Atomic Storm (A Pulp Role-Playing Game in the Apocalyptic Past): Broad Mechanics

[The_Confessor]

Greetings,

A little more than two years ago, I designed a game called S3: Seafaring, Swashbuckling, & Style. Looking back on it, I see the game as a great one-shot game that doesn't lend itself well to campaign and long term play. Based on that assessment, I decided to try to expand the system and possibly the setting and create a real "long term" game.

The original concept behind S3 was a game that captured the swashbuckling genre by creating a fast mechanic where the players didn't have to worry about death or failure. Instead of failing, the characters only "complicated" the situation. I looked at this concept and the genre it was applied to realized how much the swashbuckling genre had in common with pulp.

Then I thought about other pulp games out there. Crimson Skies in particular stuck in my mind. I loved the "alternate history" aspect of Crimson Skies and began to run with that basic premise. Slowly, Atomic Storm took shape.

Atomic Storm: A Pulp Role-Playing Game in the Apocalyptic Past is set in the year 1949. The basic premise is that the nuclear tests in Los Alamos created a powerful, poisonous electrical storm that since atomic testing has begun to spread across the country. In the wake of that storm, scientists have used this new-found science to create flying cities above the storms. These became known as Sky Cities. Those who aren't killed by the storm have fled east. As all the refugees fled east, the eastern US became over-populated and the economy (already damaged as it lost alot of its western resources), couldn't handle the "boom" in population. The refugees, using nuclear technology they brought with them, used pulp-tech style weapons to sieze control of many southern states. After assassinating President Truman, things finally degenerated into a Civil War. As the war escilated both Texas and Florida declared themselves independent of either side. Meanwhile, as the years began to pass and the storm grew, the Sky Cities began assaulting one another in a desperate need for resources.

So basically, the entire country is a mess. The next question, is of course, what do the players do? I wanted to create a setting that gave the players alot of campaign avenues. They could be involved in the wars over the atomic storm between the sky cities. They could be assisting the refugees or the remains of america in the civil war. They could be on the edge of the storm trying to fight its growing power. Also rumors of a secret city in the grand canyon spread across the country, and a rising fear of atom-fueled retribution from the now storm-wracked Japan.

Now we get to the mechanic. Using S3 as a base, I changed the three attributes from Seafaring, Swashbuckling and Style to Flying, Daring, and Style. Flying covers anything to do with the sky. Reparing or flying planes, etc. Daring covers physical acts of heroes. Fighting or leaping onto a speeding train, etc. Style covers anything that's social. From a quick insult to a delicate seduction, that's Style.

Each Attribute has three parts: an action die, a complication die and a certain number of plot points.

When a player makes a character there are three basic steps.
1) Determine Attributes
2) Select Edges and Problems
3) Select Obsessions

Determining Attributes
Once you've decided what kind of character concept you want, you need to arrange your three attributes in the order of Primary, Secondary and Tertiary. This determines the Action Die and Complication Die of each attribute. These two dice are seperated on the sheet by a slash ( / ). The Primary attribute is listed at d20/d12. The secondary attribute is listed at d10/d8. The tertiary attribute is listed at 1d6/1d6.


Edges and Problems
After Action and Complication dice have been determined, the player recieves 10 Plot Points, which can be spent on Edges or saved for later.

Edges and Problems are basically like every other "Merit & Flaw" system in other RPGs. Edges give you bonuses and little extras for your character. Owning a jet pack might be a 1pt Edge, while owning a Zepplin might be a 5pt Edge. A character may spend as many points as they like on Edges.

Problems are difficulties in your character's life. Taking a Problem gives you more Plot Points. A 1pt Problem might be a cantankerous bi-plane, while a 5pt problem is something that affects you in a major way, every day. A character may never take more than 5 points in Problems.

Plot Points may be saved. If this is done, they are listed next to an attribute of the player's choice. These points may be arranged between the three attributes, anywhere between 0 and 5 points in any attribute. The detail of these points will be explained later. Basically, they may later be used for action manipulation and narrative control.

Obsessions
Each character recieves 5 points to spend on Obsessions. Obsessions are things that motivate your character. Over-riding, important goals that are specific in nature. Things like "Keep Jenny out of Danger" are examples, while "Keep on flying" is too broad. "Discover the lost city of the Grand Canyon" might be one, but "Become famous" isn't. Up to five points may be spent on a single obsession, or the character can have several minor ones. Generally, the more points spent on the obsession, the more important it is to the character. This mechanic is very much inspired by Wraith: The Oblivion.

Example Character Creation
John decides he's going to make a character for Atomic Storm. He has always been a fan of the Rocketeer, so he decides to make a jet pack wearing two-fisted hero.

He selects Daring as his primary attribute, Flying as his secondary attribute and Style as his tertiary attribute. This makes them Daring d20/d12, Flying d10/d8, Style d6/d6.

Next, he decides what to do with his Plot Points. He immediately spends 1 plot point to purchase a personal jet pack. Keeping it simple, John puts the remaining nine points into his attribute plot points. To keep it balanced, he puts 3 plot points into each attribute.

Finally, John moves on to the character's obsessions. He decides that the character is concerned with protecting both his girlfriend and his little brother. So he takes "Protect Little Brother 3" and "Protect Girlfriend 2".

John's done. Naming his character Clayton Baxter, he prepares to play.

