[a / b / c / d / e / f / g / gif / h / hr / k / m / o / p / r / s / t / u / v / vg / w / wg] [i / ic] [r9k] [cm / hm / y] [3 / adv / an / cgl / ck / co / diy / fa / fit / hc / int / jp / lit / mlp / mu / n / po / pol / sci / soc / sp / tg / toy / trv / tv / vp / x] [rs] [status / ? / @] [Settings] [Home]
Board:  
Settings   Home
4chan
/tg/ - Traditional Games


File: 1362018984739.pdf-(3.25 MB, PDF, Engine Heart Deluxe form-fillable.pdf)
3.25 MB
3.25 MB PDF
Five stores have signed on to take copies of Engine Heart on consignment as of today! Copies spoken for: 35 of 250. Once it hits that magic number, the Kickstarter proper can get rolling.

Accompanying them will be the Power and Light module in equal numbers, and probably Joints & Jivers as well. I took a suggestion from someone on this board about just cold-call emailing FLGSs and flat-out asking if they'd take in copies, and it's worked out pretty well so far - two stores emailed me back with affirmatives today.

Anyway, long story short, if you want to seen Engine Heart at your local game store, shoot me the store's name and location and I'll pitch it to them. Email's in the email field.

You can always download the book, modules, and character sheets for free on the game wiki:
http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Engine_Heart
>>
Email sent, thread bumped, interest piqued.
>>
File: 1362019445495.pdf-(2.02 MB, PDF, JnJ_Modempunk rightways.pdf)
2.02 MB
2.02 MB PDF
In related news, the modeler I contacted about making a line of modular robot parts for Engine Heart miniatures and possibly a set of Joints & Jivers archetypes is ready to go.

Unfortunately the person I had tapped to make the (also possible) background soundtrack album has too many other projects going on, so I'm back to looking on that front. No biggie - that's one of the back-burner stretch goals.
>>
Good to hear Viral. Hope it keeps working out for ya'.
>>
>>23424637
Thanks!

On a side note: what are the odds that two people in the Kent, Ohio area would independently bug their local FLGS about this?

Apparently 100%.
>>
>No witty thread title
I'm a little disappointed, but you reminded me to keep working on the two engine heart areas I'm currently fluffing out.
I'll let it pass, this time.
>>
>>23424681
Well, it's kind a moot point after you already know the outcome...
>>
File: 1362020506536.jpg-(89 KB, 640x320, 320.jpg)
89 KB
89 KB JPG
I told the modeler that I might be asking people to submit their own designs for the Joints & Jivers characters, so if you have a picture of a pimp, a trucker, or a disco diva burning inside, let's see 'em! No artistic talent needed. Who knows, your character might end up as a mini on Shapeways.
>>
>>23424903
Sent you an email Viral, hopefully you can get another store in on your scam to escape to South America.
>>
>>23424944
Winnipeg?

I went there once. Ate some jellyfish.
>>
>>23424944
#BlanketsForViral
>>
>>23424961
Yep.
Highest murder rate in Canada!
Highest Slurpee sales too.
Co-incidence, or conspiracy?
>>
>>23424987
Man, now I want a Slurpee and to brutally slaughter someone.
>>
Stop fucking posting this viral shit
>>
>>23425078
Viral. Viral shit. You have to capitalize Viral.
>>
>>23424514
>Kickstarter
Who what now?

>>23424987
This is the part where I'd post the graph showing the correlation between murder rates and IE's market share. Never saved it though!
>>
>>23425158
viral in both senses of the word
>>
>>23425184
>Who what now?
Basically, if I can get enough FLGSs to commit to taking books on consignment, there'll be a KS to print a run of books and send them out. Stores get free books, Engine Heart gets seen by more people.
>>
>>23425195
Oooh. You're edgy. I'ma call you Rival.

It's like Viral, but all mixed up.
>>
>>23425229
Technically this /is/ viral marketing, but viral marketing isn't a bad thing in and of itself, it's just a form of marketing.
>>
>>23425220
Oh, that sounds pretty neat. Now I'm torn between ordering an Amazon copy now or waiting to see if this happens.
>>
>>23425195
>Hating when someone makes awesome stuff, posts it on /tg/ -- for us -- for free, and then tries to make more awesome stuff
Come on, now.
>>
File: 1362022174414.jpg-(199 KB, 800x812, 1295679904146.jpg)
199 KB
199 KB JPG
Forgot to mention this, but we're also working on a series of mini-modules, each with its own theme. These will all have new fleshed-out locales, new features and defects, and new robots statted up, just like the chapters of Power and Light. One minimod is already finished, and at least two more are currently in the works.
>>
Quick intro to the locale I'm working on, figured you guys might want to see it because I'm vain like that.

The robots all stood, assembled, in a loose group, in front of the podium. On the podium stood D.A.T.A., a small robot, propped upright by six crab-like legs. He surveyed the crowd with his optical sensors, letting the atmosphere build. Behind him stood two large robots made out of spare parts and scrap metal, he’d made them soon after his arrival at the Dump, his ‘Enforcers’. In between the two Enforcers there was a relatively small robot, an old K-Messenger model with treads for legs and a humanoid torso.
“You all know why I have called you here today.” D.A.T.A. called out to the crowd. “This… scrap heap!” He chipped out, flicking towards the K-Messenger with his uplink cable, “Has sought fit to steal more than his fair share of our valuable energy! He puts all of us in danger with this behavior, if we allow things like this to go unchecked, all the order we have worked to uphold will crumble into wanton madness and destruction, this greedy, impudent robot must be punished!” At this, there were a few murmurs from the crowd, but for the most part the assembled robots remained silent.
1/2
>>
>>23425552
Without a word, the Enforcers took hold of the K-Messenger, and held him aloft. Attempting to escape, the K-Messenger futilely struggled in the Enforcer’s grip, barely even causing a wobble. “This is the price all those who would upset the order of this land must pay.” D.A.T.A. called out, as the Enforcers began to pull. The K-Messenger, silent up until now, began to emit a high pitched scream of static, as it was slowly torn apart by the Enforcers strong grip. The scream escalated, until finally with a snap the K-Messenger broke in two pieces. A small utility scavenged the power cell of the K-Messenger, and scuttled up a large monolith of solar arrays and battery configurations, before sliding the new addition into its own slot on the structure.

D.A.T.A. quickly scuttled through the crowd, flanked by his Enforcers, to his quarters. The crowd stayed there for longer, slowly dispersing as the sun dipped beneath the horizon, signifying the end of another day at the dump.
2/2
>>
File: 1362022980809.jpg-(173 KB, 1531x1600, 04.jpg)
173 KB
173 KB JPG
playitagainsamrpg on blawgspawt has a couple of reviews for Engine Heart and J&J/Modempunk.

It's weird to see pictures of strangers holding stuff that you made.

Site is in Spanish (probably because the writer lives in Spain) but Google Translate works pretty well.
>>
>>23425605
>1978
>1998
Whoa.
>>
Don't know if you've already talked to them, but Dragon's Lair here in Austin (and San Antonio) is pretty friendly to just-starting developers. They helped a lot to get Tephra off the ground.

I would do the legwork myself, but they're up in North Austin, and I'm currently without car.
>>
>>23425692
It actually says 1986. For added fun, enter the cybersite code at the beginning of Modempunk into your address bar and push the Return key.

>>23425749
Will do, thanks!
>>
File: 1362023813387.png-(18 KB, 325x172, 1359802124388.png)
18 KB
18 KB PNG
>>23425565
>>23425552
>MFW I realize I fucked up the description for the K-Messenger
>>
File: 1362023988835.jpg-(36 KB, 329x435, 1351970980215.jpg)
36 KB
36 KB JPG
I sent out a mail asking for stores to all my players, hoping to hear next week, they're slow. Can you estimate a number of stores at which it would be viable to send a bundle to Germany?

The soundtrack is bad news. Maybe crowdsource it? Musicians are always looking for ways to become famous. Call it The Engine Heart Antology and make it a privilege to be on it.

Sound effects would be great.

New content planned? What's the scope? Ever considered genre pieces (Horror, Heist, Murder Mystery, Dungeoncrawl,...)? Just to offer a spin, some orientation in the growing range of adventures, and several easy one-shots to quickly give Engine Heart a try.
>>
>>23425857
Huh, it links back to.. 1d4chan?
Or am I being a retard?
>>
>>23424640
Contact the Minecraft guy, Daniel "C418" Rosenfeld. Ask if he has anything collecting dust that might fit.
>>
>>23425938
...
And minis?!
Tell me more!
*bites nails*
>>
>>23425938
>Dungeoncrawl
Funny enough...

