[DW] The Desolation of Innocence (RPG OOC Thread)

[Mazer Rackham]

7 minutes ago, Lysimachus said:

1. Might be an idea to widen the corridors to 2 tiles so players can pass each other?
2. Hmm, the question that comes to me now is how would Philemon's Heavy Flamer work?
3. I think the trouble is that there are probably all sorts of interactions like that that we haven't though of yet that will be made more confusing if we use tiles (Weapons ranges, Short and Long Range, Support Range, etc, etc).

I've bulleted the points here for ease of reply:

1. I was considering that, hence the double-width ones, but the single ones make it truer to the board game, cramping you up and  murdering  er, hampering you in some of the zones and forcing you to decide on order of march
2. Good question.  Sections or rooms could be flammenwerfed, but it takes the realism out.
3. Yes, another concern on my list, the movement ones being the major headache.

The balance/compromise here is the readability of the map, as Necro pointed out, and the signposting given by the markers.  I'll see what other maps/tiles I have in my arsenal.  To be honest, this was always the part I was concerned by.

[A.T.]

10 minutes ago, Lysimachus said:

My gut feeling is it might be easiest to go back to your original plan of 0.5m grid? We still get some movement (8 squares as a half move isn't terrible?) and it keeps things simpler? Plus, Terminators are meant to be slow (edit: and Genestealers scary fast!) so we'll just have to think more carefully about how we want to use our Actions?

I had interpreted the original 1x1 grid as meaning 1m per small 'sub' tile - so ~11m from Luthais to the first blip and 16-17m to the second blip.

6m per 'large' square tile making it 60-ish metres for the squad to move from the stat position to the final tile.

I think possibly that the scope of the current map is what is throwing things off. In tabletop space hulk you have much longer lines of fire where the assault units are holding back to defend the ranged units covering those lines of fire. Here at 0.5m per small square a character could run the entire board in two turns and there are no lines of fire.

 

[Mazer Rackham]

Yes, also something I'm bearing in mind.

The encounter was designed as something of a running battle under pressure, akin to the boarding scenes in Astartes, whilst you fought your way to Rally Point Knight.

[Necronaut]

Well sorry for having opened a terrible can of worms! I agree with @Mazer Rackham regarding his original design intent, trying to hew closer to the narrow and claustrophobic hallway layout of the boardgame.

Without messing your map up too much, Mazer, (and sorry if my unsolicited suggestions are counter-productive) you could possibly cover up squares along the edges of the tileset with black rectangles (depending upon the graphics software you're using), making the hallways narrower, and/or possibly scale up the size of our character tokens a bit (not super important) to give us a visual queue about the bulkiness of our characters relative to the hallway.

 

Additionally, the tileset you're using looks great and seems like a good modular set to use. If you want to charge ahead with this encounter as-is, then I think that's fine and we can chalk it up as further playtesting for an unorthodox (and really cool) format. 

 

[Mazer Rackham]

11 minutes ago, Necronaut said:

1. Well sorry for having opened a terrible can of worms! I agree with @Mazer Rackham regarding his original design intent, trying to hew closer to the narrow and claustrophobic hallway layout of the boardgame.
2. Additionally, the tileset you're using looks great and seems like a good modular set to use. If you want to charge ahead with this encounter as-is, then I think that's fine and we can chalk it up as further playtesting for an unorthodox (and really cool) format. 

Just again to answer these in context:

1. To be honest, it's not opening up a can of worms so much as it's exposing the problems
2. Yes, we're definitely finding our way, very similarly to Only War: Xenos. My grand 4d chess strategy is to invent new stuff for an old game, get as much of it right as possible, and have people quote us.

Another consideration we have is that big maps mean big windows and uploads.  For mobile users, forget it.  To have adequate lines of fire and movement could be problematic.  For now, I'm going to keep the game paused whilst I have the day off to work the problem until I'm happy with it.

[Petragor]

A new Deathwatch game? Pretty cool Mazer. How is it going so far?

[Mazer Rackham]

Hello Petragor, hope you're well sir.

In answer to your query...

Swimmingly..!

[Lysimachus]

Ah, nothing like a sit down and a nice cup of tea...

