't SAN called something else in this game?)

In my reading, the horror aspects aren't that strong. If you mostly stay in-system and avoid ETIs, then most everything you deal with will stay within the realm of "doable".

I mean, folks resleeve all the time. The solar system isn't any more full of lunatics in the game than it is in real life.

[Cluedrew]

I never came back to say thanks, so thanks for the input guys. If the opportunity to play Eclipse Phase ever comes up I might just give it a shot depending on how much horror is expected.

[Codenpeg]

I recently stumbled back over EP on that wiki linked earlier while doing some searching for a GURPS game I'm in. I gotta say I rather enjoy the feel of the game. Is anyone currently in a game and have any commentary on how the system plays compared to gurps, d20, or fate?

[Anonymouswizard]

I recently stumbled back over EP on that wiki linked earlier while doing some searching for a GURPS game I'm in. I gotta say I rather enjoy the feel of the game. Is anyone currently in a game and have any commentary on how the system plays compared to gurps, d20, or fate?

I haven't had a chance to play yet, but in my experience d% runs about as fast as d20, if not slightly faster. For reference, both the fastest and slowest games I've been in have been d%, with the fastest strangely being Unknown Armies (I'd say half the time per check compared to d&d, unless a trigger is pulled) but that had a lot to do with the group.

If you like Fate there is an official conversion currently in development. The PDFs from the standard version are free if you want to run the playtest kit, allowing you to use the lore.

[Zavoniki]

I'd say Eclipse Phase is significantly faster to play over D20 and GURPS but is slower than FATE(though there is a FATE hack for Eclipse Phase). It's character creation is about as fast as both, though it goes significantly faster if you do it using common sense and not whats written in the book(I could go into more detail about this, but the short answer is that the book makes you make random parts of your character and shove them together, while the common sense way is to make your Ego and then stick it in a Morph.)

In terms of play, it varies somewhat. I'd say there's about three or so parts to every session/adventure. You have the first phase where you the problem is introduced and then you must investigate the problem and gather clues. You have the second phase where you take your clues and craft a plan to solve the problem. Then you have the third phase where your plan fails and you shoot the problem repeatedly(or some similar action) and hope that that works. Characters are extremely powerful, especially if they push the system to its limits(smart use of forking, sleeving and resleeving, understanding the cost effective gear. Also combat drugs. MRDR+Kick lets you take 1,250 credits and turn any Morph into a killing machine for one combat.), so the GM needs to remember that.

Relative to D20 your characters are much easier to kill, but so is everything else. I'd say on average an Eclipse Phase character will have far more options available to them at any one time compared to a D20 character(even a caster). The sheer amount of resources you can potentially bring to bear on a problem is enormous in Eclipse Phase(though that generally involves burning reputation and that can be bad.) Character advancement is also significantly slower.

I haven't played a lot of GURPS, but from the bit I've played I'd say that Eclipse Phase is on a higher power level and is probably less deadly.

I haven't played FATE so I can't comment on that.

[Anonymouswizard]

Characters are extremely powerful, especially if they push the system to its limits(smart use of forking, sleeving and resleeving, understanding the cost effective gear. Also combat drugs. MRDR+Kick lets you take 1,250 credits and turn any Morph into a killing machine for one combat.), so the GM needs to remember that.

I personally like blueprints for drug glands, especially MRDR and Kick. Spend a day after resleeving in the medvat and you can have a half-decent combat morph ready, and only slightly less illegal than a fury.

Relative to D20 your characters are much easier to kill, but so is everything else. I'd say on average an Eclipse Phase character will have far more options available to them at any one time compared to a D20 character(even a caster). The sheer amount of resources you can potentially bring to bear on a problem is enormous in Eclipse Phase(though that generally involves burning reputation and that can be bad.) Character advancement is also significantly slower.

Yes, pretty much all of this. Also, if you have blueprints and some raw materials you can get it fabbed with a low-level favour, and I recommend getting an ammo fabber (blueprints!) if going for kinetic weapons.

[Codenpeg]

Thanks for the tips thus far. The sleeving mechanic is really interesting as you can quickly change what physical properties you have on the fly.

My next question is what sort of setup would you want for a gate crashing crew? What roles do you NEED to focus on and which roles can you put some minor points into and use some resources when the need for it comes along?

[Zavoniki]

Gatecrashing hmm...

Someone needs Navigation or similar knowledge skill (Orienteering, etc...)

