[Q&A] CJ Ruby & Robert Thomson (Exploding Aces)

[19:03] <+Robert> I'm Robert Thomson, co-owner and publisher for 4 Winds Fantasy Gaming
[19:04] <+cj_ruby> I'm Cj and I wrote and designed Exploding Aces with the help and encouragement of Robert, here.
[19:04] <~Dan> (Oh, I almost forgot: When you're ready for the next question, please give us a "(done)".)
[19:05] <+Robert> (done)
[19:05] <+cj_ruby> Ok (done)
[19:05] <~Dan> Does anyone have any questions to get us started, or shall I do the honors?
[19:05] <+cj_ruby> Go ahead
[19:06] <~Dan> (I'll wait just a moment in case anyone's typing.)
[19:06] <+etaoinshrdlu> I might have a question or two along the way but at the moment, please, go ahead. :)
[19:06] <+Rick> I do, how does health / damage work in EA?
[19:06] <~Dan> Fair enough! Guys, can you give us the rundown on Exploding Aces and what makes it stand out?
[19:06] <~Dan> (Whoops, sorry, Rick, and welcome to #rpgnet!)
[19:06] <+Rick> Thanks, Dan
[19:06] <~Dan> (Question pause while they answer those two.)
[19:07] <+Robert> I'll let you have that one, CJ. (done)
[19:07] <~Dan> (Actually, guys, maybe you should answer mine first, just for the sake of going from general to specific?)
[19:07] <+Robert> Ah, ok.
[19:08] <+cj_ruby> Health is determined by how many points you put into the qualities of Spirit and Stamina
[19:08] <+Robert> Exploding Aces is our first fully original RPG at 4 Winds Fantasy Gaming. It grew out of a homebrew game CJ had been running for years. As we playtested it
[19:09] <+Robert> we refined it several times, with CJ eventually moving to the unique card-based system for determining success and failure.
[19:10] <+cj_ruby> Yes, the most difficult stage of development was getting the math right using cards.
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[19:11] <+cj_ruby> I wanted a simple system that would feel intuitive once ppl played it for awhile
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[19:12] <+Robert> CJ worked on the math aspect for weeks. He would show up with sheets of random figures, showing me how the probabilities worked out!
[19:12] <~Dan> :)
[19:13] <+cj_ruby> the main reason I wrote EA was to run Westerns
[19:13] <~Dan> Is that why cards appealed to you in particular?
[19:13] <+Rick> Cool :)
[19:13] <+cj_ruby> i love the western genre, but no system really worked for me and my group.
[19:14] <+cj_ruby> Yes, at first i used cards on a faro board for random situations
[19:14] <+Robert> The connection between Westerns/the Old West and cards was too undeniable for us not to connect them. :)
[19:14] <~Dan> Heh. :)
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[19:15] <+cj_ruby> In the upcoming playtest I'll be running a straight western
[19:15] <+Robert> And this will be our final playtest - completely in-house.
[19:16] <+cj_ruby> but I like many genres and I saw the potential as a universal system
[19:16] <+cj_ruby> Yep, the game that comes out of it will eventually be a module
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[19:18] <+cj_ruby> I've used the system for a Vampire hunt aboard Titanic. A trip up the Congo river as a CDC mission in search of a new outbreak...
[19:18] <+Robert> I'm happy with where the rules are at, but if CJ feels he can make a few more refinements going into editing and layout, I'm cool with that. (done)
[19:19] <+cj_ruby> There might be a few tweaks, but the things that bothered me seem to be taken care of.
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[19:19] <+Rick> I have this thing I call the "Britt test" for Western rpgs; can a PC using the rules as written "bring a knife to a gunfight", like James Coburn in Magnificent 7, and conceiveably win? Is that possible in EA?
[19:20] <+cj_ruby> I think so, especially if he's an expert knife fighter
[19:21] <+Robert> Agreed. The way the game is designed, it's more about the skill of the character than the weapon itself.
[19:22] <+cj_ruby> The pc's get a lot of edges by the use of twists which the acquire any time they turn an ace
[19:22] <~Dan> So let's break this down a bit... Is this an attribute + skill system?
