OK, got more good stuff coming in! I was recently on vacation and able to beta test the system a little with experienced gamers who were able to offer some good feedback. There’s some good news with the Quick Start Guide and more. Let’s get into it.
Synergy System Progress
The very first section is still on the edge of completion. There were some discussions based on beta testing revolving around the armor and how it works in the system. Thus, there’s a bit of rehashing on that topic so we can get it just right. Mainly, we don’t want the armor to feel like its own mini-game, so it’s getting the tweak treatment (or “tweakment,” if you will) to resolve this.
Let’s discuss the beta test a little. I was able to successfully run a game for approximately 32 hours. The main issue that appeared during gameplay was a sense of clarity (which was my fault, since I usually don’t give away the goat when running the game). After letting my testers know what each check was pitted against and how it worked, things changed dramatically. What we learned about how the game works is this:
Damage & Armor
- Seems really tanky at Heroic Level, which can translate to lower levels of play.
- Nerf Resilience by 1-3 points, nerf Integrity by 15-30%, nerf overall protection by 1-5 points.
- Damage from firearms is lacking as well and needs a buff.
- Boost damage of firearms by 1-3 points overall.
Note: all of the above for armor is being hammered out as we speak and the actual mechanics will fluctuate a little.
Game Mastering
- There’s a lot to consider with the way abilities, stats, ADV/DIS, powers, skills, etc. all work.
- Simplified stat blocks are going to be essential for streamlining the experience.
Magic and Difficulties
- Power scaling needs to be boosted.
- Teleportation and other abilities that let you break the game are too easy to accomplish. (i.e. Teleport as a spell bypassed all defenses in a technological sense, and TN 8 with TH 5 wasn’t high enough for Dark Sorcery.)
- TN for world-breaking magic should be a flat 10, period.
- TH should have a standard metric of increase for magical effects that would cause balancing issues in-game (+1 for something challenging, +2 for something really complex or over the top, +3 for anything extremely balance-shifting).
Checks
Power scales need to be made for all checks, so it’s clear just how hard or easy a check is, regardless of its type. This was added to our team OneNote for review.
Basically, all the tweaks suggested here are great. This is proof that the system is solid as it is and merely needs refinement — that’s the best part of the baseline mechanics, they’re good and sturdy. That said, the next two sections will get their tender loving care while the next phases of testing take off.
Unofficially, we’re in a mixed bag of possible testing. In the near future, Scott is going to run the game to test the GM experience as a new GM for Shadows — critical work for the GM section of the Core Rulebook. While we get that organized, we’ll be running with some new players as a closed beta test to add to our knowledge of the system.
This is just a prediction, but I feel there’s a good chance we’ll have an open beta test available in the next few months. It will need a way of taking surveys and getting that feedback back to us. The Quick Start Guide will be the control point for this test as well.
Into the Future!
For this month and next, I’m going to be putting some serious effort into the lore and world building of Shadows. This is going to be a heavy section, but that’s a good thing — lots to throw in. Most of it will cover the major players in NYTE City: kingpins, emperors, corporate CEOs, and all the scary things that go bump in the night. It’ll also cover experiences like the LINK and the Unseen Courts, and how they all fit together right under the nose of humanity.
The GM section is going to go in-depth on the ways and means of running a session, how to use fast stat blocks, and writing mission briefs for players — which I’m happy to say is very close to being outlined for writing. Much of that has been made possible by the most recent testing over the last week, so special thanks goes out to Mike Smith and Angela Snow.
This is extremely exciting. So stay tuned for even more badassery as we move along.