Game Mechanics
The mechanics of Atomic Storm are pretty simple. Any time a character does something that takes signifigant risk, the GM decides which of the three attributes applies. The player then rolls both the Action Die and the Complication Die. If the Action Die exceeds or equals the number on the Complication Die, the action is a success. If the Complication Die comes up higher than the Action Die, the action becomes Complicated.

In pulp stories and serials, heroes rarely simply fail. Usually, they complicate matters. Instead of simply failing at the complicated piloting manuever, someone who has Complicated their Flying roll has accidentally put themselves directly in the line of fire of their enemy.

Both successful and complicated actions are normally narrated by the GM. A character can spend Plot Points to change this. Plot Points can be used to either change a Complication into a success, narrate their own success, or narrate their own complication. It is important to note that a player may only choose one of these options. So for example, a player could not turn a complication into a success, and then narrate their own success. Whenever a player wants to spend Plot Points to do any one of these things, he and the GM get into a bidding war. The player may bid any number of Plot Points to achieve one of these affects. The GM may counter bit with a pool of plot points determined by the scene's Difficulty Pool. These typically range from 0 - 10, but can go upwards as high as 15. Basically, the PC and GM engage in a bidding war until one side wins. All points bid are spent. If the PC wins, he is able to do whichever of the three options he wanted. If the GM wins, he retains control of the situation.

The only rules of narrative control is that a player cannot directly influence any other NAMED PC or NPC. That's to say that a player with narrative control can state that they manage to get perfect aim on their opponent, but they can't say that they shoot him dead in one shot. This rule applies to named NPCs and PCs only. If their just mooks or simply known by a title ("Mercs" or "Pilots"), then they're little more than plot devices.

When a player gets into a bidding war with the GM to influence a situation that directly involves their obsession, they recieve a number of plot points equal to their obsession rating that is automatically applied to their first bid. Even after these points are applied, they are not spent. They are constant modifieres to certain bidding wars.

Character Growth
Characters may increase their Attributes, learn new Edges, or buy off old flaws by spending Plot Points, which are awarded at the end of ever session. The exact nature and cost of how they are awarded has yet to be determined.

Design Questions, Concerns, & Problems
So far, I like what I have. I have several concerns. I'd like to incorporate a kind of pulp-tech system, for players who want to play gadgeteers, but I'm not sure how to apply it to the mechanic. I've been bouncing the idea of a "Gadgeteer" attribute that can be purchased as an Edge (beginning at a rating of 1d4/1d6), but I'm not certain how to apply it to the settting. That being said, I'm also concerned that the mechanic is actually too light, or too fast to sustain a campaign.

I'm very interested in opinions, concerns, criticisms, ideas, and any insight anyone might have. Thanks!

[Rothe]

This sounds like a really interesting game concept and mechanic.  I like the setting and the mechanics although I'd call myself a gamist/simulationist-light.  Your mechanics seem about right for the narrative approach your taking.  The Gadgeteer Edge also sounds like a good idea. Maybe you can flavor this with the priamary attribute, e.g., gageteers with primary flying are excellent at building jetpacks and fixing planes and those with primary daring are excellent at weapons, personal gagdets and dealing with traps.   

[Josh Roby]

Do players earn Plot Points in play, or do they only have this starting pool that might be 10, might be 0?  Do Plot Points replenish?

[The_Confessor]

Plot Points are rewrarded at the end of a session or story by the GM.

[Steve Mitchell]

Where are the mutants, and what are the Russians doing?

[The_Confessor]

Actually, the mutants were an issue I'd long wondered about. I even considered, for a time, making the refugees mutants. I've got so much going on in the setting already, that I worry that adding mutants (at least immediately) would only bog it down further.

I also hadn't considered (beyond some vague ideas for Japan), what the rest of the world was doing.

These kinds of broad-scope questions make me wonder if my mechanic is strong enough to support such vastly different ideas and situations that fit into the world.

[Steve Mitchell]

It sounds like there's enough going on just in the dis-United States to keep the players busy for quite some time.  Soviet Russia probably has its staggering problems to deal with, although the situation there could be presented as some kind of vague threat, as you are thinking about for Japan.

But the mutants--if this is retro-pulp "When Atoms Go Bad" SF, yeah, you've just got to have mutants.  Maybe not a lot of them, maybe more as objects of pity rather than as a new power elite.  But no SF pulp from the 1940s or early 1950s would have featured an atomic disaster or holocaust without tossing in some mutants.

A very cool idea, by the way; I hope you can develop this some more.

[Eric Provost]

Why are "Keep flying" and "Become famous" unacceptable Obsessions?

-Eric

[Eric J. Boyd]

I really like the Action/Complication Dice mechanic--perfect for the feel of the pulps.

In looking over the use of plot points, the bidding mechanics between the player and GM seem to result in the potential for a lot of plot points being spent whenever they are used (even if unsuccessfully). A lot is left to GM fiat. Pulp heroes rarely have trouble with anyone but named opponents, as you recognize in constraining player narration. You could consider allowing players to spend a single plot point freely without opposing GM bids whenever the situation involves mooks or other basic actions (to prevent whiff factor or allow the players to make their characters look cool with easy stuff), and reserve the opposed bids only for when the named opponents or dramatic deathtraps appear.

Looks really good so far.