'Blood Bounty: Session- Bordello of ND-N6

[Adam Dray]

I'm just a bit confused why a player would get pissed at another player for this kind of behavior when it's pretty much expected that everyone plays that way. I can see why characters would get pissed at other characters -- and that sounds like a lot of fun in the spirit of the game -- but it'd be like me getting pissed at another player in Monopoly for making me pay rent on his hotels.

[Sifolis]

Its not "expected" for a player to be a lowly asshole who stabs you in the back...nor is it mandatory for a player to be a team-player...but both are allowed. thats why people some times get pissed...

in monoply you are expected to make people pay to land on boardwalk if you own it...but if the object of the game was to say "keep everyone rich" with the option of charging people if "needed in emergency" then only an asshole would charge you if you landed on boardwalk and they didnt need the cash...

what im saying is..every  mission in bloodbounty begins with you FCOs signing and swearing to uphold the law, be professional and work with the group....but there are bad cops and there are good cops...when a player criminally breaks a contract to kill an NPC enemy that was close to killing the whole party...people dont mind...hey, it saved our lives.

but when a player breaks contract at the end of a mission, to slaughter the entire party, take the money and run with it, by shooting everyone in the back or detonating a bomb they slipped in your back-pack, then well the whole table might explod with pissed off players.

the anger at such a player is usually never so serious that they can not be forgiven or trusted under another FCO characture...but imagin this.

one mission me and two others survived a brutal raid on a weapon's dealer who was selling palsic-warheads. we lost the entire party (save for us three) to a lawless gun battle that ripped bones and skin, leaving our comrads to bleed to death as we fought to kill the gun-men who were positioned on the cat-walks of he warehouse we raided.
The mission's contract said the pay-rate for a successful job was 1-million-cred to split among who ever returns succsessful.
We were all so happy, 3 people returning out of 8...the split was a huge fortune. but not huge enough. So while we were driving the hover-car across the city i cast a spell on each in a surprise action. i cast "coma" on both (think sleep), they both failed to save vs. falling alseep.
Then i guided the ship towards a building and ejected, allowing them to crash into a building, dieing instantly. why? cus i wanted the money....both players spent the day watching my back, fighting alongside my FCO, one even gave me medical attention that saved my life...but i still stabbed them in the back and got a full-idenity change through the black market.
would that piss you off? possibly..it was one of the highest pay-rates ever at our table...these poor two dudes where being so nice and helpful..and they were repayed by me stealing the whole cash-cow and killing them in an underhanded way.

that FCO died the next game due to an overdose of a drug called "Black", and he was never found....rotted in a sewer with his fortune never to be found again...oh well...the game after that, the whole party got along and we were all fine..why?? cus thats bloodbounty....no one runs forever.

does this make u understand more or am i just repeating myself? i fear im repeating.

[John Harper]

Hey Sif,

Do you have an example like that in the book? It would be cool if you did. It shows how backstabbing and betrayal is part of the game. Sure, you can get pissed about it in the moment, like, "Dammit! I was so close until you screwed me! You bastard!" but there's a kind of smile in there with the momentary annoyance. And, like you said in the other thread, grudges and revenge across characters are expected and encouraged. So, if you stab my guy in the back on this mission, my next FCO just might not give you first aid next time around -- even if the FCOs have changed, our grudge as players stands.

Cool stuff.

[Adam Dray]

but when a player breaks contract at the end of a mission, to slaughter the entire party, take the money and run with it, by shooting everyone in the back or detonating a bomb they slipped in your back-pack, then well the whole table might explod with pissed off players.

the anger at such a player is usually never so serious that they can not be forgiven or trusted under another FCO characture...but imagin this.

I dunno. That situation seems like you end up with a table full of pissed off gamers who just spent about 6 hours of their free time only to end up having no fun. If the game tells players to expect this shit to happen, that's one thing. If it doesn't say anything about such behavior and then players feel blindsided and have no fun, then I think that's a deficiency of the rules.

I think, if you're gonna write a game that rewards Turnin', then expect players to turn on each other and let them know that it's going to happen. Maybe put some limits on it or maybe tie it into the reward system so that players can see -- right there on the frickin' XP list -- how many XP they get for shooting another PC. Can't say you didn't see it coming if it's on the XP list.

In the end, each individual player has to decide if it'll be fun to play a game where another player is likely to blast you for an extra share of the take. You just have to let them know it's not only possible, but it's bloody likely.

[Sifolis]

i understand what you are saying..but keep in mind...im mostly talking about the bad times...many players side with each other, team up, become family or brethren of style or class. there are many other apsects to the game then PK-ing each other all day....but it does happen...

and yes, the rules state this..clearly...there is no blind-sideing. the game was designed, play tested for close to a decade, played by about (id guess) 60-80 players so far....one of our artists has worked for white-wolf and many of our players are huge rpg-junkies who care for strong game design and a balenced matrix...

i promise two things

1- almost all players who have join our game have admitted to being addicted and claiming the game is the best design they have seen...did i mention the few players we have who have gotten FCO tattoos?

2- not all people will enjoy our game...its violent, gutsy, egar to shock and littered with material that warrent a "R rateing".

yes, the rules all fully detail not only the back-drop of the world we have created (with thousands of items, technologies, magics, divine powers, etc) but also the gore-torn paths that the game can play out on.

ive seen many tables agree to be honest and friendly, and to protect each other..and they did so. ive also seen FCOs who were total savages or murderous madmen.

once you start playing BB, its not uncommen to build a bull-pen of 10-30 FCOs of your own to play and enjoy...each game would begin with you choosing who your playing that day...if you have 20 charactures....its not long before you say

"yknow...all my guys are nice, and team players. im gunna run a psycho for once"

The game lacks the long plot-line type of play like D&D , but it has more then enough charm when played for its action and amazing one-of-a-kind setting.

theres so much that hasnt been disscussed so i understand your doubts or concerns...but having played many rpgs, as well as running BB for a decade with dozens and dozens of players....me and many others are proud to say our game can hold its own at any table...some people may not enjoy what we have made...saddly, our game was made to interest the wicked minded types who love blowing big holes in even bigger monsters.

i really hope to have it ready for sale within 2007. thats our goal. i hope the few here who really want to shed some blood in the Bloodbounty New-verse will pick a book up....

the first book will be everything needed to run a game of BB. including monsters, magics, weapons, history, rules, gear and gods. but we have an huge list of books that will be released to be used with the BB game...if all works our well.

our team has nothing but our eyes set on the prize.

[Adam Dray]

Don't get me wrong: I think your game is cool. I think it unabashedly fills a hole that so many game designs step into with only one foot. I mean, saying "Make up a stable of FCOs because you'll go through them like a hot knife through butter" means that players come to the table with less invested in their character. That can be a bad thing in many games, but I think in Blood Bounty, it works. You don't get so attached to your character and when your buddy shoots him in the back at the head in the last five minutes of the session, it's easier to laugh about it. And if Bob doesn't show up to play, the "campaign" doesn't grind to a halt because his character is vital. Game play sounds zany, violent, and fun.

I'm just wondering what can be done in the rules to make sure it stays on the fun side and helps players not be so pissed off when one player turns on another. I don't want to discourage the behavior necessarily, just make sure players expect it. And it sounds like you've done that.