[19:22] <+cj_ruby> Yes
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[19:23] <~Dan> What are the attributes, and how broad are the skills?
[19:23] <~Dan> (Welcome, twwilliams! Here for the Q&A?)
[19:24] <+Robert> Yup.You can get a glimpse at the character sheet mock up here: (Link: http://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/260066/posts/313926/image-161610-full.jpg?1348338135)http://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/260066/posts/313926/image-161610-full.jpg?1348338135
[19:24] * ~Dan takes a look
[19:25] <+twwilliams> I'm here just to watch, basically. I know Robert and wanted to see more about this. I won't be able to stay long, unfortunately.
[19:25] <+Robert> Hey Tommy!
[19:25] <+cj_ruby> There are eight qualities (attributes) Body has Agility, appearance, stamina, and strength,  mind has Intellect, perception and wits, and psyche has Poise and Spirit
[19:25] <~Dan> Interesting.
[19:26] <~Dan> So looking at the character sheet...
[19:26] <+cj_ruby> You put points into these and that is the number of cards you turn when performing a task
[19:26] <+Robert> Your rating in your qualities determines the cards you turn, yes.
[19:27] <~Dan> ...it doesn't appear that you were that worried about the balance between Body/Mind/Psyche, what with the 4/3/2 stat breakdown there. Fair assessment?
[19:27] <+cj_ruby> the spots in your edges (skills) determine what aces explode (auto-succeed)
[19:27] <+Robert> That's correct, Dan.
[19:27] <+cj_ruby> No
[19:28] <+cj_ruby> It seemed the way to break it down
[19:28] <+Robert> In an earlier version, it was a 3-3-3 breakdown, but that didn't fully work the way CJ wanted it to.
[19:29] <+cj_ruby> Yes this is the best, balance wasn't important
[19:29] <~Dan> So Edges don't add anything directly? They just determine which suits of ace explodes?
[19:29] <+Robert> Correct.
[19:29] <~Dan> explode rather
[19:30] <+cj_ruby> That's correct, they may add one card if needed, but that's it
[19:30] <+Robert> If you Trained or above, you can turn one more card if you need it.
[19:30] <~Dan> When you say "auto-succeed", does that mean the attempt is a success automatically?
[19:30] <+Robert> Correct!
[19:30] <+cj_ruby> The math of adding an auto success in a 53 card deck is a lot
[19:31] <+cj_ruby> Yes, if you turn an exploding ace, whatever you're doing succeeds
[19:31] <~Dan> Have you found that to be a powerful enough mechanic to simulate skill?
[19:31] <+cj_ruby> And every time you turn an ace you get a twist
[19:32] <+Robert> In all our playtests so far, it has worked out yes. Of course, keep in mind our aim was for a fast system that's more focused on the action than the simulation.
[19:32] <+cj_ruby> i thinks so, you also can more easily manipulate the difficulty table with higher edges
[19:32] <~Dan> Can you say a bit more about that, CJ?
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[19:34] <+cj_ruby> one of the things players can do is manipulate the difficulty table with the use of skills (edges), talents, and twists
[19:35] <+cj_ruby> The GM (director) sets the difficulty level (often there's a default level), then the players can choose to manipulate it in their favor
[19:35] <+Robert> Here's a sneak peek at the difficulty chart mock up: (Link: http://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/260066/posts/314088/image-161709-full.jpg?1348357548)http://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/260066/posts/314088/image-161709-full.jpg?1348357548
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[19:36] <+cj_ruby> the optimum is to adjust it to easy, that's an auto-success. no cards need be turned
[19:37] <+Robert> A player can spend one of their twists (which they earn on an exploding ace) to lower the difficulty of their action, or to raise the difficulty of their opponents actions
[19:37] <+cj_ruby> the GM can also push the chart with the use of twists (also gained w/ turned aces)
[19:38] <+Rick> Can you earn twists through clever play, etc or just by drawing aces?
[19:38] <+cj_ruby> Yes, they are also rewards
[19:38] <~Dan> Based on the fact that an unskilled character is apparently only penalized by having one ace explode, I'm guessing that characters are broadly (and cinematically) broadly competent by design?
