anime shit

take it to /an/ fag

Good on you, OP. Not a fan of the manga, but it's nice to see dedicated homebrew.

>>13203350
Keep up the good work, OP! So far I like what you did. Will do some tests when I can rally the mates.

>>13203374
You're cute.

Oh, nice. The Blame! universe always seemed like the perfect post-cyberpunk dystopia setting.

nice one OP, I'll look into it tomorrow.

>>13203350
>The rules may be completely broken.
Combat is. Besides that, seems fine. I pretty much doubled damage before resistance/armor and it flows a lot better now.

>doubled damage before resistance/armor

Yes. I had originally used the weapon rating as both attack value and damage, counting it twice, in order to keep it symmetrical with the defence value & resist/armor values, but somehow it got lost when I wrote my draft. If you take the Margin of Success and add the weapon rating to it again for a Total Damage Value, it works much better. I may also lower some of the Resist Abilities.

Upcoming changes in v0.6
* Added 3 locations: wireline palaccios, structure conversion towers and survival habitat
* Added 4 denizens: Chimeric Bear Guard, Gelworm, Watcher Fly, Silicon Imp
* Added and cleaned up the Safeguard section, +Starspawn and Sterilizer models
* Expanded Netsphere section
* A few more Modules

Oh, and the character sheet is here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?2dw37m9x734dvfk

For those unfamiliar with the manga, you can read it here:

http://www.mangafox.com/manga/blame/

The older /tg/ thread from Wednesday is archived here:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/13165220/

>>13203350

Gotta say, while I haven't gotten through the entirety, I've gotten through most of it, and I really like the system.

Very nice. Good thing I started reading the manga two or three months ago, otherwise I would not have understood any of this.

Thanks. I know it's a niche interest, but the setting is so cool that it's worth it. I don't even particularly like manga, but Blame! caught my attention for its architecture and amazing world.

Maybe a few more fa/tg/uys will give it a chance if they think the game looks interesting.

tnx op!

Bumping with funnies

BLAME! is my favourite manga, and I've always thought it could be an excellent world for an RPG, so kudos, Krypter, for making it happen. I'll be following the progress. I very rarely come to /tg/, despite the fact that every time I do come here I see fantastic shit, and I think this thread will be the final word on the matter. /r9k/ can go suck a dick, I'm staying here.

>>13207780
Yes, that is amusing, especially since I lived through the years of 300 baud dial-up modems. Glad you like Blam! so far. The combat rules need some thorough playtesting and maybe changes, but otherwise I think it's solid.

Contributions still welcome!

Liking the idea of adding damage after the roll myself though at that point I would give all weapons two stats instead of one. Maybe give a strike and damage stat?

It would allow for more variety and you could limit the strike stat more since it wouldn't need to inflate up to 100 to keep the right feel anymore. I'd need to check to see what good values would be.

I'd also say that more attention needs to be paid to exactly how the "everyone rolls simultaneously in combat" works because right now it is kind of haphazard.

Take a look at 3:16, it has a similar idea for combat but much more elegant and simple. Should be on /rs/ if you aren't familiar with it.

Perhaps even steal the flashback system for use with memories? A lot of good inspiration in 3:16 that could be used in the RPG.

>>13208686
Thanks, but I want to keep the system very simple, so I'm not keen on adding any more stats.

It shouldn't be too hard to keep track of simultaneous actions since no-one gets more than 1 action per round. Everyone basically designates a target and compares rolls.

I'll take a look at 3:16 but I don't really want to steal anyone's ideas. If mine are not as good, so be it. Thanks for the feedback.

I read it. I liked it.
Got no complaints, really (tho' i think pcell should be more powerful...)
If you were adding more pages, it would be nice to see more characters, maybe dhomo, seu or ivy. Or whoever, really. Cibo would be nice too, but she changes pretty much every volume so she'd be a pain to stat up.

>>13209055
I intentionally avoided statting up Killy, Shibo, Sanakan, etc. because I knew that whatever stats I'd choose would just kick up a shitstorm of complaints from everyone. And they're unique characters so it doesn't really help in character generation, but if enough people want it I'll put them in...

>>13209094
makes sense. I'm sure i'd bitch. I shd say, you did a good job laying it out. looks real nice.

saw the last page: is great sky river worth a read?

>>13209299
Yes, it is, but the ending is a bit weak because the book is the middle part of a quadrology, I think. It's also relentlessly depressing, so don't read it if you're on meds.

Has anyone examined whether Schuiten, the Belgian architect, had any influence on Nihei? I've only examined a bit of Schuiten's work (it's much more whimsical) but some of the megastructures bear a resemblance.

>>13208911
Mostly wondering how the system handles multiple people targeting one person. It is fine for one on one. But if everyone designates one then things get messy. Either the one target contests everyone which can be messy or he can only contest one which is more logical but messier as the system seems to assume all actions have a minimum resistance working against them.

