[MOD Forces] Black Fire

[mratomek]

Finally... Finally I finished the re-write of the rules (formerly Monster Rules), and got my game on.

Last night we started a new storyline with the evil sorcerer Mordreg and his hired muscle Brute entered earth's domain to recover a powerful magical artifact, known as the Black Fire. As they were breaking into the Big City Musuem, two of earth's heroes came to investigate, Man of War and Riot, and the fun began.

The changes to the rules speed the game up quite a bit, less calculation more game. One interesting pairing was between Brute, who simply had a massive Strength at 16 and no other feats or special abilities, and Riot, who had a Brawl power with several feats and special abilities that he could use in various combinations.

The slugout between those two was fun. Brute would simply wail away on Riot, scorring 2-3 wounds of Damage with each attack. Riot used a Taunt (Surprise) + Combo + Berserker combination that would cause a similar 2-3 wounds of Damage with each attack; however, it cost him 1 additional Action to use his combination.

At a key moment, Riot scored a massive 5 Wound hit versus Brute and choose to Cripple his Strength, which would have essentially taken Brute out of the game--but the beast had a Vile Recovery special ability which allowed him to overcome the devistating injury.

Ultimately, Riot had a streak of several very low rolls which led to his demise in Round 5.

On the other hand, Man of War was battling it out with Mordreg. The sorcerer was using his Animate power to control several cars and use them as his Minions, in support of Brute attack Riot. Although the cars were weak, they were able to surround Riot and weaken his defensive capabilites--they also served as a distraction, as Riot had to turn his attention to the cars momentarily to destroy them.

Mordreg also had a powerful Chaos Shield which was both an offensive and defensive power; however, to use it defensively required him using an Action during his Turn to activate it. On occassion, he would forget and Man of War would capitalize on his mistake by throwing everything he had at him.

Both sides used the new "Advantage" Wound, a 1-Wound effect that lowered your opponent's defensive roll by half on the next attack. There were also a few Slams, a Glitch and a Stun used.

Riot and Man of War both had the Tactical special ability which gave them a substantial advantage (it allows them to move out of turn).

In the end, Riots poor rolls and Mordreg smart use of his animated creatures brought down the hero, which left Man of War facing off with both the sorcerer and Brute. Fearing a lost cause, he choose to escape.

The game lasted about 7 Rounds. It was a lot of fun. All the changes worked as anticipated.

[Adam Dray]

This looks like it's a lot of fun. Did you have any questions?

[mratomek]

This looks like it's a lot of fun. Did you have any questions?

Always looking for another playtester, interested?

[Adam Dray]

Yes, but only in a distant "if I had more time" way. I have two games of my own I need to playtest and a pile of other games I want to try out first!

[Ron Edwards]

Hi there,

My question: are characters killed in the fights? You referred to Riot's demise, for example.

If so, why? This seems like a game in which I'd like to be able to play my characters over and over, regardless of outcome for any single fight.

Best, Ron

[mratomek]

Hi there,

My question: are characters killed in the fights? You referred to Riot's demise, for example.

If so, why? This seems like a game in which I'd like to be able to play my characters over and over, regardless of outcome for any single fight.

Best, Ron

Characters are eliminated from a game--and that can mean a lot of different things. In Big City Heroes, a super hero world for MOD Forces where Riot exists, a character is never truly dead, just like the comics. However, a scenario--which would include several games--might stipulate that once a character is eliminated in play, he is eliminated for the rest of the scenario. But that doesn't mean you can't ressurect him or her for the next scenario or when playing with a different opponent or GM.

Part of the game when played in a scenario format, with multiple games, is resource management. Let's say you are allowed to assemble your own super group worth 2500 points. You hopefully have a diverse crowd of characters. As game play proceeds, you will have to tap different sets of heroes/villains that give you the best chance of success--but you will likely also be losing characters as they are eliminated from play.

Towards the end of the scenario, hopefully you have the resources/characters you need to finish the game.