Author Topic: How do I make an AToW RPG story with source books like,"Jihad:Final Reckoning."?  (Read 2000 times)

BiggRigg42

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I've been going through the Wars of Reaving, Blake Ascending, and Jihad: Final reckoning. On the face of it, they look like a good way to make a TW campaign without any AToW RPG elements. However, I want to create a TW and AToW RPG story/campaign for my local RPG group. Is there something I'm missing about how to use these source books? The books say they can be used for TW and AToW, but I don't see how to create a story for AToW with them.

What do I need to understand in order to use these books?   

Paul

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The simplest approach would be to use the Tracks as the 'script' of what you subject your players to.
Most Tracks have a strong TW/AS feel to them, as to how to resolve them, but with some work, almost all of them could be converted to a ATOW style problem, if you want to.
Odds are you don't: most of those Tracks would check the box on the TW portion you seek.

Still: some Tracks have interesting problems prior to them, or after them concluding. Sometimes both. That's where ATOW would come in more naturally. Example:
Jihad: Final Reckoning. I picked a random Track: Wild Weasel. (p.74-75.) I got lucky there; recon missions often provide for some easy RPG opportunities.

Options prior: While you fully intend to play out the Track using TW rules, you could have the players sneak in just prior to the battle. Either to find the buildings in question, or to even enter one not connected to the TW fight. That activity might then provide the intel for the 3 buildings that you have to investigate, and/or might provide the players with info on who they face. Depending on how well they do in extracting info, you could start granting bonuses, using the Track as inspiration. IE:
Unfamiliar Ground: -1 to init for 6 turns: you could cancel that penalty, while still giving the WP award because of your players mapping out the target site. Or the penalty doesnt last as long, with half awarded up front.
Well Defended: perhaps the ATOW crew created a diversion that confused the WOBM reinforcements. Maybe they cracked their communication network and planted false orders. They never show, but you still grant the WP bonus.
Obviously, such awards are powerful, so should only be granted if the players achieve something of substance.
Opposition for ATOW: easy, since you know the enemy. Make sure to include some battle armored enemies, and some MD-enhanced ones.

Options after the fight is done: also easy here, since the aftermath description gives you a few options:
- Find more buildings/ hiding forces
- Provide targeting assistance for orbital bombardment
- Gain data of other planetoids/planets with bolt holes


As a general rule of thumb: look at the events as they happened, and see what kind of opportunities for something ATOW-scale. Sometimes, that might just mean that you make them the agents of the intelligence that the players otherwise get "for free". Sometimes it means having to change canon a little bit to create an opening or problem that now needs solving.

Does that answer the question at all?

Paul
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BiggRigg42

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Wow Paul, you have out done your self this time. I copy and pasted your response into word and then printed it off. This next year is gonna be a great time for my RPG group. Before you sent me this, I have been working on taking my group through the Clan Jade Phoenix trilogy novel set while using the Clan Jade Falcon/Wolf source books that I bought. Now, I see how to slide this campaign into the Wars of Reaving.

Paul

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Glad I could help.

If you prefer the Jade Phoenix story as your setting, you could still do that. In my view, it'd be a bit more work, since you don't have a bunch of Tracks to act as a spine or inspiration. Still, it'd be do-able.

Paul
The solution is just ignore Paul.

Greatclub

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I remember talking to a guy who couldn't get his group into playing Traveller in the '80's. They couldn't grok what they were supposed to do, and the GM couldn't prod them hard enough.

As he put it:

Quote
A thief, an assassin, two thugs and a maniac walk into a psudo-medieval inn, armed to the teeth. They promptly find something to do, half the time without the GM poking them.

A thief, an assassin, two thugs and a maniac sit in the kitchen of their starship. They stare at each other, clueless of what they should do next, and do not so much as twitch when the GM pokes.

Yeah, that was a Guardians of the Galaxy reference.

 

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