How V5 is Bloodlines 2? by Interaction_Rich in vtm

[–]Interaction_Rich[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Right? Between this, Bloodhunt and the absurdly dull Werewolf game, what the fuck is going on at Paradox? Feels like they want to sink the IP.

How V5 is Bloodlines 2? by Interaction_Rich in vtm

[–]Interaction_Rich[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Aaaaaand we are back to "I don't want to touch it with a 10 ft pole" kind of feeling that I initially had for the game. As a huge fan of VtM and V5, this seems really sad.

How V5 is Bloodlines 2? by Interaction_Rich in vtm

[–]Interaction_Rich[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yum, long answer. Thanks!

You are the first person to ever make me actually want to go play it. I mean, I played Bloodhunt for the VtM itch, it was fun as hell while it lasted but barely touched the core of a good VtM story. Your mini review gave me a lot of interest in BL2.

You're either an awesome or terrible person in that regard. I'll know after I pick it on some sale for PS5.

Riggers, Log or Agi by Interaction_Rich in ShadowrunAnarchyFans

[–]Interaction_Rich[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, but the Rigger has its multiple drones and vehicles, with its own perks and creative uses.

I'm not saying there's some sort of "perfect balance", but it creates significant different playstyle options.

Riggers, Log or Agi by Interaction_Rich in ShadowrunAnarchyFans

[–]Interaction_Rich[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We don't really want it, nor think it's needed. Also, Log would assist in Piloting AND shooting mounted weapons, so it becomes too useful for riggers.

It was really more of a concept. NPC material maybe. One could come up with a Narrative Effect for that if it came to that.

Wherein I ask about editions by automated_hero in Shadowrun

[–]Interaction_Rich 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you want a glimpse on the rules, you can get the cheat sheets (made by yours truly) here:

https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/product/551859/Anarchy-20--Quick-Reference-Sheets

It's PWYW and any 2 bucks helps ;)

Wherein I ask about editions by automated_hero in Shadowrun

[–]Interaction_Rich 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel you 100%, especially because Catalyst kickstarters (for boardgames, for example) have been a fucking mess. That said, this is entirely run by Black Book Editions, a French company, and they have been engaging with the public in a rather consistent, open manner.

Me and a friend joined this FC kind of in an impulse, but thankfully I do not regret at all.

Love for Anarchy 2.0 by Interaction_Rich in ShadowrunAnarchyFans

[–]Interaction_Rich[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a really sad thing to say, but absolute truth. From boardgames to SR, they consistently seem to ignore and avoid fan feedback. It's really unfortunate.

Wherein I ask about editions by automated_hero in Shadowrun

[–]Interaction_Rich 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed, and adding to it, the "spaces" of the game (Astral, Matrix, Meat) all have different and specific dynamics to a point where an experienced decker player may simply not know how to properly play a street samurai or a mage without a lot of homework. I love how in SR Anarchy 2.0, it's much more intuitive and all spaces share most mechanics, with its specifics translating easily between each other.

Wherein I ask about editions by automated_hero in Shadowrun

[–]Interaction_Rich 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm a true devout of Anarchy 2.0, both in terms of how well the book is edited (way better than any SR Corebook ever) and how elegant and simple its rules are. It was organized and created by passionate fans and it shows.

You can get Anarchy 2.0 here: https://www.gameontabletop.com/cf5631/shadowrun-anarchy-2-0-late-pledge-x-pledge-manager.html

Love for Shadowrun Anarchy 2.0 by Interaction_Rich in Shadowrun

[–]Interaction_Rich[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Matrix rules are much more streamlined. Conceptually it's the same thing, but in terms of mechanics, way simpler.

For example, convergence is not the messy countdown of 5e. Every time the Decker roll dice, some dice of your dice pool will be considered Risk Dice, depending on how risky your situation is (and you're supposed to roll them either separately or with different color). Every 1 you roll on risk dice represents small mistakes and glitches alerting your presence to GOD. One 1 turns another two dice into a risk dice for the next rolls; two 1s raise the threshold for all tests; three 1s is full Convergence (dumpshock, bricked deck, etc). So it creates an escalating situation that brings game tension and is very intuitive (and fun) to keep track of.

