Roles for Friend and Foe
almost 3 years ago – Tue, May 23, 2023 at 04:13:18 PM

Surveys have been mildly delayed: I made some mistakes in initial setup and it's taken a few days for Backerkit staff to walk me through fixing it. However, the smoketest is out, so about 20 of you should have received the surveys to make sure everything is working properly. Once twe've confirmed that nothing's gone horribly wrong, the rest will go out.

 Until then, let's talk combat roles and playbooks!

A Brief Overview of Combat Roles

Combat Roles are a way to classify who does what in a fight. They can be formal or informal, and may or may not have actual in game effects,  instead their primary role is to ensure that different units in armies, player parties, and hostile encounters are actually filling a niche and bringing something new to the formation as a whole. Done well, this results in a mixed-role formation that is both more interesting and more effective than a mono-role equivalent.

The traditional MMO trifecta (Tank, Healer, DPS), for example, is meant to ensure that someone's managing hostile aggro, someone's keeping the group alive, and someone's actually taking out hostiles. It's an easy way to sort players and ensure you have a group that's at least theoretically able to approach content.

In wargames, roles are generally based off of battlefield position or historical orders of battle. 40K has roles based loosely on ORBATs, with Headquarters, line troops, elite units, fast skirmishers, and heavy support units, but what precisely qualifies a unit for any of those roles can vary by army. Infinity's roles are nominally based on the role of a unit in the army's composition (Mercenary, Line, Veteran, Headquarter, Special Training) or equipment (LI, MI, HI, REM, TAG), but the roles judged by players are informal based on what they're going to do in game: Rambo, skirmisher, ARO piece, and their ilk.

In RPGs, you have the additional complication that player characters and enemies work on very different rules and narrative roles. Their roles don't necessarily map onto each other, and roles are much more often informal than formal. Importantly, classes and playbooks are distinct from roles: Classes can have overlapping roles, or a single class might be able to fulfill multiple roles.

The archetypical example of combat roles in RPGs comes with D&D 4e. Player classes are separated into Controller, Defender, Leader, and Striker, while enemies actually have two axes of roles: Their specialization and their seniority. In addition to being Artillery, Brutes, Controllers, Lurkers, Skirmishers, and Soldiers, enemies could also be Minions, Elites, Leaders, or Solos. 

(This is also basically how Lancer approaches its combat roles. The roles are a bit more symmetrical, but secretly some of those Monster roles are basically just subdivisions of player roles, so it converts fine)

Designing Combat Roles in Guns Blazing

Guns Blazing's combat roles are shaped by the need to genre-emulate first person shooters:

A role like Striker or DPS just doesn't make much sense. It's a shooter, everyone should be lethal in combat for both verisimilitude and genre emulation. Similarly, I didn't want in-combat healing to be a true specialty, and supernatural elements are being kept far away from broad role design.

That quickly meant that combat roles were looking much more like wargame roles than traditional RPG roles. They were based more on your ideal position in a squad and on the battlefield, the maneuvering niche you'd prefer to exploit. And that brought me back to Chess.

I played Chess a lot as a kid. I was in my Madrasa chess club, played in tournaments, and was generally mediocre at it. However, I really loved the game and enjoyed chess history, especially its origins in Shatranj.

Even if it wasn't a 1-to-1 match, it'd be a really cool naming convention and fit the game's positioning focus. So all the existing playbooks got assigned names based on pieces in Shatranj, I slapped the identity mechanics into place, and called the Roles finished.

Then playtesting started and the initial roles were A) too restrictive and B) not super interesting.

They limited playstyle too much and the unique perks they unlocked weren't grabbing player attention. When players talked about the character mechanics they were excited about, or that shaped how they played, it inevitably wasn't anything to do with their roles.

So, one more round of revisions. The role perks solidified into their current forms: They now defined one key aspect of play for the character and provide access to new perk options, but don't really restrict your options in play. You're rewarded for playing into the role, but you're not punished for leaving it. 

The Roles

Guns Blazing currently has six combat roles, three of which are available to player characters. Each is named after a piece in Shatranj, gives you a perk that defines how you clear conditions in combat, and lets you access perks that share its keyword. The player roles are:

Rook: Based on the Chariot in Shatranj and the Castle in Chess, the Rook encourages you to shape the battlefield to your advantage from relative safety. It provides the In Control perk, which lets you clear conditions by supporting your allies. It's associated with the Captain and Engineer playbooks, the game's command and demolition specialists.