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/burrowowl/busty-barbarian-bimbos/posts/412886

This is at just under 1,600 words right now.

I like the idea of a murder mystery - who removed Bod-E's battery?

As for shipping to Deutschland, it'd be pricy to send copies to multiple stores; shipping is sixty dollars a pop, but I can fit at least 20 books into the box.
>>
File: 1362024831588.jpg-(281 KB, 1000x1452, black-samurai-agent-for-dragon.jpg)
281 KB
281 KB JPG
>>23426057
Here's the description I gave the modeler:

>The style of Engine Heart (the robot game) is very much like Wall-E. Boxy, utilitarian shapes, goggle camera eyes, clamps or grasping claws instead of hands. Some limbs terminate in spray nozzles, saws, screwdrivers or other tools. Most of the robots in the setting are smaller than humans; the largest are about the size of a soda vending machine or a refrigerator, and the smallest are about the size of a human head.
These would be modular pieces (heads, chassis, treads, legs, arms, tools, etc) that would come in a set for people to assemble as they wanted.

>Joints & Jivers characters are all humans dressed in over-the-top parodies of 1970s clothing. I've attached some pictures that sum up the setting, although the game itself is simultaneously gritty and humorous (like Black Dynamite, Undercover Brother or Spirit of '76, if you've ever seen any of those movies). There are several archetypes in the game:

>Detective (aviator sunglasses, mustache, Dirty Harry look)
>Disco King/ Disco Queen (leisure suit or plunging-neckline shirt, bell-bottoms)
>Hustler (pimp with long leopard-fur-trim coat, wide-brimmed hat, woman with hot pants and Afro)
>Leftover (older out-of-shape hippie)
>Long-Hauler (truck driver with trucker cap)
>Motorhead (Stunt driver with leather jacket)
>New Ager (man with open-neck shirt and crystal pendant, woman with sundress and ring of flowers in hair)
>Wanderer (shirtless man with loose pants and kung-fu pose)

Ideally there would be at least one male and female variant for each archetype.
>>
>>23426126
So if you sent 1 package containing 5? sets and we would then distribute them in country...
>>
>>23426230
Yeah, that's totally doable, as long as someone is willing to receive the shipment and pass it around once it gets across the Atlantic.
>>
>>23426202
That sounds wonderful. I hope it works out. The modular bots would be the first of their kind in a gaming scale afaik.
>>
>>23426292
Well sign me up.
Looking for stores.
>>
Hey Viral,

I just talked to John Beckmon, thanks for contacting him. It sounds like he's up for it. I'm excited to see your book on the shelves.
>>
>>23426443

Yep, Jon sent me an email a couple hours ago agreeing to take on a couple of copies!
>>
>>23424514
You should head your cold-call mails with:

ONE TIME OPPORTUNITY BECOME THE EXCLUSIVE ENGINE HEART VENDOR IN YOUR AREA.

Then offer a 1-year monopoly in the area.
>>
>>23426443
Not sure if Jon appreciates being named on 4chan. I wouldn't. Better delete that.
>>
>>23426550
His name's on the store website.
>>
>>23426573
But that isn't linked to vore, cyber grooming, anonymous, or fatal drinking games on Fox.

But you're probably right. I worry too much.
>>
>>23426640
If anything it will help promote the store, he coulduse it

Beckmon's Gaming Paradise
Twin Falls, Idaho, USA
>>
Anyone else have a suggestion?
>>
>>23429848
Go to sleep Viral. You have to get up in a few hours.
>>
I have a bump
>>
File: 1362046335754.jpg-(1023 KB, 1181x1576, 1346875353401.jpg)
1023 KB
1023 KB JPG
>>
>>23425938
>Murder Mystery
Hand out sealed notes with secrets for the players. One can be a witness, one a mole for the illegal parts mafia, one officially charged with the investigation, and if the GM so chooses one can be the 'murderer'.

But even if the villain is not a player it will sow sweet distrust.
>>
>>23431815
...especially if you give everyone motive.
>>
>>23429864
I can't help it. These dreams go on when I close my eyes. Every second of the night, I live another life.
>>
>>23431922
I can sympathize.
>>
What's the time frame on the next EH book? Is it going to be a stretch goal, or are there a few months left to write something up?
>>
Exhaustion Talent:
Making up robots.
>>
>>23431968
>What's the time frame on the next EH book? Is it going to be a stretch goal, or are there a few months left to write something up?

The minimods are the only totally new EH books coming out in the near future. It took two years for Power and Light to get finished, but who knows - once this gets wrapped up there might be another full-length module rattling around somewhere.
>>
>>23432110
Are the minimods all done? Can you name titles yet?
>>
>>23432003
>Don't Rest Your Processor

>>23432172
>Are the minimods all done? Can you name titles yet?

Industry Standard is about a city on the grow, and has a bunch of construction-themed features and a couple of new defects. It's been more or less finished and shipped around to the other collaborators for their perusal.

Consumer Grade is the minimod that CaesarSalad (creator of The Farm and Luck E. Dog's) is working on, about mall madness, and featuring the world's most dangerous parking garage. This one might also have a worldbuilding section with some ways for the Programmer to randomly generate a location based on things like how decrepit the buildings are, how much power is available, how many robots are still walking around, etc.

Another one (working title 'Transit') is about a commune of robots that live in a used-car lot, and is transportation-themed. This one's about a third of the way done. The plotline is a shout-out to a micro wargame from the late 70s.

There's at least one more - I had planned to include Main Street as the final locale in Power and Light, but it was ultimately cut. However, I failed to remove all references to it, so that's why the "How to use this book" at the very end mentions this mysterious "Main Street". It's a harrowing tale of conformity and sabotage.
>>
>>23432255
>the late 70s
^^

Sounds awesome. So there's construction industry, mall and parking lot, used cars place, and one more.

How many collaborators do you have?

What about stretching the cuteness for more mash-up settings? Training tankbots (mini mechs?) in a military academy, a cruise ship battling sea flora and fauna as well as weather, spybots infiltrating a competing factory, more threatening scenarios? Sure, broken robots can be repaired, but roleplayers like to pretend.
>>
File: 1362061565496.jpg-(161 KB, 1200x840, 4298984-flooded-city.jpg)
161 KB
161 KB JPG
Ocean Mountaintops

The upper floors of several skyscrapers in a now flooded metropolis are still supplied with emergency power from rooftop solar collectors and wind trap turbines. A population of automatic cleaning, maintenance, and office service bots, with the occasional law enforcer or messengerbot mixed in, has constructed an island empire.

On the water level sea life is harvested for iron traces and fuel by grimy servitors. Above complex communities have developed between islander pragmatism and adherence to the old way of filing and cleaning. The rooftops and upper floors are run by the island lords, units that have proven successful in managing their tower mountain, and who constantly scheme over the limited real estate and power supply.

The higher the tower, the more powerful its tribe. With treacherous seas below and the cableways above strictly controlled, robots have to arrange themselves with their cohabitants or find their own way to another island.

Corporate hq - tallest building for as far as cameras can see, huge population, mostly busy calculating and filing insurance risk assessments.
News studio - they not only have a (barely fueled) news helicopter, but also the monopoly on video broadcast, which they exploit with a newsreel funded by messages from sponsors.
R+D - labs of some bioengineering upstart. The can ferment and distill high grade fuel and oils, maybe there's even a 3D printer...
Construction site - unfinished tower with 2 cranes and other machinery, but always in need of more fuel for the generators.
Hospital - Sterile. Ready to receive emergencies. But there are rumors about part stealers on the lower levels
Rooftop theme restaurant - Ye olde Pirate Cove. Harr, matey.
The ferry - it floats! But are you willing to pay their price?
...

Postapoc currency is charged and uncharged batteries, fuels and oils, and robot parts.
>>
>>23432366
>How many collaborators do you have?
CaesarSalad and Earthflame who told me about an idea for the core mechanic of Artifice 3E the other day.

>>23432703
I really like this idea.
>>
>>23433586
>I really like this idea.
Well tell me what to flesh out, I'll tel you which robot to stat. And start considering a Buoyant feature.
>>
File: 1362069818907.png-(28 KB, 516x366, buoyant.png)
28 KB
28 KB PNG
>>23433770
>And start considering a Buoyant feature.

