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2017-07-10, 05:25 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
And now I've got mine. Showed up this morning. So far I'm liking the look of things. All the components seem to be pretty good quality, and I think that making the dice pips into bullet holes is a clever touch.
I used to do LP's. Currently archived here:
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The Great Divide Dark Heresy - Finished
They All Uprose Dark Heresy - Finished
Dead in the Water Dark Heresy - Finished
House of Glass Dark Heresy - Deceased
We All Fall Down Dark Heresy - Finished
Sea of Stars Rogue Trader - Ongoing
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2017-07-12, 06:41 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
Got mine today.
It is one thing to suspend your disbelief. It is another thing entirely to hang it by the neck until dead.
Verisimilitude -- n, the appearance or semblance of truth, likelihood, or probability.
The concern is not realism in speculative fiction, but rather the sense that a setting or story could be real, fostered by internal consistency and coherence.
The Worldbuilding Forum -- where realities are born.
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2017-07-12, 06:59 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
I've had a look trhough the book now, and have some thoughts on that auto-success discussion from a while back. First, I don't think autofailure is that bad, even on the Teraport cages, since you can get a re-roll with a RiPP. If an auto-failure would be super disastrous, save a RiPP for it, and your chance of auto-failure goes from 0.4% to 0.002%.
That said, in a situation where your skill ranks + 3 are enough to pass the TN of a check, I think I'd say you can't fail - you just do the roll to see if you get Mayhem, or an Upgraded Success.I used to do LP's. Currently archived here:
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My Games:
The Great Divide Dark Heresy - Finished
They All Uprose Dark Heresy - Finished
Dead in the Water Dark Heresy - Finished
House of Glass Dark Heresy - Deceased
We All Fall Down Dark Heresy - Finished
Sea of Stars Rogue Trader - Ongoing
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2017-07-29, 08:43 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
There's a lot to be said for that modification.
I get that they were going for a lot of chaos and uncertainty for the sake of generating "great stories", but it almost feels like everything -- verisimilitude, setting fidelity, any sense of investment in characters -- got tossed aside in that pursuit in a few places.It is one thing to suspend your disbelief. It is another thing entirely to hang it by the neck until dead.
Verisimilitude -- n, the appearance or semblance of truth, likelihood, or probability.
The concern is not realism in speculative fiction, but rather the sense that a setting or story could be real, fostered by internal consistency and coherence.
The Worldbuilding Forum -- where realities are born.
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2017-07-29, 08:50 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
A more radical change I've been contemplating. Flip Mayhem.
If you succeed, then you succeed. No random "yes, but..."
If you fail on a roll, however, then you can choose to draw a Mayhem card in exchange for... a reroll, automatic success, something.It is one thing to suspend your disbelief. It is another thing entirely to hang it by the neck until dead.
Verisimilitude -- n, the appearance or semblance of truth, likelihood, or probability.
The concern is not realism in speculative fiction, but rather the sense that a setting or story could be real, fostered by internal consistency and coherence.
The Worldbuilding Forum -- where realities are born.
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2017-07-30, 05:44 AM (ISO 8601)
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2017-07-30, 09:32 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
There are certain cards, such as those that involve a character hijack, that have an outsized effect on my opinion... the other option is to take them out of the deck. As it stands, the potential for punishing success feels too high.
Making it a player choice takes away the random imposition of random effects, as well.Last edited by Max_Killjoy; 2017-07-30 at 09:40 AM.
It is one thing to suspend your disbelief. It is another thing entirely to hang it by the neck until dead.
Verisimilitude -- n, the appearance or semblance of truth, likelihood, or probability.
The concern is not realism in speculative fiction, but rather the sense that a setting or story could be real, fostered by internal consistency and coherence.
The Worldbuilding Forum -- where realities are born.
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2017-07-30, 12:52 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
Well, the system does already have a mechanic to cancel the cards you really don't want.
I used to do LP's. Currently archived here:
My Youtube Channel
The rest of my Sig:
SpoilerAvatar by Vael
My Games:
The Great Divide Dark Heresy - Finished
They All Uprose Dark Heresy - Finished
Dead in the Water Dark Heresy - Finished
House of Glass Dark Heresy - Deceased
We All Fall Down Dark Heresy - Finished
Sea of Stars Rogue Trader - Ongoing
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2017-07-30, 02:30 PM (ISO 8601)
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2017-07-30, 11:17 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
Well the thing is, the GM can cancel them too, and if the GM cancels one, every player gets a RiPP. The game is really about collaborative storytelling, so it's totally valid for a GM to cancel cards just because they would hurt the story.
