My vote goes for #1. I have a hard on for point allotment as an incentive to force me to have a good time. I will openly admit that I don't think there is a good way to "balance" it rules wise but I like it anyway.

[tangent] I often emply "Hero Points" in games I run. Hero points are given out under two condtions. Someone does something I happen to find really fucking awesome/hilarious or the group calls for a vote because they think one of the players did something really awesome. As far as I can tell since I started implementing it years ago it encourages people to contribute and helps bring people out of their shells.[/tangent]

Will start picking up with this this week. My birthday slowed things down, and work is squeezing on me at the moment. Feels like not enough hours in the day! I'll submit a draft incorporating as many ideas as I can glean from those gathered, and we'll go from there.

Did anyone like the haste method of initiative, or shall we trust to a random roll (+Agility or similar stat)?

I liked the haste system, although I'd modify it as I suggested above.
And Happy Birthday!

The haste system sound interesting, but I think I'd need to see it in playtest.

I just want to chime in and say I'm still in on this. My weekend got side tracked and I haven't been able to make much progress on my own project much less write anything on this one. Certain events (birthday + my gf got a job) have changed my sleeping ad regular schedule. Hopefully this weekend I'll do a better job. Sorry for the delay.

I'm back from Vegas/gencon. just let me know what ou need me to do and i am on it.

OK - I think what I should do at this stage is go through and collect all the still-relevant examples, notes and details into a working draft outline document ? I've started working on that, anyway. Then I'll link that and we can perhaps take turns adding and modifying it.

Quote from: Bloody Stupid Johnson;575015OK - I think what I should do at this stage is go through and collect all the still-relevant examples, notes and details into a working draft outline document ? I've started working on that, anyway. Then I'll link that and we can perhaps take turns adding and modifying it.

M'k. Hopefully by this Sunday I'll have some setting related material. I'll comb back through the thread for a bit but with the schedule jumble I won't have any time to work on much of anything until maybe Sunday.

I've done one run through of the thread sifting for bits at this point and have a document that's about 12 pages long (and very messy of course). I'll do another run through and at least some cleaning up before I try to host it somewhere I think, but its proceeding.

While working on it I however I had an additional idea. With the top two setting ideas being almost a tie between New Eden and the PRISM/Noah's World setting, jibbajibba brought up the idea of a fused approach.  I tried initially writing up a third fused setting description (basically "colonists go to a new planet and make hybrids that fight the abominations) but  then had another idea...since its a SF game with multiple planets, we could fuse the ideas by instead having New Eden and Noah's World be different planets in the same game universe. I think writing it that way might make it easier to use the game as a "generic" SF future war system, as well - the GM just makes up their own planet and adds it to the universe.

Anyway, based on that idea I wrote the following intro,..

Quote from: IntroThe Future War game universe is one in which Earth has begun to spread out among the stars, but is up against stiff opposition in many corners of the galaxy.
A number of specific planets in the Future War universe are described in detail, although space travel is difficult and slow enough that while all of the planets in theory occupy the same universe, a campaign will likely be based on just one planet. The rules are adaptable for use in a range of other futuristic war settings, if that's what the GM desires.

Some of the planets described in the basic book include:

*Noah's World: a toxic battleground, abandoned by humans but still fought over by their Hybrid creations – and the Abominations created by another star-spanning race in that sector.

*New Eden: a seemingly idyllic planet at the other edge of the colonized galaxy. The colonists here are quickly finding out however, that they are not alone – and its time to go to war.
A New Eden game might have "hybrid" characters – created as servants for the colonists, rather than warriors, but most of the PCs will probably be human. PRISM technology is much less well-developed but may still be available – but it's expensive, and replacement bodies are in short supply.

Both ideas may need slight tweaks to accommodate this but on the whole I thought it could work... ?

