[After the End] Character Loadouts

[Minuteman37]

So given that in AtE you only have 500 starting cash and TL gear cost multipliers are in full effect. I think just what a character buys will have a far greater impact on his success then in other genres, so I decided I'd start a thread to discuss good gear combinations and the must haves for a post-apocalyptic character. If you do mention a specific peace of gear please list it's book of origin to avoid confusion and what kind of character would fine this gear the most useful.

[zoncxs]

I would look to DF 13 Loadouts. The minimum delver's kit cost $100 (or more cause some of the items might be TL5+).

Until They come out with a ATE Load out pdf I would use that.

[acrosome]

Bear in mind that even a cheap TL5 double-barreled shotgun (presumably sawn-off) will consume the entire basic $500 allowance ($250x2).

So, realistically you can't even get a gun for the base starting $500 unless you're willing to expend character points. Well, a practical gun, that is. You could get a muzzle-loader or a cheap pistol of some sort, I guess.

But even a Remington .41 Double-Derringer would be $560 ($140x4), plus $5 per shot, and what freakin' use is that? You have to go down to TL5 caplocks to get a decent repeater- a TL5 Remington New Model Army .44 caplock is $400 ($200x2). An Allen Pepperbox .31 caplock is relatively affordable at $300 ($150x2). One possible 'good buy' is the FN-Browning Mle 1906 in .25ACP for $640 ($160x4). And a pathetic little .32ACP Walther PPK costs nearly $2k!

In fact I'd argue that as written ATE sort of forces a certain type of starting campaign upon you. Essentially, Fallout, where these highly skilled and experienced 150-point characters start with almost nothing and just try to ambush someone who has a shotgun. Of course, any self-respecting GM will just do whatever he wants and to hell with as written, anyway. :)

The post-apoc gun article in Pyramid #3/88 is awesome, but the way.

[VariousRen]

Originally Posted by acrosome

Bear in mind that even a cheap TL5 double-barreled shotgun (presumably sawn-off) will consume the entire basic $500 allowance...

(The Remington Hammer Lifter in High Tech is $250, then x2 for TL5.)

So, realistically you can't even get a gun for the base starting $500 unless you're willing to expend character points. Well, a practical gun, that is. You could get a muzzle-loader or a cheap pistol of some sort, I guess. But even a Remington .41 Double-Derringer would be $560 ($140x4), and then $5 per shot, and what freakin' use is that? You have to go down to TL5 caplocks to get a decent repeater- a TL5 Remington New Model Army .44 caplock is $400 ($200x2). An Allen Pepperbox .31 caplock is relatively affordable at $300 ($150x2). And a pathetic little .32ACP Walther PPK costs nearly $2k!

In fact I'd argue that as written ATE sort of forces a certain type of starting campaign upon you. Of course, any self-respecting GM will just do whatever he wants and to hell with as written, anyway. :)

Seems pretty awesome to me actually! When things fall apart equipment goes wrong, gets lost, ect. Guns arne't gear any more, they're part of who your character is on a pretty fundamental level. It makes me think characters will get divided pretty heavily into the "haves" and "have nots" of firearms.

I should really go and pick up ATE now, it's peaked my post-apoc curiosity.

[PK]

Originally Posted by acrosome

You could get a muzzle-loader or a cheap pistol of some sort, I guess.

Yep. Looking at the Basic Set, a Cheap .41 Derringer eats up just $80 of your budget ($100 x 2 x 0.4), for example, which isn't a bad investment. Or a Cheap .36 Revolver is $120, which is well worth it for six shots at 2d-1 pi. (Plus ammo at $5/shot, of course.)

Of course, any self-respecting GM will just do whatever he wants and to hell with as written, anyway. :)

Actually, the "rules as written" tell the GM to set whatever budget he wants, with $500 as the default/minimum suggestion. In my latest game, I made a deal with the players: Let me pick out your gear, and I'll be generous. They all took me up on it, and I ended up giving them about $2,000 per player in aggregate (more to some, less to others, as befit their concepts) -- but a lot of it was things like improvised lab kits, a damaged Geiger counter, etc., that I knew wouldn't break the game, plus a team cart and horse.

