*
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 28, 2024, 02:10:19 PM

Login with username, password and session length

Donate

We Appreciate Your Support

Members
Stats
  • Total Posts: 1686489
  • Total Topics: 118102
  • Online Today: 857
  • Online Ever: 2235
  • (October 29, 2023, 12:32:45 AM)
Users Online

Recent

Author Topic: Dracula's America- the Return (new experimental rules)!  (Read 3285 times)

Offline Fenrir

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 218
    • The Lead Mountaineer
Dracula's America- the Return (new experimental rules)!
« on: August 10, 2018, 04:57:53 PM »
Hello, folks- lately I've been taking full advantage of the unusually fine weather here so my gaming has been seriously (albeit voluntarily) curtailed!

However, I've still been tinkering away on all things Drac. Am, and plans are slowly advancing towards some additional material for the game!

One of these will be a rules Errata / FAQ / Update in the future, but I thought it might be good to get a head-start and post some ideas I've been tinkering with on my Blog. The links are below- please note that these are nowhere near 'official' amendments to the rules as they stand, they are simply some alternative ideas I've come up with in response to player feedback- if there is a consensus then this unofficial status may well change down the line, but for now please take them in the spirit they are intended... And of course let me know what you think after giving them a try!  ;)

First up, Injuries in a Campaign:

https://lead-mountaineer.blogspot.com/2018/08/return-to-draculas-america-part-1-tis.html


...And here you can find some new ideas for Fighting and Summoning:

https://lead-mountaineer.blogspot.com/2018/08/return-to-draculas-america-part-2.html


Finally, we have some new options for Actions (this is a biggie!):

https://lead-mountaineer.blogspot.com/2018/08/return-to-draculas-america-part-3.html


Cheers! J.
« Last Edit: August 12, 2018, 08:28:41 AM by Fenrir »
I now have a Blog, like an actual modern-day human!
https://lead-mountaineer.blogspot.co.uk/

Offline Fenrir

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 218
    • The Lead Mountaineer
Re: Dracula's America- the Return (new experimental rules)!
« Reply #1 on: August 12, 2018, 08:31:05 AM »
Updated the original Post with the third and final set of experimental rules- happy play-testing! :)

Offline LeadAsbestos

  • Scatterbrained Genius
  • Posts: 3041
    • When the Hurlyburly's Done...
Re: Dracula's America- the Return (new experimental rules)!
« Reply #2 on: August 12, 2018, 09:47:21 AM »
Updated the original Post with the third and final set of experimental rules- happy play-testing! :)

Now these I like!

Offline sir_shvantselot

  • Mad Scientist
  • Posts: 943
Re: Dracula's America- the Return (new experimental rules)!
« Reply #3 on: August 12, 2018, 01:22:00 PM »
First off, you should be very proud that you’ve created this. I’m a big fan as you can see from this thread and I’ve roped in at least three people into the game (and working on more): http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=107489.0

You opened use for Wargames Foundry and Artizan cowboys I’d had sitting round unused for fifteen years. Though I also ended buying around £150 through North Star through my local gaming store to “top up”. Also you gave some of my old Malifaux minis use as it’s too complex for me at my stage of life (job + small kids).

Your game is the perfect balance of decision-taking, depth, speed, character development but without the brain burn.

My only “feedback” is as follows:

Some of my Native American skin walkers have shields but could you offer some rules?

I have so many Mexicans from Foundry and Pulp Figures through North Star! Fantastic minis that scream out to be painted. Various Maximilian adventure types + bandito/magnificent seven types. Would be great if you could come up with something for them? What about getting the French in by saying the Vatican asked Louis Napoleon, who got involved in the Maximilian adventure and, in Dracula’s America, won, to get involved in the states. That way you get French foreign legion, Republican Mexicans and bandito/warlord types? And Native American Mexican Mythos stuff (not that I’m an expert on that).

I’m not bothered my crew is beyond mullered after three games. It means you use cash to replace people rather than building up huge crews or overtooled up ones.

Also mercenaries are so expensive and not that great. I foolishly got a Cossack after one game with red hand Coven and kept paying for him for two more. He’s quite situational and just got targeted and gunned down having done nothing in both games. Maybe OK for wealthier crews.

The new actions look cool.

Offline Paboook

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 275
Re: Dracula's America- the Return (new experimental rules)!
« Reply #4 on: August 13, 2018, 01:26:59 PM »
Fenrir, I would say these could be great addition to the game. I hope I will be able to test them soon.

Offline Fenrir

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 218
    • The Lead Mountaineer
Re: Dracula's America- the Return (new experimental rules)!
« Reply #5 on: August 14, 2018, 01:39:26 PM »
Thanks for the kind words, folks- I'd be really keen to hear what you think of these new options after a few games!

@Sir_Shvantselot: I was aiming for a finished game with all the qualities you mention, so that's a relief!  ;)

Shields- this is completely off the top of my head, but how about if they give you a +1 Save Modifier in a Fight and against Bows and Thrown Weapons? Not sure how much help they might be against bullets... They would also probably take up one of your three 'Weapon slots'. Cost? Let's say $4 and take it from there- be sure to let me know if you give this a go.

Mexicans- for now you might like to try out an existing Faction with your own figures and unique back-story, such as Red Hand Coven, Twilight Order, Church of Dagon (for Mythos stuff) or maybe even Salem Sisterhood. There are plans already afoot for a Faction with a Mexican Army/Aztec theme, but you didn't hear that from me!  8)

Injuries- that was exactly my rationale behind the existing Injury rules! I wanted to make sure that even a tooled-up Veteran or Heroic character with a load of Skills was at risk of coming to a bad end...

