Exile Game Studio

[Doc Nova]

It has been nearly two years in the making, planning, asking questions, and doing research...but my HEX game FINALLY started last night 5/17/08!

I know folks traditionally put up a recap. I'm not going to do that. At least not here. I will, instead, direct you to our group's newly set-up forum where you can read all about the characters, the campaign, and what's happened so far at your leisure and pace.

Oh, I just have to say for the record, the system is wonderful and we had an absolute blast. It was one of the most enjoyable systems I think I have ever run.

So here's the link: http://www.freepowerboards.com/ExileChronicles/index.php

Please check it out and let me know!

Doc

[tobormory]

[Doc Nova]

The second session of the Exile Chronicles campaign occured and the events have been posted at the web site! Read, enjoy, comment!!

For convenience, here's the link again: http://www.freepowerboards.com/ExileChronicles/index.php

Oh! And thanks for the comment, Tobormory. That picture was one of many that our illustrious Collin Chapman posted for our enjoyment. That girl in the background is also the character Sophie Steiner, another character in the same campaign.

Doc

[nvdoyle]

As a vict - er, player, I can confirm that the game is pretty much made of awesome and win.

The amount of willing - almost desperate - reality denial is delightful.

"Maybe there's a bunch of iron deposits nearby, that's why the compasses don't work."

"This valley could have been biologically isolated for 100 million years."

"Even though the geology is all wrong, this still could be an African rift valley."

"Fossil records are incomplete at best - perhaps we just haven't found any current evidence of giant spiders like that one. Or those mantis-armed giant centipedes."

***

Praise: The system overall is delightful, and combat goes much faster than almost any other system we've used. Chargen is just complex enough - though I've always been one to think that most systems are too stingy with the 'special abilities'. That's more of a matter of a 'flavor tweak', though. It works, as written, and the Motivations/Flaws/Abilities tables would make for some great random NPC generation.

Criticism: Not to raise this particular horse from the dead for more abuse, but the weapon ratings are pretty much on crack. Tempering this are two factors: 1) With a few tiny tweaks, they work fine for a pulp game where the weapon details aren't terribly important. 2) There's the glimmerings of a coherent system of rating weapons in there.

Doc Nova and I went around and around about the weapon ratings for...what, more than a year, now? Not that we particularly disagreed, but more that we wrestled with the problem of, do we change these for the Exile Chronicles? We decided on 'no', and I don't think, so far, that that was a mistake.

For The Grim N' Gritty Project, though, they're getting revamped. With Doc Nova's approval, I'll post those when I get something together worth posting.

[dan daly]

Just curious in what ways do you think the weapon ratings are "on crack"? Too damaging? Not damaging enough? Not historically accurate?

Not a challenge, just a question. Thanks.

On a kind of related note I just downloaded Two Fisted Tales another pulp rpg and in that game, pistols are broken down something like:

Little pistols
regular pistols
Big manly pistols

So the equipment list is short, but a player could pretend his weapon is whatever makes sense. HEX on the other hand gives you a list of 5 different rifles each with it's own description, but that all have exactly the same game stats. It's interesting how the 2 games are both mechanically simple (at least in terms of weapons selection) but go about it in different ways. Anyways, that might not be related to what you were thinking at all, so I'll just stand by for you to illuminate. Thanks.

[Wolverine]

Does the beef with weapons have something to do with the somewhat limited range of damage values?

It can seem simplistic at first, but bear in mind that, for many characters (if not most), the majority of their attack dice will come from their combat skill rather than their weapon. The weapon is just the icing on the cake that allows them to shoot/stab/slash/pulverise/cover in goo/ etc.

Hope this helps.
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[nvdoyle]

First, a caveat: I'm working on a project that is quite Grim N' Gritty, so there needs to be a touch more threat of mortality from firearms, and some of their limitations need to be a bit more sharply noted.

There are two issues I have with the weapon ratings in HEX.

1) Range. In general, pistols are far, far too long-ranged, SMGs somewhat less so, rifles are pretty close, depending. This isn't terribly hard to adjust.

2) Damage ratings. High velocity rifle bullets are much more damaging than pistol bullets. While there are always other factors at work, in general they deliver a lot more energy to their target. A .30-06 isn't just a .45 ACP round that can go a lot father, it's got a pile more energy because of its velocity, and that translates into a lot more physical damage. Then we get into having both a .357 Magnum and a .50 BMG rated as a 5...

(HEX has a nice sliding damage scale, where each increase isn't just '1' of something, but the 'space' between each rating is greater, the higher the numbers go. If a .45 ACP is a 3, and a 9mm is a 2, then a cruiser's main battery would do a lot more than it's rated in SotSW. This sliding scale allows workable numbers to be used for really big weapons. It's also relatively easily put to use to fix the above-mentioned damage problem.)

(Also, I do understand that oddities such as the .357 Mag/.50 BMG bit might very well be more of an attempt to model 'pulp realism' - where the hero's big pistol really shoots the heck out of the bad guys, but the big machinegun doesn't just shred the PCs. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it's a bit jarring at times, and doesn't fit well with my intended purpose.)

I don't really mind the limited damage ranges - in fact, I quite like them. Overall, most similar weapons (big pistols, light rifles, etc.) are about the same. The difference between, say, an M1 Garand and a Mauser 98K is more in the action (SA vs. BA) and the wielder.

I agree about the weapon damage vs. wielder skill, as well. But given my particular proclivities and plans, having a pistol add as much as a military rifle doesn't work so well.

So, all in all, I should qualify 'on crack' with 'for what I want them to do in my setting'. I might have changed them a bit for Exile Chronicles, but I'm not the GM, and it's our first run with HEX/Ubiquity.

[dan daly]

Another thing to consider when comparing something like a handgun to a machinegun- the damage given for the machinegun in the equipment section does not include any bonus damage for firing in bursts. Since one would always fire a MG in bursts, the actual damage is going to be higher.

[Doc Nova]

Alright, re-hijacking this thread to bring it back to where it was meant to be! About me!

No wait...about my campaign!

So, needless to say, the third exciting session of Exile Chronicles occured this past Saturday (6/14). The MAJORITY of events have been posted, although the big event at the end has yet to make it's way to thread (these take a while to recount!). Regardless, head on over and enjoy!

As usual, questions, comments, critiques, and pie are welcome.

Oh, and for your browsing convenience here is the forum's address:

http://www.freepowerboards.com/ExileChronicles/index.php

[Shrieking Emu]

Two new HEX campaigns in Indiana? Cool.
_________________

[Doc Nova]

Indeed! Nice site, by the way, Emu. I'm slapping you with a Rep point for it, too. Keeping those logs is not an easy thing to always do!

Oh, and the Exile Chronicles board is NOW fully up-to-date.

[Doc Nova]

Happy 4th of July to those that celebrate it! Our group has had our fourth incredibly successful game of HEX and are still loving it!

The forum boards have been updated, for those of you that are keeping up with the group's exploits. Again, for your convenience, the link is:

http://exilechronicles.rpgforums.ws/index.php?sid=6d252ad3ce4d2b74a2e62b6a62c4baac

Thanks! Enjoy and, as always, comments, questions, and the like are not only welcome but wanted.

Doc

[JohnK]

Hullo, Shrieking Emu,

[John Aynge]

What can I say. We felt the LOVE in Indiana, and just keep spreading it!
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[JohnK]

Hullo, Shawn,