It's already a feature in Power and Light.
>>
>>23433802
Silly me.
>>
Viral, I tried but my local comic/game store doesn't even have shelf space for all its titles, and can't be more than 600 square feet so they weren't interested. Hope you reach that 250 though!
>>
>>23433770
I like what you've got, but whatever else you come up with will surely be appreciated!

>>23433842
Thanks for trying! Things are going pretty well so far - that magic 250 might not be completely unattainable... A lot of people have sent me suggestions for FLGSs to woo. If you know of any other game shops in your area, let me know!

Stores in the US are probably gonna get more preferential treatment because of shipping costs, but I've already gotten in contact with a handful of stores in Canada that are down with indie games.
>>
>>23433834
>>23433802
>>23433770
It probably wouldn't hurt to have a master list of all the features and defects, along with which book/ minimod to find them in. Once everything gets finalized I'll probably put that together to make it a little easier to keep track of them all.
>>
File: 1362071804345.jpg-(152 KB, 1200x840, 4298985-flooded-city.jpg)
152 KB
152 KB JPG
>>23432703
In one outlying low tower, almost out of sight from the others, the last human survivors used to make a life before they left for good. They explored the city and boated away what they could use. Wondrous artifacts have been stockpiled here, most incomprehensible. Everything has been heavily modified with rooftop arboretum, docks, windmill generators, an artificial reef full of dangerous creatures, and an AI with robotics bay who will gladly modify any willing robot's programming to remove any directive or misconceptions, let them face their predicament unhindered, at the price of an overriding directive: Protect Life! So no more burning kelp for steam generators.

But the robots in the mountains are unaware of this. Their databanks show that the area is dangerous for several reasons and to be avoided by any functioning model.
>>
>>23434075
Or just an additional pdf with all features and defects listed in full, updated with each new release.
>>
>>23434189
>Or just an additional pdf with all features and defects listed in full, updated with each new release.

That was my thought. Just a master inventory list .pdf with full descriptions that I could stick on the wiki.
>>
>>23434294
Perfect.
>>
File: 1362074040870.jpg-(76 KB, 500x351, picture.jpg)
76 KB
76 KB JPG
>>23434160
The battery tribe is a nasty bunch. They inhabit the old steel radio tower. Unprotected from the elements and with only one solar panel and a few portable generators, their casings look haphazard, underlined by the war paint (a rainbow colored fruit?) they apply. Over this they hang bandoleers of raided batteries to display their battle prowess and power reserves. The chiefs lob around arrays of spare car batteries, but are always protected by gangs of AA and 9V carrying soldiers.

With every full moon they raid other towers. They usually manage to grab a few trinkets at great peril (hardly any of them float), but any organized tower is well protected with patrols and an alarm signal.
>>
File: 1362076012362.jpg-(99 KB, 600x460, 0428luk2.jpg)
99 KB
99 KB JPG
>>23434677
I'd like to keep a lot of it undefined so that a GM can just make up new towers as needed. For that I want to create a scalable scheme by which NPC population can be created on the fly.

So I'd need maybe 10 standard configurations with a few points left for Intelligence Attributes to customize. Things like office cleaner, maintenance unit, office manager, window cleaner, messenger, security drone, human interaction android, fire control unit, ... Each should have obvious advantages and disadvantages in the towers/ocean environment.

Then I'd make up a bunch of personality traits that can sum up a first NPC draft in 2-3 words (outgoing, pedantic, distrustful, eager to please,...) and can predestine a model for a certain position in the tribal hierarchies.

Add tribe flavor, overriding directive, and start rolling dice.

What say you, oh Viral and /tg/?
>>
>>23435164
Of course central NPC and BBEGs are still custom work. These would just be Common Model templates to liven up the backdrop and react to off-the-rail parties (the best ones).
>>
File: 1362076959445.jpg-(1.07 MB, 1920x1200, 00859_radioactive_1920x1200.jpg)
1.07 MB
1.07 MB JPG
>>23435164

I say this is brilliant. I would love to run this. What would you do about sharks or other ocean life? No sea creatures would really want to eat a robot, so how much of a danger would these things pose, and why? If there are still boats, then who is exploring? What kinds of factions would be present? Why wouldn't robots just build submarines to get fuel out of sunken cars? Maybe some interesting secrets for the lower levels?

This has got to be the greatest thread on /tg/ all week.
>>
I've been looking through some of the many online science-fiction magazines I subscribe to. I found one that might serve as inspiration to someone and put in a paste-bin so you don't have to subscribe to the magazine like I do:

I, Rowboat - by Cory Doctorow, 2005 Hugo nominee
http://pastebin.com/dYm6LVaQ
>>
>>23434677
I read a short story many years ago very similar to this. If only I could recall the title. Dealt with robotic evolution once people were gone.
>>
>>23435395
High praise.

>What would you do about sharks or other ocean life? No sea creatures would really want to eat a robot, so how much of a danger would these things pose, and why?
They're alive, unpredictable, fast, corrosive, possibly infected with degrading fungi, and generally something to be wary of. Those poor servitors on the low levels are brave units, and they disappear into the depths all the time.
>If there are still boats, then who is exploring?
Only very brave robots who can afford the ride, or are so incredibly rich, they can purchase something that floats.
> What kinds of factions would be present?
More than I can list. Up to you. Mad Max? Waterworld? Boy and his Dog? whatever.
>Why wouldn't robots just build submarines to get fuel out of sunken cars?
Submersible is a powerful feature. Too powerful. It needs a stigma. Divers are strange and possibly dangerous, yet vital for trade. They dwell below, in the flooded levels of doom.
>Maybe some interesting secrets for the lower levels?
Event Horizon? Nazi Uboot base? I dunno
>>
>>23435620
Baxter's Evolution?

But that was on Mars.
>>
>>23435395
Sharks have bad eyesight, they go by 'smell' and vibration, like from a servo or an exposed actuator. The sea air wreaks havoc on joint couplings. And sharks like to test by taste.
>>
>>23435638
No no, there was a section where it studied how the solar power collecting rafts that replicated at sea slowly evolved due to radiation altering the physical structure of their processors and the like. Many billions and billions of subtle changes caused one to start seeking out other rafts and taking their batteries as the most effective means to its power collection programming. This caused an evolutionary selection of prey and predator over billions of years. The story was being told sometime close to the point where the sun was going red giant and some humans came back to study what remained of the ancestral world before it was essentially lost forever.
>>
>>23435738
Simmons' Mars books?
Just guessing here.
>>
>>23435779
No, that's not it either. Was in one of my anthologies, either Year's Best Science Fiction #something (I have every year of them back to '95), Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy #something, Best of Sci-FI #something, or The New Space Opera 1 or 2.

If I had access to all my books at the moment I'd find it out, but I've left the majority of them behind when I went to University.
>>
>>23435164
The tribal culture is shaped by the environment, and the environment is changed by the tribal culture inhabiting it. They should match and support each other, or clash in some plot relevant way.

Architecture
The flooded city has hills, so houses can be flooded to different levels, the ground never comes closer to the surface than 8 meters/yards though (2nd-3rd floor). The majority of houses that break the surface only have a few dry levels (1-5). The big towers are fewer, but offer a lot of area on all their levels (up to 150). These towers are futuristic. They feature wind engineered facades, skywalk atriums, counterweight stabilization systems, and all kinds of smart building gimmicks.
Most high buildings used to house offices. But there can also be residential levels of varying luxury, labs, studios, server farms (without power), malls, daycare, fitness clubs, anything city planers imagine 100 floors above ground. Buildings can be linked with bridges, but this should be used sparingly. The isolation of the towers because of unreliable cables and ferries is a major factor.