Either way the mechanics need some provisos and exceptions added to tell people what to do, which is more of what I was getting at. Just something to look at for crafting the mechanics.

As for the damage bit it will take some playtesting... so I'll do a quick battle with two guys using starting level stats:

20 Blast
20 Resist
40 Structure
Assault Rifle +40
Skinsuit +15

So this is a battle against equal parties using mundane weapons and wearing low-level armour:

First roll:
First guy rolls a 17
Second guy rolls a 19

So we have a difference of 2. Add in 40 for the damage and we have 42 damage total. Subtract 35 from that and we have 7 damage.

Not looking too shabby for mundane fights, a close match gives about 1/4 damage.

What about other combat though? Let's try lower level stuff, perhaps with pistols.

Same stats but replace the AR with a light coil pistol (+20):

First guy rolls 13
Second guy rolls 20 (wow wasn't expecting that)

So a difference of 7 points, add 20 and we have 27. Doesn't even scratch the guy that got hit and the shot was a 1 in 100 shot while the other guy was a bit above average.

This isn't boding well for low level combat between starting characters. Even with a roll of 2 vs. 20 you are looking at a max possible damage of 38 which even the most rudimentary protection will block almost all of. Anything with less damage than +20 in an equal conflict against starting level opponents is basically a stalemate still.

Continued from >>13211454
Meanwhile if we go with GBE to test what a low level agent PC who springs for that at creation is like we get (same stats and protection again):

First guy 13
Second guy 9

So a difference of 4, add +70 damage and subtract the 35 armour. And we have 39 points of damage. One more point and the other guy would have died.

In the end using the weapon as a strike adder and damage adder seems to make things really swingy if the opponents are equals. With mundane weapons and a bit of protection (or someone who just pumped resist as it is a god-stat right now) you are seeing no damage between equal opponents.

Guys that are well armed and minimally armoured are doing decent levels and guys armed to the nines (possible from the start) are one shotting each other.

Honestly even with the damage boost resist is still a little powerful unless you are well armed. But if people spring for staying well armoured then nothing short of a GBE will scratch them.

It would be nice to keep stuff simple but right now it seems that things have been complicated just enough that you either need to scale the crunch back (to say, a wound-like system like in 3:16 where it is three strikes and you're out) or need to add more on. Because right now there is no easy solution to resistance.

In any case just some friendly suggestions. Combat either needs to be scaled back in mechanical complexity (ever think of treating it like just an extended skill test?) or needs a bit more mechanical work before it really clicks.

bump

>>13211499
getting one-shotted by a gbe is fluffy, though. I don't think anyone survives a hit in the entire manga (tho' a few can deflect the beam before it hits).

solution might be to reduce the resist and armour values for low-level types. One thing the manga makes clear is how helpless regular folk are compared to... well, everyone. There's a bit in Noise! where what looks like a low-level safeguard butchers an entire regiment of armoured troopers.

>>13210458
>>13211499
Thanks for the test. Overall it seems to work as I intended, though not for the low level weapons/armor as you mentioned. I think that's a problem with too many Attribute points given at startup, which is something I'll lower in a future draft.

The idea was that since Abilities and dice rolls are symmetric, weapons would have to be more powerful than armor to keep combat flowing and not degenerate into a grindfest. That may not be the case with low-level weapons/armor. In which case lowering armor values might do the trick.

Not that I mind a grindfest, really. Standoffs in which both (all) opponents whittle each other down until they all run out of energy are both realistic and keeping with the manga genre. That's what tactics, dirty tricks, maneuvering are for. Players shouldn't just stand and deliver, they should try to gain an advantage if they are facing equal opponents.

And yes, weapons are supposed to be a decisive factor in the game. That's in keeping with Blame! as well. There are quite a few instances in which relatively low-skilled combatants make a big difference when they pick up an overpowered gun.

>>13217402
Funny, we were thinking the exact same thing at the same time.

>The story and world are much more interesting to me and that’s where I focus my energy.

some story seeds in the book might be a good call. the manga often gives the impression that nothing happens in the city except to Killy & Shibo. Other than massacres, of course.

>>13218864
I'd say that the manga gives the impression that lots of things happen, but in the end everything really amounts to nothing.

Gotta love that nihilism.

>>13219166
yeah, or that. Either way its a problem for pcs who aren't killy.

This is awesome OP. You should do a themes of the game like WoD do for their game books.

Themes like despair, vastness, and maybe even hope might work.

OP you made something I dreamed for a looooong time.
Thank you so much for your work.

>>13219497
I don't know. Just due to the vastness of the world, I'm sure tons of shit have happened.

A high tech society that every generation sends out a party to find orginal human dna would fit just as well as a group of wanderers who've lost their memory but for some reason must continue to go west.

What I'm saying is that I don't think you need to have a gun that can shoot forever to have an interesting story happen.