I used to do LP's. Currently archived here:
My Youtube Channel
The rest of my Sig:
SpoilerAvatar by Vael
My Games:
The Great Divide Dark Heresy - Finished
They All Uprose Dark Heresy - Finished
Dead in the Water Dark Heresy - Finished
House of Glass Dark Heresy - Deceased
We All Fall Down Dark Heresy - Finished
Sea of Stars Rogue Trader - Ongoing
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2017-07-31, 06:57 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
I've tried to be more neutral about this on the reddit for the game, because Alan and Howard read that, and I don't want to be a total jerk, but for me personally, that "collaborative storytelling" focus has been a letdown in the game. The game is great, they got 98% of the way there, but every so often that "you're here to tell a story" thing rears it's ugly head, such as when players are implicitly told "don't get invested in your character, they're going to die and if they're not dying, you're playing the game wrong". And then there's the section where players who try to avoid PC death (because I guess the PCs don't have "survive" as a motive?) are told to go play a game with fuzzy cute kittens instead because they're not ready for PM RPG.
Originally Posted by Planet Merc RPG pg 339Last edited by Max_Killjoy; 2017-07-31 at 05:06 PM.
It is one thing to suspend your disbelief. It is another thing entirely to hang it by the neck until dead.
Verisimilitude -- n, the appearance or semblance of truth, likelihood, or probability.
The concern is not realism in speculative fiction, but rather the sense that a setting or story could be real, fostered by internal consistency and coherence.
The Worldbuilding Forum -- where realities are born.
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2017-08-02, 01:47 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
My sister got the Planet Mercenary book, and introduced me to schlock mercenary with it and the 70 Maxims. I've been hooked since. I'm working my way through the comic now, and trying to convince enough people to get a game going, but I have a couple questions/concerns that those of you who have run games might be able to help with.
I'm having some trouble figuring out some things with fireteams - namely, they seem to be able to attack and always deal damage, and yet dont seem to be targetable (or at least, they have no health that I've seen listed, and nothing in the rules ever even mentions the fact that they might be shot at in combat). Has this come up much in the games you've run?
Also, in a similar vein, when would a person ever use their fireteam for ablative meat as opposed to a grunt who is (in game terms at least), pretty much useless? Unless the story specifically mentions that your to far from your grunts, is there any major reason you've seen people do it?Avatar by Lycunadari
Go Tigers!
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2017-08-02, 05:53 AM (ISO 8601)
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2017-08-02, 06:52 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
10+combat skill, if the team is hit, pick one of the grunts in it, and do the coin flip.
Armor has no effect, a fireteam in custom heavy armor dies as easily as a naked fireteam.
Page 108.Last edited by Max_Killjoy; 2017-08-02 at 06:54 AM.
It is one thing to suspend your disbelief. It is another thing entirely to hang it by the neck until dead.
Verisimilitude -- n, the appearance or semblance of truth, likelihood, or probability.
The concern is not realism in speculative fiction, but rather the sense that a setting or story could be real, fostered by internal consistency and coherence.
The Worldbuilding Forum -- where realities are born.
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2017-08-02, 10:12 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
Yea, just look at the high rate of character churn in Schlock Mercenary, this is definitely a setting with short-lived characters that die a lot.
Hmm ... Maybe Jim should have played here. 5 characters in 5 sessions starting with Padme through Captain Antillies?Not "fire at". I never used the word "at"
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2017-08-02, 10:30 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
It is one thing to suspend your disbelief. It is another thing entirely to hang it by the neck until dead.
Verisimilitude -- n, the appearance or semblance of truth, likelihood, or probability.
The concern is not realism in speculative fiction, but rather the sense that a setting or story could be real, fostered by internal consistency and coherence.
The Worldbuilding Forum -- where realities are born.
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2017-08-02, 02:24 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
Most of the characters in the PM games dont have illegal nanny bags that can repair/upgrade anyone, HMOs covering the costs of the meidcal care, or Kevyn working for their company to invent god knows what all they've had done to them. If you take out the people fixed by those 3 things, the number will drop significantly I'd imagine.
and I can't believe I missed the stuff about target fireteams like... 3 or 4 times reading the rulebook. I even actively searched for it before posting because I specifically didn't want to look like an idiot lol.Avatar by Lycunadari
Go Tigers!
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2017-08-02, 04:22 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
A lot of what's brought character's back is in the "gear" section of the game -- nanny bags, regeneration tanks, etc.
My general point is that the world we see depicted in the comic doesn't seem as lethal, or as lethal with finality, as the game text repeatedly asserts.
It's a little sidebar on the left on side of the page, not part of the main text.It is one thing to suspend your disbelief. It is another thing entirely to hang it by the neck until dead.
Verisimilitude -- n, the appearance or semblance of truth, likelihood, or probability.
The concern is not realism in speculative fiction, but rather the sense that a setting or story could be real, fostered by internal consistency and coherence.
The Worldbuilding Forum -- where realities are born.
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2017-08-02, 04:55 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
The game system doesn't seem that lethal, at least for PCs. Grunts are going to bite it all the time, or at least 50% of the time, but given the availability of nanny bags and cloning tanks and whatnot death in this system is set up to be less permanent than even D&D. It's kind of a weird thing to assert, but I guess they don't want people freaking out if their characters die.