Electricity
Power is rare, a currency, and always an issue. Buildings need a somewhat stable power supply to permanently house a tribe. There are portable generators, but they are precious, and so is their fuel. So power is an instrument of political pressure and dissenters can get turned away at the outlet in many tribes.
Buildings can provide electricity through their smart grids, which can limit supply according to local tradition, and which automatically severed the lower levels as soon as they shorted out. Power is created by solar panels, air turbines harnessing wind and termic rise below glass faces, biogas reactors and garbage furnaces fed with sea-life, combustion and fuel cell generators of varying sizes in need of oil, diesel, methane, or hydrogen, and the occasional steam engine burning dried kelp.
>>
>>23436335
Lower levels
This is the dirty part. Bots low in standing have to brave the perils of the moody surf and gather biomass. In some tribes this is part of the penal system, in others just the hierarchy. There would probably be barriers and defenses for full moon nights, or nights in general, or just in general, according to local levels of resources and paranoia. This is also where a ferry would stop, if one can be reached and summoned. The tides can do whatever you want, this isn't science. But limit their difference to record 17m (4 floors) max.
>Some shorelines experience two almost equal high tides and two low tides each day, called a semi-diurnal tide. Some locations experience only one high and one low tide each day, called a diurnal tide. Some locations experience two uneven tides a day, or sometimes one high and one low each day; this is called a mixed tide.
>>
>>23436488
Top levels.
There used to be something special here. A helipad, a satcom array, an observatory, tennis courts, a rooftop mansion, or -club, or -restaurant. Only now it is a curiosity at best. What matters instead are the house systems (power, air, window cleaning, sprinkler reservoir, ...) and the cablesways rigged to neighboring towers. There's all kinds: Single wires, high-low doubles, shaky makeshift causeways, carrier-puller systems to hang from, even elaborate gondolas. The sophistication and reliability of each connection indicates two things: Local resourcefulness and relation to the neighboring tribe. Rooftops are more or less fortified and always patrolled. High towers might have the cables instead on a lower maintenance or lobby level with balcony. Additional lines down the tower are possible, if the local economy is so sophisticated.
Then come the boss levels, designed to suit the fancy of the local island lord and his chiefs.
>>
File: 1362083440578.jpg-(51 KB, 600x450, giant-squid_544_600x450.jpg)
51 KB
51 KB JPG
>>23436839
Below
Depending on where the tower stands, this can be anything from 2 to maybe 30 submerged levels. This is where submersibles hunt for treasure (like batteries, metals, parts) and no fully functioning robot would even want to know what goes on down there. But if rumors can be believed it is a seething biomass of sticky corrosive goo, countless tiny beasts that explore every crevice and ventilation grill with sharp teeth and the ability to reproduce. Infinitely!, and large predatory monsters with shredder jaws and wire cutting tentacles.
There is another rumor that once there was a mighty tower with a powerful and wise tribe, that completely collapsed one night because of something that happened below.

But these are just rumors
>>
>>23437071
what else?
>>
>>23436488
>Lower levels addendum
In simpler tribes the servitors just gather whatever got stuck in the tower by the tide and carry it up a floor or two so it can dry on clothes racks or in piles on the ground.
More advanced towers might have chains or even pulleyed wires so secure the workers, as well as grates and fences fixed in the tidal zone to create a bigger haul of stuck biomass.
The best organized societies not only have a penal or reward system in place to staff the lower levels, but also complicated dragnets to scrape the sea floor for much greater hauls even between tides, and improvised bucket lines or a conveyor to transport the biomass to drying and processing.
>>
File: 1362086795872.jpg-(463 KB, 1920x1080, 1203305287927.jpg)
463 KB
463 KB JPG
>>23437127

I just got off the phone with some friends. We will be running this game this weekend, I hope.

I would like to see some more specifics. While it is nice of you to leave a lot of these things up to the Programmer, I quite honestly would like to just delve into this world with it already being more fleshed-out. There are already lots of great things to go on, but most of these things seem to be broad physical locales. In addition to more detail, like specific buildings (which I would love to help out with if you want some specific locations/functions) I loved how you had a distant AI to reporgram PRs, and how one building was under construction semi-permanently.

More setting-specific story buildings/encounters/robots (like maybe the Charon of Engine Heart who runs a night ferry) (or a derelict boat/aircraft carrier, maybe with some almost-functional drones?)would be highly appreciated. If you want to email me, feel free to do so.

[email protected]

Keep up the excellent work.
>>
>>23438012
This is Engine Heart, start writing.

I will keep working on this setting, but I won't finish it for this weekend. My next EH game is months of, and so is, I fear, my motivation to get it done. But by all means, please do pick up the slack. I love when /tg/ gets shit done.

I want to flesh out more details, but right now I'm just sounding out the concept. As for balancing NPCs and templates I was hoping for Viral's help. I got the crunch down, but balancing isn't my stregth.

This is meant to be unfinished, so that you have to finish it. I will write a short adventure that introduces a few general issues and some tribes. But the scope of the city is supposed to be much greater than that.
And we DO need some drawfags!
>>
>>23438195
Sleepy now. And hungry. Going to hunt sandwich. If I don't return, send coffee or Lassie, or R2D2.
>>
>>23438245

My friend was working on a Starbucks-bot with a directive to offer lifeforms hot coffee. Would that help at all?
>>
>>23438195
>>23438012
>>23437873
>>23437071
>>23436839
>>23436488
>>23436335
>>23435624
>>23435164
>>23434677
Holy shit, this really took off.

>Dat efficient German setting-building
>>
>>23438294
Well, yaknow the Germans make good stuff, right?
>>
>>23438294

I already have my whole group of players begging me to run this game this weekend. I will probably run Power & Light with a few additions/modifications, so I can save myself from the pressure of creating a hundred buildings and their elaborate cultures in 3 days, but will probably run the whole Sea of Ruin setting thing if my players like the concept.
>>
Glad to hear it. Will stay on it.
>>
>>23435525
I freakin' love Doctorow. I don't think I've ever read a book of his that I didn't like.
>>
>>23432703
>Ocean Mountaintops
If someone can come up with a better working title...

...I'd use it.
>>
>>23439184

see >>23438456
>>
>>23439209
>>23439184
>>23432703
>>23438456

>Sea of Ruin
>>
>>23439209
Nice, but too close to nausicäa's Sea of Corruption.

Concrete Coast? Pillars above the Deep?
meh
>>
>>23439240

>Ruins of Rust
>Isles of Artificial Intelligence
>Sea of Cyber
>>
The Seascrapers?
>>
>>23439321

>Clockwork Coast
>Shores of Automata

>>23439331
>This
>>
>>23439321
just

Rust

?

Well, you figure it out. I have an appointment in the morning.

It's been a pleasure, Gentlemen. Thank you all for your pointers. And thanks, Viral. Good night.
>>
>>23439367
Sleep tight!
>>
infections and infestation
lubrication rules
low power rules
exchange rates
local products
gardening>fruit>fermentation>distillation>fuel
local laws
tribe alignments
extreme weather
secret knowledge
trader ship or airship
low rise slums
arena battles
quest givers
robot-salvage
cable tax
blast furnace
deactivation cult or virus
>>
Just downloaded everything. My interest was piqued so I'll give it a chance.

the comparison to Wall-E caught my interest most.
>>
File: 1362093860601.png-(71 KB, 816x1056, brave little toaster.png)
71 KB
71 KB PNG
>>23439730
I've also got sheets for these guys if you want to go in a different direction.
>>
>>23439853

Oh, god, please more. I am dying over here due to laughter.
>>
>>23439853

Also, do you have a blank character sheet?

I am not very good at .pdf and am honestly too lazy to try to save/scan just the one page
>>
File: 1362094731695.png-(73 KB, 816x1056, blanky.png)
73 KB
73 KB PNG
>>23439970
>>23439993
Sure. Do you mean a blank .png version?
>>
File: 1362094773859.png-(70 KB, 816x1056, kirby.png)
70 KB
70 KB PNG
>>23440050
>>
File: 1362094806706.png-(70 KB, 816x1056, lampy.png)
70 KB
70 KB PNG
>>23440066
>>
File: 1362094862673.png-(68 KB, 816x1056, radio.png)
68 KB
68 KB PNG
>>23440076
And of course, Jon Lovitz.
>>
>>23440050

Blank .pdf, blank .png, blank .jpg, whatever works for you, buddy.

.pdf might be best, so I can fill it out, and print it, or use it for an online game.

Coincidentally, do you have a clue ow to convert a .pdf page into a .png or .jpg?
>>
>>23424514
>Five stores have signed on to take copies of Engine Heart on consignment as of today!
Good job!
>>
>>23440050
>>23440066
>>23440076
>>23440092

These are amazing.

>Provide heat during rest cycles

I lol'ed
>>
File: 1362095631103.pdf-(155 KB, PDF, Engine Heart charsheet.pdf)
155 KB
155 KB PDF
>>23440133
Oh, there's a blank .pdf on the wiki. But here's another copy.

