Icar Forum

Welcomes and Hellos :: Welcome and hello, Chris!

Rob Lang

Author: Rob Lang
Subject: Welcome and hello, Chris!
Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 9:25 am (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 0

Hi Chris, welcome!

As you can see by the <a href="http://www.icar.co.uk">front page</a>, I was very proud to get the award. Oh, hang on, the story has disappeared. File versioning is to blame. I'll put it back later today.

As for updates, as you can see I've updated the front page, have released the Equipment Index and updated the Society (background) - including a 'overview' section as you suggested in your review last year. I've also started doing the graphics for the inside, which is a long process but will help people visualise the game. Page 22 is a good example of the sort of graphics that I think will help players and GMs alike.

I've paused on updates for Icar at the moment to get my free online web game 'Chom Isis' finished. It only needs another couple of weeks to complete, having done it on and off for a few years now. Once that's gone through Beta, I'll be sure to let you peeps over at AGC know about any games I run.

Discourse, thoughts and ideas will still get posted here as I do them and when I need a break from coding, I'll do some more graphics but after the Equipment Index, I needed to take a deep breath!

Welcomes and Hellos :: So... what's this I hear about updates?

AGCChris

Author: AGCChris
Subject: So... what's this I hear about updates?
Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:53 pm (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 0

Hey Rob, I figured I'd join the forums. I check out the site every once in a while but seeing that there's new material I'll be around a bit more frequently.

Haven't had a chance to look at the new stuff yet, but once my personal life settles down (moving, getting married, adjusting to life with 2 kids, blarg) then you can bet I'll be looking through what your genius has to offer.

Oh yeah, congratulations. ICAR = The 2007 Gaming For Cheap Bastards Game of the Year!

I really gotta come up with a shorter award name.

-Chris

RPG Forum :: Don't be afraid to add stuff to the maps

Rob Lang

Author: Rob Lang
Subject: Don't be afraid to add stuff to the maps
Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 11:12 am (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 0

As a GM, I like to think I've got the whole setting sorted up front. As all the settings I write might get released onto the net as part of settings for Icar, I like to think I get all the maps, contact sheets and so on ready up front. Then, the players can wander around much of the galaxy without feeling like I'm making everything up on the spot.

However, sometimes I get good ideas halfway through the campaign. This happened to me last weekend - to have an area of the city that acted as a transient black market and to have the only permenant person there arrested and interrogated as a matter of course every couple of days. I wasn't sure if I should include after 20 sessions of the campaign but it was a cracking idea and I didn't want to leave it.

At the start of the session, I explained about this black market area and how it had "Always been there *wink* *wink*, if that's ok with you..." and explained how they might use it. The players didn't mind at all, one mentioned it was a bit like playing a PC game where you get to unlock areas of a city as you progress. That part of the city had always been there, you'd just not had a need to go there before.

Adding things halfway through is no substitute for having a good think beforehand but there is no need why you can't do it. As long as you check it out with the players first [drink].

Questions and Suggestions :: RE: Another queston about skeletons

The_Rhino

Author: The_Rhino
Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 8:27 pm (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 2

THat makes sense. Thanks!

Questions and Suggestions :: RE: Another queston about skeletons

Dwain

Author: Dwain
Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 5:37 pm (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 2

With the scav setting characters start with such low skills that one missing skeleton isn't going to make alot of difference. In my opionion not having one of the skeletons will encorage them to roleplay around any problems or come up with another solution.

Questions and Suggestions :: Another queston about skeletons

The_Rhino

Author: The_Rhino
Subject: Another queston about skeletons
Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 2:49 pm (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 2

Okay, I was wondering if characters could have more than one skeleton? I'm thinking specifically of the scav setting and I don't have enough players to take on skeleton each.

Questions and Suggestions :: RE: Breaking stuff...

The_Rhino

Author: The_Rhino
Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 1:17 pm (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 2

Yeah, that does help a lot. It also makes a lot of sense. It is really less time consuming your way. Thanks.

Questions and Suggestions :: RE: Breaking stuff...

Rob Lang

Author: Rob Lang
Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 10:25 am (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 2

Grief, that's a good question. I had to really think about this one. For things like windows, I would not assign an armour rating or hit points but try and use common sense. If I set up armour rating and hit points for everything, there would be too much to take in.

To use common sense, you need to arrive at a decision you and your players are happy with. There are some questions you can use to try answer this:

1. Is the object armoured or toughened in any way? Mex Building windows are notoriously difficult to break without shooting them.
2. Is the character bionic? If they have bionics, chances are that they will be able to break glass. Much better than a human, anyway.
3. Is the window damaged? If it has already been shot, you can imagine it being easier to break.

If you think it might be possible that the window might be breakable, ask the player to roll under the Meat statistic of the character.

Does this help?

Questions and Suggestions :: Breaking stuff...

The_Rhino

Author: The_Rhino
Subject: Breaking stuff...
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 4:29 pm (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 2

Okay, let's say that my character wants to break a glass window. How would he go about doing that? Would the window have a set stun health and when it is run out by the character's attacks it breaks? I was just curious.

Questions and Suggestions :: RE: Spacecraft question

Rob Lang

Author: Rob Lang
Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 5:14 pm (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 3

Still in my head, Mr Yeti.

And it's Dr. Lang, thank you.

Questions and Suggestions :: RE: Spacecraft question

Joeyeti

Author: Joeyeti
Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:24 pm (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 3

Yeeeea, what's happenin'....

Starting to count the second decade.... NOW!

Day 1, Year 1 of the second Decade of Asking.

And the question for today is...

"Where are the ship interior plans, mr. Lang?"
_________________
Fantasy is the impossible made probable.
Science Fiction is the improbable made possible.
Amber takes it all and makes a daikiri...

Questions and Suggestions :: RE: Spacecraft question

Rob Lang

Author: Rob Lang
Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 2:48 pm (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 3

Dwain is going to love you, Rhino! (That or you and Dwain are the same person!)

He's been asking me for about 10 years, and I mean 10 years, for these ship plans. About every week for 10 years.

There aren't any plans yet but I do want to do them. They aren't very difficult to do and are all in my head at the moment. I know that it's not the best place for the plans but I promise that I will do the ship plans in the next few months. Sorry about that.

New Equipment Suggestions :: RE: Concussion 7.4

Dwain

Author: Dwain
Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 1:37 pm (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 2

Yeah I'd prefer them not to knock things over, lets leave that to silly pulse assualt weapons.

200 stun is an awful lot, I spose my main concern is them being used 1/10 or 1/5 with standard chaingun ammo, I'd take a 10% or 20% damage reduction inorder to knock out anything that i dont kill. And don't suggest that I'd have a problem firing single rounds cos 1/10 or 1/5 would be concussion anything that I'd fire single rounds at would have a similar effect from a normal 7.4 round.

200 seems like a lot of stun, its a big number, I think something between 50-100 and I have a preferance for 50 stun would be better. The trouble with stun is that it also gives a negative penalty to actions we need to bear this in mind.

I also and worried about someone creating a close combat/gun fu style weapon that fires these. So worried that I'm going to do it if I get a chance.

Questions and Suggestions :: Spacecraft question

The_Rhino

Author: The_Rhino
Subject: Spacecraft question
Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 1:11 pm (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 3

Are there any layouts of the insides of the spacecrafts? I was thinking that it might help in the Scavenger setting...

Questions and Suggestions :: RE: Colony Sheet

Rob Lang

Author: Rob Lang
Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 4:57 pm (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 3

No problem, sir.

I think you've highlighted a few things I put on for download that aren't really explained very well. I shall move to rectify that in the next Society book I am working on at the moment.