Miscellaneous Grab Bag Part 4

The whole reason I came up with the Miscellaneous Grab Bag posts was that I had lost the document I wanted to post, the conversion from Old World of Darkness (Vampires the Masquerade etc) to Cyberpounk 2020. In contrast to the White World Magazine article World of Future Darkness which only converted the other way. And I recall it being really tricky because they are fundamentally different ways of seeing character abilities. So I cannot say this is any good or even complete. Especially with regards to trying to convert a -1 to difficulty or a +1 to number of dice.

A lot of the more specific stuff I reversed out of the article and so pertain only to Vampire Disciplines.

Anything form of external bonus like magic or gear that reduces the TN is treated differently if it is a passive or active roll, the most obvious example being rolling to spot a clue vs rolling to spot an enemy.

Passive rolls have every -3 TN convert to a +2 Bonus, round down. Active rolls have every -1 TN convert to a +1 Bonus.

Things that increase or decrease the dice pool become a bonus/penalty of +/-1 per dice increased or decreased. Although the math holds that it is really a +/-1.5 per dice, but rough rounding is done.

Auto-successes convert to bonuses 1:1

For WoD’s use of total Successes as a threshold, every 2 over the 2020 Target Number counts as an additional success. IE. If 1 Success converts as rolling a 15, rolling 17 counts as 2 Successes when determining effects.

Humanity Index = Humanity (Conscious + Self Control) x 10

Skills are Skill Dots x 2. This does mean that skills will be higher than normal, but that should balance out the Stats being about 1 less than they should be according to Listen Up You Primitive Screwheads.

Special Power resources are spent as normal. The Resource Backgrounds gives the following: 1 dot = 2K, 2 = 5K, 3 = 10K, 4 = 20K, 5 = 50K.

WoD Base Damage – 3 = D6 rolled for damage + 2 (If Base Damage is under 5) or + 0 (if Base Damage is over 5). Natural weapons convert into 2020 damage as Base Damage x 2 in D6s + BT Mod.

For living things, 1 Soak = 4 SP. Artificial things have Damage Boxes x 5 SDP and Soak Roll x 5 SP.

Lethal damage is normal damage. If something is converted to Bashing Damage (not started as) the BT Modifier is doubled, meaning it becomes mostly chip damage. Aggravated Damage ignores the BT modifier completely.

If Healing time is reduced by 1 Line, that means +1 Healed per day.

VtM Disciplines
Celerity is like Boostware/Speedware, it adds Initiative per dot, and very 2 dotes + 1 to MA when active. (Varies by edition).

Auspex doesn’t help Cyberaudio/Cyberoptics. But does affect Aura Perception, smell touch and taste.

Dominate does not affect Cybernetically-stored memory, even if the organic part is.

Fortitude and Potence don’t work on Cyberlimbs.

Stormtroopers (Number Appearing)

I've played both Edge of the Empire and WEG D6 Star Wars. And something that's struck me is that in both rulesets, Stormtroopers can get very dangerous very quickly, even if the narrative tends to treat them as mooks. Something that became more of a thing as Disney reached for that nostalgia market.

A lot of details of Star Wars organisation came from WEG D6, whose writers tended to try and treat the in universe material as a hard scifi setting. Albeit hard like Battletech or Star Trek. Where the Empire naturally had millions of Stormtroopers and 1,000s of ships. And really the heroes needed the Force to even stand against this.

And that didn't sit right with me until I figured out that Star Wars should run on pulp rules. A narrative where does escalate swiftly from filler to fight, put where they should rarely get above filler. Couple that with Star Wars tendency to treat planets small places, and the following guide was developed.

Stormtroopers appears as four or less (speedbump if done well), 10 (mild danger), 20+ (risky) or Too Many. For inexperienced players or more lethal systems, I would halve these.

For narrative purposes:

2 or 4 guys guard a door that needs guarding/a checkpoint of mild inconvenience (1 guy is wasteful pomp) or harass some peaceful farmers.

1 squad (10 guys) guard a strategic checkpoint or a boring village.