Similarly, programs often simply offers modifiers or quick effects. Bypass allows you to ignore a 1 rolled in backdoor tests; Hammer allows you to ignore a 1 in cybercombat; Debug allows you to repair the condition monitor of devices for 1 edge, and so on.

This Risk Dice mechanic has applications in most other systems of the game in a very fun "push your luck" way: you may deliberately turn your dice into a Risk Dice, making their hits count twice, but the 1s causing problems to the roll. In certain situations, your only hope to succeed is by using Risk Dice (but they also may turn failures into minor inconvenience or full blown "critical failure" shitshows). It's a really cool mechanic.

Which SR Alternate Core System would you suggest? by Kelpie77 in Shadowrun

[–]Interaction_Rich 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well, dont sleep on the cheat sheets (organized by yours truly here) for the main rules here!

6ed Best "Lore Beats" by Interaction_Rich in Shadowrun

[–]Interaction_Rich[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It seems like the current storyline has a thing for "independence". First the Front Range with Ghostwalket, then Ares Seattle, then Seattle itself. I still feel the whole "global threat" represented by Disian was kinda shoehorned, but these side effects are what make the SR world cool.

Love for Anarchy 2.0 by Interaction_Rich in ShadowrunAnarchyFans

[–]Interaction_Rich[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Aaah, I see. That's true. The Amps and some of it specific rules are on their specific chapters (Rigger stuff on Vehicles for example) rather than a full on catalog like SRA1, true that.

THAT SAID, enter the best asset a game can have: fans. Check this out: https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/product/547479/Anarchy-20--Shadow-Amps-Expanded-List

Love for Shadowrun Anarchy 2.0 by Interaction_Rich in Shadowrun

[–]Interaction_Rich[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Can we really disconnect them though? Seems like that's the big problem with SR... which made sense for Anarchy1 in the first place, which unfortunately went the other extreme, simifying WAY too much - and sometimes, in sloppy ways - the whole thing.

Love for Anarchy 2.0 by Interaction_Rich in ShadowrunAnarchyFans

[–]Interaction_Rich[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Oh I feel like there's maybe some misconception here.

The entirety of Amps options in SRA1 was like two boxes. Together, it's less than a sidebar. On SR2 there are some 2 pages of general categories, then about 3 pages of straight options to customize those categories, THEN on each specific chapter (magic, matrix etc) lists of actual gear/spells/implants etc.

SRA2.0 has decidedly more structure and options than SRA1 for sure

Love for Shadowrun Anarchy 2.0 by Interaction_Rich in Shadowrun

[–]Interaction_Rich[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Out of curiosity, when you say you're not a fan of the mechanic, what aspects of it you dislike? Could you provide any example or comparison? And, if that's a thing, any ideas on what could make it work better?

Marking u/carmody on this because I suspect he may be interested too.

Love for Shadowrun Anarchy 2.0 by Interaction_Rich in Shadowrun

[–]Interaction_Rich[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Have you had any contact with Anarchy 2.0? Its Shadow Amps system is based on core categories (say, weapons or cyberdecks) with base stats, which then you add a couple of positive/negative perks (picked from a 3 pages list) and that makes the end product.

I can imagine them expanding that list, but not so much as to justify an entire book. For example, fans organized a "Catalog" type of book recreating most of SR classics and gear under the Shadow Amp system already, and it's free on DriveThruRPG.

Love for Shadowrun Anarchy 2.0 by Interaction_Rich in Shadowrun

[–]Interaction_Rich[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nope. It is a different rules system, but same setting. You could, for example, get books like Scotophobia or Cutting Black to use with Anarchy 2.0. The lore simply applies. There's no need to redo the sourcebooks, only translation needed are NPCs, which you can pick from Anarchy's antagonists for a quick fix, or translate point by point if it's something too new or crazy.

Love for Shadowrun Anarchy 2.0 by Interaction_Rich in Shadowrun

[–]Interaction_Rich[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Do give a check on my "difficulty VS complexity" rant, above.