[19:39] <+cj_ruby> players are meant to be heroes in this system. Though some actions or tasks, cannot be attempted unless one is at least trained in a skill
[19:40] <+Rick> Can you expand a little on talents?
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[19:41] <+cj_ruby> Talents may be bought at character creation and some talents may be gained through rp and spending xp
[19:41] <~Dan> (Welcome, Crowe! Here for the Q&A?)
[19:43] <+cj_ruby> flaws give you more pts to spend at character creation and a type of flaw, called a setback can be taken by sacrificing a force-of-will point. it negates damage but gives the player a temporary flaw
[19:43] <~Dan> Can you give some examples of talents?
[19:43] <+Robert> Hammer Fan (5 pt): Use for single action revolvers. You have the ability to fan the hammer and take 3 shots in one combat action.
[19:43] <+Robert> That's a talent
[19:44] <+cj_ruby> I encourage players and gms to come up with their own talents and flaws
[19:44] <+Robert> Another talent: Danger Sense (2 pt): You may attempt to dodge any attack, even if surprised.
[19:45] <+cj_ruby> The dodge system in this game is very simple. Anyone may dodge if they see an attack coming
[19:45] <+Rick> How many (roughly) talents will be included in the core rulebook?
[19:45] <~Dan> Actually, since you brought it up, how does combat work?
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[19:45] <~Dan> (Sorry... question pause while they field those two.)
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[19:46] <+cj_ruby> they simply turn one card, if its red or an ace they dodge, which increases the attacker's difficulty to-hit one level
[19:46] <~Dan> (Howdy, tech and G2tR! Q&A in progress!)
[19:47] <+Robert> There are approximately 80 different Talents in the core rulebook.
[19:47] <+cj_ruby> There's 10 pages of them in a 40 page manuscript
[19:48] <+cj_ruby> talents & flaws
[19:48] <+CroweLonginus> No shortage of talent with this bunch, that's for sure.
[19:48] <+Robert> One of our first updates on the Kickstarter that just ended recently was a short actual play video. You can view it here: (Link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/4wfg/exploding-aces-a-new-rpg-by-4-winds-fantasy-gaming/posts/297546)http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/4wfg/exploding-aces-a-new-rpg-by-4-winds-fantasy-gaming/posts/297546
[19:48] <+Robert> You're biased Crowe!
[19:48] <+CroweLonginus> Yes. Yes I am.
[19:49] <+Rick> Do they cover a wide range of possible genres, or are they universal? Fan Hammer seems straight-up Western (not that that's a bad thing ;) )
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[19:49] <~Dan> (Howdy, Squide! Q&A in progress! You know the drill. :) )
[19:49] <+Robert> The talents do cover a wide range. We give some that are more specific to certain genres, but in general leave it generic.
[19:50] <+Rick> Is there advice / guidelines for creating your own?
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[19:51] <+Robert> We'll include a sidebar that gives some guidelines for creating your own, yes.
[19:51] <+Rick> Cool
[19:51] <+CroweLonginus> Have you gone over how botches are going to work?
[19:51] <+Robert> We haven't discussed botches yet...
[19:51] <+cj_ruby> There are example of who quality and edge combinations work, but as of yet there's no guidlines to creating your own. We do intend to put several different genre scenarios in the core riules
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[19:53] <+cj_ruby> Botches happen if the 1st card turned is a joker or if the draw, so far, is resulting in a tie or a success. and a jolker is turned, then it's a botch
[19:54] <+cj_ruby> In EA the rules encourage the players to determine their own botches
[19:55] <~Dan> So botches happen completely randomly?
[19:55] <+Rick> And if it wasn't the 1st card and not (so far) a tie or success? Just a regular failure, then?
