Do you like Cowboy Bebop? Looking for more Playtesters

Quote from: LordSmerf

The concept is interesting, and one i wouldn't mind playing around with. But other than the "System Highlights" i can't find anything at all about Actual Play. You might get a better response if you had either an abbreviated set of rules or some Actual Play reports (not just simple "I like it" testamonials.) I guess what i'm saying is that i'm hesitant to commit to testing something when i don't really know what it is...

Thomas

Hey Thomas,

Thanks heaps for your post! Yeah, like I said, the website is in the process of changing from an info/teaser page into a full website.

As for the rules set, it's pretty straightforward, not much to it. The basic mechanic is a d100, with the GM coming up with the base Target Number (based on the facts and circumstances), and then the Player adds any Skill and/or Stat adj., and then has to roll under.

Thus, if a Player wants to climb a wall, the GM will figure out a base chance of success based on the grade of the wall, the amount of light, whether the Character is using any tools (e.g., a grappling hook), whether the Character is under duress (e.g., being chased down), and so forth, coming up with X percent chance of success. The base Target Number doesn't have to be exact, just a good ballpark, and the Player is always free to argue number.

Based on the playtests that I've been involved with, this resolution system is fast (as soon as the GM comes up with the Target Number, you're good to go), simple (just TN plus two numbers), and intuitive (everyone knows what a 70 percent chance of success is, but how many people know what a DC 15 means?). A number of playtesters have come back with the comment that it feels almost ruleless. There is a slight learning curve, but every playtester I've played with picked it up after the second or third roll.

To get the cinematic factor, the game uses Fate Points, similar to Drama Points in Buffy. FPs can modify die rolls depending on when they are used (e.g., a +3 bonus to Initiative per FP spent before the roll is made, versus a +1 bonus after the roll is made). Moreover, if you have enough points, you can beat any number (e.g., if your enemy rolls a 10 for Initiative (a 2d6 roll), and you spend 2 FPs (a 6 pt bonus) before the roll and roll a 2 for an 8 (2 + 6), you can spend another 3 FPs to reach 11 to go first).

Additionally, if you spend 2 FPs, you can make a successful attack miss. In playtests, I've found this effective replicates scenes in Cowboy Bebop where Spike runs across a field of fire from 20 guys without a scratch (in Wild Sphere, he would just burn tons of FPs to make all "hits" miss).

Finally, if a Player spends 5 FPs at one go, he can do anything that's outside the bounds of reality but not outside the bounds of anime- the only limitations are the Player's imagination and what the GM will tolerate.

There's obviously a lot more that I could say but I have to run to my Artists' Meeting (got to make sure that the artwork is up to snuff. LOL). If you have any more questions, just fire me an email at

Wildsphere@xsmail.com

Cheers,
George