Unsung: Pick Me Apart! Fnord! And, oh, a bit about cops.

[xiombarg]

Okay, I'm waiting on some research materials so I can do some serious playtesting of Unsung with the idea of adding a couple of settings to it and turning it into a PDF.

So, before I start changing thing again, with all the new people on the Forge as of late, I want to give 'em a chance to beat on it in its current form. So, I'm welcoming comments, questions, suggestions, and rude remarks. (I may regret saying that last bit.)

http://www.ivanhoeunbound.com/unsung.html

If anyone wants to beat me to the playtesting phase, please feel free. You'll get a big, wet kiss -- or not, according to your preference.

(For the curious, I want to add a "beat cops in the inner city" sample setting to the game. This is what I'm waiting for research materials on. I think the undeclared war in America's inner cities gives a lot of room for good roleplay that's less "mission-oriented" than a full-on military game, and the stakes when a cop "freaks out" -- which is the heart of the Lapse system, after all -- are very high in that situation.)

[Mike Holmes]

(For the curious, I want to add a "beat cops in the inner city" sample setting to the game. This is what I'm waiting for research materials on. I think the undeclared war in America's inner cities gives a lot of room for good roleplay that's less "mission-oriented" than a full-on military game, and the stakes when a cop "freaks out" -- which is the heart of the Lapse system, after all -- are very high in that situation.)

Inspired at all by The Shield?

Mike

[xiombarg]

Inspired at all by The Shield?

Um, since I don't know if that's a game, a comic, or a TV show, the short answer is: no. However, tell me about it and it may become inspiration. :)

My primary inspiration was real-life stories of the police (especially the "code of silence" and how police react in firefights) and the fact that the inner city contains nearly all the issues I was concerned with when I wrote the original Rise Again, with a healthy helping of TV shows like Homicide: Life of the Streets.

Wait! I think I remember what you're talking about! Clinton's sample cop setting for Paladin, right? Yeah, that had some influence as well -- I had already been thinking about the police in relation to Unsung the moment someone said Unsung would work for any situation where extreme stress is going on, and seeing "The Shield" kinda confirmed that it was very possibly a good idea. (Plus, at least one of my regular players has an extreme distaste for military stuff and I thought she might enjoy playing a cop more.)

[Tony Irwin]

Hey there, I haven't tried playtesting your game yet but I've been reading it with a lot of interest over the past week and I just wanted to say how much I've enjoyed that opportunity and maybe ask you a few questions about it.

First off let me say I was really taken with your idea of linking all violent acts to a Guts roll. I thought this was a tremendous idea and it really seems to underscore your intentions for the game. Combat isn't about who had the best training or who is a more skilled shooter, it comes down to who is actually willing to try and kill another human being. Pretty grim stuff - I admire you for trying to deal with it in this game and especially for being willing to ignore all the sim stuff (weapon stats and proficiencies) that would clog it up. It really seems to focus on "Why am I trying to kill this person?" which in play I reckon would probably lead onto "Why have I been playing games in which Im trying to kill people?". Serious stuff!

When I first read through it, rolling just single d20s seemed like it could get quite unpredictable, so it was good to see your method for chaining tasks together and using margins of success as currency. Im guessing this way I can create relevant tasks that use my good scores, building up to the point where I finally have to address the question, "Can I really kill this person?"

I was glad to see the use of descriptors, because in so many games I've played in, its when you pick up the dice that all the excitment of creativity takes a break. On the other hand if the character's descriptor isn't relevant to the situation then it could still become a case of "I try and shoot him, pass me a dice", which would be unfortunate because Im guessing that its during combat that you want the real characterisation and role-playing to happen in this game.

Have you considered letting the players have enough descriptors for each stat (perhaps 3 or so) so that they will always be able to bring a descriptor to bare on any situation? Then it would become a question of "Which part of my character's history is most relevant to this situation?" instead of "Is there any part of my character's history relevant to this situation?" Alternatively maybe something like the free rerolls in Ron Edward's Trollbabe (bought it on Friday and lovin' it) - every player is given a few free +1 modifiers to use during the game any time they want. But the player must justify using one in game, like by creating a flash-back or memory for their character to have: "Ok so I close my eyes and think of all the folks back home on the farm as I pull the trigger...". That kind of thing though is just my own personal preference in roleplaying, I always get nervous of the thought that its the dice, and not the players, that are dictating where the story goes.

Anyway, great stuff! Thanks for posting it and letting us see it.

Tony.

[Mike Holmes]

Actually, to be precise I meant the breakout show on the FX network.

http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/the_shield/

I think it covers very much the same sort of narrative ground, with the addition of all sorts of other ethical issues (mostly seen from the negative side).

Tony, I think you've got it. Excellent analysis. Kirt has looked beyond "combat" to the social reality behind violence. I've always said that what makes a human dangerous, is precisely his will to kill. Skill is just icing on the cake.

Mike

[xiombarg]

First off, I'd like to thank Tony for his kind comments, while replying to a small portion of them...

When I first read through it, rolling just single d20s seemed like it could get quite unpredictable, so it was good to see your method for chaining tasks together and using margins of success as currency. Im guessing this way I can create relevant tasks that use my good scores, building up to the point where I finally have to address the question, "Can I really kill this person?"

Yes, that was sort of the idea. I should note that the Rule of Currency comes originally from Sorcerer, to give credit where it's due...

Have you considered letting the players have enough descriptors for each stat (perhaps 3 or so) so that they will always be able to bring a descriptor to bare on any situation? Then it would become a question of "Which part of my character's history is most relevant to this situation?" instead of "Is there any part of my character's history relevant to this situation?" Alternatively maybe something like the free rerolls in Ron Edward's Trollbabe (bought it on Friday and lovin' it) - every player is given a few free +1 modifiers to use during the game any time they want. But the player must justify using one in game, like by creating a flash-back or memory for their character to have: "Ok so I close my eyes and think of all the folks back home on the farm as I pull the trigger...". That kind of thing though is just my own personal preference in roleplaying, I always get nervous of the thought that its the dice, and not the players, that are dictating where the story goes.

Well, considering the Lapse rules, the dice do determine a lot, and that's intentional. However, it's issues like this that I hope to thrash out in playtest. You're certainly welcome to try it with 3 Descriptors per attribute and see how it goes -- the main reason I chose 1 Descriptor was to streamline character generation, not because I was considering how often they would be applied.

[xiombarg]

Actually, to be precise I meant the breakout show on the FX network.

Excellent! Okay, now I have something else to add to my VCR taping schedule... Thanks for the heads-up, Mike.