Truth In Advertising

Let me tell you what I want (what I really really want) yo I'll tell you what I want (what I really really want).

No. But seriously.

My true goal from the launch of this campaign has been two numbers: 200 backers, and $10,000. This represents the threshold to me of the real world- of bargaining power. It means that I can go to Diamond Comics Distributors (and Alliance Distributing) and say 'hey, look... you NEED to stock these books'. It means that I've got some street cred. It means swag.

Army Ants is my Lord of the Rings. It's my lifetime creative project. I've meditated on this for some time, and this is it. It's the thing that, win lose or draw, I'm going to hitch my sail to. I've taken a decent hiatus from it, and when I came back to it, it was as if I'd never been away. Mythweaver has always been my effort to be D+D. Resolute has always been my effort to be the Marvel Superheroes Game. Army Ants is just me.

I think that creators, if they are smart, know this thing when they find it, and they ride it. They hold on and don't let go. The world of Army Ants is big enough, and the characters in it interesting enough, for me to spend the rest of my creative energies here.

200 backers.
$10,000.
The Army Ants march on.

That's where we're going.

If you aren't already on board, I'd love to have you join us.

- Mike

Tweaking the Specialties

The adjustments that I’ve made to the core mechanics and to some of the ways in which traits are purchased also has considerable impact on specialties- and in the best possible way. The intention with commando (for instance) is that a commando is innately superior in regards to stealth compared to any other specialty. The +1 cap adjustment didn’t really reflect this in a substantive way. If you don’t elect to take your Stealth at level +1, you have no discernible benefit from being a commando.

By having traits increase in cost as they increase in value, I can take the concept of shifts from Mythweaver/Resolute and apply that here. Now, if you are a commando, you get an automatic +1 shift to Stealth. Sure, at +1 this is only worth 1 point – but you’re a commando, and you took that to get Stealth. That’s the big selling point of being a commando, so you’re going to invest a few points into Stealth. Now, a +2 or +3 rating nets you 2 free character points on your investment, because that +1 shift is worth more. At the top end, when you have a +6 Stealth rating and it shifts to +7, you are getting a bonus valued at 5 character points because of your specialty. It’s a benefit that increases in value as you increase your investment into the trait.

Here are some of the specialties that I’m considering for the Core rules, along with their linked trait (granting the +1 shift). I think that the list should include between 8 and 12 Specialties. I definitely liked specialties from 2E (more military-based) over 3E (more ant-based). However, I want to avoid the overlap/redundancy that hit some of the 2E specialties. For example, Recon ended up being this hybrid specialty that had layers of other things but nothing to call its own. On the list that follows, I particularly like several of these, although I don’t know about the link between Engineer and Explosives (you are the best at building things, so you get rewarded by being good at blowing things up too) and Sniper (this is more of a designation/certification on top of another specialty rather than a spec unto itself).

Armor                          Driving

Artillery                       Tactical Weapons

Aviation                      Aircraft

Commando                 Stealth

Covert Operations       Intelligence

Engineer                      Explosives

Infantry                       Munitions

Ranger                         Nature

Sniper                          Aim

I suppose that I could see taking Infantry out of the mix, and saying that Infantry is a ‘catch all’ specialty – you are in the infantry unless you make it a point to select something else. It would be the only specialty with no minimum attribute buy-in, but then what trait to link it to (maybe Moxy? That fits). Then, I could create a ‘weapons specialist’ specialty that gets the +1 munitions shift… or the +1 aim shift…

Hrm, I should mention while I’m at it that artillery/tactical weapons will likely be linked to Mind instead of Prowess, in order to increase the value of that attribute. Also, I’ve always considered firing a mortar or LAWS rocket a function more of your ability to visualize the math rather than to point and click.

You'll notice also that Heavy Weapons as a spec is gone (at least for now). That's a function of Infantry... although you could say the same about Sniper... clearly, I still have some thinking to do on how these all fit together.

Army Ants Interview

Fitz over at Game Knight Reviews posted an interview he did with me last week. Even though he was battling the flu and other commitments, he still found time to get this done and posted! Swing by and check it out.

Ladybugs and Psionics

Ladybugs have been at the cutting edge of research into mentalism and the power of mind over matter. Although such matters remain highly classified, word has spread that a small number of ladybug operatives have developed psionic powers that have allowed them to experiment in such fields as telekinesis, mind control, cellular regeneration, and possibly even ethereal projection.

Game Notes:

I know that psionics are going to be tied to Mind, both for using and resisting such powers. I haven’t rolled these out yet to play testing, but the idea here is that many of these plug-ins to your character (psionics, mysticism, cybernetics) are going to be perks (another concept I haven’t rolled out – I’ll get there) that you purchase at a fixed cost, and which are tied to your attributes. For instance, mind control may be a 1-point Perk that you tie to Mind and your Psionics Trait. Once per scene, you can attempt to take control of the Mind of another insect within range (your Psionics trait rating in centimeters). You roll Mind + Psionics vs. the target’s Mind Save. If successful, you can get the target to view you as a friend and ally. With a critical success (a roll of 10+ beyond the target’s save), you make the target into your mindless puppet for the rest of the scene. Although you only get to use this once per scene, you can use a Moxy point to re-use a trait or perk you’ve already used, so you could potentially get to use this multiple times. You’re going to have to make a considerable investment to get this ability (the Mind dice, Psionics trait, the mind control perk) but you’ll have a formidable ability as a result.

