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12:43, 29th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Welcome to Sin City (Criminal Sandbox Playtest) [ADULT]

Posted by steelsmiter
steelsmiter
member, 2040 posts
BESM, Fate, Indies, PBTA
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Thu 22 Aug 2019
at 16:55
  • msg #1

Welcome to Sin City (Criminal Sandbox Playtest) [ADULT]

So I've tried to test my system in the past and have had minimal actual complaint about the system, but not much in the way of informative playtesting. After random discussion of it with normies I have decided to make changes
  • It's no longer d10 dice pool, now it's 2d10+Attribute. It kind of bugs me that this isn't based on a percentage, but it's far simpler.
  • Attributes are still based on GTA online's attribute, except that there is no flying attribute any more. Flying is a penalty on the driving attribute that can be bought off with an advantage.
  • The universe is expanded now to account for the fact that some criminal sandbox games include the supernatural/aliens/magic/psy/supers/cyberpunk (and one franchise in particular contains pretty much all of that)
  • Vehicles are entirely based on points now so you emulate this or that vehicle by determining how much the real vehicle is and that tells you (up to 1.6 million dollars) what the points are. I could probably tweak this, but it's better than what I had.


The thing is I'm not sure what I want to run with it. I've tried franchise specific stories but they kind of fall into the problem where nobody's really on the same page about what parts of the franchise should or shouldn't shine through. This may also be the case with a non-franchise playtest (e.g. what parts of the campaign setting/EU to use).

So I'm here asking about what to run with the system. Questions, comments, and concerns welcome.
This message was last updated by the user at 15:00, Thu 29 Aug 2019.
Tarrakhash
member, 131 posts
Danish is my pastry
and I will use it!
Thu 22 Aug 2019
at 17:54
  • msg #2

Revamped Criminal Sandbox Playtest (ADULT)

So, having played in the last playtest, there is a lot of potential here for gang based mayhem. Fun driving around, shooting people who stand in your way and lots of chance to say 'muhahahaha' while being a bad guy.

I kind of enjoyed the Saints Row feel we started with but I think it might be helpful to create characters as a group.so they have ties and are more...complimentary. It's always a bit of a crap shoot when you play bad guys that you get all the people who want to play lone wolves.

So perhaps something where all the people start in the same gang/organized crime family?
steelsmiter
member, 2041 posts
BESM, Fate, Indies, PBTA
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Thu 22 Aug 2019
at 19:01
  • msg #3

Re: Revamped Criminal Sandbox Playtest (ADULT)

Tarrakhash:
It's always a bit of a crap shoot when you play bad guys that you get all the people who want to play lone wolves.

So perhaps something where all the people start in the same gang/organized crime family?

I HATE lone wolves. It's probably true that members of the same crime family would help. Or at least the same gang/set or whatever. Members of the same heist crew, perhaps... If they're literally in the same family there's a bit less freedom re: names, ethnic diversity, and the like, but that wouldn't be so bad if they're just part of the same crew.

At present, the game doesn't do anything like a lot of the recent games do of establishing ties with each other. That was a design intent with the idea behind it being to create social situations for the players to overcome and grow together through the experience (e.g. when a GTA character was revealed to be a CI with the feds, his pals should have shot him on the spot but they overcame, or at least that's supposed to be the assumed story). So far people haven't really done much with it.

It seems that I may have to do something like ties anyway though, because otherwise you get situations where certain characters should die, but we're arbitrarily not making that happen, because they're being played by a player.

That's a thing I'm willing to work out in this playtest.
Risky Kisses
member, 30 posts
Tired of being an Adult..
...already.
Thu 22 Aug 2019
at 20:31
  • msg #4

Re: Revamped Criminal Sandbox Playtest (ADULT)

I'd love to get involved in a playtest with this, one way or the other. I have a blast seeing what other folk are trying to do with new and engaging systems.

