Our very first supplement, and thoughts on playing in the moment

First things first, since the book is shipping and even in some people's hands at this very moment, we're able to announce our very first supplement - START!

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As noted it will include a tutorial/beginner style scenario with lots of ways to take it apart and customize if you're a more experienced GM who wants to give it a spin, as well as a bunch of fun new rules a brand new playable species!

For the main entry though, I wanted to talk about one of the goals I had with BREAK!!'s rules: playing in the moment.

What I mean buy this is that I wanted BREAK!! to draw players into the fiction of the world and reward that investment in it somehow. This pops up in a lot of different ways. One is how many Abilities are framed in a relatively open-ended way. While the result and fiction around these are straightforward, there is a bit of legroom in how they can be used and applied in a variety of situations. I'm a big fan of characters getting a lot of tools in their metaphorical toolbelt, rather than just growing in one specific way, so the hope here is that players pick the Abilities that appeal to them the most and then try to use them as often as possible by approaching situations from a variety of different angles.

Similarly, the risk/reward nature of Stunts is meant to encourage players to go big and flashy, but it also works best when players are paying attention to the small details of the combat they are in. 

However, I want to focus on the Contests procedure here, as it's one of the more utilized facets of BREAK!!'s system.

To put things as simply as possible (as I assume most readers of the blog have looked over the rules, and know this already) Contests are used to figure out which individuals come out on top in an exchange that isn't one trying to attack the other. These call for both sides to make a Check, and then has a list of ways to decide who won. This list seems pretty long at first, with several parts to it, but the truth is each of these are often mutually exclusive. If one side passes their check, and the other fails, that first side wins and you don't need to consult it any further. The same goes if both succeed, but one had a special success and the other didn't. Once you've got that in your head, these contests will progress pretty quickly.

What I want to point out is one of the main ways I think players will win contests: having a Bonus on the roll. While some Abilities grant these in specific situations, they are most often given when a player levies one of their Purviews or tries to use the situation at hand to their advantage. In this way, being invested in what's going on will really reward players - while bonuses seem small, they are always significant and just that bit of extra attention can mean the difference between victory or defeat.

These kind of things are why so many aspects of play are framed as a conversation between the group. Not only will the players and GM help each other with concrete things like rules and procedures, but they can also feed each other ideas, remind each other of the little background details that might help, or even make helpful suggestions. This back and forth is one of the places I have the most fun when it comes to tabletop RPGs, so it was naturally something I really wanted to focus on with BREAK!!'s rules. There is always risks here of these conversations stalling out or falling into the same patterns (BREAK!!'s Diminishing Returns rule is one way I tried to prevent that) but ultimately I believe in the fun, friendly people in our hobby enough to trust in it.

Freebie: Infinite Possibility Foundation Equipment (Otherworld info and Gear)

Occasionally Otherworld Gear will be discovered in adventure sites or out in the wild with a icosahedron and the phrase Infinite Possibility Foundation engraved on the items themselves or on discarded identification jewelry close by. Scholars have been baffled by these discoveries, as while they are often accompanied by extensive documentation, it's all in Otherwording and very difficult to decipher. The most comprehensive data on this subject has been compiled by the Helical Archive (who are happy to share their findings) so most of what is known comes from there.

Some dimensional strays have also been interviewed on the findings, but the information provided is often very vague: most seem confused as to what this foundation actually is (with the most common answer being: "I think they make phones"). When asked to review the variety of written materials found alongside these items, most of the strays have stated flatly that it's just "boring work stuff."

A vexing situation indeed.

As for the original owners of these items and assumed members of this Infinite Possibility Foundation, most reports involve a few types: violent, demanding sorts that assume Outer World holds little or no threat to them and jittery, nervous ones who can't seem to control their excitement or fear, and disaffected individuals who seem to want to be anywhere else. While it's possible a handful of these individuals pose a threat, most seem to be chased off or worse when picking fights with monsters or capable locals. Still, it's generally recommended to avoid confrontation with these individuals when possible.

 

Additional Otherworld Gear

Otherworld Firearm

Similar to the Otherworld Sidearm, these weapons function as Large Mechanical Missile weapons that can fire 10 times before re-loading. Ammunition is often fed into the weapon via clips that can be prepared outside of battle. Just like sidearms, these use a strange ammunition from Otherworld, but theoretically could be modified by a gadgeteer to function with Outer World bullets. 

There are other variations as well, such as those that can fire in rapid fire bursts (using 5 units of ammunition in one shot, but granting the firer as Minor (+2) bonus to hit) and even some that fire in a spread that act in a way more akin to grenades.

These are potent weapons, but Otherworlders are notoriously overconfident in their potency and have received many harsh lessons as a result.

Otherworld Armor

While most Dimensional Strays don't enter Outer World in armor (given they are pulled their suddenly, without warning) those from the Infinite Possibility Foundation often come with some sort of protective gear. This suggests that they their arrival is planned or at the very least, expected. Most wear simple armored vests that function as Light Armor, but others (assumed to be the warriors of their culture) can be found in foreboding equipment that covers them head to toe, which functions as Medium or Heavy Armor.

Here and again they will be found utilizing a "mech" or a "loader" that works as Superheavy Armor with the Mechanical Motion Ability. These are particularly dangerous, and approach is not suggested unless one is adequately prepared.

Otherworld Computing Device

Larger and more complex than the Otherworld Portable Device, these vaguely resemble the crystal screens and interfaces that were common in 3rd Aeon technology. These function as a Journeyman's Tome on information about the Otherworld (though one has to be able to understand Otherwording to use the device), can send messages to other Otherworld Devices, and may also contain information on the individual or organization who brought it here. They also take up 2 Slots rather than 1.

Some of these also have Akenia Adventure installed on them, but from what researchers can gather this is included on the initiative of the device's user, rather than the Infinite Possibility Foundation itself.

Otherworld Radar

These circular devices work just like Scanners do, though their make and material is a very different, likely due to the materials available in the Otherworld versus Outer World. In addition to the normal functions of a Scanner, they are also show certain points in a different color. While the exact significance of these points has not been determined, it seems to allow for dimensional transference if one of these radars is brought to it. Presumably, this would bring the holders to a location controlled by the Infinite Possibility Foundation. This has not been confirmed for two reasons, however:

A) These points seem to vanish or at least lose their potency after a short time, usually within a few hours

and

B) As a result of A, no one foolish curious enough to actually try this has had an opportunity to do so. 

Notes on Infinite Possibility Operatives

Most members of the organization have stats equal to that of the various follower types (Custrel, Scholar, etc) except tweaked a bit to fit Otherworld sensibilities (Solider and Researcher, as an example. Otherworld Histories can also give a good example of the sorts of gear and purviews they might have, should you need them.

The foundation does have a number of exceptional individuals with powers beyond their fellows. Some of these are recruited from the general populace, but others seem to be the result of some experimental program run by the Infinite Possibility Foundation itself. These can be created using the rules for player characters or adversary creation with the additional considerations from this entry in mind.