To convert a pdf to an image I just use Foxit's full-page screencap button, then paste it into Photoshop or something. I've heard that Adobe doesn't have a full-page screencap option when the pdf is zoomed in larger than the screen height.
>>
File: 1362096145676.jpg-(74 KB, 467x355, 792.jpg)
74 KB
74 KB JPG
>>23440275

Thanks a bunch.

I am currently reading through Power & Light. I initially thought it was just encounter areas, but after reading through it, I realize what a compelling, cohesive campaign it is.

Any ideas what I could do for a BBEG?

I liked D.A.T.A and his cult of power idea, but am struggling to think up a good idea for another bad guy (that isn't an AI) or even an overarching campaign theme that isn't exploration and survival
>>
File: 1362096162839.png-(118 KB, 1205x931, flier.png)
118 KB
118 KB PNG
>>23440168
Thanks! It seems like it's going pretty well - a surprising amount of FLGSs are down with the idea. I just made an INTERNATIONAL phone call to Canada to talk to a store owner who seemed very receptive.

Look at me, calling people I was introduced to through 4chan.

>the flier I send to the store when someone recommends it
>>
>>23440422
I've found that what I enjoy most are the accidental catastrophes engineered by AIs or robots that just want to do their job and are oblivious to the hardships they're causing for everything around them. Automatic drilling machines digging too deeply and too greedily cause earthquakes (someone came up with that in one of the very first EH threads), a giant warehouse robot that wants to get every consumer product (including the PRs and locals) put back in their boxes so it can finally carry out its decades-old recall order, or something like that.
>>
>>23426840
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7ciiU6FD7E
>>
Alright, the BBB crossover module is pretty much finished. I came up with some rules for converting Bimbos to EH characters so the GM can use the PCs as the antagonists of the flipside adventure (and the players can have fun trying to kill their own characters).

Time to get back to work on the other minimod.
>>
>>23441808
>converting Bimbos to EH characters
humans?
>>
>>23441848
You start with the statblock for a human, then tweak it based on the Bimbo's stats, giving you a novel statline that roughly correlates to the other system's abilities and weaknesses.
>>
>>23441808
>use the PCs as the antagonists of the flipside adventure
Now I geddit
bots vs bimbos
bimbos vs bots
>>
>>23442128
Yup. Burrowowl pitched the idea of a crossover module, so I thought it'd be funny to have a Gygaxian dungeon-crawl through a ruined day spa staffed with murderous robots.

Then you flip it over and play robots trying to do your job.
>>
>>23442198
Run both at the same time with 2 groups of players.
>>
File: 1362111218583.png-(2 KB, 200x200, Engine Heart Title.png)
2 KB
2 KB PNG
Bipitybappitybump.
>>
>>23440429
>Phone call to Canada
That phone call wouldn't happen to have been to Winnipeg, would it?
>>
>>23445161
Nope, Ottawa.
>>
>>23447500
>And then Parliament adjourned to play Engine Heart. Liberals, Torries, and the NDP finally agree on something. Harper's robot wears a sweatervest. More at 9.
>>
File: 1362166151400.jpg-(385 KB, 850x638, GlobalWarming.jpg)
385 KB
385 KB JPG
Work in progress. Presented as-is, no warranties apply.

http://pastebin.com/9f4JPdch
(This Thread)
>>
Try Game Empire in San Diego, CA
and
The Game Matrix in Tacoma, WA
>>
>>23449354
I'm sure this would have been MUCH funnier if i actually lived in canada or kept up on its politics. But that made me chuckle nonetheless.
>>
>>23451076
Will do!
>>
>>23452939
>>23451076
Game Empire's email is all messed up, so hopefully they check their "other" FB messages. Seems like a pretty cool store, though.
>>
Water, Rust, and Lubrication
Robots without the Submersible Feature are susceptible to malfunctions, clogged up joints and corrosion when they come in contact with sea water. For ease of play the ends of limbs (manipulators, tracks, feet, and such) are considered waterproof and corrosion resistant.

Sea spray is an attack with an Interaction Pool of 3-5+, depending on weather. The robot must make a
Durability check. Each success (TN 8) reduces the damage inflicted by 1 (minimum damage of 0), if it takes 3+ damage by water at once there is a short out (see table). Damage isn't dealt but collected as a dice pool for each robot until he can dry off. Immersion in salt water is an attack with an Interaction pool of 10 (immersed parts) - 15 (under water).

Short out - roll 2d10
02
03
04
05
06 Sudden loud and uncontrolable 10 second alert sound emitted 3 times at Programmer's discretion within next 24 hours
07
08
09
10 microphones out for 1d10 hours
11 cameras out for 1d10/2 hours
12
13
14 2 minute memory retention for 1d10/3 hours
15
16
17
18
19
20
(round down)

...
>>
>>23455686

A robot marked with a water damage pool can clean off by immersion in desalinated clean water or vigorous cleaning by another robot with 2 gallons of the stuff. Damage is rolled and checked normally to determine short outs, then the entire water damage pool is discarded. Clean mineral oil can do the trick without a damage roll.

Robots will dry in 10 minutes without further action. At this moment the collected water damage pool is rolled and all successes (TN 8) are added up on the water damage table.

Water damage (TN8) effects add up
01 squeaks quietly when moving until oiled
02 distinct flapping sound when moving around quickly until partially disassembled and cleaned
03 squeaks loudly when moving limb until oiled
04 head locked to body-forward until head disassembled and cleaned (disregard if chassis is headless)
05 light rust - at the opening of each playing session robot gets attacked with Interaction Pool 5 by oxidation until almost fully disassembled, cleaned thoroughly, and oiled
06 crusty - dried sea life on the chassis marks this unit as probably belonging on the lower levels until cleaned with detergent or soap
07 serious rust - attack is now with Interaction Pool 8
08 limb(s) locked until disassembled and cleaned
09 heavy rust - attack is now with Interaction Pool 12
10 throwing loud and scary sparks until repaired

--------------------------------
Not married to any of it, but is something like this viable?
>>
>>23455709
I should make it more clear:

Water does not deal actual damage. Just nastiness.

If robots cannot get out of water in 10 rounds they short out completely and are deactivated.
>>
>>23455686
Short out - roll 2d10
02 Nothing happens
03 Fire! A small flame and dark smoke emanate from your chassis. Do something! Fire causes a regular attack each round with Interaction Pool = rounds since fire started until extinguished
04
05
06 Sudden loud and uncontrolable 10 second alert sound emitted 3 times at Programmer's discretion within next 24 hours
07
08
09 speakers set to very loud for 1d10/2 hours
10 microphones out for 1d10 hours
11 cameras out for 1d10/2 hours
12 speakers set to barely audible for 1d10 hours
13 Twitch - any action or movement in the next 24 hours has a 1 in 10 chance of triple servo response
14 2 minute memory retention for 1d10/3 hours
15
16
17
18
19 Battery leak! Fix it or half any Power pool.
20 No effect
(round down, disregard if Features contradict)
>>
>Submersible
>Cost: 6/rating
>The robot is capable of functioning in a liquid environment. The robot adds its Submersible rating to its Mobility rating when submerged in water or other liquids of similar viscosity.

>Rusting
>Gain: +7
>The robot’s chassis is rusting. Any time the robot makes a check using its Reflexes rating, every d10 that rolls a 1 cancels out a success. For example, a robot with Mobility 3 and Reflexes 4 makes a check to strike another robot. It rolls 5, 1, and 8 for its Mobility and 9, 1, 3, and 5 for its Reflexes. Because the robot rolled two 1s, two successes are canceled out.


I'll work on coherence.

The text of submersible implies all robots are waterproof...
>>
>>23456639
>The text of submersible implies all robots are waterproof...

There are a few places in the modules where robots can pick up the Rusting defect temporarily by being submerged in water, but the way I see it is, they've been wandering around outside for decades, so they've probably been rained on, and since they don't all have the Rusting defect, they're probably more or less OK with an occasional downpour.
>>
>>23456823
Too bad. I like the short outs.

But the corrosion can still hold. What about the crunch of it all? Can this work? Or is it too wieldy for EH.
>>
>>23456980
>What about the crunch of it all? Can this work? Or is it too wieldy for EH.
I probably wouldn't sign off on it, but I'm not gonna stop you while you're on a roll! Some of the results made me snicker.
>>
>>23457102
I guess I should amend that to "for anything outside of this sunken-city setting".
>>
>>23457102
Yup. I'll have to think it over.