[acrosome]

Originally Posted by VariousRen

Seems pretty awesome to me actually!

It's awesome if you want to play Max Rokatansky or Gamma World.

I personally find it hard to suspend disbelief that someone isn't wholesale producing at the very least single-shot breechloaders and black powder brass cartridges. (This is my basic problem- I'm a simulationist, so I tend make at least token motions in the direction of realism. I still want to know where Max got his damned tires, for instance.)

EDIT-- True, I guess you could slap cheap on everything. That helps.

[PK]

Originally Posted by VariousRen

Guns arne't gear any more, they're part of who your character is on a pretty fundamental level.

Yes, exactly! For the hunter template, I suggested one of two approaches: (A) start with the cheapest gun you can deal with now, and keep an eye toward always upgrading when possible, or (B) spend the character points for a nice gun now, +1 to make it Signature Gear, and know that you're starting off with a few less character points to have a badass weapon right out of the gate.

[GnomesofZurich]

Originally Posted by acrosome

Bear in mind that even a cheap TL5 double-barreled shotgun (presumably sawn-off) will consume the entire basic $500 allowance ($250x2).

So, realistically you can't even get a gun for the base starting $500 unless you're willing to expend character points. Well, a practical gun, that is. You could get a muzzle-loader or a cheap pistol of some sort, I guess.

But even a Remington .41 Double-Derringer would be $560 ($140x4), plus $5 per shot, and what freakin' use is that? You have to go down to TL5 caplocks to get a decent repeater- a TL5 Remington New Model Army .44 caplock is $400 ($200x2). An Allen Pepperbox .31 caplock is relatively affordable at $300 ($150x2). One possible 'good buy' is the FN-Browning Mle 1906 in .25ACP for $640 ($160x4). And a pathetic little .32ACP Walther PPK costs nearly $2k!

In fact I'd argue that as written ATE sort of forces a certain type of starting campaign upon you. Essentially, Fallout, where these highly skilled and experienced 150-point characters start with almost nothing and just try to ambush someone who has a shotgun. Of course, any self-respecting GM will just do whatever he wants and to hell with as written, anyway. :)

The post-apoc gun article in Pyramid #3/88 is awesome, but the way.

Although a bit more complex, one could not only alter the starting budget but alter the default TL for certain types of technology. For a Mad Max-style game, you might want to set the default TL for vehicles to 6 or 7. I wouldn't say ATE by default simulates Fallout - sure, the characters start with little equipment, but guns end up being prevalent. In ATE, it seems like guns will always be rather uncommon.

[PK]

Originally Posted by acrosome

EDIT-- True, I guess you could slap cheap on everything. That helps.

Absolutely. I assume that most starting gear is going to have as low a CF discount as the players can eke out -- which helps keep things feeling post-apocalyptic! Your gear isn't all nice and shiny and perfect; it's broken and improvised and hard to use.

In my own game, I slap Cheap on every NPC's armor and guns and some combination of Bulky, Fragile, Hard to Use, or Unreliable on other random gear . . . unless something is supposed to be perfect and pristine, usually as loot for beating a dangerous threat or solving a difficult problem.

[PK]

Originally Posted by GnomesofZurich

In ATE, it seems like guns will always be rather uncommon.

Nah, but nice guns will be. In my own game, I'd say the most frequently encountered guns in order from common to rare are cheap pistols, cheap shotguns, black powder guns, and then a tie for cheap SMGs and simple rifles. It's really just assault weapons and heavy weapons that are uncommon, but part of that is people not wanting to waste that much ammo.

The PCs actually voluntarily gave up an AK-47 as part of splitting a loot stash so they could get a TDS water tester and pair of binoculars -- and the players agreed unanimously on that split.