Knight: Based on the Horse in Shatranj and the Knight in Chess, the Knight encourages moving quickly and getting entangled with the enemy. It provides the Into the Breach perk, which lets you clear conditions by injuring foes at close range. It's associated with the Vanguard and Butcher playbooks, the game's maneuver and melee specialists.

Elephant: Based on the Elephant in Shatranj and Bishop in Chess, the Elephant encourages methodical gameplay based around fortified positions and long fire lanes. It provides the Second Wind perk, which lets you clear conditions by directly spending stamina, but as it doesn't oppose hostile reactions you need to be safe when you use it. It's associated with the Artillery and Hunter playbooks, the game's heavy weapon and stealth sniper specialists. I am debating changing its name to 'Alfil' or 'Fil' and accepting the confusion, as both Elephant and Bishop are noticeably longer than the names of other game pieces and this annoys me.

This trifecta is less about how you contribute to the battle and more about where you contribute to the battle. Knights want high risk positions where they get in among the enemy and cause hell. Rooks don't want to expose themselves to fire, and work best in a pseudo-support position. Elephants want to find somewhere with good sightlines and heavy cover, destroy everything in line of sight, then find somewhere else with good sightlines and heavy cover.

Enemies also use these roles: Shocktroopers and trench raiders are Knights, machine gunners and snipers Elephants, and officers or mortar crew Rooks. However, Enemies also have their own roles with their own unique mechanics. These include:

Pawn: Based on Sarbaz in Shatranj and Pawns in Chess, the Pawn is disposable and common. Indeed, to fit the first person shooter genre, most of your enemies in Guns Blazing are Pawns. Pawns are defined by the Squad ability, which lets them work together for bonuses and functionally treat many Pawns as a single foe.  Pawns were originally mooted as a player role, where you'd play as multiple, more disposable folks, but I couldn't put together a version of it I was happy with and the remnants of that playbook became the Captain.

Ferz: Based on the Ferz in Shatranj and the Queen in Chess, the Ferz is a greedy combatant, either gaining strength from their allies or actively sabotaging them for their own gain. Vehicles and mechs, reliant on lighter infantry to keep threats away from their vulnerabilities, are often Ferz. So are the self-devouring horrors of the Basilisk or the mightiest Majooj, which disassemble their subordinates to augment themselves. Ferz are defined by the ability to spend resources from their allies in some fashion.

Shah: Based on the Shah in Shatranj and the King in Chess, the Shah is extremely vulnerable but makes other enemies more dangerous by their proximity. They're inspirational leaders, mission-critical VIPs, and the like. A Shah is defined by having at least one ability that does nothing for themself but supports an ally while being no more competent a combatant than a Pawn. 

Backerkit Surveys Soon
almost 3 years ago – Fri, May 12, 2023 at 01:52:49 PM

Hey all, super short update:

Kickstarter just cleared the funds, which means the backerkit surveys should be headed out soon. This also means that production is about to boot up in earnest, so expect more frequent updates now that weve got the money.

Unfortunately the funds arrived while I'm out of town for business! I dont get home until Tuesday, so expect those surveys on the 19th.

Next Steps and Backerkit Surveys
almost 3 years ago – Fri, Apr 28, 2023 at 05:33:02 PM

We made it! 18K, over the line, and with VTT integration on the way. That's awesome. 

So, let's talk next steps.

Continued Development

On my end, there's still a lot of game to make. Art needs to be commissioned, winners for the worldbuilding contest announced, systems fleshed out, setting information collated and condensed from my frankly bloated worldbuilding documents (We'll get into that system at some point. It's not a good one), and freelance writing assigned and completed.

Then when that's done, the whole book needs to be playtested, edited, laid out, test-printed, and actually produced.

And then I get to start work on the starter scenarios!

While the core systems and core loops of the game have been done for some time, they're all fairly threadbare at the moment. Character creation is highly constrained, there aren't many enemies written up, etc. This development process will get everything up to publishable quality.

To that end, I'm aiming to have a second Public Playtest live in about a week and a half so you can follow along with me. Expect more perks, more enemies, a bit more lore, and the Faction system for narrative play.

Backerkit

Over to stuff that affects you!

We're partnering with Backerkit for pledge management and support. That means you'll all get a survey in two-to-three weeks outlining next steps and helping us get everything set up for eventual delivery. For high-tier backers, this'll outline the process of getting your cooler rewards set up. 

This is my first time working with Backerkit, but the team's been prompt and helpful. You shouldn't have anything to worry about, just sit back, relax, and watch the developmental cycle at play.