Everyone should have some combat ability.

Someone to deal with Alien tech.

A Medic that can deal with minimal resources.

Someone to drive/fly your transportation vehicle.

A Gate operator.

And someone to handle procuring supplies from less than friendly bureaucrats(the real enemy!).

EDIT:

On the note of Gatecrashing, does any remember the name/page number of the exoplanet where TITAN tech doesn't work. I remember reading about it but can't seem to find it anywhere?

[NoldorForce]

On the note of Gatecrashing, does any remember the name/page number of the exoplanet where TITAN tech doesn't work. I remember reading about it but can't seem to find it anywhere?

You're thinking of Solemn; check page 128 for its entry. (I recall it being a plot point in the Know Evil campaign by RPPR.)

[janusmaxwell]

Making a character for an EP game, would like some advice.

Essentially, I'm making "Jehuty" from the Zone of the Enders games, specifically with the wings, armblade and a bit of the look. My intent is to start with a Synthmorph, and have it look fairly "Average" with the wings as "Thrust Vectors" that are folded in when walking around. (No, I'm not leaving in the literal cockpit in the original Jehuty design. find a picture, you'll see what I mean...) When a fight starts, or I feel like flying, pop out the wings, shift to a form that's a little closer to the inspiration (it's ONLY cosmetic, so I didn't think there'd be an extra CP or credit cost)

So what I've got, just for first weapons is a Monofilament blade on an articulated weapon mount on the fore-arm, that is otherwise stored in a hidden compartment in the upper-arm, and a hand laser. (those are just for a start though)

Other things I'd like advice on.

And yes I'm running this stuff past my DM, but he's very busy so I'd like to know before group.

------------

My guy has a Drifter Background as an asteroid farmer. He was a severe alcoholic, and it caused a very bad accident. He asked to be put into a synth-morph so he could still work but wouldn't have to drink anymore. While there's still guilt over what he did, he actually grew to like his new body a lot, and added a bunch of modifications on his own time to the chassis.

Negative traits I thought of based on that backstory: Modified Behavior (extra safeguard against him deciding to slip on a meat-suit and go bar-crawling again) and Mental Disorder (from the accident he caused, which would almost certainly involve some kind of death, considering the setting. Somebody getting 'hurt' wouldn't mean much in a setting where you can re-grow a new arm, eh?)

Considering having an "Addiction" because of the alcoholism, but that seemed Munchkining since I'm in a Synth Morph and can't flipping drink.

Other question, because Synth morphs have the Uncanny Valley and Social Stigma negative traits, do those count towards "Bonus CP" like the positive/negative traits you choose in character creation, or are those a "You have to suck it up and deal with it" kind of thing?

-------------

Last bit's: I'm intending to take the Armorer skill and stuff involving Robotics/Implants as a way to tweak my design/loadout IC. But I'd like to know if the stuff I want to do is possible in game first.

First off, other weapons besides the Hand laser and the Mono blade that are able to be mounted on/hidden within a body, like a Plasma rifle, some kind of shotgun, rocket launcher, or others? Mental image is the opposite arm for the hand laser is a Plasma Rifle, and a launcher with three grenades/rockets hidden in a compartment in one of the thighs.

Plus, a way to have heavier armor on morph and not have it look TOO much like it's effectively a humanoid shaped Reaper? I'm totally willing to accept a penalty and end up with something between the Light combat Armor and the Heavy stuff. And on that note, I found a thing online that said armors can STACK for Synthetic morphs? is that true? Cause it seemed REALLY freaking dumb to me, as the example was a Reaper drone that had Heavy Armor on top of it's natural Heavy Armor.

This is all for the FAR FUTURE though, I'm not going to start off with this stuff! I'm just getting all of it fluffed/crunched out now. Armorer/Implants/Robotics for jury-rigging your own morph, yes/no?

[Zavoniki]

Making a character for an EP game, would like some advice.

Essentially, I'm making "Jehuty" from the Zone of the Enders games, specifically with the wings, armblade and a bit of the look. My intent is to start with a Synthmorph, and have it look fairly "Average" with the wings as "Thrust Vectors" that are folded in when walking around. (No, I'm not leaving in the literal cockpit in the original Jehuty design. find a picture, you'll see what I mean...) When a fight starts, or I feel like flying, pop out the wings, shift to a form that's a little closer to the inspiration (it's ONLY cosmetic, so I didn't think there'd be an extra CP or credit cost)

So what I've got, just for first weapons is a Monofilament blade on an articulated weapon mount on the fore-arm, that is otherwise stored in a hidden compartment in the upper-arm, and a hand laser. (those are just for a start though)

Other things I'd like advice on.