[19:55] <+cj_ruby> If a botch is cinematic or very detrimental they GM awards the player a twist or a force-of-will point
[19:56] <+cj_ruby> Yes, just a failure
[19:56] <+cj_ruby> Yes, random
[19:56] <+CroweLonginus> Well, as randomly as they happen with a natural '1' or '00'
[19:56] <+CroweLonginus> on dice
[19:56] <+Robert> Like a 1 on a d20 - random
[19:56] <+cj_ruby> just about the same %
[19:57] <+Rick> I'd love to know more about force-of-will points and what they do
[19:57] <+cj_ruby> as a player takes dmg he may add a joker as a detriment
[19:57] <+Robert> Some folks have manged to play entire 4 hour sessions without botching. Then there's me...
[19:57] <+Rick> heh
[19:58] <+cj_ruby> Wow, f-o-w was the last thing I tweaked. It was very powerful in early version, now it lets a player spend a f-o-w and look at the top card, he can then play it or discard it
[19:59] <+Rick> Ah, okay, cool
[19:59] <+Robert> The player can also use F-O-W to lower their damage by taking a temporary setback.
[19:59] <+cj_ruby> f-o-w is determine by Spirit and Poise
[19:59] <+cj_ruby> Yes, by sacrificing it
[20:00] <+Robert> That is, lower the damage they take themselves.
[20:00] <+cj_ruby> spent f-o-w may be sacrificed
[20:00] <~Dan> (brb)
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[20:01] <+cj_ruby> any more ?s about anything we've covered?
[20:01] <+Rick> So you can lower the dmg by sacrificing a f-o-w point, or add a joker as a detriment? I get the first part, can you add a little more about joker/detriments?
[20:02] <+Rick> Sorry if I'm asking too much
[20:02] <+Robert> No, that's great!
[20:02] <+twwilliams> Got to go now. Enjoyed learning some about the game.
[20:02] <+Robert> Later, Tommy!
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[20:02] <+Rick> You already got my money, I pledged on Kickstarter :)
[20:03] <+Robert> And we thank you for that!
[20:03] <+Rick> n/p, really looking fwd to getting the game
[20:04] <+cj_ruby> there are 4 tiers of dmg, with 3 spots each, the top is bruised, next is injury, then wound and fianlly death. when a character's injured the add a joker to their deck, when they're wounded they take out the ace of clubs
[20:05] <+Rick> Ah, okay, so initially there's just 1 joker in each player's deck?
[20:05] <+Gyr|Laptop> Hunh.  Any particular reason for the ace of clubs?
[20:05] <~Dan-brb> (back, sorry.)
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[20:05] <+cj_ruby> Yes, just 1
[20:05] <+Robert> Adding in the extra joker raises the chances of drawing a joker (naturally), which simulates your injured state very well.
[20:06] <+cj_ruby> it's the least powerful ace, it only explodes if you're an expoert
[20:06] <+cj_ruby> expert
[20:06] <~Dan> How do weapons function mechanically?
[20:06] <+cj_ruby> Ace of Spades always explodes, then hearts, then diamonds
[20:08] <+Robert> To-hit with firearms uses perception + firearms edge rating . To-hit for fight, melee, and throw uses agility + fight, + melee, or + throw edge ratings. The number of cards turned is the perception or agility quality, plus one card if the edge rating is trained or better (this may be turned or not).
[20:08] <+Damiar> (can someone link me to the kickstarter?)
[20:08] <+Gyr|Laptop> I'm suddenly having this weird vision of Talents and Flaws resulting in different cards being added to or subtracted from your deck at different points.  But that ends up with some weird crossover game where Nicol Bolas gets pulled out of your Magic box and added to your character deck, and if his card is flipped he's summoned up Great Cthulhu style and eats the party.
[20:08] <+Robert> Here's the link: (Link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/4wfg/exploding-aces-a-new-rpg-by-4-winds-fantasy-gaming)http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/4wfg/exploding-aces-a-new-rpg-by-4-winds-fantasy-gaming
[20:09] <+Robert> Though the Kickstarter ended (successfully!) last s
[20:09] <+Robert> Sunday.
[20:09] <+Rick> There was a "Superhero" pledge level on the Kickstarter, how readily "out-of-thebox" does EA do the superhero genre?
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[20:10] <~Dan> (Howdy, FoxKit! Q&A in progress!)