Final Hours: The Wargame!
almost 3 years ago – Thu, Apr 27, 2023 at 12:29:04 AM

We've got a few hours left! We've broken 16K, and I think we've got a good shot at the first stretch goal if folks keep pouring in like they have. With that in mind, lets flip back to mechanics and talk about our big add-on: The Guns Blazing Wargame!

My History With Wargames

My journey into tabletop RPGs was equally a journey into wargames. I got the D&D miniature wargame starter box alongside the D&D 3.5 starter, and learned many of the game's mechanics from the miniature companion cards that came with mini boosters because, at the time, I didn't have the cash to afford many supplements (Or the core books, for my first few years playing D&D).

Since, I've hopped between wargaming systems while hopping between RPG systems. 40K, Battletech, X-Wing, and my current love: Infinity.

There's a long history of ties between wargaming and RPGs. Hey, D&D even started as a chainmail hack, and lots of neat wargames have moved to develop RPGs that work in their setting. I've tossed about the idea of working on one for a while, and the original idea for the Ahadi system had an aggressively wargame-y mass combat system attached.

So when it came to working on Guns Blazing, I was always considering making something like Zona Alfa, Five Leagues from the Borderlands, or Frostgrave. If the project succeeded beyond my expectations, I was also interested in developing a full platoon-scale wargame. This was always a backburner idea, however, and wasn't originally going to be an add-on.

Riposte

Then Erika Chappell started work on Riposte. I started working on some armies for kicks and realized: A) I loved the game, and B) This would work pretty well for Guns Blazing. After convincing myself of this, I tested a very rough Guns Blazing conversion at DunDraCon and asked Erika for permission to use the ruleset.

She agreed. And so a wargame officially joined the goals for Guns Blazing.

The Riposte system has a similar relationship with traditional wargaming that the OSR movement does with 40K.  It speaks for itself better than I can speak for it, but features objective focused gameplay, more measured lethality, and an Interrupt system. In addition to a 40K retroclone (ConflictMallet), Erika is working on the endlessly inventive Fulda Rift (A fucked up 1969 with weird psychic pulp scifi soviets v weird magic pulp scifi Americans).

Guns Blazing will be modifying the Riposte system for its own mid-scale game, and creating a skirmish-scale game that bridges the gap in scale between the RPG and wargame.

The Guns Blazing Wargame

The Guns Blazing Wargame will be modifying Riposte rather than simply converting it. Systems like spellcasting and deep strike will be removed, while off-field assets and room-clearing would be expanded to fit the aesthetic and time period of the game.

The wargame puts you in the role of platoon leaders and similar field officers at the end of the 1920s and start of the 30s, as the conflicts covered in Guns Blazing come to a boil and erupt into war across the world. Players command squads of infantry, walkers, vehicles, and stranger monsters in service to various masters. The wargame will be launching with four factions. These factions are:

The British Empire: The British Empire focuses on a High-Low mix of units. The British Expeditionary Force is an elite, experienced core of British colonial trooper, backed by colonial volunteers from across the Empire and Iramite fungiforms. Their vehicles are an eclectic mix of early armored vehicles and heavy walkers, including purpose-built APCs other nations are yet to mimic. However, their troops are rarely armored, and even vehicles are often more thinly armored than is advisable.

The Mysoran Republic: The Mysoran Republic focuses on durable but straightforward troops. They have a core of armored infantry supported by strange experimental units, potent off-field assets, and many vehicles. They're a technological power, making up for lower numbers and less experience with sheer firepower. However, they pay a premium for their defenses and lack many of the mobility tricks of their competitors. They also have fewer esoteric effects than other factions, instead relying on artillery strikes and air support to shape the field.

The Green Band Internationale: The Green Band are a flexible insurgent group. They have a mix of dedicated but poorly equipped local recruits and skilled but mis-matched foreign volunteers. This gives them plenty of access to stealth and infiltration options, as well as a good range of Jinn, technology, and supernatural abilities. However, all of their equipment is decidedly outdated, and they're forced to rely on tricks, unit synergies, and playing objectives instead of brawling it out against most foes. This is especially clear with their vehicles, which are all outdated, eclectically equipped, but relatively cheap.

The False Majooj: The False Majooj are an aggressive industrial nightmare. They have a large number of specialized Restitched and a much smaller number of incredibly powerful Majooj monsters. Restitched are fragile for their cost but have strange abilities, including the ability to re-assemble fallen models from spare parts. Majooj are incredibly powerful, with support abilities that augment any Restitched near them, but are expensive and must be purchased as single models. 

