Agents of S.W.I.N.G. – FATE of Swinging Sixties Superspies and others

Suggesting three red white and blue dice, keeping one spare to save for when you do well. Rather than spin for shifts, you get to keep the spare die as an ace in the hole reroll to use once.

The organisation’s pronounced acronym pointing out that this is a game of superspies in the Swinging Sixties with a UK flavour. With 13 different departments ranging from the unknown to crimefighters, assassins, spook hunters and mad scientist chasing superheroes you could have any flavour of game you wanted, sixties style, from hardboiled crimefighting to paranoid vampire chasing a la Night’s Black Agents.

Updating or regressing the technology involved and the same framework would get you other era gaming pretty happily, if changing the tone a little.

James Bond RPG players should like this game. However, the basic tone of the game sits with The Avengers. Steed and Peel and other UK pop culture types of the era, like the Third Doctor get NPC writeups later in the book. This is extremely well done…game master advice like ‘Plot Stress’ as note for when the players have worked out enough to advance further in the plot. Clever.

Then there are useful vehicle rules and also interesting organisation rules. Tech upgrading and other bits and pieces. How to get help from headquarters and other nice tweaks. The FATE Ladder is given a swinging skin, with ‘Bummer’ and ‘Fab’ as skill ranks. A fun one is that ‘Artillery’ is one of the listed skills, so an expectation that lots of shit will blow up given an explosives section, too. A nice and concise list of useful stunts adds on.

A great one book game that would also be a useful resource for those wanting to plug in this short of spy shenanigans in a game of another genre. Lulu available, too, so Australian affordable unlike quite a few small press games given the uselessness of the US post office these days.

Star Ace – Leftover oddballs

A game of leftover heroes who happened to not get wiped out in interstellar battle with the Imperial forces. The Star Teams. Humans, crystal clone, hybrids, polar bear and catpeople. Some amusing artwork, but a poor game with a really oddball tone. The Luck attribute is interesting in an evolution sense. Percentile system with a resolution table. Everyone gets a fighter and a proton rifle and a literal in a game sense handful of cash to start…so odd right from there.

Kapow! breakdown

Kapow! Breakdown

172 Pages

PART I

In the introduction, definitely wearing his four-colour heart on his sleeve, the designer.

Chapter 1 – Steps to Creating a Superhero

Scope – From 1. Normal, to 12. Cosmic. An approximation of the power level of the game. Also Tone – from Grim, to Camp.

Quick Start Hero – pick an entry from the sample list closest to your idea and modify. Decide if a power is Automatic or Active. There are a few different templates. Standard, Powerhouse, Minimal Jack-Of-all-Trades.

Power names and descriptions are free-form. Every character gets 3 Boosts to differentiate with. You can take Disadvantages on powers to boost them. Add Complications and background detail. There are Advantages as well like Ultra-Flexible and Area Effect.

Chapter 2

Concept – make one up.

Chapter 3

So to take the Standard Template to convert my first Super Squadron character Nightblack. A darkness generator that wears all black and has a big red sword and shuriken with some enhanced abilities like fighting and Agility.

Standard:
Main Power: 8 (d8, d8) – call this Fighting
4 others powers at: 6 (d6, d6) – Darkness Generation, Strength, Agility, Endurance. Spend the three boosts on Tough, Will and Actions.

Tough: 3
Will: 3
Stamina: 2
Actions: 3

Chapter 4

Boosts, Advantages, Disadvantages.

In Kapow! powers are scaled to Scope. Nightblack was a standard four-colour type hero. It gives examples that 8 Telekineses could lift a car at Street scope but a Blue Whale at National scope. So the narrative fictio matters.

Minor Powers are the fourth type are Regular, Movement and Utility. Characters can have any number they like of these. So explicitly could definite Nightblack as having the ability to see in the dark at 4: and also Running at 4:.

There are rules for Assets, Companions, Gear, Vehicles, Bases, etc. and for making up your own add-ons to these and to powers. Also Perks, Contacts, Reputation and Favours.

Chapter 5

Complications

You must take one Big one and two Small ones. So if Nightblack is tackling Doctor Technology’s hidden US bases, he is then Out Of His Area to go along with Aging Vigilante and Alone.

Chapter 6

Origin and Background

Skills and abilities from this are at the Default Power Level of 4. In Nightblack’s case, Asian Weapons and Academics.

Drive – let’s say Justice.

Appearance – dresses in skintight black spandex with small red goggles.

Add a Battle Cry. Only mentally, in Vietnamese for a darkness wielding martial artist, really.