Mercenaries/Hired Guns- my idea with these was to ensure they never over-shadowed your own 'home-grown' models, and that they mostly fulfilled a specific role- so I deliberately made them 'over-costed' for what they are- if you are playing a one-off game or have spare $ in your Stash, then as you say they might be worth a look- if only for the chance to paint some unusual characters! Nothing to stop you using them as a standard Posse member either, of course...

@Paboook: Cheers! If you give them a go, be sure to post your thoughts here.

Offline Kommando_J

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1217
Re: Dracula's America- the Return (new experimental rules)!
« Reply #6 on: August 14, 2018, 02:58:11 PM »
''Mexicans- for now you might like to try out an existing Faction with your own figures and unique back-story, such as Red Hand Coven, Twilight Order, Church of Dagon (for Mythos stuff) or maybe even Salem Sisterhood. There are plans already afoot for a Faction with a Mexican Army/Aztec theme, but you didn't hear that from me! ''

Looking forward to seeing how that turns out, never could get my own idea off the ground (lack of playtesters) but in hindsight it's hard to make brujeria seem/play unique.





Offline Fenrir

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 218
    • The Lead Mountaineer
Re: Dracula's America- the Return (new experimental rules)!
« Reply #7 on: August 17, 2018, 05:56:03 AM »
@Kommando_J: That's a shame- your ideas were great! I wouldn't give up on them if I were you; even if you just used them in your games at home.  :)

Offline Kommando_J

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1217
Re: Dracula's America- the Return (new experimental rules)!
« Reply #8 on: August 17, 2018, 06:31:38 AM »
Hoping to get back to Glasgow so maybe then i'll be able to playtest them, right now im stuck in the back arse of ireland lol.

Offline fred

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 4359
    • Miniature Gaming
Re: Dracula's America- the Return (new experimental rules)!
« Reply #9 on: August 17, 2018, 09:10:01 AM »
Some interesting ideas.

The summoning pool - this is interesting. I would certainly suggest multiplying all the numbers by 2, so you have 8 points, and the cheapest summoning is 1pt. Rather than having to deal with fractions. Then you can give the summoner a number of tokens which are expended when entities are summoned. But I'm not entirely sure this is needed. We have a crossroads cult player, who summons loads. But tends to either go for the cheap d6 level ones that die. Or the biggest ones that are hard to summon. I'm not sure having a max limit on the number of summoned creatures would change things much.

Wounds - one of our players really doesn't like this. He wants RPG style where his gang just get better game on game. It can be annoying when your leader dies, but then again they tend to take a lot of risks! Tracking wounds on novices is a bit tedious - remembering which one has a limp etc in the middle of a game. I haven't compared this table to the current one, but it looks like the chance of being wounded is reduced by a couple of points?

New actions - like the Blind Shooting one. Overwatch is quite dominant in a lot of our games.

Offline Paboook

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 275
Re: Dracula's America- the Return (new experimental rules)!
« Reply #10 on: August 18, 2018, 08:56:00 PM »
Simple way how to weaken summoned creature would be marking it as done when summoned.

The unability to act in its first turn would make the creature less effective and would also give other players some time to take the new model in consideration.

Offline Shirer

  • Bookworm
  • Posts: 72
Re: Dracula's America- the Return (new experimental rules)!
« Reply #11 on: August 19, 2018, 08:55:48 PM »
Simple way how to weaken summoned creature would be marking it as done when summoned.

The unability to act in its first turn would make the creature less effective and would also give other players some time to take the new model in consideration.

I really like that - think I’ll test it out.

Offline Fenrir

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 218
    • The Lead Mountaineer
Re: Dracula's America- the Return (new experimental rules)!
« Reply #12 on: August 20, 2018, 02:46:08 PM »
Hello, folks- I'm back from the wilderness, so let's get back to it!

@Fred: Thanks for this- your feedback is very much appreciated! As I say, these are first drafts, and are really just intended as options rather than replacement rules- but if any prove overwhelmingly popular I'll look into properly implementing them down the line. If nothing else, I hope they will inspire players to just have a go at tinkering with the rules as they stand to see what works for them!

Summoning- I tried a game with your suggestions this afternoon, and I agree that it gives the same effect I was after without having to worry about fractions- I will change the Blog post accordingly ASAP!

Wounds/Injuries- Now this is an interesting area of discussion! I feel that tracking Injuries is no more difficult than tracking Skills, especially if you use a roster sheet or record card for each model- that way all the information is right there at a glance. For me, it's the essence of these 'gang-progression' games that you have to take the rough with the smooth! Certainly, DA is not a game where the aim is to end up with a team of tooled-up superheroes, but a cast of interesting and often flawed individuals... And besides, getting shot/chewed-on/stabbed hurts;)
Having said that, there is something to be said for the 'Frostgrave' method of only tracking progression on a couple of important models- essentially, the rest of the Posse would just be there as 'extra bodies' (Hired Hands, if you will) with pistols or other basic weapons, a binary live/die roll if they fall casualty and no chance of learning Skills. Not my personal cup of tea, but I'm going to have a tinker with the concept...

New Actions- Cheers- please let me know what you think of these, if you get a chance to try them out!

@Paboook: Really nice and elegant idea there- I will definitely be giving this a go in my next game!  8)

@Everybody: As always, please post your thoughts here- I'd obviously prefer actual in-game experiences over theory, but any feedback is welcome!