Quote from: Bloody Stupid Johnson;575657I've done one run through of the thread sifting for bits at this point and have a document that's about 12 pages long (and very messy of course). I'll do another run through and at least some cleaning up before I try to host it somewhere I think, but its proceeding.

While working on it I however I had an additional idea. With the top two setting ideas being almost a tie between New Eden and the PRISM/Noah's World setting, jibbajibba brought up the idea of a fused approach.  I tried initially writing up a third fused setting description (basically "colonists go to a new planet and make hybrids that fight the abominations) but  then had another idea...since its a SF game with multiple planets, we could fuse the ideas by instead having New Eden and Noah's World be different planets in the same game universe. I think writing it that way might make it easier to use the game as a "generic" SF future war system, as well - the GM just makes up their own planet and adds it to the universe.

Anyway, based on that idea I wrote the following intro,..



Both ideas may need slight tweaks to accommodate this but on the whole I thought it could work... ?

interestingly I played Eclipse World at GenCon. My first exposure to it. It has the ability to move personalities between bodies, though it seems the bodies must be specially created. It uses a skill +ability mod + dice mechanic as well.
It is heavy on the crunch though with a vast skill list and huge numbers of implants, gear and tech (I played a robotic salvage spider). Their bodies are called morphs and can be uplifted animals, humans, robots or genetically enhanced types. There removing the cortex stack (like the PRISM i guess) was a complex surgical manuver, here I would like it to be simple and I like the idea of being able to switch them over much faster and plug them into equipment (like Rogue Trooper which was where I nicked the idea from in the first place ).

So on that basis we need to make sure we are differentiated.

I wouldn't be too worried about differentiation, its not like the EP guys originated the idea, its just their take on it.

Quote from: The Traveller;575691I wouldn't be too worried about differentiation, its not like the EP guys originated the idea, its just their take on it.

Agreed its just that I think we need to ensure the BSJ project differentiates itself enough from EP so it doesn't feel like a port. I don;t think that is tricky its just something to bear in mind.

Quote from: jibbajibba;575695Agreed its just that I think we need to ensure the BSJ project differentiates itself enough from EP so it doesn't feel like a port. I don;t think that is tricky its just something to bear in mind.

I agree it should differentiate itself. Maybe we can adjust the concept a bit. Having played EP jibba, what do you think we could do to improve upon or twist the core concept (since they do seem rather similar)? Maybe we could blend in another genre element (EP Noir! Lol). What are some weaknesses in the EP setting you might have observed?

Some differentiation is probably a good idea, although if it is a heavy-rules system we're at least a different type of game mechanically. I don't know that much about EP, though - should probably find out more.
 
Curious as to how it handles the body/mind separation and physical stats ?

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;575702I agree it should differentiate itself. Maybe we can adjust the concept a bit. Having played EP jibba, what do you think we could do to improve upon or twist the core concept (since they do seem rather similar)? Maybe we could blend in another genre element (EP Noir! Lol). What are some weaknesses in the EP setting you might have observed?

EP is noir and with a strong horror twist. An EP game plays more like The Sphere or Alien than it does like Star Wars or BSG.

I would say EP is heavy crunch. This is coming from a con game but being given a character sheet with 40 skills, a dozen implants, a dozen items of gear that adjust skill rolls etc was quite daunting and I am pretty good at that type of thing.

I think making body hoping easiery and faster, more pulp if you like but I am thinking really more 2000AD is because for me that is the core of the concept. Also limiting it to a single planet and playing that pseudo post apocolypse card might work. As would removing aliens.

So if we had a planet where a human colony was settled but that colony got caught in a system wide conflict between human factions then layer in hybrids and abominations so you end up with Human colonists trying to survive in isolated pockets living of fthe land, then you have decayed military bases that can be pluyndered for resources, then you have hybrid solders bred as servants or warriors and then ont eh other side the Aboniminations bred by the 'bad guys' in the war for purely destructve reasons... If you stuck to those ideas I think it woudl be far enough away.