Count me in, and send me a notification when you move forward?
steelsmiter
member, 2042 posts
BESM, Fate, Indies, PBTA
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Fri 23 Aug 2019
at 01:50
  • msg #5

Re: Revamped Criminal Sandbox Playtest (ADULT)

If I get enough people interested here, I'll drop the link here. Ideally about 5 people, but I often take fewer.
Tarrakhash
member, 133 posts
Danish is my pastry
and I will use it!
Sat 24 Aug 2019
at 14:25
  • msg #6

Re: Revamped Criminal Sandbox Playtest (ADULT)

What kind of eras are you thinking of focusing on?

I know the last game was pretty modern, which is my preference....I like modern to future. Preferably with a little Zany like Saints Row.

Is that the theme you are considering this time around?
steelsmiter
member, 2043 posts
BESM, Fate, Indies, PBTA
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Sat 24 Aug 2019
at 14:40
  • msg #7

Re: Revamped Criminal Sandbox Playtest (ADULT)

Tarrakhash:
What kind of eras are you thinking of focusing on?

I know the last game was pretty modern, which is my preference....I like modern to future. Preferably with a little Zany like Saints Row.

Is that the theme you are considering this time around?

I'm not particularly picky about the era, but a... we'll say contemporary or later game would allow me to use more of the rules in the book. The Saints Row series was a major influencer for me writing the book, but I'm not sure how zany I'll get. If I'm to use the 11d10-10 Random Event Generator, there's a non-zero, but still miniscule chance aliens or demons might invade. If I use certain aspects of the EU, then non-human sentients exist and it's up for discussion which ones in particular.

I'm looking at starting the game in Sin City regardless of what I do with the EU though. I just need more opinions on era and content.
This message was last edited by the user at 14:56, Sat 24 Aug 2019.
Tarrakhash
member, 134 posts
Danish is my pastry
and I will use it!
Fri 30 Aug 2019
at 11:39
  • msg #8

Re: Revamped Criminal Sandbox Playtest (ADULT)

Hmmm, not a whole lot of opinions it seems. Contemporary is pretty cool, particularly some of the vehicles that makes available with the piloting options.

Content wise I'm happy with a sandboxy feel where we can grow our criminal empire/influence with perhaps a smattering of plot to keep us on track. Kind of almost a skyrim-esque feel where quest is perhaps just a little more urgent but with plenty of 'side-quests' to keep us busy getting all the cool bling/clothing/vehicles we can take off of the poor citizens of Sin City...
steelsmiter
member, 2045 posts
BESM, Fate, Indies, PBTA
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Fri 30 Aug 2019
at 14:17
  • msg #9

Re: Revamped Criminal Sandbox Playtest (ADULT)

Well, someone who's part of the development of the game has given me an idea that maybe everyone's employed by the same strip club. I'm inclined to do it this way because that allows people to not be stuck with everyone having the same last name, but everyone still has the unifying factor of being high enough ranked within the company to know what it does in the background where OSHA and other agencies aren't necessarily looking.
steelsmiter
member, 2067 posts
BESM, Fate, Indies, PBTA
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Thu 31 Oct 2019
at 06:08
  • msg #10

Re: Revamped Criminal Sandbox Playtest (ADULT)

So in the intervening time since my last post, I've been thinking about the assassination of President Kenneth Fitzgerald Johnson and really leaning into some of the more mystical conspiracy theories of the real world JFK. Whether it kicks off the game, or the players stumble on the plot and try to stop it would be an interesting scenario to play out. Of course it's in Sin City rather than Dallas, so there's much better case for strong demonic implications. At the moment, those are just implications. As a result, I decided to flesh out the opposition gang leaders members of this game will be facing. (also apologies if you guys have problems with the same person bumping a post)
Bella Berry
"Lucky" Luke Haught
Nathan Levi
Dr. James Bell
Daniel "Deuce" Asmo
Jeffrey "Bubba" Beals
Ann "Ma" Simms

I have not decided what their group affiliations are (names of gangs or front businesses within their purview, etc.) I feel this can be discussed during play. The person who originally got me inspired to try to get this scenario played wanted to write a character who owned a delicatessen that was also a speakeasy and a strip club. It'd be particularly amusing to me if Bubba owns a Southern Comfort Food™ Diner and is in competition with one ran by Food Scientist Dr. James Bell. Probably wouldn't want everyone to run a restaurant front gang though.
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