Great White Games/Pinnacle Entertainment Group

[cpk666]

I'd like some feedback on two Background Edges I've created:

Noteworthy
Requirements: Novice
Your character—whether due to lineage, intensive training, or just raw talent—is slightly more capable than the average starting character. Your character begins with 15 experience points, and may spend any or all of those level-ups on Background Edges.
However, your character's remarkable nature is recognized by those who make it their business to know such things. He'll have to deal with the fallout of such recognition—people seeking his assistance, rivals who wish to defeat or discredit him; and others who want to exploit his reputation for their own purposes.

Extraordinary
Requirements: Novice, Noteworthy
Your character is far more gifted than most, and is destined for greatness. He begins play with an additional 15 experience points, and may spend any or all of those level-ups on Background Edges.
Your character also gains an arch-nemesis: a Wild Card NPC who is opposed to all that your character stands for, and who sees your character as a threat to be neutralized or eliminated. An arch-nemesis is always phenomenally powerful, usually intelligent and clever, and likely to have a group or organization to assist in furthering his goals. The identity of one's arch-nemesis may or may not be known initially (GM's choice). Eventually there will be a final showdown between your character and his arch-nemesis. Should your character eliminate his arch-nemesis, another will soon rise up to take on that role.

I designed them by re-tooling Veteran of the Weird West (Deadlands), as follows:

Veteran of the Weird West:
costs 1 Background Edge = -2 BP (Build Points)
20 XP = 8 BP
gain a random Major Hindrance = -2 BP
Total = 4 BP

Noteworthy:
costs 1 Background Edge = -2 BP
15 XP = 6 BP
may take Background Edges for these level-ups = 1 BP
"recognition" issues = -1 BP
Total = 4 BP

Extraordinary
costs 1 Background Edge = -2 BP
+15 XP = 6 BP
may take Background Edges for these level-ups = 1 BP
Arch-Nemesis = -2 BP
Total = 3 BP

Thoughts?

CK
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Since this is my post, please understand that the thoughts expressed in it are my opinion.

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[JackAce]

The way I understood it so far, you can use the points from VotWW to buy Background Edges anyway. Even if you're starting with an experienced character for any other reason, the Advances taken before the actual roleplaying campaign starts count as a part of character creation, so Background Edges are available.
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[cpk666]

[Clint]

Well, a few concerns...

First, there is no compensation for Veteran of the Weird West having two Skills at a d6+ as a requirement while your Edges do not.

Second, there is no limitation on Veteran of the Weird West where it can't take Background Edges. Background Edges can only be taken during character creation; it isn't limited to 0 XPs. If a character starts (like with VotWW) with more XPs during character creation, they can use them for Background Edges.

Lastly, VotWW leaves the character with a random Hindrance, which isn't quite the same as gaining a known semi-defined effect. In addition, that effect is at least a Major Hindrance, but could actually be worse like no beneficial "good" magic works on the character at all or start with a single Benny (the equivalent of two Major Hindrances).

So if we look at them again, it might be more like...

Veteran of the Weird West:
costs 1 Background Edge = -2 BP (Build Points)
20 XP = 8 BP
gain a random Major Hindrance = -3 BP
requires 2 skills at d6+ = -2 BP*
Total = 1 BP

* Personally, I might even go higher. While Guts is definitely useful, the character loses the option to buy it at a d4 and raise it with a level-up "cheaper." Knowledge (Occult) has less use, and those 2 skill points would require at least one level-up to recoup (2 BP) if not two (3-4 BP). I really can see this being a net-sum zero Edge.

But even leaving it at 1, then Noteworthy would need at least an additional -2 BPs to balance it and Extraordinary an additional -1 (-3 and -2 if compared to 0).

Thing is, I don't understand their specific use. Seems easier to get a similar effect to say players can take up to three Minor and two Major Hindrances at character creation, giving the players more choices.

If not, then even still, it'd be easy to say they can take two Minor and a Major and they can choose to take Recognizable (new Hindrance) as an additional Minor or Enemy as an additional Major.

Again, I don't know what the intention is, but that just seems easier since it isn't going the random draw method of VotWW or having any other requirements like it.
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Clint Black
Savage Worlds Core Rules Brand Manager

www.peginc.com

[JackAce]

That depends on what effect those XP have on the character's Rank.

That's the main problem I have with the VotWW Edge as it is described in DL:R. You get to start as a Seasoned character, but that also means that those free levels really come from your regular "stash" of advances. Basically, you only gain levels earlier, that you would have earned later on anyway. And to do that, you need to sacrifice one level (the cost of an Edge) and you gain an additional Hindrance...

If, on the other hand, the free levels are in addition to the character's regular advancement (i.e. the character still starts the game with 0 XP) then the Edges would be way overpowered (basically, you'd get two two Edges for the price of one, and take an additional Hindrance for a third Edge).
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[cpk666]

[JackAce]

[Clint]

[Tuesday]

[skylion]

[cpk666]

[Sean Patrick Fannon]

Perhaps something more in the between?

Set a limited list of Hindrances that can be selected from (or rolled/drawn at random) in exchange for Noteworthy, and an additional/enhanced list for taking Extraordinary.

In that way, you can control things so that people don't end up with "crippled" characters

Sample "Noteworthy" List -

Anemic (representing a supernatural disease contracted)
Bad Eyes (Minor; make it Light Sensitivity, maybe)
Enemy (Minor)
Hard of Hearing (Minor; damaged hearing from some very loud incident)
Outsider (Defined as 'Spooky,' makes everyone uncomfortable)
Phobia (Minor)
Quirk (Minor - with a list of setting-appropriate ideas)
Ugly (Scarred)
Wanted (Minor - got on the wrong side of the law at some point)

Sample "Extraordinary" List -

Bad Luck (Cursed or Night Terrors)
Enemy (Major)
Habit (Major - an addiction)
Hard of Hearing (Major - Deaf)
Lame (An injury)
Phobia (Major)
Wanted (Major - got a murder rap on him)

Just some late night thoughts for the mix...
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Sean Patrick Fannon
Evil Beagle Games
The FREE Shaintar Player's Guide

Bad Dog. Good Games.

[Theophage]

[cpk666]

[razorwise]

Hiya!

Are you wanting more oomph or are you wanting them to have more hindrances? We ported several ideas from SWR into RE that work great for both solutions:

1. Remove Rank restrictions on characters, either at character creation or permanently. This increases the power level of the game right off the bat.

2. Allow characters to take one extra Major Hindrance at character creation for more points.

Let me know what you think.

Regards,

Sean
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