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Author Topic: RPGing LOS  (Read 8745 times)

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Offline Dave Chase

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RPGing LOS
« on: February 08, 2011, 10:14:44 AM »
I would like to see a RPG of the game but not at the sacrifice of the table/miniature rules.

What like about the original Warhammer Fantasy game, there was a section in the RPG book that gave you the things you needed to convert the RPG character to battle stats and Battle stats to RPG stats.

This would be very nice, if such a thing existed for LOS.

At the very least, I would like to see an expanded Campaign section that gave/allowed for more growth of your main characters (figures) used in the miniature rules.

Of course, there should always be that chance when they get hit, they still die. Maybe not as great a chance but still needs to be a possibility. Other wise it would just be like playing  Heros game (computer game) if your important characters could not ever die.

Dave Chase
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Offline bobloblah

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Re: RPGing LOS
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2011, 08:57:02 PM »
Something like this can be tough, as the odds of dying in an RPG setting are (usually!) much lower than in a table-top wargame. They also come down to random chance in RPGs less often than in wargames. At least, that's my experience.

Losing a character you've been developing for weeks, months or years can be quite a blow at the RPG table, but it's worse when choices you've made had little impact. Perhaps you could solve this with lots of Leadership or Hero points, a la Sgt. Patterson...
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Offline Dave Chase

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Re: RPGing LOS
« Reply #2 on: February 09, 2011, 09:31:28 AM »
True about losing a character, but I have seen that happen in just RPGing with out miniatures table top. :)

I think it would work for the following reasons. It would allow those who want to develop an army or battle group to possibly not only add some character to the group but individualize that group or its main leaders/figures.

On the other side, if there was an easy conversion from RPGing LOS to table top, then you would not need create RPG combat rules, since you already have table top rules.

And the idea for both sides, it might just bridge the gap and get some mini players to RPG and some RPG players to minis.

Dave Chase
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Offline Vile

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Re: RPGing LOS
« Reply #3 on: February 14, 2011, 07:45:43 AM »
I think the reason death rates are lower in RPGs is simply that player characters aren't dumb enough to join the army and get themselves killed by an armchair general ...  ;)

It'd be very cool to see an RPG version of LOS. Count me in if you need writing hands.

For more limited "characterisation" within the miniatures game, there's certainly an investment on the part of the player and a sense of loss if that character gets killed, but that's part of the fun. A few tabletop games I've played had such elements, and the risk of loss has, for me, always been outweighed by the fun of having a special "ace" or two.
« Last Edit: February 14, 2011, 07:57:55 AM by Vile »
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Offline smokingwreckage

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Re: RPGing LOS
« Reply #4 on: February 16, 2011, 09:23:41 PM »
You need more detail in an RPG.

That said, you could use the injury rules from LOS if all you wanted was a more detailed squad game, and add the Junction Point Campaign experience rules, and voila! Alternatively you could add a rule for "heroes" or "characters" which would basically be that they don't die outright without meeting certain conditions. Maybe if they can't be evacuated in a rerun of the same scenario, using fresh troops for both sides, with their "kill" spot marked as the objective for the mission, THEN they die.

Alternatively just run an RPG in the massive implied universe from the LOS fluff. Use Savage Worlds or Fudge or for real fanatics, write up life-paths etc for Burning Wheel. Burning Empires might work, replacing the Worm with Machine invasion, utilising brain-chips for the Infiltration phase (Clearly either BloodLord or Charlie Overlords).

Offline SgtHulka

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Re: RPGing LOS
« Reply #5 on: February 17, 2011, 11:57:23 AM »
I finally found and uploaded my old LoS RPG rules to Google Docs. I titled them Commando 2150, apparently. They also include solitaire programmed missions at the end, which use a system similar to Victory Games' Ambush! if you're familiar with that. Anyway the file link is:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0BxkzUHwCdhd5MDgyYTY5OWQtOTA3ZC00YzJjLWE2ODEtNTdkYzEwZTI5ZmU0&hl=en&authkey=CJPsuHw

Offline Clark

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Re: RPGing LOS
« Reply #6 on: February 17, 2011, 09:00:36 PM »
Hulka, that looks like there was a bit of Traveller (Mercenery) influence.  I'd never seen those before.  A professional RPG writer took a liking to LOS and he started working on an RPG.  We ran into some 'creative differences', so - if I recall correctly - we bought him out of what he had wrote to that point.
« Last Edit: February 17, 2011, 09:47:45 PM by Clark »

Offline Dave Chase

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Re: RPGing LOS
« Reply #7 on: February 17, 2011, 09:44:39 PM »
Sgt Hulka, I have not read your rules in detail, but in general they look good.

I would agree with Clark that they have a Traveller'sh feel to them, but there is nothing wrong with that.

Dave Chase
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Offline Clark

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Re: RPGing LOS
« Reply #8 on: February 17, 2011, 09:51:07 PM »
I loved the Traveller character generation rules under Mercenery and High Guard, except for the survival rolls.  We treated it as an automatic muster for some unknown wound that would never affect gameplay but the army apparently didn't want.

I'd have to take a closer look to give a complete opinion.

Offline SgtHulka

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Re: RPGing LOS
« Reply #9 on: February 17, 2011, 10:37:26 PM »
Yup, HEAVILY influenced by Mercenary. 

Aw, come on Clark, you didn't like the survival rolls? That was half the fun! Especially for Scouts..."oh thank gawd, I survived another term of service...but I don't have Navigation skill yet...should I muster out or re-enlist...I've got an A endurance, I'm re-enlisting!"
« Last Edit: February 17, 2011, 10:39:46 PM by SgtHulka »

Offline Clark

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Re: RPGing LOS
« Reply #10 on: February 17, 2011, 11:01:58 PM »
Well, reality doesn't always make good gameplay.

For reality. I will stick with reality.  But for gameplay, I will stick with gameplay.

Offline SgtHulka

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Re: RPGing LOS
« Reply #11 on: February 17, 2011, 11:28:30 PM »
It wasn't about reality for me, it was about the sweaty-palmed gambling ;)

I agree, I got too much reality in real life.

On the other hand, bouncing around the galaxy on a tramp freighter three months behind on your payments trying to outrun the loan company... ;)

Offline Clark

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Re: RPGing LOS
« Reply #12 on: February 18, 2011, 06:15:28 PM »
We played a space campaign using the Traveller setting, Star Hero RPG rules and Star Fleet Battles for ship-to-ship combat.

Offline Vile

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Re: RPGing LOS
« Reply #13 on: February 18, 2011, 11:04:30 PM »
It wasn't about reality for me, it was about the sweaty-palmed gambling ;)
Good point about that. The basic Classic Traveller characters were so much fun to roll up we didn't mind having to try again when we pushed our luck too far. Traveller is full of those little mini-games, like ship building and world generation. If you also refereed games, you could always keep the little index cards for use as NPCs.

I think that spirit would work well for porting LoS into an RPG system, keeping all the player record-keeping to minimalist little sheets, none of these four-page character sheets.
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Offline Clark

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Re: RPGing LOS
« Reply #14 on: February 18, 2011, 11:54:50 PM »
Or High Guard and Trillion Credit Squadron. I never actually played it, but man, did I have hours if fun building ships and fleets.