Chapter 7

Examples characters.

Part II

Playing a Superhero

Chapter 8

Quick Summary of the mechanics. The dice rolling, roll the two dice that your power is rated at: 8 is (d8, d8), 7 is (d8, d6) etc. and you use the higher result.

Then a list of various combat manoeuvres and options – even the Sudden Death challenge one roll takes it – highest side wins.

Chapter 9

Defining Powers. With examples and levels.

Chapter 10

Using Powers. They have to make comics sense. The Default Skill substitution roll if you have nothing relevant. Contested and Uncontested Actions with difficult numbers. What happens when you are Damaged and Hindered (reduced effectiveness). And Out as in taken out in an appropriate manner, physically or mentally. There are simple timing rules in recovering from this…or preventing an opponent from doing so. Tired, Overkill, Disabled.

Minion and Mob rules!

Chapter 11

Tropes, Battle Cry, Combining Powers, Pulling Punches. Failure Is Not An Option, Overdrive, Power Play – for those times when you really call on the reserves, Sheer Determination, Sudden Death, Wild Shot.

Chapter 12

Rounds and Turns

Chapter 13

Special Situations

Like Crossing Scopes and Crossovers with Guest Stars.

Chapter 14

Ranges

These are abstract. Normal = large room, Agent, Street, Cosmic etc. Like Scopes. Movement, chases and senses.

Chapter 15

Investigation, Gumshoe. With a note: don’t overuse it and make a skill system.

Chapter 16

Experience. Generally one XP per session. Getting taken Out or capture gives extra. Spending it, Patrol, Training.

Chapter 17

The Environment

Vehicle scope, Buildings, More Stuff to Break. Hazards and Obstacles.

Part III – Page 109

Gamemastering Superheroes.

Chapter 18

Advice on types of game, campaign, etc.

Chapter 19

Villains

Motives, Modus Operandi, Types along with the two former. Complications and casting.

Chapter 20

Adventures, types of Scheme. Lairs.

Adventure Preparation.

PART IV – Page 148

Appendices

A

Otherwise known as Yay!

Suggest that it is a guideline, not a complete procedure. This is the gamemaster section.

Trying it out :-

Theme – 1d10 = 3 Elemental
Elemental Theme – 1d20 = 17 Magnetism

So the bad person here might just be a Magnetic Elemental.

Appendix B – Page 159

Tables of different levels of Scope and what they approximate to for weight and speed.

Appendix C – Page 165

Options summary for manoeuvres.

Appendix D – Page 166

How to be a good player.

Then an index to finish.

Overall this is a very solid point buy creation game with reasonably straightforward mechanics and would seem to be somewhere between BASH and Cortex in that sense. A few power levels, referenced as dice with very free form power choice, design and definition like the latter.

The game makes consistent sense and reinforces the design decisions with the general advice favouring a standard four-colour type hero game, but with other possibilities. This is the Primary Rule that actually exists in game. Be superhero-like. The title obviously suggests it, too.

Having played a couple of times, it is quite suited to bringing a new player in. What can your hero do? What are they best at? Ok, that is an 8, the others are at 6, we will work out the abilities and some minor powers as we go. Done in a minute or two.

The Power Level chart could use reiteration of listing earlier, I think, before Page 67:

Again, the base mechanic being roll 2, keep 1, the highest.

e.g.

PL Dice
2 d1
3 d4
4 d4, d4
5 d6, d4
6 d6, d6
7 d8, d6
8 d8, d8
9 d10, d8
10 d10, d10
11 d12, d10
12 d12, d12
13 d8+5, d13
14 d8+5, d8+5
15 d10+5, d8+5,
16 d10+5, d10+5,
17 d12+5, d10+5
etc.

Definitely a lot better than I thought it would be. The advice for Gamemasters section is longer than Villains & Vigilantes and Super Squadron, at least in page count.

Abstract ranges and measurement means a fiction-weighted rules light game that holds together very nicely and would suit lots of people.

Something like this, to go with the BASH! ones

0 0ut of 10 Price (lower is cheaper per page)
6 out of 10 Length (lower is shorter)
4 out of 10 Complexity (lower is easier)
5 out of 10 Playability
2 out of 10 Artwork

Space Opera – Table mish-mash

Take Traveller, bloat it up a lot, make sure you have tables for as much as you can think of, including double level fatigue and dropping the ball. This comment also nails it :- “the barely sketched out campaign milieu is a mish-mash of animal-men, vulcans, jedi, lightsabres, space nazis, space commies, martians-from-War-of-the-Worlds and implacable hiveminded insectoids.” http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?461973-Necro-FGU-s-Space… Some very dodgy writing and concepts, but it has a certain charm, and some of the stuff you could have enhanced Traveller with..more detailed character enlistments, some effects of the planet that your character has come from, etc. How to bias stat rolling to make players likely to have higher level stats than the ordinary by using d100 to roll d20, that sort of thing. Much weapons and gear, too. The middle game I guess you could call it of Traveller and Spacemaster from the time. Worth a browse for entertainment and occasional useful part.