And yes I'm running this stuff past my DM, but he's very busy so I'd like to know before group.

------------

Let me break this down bit by bit.

My guy has a Drifter Background as an asteroid farmer. He was a severe alcoholic, and it caused a very bad accident. He asked to be put into a synth-morph so he could still work but wouldn't have to drink anymore. While there's still guilt over what he did, he actually grew to like his new body a lot, and added a bunch of modifications on his own time to the chassis.

Negative traits I thought of based on that backstory: Modified Behavior (extra safeguard against him deciding to slip on a meat-suit and go bar-crawling again) and Mental Disorder (from the accident he caused, which would almost certainly involve some kind of death, considering the setting. Somebody getting 'hurt' wouldn't mean much in a setting where you can re-grow a new arm, eh?)

Considering having an "Addiction" because of the alcoholism, but that seemed Munchkining since I'm in a Synth Morph and can't flipping drink.

Other question, because Synth morphs have the Uncanny Valley and Social Stigma negative traits, do those count towards "Bonus CP" like the positive/negative traits you choose in character creation, or are those a "You have to suck it up and deal with it" kind of thing?

Addiction totally works. There are these things called Narcoalgorithms that are specific types of drugs that work on Synth morphs and one in the book explicitly simulates drunkenness. They can be turned off, so they aren't as debilitating as normal drugs, but can be turned off and willing to have it turned off are different things.

The Synth Morph traits do not give you bonus CP. Social Stigma also doesn't apply in all locations(Titan and most Scum Swarms are totally cool with Synths).

Last bit's: I'm intending to take the Armorer skill and stuff involving Robotics/Implants as a way to tweak my design/loadout IC. But I'd like to know if the stuff I want to do is possible in game first.

First off, other weapons besides the Hand laser and the Mono blade that are able to be mounted on/hidden within a body, like a Plasma rifle, some kind of shotgun, rocket launcher, or others? Mental image is the opposite arm for the hand laser is a Plasma Rifle, and a launcher with three grenades/rockets hidden in a compartment in one of the thighs.

Plus, a way to have heavier armor on morph and not have it look TOO much like it's effectively a humanoid shaped Reaper? I'm totally willing to accept a penalty and end up with something between the Light combat Armor and the Heavy stuff. And on that note, I found a thing online that said armors can STACK for Synthetic morphs? is that true? Cause it seemed REALLY freaking dumb to me, as the example was a Reaper drone that had Heavy Armor on top of it's natural Heavy Armor.

This is all for the FAR FUTURE though, I'm not going to start off with this stuff! I'm just getting all of it fluffed/crunched out now. Armorer/Implants/Robotics for jury-rigging your own morph, yes/no?

There aren't rules for tweaking stuff in the game, just the book saying its possible, so you'll have to work with your GM.

There is no restriction on how many weapons you can hide in your body so go nuts.

Armor stacking is poorly explained in the books and works differently for Biomorphs/Pods than it does in the book. To explain:

Biomorph/Pod: You have 5 potential layers of armor: Helmet, Shell, Armor, Second Skin, Smart Skin. Shell is something like Bioweave Armor or Carapace Armor and doesn't always stack with your Armor. Helmet and the Skins always stack(except when your in a Battlesuit sometimes). Armor is Armor.

Synthmorphs: You have 4 layers of Armor: Helmet, Second Skin, Smart Skin, and Shell/Armor which are combined for Synthmorphs. Synthmorphs all start with inherent armor and can buy upgrades that increase the armor by some amount(this is the Industrial Armor, Light Combat Armor, and Heavy Combat Armor upgrade). Synths can also wear normal Armor, but this never stacks with their Base Armor/Shell.

The short answer is Helmet and the Skins always stack. Biomorphs can sometimes stack a Shell and an Armor. Synthmorphs pick Shell or Armor, but their shells are significantly stronger than Biomorph Shells.

Its unclear how much Armor changes your look, especially in a Synthmorph. If your relying on upgrading just your base armor, that implies it was built in from construction and could just be using stronger materials. A skilled person would probably be able to tell that its tougher armor, but it would not look significantly different or be measurably bulkier.

