I’m getting ready to start my first bonafide ICRPG campaign, and I wanted to pick your brains on what hacks and DIY stuff you guys have done to the system.
Attack of Opportunity?
Movement?
Progression?
All time in TURNS?
How have you guys used ICRPG in practice?
I don’t use Attacks of Opportunity. They kind of slow things down for me.
I don’t use a grid and just let players move based on feel. In my experience, once the DM establishes the scale of the first NEAR move or so, everyone falls right in on the scale.
I use progression based on milestone. Currently, my players are getting something every session on a rotation: a stat point, a piece of epic loot, or a piece of milestone loot. In addition, I tend to award stat points and milestones as on the spot awards as well.
And I generally run the game completely in turn order, except when the threat of a room has completely passed. Then I will allow a short amount of “free time” for players to act out of turn.
No Attacks of Opportunity, as I feel they slow the game down by having the players freak out about being in melee and trying to protect their friend.
Movement is usually using the banana for scale from the Moldy Codex. Or in events that we are using minis and the map is to feel much bigger, I’ll draw a banana for scale. They get the idea.
Progression is based on progression paths from the WORLDS book and occasionally giving out some stat points, new tags, extra hero coins or new random loot.
Character discussion and dramatic moments can be out of turn, but when there is any intention to take an action in a turn, I start going around the room and start asking what everyone is going to do.
If there is a lot of dramatic discussion and someone is taking over, I tell them to remain concise and I ask if anyone else is jumping in.
When something or someone is overpowered, it is because they have longer or extra turns.
Good advice. Try it first as written and then modify as you go.
And let me say, I have been playing the game for over a year nearly exactly as written and find it to be great.
I am happy to throw out AoO when it comes to moving through other attackers’ “squares”, but how would you penalize a player/enemy who fell prone right in front of an attacker?
During a test game, one of my players was outraged because I allowed a prone enemy to get up without AoO, and I agreed–thats a very vulnerable action. One does not simply stand up in front of a maurader who knocked them down.
Did you give your player any benefit from the prone state of the enemy? An easy roll next turn? A coup de grace perhaps? Or a hard save for the enemy to stand up? Loss of the enemy’s action (as he spent both his move and action just fending off blows trying to stand)? Although I’m not inclined to allow an extra attack that will slow down the action economy, I think as good DMs we have to give some benefit to players when they pull off cool moves. Knocking an enemy prone? Hell yeah. What does that look like in that moment of the fiction? Then come up with some appropriate advantage for your player.
That being said, I disagree that an enemy can’t stand up after being knocked down and while beset from an attacker. I’ve seen it happen, and there are people who are just that skilled. But some of that depends just on how sumulationist you want to get in a fantastical game anyway.
For me, I always favor keeping things streamlined and moving fast, explaining what is happening more in fictional terms than mechanical ones. An enemy could parry while standing, but he might not be able to do much else (ie, can’t move away) leaving him vulnerable next round. If you like more crunch, or if you guys are just used to that style of play, keep attacks of opportunity. There’s nothing wrong with playing that way. But, if you play as written, don’t just abandon good DM’ing and ignore that moment in the fiction. Players definitely need some sort of reward, if you will, for gaining the upper hand on an enemy. The above ideas are not an exhaustive list, but I hope they are helpful.
i don‘t have played ongoing games yet. just oneshots. My first campaign like game will be my actual warpshell game. I totally play it right out of the book for now, maybe there will be some additions on the way. But i read here that you all give stat points once in a while. Did i missed that in the book or is it something you all came up with? I thought the only progression are the milestone rewards and the loot.
I don’t think awarding stat points is in the book. Hank awarded some as on-the-spot awards in our Ghost Mountain campaign some time ago, and it just seemed right to make them something to reward also on a milestone basis — every few sessions or so (or on-the-spot).
The one consideration is that if you award a ton of them in a short time, you will see your target number go up rather quickly, so just be aware (beware) of that possibility.
i think my players would like to get a Stat point here and there. I have to think about that
Mainly, whatever rule you choose, use consistently on players as well.
If the character is prone, EASY attack but if the player succeeds a normal attack, double effort. (I let them roll double dice, I don’t just multiply it. like 2d6 + effort bonus)
Example: Target is 12. Attacking a prone Target is EASY, so hit for 9. If you still hit 12, double effort in damage.
To get up, take the whole turn to get up and end your turn. THATS WHAT HURTS! Losing a turn is brutal!
If the prone creature has multiple actions, lose the move and one action. Then they can use the other actions as needed.
This is all really helpful. Thank you, everyone!
I want to give the as-written rules their fair shake without players feeling like ICRPG is a “baby’s D&D” so I definitely want to retain some realism. If a person falls prone from an attack, there will be bad consequences, even if it isn’t “AoO”.
And if players are blocking someone from passing-- let’s say in a narrow hallway-- I want that to make sense too. How can you keep people from running straight past when you’re expressly anticipating them? Some kind of “guard stance”? Sounds clunky to me…
I have tried to run 2 campaigns so far.
I would make a contested STR roll. Both characters make a STR check and who ever rolls higher wins. If there is a tie, whoever has the higher Stat.
If the person is actively guarding, you can give that guarding character +3 for being ready (Like an EASY check).
I play pretty much by the book. Milestone rewards. No AoO stuff really. When I run one shots of ICRPG I tend to give players one free milestone/starter reward, as to give them one extra toy to play with.
One thing I’ve integrated which I LOVE: when a player fails I give them a d6 from a side pool. They can use this to add to any roll or soak damage. This is a fun addition is it just gets people rolling dice more and trying new things they might not otherwise. I highly recommend trying if you haven’t! I got the idea from DMScotty.
*As a result of the above, I will often times remove the rule of “second try makes it easy” as this somewhat takes it’s place.
i had a DM @Alex use this idea in a Shadowrun icrpg game, it was a lot of fun. he used it as an alternative to hero coins.
That’s a good rule, but let’s say the defender of the path is intending to cleave the runner and not just stop them? It’s basically asking to be attack of opportunity because it’s just that. I feel like if that happened it’s a specific enough case that I’d probably allow AoO in that case