[20:10] <+cj_ruby> Talents and flaws usually effect the difficulty level, you don't add or subtract cards. though i did think about doing that. ;)
[20:10] <+FoxKit> (Evening! n.n I'm excited to observe~)
[20:11] <+Robert> That's one genre we haven't spent much time on in the playtests. We've done survival horror, Westerns, action, supernatural adventure...
[20:11] <+cj_ruby> I'm really excited about the potential for supers with EA
[20:12] <+cj_ruby> i've worked hard coming up with supernatural talents and their mechanic
[20:12] <~Dan> Can the system handle something beyond the 1-6 scale?
[20:13] <+cj_ruby> No 6 is super, in a mundane game (such as a western) no one may have six points in a quality
[20:13] <+Robert> Anything above a 6 rating would be extremely powerful.
[20:13] <+Rick> Pretty much anything I buy at some point I try to do superheroes and Star Wars with it eventually; I know I'm not the only one, too ;)
[20:14] <~Dan> Seems like you'd have a difficult time doing a supers game if everything super is compressed into one attribute level.
[20:14] <+cj_ruby> If you have 6 in a quality you may stop turning cards once you have a success ratio 91 more success than failure)
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[20:15] <+cj_ruby> (1 more success than failure)
[20:15] <+cj_ruby> The real power will be in the supernatural talents
[20:16] <~Dan> So how would you distinguish between, say, Spider-man and the Hulk in terms of strength?
[20:16] <+Robert> A true comic book-like game would come (as CJ just said) from using talents, and flaws to a lesser extent.
[20:16] <+Rick> Can we get a peek at one? (Supernatural Talent)
[20:17] <+cj_ruby> Go ahead robert, I don't have the rules on this computer
[20:17] <+cj_ruby> they're on page 18, if that helps
[20:18] <+Robert> Power lift and toss: May lift and throw items weighing from 1 to 10 tons. Medium range for 1 ton is 100 yards. Damage would be 5 to 50X damage total. Note: a botch should be spectacular.
[20:21] <+Robert> Tough: No need to put the second joker in your deck upon becoming injured, wait until wounded and do not remove the ace of clubs at wounded (must still follow the standard rules for setbacks).
[20:21] <+Rick> Thanks!
[20:22] <+cj_ruby> It's a very subjective game. I wanted the rules to be as crunch lite as possible for a new concept (such as cards)
[20:22] <+Robert> You bet!
[20:23] <+Robert> Again, we wanted something that was more about speed of play and action simulation than skill simulation. It really works out that way, too.
[20:23] <+cj_ruby> I'm all for not having to open the rules during a gaming session.
[20:24] <+cj_ruby> Most of the mechanics will be on simple charts
[20:24] <+cj_ruby> And they're very simple, no addition or multiplication needed
[20:25] <+Robert> Speaking of open - we are going to be allowing other publishers to produce Exploding Aces compatible material for the game with the Ace Content license.
[20:25] <~Dan> Did you see my Hulk vs. Spidey question?
[20:25] <+Robert> No, I missed that, Dan.
[20:25] <~Dan> I asked how you would distinguish between them in terms of strength.
[20:25] <+cj_ruby> Yes, umm, the GM would have to tweak the talents and flaws for each in this system
[20:26] <+Robert> It would come down to talents, Dan. Hulk is obviously far stronger than Spider-man. In Exploding Aces, you would assign certain supernatural Strength talents to Hulk that Spidey wouldn't have.
[20:26] <+cj_ruby> The Hulk would be at the 50 ton scale and spidey would use the same scale but be closer to several tons
[20:27] <~Dan> So would talents let the Hulk do more damage with a punch, for example, and Spidey be more agile than a 6 attribute alone would allow?
[20:28] <+Robert> Exactly!
[20:28] <~Dan> How would the latter work?
[20:29] <+Robert> Spidey would have Extraordinary nimbleness: Any agility test demanding or below defaults to easy. Tough and hard tests default to routine.
[20:29] <+Robert> Hulk would not have that.