>>23457113
Well I'll run my table how I want, don't worry. But this should mesh with the system
>>
>>23457144
I have to find a simple way to make the ocean scary crunchwise without breaking the straightforwardness of the rules or the just-repair-it trope.
>>
>>23457392
Yeah, I really like it for this particular instance, because there SHOULD be major consequences for a robotic population living in an area full of water and salt.
>>
File: 1362191410343.jpg-(60 KB, 800x400, 3303713.jpg)
60 KB
60 KB JPG
>>23457392

Algae bloom.

Possibly a type made to break down petroleum spills that mutated and became able to digest plastics. Maybe it was initially created with a limited lifespan but found a favorable climate in the Tower Shoals.

An isle of robot algae lepers looking to cannibalize replacement casings in order to fulfill their final imperative of "Spruce this dump up until I get back".
>>
>>23457392

How deep underwater are you?

Pressure is a bitch. It's why that little thing James Cameron fucks about with is impressive.
>>
File: 1362192149261.jpg-(179 KB, 550x413, monkey-swimming-pool-jaipur.jpg)
179 KB
179 KB JPG
>>23457766

Another idea.

Monkeys.

They infest the ruins of a cruise ship that ran aground in one of the steel mountains. Possibly the long inbred descendants of the test primates used to desperately find a cure for REDACTED or just an emigrating troupe.

They're able to swim quite well and can survive off the life that has grown on the lower decks over time.

A staff of varied ship property have managed to remain active and while the monkeys have grown used to them they have in turn assumed that the wee primates are civilian crew members.

The Tower tribes want the cornucopia of resources that long range optics and brittle glider probes have revealed to still be intact within the scuttled structure.
>>
>>23457833
That sub is super amazing. Can't wait to see it really get put through its paces.
>>
Hmm, Viral, Does engine heart do androids, both in the original definition (artificial people, biological machines, etc) and the current modern definition(humanshape robuts)?

Also, Could Electric Katana get revived or reworked into something engine-hearty? maybe even an alt or add-on setting.
>>
>>23457560
Robots are, of course, waterproof. But the salty humid sea air and UV rays take their toll, casings decay in this climate. This is why every robot in the towers that has neither the Feature Submersible Feature or the Buoyant Feature and falls into the sea must not only recover his sinking chassis, but also pass a Durability Check (TN8) with 1 success or suffer a short out (see table).

After drying off the robot must pass a Contested Durability check against 5d (TN8) or suffer water damage (see table).

Better?

>>23457766
I like it. But as an area or event, not everywhere all the time.
>>
File: 1362192831836.png-(39 KB, 510x476, android.png)
39 KB
39 KB PNG
>>23457983
>Hmm, Viral, Does engine heart do androids, both in the original definition (artificial people, biological machines, etc) and the current modern definition(humanshape robuts)?

Yup. It's in Power and Light.

>>23458012
That's pretty succinct. Me gusta.
>>
>>23458012
>Water damage (TN8) effects add up
>01 squeaks quietly when moving until oiled
>02 distinct flapping sound when moving around quickly until partially disassembled and cleaned
>03 squeaks loudly when moving limb until oiled
>04 head locked to body-forward until head disassembled and cleaned (disregard if chassis is headless)
>05 crusty - dried sea life on the chassis marks this unit as probably belonging on the lower levels until cleaned with detergent or soap
>>
>>23458068
>succinct
Had to look that up.

Thanks. I'll keep it there and work over the short out table.

What happens with
>a Contested Durability check against 5d (TN8)
I get 5 successes against the robot at most. But does it spread fairly?
>>
>>23458117
I dunno about the contested Durability check. I feel like it should be a single check on the player's part vs. a TN. Maybe the number of successes needed goes up depending on how submerged or exposed to the sea that the robot is?
>>
>>23458173
I need something that usually stays low but can explode like a player-rolled 10. Durability should play a role but shouldn't dominate it completely. So as not to make Durability even more relevant to chargen, just a little bit.

>Maybe the number of successes needed goes up depending on how submerged or exposed to the sea that the robot is?
I want it simpler. Cartoonish you might say.
>>
>>23458173

Subsequent exposures could raise the number of successes needed. First time you fall in the drink it's not a big deal, second and third time's a problem, four and up and you're starting to really test your design specs.
>>
>>23458234
I was going to make corrosion effects cummulative, and oil+soap hard to come by. This is Survival Horror in a way...
>>
Viral, /tg/ community, I just popped in to thank you. I was a player in a year-long weekly Engine Heart game, and admit it was a highlight of my gaming life. Rock on, all.
>>
>>23458300
storytiem!
>>
>>23458300
>>23458308
Yeah, I know I wanna hear about this!

Glad you had fun with it!
>>
An unlikely band of bots questing to fulfill their absent masters' objectives along the post-eruption wastelands and city-scapes of northwest american continent. Some, over time, built on their code a moral foundation to do some real good.

We stopped a mobile factory from converting an office park and its' inhabitants in to tourist trinkets.
We rescued bots from an insane arcology.
We handled zombies with care and respect.
We recovered some intact masters, their minds uploaded but trapped in simspace, and gave them synthetic bodies.
We met a former president locked in an eternal war.
We battled a Skynet-level AI and won..
..at least long enough to distract the orbital weapons grid to send some bots to space.
And most importantly, we made friends.

Honestly, the story of the game and our joy has been told a few times here already. http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/20600811/
>>
>>23458229
After drying off the robot must contest against his own Size with his Durability (TN8). Size successes that can not be neutralized with Durability successes lead to water damage (see table). Water damage adds up until taken care of.

Too much dark magic?
>>
File: 1362196348070.jpg-(20 KB, 440x329, bot apripoko1.jpg)
20 KB
20 KB JPG
>>23458544
>http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/20600811/
That was a great thread.

>>23458610
I'll go with this unless someone has a better idea.
>>
>>23452206
The joke is that Harper is a robot who will rule our government till the end of time due to his conservative majority, which essentially makes him and his party a dictatorship.
>>
Hey Viral, ever get a response from Maxx Collectables in Winnipeg?
>>
>>23460553
Not yet, but it took the other stores a few days to respond, so I'm hoping to hear back from them by sometime next week.
>>
>>23460625
Alright, I'm probably going to head out there this weekend, I might bring it up with the owner, he's a pretty cool guy.
>>
File: 1362204388148.pdf-(465 KB, PDF, flier.pdf)
465 KB
465 KB PDF
>>23460722
Great!

Here's a pdf copy of the flier if you want to bring that with.
>>
File: 1362219153643.jpg-(359 KB, 1392x900, 1349788181286.jpg)
359 KB
359 KB JPG
Cute robots are so....
.../cute/!
>>
Robots are, of course, waterproof. But the salty humid sea air and UV rays take their toll, casings decay in this climate. This is why every robot in the towers that falls into the sea must not only recover his sinking chassis, but also pass a Durability Check (TN8) with 1 success or suffer a short out (see table). A robot can not suffer another short out until it dries off and gets wet again. A robot that has either the Submersible Feature or the Buoyant Feature can ignore this when undamaged.

Short out - roll 2d10
02 Nothing happens
03 Fire! A small flame and dark smoke emanate from the chassis after drying off. Do something! Fire causes a regular attack each round until extinguished with Interaction Pool = rounds since fire started
04 Smoldering - dark smoke rises from the chassis until extinguished after partial disassembly causing a regular attack each round with Interaction Pool = rounds since fire started/3
05
06 Sudden loud and uncontrolable 10 second alert sound emitted 3 times at Programmer's discretion within next 24 hours
07 Neck out - head hangs limply to the side for 1d/3 hours
08 Vocabulary limited to next 5 words used - for 12 hours
09 Speakers set to very loud for 1d/2 hours
10 Microphones out for 1d hours
11 Cameras out for 1d/2 hours
12 Speakers set to barely audible for 1d hours
13 Twitch - any action or movement in the next 24 hours has a 1 in 10 chance of triple servo response
14 2 minute memory retention for 1d/3 hours
15 Tremors - slight vibtations rumble through this robot continually for 1d/3 hours
16 Steering keeps reversing - when moving there is a 1 in ten chance that left is right and forward is reverse - for 12 hours
17
18 Creeping leak - loose 1 Power for 1d/3 hours
19 Battery leak! Fix it or half any Power pool.
20 No effect
(count minutes instead of rounding down where possible, disregard if chassis Features contradict)
>>
>>23464069

After drying off the robot must contest against his own Size with his Durability (TN8). Size successes that can not be neutralized with Durability successes lead to water damage (see table). Water damage adds up until taken care of one by one.