1 Platoon (50) guard a structure or a boring town.

1 company (200) guard a big/important piece of infrastructure or a city.

1 battalion (800) guards a region/city feeling rebellious or a planet of boring people.

1 Regiment (1600) garrisons a vital military installation or is the force arrayed against an insurrection.

1 legion (12,800) controls a planet in the grip of active war or is the might of the Empire concentrated and leaving themselves vulnerable elsewhere.

 A collated timeline of Eriador for The One Ring 2E/The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game (5E-based)

The One Ring 2E Eriador Timeline

2960

Hobbit Tales/First Start Set Box - A Conspiracy Most Cracked, Expert Treasure Hunters, Most Excellent Fireworks, Involuntary Postmen, To Soothe a Savage Beast

 

2965

All the Rulebook issues - Combe, Archet, The Barrow Downs (constant) and The South Downs. The Star of the Mist

MORIA - The Present Day of the sourcebook

Black Númenóreans - STRANGERS IN LOND DAER

Saruman The Patron - THE MESSENGER (Leads to Summons to Isengard.)

Dunland Raiders - SMOKE RISES OVER ISENGARD (Leads to Outlaws on the Road.)

Hands of the White Wizard – Earliest Time for The Beast of Dunland

Hands of the White Wizard – Earliest Time for The Sea-Prince of the Shore

Hands of the White Wizard – Earliest Time for The Disaster of the Gladden Fields

Morlhoss Against the Elves - A WHISPER IN THE WIND

Arblaud vs Dwarves - ARBLAUD’S HOMECOMING

Cauthlin vs Rivendell - THE RETURN OF THE WEASEL-SPIRIT

Tales From the Lone Lands – Earliest Time for A Troll-hole, if Ever There Was One, Messing About in Boats, Kings of Little Kingdoms, Not to Strike Without Need, Wonder of the Northern World and The Quest of Amon Guruthos

 

2966

Black Númenóreans - THE FISHER CHILD

Saruman The Patron - SUMMONS TO ISENGARD (Leads to Spying on the Shire.)

Dunland Raiders - OUTLAWS ON THE ROAD (Leads to The Burning of Minhiriath.)

Cauthlin vs Rivendell - THE SIEGE OF WAILINGHOLE

 

2967

Black Númenóreans - DARK BARGAINS (Leads to Scouts in Minhiriath.)

Saruman The Patron - AMBUSHING THE BLACK NÚMENÓREANS (Leads to Mission to Angmar.)

Morlhoss Against the Elves - RAGE OF THE STONE-GIANTS

Arblaud vs Dwarves - INCIDENT AT THE FORD (SPRING)

Arblaud vs Dwarves - A NEW LADY IN THE NORTH

Arblaud vs Dwarves - THE BATTLE OF IOREITHEL

 

2968

Black Númenóreans - SCOUTS IN MINHIRIATH (Leads to The Wooing of Tharbad.)

Black Númenóreans - THE TREASURES OF OLD

Saruman The Patron - SPYING ON THE SHIRE

Saruman The Patron - THE LORE OF EREGION (Leads to Into Moria.)

Dunland Raiders - THE BURNING OF MINHIRIATH

Morlhoss Against the Elves - THE RISE OF THE ELF-HUNTER

Arblaud vs Dwarves - THE GREAT COUNCIL OF MITHLOND

Arblaud vs Dwarves - THE OATH OF THE DWARVES

 

2969

Black Númenóreans - JOURNEY TO ANGMAR (Leads to Rites in the Barrow-downs.)

Saruman The Patron - MISSION TO ANGMAR

 

2970

Black Númenóreans - THE WOOING OF THARBAD (Leads to The Kathuphazgân Moves Inland.)

Black Númenóreans - BLOOD IN SWANFLEET

Dunland Raiders - THE IRON BARGAIN (Leads to Raid on Lond Daer.)