I would caution against buying too much gear/morph upgrades without buying them as blueprints. You will be very sad when your Morph dies/you have to egocast somewhere and now don't have your 100 CP morph.

[janusmaxwell]

Thanks for the help, I've mostly got my guy statted out, with my intention being to prepare now for the "implanting weapons" trick later.

To that end, I've got a bit of CP left to use, and I'm wanting to get some Specialties for various skills. The first and most obvious being a specialty regarding Mono Blades because that's one of the weapons I decided to start off with. Articulated weapon Mount on the right forearm, with a hidden compartment for the blade itself in the upper-arm. When needed, I'll be able to snap it into place and go "YOU DIDN'T NEED THOSE KIDNEYS ANYWAY!!!" on someone.

But other specialties, I made adjustments wherein my character has a COG score of 10, and I figured I'd make up for that deficit regarding the Robotics/Armorer Hardware and Knowledge checks with some specializations.

My thought is that I have a specialty in adapting equipment to "fit" into morphs that most people would go [O_O HOW'D YOU DO THAT!?!], albeit with some penalties (I'm not about to be THAT much of a rules lawyer and say I should have no penalties at all because there's no rule in the book) to Range and Ammo Capacity and Damage.

One example was to have a Plasma Rifle (or possibly just a Plasma Burst Bolter) stuck into my right arm in a similar manner to a Cybernetic Hand Laser (Which, yes, I have in my left hand). A caveat I thought of regarding the Plasma Rifle is that I'd have to use a quick action to "Lock" that arm completely rigid, and brace/aim with my other hand. (yes, I kinda went "Megaman" with this idea lol)

Anyway, Specialty for modding weapons to a size that makes them "implantable" in Synthetic morphs? How should i word that?

Also, (assuming I get to that point) How do I phrase having a specialty with weapons that I have implanted over ones I'm 'wielding'? just have Beam Weapons, Specialty: Body Plasma Rifle? I figure I'll just Specialty "Personal" and add a new one for every new gizmo I stick in my morph, when it comes up.

[The Grue]

If you had to quickly explain Eclipse Phase, say at a convention game or to a brand-new group, how would you do it? Think broad strokes, nevermind specific mechanics, nevermind the setting minutia, what are the most important concepts to get across to facilitate play?

[Anonymouswizard]

If you had to quickly explain Eclipse Phase, say at a convention game or to a brand-new group, how would you do it? Think broad strokes, nevermind specific mechanics, nevermind the setting minutia, what are the most important concepts to get across to facilitate play?

'It's like a version of the Culture without the AI rights or as high level tech, there's a big focus on what humanity might become with access to the ability to shape bodies as they wished and switch between them at will, and uses a basic d% roll-under system.'

Not the best, but it's how I plan to introduce it when I start a campaign in the new academic year.

[The Grue]

Ah, but that presumes knowledge of the Culture setting.

[Anonymouswizard]

Ah, but that presumes knowledge of the Culture setting.

Yeah, but I tend to play with either groups that JUST WOULDN'T GET ECLIPSE PHASE, or ones with AT LEAST ONE SCI-FI NERD WHO KNOWS THE CULTURE, and so it either doesn't matter or someone with social skills can explain it better.

[LibraryOgre]

If you had to quickly explain Eclipse Phase, say at a convention game or to a brand-new group, how would you do it? Think broad strokes, nevermind specific mechanics, nevermind the setting minutia, what are the most important concepts to get across to facilitate play?

Humanity has had to abandon Earth after a failed war with powerful AIs. We've spread throughout the solar system (and a little bit beyond, due to some hyperspace gates), along with a few uplifted animal species, and have the ability to move between bodies (biological and mechanical) due to implants that most people carry. Most places can create whatever they want out of raw materials, and this has lead to some really unique social structures. Instead of money, most of the economy works on favors and reputation. There's a variety of factions, with the Inner Planets being largely corporate, Jupiterspace being controlled by archconservatives, and the outer system mostly belonging to anarchists and scientists.

It's not perfect, but it's brief (114 words), and covers the big picture.

[The Grue]

Got my GF (philosophy PhD student) playing Eclipse Phase this weekend.

She rolled an Ultimate with maxed ranks in Academics: Philosophy and Language: Ancient Greek. In the Gender ID field she wrote "The shadows of the true forms on the walls of the cave".

I think she's grasped the setting rather quickly.