A quick set of qualifiers and additional thoughts for this post (which in turn derived from this post - these form a loose trilogy), sadly not the full kit list and map, which is still coming.
I would like to draw attention to this essay, about the practice of a Spanish contemporary artist, and especially to its descriptions of the gallery as a 'trap-scape', and the 'gyropolitical' logics of mutual and predictive overcompensation.
Move + Action
The more I think about it, the more I think that move + action is not the best way to do this (hoping to have a playtest soon to actually stress test some of these assumptions) - since most of the player interaction with the world will be in setting, tweaking, and reading their various sensors, I think giving players infinite sensor interaction each turn, along the arc of their movement, makes more sense. Sensor readouts are per turn anyway, and you can still only fire Da Big Gun once.
Piloting a drone means that the drone gets your turn, not you. If it doesn't have a camera or lidar or something attached to it, you will have to pilot it blind, or within your own FOV. You might well use your floorplan to do this.
Situational Awareness
All Degraders automatically see scanners and other devices within 20ft while sneaking, or 10ft while moving normally. Degraders are blind to devices while sprinting.
Sensors Cont.
Sensors are all described using the following standardised profile.
- Power: low/standard/high. 'Standard' follows the rules in the first post: they requires wiring in or attached batteries to function - small batteries last ten turns, large batteries last forever. 'Low' can be powered forever on small batteries. 'High' needs to be wired in, batteries are insufficient.
- Penetrating: low/high. 'Low' means that walls block the scanner's 'bubble'. High means that the bubble penetrates walls. Lead lining blocks all scanners of all types (it blocks transmissions as well).
- Range: basic(x), sphere(x), directional(x), cascading(x, y). 'Basic' means that the AOE can be set to radiate from the sensor in a sphere, out to [x]ft, or set to radiate in a fixed direction 90 degree cone, out to 2[x]ft. Sphere means that it can only be set to sphere, directional means it can only be set to cone. Cascading means that it can be set as basic, and additionally adds [y]ft to its range each turn, for three turns, after being set.
- Size: 1/10 slot, 1/3 slot, 1 slot, 2 slots. Given in inventory slots, and may be variable if you wish to add features of tweak a specific piece of gear.
- Passive Sensors: noise, heat, movement, electrics, heartbeat, particle. A passive sensor describes its AOE (using its range and penetration), and then describes pings inside that range, outputting via radio by default, or by wire if wired to do so. A moving source of ping will have its entire trajectory inside the AOE described by the sensor (you will get the 'path' that it traces).
- Active Projectors: lidar, scrambler, jammer. A active sensor describes its AOE using its range and penetration, and then subjects that AOE to the effects of its rays. For Lidar, it builds an image of what the rays physically encounter, and sends this back as an image. For a scrambler, it permanently destroys any switched on electronics in its AOE. Scramblers are assumed to 'pulse' at the start of each turn - electrics can move into their AOE, but will be destroyed if they remain there at the start of a turn. For a jammer, it actively blocks radio frequencies from crossing its AOE (can be set to 'all frequencies', or specific frequencies), and will also trace the vector of the frequency that it blocks (not the point it originated from, but the line backwards from contact).
- Cameras are a special category of sensor that output real time video of what they see. They have a fixed FOV, and if they are looking at nothing but darkness they record nothing. Almost the entire map is in darkness! Feed output can go to your rig, or can be sent to a powered screen. Note that cameras do not send pings or track anything, they are purely live feed. If you are not watching a camera, you get nothing from it. There is nothing stopping you pairing one with, say, a movement sensor. You can beam a camera feed into your rig, but only one at a time. Seeing someone moving on camera is not a sufficient 'lock' to fire on them, unless the end their turn visible on that camera - the same logic as other sensors.
1 slot. Can be added to a sensor to render it immune to scramblers. A Degrader's rig is shielded by default, which extends to all inventory while it is worn.
Smell
Particle sensors added to the list, of potentially limited use, except if Degraders smell like shit. I am very back and forth on this. On the one hand, it's a weird and interesting world building thing and quite thematically appropriate if Degraders are assumed to reek badly enough to set off particle alarms, and are unaware of this except as a data point in their sensor suites. On the other hand, it's a very specific (and specifically abject) place to put all the player characters by default, and I like the idea that you could also imagine yourself as a hot sci fi person underneath all the gear, instead of forcing the default to some fucked revenant. More thinking required.
Superlative Pistol
Any Degrader can swap their Superlative Rifle for a Superlative Pistol, which functions identically, with the following adjustments:
- You free up 2 additional INV
- Your shots are adjudicated on a special step before rifles, potentially allowing you to get the jump on other Degraders with the standard loadout.
- The shot from your Pistol is visually and audibly distinct from a Rifle shot - all Degraders will know they are being fired on by a pistol.
- You only have one shot, which you can recharged by plugging the Pistol in at a power supply for three turns.
Also: found an instagib gif! I am tickled by the realisation that designing a map for some people to play this game in will basically mean creating a Deathmatch arena - another fantasy of old, one that I never had the technical knowhow to realise.
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