Hands of the White Wizard – Latest Time with modifications for The Beast of Dunland

(Vila is age 10 in The Beast of Dunland and must grow into a “capable but Cruel young woman” by either T.A. 2972/2975, where the Kathuphazgân arrives in Lond Daer in the modified scenario. Or fulfils its purpose to discovers Rivendell if not stopped)

Morlhoss Against the Elves - THE HOWLING OF WOLVES

Cauthlin vs Rivendell - THE WAYLAYING OF THE EVENSTAR

Arblaud vs Dwarves - THE CROWNING OF THE NORTHERN QUEEN

 

2971

Black Númenóreans - RITES IN THE BARROW-DOWNS (Leads to The Fall of Lond Daer.)

Hands of the White Wizard – Latest Time for The Beast of Dunland

Hands of the White Wizard – Latest Time with modifications for The Sea-Prince of the Shore

Hands of the White Wizard – Latest Time with modifications for The Disaster of the Gladden Fields

Cauthlin vs Rivendell - A TRAP IS TRIGGERED

Tales From the Lone-Lands – Latest Time for Messing About in Boats

 

2972

Black Númenóreans - THE FALL OF LOND DAER (Leads to The Kathuphazgân Moves Inland.)

Saruman The Patron - INTO MORIA

Dunland Raiders - RAID ON LOND DAER (Leads to Across the Brandywine.)

Hands of the White Wizard – Latest Time for The Sea-Prince of the Shore

Hands of the White Wizard – Latest Time with for The Disaster of the Gladden Fields

Hands of the White Wizard – Earliest Time with modifications for There Let Them Lie Until the End

Cauthlin vs Rivendell - NO PLACE IS SAFE ANY MORE

Arblaud vs Dwarves - A MEETING OF MOTHER AND DAUGHTER

 

2973

Black Númenóreans - THE KATHUPHAZGÂN MOVES INLAND (Leads to Scouts in the Trollshaws.)

Hands of the White Wizard – Presumed Earliest Time for There Let Them Lie Until the End

Morlhoss Against the Elves - TROLLS ABROAD (Winter)

Cauthlin vs Rivendell - THE COMING OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH

Cauthlin vs Rivendell - CONFRONTATION AT THE BLACK LAKE

 

2974

Black Númenóreans - THIS IS NO PLACE OF HONOUR

Black Númenóreans - SCOUTS IN THE TROLLSHAWS

Dunland Raiders - ACROSS THE BRANDYWINE (Leads to The Assault on the Dwarf-hold.)

Cauthlin vs Rivendell - 2974: THE FORGING OF THE BLACK BLADE

 

2975

Black Númenóreans - THE DISCOVERY OF RIVENDELL

Black Númenóreans -  HONOUR AMONG THIEVES

Dunland Raiders - THE ASSAULT ON THE DWARF-HOLD

Hands of the White Wizard – Presumed Latest Time for There Let Them Lie Until the End

Morlhoss Against the Elves - ATTACK ON WHITETHORN HAY

Arblaud vs Dwarves - THE SIEGE OF THE NORTHERN QUEEN

 

2977

Morlhoss Against the Elves - ATTACK ON DWARFERRY

 

2978

Morlhoss Against the Elves - THE ROBBERS OF THE BIRCHWOOD

Morlhoss Against the Elves - SHADOWS OF THE DARK WHISPER

 

2979

Morlhoss Against the Elves - THE WAR CRIES OF WOLVES AND GOBLINS (Spring)

 

2980

MORIA - Aragorn enters Moria by the East-gate

Morlhoss Against the Elves - PRISONER OF MORLHOSS

 

2982

Morlhoss Against the Elves - FAELOTH’S LAST ROAD

 

2989

MORIA - Balin’s expedition

Hands of the White Wizard – Latest time for There Let Them Lie Until the End

 

2994

MORIA - Recorded Death of Balin in the Book of Mazarbul.

Hands of the White Wizard - The Quest of Moria

 

3000

Hands of the White Wizard - The Ithil-stone

 

3018

MORIA - The creature Gollum enters Moria to hide from the Elves and the forces of Sauron.