I used to do LP's. Currently archived here:
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My Games:
The Great Divide Dark Heresy - Finished
They All Uprose Dark Heresy - Finished
Dead in the Water Dark Heresy - Finished
House of Glass Dark Heresy - Deceased
We All Fall Down Dark Heresy - Finished
Sea of Stars Rogue Trader - Ongoing
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2017-08-02, 05:20 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
They really push the "your characters will die, get over it" angle hard, to the point of making handling death one of their important parts of being a good player, to the point of outright stating that anyone who isn't cool with their character biting it at any time in any way should go play a game about fuzzy kittens.
It is one thing to suspend your disbelief. It is another thing entirely to hang it by the neck until dead.
Verisimilitude -- n, the appearance or semblance of truth, likelihood, or probability.
The concern is not realism in speculative fiction, but rather the sense that a setting or story could be real, fostered by internal consistency and coherence.
The Worldbuilding Forum -- where realities are born.
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2017-08-02, 05:22 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
Yes, I know. You quoted it earlier. And I'm saying it's weird, because death is neither permanent nor especially difficult to avoid.
I used to do LP's. Currently archived here:
My Youtube Channel
The rest of my Sig:
SpoilerAvatar by Vael
My Games:
The Great Divide Dark Heresy - Finished
They All Uprose Dark Heresy - Finished
Dead in the Water Dark Heresy - Finished
House of Glass Dark Heresy - Deceased
We All Fall Down Dark Heresy - Finished
Sea of Stars Rogue Trader - Ongoing
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2017-08-02, 05:51 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
It seems odd to the point that it seems to be that I must be missing something when I look at the rules and see a lot of ways to avoid or even mitigate death.
They mention a few other places that things came up in playtesting they didn't expect... I almost wonder if they had some bad reactions to PC death in playtesting.It is one thing to suspend your disbelief. It is another thing entirely to hang it by the neck until dead.
Verisimilitude -- n, the appearance or semblance of truth, likelihood, or probability.
The concern is not realism in speculative fiction, but rather the sense that a setting or story could be real, fostered by internal consistency and coherence.
The Worldbuilding Forum -- where realities are born.
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2017-08-03, 01:48 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
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2017-08-04, 12:54 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
Either they need to be like Jim in D&D, or else play some Paranoia ... heck, even Toon. Dying isn't the worst thing that can happen.
---
The flip side of that, of course: I invested all this time getting this character more powerful, able to do more things, and now I have to start over at level 1???
I think this is where "death = bad" comes from -- you go from a powerful figure able to do things to a near incompetent, barely-out-of-school wimp.
But in this game, how much does your character actually improve, given that equipment and training basically makes the individual's normal stats pointless / not even part of the game? When you make a new character here, what do you actually lose?Not "fire at". I never used the word "at"
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2017-08-04, 01:34 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
In the hands of a good roleplayer, there's a massive difference between a green recruit and a seasoned veteran that isn't reflected in the statblock. Mechanically is another matter entirely.
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2017-08-04, 01:42 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
There's also "emotional" investment in the character, which only gets deeper the longer they've been around.
The mechanics don't necessarily reflect it, but in terms of attitude about character death, they seem to have tried to hammer home "Don't get attached".Last edited by Max_Killjoy; 2017-08-17 at 10:17 AM.
It is one thing to suspend your disbelief. It is another thing entirely to hang it by the neck until dead.
Verisimilitude -- n, the appearance or semblance of truth, likelihood, or probability.
The concern is not realism in speculative fiction, but rather the sense that a setting or story could be real, fostered by internal consistency and coherence.
The Worldbuilding Forum -- where realities are born.
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2017-08-17, 10:18 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
I'll get to see how Howard runs it this weekend.
It is one thing to suspend your disbelief. It is another thing entirely to hang it by the neck until dead.
Verisimilitude -- n, the appearance or semblance of truth, likelihood, or probability.
The concern is not realism in speculative fiction, but rather the sense that a setting or story could be real, fostered by internal consistency and coherence.
The Worldbuilding Forum -- where realities are born.
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2017-08-17, 11:36 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
The Cranky Gamer
*It isn't realism, it's verisimilitude; the appearance of truth within the framework of the game.
*Picard management tip: Debate honestly. The goal is to arrive at the truth, not at your preconception.
*Mutant Dawn for Savage Worlds!
*The One Deck Engine: Gaming on a budget
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2017-08-17, 12:05 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
It is one thing to suspend your disbelief. It is another thing entirely to hang it by the neck until dead.
Verisimilitude -- n, the appearance or semblance of truth, likelihood, or probability.
The concern is not realism in speculative fiction, but rather the sense that a setting or story could be real, fostered by internal consistency and coherence.
The Worldbuilding Forum -- where realities are born.
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2017-08-17, 07:14 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Planet Mercenary RPG -- "Schlock Mercenary, The Roleplaying Game"
Maybe you'll get a chance to ask him about the death thing. Have fun!
I used to do LP's. Currently archived here:
My Youtube Channel
The rest of my Sig:
SpoilerAvatar by Vael
My Games:
The Great Divide Dark Heresy - Finished
They All Uprose Dark Heresy - Finished
Dead in the Water Dark Heresy - Finished
House of Glass Dark Heresy - Deceased
We All Fall Down Dark Heresy - Finished
Sea of Stars Rogue Trader - Ongoing