>>13219518
>Themes like despair, vastness, and maybe even hope might work.
>hope

>>13219646

>>13219565
Or maybe the party is the small group of defenders trying to defend their colony from the constant onslaught of threats as they search for some place where they'd be safe to live and prosper.

Considering they're trying to protect everyone they've ever known or loved, the drama would be pretty high as would the price of failure.

OP, is there any place where we can follow your possible advances on this, in another way than finding it on /tg/ by luck?

Also, thanks for your work, i just overlooked the pdf so far but i like it.

Shit. I might try to read Blame! again. Something bored me out of continuing last time, but I love massive indoor/underground structures.

>>13219720
double shit, I didn't know Blame! had an OVA/ONA. Anyone know if it's good or not?

>>13219695
considering the mega-structure spans entire planets the possibilities are pretty much endless. fuck, that one room that that one astronomy focused silicon life was in was supposed to be as big as Jupiter

>>13219872
This.

It's tough to wrap your mind around the possibilities of the setting and just how many scenarios and areas are possible.

I think we need to sit around and really think about the scale of these structures with lifts that take YEARS to get from the top to the bottom floor of just a small section of the overall superstructure.

>>13219807
it's interesting if you have read the mangas but otherwise it would be nonsense. they're like 5mins long and really just small parts animated. the music is neat. one of them, i can't remember which one but i think the last one, does the second issue but adds something at the end that changes the whole story

i wish it was a lot longer though. i heard they were making some sort of movie about it.

A campaign focused on silicon life might be interesting. They weren't very sympathetic in blam! but there's that oneshot about a descendent of pcell trying to escape from human purges.

could be pretty cool, with the pcs trying to move up in silicon society, modify their bodies with funky cybernetics and avoid getting killed by agents, safeguard or their fellow silicon life.

>>13219872
i always wondered what happened to Seu and Mensab and all of those people inside of the Heavy Industries lab. apparently it was very iffy that they'd survive but there was a chance at least

You should have art in the background.

>>13210458

Well, Nihei has a degree in architecture so it's a definite possibility. Care to post a pic of this Schuiten dude's buildings? I'm curious.

>>13219718
Yes, I've set up a page on 1d4chan here: http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Blam!

I'll update the links with new versions as they come out.

>>13219518
>>13218864
Good ideas. I need a better intro and some thematic work, though I don't want to overdo it. The game is supposed to be toolbox for anyone to run any kind of Blame! campaign they want, so I don't want to shove my particular interpretation down their throats.

>>13219979
Trapped in a temporal anomaly until the City stops expanding. The rest of Toha was destroyed when they could not teleport far enough out of the megastructure.

>>13220459
Certainly. Pic related.

Glad you guys like it.

HEY NO SERIOUSLY GUYS, JON RIKER IS THE LAST SYNDICATE. I NEED YOU TO UNWELD ME PUT OF THE LOCKER SO I CAN WIN. PLEASE LOG ON TO WAYPOINT CHI TO HELP ME BEAT DAT ASS

Piranesi also.

I was thinking of exploring some of the themes of automatically constructed landscapes, algorithmic architecture such as voronoi structures and other forms of megastructure engineering such as waldvogel's Globus Cassus, but I'm not sure if that's too academic for such a publication. It's a game, after all, not a thesis paper.

See here:
http://www.waldvogel.com/work.php#globus-cassus
http://object-e.blogspot.com/

>>13219959
Yes, the scale is incomprehensible, but some architects and programmers are thinking big. Given the technology of the civilization(s) that initiated the construction of this ecumenopolis, where it's theorized they didn't just decontruct Jupiter but actually deconstructed a million-fold copies of Jupiter by resectioning time and counter-acted sol's gravity and angular momentum, not much would be beyond them. I'm interested in the ekistics of the City and could certainly add something on that to the PDF, but I'm not sure how much it adds to the game for other people.

http://www.megastructure.org/

Fever in Urbicand. Neverending, ever-growing megastructures are the focus of the story, and a good one it is too.

Schuiten, Peeters, Bilal, Jodorowsky, and Moebius all had some amazing architectural ideas which could easily fit into Blame!, though they did have a few more people than Nihei did...

More examples here: http://2d-domain.blogspot.com/2010_02_01_archive.html

In Nihei's artbook Blame! And So On... we are shown the origins of the City, how it grew out of the existing oikumene on Earth, swallowing the moon and eventually onwards towards the edge of the solar system.

What I've always wondered was whether the humans of Earth agreed to the construction in the first place, or whether it was organic and out of their control even then...

>>13221319
i would really like to see the origin story of the mega-structure

>>13222148
Read Noise. It has some info on that.

Anybody else interested in generative structures in the Blame! universe? I was thinking of adding rules in the Netsphere section for controlling/adapting/reprogramming the component architecture of the City, if not the megastructure itself.

*yawn* and I'm going to bed. Might get the v0.6 update done by tomorrow. G'night, and godspeed.

Bump!

Thank you OP.