For Day 2 I decided to stay in the same genre, but with a different system. I chose Tiny Frontiers Revised, a Tiny D6 game. This is a minimalistic RPG system that has been adapted to several genres. The only game I played previously with this system was Tiny Taverns, but that was just great. Let’s see how TF works.
Setting-wise it comes with a dozen or so “micro-settings”, essentially ideas for different Space Opera game universes. I remember looking at them a long while ago, and they were all written by different designers, and for the most part quite cool. I mean, you read “Bears in Space”, and why on earth would you not continue?
x
The basic mechanic in Tiny D6 is really simple. You roll dice, if you get a 5 or 6 you succeed. Normally you roll two dice; if you have either a trait or circumstances that would give you an advantage you roll three. Except if a trait or current circumstances should give you a noteworthy disadvantage, in which case you roll only one die; disadvantage generally trumps advantage(s), there is no counting up of both. Super simple, and directly tied into the character description and the overall narrative. It is in my opinion a massively underrated system that is very fast and flavourful and doesn’t get nearly enough attention.
Anyway, let’s get started. First, we select a Heritage, essentially a bundle of traits that are comparable to what in other systems would be either races or classes. They are flexible and easy to create, and it is a great choice in my opinion to avoid the baggage-ridden race/class concepts. How about I generate a shiny new Hologram, i.e. an AI construct that interacts with others using just such a display? That means Kill-Ian-911 gets 8 HP, which I think is a lot. Weapons in the game do one point of damage if memory serves. It also means we get the trait Hard Light, meaning they can’t be healed if wounded but recover a bit more quickly on their own. Then it is time to choose three more traits. Charismatic, Eidetic Memory, and Medical Savant seem good, fitting a charming emergency doctor!
Next, a Weapon Group. I like Heavy Ranged, maybe a flamethrower, missile launcher, plasma cannon? Count me in! Oh, and I have to choose a specific one to be especially good with - yeah, a missile launcher seems fun. As a bonus, I will get one for free at the start of the game. Then I get 10 credits and a general-purpose equipment pack. The game is not big on detailed shopping and simulation, which I like.
Finally, I get to describe a background, including a “family trade” - “mom” (well, the source code database I was built on) was a medical supply company mainframe, and I am the field-deployable treatment prototype upgrade that was recently released. That kind of thing. This, by the way, also counts as a Trait for rolls. And I need to state a final belief. How about “Meat-based sophonts are hopeless and need all the help they can get”? I won’t choose a mini-setting, and therefore will pass over choosing a specific background. Done!
No comments:
Post a Comment