Batman Role-Playing Game: Cut down DC Heroes

To capitalise on the Bat-movie craze at the time

Has a 22 page Character section
Batman, Robin, Batgirl, Nightwing, Nemesis, Question, Pennyworth, Gordon, Vale
Calendar Man, Cat-Man, Catwoman, Clayface II, , Clayface III, Copperhead, Croc, Doctor Tzin-Tzin, Joker, Kobra, Mad Hatter, Man-Bat, Mikado, Penguin, Poison Ivy, Riddler, Scarecrow, Two-Face

so a couple of others of interest and notable for having more foes than friends

Diaspora Skills to Fate Core Skills

Athletics – Agility, MicroG
Burglary
Contacts – Bureaucracy
Crafts – Animal Handler, Computer, Demolitions, Engineering, EVA, Repair, Survival
Deceive
Drive – Aircraft, Navigation, Pilot, Vehicle
Empathy – Culture/Tech
Fight – Brawling, Close Combat, Tactics
Investigate – Communications
Lore – Archaeology, Arts, Medical, Profession, Science
Notice – Alertness
Physique – Stamina
Provoke – Intimidation
Rapport – Charm, Oratory
Resources – Assets, Brokerage
Shoot – Energy Weapons, Gunnery, Slug Throwers
Stealth – Stealth
Will – Resolve

ICONS – An Interesting Game

An interesting game. Which you would expect from an experienced designer and more so an experienced superhero designer. See the Mutants and Masterminds Wild Cards books for an example.

This is what you get if you take TSR MSH Advanced game, trim it back a litle (or at least the 4CS public domain version) and add some parts of FATE.

The game mechanic is 1d6-1d6 (or 2d6-7) rather than 4dF or (4d3-8) to get a wider range of outcomes. Changing the dice result range would be a interesting genre tweak for superhero games I think.

The artwork is rather more cartoony than I like but would seem to be certainly fitting for a younger crowd, and the mechanics and writing is simple enough that it would work very nicely there, too.

Random power creation is included with the various character archetypes, so that is fun.

The FATE point and Karma pool for teams ideas are combined to be bit easier on the adding up front. The Leadership skill has a game function here.

Power levels are capped at 10 for the super mega cosmic type – or lift mountain ranges.

The strength of using a FUDGE type mechanic to replay the Universal Table is in ability opposition….a valid criticism of which is that the defense of both Daredevil and a thug as far as being punched by someone is the same. Which is great if you are a PC trying to hit someone and bad if the reverse.

Give I like FASERIP and FUDGE and FATE a lot.

So if any of those appeal, you will like this game, and could certainly hack a few bits into your preferred flavour. Suggests ‘reskinning’ the ability levels with your own favourite adjectives. Fantastic being a good and obvious one instead of Monstrous – especially given that is actually the Thing’s strength level.

Aspects for characters and teams completely fit superheroes with catchphrases, battle cries, mottos and more. So a natural. Compels also help to keep subplots and complications and disadvantages involved rather than forgotten about.

It is certainly good enough that I’ll have a look at some supplements.

Also, Cactus Man. Who actually gets used in a podcast game online!

There are print and digital versions.

4.5 out of 5

Cosmic Patrol – Collaborative Improv

A different approach to running this game – collaborative improv with a ‘Lead Narrator’ rotating between the players.

The setting is basically Captain Future. Space Patrolmen adventure in an old school planetary romance setting a la Edmond Hamilton. Amazons of Mars, Venus madmen, robots, Lizard People, three eyed guys with big heads, all that sort of thing.

It uses the different dice for stats type idea, too, d6, d8, d10, d12 that you assign to a few basic statistics.

Character tag and cue ideas in an aspect type sense, the use of plot points to change things.

There are some sample NPCs and plot scenario ideas at the end.

So this would be cool seeing it is along those lines to already to lift as a FATE setting/adaptation too.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Weaseled

Ever think you would be stuck in a knock down drag out fight with a pair of assassins, one a mutant weasel, the other a mutant fox, both in body armor and ridiculously agile? Well, neither did I until I played this game.

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