Instead of the once per scene option (as above) it might make more sense (and allow for more resource allocation choices in play) if you got a number of times per mission to use this, equal to your Psionics trait rating; with Psionics +3, you get to try to control minds 3 times per mission. In this case, I might drop the option of using Moxy to refresh this, since you already have a pool to draw from. If you burn it all up in the first scene, then you do.  

Things That Go Bump In The Night

One of the most intimidating threats the ants know of is the awakened vampire bat called the Dark One. Rumors hold that this horrific creature of terrible power dwells within the rotten oak tree at the southern edge of the back yard, where it borders the cemetery. From here, the Dark One undertakes midnight forays into the Back Yard in search of prey.

While other bats consume insects, most believe that the Dark One secrets prey away to its dark lair, forcing victims to dwell in a permanent twilight. Only the blood of living insects will sate the bottomless thirst of this terrible foe. The Dark One’s reach has grown, as cults paying homage to this nightmarish foe have grown in communities across the backyard, with some insects now offering blood sacrifices to this monstrosity, leaders claiming to have harnessed mystical powers by paying homage to the Dark One.

Two other threats that many attribute to the Dark One are the rise of ghoul and zombie insects. Ghouls are those insects that have partaken of untoward blood rituals, having been both empowered and transformed by these rituals into bloodthirsty dwellers in shadow. Servitors of the Dark One have also unlocked secrets for re-animating the carapaces of dead insects, and have begun to build armies of zombie insects for some dark purpose yet unknown.

 

Design Class Is Officially In Session...

It’s safe to say we’re still tweaking the core mechanics here.

Let’s port over some Resolute/Mythweaver system stuff. I had intentionally dropped this in the name of simplicity, but I see now the wisdom of including ability scaling in the core rules for those games. Resource allocation only matters if you have genuine choices to make. As of now, every character will be maxed out in every one of his four most important abilities, with a point or two in some other areas: not at all what I want from a design perspective.

So, we borrow the rating progression from Resolute:

Rating    1              2              3              4              5              6

Cost       1              2              4              6              9              12

This allows me to get rid of artificial ‘level caps’ on trait ratings. At level 1, you have 6 trait points; you can have six traits at +1, you can have three traits at +2, you can have a few at +2 and a few at +1, you can have one at +3 and one at +2 (or two at +1) –or- you can go all in and have one at +4. You can make your character the greatest ever with Stealth at level 1, but you won’t be good (or even decent) at anything else.

This I like.

This also keeps Saves in line, allowing that to progress automatically every other level, as per the current play test rules. Here’s a revision for Troy (from my play testing thread), using this…

He gets to keep his attribute dice ratings, since these do not change: Body D8; Mind D6; Prowess D10; Spirit D8

However, I’m going to play test a few new things.

- First, Attack is breaking up into Aim (for all ranged attacks, including thrown weapons) and Melee (for all hand-to-hand encounters). This will differentiate characters a little bit.

- I’m dropping Munitions as an attribute altogether. You will be issued a standard issue basic weapon (probably an AM-15). You can upgrade your weapon through clout. Each weapon will have minimum requirements for BODY (you have to be strong enough to wield this weapon effectively) and maybe MIND (you need to be smart enough to operate it well). This also means that Heavy Weapons as a unique specialty is on the way out, since that specialty’s only purpose was to get the better starting Munitions rating, and that attribute has been dropped.

- Armor is no longer a trait. Anyone can purchase armor with clout.

- Arms is no longer a trait, but Munitions will be (I like the name, so it's taking the place of Arms). Munitions will reflect how well you maintain and tinker with your weapon once it’s been issued to you; I loved the old weapon tinkering rules from 2E and 3E (that you mess with your weapon to make it better), and at least for now Munitions reflects this. If you take great care of your rifle, it’s going to be more effective. You will get to add your Munitions rating to damage with the weapon; however, each weapon will have a built-in modifier to its base damage that Munitions will stack with. For instance, a common AM-15 deals D8+1 damage. However, an AM-16B may deal a base D10+2 damage (I’m spit balling here). If you have Munitions +2, you get to deal D10+4 with an AM-16B. This allows me to build greater gradations into the differences between comparable weapons (one weapon deals D10+2 with range 5, while another deals D10+3 with range 4, yet they are comparable weapons with comparable clout costs).

At level 5, Troy has 18 trait points. He can purchase one +4 trait (6 points), two +3 traits (6 points total), two +2 traits (4 points) and two +1 traits (2 points).

