 November 10, 2014 - 6:37am | http://www.creightonbroadhurst.com/player-advice-10-dungeon-delving-tips-for-beginners/#more-1373 Good Blog post 1. Never Split the Party 2. Delving deeper increases the reward (and danger) 3. Always have a plan 4. Always have a balanced party 5. Leave before you cant leave 6. Stock up on Mundane equipment 7. Dont fight everything 8. Keep a good map 9. Winning every fight is impossible. 10. Learn as much as you can before going into the dungeon (rumors, NPC contacts) How would you adapt these for a Sci fi game? I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 November 10, 2014 - 1:07pm | "5. Leave before you cant leave" And that is the most important one on the list. Due to the lethality of low level play I house rule D&D death at a graduated rate: Lv-1 @ -10hp lv-2 @ -8hp lv-3 @ -6hp lv-4 @ -4hp lv-5 @ -2hp lv-6+ @ 0hp Once below 0 you lose -1 per round until the wounds are bound, and after that healing potions/rest etc must be applied to launch it back above 0. On one hand I feel a player shouldn't die due to bad luck and dice rolls (i.e. two hits from goblins with d6 damage each rolling box cars against a lv-1 character), but if you haven't figured out the idea of retreat following serious injury(ies) after gaining a few levels, you deserve to die in the dungeon. |
 November 10, 2014 - 2:15pm | we just used -10hp for any character. I thought that was a very widely used house rule... -10hp is death not zero. For SF's I'm not sure I should bother with negative HPs because the medical equipment all can "bring somebody back if they aren't dead to long. Sooo... even though AD says zero is dead... i don't think that is what they mean. I think that means critical conditrion... dying... but not actually dead yet. ----------------------------------------------- |
November 10, 2014 - 9:27pm | Actually I believe you're not dead in SF till -30. Stay dose can be used to bring a character back to life who has not reached -30. Which is probably good since lasers can be set to 10 or 20 seu. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 November 10, 2014 - 11:40pm | #2 is fine for dungeon crawls, but not so much for modern and futuristic game settings. If anything, a better tip for that is "The bigger the prize, the greater the danger." With modern and futuristic game settings, always learn the basics of modern military tactics, especially with urban and SWAT-based tactics. Such tactics would require a Top-10 list of its own... (Based off of Chapter 7.4.6. (Gamemastering, Running Combat, Basic Tactics) from Silhouette Core (ver. 3.1)) 1. Shoot First — If your are cougt in a fight, hit them hard and quickly before they can do damage back. Use snipers if you can. 2. Get Cover, Fast — Do not make it easy for the enemy to hit you. Use cover if at all possible even if it is just a lamp post or street curb. If you have smoke bombs and no cover, use them to find cover. Avoid moving along roads and open ground if their are forests or buildings — use them instead. 3. Gather Intelligence — Just like #10 on top list, with with regards to the enemy. 4. Avoid Trouble — Not all encounters need to be about combat. Try talking your way out of situations, and avoid dangerous areas. 5. What In Doubt, Grenade It Out — Nothing clears a room like a frag grenade. If they are poorly equipped, use gas grenades. Be mindful of mesh screens; they would bounce grenades back at the throwers. 6. If It's Obvious, It's Probably a Trap — If you see something in the middle of the road, or you are entering a canyon, stay on your toes, or avoid it at all possible. 7. Work in Teams — Use fireteam tactics (teams take turns running into cover and providing cover fire) as your group advance or withdraw. Focus fire on the highest visible threat. Use mock fire and hit their flank to confound your enemies. Smart enemies would do the same. 8. Use Passive Defense Systems — Alarms and booby-traps can keep your base or encampment safe. Silent alarms can get you prepared with a good chance at surprising the enemy. Deadly booby-traps can also slowdown your enemies if they encounter it. Cleaver scouts could bypass your traps and catch you off-guard. Above all else, remember where you placed your traps. 9. Get Terrain Advantage — It at all possible, choose where the fight takes place. Lure them into a narrow location or open area. Even if you cannot choose the battlefield, make the best with what you got. Avoid doorways and choke-points, as they are often watched and booby-traps. 10. If It Looks Bad, Leave -- If it looks like you cant win the fight, get out if you can! You could always regroup, and return with reinforcements or with another approach altogether. Use your brains! I hope this is at all useful? |
November 11, 2014 - 10:33am | It's difficult to die in SF. When an average unarmored person (STA:45) has a fair chance of standing after receiving a point blank full burst from a machine gun (average 55 points of damage)...it's like the old movies where they shoot at each other all day and then throw their empty guns at each other. |
November 11, 2014 - 10:28pm | It's difficult to die in SF. When an average unarmored person (STA:45) has a fair chance of standing after receiving a point blank full burst from a machine gun (average 55 points of damage)...it's like the old movies where they shoot at each other all day and then throw their empty guns at each other. Yeah, I was never a fan of that rule when it comes to modern and futuristic settings of a more or less believable genre. If the game is almost cartoon-like with the action (Gamma World) or where major characters cannot be hit by nameless, faceless minions (Star Wars), then the rules as presented are OK. Otherwise, I like to play SF with more lethal thresholds of damage. |
 November 12, 2014 - 10:34am | Most of the advice works for SF, Spliting the party is okay but can get people killed, even in SF, I think they mean spliting up in a big way... but it happens, PCs get abducted, people get seperated in game play sometimes... So it requires a bit more to pull it off (PCs can't know what is happening to group A anymore than group B... so either everyone passes notes, or people have to exit the room, or you try and play ignoring info you can't know). "Never fire a laser at a mirror." |
November 12, 2014 - 10:41am | 2 & 8 are the only ones that don't apply to SF. And if you're using the city map, you can oftentimes toss out #1 as well. |
 November 14, 2014 - 9:08pm | Somewhere this summer, I saw someone's line on teamwork, "Gear is important, it can save your life. Your whole party can carry more gear, and more types of gear, than you can. Your best chance to survive is to keep them alive to carry that gear." |
 November 14, 2014 - 11:47pm | I use Alternity. It is incredibly easy to get yourself killed in Alternity! |