While an early draft of the wargame exists, serious development and playtesting will wait until the RPG is in a more complete state. With that said, there are some goodies along the way for it I'm looking forward to showing off.

Final 48 Hours: The Green Band Internationale
almost 3 years ago – Tue, Apr 25, 2023 at 03:13:10 PM

We have passed the  48 hour mark! This is a vital period for the campaign, as it's really gonna shape which (if any) of our stretch goals we hit. As such, if you have any friends you think might be interested in the campaign please point them our way. Similarly, if you've been watching the campaign but weren't sure about going all in, now's the time to pledge!

If you're interested, I've re-opened the Volunteer and Hostis Humani Generis tiers for people who might be interested in upgrading their tier.

With that PSA out of the way, here's some more lore!

The Green Band Internationale

The Green Band Internationale is a splinter group of the Second International, formed due to rifts between Euro-American worker's parties and ones throughout the rest of the world in the wake of the Spanish-American War of 1908.

The Second International had billed itself as a truly global worker's movement. One that would unite socialists, Marxists, worker's unions, and more in the struggle for global liberation. It hosted Bhikaji Cama's unveiling of the flag of Indian independence, and various colonial liberation movements then headquartered throughout Europe. Its history, in the leadup to the Spanish-American war, was one of nominal anti-militarism and anti-colonialism.

The Spanish-American war broke that hope. Rather than coming together, Spanish and American socialist parties stuck to nationalist, militarist lines. And rather than committing to anti-colonial struggles, socialist parties in both countries supported their governments in the violent repression of independence movements. The 1909 International conference condemned the action, but the damage was done: Anti-colonial movements worldwide realized that their european counterparts would abandon them in the name of political expedience.

The Green Band would rise from the resulting chaos. It was a marriage of convenience: Across Southeast Asia, leftist movements found themselves working with local insurgents and freedom fighters in increasingly-politicized international brigades. They darted back and forth across state borders in Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand, and the Phillipines, dodging colonial retaliation and sharing skills, personnel, and ideas to further the cause. They took their name from a green band, worn around an arm or shoulder, to identify themselves and try to draw reprisal attacks away from local populations.

Then Iran took notice.

International Backing

Critics of the Green Band argue that it is fundamentally compromised. That it will happily throw away worker's liberation and similar ideals to ally with nationalists, deposed nobility, and their ilk. This isn't incorrect.

In 1912, the nascent Green Band in southeast Asia began receiving aid from the Qajar Shah. This was not merely an altruistic endeavor: Qajar Iran is immensely powerful, thanks to its union with a dynasty of Jinn and their territory, but alone among the world's Great Powers it isn't a colonial institution. As such, any activities that weakened the colonial powers benefited Iran. Any governments formed with their weapons, funds, and political support would be indebted to the throne, furthering Qajar interests the world over.

However, the deal was too good to ignore. Iran could offer modern weapons, a steady stream of volunteers, asylum for persecuted politicians, and spread. It could take the Green Band from a regional movement in Southeast Asia to an international one. Debate over the matter was vigorous, but it was an offer too good to refuse.

By 1920, the Band had expanded massively Sudan, Morocco, Korea, British India, and more all had thriving cells of the International. Conferences were held in Isfahan yearly, the anti-colonial struggle now truly a global one. Volunteers flooded to conflict zones across the world, and other powers took the opportunity to sabotage their international rivals.

Non-colonial powers saw an opportunity to cut their foes down to size, and Colonial powers an opportunity to hobble their rivals in the Great Game. Soon heavy guns, obsolete walkers, armored cars, and more were flooding conflict zones across the planet, and half a dozen alternatives to the Green Band had arisen.

Such largesse helped anti-colonial movements across the world, but also saw them indebted to a variety of foreign backers. Ignoring the interests of those backers now risks the supply of weapons, recruits, and political backing slowing down, and as the largest backer of the Green Band Persia's interests are often represented without them so much as voicing them.

But with colonial powers still controlling most of the world, that's a compromise many are willing to make.

The Green Band in your game

The Green Band serves as a 'default' organization for player characters to get involved with. They're a quick way to get into the anti-colonial struggle anywhere in the world with enough political and financial backing to play with cool guns and equipment. They intro political mechanics and the more complex elements of the anti-colonial struggle through the competing demands of their backers and local interests.

As such, they're a useful tool for new groups trying to adjust to the norms of the game, but still a useful faction for more experienced ones where they represent a well-funded, well-meaning faction rife with foreign influence.