[20:29] <+Robert> Hulk would then probably have Accelerated Vitality: Recover 1 point of damage per round. Spend a twist once in a scene to activate. Enhanced Soak: Plus cards soak double damage on a soak test. No twist needed to activate.
[20:29] <+cj_ruby> The attribute would be the same for each, but the difficulty scale would be set differently for each
[20:30] <+cj_ruby> Feats of str that would be at impossible for spidey might be easy or routine for hulk
[20:30] <+Robert> Yup.
[20:31] <~Dan> Ah. So to summarize, would it be accurate to say that "scale-busting" abilities simply lower difficulty levels?
[20:31] <+cj_ruby> Yes
[20:32] <+Robert> Yes
[20:32] <~Dan> Gotcha. :)
[20:32] <+Rick> twists are represented on the game table by poker chips, typically, right?
[20:32] <+cj_ruby> difficulty then can be raised by an opponent spend a twist
[20:32] <+Robert> That's what we've used, yes. You could also use glass beads
[20:32] <+Robert> Or pennies, or something similiar.
[20:32] <+cj_ruby> yes, that's what i use, but it could be anything
[20:33] <+Rick> Are f-o-w points represented like that, too?
[20:33] <+Robert> No, F-O-W is tracked solely on your character sheet.
[20:33] <+cj_ruby> They're a little like bennies in SW, but they're used all the time in EA and you're always gaining or losing them
[20:33] <+Rick> I'll no doubt use my new PennyGems (from another Kickstarter I backed)
[20:34] <+cj_ruby> F-o-w is Spirit + Poise divided in half (rnd up)
[20:34] <~Dan> Would all "kewl powerz" be talents, and if so, to what degree does the core rulebook cover them?
[20:34] <+cj_ruby> There's also a talent and flaw that raise and lower f-o-w
[20:35] <+Robert> Define what you mean by "kewl powerz".
[20:35] <+Rick> So, you could get 2+ per ace?
[20:35] <+cj_ruby> Yes, talents are the cool powers, about a quarter of the manuscript is dedicated to them
[20:35] <~Dan> Magic, psionics, superpowers, mutations, etc.
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[20:36] <+Robert> Ah, yes. Talents and Supernatural talent. Mostly Supernatural talent. Regular talents are more things that anyone could potentially do.
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[20:37] <+cj_ruby> Most of the games i run (at home or conventions) have normal humans facing extraordinary circumstances (or villains).
[20:38] <+cj_ruby> I have been working on supernatural p[layer scenarios lately
[20:38] <~Dan> Do you think human-scale is the game's forte?
[20:38] <+Robert> For the core book, yes.
[20:39] <+cj_ruby> Yes
[20:39] <+Robert> We have plans for expansions in the future, that will delve deeper into supers, supernatural powers, etc.
[20:39] <+cj_ruby> Yep, i'm already working on an urban fantasy world
[20:40] <~Dan> Well, let me rephrase: Do you think human-scale conflict is the forte of the system as a whole? Or do you think it's flexible enough to cover, say, cosmic-scale conflict?
[20:41] <+cj_ruby> human scale is the base. I think cosmic-scale would have to be in a specific scenario (w/ its own rule tweaks) or an exspansion.
[20:42] <+Rick> Re: expansions -- If you plan to use Kickstarter to fund those, can I ask a favor and make it at least a little shorter than the last one? That took _forever_ ;)
[20:42] <+Robert> I haven't thought about cosmic-scale to be honest. We were influenced primarily by the likes of Diehard movies, Westerns, Walking Dead, etc.
[20:43] <+cj_ruby> Yes, action movies, or TV shows are the parallel I was looking to simulate
[20:43] * ~Dan nods
[20:43] <+Damiar> I've been in and out. do we know when the .pdf will be available?
[20:43] <~Dan> Just to be clear, I'm not trying to pick apart your game when I ask that. I'm just trying to get a good grasp on what you think the game does best.
[20:43] <+cj_ruby> I enjoy the ordinary guy in an extraordinary circumstance scenario
[20:44] <+Robert> We are shooting for March on that Damiar.
[20:44] <+Robert> I understand, Dan!