 

3019

MORIA - The Fellowship of the Ring passes through Moria. Gandalf the Grey destroys Durin’s Bridge and slays the Balrog.

 

24 Landmarks that can be explored or are tied to events. So, they either get to be inserted anytime or at the appropriate year. Although some occasions only are for their destruction or change. So perhaps introducing them beforehand is better.

 

If a player was a Man and started in TA 2,965 at age 18 and then married and had a child at age 20 in TA 2,967 to keep the generations a nice, neat number.
Assuming he didn’t die on his adventures, nor his children. His son could take over adventuring in TA 2,985 and he would be 40 in TA 2,987 and 72 when the War of the Ring ended in TA 3,019. His grandson could take over adventuring in 3005 and be 32 at Sauron’s defeat. Though any Eriador character would be dealing with Ruffians in the Shire into TA 3,020.

Now some of the events are more descriptions of bigger changes than actual scenarios, but TOR 2E presume a certain amount of improvisation with the Tales of Years chapters.

It could easily be that this character can do 4 adventures a year for 5 years, then slow down by 1 every 5 years until stopping in the blank gap after TA 2,980, then his son takes over. Seeing any Landmarks and adventures that the father didn’t do. Leaving enough time for any TOR 2E Book/war content to be done by the grandson.

The Monster Mash

Or the Population of Supernaturals in Chronicles of Darkness

qzU

Thi is probally common knowledge amoung people who play the RPGs in question. But this blog is for me to get my thoughts down, not for sudden brillance.

Chronicles of Darkness is the revamp/second edition of the New World of Darkness (NWoD), itself a revamp of the classic 90s RPGs, World of Darkness. First and best-selling being Vampire the Masquerade.

I personally found NWoD and Chronicles to be more, sort of playable than the old systems like Vampire the Masquerade or Werewolf the Apocalypse. Even if those had a lot stronger through-lines and concepts. Not helped by the degradation of artwork across the NWoD, with Onyx Path going for photo bashed and manipulated images rather than the glorious black and white line art that set the mood for the 90s games.

 

But that’s not what I’m here to discuss. I’m also skipping accusations that the NWoD 2E/Chronicles lines were over/under complicated compared to their 1E counterparts. What I have here to write about is exceedingly niche. How many monsters can you fit in a city?

NWoD gave ratios, which naturally went out of control as the global population has grown since the early 2000s and would assign most of these somewhat arbitrary. Vampire the Requiem, the most played (as always) have 1 per 50,000 while tribe-warring Werewolves and reality-shaping Mages were 1 in 15,000. 2E for all three just said as many or as fewer as needed.

The most interesting note comes from the Beast the Primordial. An otherwise excretable game, where the worst traits of Onyx Path’s design process simmered under the eye of a sexual predator, imparting a final sinister cast to the incoherence message. I’d like to have a crack at fixing it someday but have been told by every person on the internet it is both impossible and useless.

In the core book, when discussing the sample city of New Orleans, the text notes that the supernatural population of the city is 0.5%. Seemingly small, but one for a highly scalable worldbuilding process. The writer for that section later clarified that he was following the pattern established by Werewolf the Forsaken, where the lesser templates (Ghouls, Kin-folk etc) made up ¾ of the listed supernatural population.

0.5% is 0.005, divided by four is a multiplier of 0.00125 for determining supernaturals, with an automatic assumption of some lesser monsters hanging about.

 

A generic little town of 1,000 people would theoretically have 1.25 supernaturals and 3.75 assistants, rounding down to 1/3. This is very much a sort of folk-horror vibe, where every local area has at least one spooky story/person/locale. Of course that might be a little much, with more room needed to accommodate the regular creeping non-playable monsters that make Chronicles of Darkness not “Have you seen a monster?” but “When was the last time you ignored a monster?” Having both might just tip it too far over.