[Mazer Rackham]

I'm having trouble sorting anything - it's the scale, the program I'm using and the limitations I'm working to.

I do have some paid for maps but they're more for roll20 or DnD (although one of them is a corker), so what I think I'll do, is move you all to Rally Point Knight, where you can have the MOAB and we'll fill in the move there narratively.

I'll segment up the battlemap for the bits you're actually  dying  fighting on, and let you know the situation up ahead.

Once the Rally Point Knight encounter is finished, Mission 1 will be over.

[Necronaut]

Oh hell I'm sorry mate, and everyone else. I really didn't mean to cause such a fuss. :(

[Mazer Rackham]

Don't sweat it bud, Better to get the problems out of the way now!

Gird thy loins for battle! 

EDIT: Post updated.

Edited July 12, 2022 by Mazer Rackham

[Machine God]

Looking at the Map. Have entered the room from the left door which then sealed shut as we pass through?

[Mazer Rackham]

No, through the bottom door, which closed after you.  It isn't sealed, but you can do that on a Challenging (+0) Tech Use Test.

I've updated the IC post to reflect this, and you can do the test outside Initiative step.

[Trokair]

8 hours ago, Petragor said:

A new Deathwatch game? Pretty cool Mazer. How is it going so far?

Well, let’s see, we have killed 8 enemies I think, had a near TPK twice, wrap distortions on our map so bad the GM had to rescue us by moving the plot forward and teleporting the team to safty, so a Tuesday I guess. :P

[Mazer Rackham]

I don't know if Tro is sitting, or standing, but I'll tell you this:

He ain't lying!

[Trokair]

Is Nergüi considered to be aware of GS1? If so I’ll attempt to doge.

Also how do force fields interact with melee attacks?

[Mazer Rackham]

Yes, there is no surprise round, and the Stealer was on your auspex, so you are aware.  I would have declared surprise very definitely otherwise.

With forcefields it works like this:

1. You may use normal Reaction (Dodge if you so choose, alternatively you may Parry).
2. If you do not choose to Dodge/cannot Dodge, or you fail to Dodge/Parry, your field activates.
3. You then roll against each hit using your highest Forcefield Protection Rating AKA, your PR.

So, in your example you would roll your Rosarius PR of 50 against any hit you didn't Dodge or Parry.

Think of it as an invulnerable or ward save on the tabletop.  It works against Range and Melee.

Is that any help?

Edited July 13, 2022 by Mazer Rackham

[Trokair]

Thanks, just wanted to get the sequence clear in my mind.

[Mazer Rackham]

Don't blame you, it's quite fiddly and the Core Rulebook explains it a bit clumsily.

[Machine God]

I see the Blue Line has attracted the Blips...

[Trokair]

Since Nergüi is now in combat with the GS1 and has used his reaction to doge can I still use use All Out Attack this round?

 

[Lysimachus]

Ooh, that's an interesting question! The wording doesn't say anything about whether you've already Dodged... just that you can't Dodge until your next turn! So RAW you can do an All-out Attack... but I'm not sure about the RAI... 

[Trokair]

Hence my question. I'd lean towards RAI as RAW can  ofthen lead to plain stupid stuff. 

GM call/statment please. 

 

Also with Squad mode and your note in the most recent post, is it just the player that initiated a squad mode that has to sustain it, or do all members who are in the squad mode have to declare they are sustaining it each round?  

Edited July 14, 2022 by Trokair

[Mazer Rackham]

The short answer is yes, because you forfeit the Reaction of your next turn.  The 'Turn' resets as the 'Round' completes.

This is RAW and RAI, since it basically means you sit there like a practice dummy for the next round, the enemy beating on you.

In other news, I am now describing the type of Genestealers you're facing: Genestealer (PS) is a Purestrain for example.  Different Stealers will have different colour codes, and their initials will clue you in to the genetype, found in the Roster Briefing.

Don't eat the purple ones.

EDIT: SQDM: Only the person who called the SQDM needs to declare Sustainment.

Edited July 14, 2022 by Mazer Rackham

[Machine God]

Squad Leader decides whether to stay in a Squad Mode (if it is Sustainable) or whether to change the Squad Mode. Squad Members may leave Squad Mode and go into Solo Mode if they wish, they can't end Squad Mode.