[20:44] <~Dan> Good. Just want to make sure. :)
[20:44] <+Damiar> thanks much, Robert.
[20:44] <+cj_ruby> I wrote the game to do the above best. And it works great
[20:45] <+Robert> We did send the unedited manuscript to blogger Tommy Brownell, who reviewed it, if anyone is interested: (Link: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2012/09/tommys-take-on-exploding-aces.html)http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2012/09/tommys-take-on-exploding-aces.html
[20:45] <~Dan> Tommy's a great guy. :)
[20:45] <~Dan> We have a bit of a mutual admiration society going when it comes to reviews.
[20:46] <+Robert> Nice.
[20:46] <+cj_ruby> i was very glad that the concepts i had written came out so concise with Tommy
[20:46] <+cj_ruby> He got it
[20:46] <~Dan> Tommy shares my philosophy of reviewing: Figure out what a game is attempting to do, and judge its quality by how well it does that.
[20:47] <+cj_ruby> It gave me hope that folks will get it. When you write something you're never sure since it's all in your mind
[20:47] <+Rick> what can you share about character generation, how that works?
[20:49] <+Robert> Players start by picking personality types and persona, which then gives them a number of base points in their qualities.
[20:49] <+cj_ruby> Oh, this is fun. You take a personality test extrovert or introvert etc. and that gives you your quality point mix which is divided between Body, Mind and Psyche. The you pick a person that gives your starting edge mix
[20:50] <+cj_ruby> persona
[20:50] <+Robert> Then you have points that you can spend to increase qualities or buy talents.
[20:51] <+cj_ruby> a persona such as a caregiver or an adventurer. then you have free points to spend on talents and taking flaws gives you more pnt
Session Start (gryphon.magicstar.net:#rpgnet): Thu Sep 27 20:59:49 2012 -0500
[20:59] *** Dan has joined #rpgnet
[20:59] *** Topic on #rpgnet is: #rpgnet welcomes Robert Thomson & CJ Ruby (Exploding Aces) 9/27, 00:00 GMT! || Q&A schedule: (Link: https://​tinyurl.com/​cvr8p9y)https://​tinyurl.com/​cvr8p9y || <Snoof> Zap those noobs!
[20:59] *** Topic set by Dan (15 hours ago at 6:15 AM)
[20:59] *** ChanServ sets mode +qo Dan Dan
[20:59] *** ChanServ sets mode +o Dan
[21:00] <~Dan> Sorry, guys. Computer froze up.
[21:00] <+cj_ruby> ok
[21:00] <~Dan> You there, Le_Squide?
[21:00] <+cj_ruby> wow, time really flew here
[21:00] <+Robert> Yup, it did!
[21:00] <~Dan> Yup, that'll happen. :)
[21:01] <~Dan> Anything you guys would like to say that we haven't covered?
[21:01] <+cj_ruby> i've never done one of these, glad you had me
[21:01] <+Robert> Just a big "thank you". :D
[21:02] <~Dan> Oh, and could someone cut and paste the bit I missed for the sake of the log?
[21:02] <+Rick> thanks for doing this, CJ & Robert, and thanks Dan for setting it up!
[21:02] <+Robert> You bet! Happy to!
[21:02] <~Dan> Absolutely, Rick!
[21:02] <+cj_ruby> i think we covered much of the game. The rules for the GM are a bit different than player characters, that's due to the # of cards that would be drawn
[21:02] <~Dan> And all of you are more than welcome to hang out here whenever you like.
[21:03] <~Dan> Also, I'll give you the link as soon as I have the log posted on my blog.
[21:03] <+cj_ruby> thanks
[21:03] <+Robert> If anyone has further questions, you can post them on our forums: (Link: http://s4.zetaboards.com/4_Winds/forum/3242766/)http://s4.zetaboards.com/4_Winds/forum/3242766/
[21:04] <+Robert> I think it's time for me to find some food!
[21:04] <+cj_ruby> See you, thanks all, bye (done)
[21:04] <~Dan> Bye, guys! Take care! :)
[21:04] <+Robert> Goodnight!
[21:05] <+Rick> 'Night!
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