Water damage - Durabily vs Size (TN8) effects add up
01 squeaks quietly when moving until oiled
02 distinct flapping sound when moving around quickly until partially disassembled and cleaned
03 squeaks loudly when moving limb until oiled
04 head locked to body-forward until head disassembled and cleaned
05 crusty - dried sea life on the chassis marks this unit as probably belonging on the lower levels until cleaned with detergent or soap
06 limb(s) locked until disassembled and cleaned
07 throwing loud and scary sparks until repaired
(disregard if chassis Features contradict)
>>
>>23460769
Dropped off the flier at Brookhurst hobbies. They weren't enthusiastic, but we'll see.
>>
File: 1362241853613.jpg-(447 KB, 706x594, 1265494264852.jpg)
447 KB
447 KB JPG
>>23463183
>>
>>23465461
Thanks!
>>
File: 1362245044081.jpg-(184 KB, 600x597, 58fd9c18a586e7a9bd7dadf5b(...).jpg)
184 KB
184 KB JPG
Store number six is confirmed.

States you'll be able to find EH in: Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ohio.

Anyone south of the Mason-Dixon know a good FLGS?
>>
>>23466426

Not south of Mason-Dixon, but try Days of Knights in Newark, DE

[email protected]
www.daysofknights.com
(302) 366-0963
>>
File: 1362256484285.png-(26 KB, 548x316, rebbid.png)
26 KB
26 KB PNG
>>23468618
Will do!

I made my first rebbit post today.
>>
File: 1362264727204.jpg-(1.34 MB, 3000x2000, valhall_platforms.jpg)
1.34 MB
1.34 MB JPG
<--- This.

I want it.
>>
Just talked to a game store that doesn't have an email address.

They thought it would be fun to take the books, so I'm mailing them a paper copy of the flier along with a thank-you letter.

Copies spoken for as of this post: 55/250
>>
File: 1362272286818.png-(102 KB, 816x1056, heavy.png)
102 KB
102 KB PNG
If you have Nuclear Battery, can you leave Power at 0 or 1? Since you don't need to recharge?
>>
File: 1362272808068.png-(187 KB, 536x394, ratings.png)
187 KB
187 KB PNG
>>23473853
>If you have Nuclear Battery, can you leave Power at 0 or 1?

Every attribute rating must be at least 1, but you can definitely have a Nuclear Battery with a Power rating of 1. It just means that you won't have much power available when using Overdrive.
>>
>>23464069
>Robots are, of course, waterproof.

Says who?
>>
>>23474505
The basic rules assume it, expressed in the feature submersible. Viral stated it outright earlier. And I am currently masterminding this setting.

Why? Do you have a different expectation?
>>
>>23474505
>>23474647
Up to the GM, really. If I was running a game I'd say that a bot is fine in the rain but has problems if it falls in a lake.

Related: Looks like the BBB kickstarter has hit the $7,500 stretch goal, so Burrowowl and I am fully committed to putting out the crossover module.
>>
Were I not in Scotland, I'd suggest it to my FLGS, but shipping the books over here'd be a tad on the expensive side. Still, I'll try and drum up some interest for the game around here anyway. Good luck with this.

On an unrelated note, the premise of Engine Heart has been the only thing to pique my girlfriend's interest in RPGs in over three years.
>>
>>23474786
>Were I not in Scotland, I'd suggest it to my FLGS, but shipping the books over here'd be a tad on the expensive side.

I'm still willing to consider it - heck, nono and I have been talking about sending a bulk order to Germany.
>>
Baby steps...

http://pastebin.com/zZKY6WiE
>>
>>23474766

I would be inclined to agree. A car is fine in rain, heavy snow, even a few inches of water, but once submerged, isn't good for much until repaired. I would assume robots would have a similar issue.
>>
>>23475079
>http://pastebin.com/zZKY6WiE
I tried to emulate something like that in the latest working copy. But I don't want to 'kill' robots. So it's a random path to disfunctionality, paced by how far Durability beats Size. But much like the Power issue it looks scarier than the crunch actually is (at least I hope so. Got to playtest it).
>>
File: 1362279548589.png-(55 KB, 479x620, NS-5_Sonny.png)
55 KB
55 KB PNG
>>23475079
>http://pastebin.com/zZKY6WiE

Looking good.

Pic related: It's my first character
>>
>>23475802
Looks nice! The only thing I might take issue with is that in a setting without humans, that Overriding Directive might not be entirely appropriate point-wise, since it's supposed to be something for a situation that has the opportunity to come up every few sessions.

In a setting where humans are still around (or at least rumored to be) it would be fine.
>>
>>23475952

I based it off I,Robot, and was thinking of using it in Rust alongside those inbred, escaped chimps.

I don't suppose its too late to ask how to convert the character sheet to .png? I think I did it the long way, by using print screen, then editing in Paint. I tried to just use the "sign form" feature in Adobe, but I only have the free version, so it's a bit of a pain...
>>
>>23476155
I loved that film, even if it had nothing to do with the collection of short stories it is named after.
>>
>>23476155
>I don't suppose its too late to ask how to convert the character sheet to .png?
Dump Adobe Craprobat and get a copy of Foxit.
>>
File: 1362281065734.gif-(365 KB, 850x1100, Charsheet front.gif)
365 KB
365 KB GIF
>>23476155
I do it in gimp, which can not be the smartest way.

Gimp imports pdf as bitmap, with the option to have pages as layers.

Lets me do stuff like (pic), but doesn't make filling in fields easier.
>>
>>23476242
>>23476252

Thanks, dudes.

Would anyone here want to play/run an EH game? I want to try it out, and have extensive DMing history but sadly don't have anyone to play with atm, although I will be ordering the books tomorrow, after I put some money in the bank.
>>
>>23476417
Wait for the kickstarter
>>
>>23476505

Do we know how long that will be?
>>
>>23476587
About 200 more books to place before print, so 40 more stores? Find FLGS!
>>
>>23476632

Our Game Table
[email protected]
(302) 735-1859
>>
File: 1362282871599.png-(98 KB, 816x1056, skull.png)
98 KB
98 KB PNG
>>
File: 1362284182954.png-(102 KB, 816x1056, hka.png)
102 KB
102 KB PNG
>>
File: 1362284700305.pdf-(157 KB, PDF, DocK-Bot.pdf)
157 KB
157 KB PDF
>>23476860
>>23477291

Someone has been enjoying their WH40K.

Check out the all-new patented-design Dock-Bot.

With recharging & repair stations for all your robotic needs!
>>
>>23477471

Messed up the Initiative. Should be a 1.
>>
>>23477523

Does the 19pt limit on Drones apply to ALL of their everything? I realize this limits things quite a bit, but just wanted to see if drones require stats in all things...

If not, I may make a drone-bot which will send out masses of flying-coffee-cup drones.
>>
>>23477599
>Does the 19pt limit on Drones apply to ALL of their everything? I realize this limits things quite a bit, but just wanted to see if drones require stats in all things...

Yes. 13 of their 19 points must be spent on their attribute ratings before anything else can be purchased, just like any other robot.
>>
>>23477650

Are there limits on drone defects?
>>
File: 1362286077190.png-(328 KB, 532x688, drones.png)
328 KB
328 KB PNG
>>23477825
>Are there limits on drone defects?

Whatever defects you want, with a maximum of 10 points worth in total.
>>
File: 1362286218944.jpg-(133 KB, 318x317, 1310465327490.jpg)
133 KB
133 KB JPG
>10 Limbless drones armed with Cutting Lasers
>>
File: 1362286333957.pdf-(156 KB, PDF, CupDrone.pdf)
156 KB
156 KB PDF
>>23477825

Wow. Totally missed that because I made the drone first.

Anyways, enjoy a delicious beverage without moving your lard-filled self out of your hover-chair. Just deliver your order to the CupMaster, and momentarily receive tasty liquid delights from this cute yet effective CupDrone!
>>
>>23476860
I pictured an Exterminatus or whatever happening on a planet, and leaving a few servitors/servo-skulls alive to wander about and figure out what to do or try and find their Inquisitor.
>>
>>23478179
D'awww
>>
>>23478179
Dear emperor, 40k can be meshed into anything.
>>
>>23478233
Well Viral, pretty much every EH story time leads to a d'awww for me. You tug at my heart strings, man.

