Hi everyone, I stumbled across this http://unityunderground.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/blog-post.html?m=0 a couple of days ago and have been flashing it around the place because it looks like a bit of old school Rifts+Cybergeneration style fun with a rules-lite engine, I dont suppose anyone know anything more about it?

This is the bit that sold me.

QuoteGood, old-fashioned FUN
Unity Underground draws from a rich legacy of sci-fi action rpgs, paying homage to classic games like Rifts, Psi World, Cyber Generation, and Ray Winninger's Underground.  It's stuffed with lawbots, railguns, psychic phantoms, mutant police dogs, and at least one giant robotic sarcophagus.

I'd be happy to answer any questions that you may have!

Is there a system it closely resembles?
Task Resolution or Conflict Resolution?
Traditional or Narrative?
What level of Gonzo or Tongue-in-Cheek?
You mention FPS - Duke Nukem and Painkiller or Max Payne and Deus Ex?

Is there a system it closely resembles?
Superficially, not that I can think of (other than, maybe, Gregor Hutton's 3:16, but it's much more traditional than that). Practically, it's just a less granular percentile system. Resolution is 1d6 roll equal or under. Stats range from 2-5. The fundamentals are pretty simple and traditional. If you follow the roots to the bottom, it's basically D&D-like.

Task Resolution or Conflict Resolution?
Task Resolution.

Traditional or Narrative?
Almost entirely traditional, though PCs can potentially spend advancement currency to "make headlines" which allows them to narrate events into the game world (with certain restrictions). Philosophically it draws pretty heavily from OSR-style sandbox play. The rules are (stylized) physics, the GM is an impartial referee, "plot" is a four letter word, characters can be killed suddenly, randomly, and in totally anticlimactic ways.

What level of Gonzo or Tongue-in-Cheek?
I'd say it's medium-gonzo. For example, lower-rank PCs can pretty easily be killed with a single gunshot, but can likewise be healed very quickly by a medic or instantly restore health by drinking "Soma Cola" (a government-manufactured soft drink that's laced with pain killers). It can be gritty, but is not very realistic. "Videogamey" is a pretty apt descriptor. Setting-wise, there are some gonzo concepts (many of them drawn from real-world conspiracy lore), but they're mostly presented with a straight face.

You mention FPS - Duke Nukem and Painkiller or Max Payne and Deus Ex?
Eh, more like Brink (style-wise), Borderlands (tone-wise), and Halo (equipment-slot-wise).

Quote from: Clint Krause;566211Is there a system it closely resembles?
Superficially, not that I can think of (other than, maybe, Gregor Hutton's 3:16, but it's much more traditional than that). Practically, it's just a less granular percentile system. Resolution is 1d6 roll equal or under. Stats range from 2-5. The fundamentals are pretty simple and traditional. If you follow the roots to the bottom, it's basically D&D-like.

Task Resolution or Conflict Resolution?
Task Resolution.

Traditional or Narrative?
Almost entirely traditional, though PCs can potentially spend advancement currency to "make headlines" which allows them to narrate events into the game world (with certain restrictions). Philosophically it draws pretty heavily from OSR-style sandbox play. The rules are (stylized) physics, the GM is an impartial referee, "plot" is a four letter word, characters can be killed suddenly, randomly, and in totally anticlimactic ways.

What level of Gonzo or Tongue-in-Cheek?
I'd say it's medium-gonzo. For example, lower-rank PCs can pretty easily be killed with a single gunshot, but can likewise be healed very quickly by a medic or instantly restore health by drinking "Soma Cola" (a government-manufactured soft drink that's laced with pain killers). It can be gritty, but is not very realistic. "Videogamey" is a pretty apt descriptor. Setting-wise, there are some gonzo concepts (many of them drawn from real-world conspiracy lore), but they're mostly presented with a straight face.

You mention FPS - Duke Nukem and Painkiller or Max Payne and Deus Ex?
Eh, more like Brink (style-wise), Borderlands (tone-wise), and Halo (equipment-slot-wise).

Cool, it sounds exactly like what I hoped it will be.
What size book will it be? I dig those portable little digest sized games.
Will the Psychonaut be the only character with psychic powers or will they just be the ones with the most psychic power?

What size book will it be?
If all goes according to plan, the core game will be three digest-sized booklets collected in a boxed set with a map. I'm also planning for a bunch of supplements, which will be in the same format (I want to make the box big enough that it will eventually hold ALL of the booklets). Think OD&D or original Traveller.

Will the Psychonaut be the only character with psychic powers or will they just be the ones with the most psychic power?
[For anyone that hasn't seen it, Mr. Nay is referring to stuff in the Class Preview we put out a few weeks ago.]

Psychonauts are the only core class that are guaranteed a psychic power, but any character is potentially psychic (except Tinmen). During character creation, you choose whether your PC currently has a VM Implant (basically, a government chip that signifies citizenship). Having one makes you more vulnerable to mind control, but grants you a 1 in 6 chance to gain a random power. It's sort of a nod to the random psychic ability roll in Rifts. There's also a drug you can take that gives you a chance to gain powers. In practice, I'd say 60-70% of PCs in a campaign end up with psychic powers at some point.