I'm a big fan of the original Over The Edge RPG, one of the most innovative RPGs to come out of the 1990s (2nd only to Amber).

Now, there's a Kickstarter campaign, very likely to fund, that will create a new edition of this game.

Unfortunately, by the sounds of it the system is being changed in big ways, and by the sounds of it, it's going to have some serious Storygamer influence.

Or am I wrong?

Quote from: RPGPundit;1048428I'm a big fan of the original Over The Edge RPG, one of the most innovative RPGs to come out of the 1990s (2nd only to Amber).

Now, there's a Kickstarter campaign, very likely to fund, that will create a new edition of this game.

Unfortunately, by the sounds of it the system is being changed in big ways, and by the sounds of it, it's going to have some serious Storygamer influence.

Or am I wrong?

Amended for shilling purposes: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/atlasgames/over-the-edge-a-roleplaying-game-of-weird-urban-da

What do we know about the system? The KS mentions a 2d6 roll, which determines success/failure plus a positive or negative "special result", but that says almost nothing, and the FAQ is empty. Though there does seem to be a draft available to backers.

Do what I did and review the names of those involved:

This Kickstarter features a single rulebook written by original Over the Edge designer Jonathan Tweet. It also features assistance from writer Chris Lites, development by Cam Banks, graphic design by Thomas Deeny, art direction by James Mosingo, and editing by Jaym Gates. This new edition is also inspired by 25 years of other game designers' work, including Robin Laws, Ron Edwards, Luke Crane, Vincent Baker, John Harper, and Jason Morningstar. Many designers say that the original Over the Edge inspired them to design roleplaying games in a new way. We embrace that creative feedback loop by re-incorporating some of their amazing innovations here.

And then make a decision as to what direction the game's mechanics may lean.

The original edition of the game had a mechanic where you could draw a number of words, cut from magazines and newspapers (yes, it is an old game), equal to your score in the trait you were using, then attempt to narrate your action using those words. For each word you were able to successfully include in your description, you got a success.

If such a staid, solid example of traditional RPG design has been corrupted by the Swine, surely all of gaming is lost. I'll break out the bunker's supply of cyanide capsules.

More seriously, from what I understand so far, it's a 2d6 system giving success or failure. It either die comes up 3, there is a bad twist. If either die comes up 4, there is a good twist. The system was always openly inspired by Ghostbusters. It looks like Tweet is now borrowing the Ghost Die along with the opposite of a Ghost Die. That's what I have picked up from random online conversation, so I may have the specifics wrong.

Quote from: RPGPundit;1048428I'm a big fan of the original Over The Edge RPG, one of the most innovative RPGs to come out of the 1990s (2nd only to Amber).

Now, there's a Kickstarter campaign, very likely to fund, that will create a new edition of this game.

Unfortunately, by the sounds of it the system is being changed in big ways, and by the sounds of it, it's going to have some serious Storygamer influence.

Or am I wrong?

We must have been gaming twins in a past life...OtE is great. If they somehow fuck this up, I will be seriously annoyed.

Quote from: Pat;1048437What do we know about the system? The KS mentions a 2d6 roll, which determines success/failure plus a positive or negative "special result", but that says almost nothing, and the FAQ is empty. Though there does seem to be a draft available to backers.

Quote from: Baulderstone;1048446More seriously, from what I understand so far, it's a 2d6 system giving success or failure. It either die comes up 3, there is a bad twist. If either die comes up 4, there is a good twist. The system was always openly inspired by Ghostbusters. It looks like Tweet is now borrowing the Ghost Die along with the opposite of a Ghost Die. That's what I have picked up from random online conversation, so I may have the specifics wrong.

Cam Banks on the Comments page of the Kickstarter:

Quoteanytime you need to resolve a challenging situation, problem, or decision in the game, anytime you can't just play it out and the outcome is going to change the story one way or another, you roll dice. Players roll the dice and the GM does not. If the player is the active character, all they need is 7+. If they're defending or reacting, it's 8+.
If you roll a 3, something bad happens; if you roll a 4, something good happens. Double 3s are double bad, double 4s are double good. Everything else more or less comes from that basic mechanic.
--Cam

Quote from: Baulderstone;1048446The original edition of the game had a mechanic where you could draw a number of words, cut from magazines and newspapers (yes, it is an old game), equal to your score in the trait you were using, then attempt to narrate your action using those words. For each word you were able to successfully include in your description, you got a success.

Given Over the Edge is heavily inspired by William S. Burroughs, it shouldn't be a surprise they adapted the cut-up technique he popularized. Though didn't that appear in Weather the Cuckoo Likes, not the core book? (I forget whether a brief version appeared in the core, or whether it first appeared in the Cut-Ups sourcebook.)

Quote from: sniderman;1048438Do what I did and review the names of those involved:

This Kickstarter features a single rulebook written by original Over the Edge designer Jonathan Tweet. It also features assistance from writer Chris Lites, development by Cam Banks, graphic design by Thomas Deeny, art direction by James Mosingo, and editing by Jaym Gates. This new edition is also inspired by 25 years of other game designers' work, including Robin Laws, Ron Edwards, Luke Crane, Vincent Baker, John Harper, and Jason Morningstar. Many designers say that the original Over the Edge inspired them to design roleplaying games in a new way. We embrace that creative feedback loop by re-incorporating some of their amazing innovations here.

And then make a decision as to what direction the game's mechanics may lean.

See, I know most of those names, and the ones I'm most familiar with have worked on a range of products across the spectrum. With 6 inspirations listed by name, plus the guys actually working on the book(who have similar backgrounds IIRC), it's meaningless word salad that tells me nothing about what to expect.

Nostalgic buyers of such re-booted games are just hammering nails in more coffins.

I'm already turned off by "the players roll all the dice." For whatever reason, whether I'm a player or a GM, that has never appealed to me.

Quote from: HappyDaze;1048564I'm already turned off by "the players roll all the dice." For whatever reason, whether I'm a player or a GM, that has never appealed to me.

It's certainly not a feature unto itself, that needs special billing. I view it as: "Does the ref kick the ball?"

Quote from: Nerzenjäger;1048581It's certainly not a feature unto itself, that needs special billing. I view it as: "Does the ref kick the ball?"

The GM is both the referee and plays the opposition.

Quote from: Nerzenjäger;1048581It's certainly not a feature unto itself, that needs special billing. I view it as: "Does the ref kick the ball?"

I just like greater (but not necessarily perfect) symmetry between PCs and NPCs. So if attacks are rolled and defenses are static, then I want this to apply to both sides of the fight.

There are already better game mechanics in RPGs. Why re-invent one? Unless this isn't an RPG.