Also I really want modular robot mini's. That description of yours sounded awesome.
>>
>>23478179
but aren't those technically living things? with a brain?
>>
>>23478349
They're technically cybernetic things with the bare minimum cybernetic material to not legally be considered robots.
>>
File: 1362287551988.jpg-(39 KB, 497x416, droidfactory-variation.jpg)
39 KB
39 KB JPG
>>23478300
I cannot tell a lie. I got this at a garage sale as a kid.
>>
>>23478349
I don't know, I'm not the person that made that character sheet or anything; I just saw it and the Exterminatus thing had popped into my head. I thought they were skulls with little robots built into them, with the bone just being a chassis? I don't really do the 40k thing; I stopped playing it six or so years ago.
>>
>>23478387
You lucky man.
>>
File: 1362287778191.jpg-(68 KB, 640x480, Mar30th11LGS_067.jpg)
68 KB
68 KB JPG
>>23478411
If you've never seen one, it's basically a bunch of snap-together parts that you can make unique droids with.
>>
File: 1362288075128.png-(64 KB, 292x399, Servo skull.png)
64 KB
64 KB PNG
>Servo-skulls are drone-like devices fashioned from human skulls - often those of pious Imperial servants, low-ranking tech-adepts, or loyal adepts of the Adeptus Terra - and then given a rudimentary Machine spirit, support systems, and anti-gravity engine to allow them to hover and drift bodiless through the air.
>Machine spirit
>>
File: 1362288882115.pdf-(156 KB, PDF, NierBotDrones.pdf)
156 KB
156 KB PDF
DELVE DEEPER
DIG GREEDILY
>>
File: 1362289010397.pdf-(156 KB, PDF, NierBotDVariantDrone.pdf)
156 KB
156 KB PDF
>>23478831
>>
>>23478882
That drone has more than 10 points of defects.

Just sayin'.
>>
>>23478831
>>23478882

I can imagine the frustrations if the master unit had only CupDrones to mine with, lol
>>
>>23479084
is NANOMACHINES a thing?

And asking again about Electro KAtana~
Potential setting?
>>
>>23479124
Nanomachines are, imo, too high-tech for the retro-Bradbury feel that I've tried to keep with the overall tech level.

>Electric Katana
Oh lordie... I don't see why not - just give the robot characters katanas that act like tools of some kind with regard to damage. This BBB crossover module will have a couple of ideas you might be able to rework.
>>
File: 1362297043611.png-(208 KB, 450x421, Socks.png)
208 KB
208 KB PNG
>>23478449
>mfw I had the PC game version of that.
>>
>>23480787
Sharky!
>>
File: 1362312763696.png-(104 KB, 816x1056, gynoid.png)
104 KB
104 KB PNG
We Ghost in the Shell now.
>>
>>23481862
Indeed
>>
>>23480787
I want these socks.
>>
File: 1362321432285.gif-(483 KB, 500x369, EshAtWork.gif)
483 KB
483 KB GIF
>>23482884
I'm sure Esh-Esh can produce a facsimile of equal or greater value. Send her the pic.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/RawringPlushies
>>
>>23482094
>Android rating 5

Those are some realistic boobies.
>>
>>23483721
Like bags of...sand...
>>
File: 1362326492249.jpg-(43 KB, 325x419, 40yov.jpg)
43 KB
43 KB JPG
>>23483792
>mfw
>>
All right, the BBB/EH crossover module is pretty much done. Burrowowl came up with some nice ideas for alternatives to fighting, and abut the only thing I have left to do is finish statting out the robots for the EH version.
>>
Virusing in a postal thread.

Wait, no.. the other thing.
>>
So when using Foxit, how does one make a .pdf turn into a .png?
>>
>>23486283

What is BBB?
>>
>>23489059
>Tools
>Snapshot
>Click on the sheet
>Ctrl+C
>Paste in Paint, Photoshop or similar
>Save as .png
>>
>>23489096
see
>>23426126
>>
>>23486283
It's always been important when dealing with a Gygaxian death-building to keep non-combat solutions in mind. Back before 3rd edition a fight in a module was often near-certain death. Or maybe my DMs were just jerks. Probably a bit of both.
>>
>>23490876
Thats not too far off. Combat was a big thing back then, nowadays its become video game inspired grindfest. I remember when wizards didnt choose spells based on damage potential
>>
>>23490876
I can't wait.
>>
Im tellin you guys 5e is looking better and better
>>
>>23492807
Wrong thread. Posting on my phone
>>
BBB/EH module status: 95%.

Copies spoken for: 55/250.

Thanks for being awesome, /tg/.
>>
>>23495317
You do realize that it's not promised till June, right?
>>
>>23495317
>55
Holy crap, 11 stores?
Also, sorry to pester, but did the Winnipeg store ever get back to you?
>>
Beep.
>>
File: 1362388111893.png-(228 KB, 383x599, The_Tin_Soldier.png)
228 KB
228 KB PNG
Beep Boop Stat me for I am a Robot
>>
File: 1362397165541.jpg-(58 KB, 400x523, 4hmdfdfsswoLV5alF.jpg)
58 KB
58 KB JPG
They must be lurkers.
>>
>>23497078
>Also, sorry to pester, but did the Winnipeg store ever get back to you?
Fandom II? I'll give them another phone call if I don't hear back this week, but considering that the owner doesn't seem like a big fan of email I'll give it a little bit.

>>23496966
>You do realize that it's not promised till June, right?
It's all I've been working on the past few days. That and spamming FLGS inboxes.
>>
>>23501238
Keep up the good work.
>>
Still here?
Cool!
>>
File: 1362422718547.jpg-(152 KB, 826x1083, Popular Science Australia(...).jpg)
152 KB
152 KB JPG
>>23500847
I think they might be.
>>
File: 1362422779928.jpg-(215 KB, 826x1083, Popular Science Australia(...).jpg)
215 KB
215 KB JPG
>>23504823
>>
>>23504840
Why is that so damned creepy?
>>
>>23506324
uncanny divide
>>
>>23506907
>uncanny divide
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valley
>>
>>23497078
>>23501238

Just got home and checked my email:

>Mr Viral: Sounds good. I'm sure we could use at least 6 copies of each, including the follow-up.

>thanks, Randy c/o Fandom II

I like the sound of that. MISTER Viral.
>>
Thread is in autosage with only 270 posts?
>>
>>23510528
Oh, guess not.
>>
>>23507987
>Fandom II
Oh, I was asking about Maxx Collectibles, Fandom II is in Ottowa, not Winnipeg.
Sorry for any confusion.
>>
>>23510845
>Maxx Collectibles
Whoops.

I have not heard back from Maxx yet, but I only emailed them last Wednesday, so fingers crossed.
>>
>>23510955
Alright, as I said, I'll probably pop in this week and drop a flyer off, for extra Viral.
>>
File: 1362442546378.jpg-(56 KB, 323x265, 1353777142472.jpg)
56 KB
56 KB JPG
I can't believe I missed this email from one of the owners that agreed:

>Dear "Viral",

>Let me know when you start the kickstarter also as I may be interested in Kickstarting it especially if you have a retail tier.

>mfw "retail tier"
>>
>>23511661
see
>>23426519
>>
>>23511744
I dunno, that doesn't seem like too good a business move.
>Want to get out in the LGS scene as an indie developer
>Niche market, some store owners probably know each other and talk
>Giving certain stores monopoly, stopping word of mouth
>>
>>23511744
>>23512269
Too late for that, I've already sent out fliers to multiple stores in the same cities.



Delete Post [File Only] Password
Style
[a / b / c / d / e / f / g / gif / h / hr / k / m / o / p / r / s / t / u / v / vg / w / wg] [i / ic] [r9k] [cm / hm / y] [3 / adv / an / cgl / ck / co / diy / fa / fit / hc / int / jp / lit / mlp / mu / n / po / pol / sci / soc / sp / tg / toy / trv / tv / vp / wsg / x] [rs] [status / q / @] [Settings] [Home]
[Disable Mobile View / Use Desktop Site]

[Enable Mobile View / Use Mobile Site]

- futaba + yotsuba -
All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective parties. Images uploaded are the responsibility of the Poster. Comments are owned by the Poster.