Somewhere like Santa Fe (Capital of the US State of New Mexico) would have 111/333 supernaturals, which is pretty good for a playable area accounting for the NPCs. But once you get to a major metropolis, the multiply gets wildly out of control. Port Moresby (383,000), capital of Papua New Guinea and obscure enough for any game would have 478/1,436 supernaturals/minions. Moscow would have 16,250/48,750. Shanghai would have 31,087/93,262 as the second most populated city in the world. And collecting the gamelines from the wider region into the urban areas just accelerates the problem, while solving the first issue of 1 supernatural per 1,000/6 per 5,000/25 per 10,000 people.

Tokyo is a special case as a few writers have stuck with the idea there are 100 supernaturals there, despite the number working out to over 17,000.

The numbers suggested by the ratio seem to top out for an area of about 100,000 people, which provide enough NPCs for the players to be one among many. But not so that there might be supernaturals who the players could never meet despite permanently residing in the same area. In a game equally about social situations.

It also does not mention if it includes Hunters, who can be supernatural sometimes or minor mortal templates, like Psychics. I would assume so, as the core number covers all those involved in the supernatural community.

 

Therefore, the problem can be addressed in a few ways. You could divide all the numbers by 10, so the supernatural population occurs at a much lower size, at the risk of making historical games harder from spreading the catchment area substantially. You could tally all the minor mortal supernatural talents as the “minion/lesser template” type for Hunters. Or you could add all those who have directly experienced the supernatural (not just ignored it). Which combines well with dividing the supernatural number by 10.

I think Chronicles of Darkness is robust enough to support such large numbers, but it must be reasoned through. There are eleven gamelines and not all of them need the same level of coverage. One gameline should be dominate, usually the one being played and the one which defines the themes of the city and the NPC monsters that contend against the players.

By convention this probably should be one of the big three: Vampires, Werewolves or Mages. But any of them will do. This makes up about half of all supernaturals in the area. The next two gamelines you want to pick NPCs for should be about a quarter and an eighth, which any remainder coming out of the undefined last eighth. Or just fill that with Hunters.

Assign about half or 2/3rds of the main supernaturals type to opposing factions, some sort of plot grit to make the characters engaged and active each Story. This is to ensure that the PCs are never lost in a crowd. In fact, the more factions can be split off, the more likely the PCs will be able to influence the group they end up in.

Special attention must be paid to gamelines outside the big three, as those are implied to be more restrictive Chronicles where isolation helps drive the theme. These still can have many supernaturals, drawn by the anonymity of the crowd, but that means they must be split more finely into factions, to ensure there is social isolation. The rest of the supernatural cast can be filled by filler forces from the big three or Hunters. Prometheans and Mummies especially, as it is implied there are 100 or less of both world-wide.

Huge cities of 100s of thousands of people have been relatively rare in history, so I would say supernaturals generally lack the organizational skills to deal with more than a hundred or so of their kind without splitting off an allied subgroup. Oganised crime and feudal lords delegate, so I would expect the same from how supernaturals are portrayed as very personal-relationship people.

 

A worked example:

Smalltown USA, Count Seat of Yellowclay County OH, has 100,000 people. Therefore, it has 125 supernaturals, 60 are let’s say vampires, 30 are Deviants and 15 are Werewolves. 20 more are any other gamelines that are needed for the plot, maybe a couple of cells of Hunters, a Demonic agency and group of Mages.

25 Vampires pay tribute to one self-declared Mayor of the Night (player faction), 20 pay tribute to the Prince, 10 to the Batlord and 5 independent freaks skulk about on their own. Only if playing a mixed gameline Chronicle would the Storyteller need to set up details for multiple other supernatural factions beyond a general relationship or reaction.

There are 180 ghouls, some as Renfield, working for one master, some as whole families and organisations, working for the powerful. A 3 to 1 ratio naturally favours there are large groups of them under the spell of a power few Vampires. I'm not aware of what Deviant's lesser template is, but it's probally Chimera, 90 crawling about for the few Deviants which stayed on with their conspiracy. And there are 45 Kin-Folk, families supporting their hairier relatives. The remaining 60 or so don't need to be tied to anything, they are introduced as needed.