I decide on: Aim +4; Medic +1; Melee +2; Moxy +3; Munitions +2; Security +1; Stealth +3

Wow! This is MUCH tougher. I went back and forth several times trying to find the right distribution for points, and I still feel like I’m left wanting. I’d love to have some more points. Now, my +4 attack bonus is not so awesome against a comparable foe’s +3 Save bonus to dodge. Holy snap but this solved several problems at once.

Troy Revised (150 XP; 29 Hits)

Commando 5; Staff Sergeant (A-6); Save +3

Body D8; Mind D6; Prowess D10; Spirit D8

Aim +4; Medic +1; Melee +2; Moxy +3; Munitions +2; Security +1; Stealth +3

Weapons: AM-16 (Attack D10+4; Damage D10+4; Range 6); AM-45 Sidearm (Attack D10+4; Damage D8+4; Range 3); Survival Knife (Attack D10+2; Damage D8+3)

Here are some weapons of the ant army, as of my thinking right now:

Knives deal damage based on your BODY + a modifier.

Boot Knife = +2 (standard issue)

Survival Knife = +3 (10 Clout)

Machete = +4 (20 Clout)

Firearms:

AM-15

Cost: 10 Clout

Damage: D8+1

Range: 5

Requirement: BODY D6

AM-45 Pistol

Cost: 10 Clout

Damage: D8+2

Range: 3

Requirement: None

AM-16 Assault Rifle

Cost: 25 Clout

Damage: D10+2

Range: 6

Requirement: BODY D8

AM-60 Machine Gun

Cost: 40 Clout

Damage: D12+2

Range: 7

Requirement: BODY D10

AM-203 Grenade Launcher

Cost: 40 Clout

Damage: D10+2 (each round affects all targets in a 1 cm square)

Range: 5

Requirement: BODY D6; MIND D6

AM-F1 Flamethrower

Cost: 50 Clout

Damage: D10+1

Range: 3 (affects all targets in a line 1 cm wide and 3 cm long; cannot extend range beyond this)

Requirements: BODY D10; MIND D6

Already I like this better, because the differences between weapons are more pronounced, and I can build a wide range of medium-grade assault rifles that all have minor mechanical tweaks to differentiate them.

Old School Sensibilities: Level Caps

This may be a bit of a rambling post, but several concepts all tie together, so I figured I'd work through them in a public forum... isn't that what we all do?

I've been considering level caps for progression, a la D+D 1E. You cap your progression at level 6; you can go beyond level 6, but a number of things freeze at that point (i.e. you don't get any more dice rank progressions in your attributes; you only get 1-2 additional trait points per level; you only get a 1-2 point bump on your hits every level). I want to keep the numbers relatively small overall, and this seems a good way to do it. Level escalation is a relatively modern gaming concept, whereas 'back in the day', level 9 in D+D was POWERFUL. The difference between a level 9 fighter and a level 12 fighter was a moderate attack bonus and a handful of additional hit points. Your level 9 fighter had a better than decent shot one-on-one of taking out a character several levels higher than he was, because relative progression slowed to a crawl (excepting for spell casters...)

Mortal insects are limited to progression through level 6, and several caps kick in at that point. This is both old school (which I like) and clean (which I like). I've read about people who play D+D forever just using the Red Box with level 3 as the cap, and they do just fine. One of the charms of the original B-series modules was how they viewed level 4 or 5 as some incredible feat beyond mortal understanding... it's a nice conceit.

This limiting then ties to both Traits and Saves. Since Traits are capped at your level (excepting the Favored Trait of your specialty, which is capped at level +1), this means that no Trait ever scales better than +7 under any circumstance. This I like, because it's important that bonuses/modifier never scale past the dice; rolling the die should always be important.

And this ties back to Saves (See? I told you it would ramble)... the game currently has your Save modifier set at half your level (rounded up). Initial playtesting (and Hedgehobbit!) have shown that, since Saves will not scale with attacks (in general), you are going to hit more often as you level. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean that the game doesn't scale equitably. That's a problem.

There are two fixes for this:

The first fix is to have Saves scale at level, so that you cap at +6 at level 6, which is when everyone would cap their attacks. Odds are good that you are going to be within a 1-2 point bonus of the opposing Save of foes you face, meaning that the modifiers will often be near a wash, and the dice stay important. This is very clean.

The second fix (which I'm leaning away from, but which I want to at least consider in the short term) is to make Saves a Trait which you can elect to upgrade as you will. This comes down to resource allocation, and means that you have to give something up in order to progress in your defensive/resistant stat. I like the CONCEPT of resource allocation as an important consideration in character building, but the two flaws here are that a) no character can really afford to skimp on their Save bonus, because it's too important and b) it's so important, that it might outstrip all other traits in overall value. If everyone is going to automatically purchase Save at their level anyway by default, I may as well build this progression into the system innately. A choice you have to make isn't really a choice.