Card BAsed Combat

[Zieche]

I'm not trying to be a grumpy-old-gamer on this, but I am incredibly uneasy about a “card based combat system!” I’ve got a couple concerns that I’d love to discuss and maybe get some different opinions on.

1.My primary worry is that cards will be too limiting for a world that’s meant to be full of the most ridiculous thing a GM can come up with. I feel like that’s the GMs job to change and build on situations, not a random card shuffle.

2.Cards that don’t fit the situation:

• Player: “Oh good news, there’s an exploding barrel in the room.”
  GM: “But you’re in the Alpha Complex baby petting zoo! That wouldn't be here.”
  Player “Hey, card says someone left an exploding barrel here.”

3.Limits to actions – Will combat become formulaic once cards are learned and become predicable? I feel like yeah, unless we buy booster packs, which is a huge “NOPE” for me personally.
Thanks for taking the time to read my post. I welcome any different perspectives on the card based combat.

 

[MongooseMatt]

Hey there,

All good questions!

1. The basic idea is that the cards are a jumping off point - they trigger the imagination, not limit it. They are not tightly defined and there is always wiggle room.

2. This is something we are keeping a very tight check on. I think something explosive can be found pretty much anywhere in Alpha Complex but there was a Precarious Ledge in the original playtest rules, for example. That needed attention, as there might well not be a deep fall close by.

At the end of the day though, GM fiat applies - if the GM says you cannot play a certain card, that card ain't getting played.

3. Again, think of them as a jump-off point for roleplaying, _not_ a limitation.

Hope that helps!

 

[Mytholder]

I know it's just an example, but anyone who objects to barrels of high explosive in the Alpha Complex baby petting zoo is going to have a real issue with the high-energetic plasma generator cannon also situated in the petting zoo. Old Reckoning records clearly state that babies bounce, therefore babies are the ideal lining for the reaction chamber of the high-energetic plasma generator.

 

[NiallNai]

I haven't been on the boards in years but Paranoia brought me back.

And I have to ask: Why wouldn't there be an Explosive Barrel in a baby petting zoo?

It makes me think of Galaxy Quest when they going into the heart of their ship with that crazy mashing, dicing, burning corridor and Sigourney Weaver's character saying, "Why the hell would anyone put something like this here!?"

And I have a question: Is this a petting zoo for babies or baby animals?

 

[locarno24]

<Neither. You are allowed to pet the zoo itself, citizen. The structural materials of the building appreciate your affection, which will in turn improve the harmony of all nearby workspaces.>

(In reality, there was an administrative screw-up and the petting zoo never received its animals - they are still in the cloning lab, mutated into giant monsters, rampaging around level [redacted]* after [redacted]* accidentally contaminated their cloning tanks with [redacted]*. To get around this, and avoid Friend Computer's wrath, the managers in charge have managed to explain the concept of Feng Shui - or at least a distorted version thereof)

* This information is not available at your security clearance. On an unrelated note, please report to cloning lab level 5,326 to deal with....a spillage.


Also, this is alpha complex. There is ALWAYS something explosive in the vicinity. It might be nice if the card is "something highly explosive" rather than specifically "big red barrel", but I'll wait off worrying until I get a feel for how many cards total there are. I can't say I'd mind expansion cards or area/mission type themed cards.

Is a player's hand of cards essentially going to be a bit like spending peversity points?
"When Suddenly.....everything goes a bit wrong!"