NYTELights Progress Report #5

OK, got more good stuff coming in! I was recently on vacation and able to BETA Test the system a little with experienced gamers who were able to offer some good feedback. There's some good news with the Quick Start Guide and more. Let's get into it.

SYNERGY SYSTEM PROGRESS

The very first section is still on the that edge of completion. There were some discussions based on BETA Testing revolving around the armor and how it works in the system. Thus, there is a bit of rehashing on that topic so that we can get it just right. Mainly we don't want the armor to feel like it's own mini-game so it's getting the tweak treatment (or "tweakment" if you will) to resolve this. Let's discuss the BETA Test a little. I was able to successfully run a game for approximately 32 hours. Main issues that appeared during gameplay was a sense of clarity (which was my fault since I usually don't give away the goat when running the game). After letting my testers know what each check was pitted against and how it worked things changed dramatically. What we learned about how the game works is this:

DAMAGE & ARMOR

- Seems really tanky at Heroic Level and which can translate to lower levels of play. - Nerf Resilience by 1-3 points, nerf Integrity by 15-30%, nerf overall protection by 1-5 points. - Damage from Firearms is lacking as well and needs a buff. - Boost damage of firearms by 1-3 points overall - NOTE: All the above for Armor is being hammered out as we speak and the actual mechanics will fluctuate a little.

GAME MASTERING

- There is a lot to consider with the way that the abilities, stats, ADV/DIS, powers, skills, etc. all work. - Simplified Stat Blocks are going to be essential for streamlining the experience.

MAGIC AND DIFFICULTIES

- Power scaling needs to be boosted. - Teleportation and other abilities that allow you to break the game are too easy to accomplish. - (I.e. Teleport [as a spell] bypassed all defenses in a technological sense and the TN 8 with TH 5 was not high enough under the circumstances for Dark Sorcery). - TN for world breaking magic should be at a 10, period. - TH should have a standard metric of increase for performing magical effects that would cause balancing issues in game (+1 for something challenging, +2 for something really complex or over the top, +3 for anything that is extremely balance shifting).

CHECKS

- Power scales need to be made for all checks to understand just how hard or easy a check is regardless of it's type. - This was added to our Team OneNote for review. Basically all the tweaks suggested here are great. This is proof that the system is solid as it is and merely needs refinement. That's the best part of the baseline mechanics, they are good and sturdy. That said the next two sections will get their tender loving care while the next phases of testing take off. Unofficially we're in mixed bag of possible testing. In the near future there will be a short time where Scott will be running the game to test the GM experience as a new GM for Shadows. This will be critical for the GM section of the Core Rulebook. While we get that organized we'll be running with some new players as a closed BETA Test to add to our knowledge of the system that we need. This is just a prediction, but I feel there is a good chance that we'll have an open BETA Test available in the next few months. It will require a means of taking surveys and getting that feedback to for those who try the system out. The Quick Start Guide will be the control point for this test as well.

INTO THE FUTURE!

For this month and next I am going to be putting some serious effort into the lore and world building of Shadows. This is going to be a heavy section, but that's a good thing. Lots to throw in. Most of this will be about the major players in NYTE City. Kingpin's, emperors, corporate CEO's, and all the scary things that go bump in the night. It will also cover some experiences like the LINK and the Unseen Courts and how they all fit together right under the nose of humanity. The GM Section is going to be in depth on the ways and means of running the session, how to use fast stat blocks, and writing mission briefs for the players. Which I am happy to say is very close to being outlined for writing. Much of that part has been made possible due to the most recent testing performed over the last week. So special thanks goes out to Mike Smith and Angela Snow. This is extremely exciting. So stay tuned for even more badassery as we move along.

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