GURPS After the End 1: Wastelanders

[Mailanka]

Purchased, but I'm going to reserve judgement until the second comes out, because for each campaign framework I read, I always find the second the most riveting and important. It provides the context for me to really grasp the intent of the first one.

[PK]

Originally Posted by Mailanka

Purchased, but I'm going to reserve judgement until the second comes out, because for each campaign framework I read, I always find the second the most riveting and important. It provides the context for me to really grasp the intent of the first one.

I definitely understand. I'm the same way, though apparently the majority prefer jumping into character creation first and then learning the rules of play -- probably because that's the order in which you actually use them.

It actually works both ways. The rules in ATE2 will give context to why you'd pick certain traits when using ATE1. But at the same time, the templates in ATE1 give a framework to the assumptions about what matters in the campaign set up using ATE2. For example, knowing that there's a "scavenger" template implies that scrounging up Old World ruins is a crucial part of the game -- and seeing the options offered on that template gives insight into what sort of niche that role is intended to fill.

I could go on. Rules presentation -- how to help the greatest number of people understand as much as possible about a game -- is actually something I'm very interested in. But any further musing on my part would probably verge far enough away from ATE to count as a tangent. :)

[Raekai]

Have only had time to scan over it. Because I'm lazy, at work, and don't trust myself to get it right... Could someone piece together a Regeneration for RP as well as a Costs RP (per minute, per 10 seconds) limitation? That would be grand!

So far, it looks great. I think it will be very useful for the setting I've been working on.

[scc]

Originally Posted by Raekai

Have only had time to scan over it. Because I'm lazy, at work, and don't trust myself to get it right... Could someone piece together a Regeneration for RP as well as a Costs RP (per minute, per 10 seconds) limitation? That would be grand!

So far, it looks great. I think it will be very useful for the setting I've been working on.

I don't have the book, but guessing that RP are Radiation Points, I guessing that it's a fancy name for ER, so same as FP, remember to go over P119 first but, some special rules covered there might come into play.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by scc

I don't have the book, but guessing that RP are Radiation Points, I guessing that it's a fancy name for ER, so same as FP, remember to go over P119 first but, some special rules covered there might come into play.

It's not actually a fancy name for ER - there's an alternate, simplified system for taking radiation, and Radiation Tolerance Points (RP) serve a similar function to Hit Points in it - abstracting accumulated radiation "damage", and one person being more tolerant of radiation than another (particularly useful for mutants of course).

However, because it is kinda like HP, and operates basically on the same scale as HP, I think Regeneration is still the right base concept. It's just a question of "Is 'only recovers RP' a +0% switch or a limitation?"

My inclination is that in most ATE games, it should be a limitation, probably to the tune of -20% if the campaign actually involves a radioactive apocalypse of some kind. If there was nothing particularly radioactive about The End (or non ATE games where there hasn't been an End at all) it might be as high as -40% or -50%.

If it's a game that's All About That Bomb (that bomb, that bomb), there's hot zones everywhere, some enemies emit radiation, and some of your food is contaminated, I'd call it a +0% switch (Also Heals Radiation a +100% enhancement).

[Bruno]

Although, talking about new mechanics - what about traits for characters who are more (or less) resistant to LTF, disproportionate to their FP total?

I suppose you could just take all the survival traits that are in the system now, but "doesn't starve", or "doesn't sleep" is a lot different from "Can starve like anyone else and looks really ragged after four days without sleep, but bounces back once he gets a square meal and a nap". Useful for super-mutants :)

[PK]

Originally Posted by Bruno

However, because it is kinda like HP, and operates basically on the same scale as HP, I think Regeneration is still the right base concept. It's just a question of "Is 'only recovers RP' a +0% switch or a limitation?"

A limitation called "Radiation Only"; see p. B80. The only change you would make is that RP heals at the same rate that HP would (instead of 10x faster, but in rads).

[PK]

Originally Posted by Bruno

Although, talking about new mechanics - what about traits for characters who are more (or less) resistant to LTF, disproportionate to their FP total?

Interestingly, Ghostdancer and I just had a long conversation about that. What seems fair is "LFP Reserve [2/level]," where you get to start at -[LFP Reserve] instead of 0. So if you have LFP Reserve 5 [10], you start with LFP -5 instead of LFP 0, which means the first 5 LFP you accumulate have no effect.

That said, I'm not sure if this is ever going to make it into an ATE book, only because it seems really meta to me. But if anyone wants to use it, the price seems right. (We worked out that "Immunity to LFP" was just Doesn't Eat or Drink + Doesn't Sleep, for 30 points, and GURPS generally equates a +15 bonus with Immunity in situations where, say, an ability can ignore immunities.)

[Raekai]

Originally Posted by PK

A limitation called "Radiation Only"; see p. B80. The only change you would make is that RP heals at the same rate that HP would (instead of 10x faster, but in rads).

That makes sense. But what would a Costs RP limitation look like? I had previously ballparked Costs Rads as the same as Costs HP. Crushing 1d [5] vs Toxic (Radiation, +25%) [5] equivocates 1 HP with 1 Rad. So, to me, it seems like a Costs RP limitation would be huuuge. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by PK

Interestingly, Ghostdancer and I just had a long conversation about that. What seems fair is "LFP Reserve [2/level]," where you get to start at -[LFP Reserve] instead of 0. So if you have LFP Reserve 5 [10], you start with LFP -5 instead of LFP 0, which means the first 5 LFP you accumulate have no effect.

That said, I'm not sure if this is ever going to make it into an ATE book, only because it seems really meta to me. But if anyone wants to use it, the price seems right. (We worked out that "Immunity to LFP" was just Doesn't Eat or Drink + Doesn't Sleep, for 30 points, and GURPS generally equates a +15 bonus with Immunity in situations where, say, an ability can ignore immunities.)

Yeah, I'm tempering it on my blog might end up elsewhere at some point. :-)