Musings on Strange Aeons, come join in.

[Bergh]

Hello fellow cultist!

I have a few musings about Strange Aeons so far, and want to share them with you, and want to hear your own thoughts, ideas and so forth. I will only join in on light and short discussions on ideas.

My list:

Play for fun principles. Many miniature players have problems understanding this, and Strange Aeons really should be played for the theme of the game, the game is quite simple to break if you are a conquering warhammer general who play for the WIN, especially when playing the Lurkers, you can make really boring and Threshold destroying lists which is just a waste of time for both players.


The max Constitution problem: Use a D8 on the Damage roll! Actully the average damage is only 1 higher! and make for a faster and more tactical game, where the normal pistol still can hurt someone.
The absolutely worst thing for any miniature game is when "normal weapons" cannot hurt humanoids any more, then the theme goes down the drain for me sadly. Its Agents vs cultist and a few monsters for me, not agents with heavy machine guns and almost artillery class weapons before anything have a lottery chance of wounding someone. The ten turn stationary shoot out until someone rolls exception good just don't work for me. *For me this is the one big problem in the game*.

Some of the skills should be "one per list". I will not get into a larger discussion, but one or two skills are just game breaking when taken multiple times on the same team. Discussion somewhere else on forum!.

Other minor musings:

"Return to Dunwich"-Black Dossier. The Command Ability trouble. You can only get one Command model, its the Kindred Patriarch with the Improved Command skill, in a higher point game, this can be quite a problem for the lurkers, really handicapping then to much, would have been nice for maybe a single Lieutenant option beside him? I have not played the Dossier, so things are properly finely balanced, just me wondering.

"Map Piece scenarios should be randomised" There should be a random list for 1, 2 and 3 map piece scenarios, just my preferred way of doing it, don't know if its really important, just really like the part where you roll what going to happen.

[Mathyoo]

There is not a single game that is enjoyable with powe gamers. Sadly, there is many of those. FOW mid-war, for example, has same problems. There are many great and fun tanks (like crusaders) that are just sub par to shermans, both being accessible. But I think here nothing can be done, except playing with the people that prefer to have fun than pure win. Powergaming ends up making a game very bland, always taking same and same weapons and lurkers. I play with my little brother and as he is kinda young, I have to keep taking my elefant gun with me, and I way prefer double .45s for the fun.

And the bottom line is, if you got players that can play for fun, you don't need to change rules much. Why 1 skill per list? If it bothers you, don't do it. It has never crossed my mind to play with any skill twice, except for -dex and such.

As for randomising quest scenarios, you can pick whichever you want, theres noone stopping you from randomising your choice

[superflytnt]

I don't play with people that are all about winning (other than my wife) because I have the innate desire to crescent kick them in the head.

If it's a game that is built on that kind of thing, such as Heroscape, then it's competitive going in, but playing games like Strange Aeons or .45 Adventure with the goal of just winning using crappy tactics in builds is just abhorrent. Couldn't agree more.

I'll try the D8 thing and see if it's better. I don't mind the shooting back and forth stuff and a lot of misses because IRL shooting a moving target, or worse, shooting a moving target WHILE moving is one of the hardest things to do. I'm an avid shooter and it's just not that easy to do...I've been on combat ranges many a time and hitting plates while running is just damned hard.  I also think it adds to the game; big bad nasties shouldn't be that easy to smoke with a .45 and especially a .22 pistol.

[cuchulain23]

I had a problem with one of my friends building kill all the agents uber-powered lists. Then I reminded him that we were just playing for fun and he eased up.

I do like your damage roll on a d8, might have to try that out.

We have been randomising the quest scenarios, seems to work out pretty well so far.

We have not played a campaign as of yet, but I have a couple of ideas. Each set of agents must get a number of pieces of an artifact (not determined yet) after a certain number of games and the attaining of the artifact they can fight the big bad, and save the world....this time.

[Mason]

I am with you fellas on the 'fun-gaming' thing.
I cant say that we have had too many problems with 'all-powerful' skills, but can definitely see that too many high Con models could be a problem.
It just needs to carefully managed.

As for the Uber-Lurker lists, we do not have that problem.
I am lucky that I play in a fair-minded group (mostly....) and, as I am running the campaign as a sort of GM, I run the Lurkers, so can avoid unbalancing the fun factor too much.

Even when the other fellas take a turn at playing the Lurkers to give me a break (too many games in one day can happen...) I pick the Lurker list to try and maintain the balance.

It tends to work most of the time, with most games going to the wire.
There are occasional one-sided games games, but that is mostly down to outrageous luck, one way or the other early on in the game.

The other plus side to having a GM-type campaign is that the games can be more balanced with an inbuilt learning curve.

For instance, in the first three games that a team undertakes there has always been the following:
First game is always the Fight scenario to get the players used to the rules, learn their Skills, and keep things nice and simple.
Second scenario has been Retrieve the Artifacts, to introduce a more scenario-themed game and encourage things other than just gunning the enemy down.
It also gives the players more of a chance to get some Map Pieces or Scrolls etc.
The third is a randomly generated basic scenario.
Another factor of the first three games is that the Lurker list will only contain Cultists, of various types.

After the first three games (training games, if you like) things get progressively more difficult, with new Lurker types introduced and Quest Scenearios thrown in.

I think this approach works well, as it gives a player a chance to develop their teams and pick up some skills, and also keeps them interested as games become more difficult and new enemies are encountered.

It may not work for all, but I think that it has worked well for our group.

[pocoloco]

As I just recently got the SA rules I haven't had a chance to play the game yet. My plan is to run a campaign with me acting as a GM and running the Lurkers side for whole shebang of it. As a matter of fact I kind of hope to incorporate CoC rpg with the SA somehow, so the campaing would have the normal(?) table-top dice rolling in both forms, with and without minis.

Will be interesting to read more of your experiences running a SA campaing, if you distinguished people are willing to share hints and tips?

I will hopefully end up with 3 or 4 players and at some point after they have made their characters in CoC side of things, I should try to convert these characters to SA form... maybe it's bit lunatic but fortunately it's only my sanity on the line there

[Dezmond]

A kukri might be a nice alternative to a meat cleaver, especially for a British investigator:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kukri



Traditional weapon of the Gurkhas, its use by them in the Great War had in this period enhanced its fearsome reputation.

One was also carried by Jonathan Harker in the hunt for Count Dracula:-

25 October, Noon.--No news yet of the ship's arrival.  Mrs. Harker's
hypnotic report this morning was the same as usual, so it is possible
that we may get news at any moment.  We men are all in a fever of
excitement, except Harker, who is calm.  His hands are cold as ice,
and an hour ago I found him whetting the edge of the great Ghoorka
knife which he now always carries with him.  It will be a bad lookout
for the Count if the edge of that "Kukri" ever touches his throat,
driven by that stern, ice-cold hand!

--

Not keen on .22 pistols being called .22 pistols. .25 or .32 or even .38 might be more pleasing?

I mean, who brings a .22 to a gunfight?

[superflytnt]

I had a thread full of period weapons a while back. There's plenty to choose from. I put "H&R Revolver (.22)", "Colt 1911 (.45)" and "Lewis LMG (.30)" on my SA lists because if you're going to have theme, don't half ass it.

[Dezmond]

if you're going to have theme, don't half ass it.

Damn straight!

--

I've enjoyed Investigator Weapons (vol 1) for the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game:-

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/100789/Investigator-Weapons%2C-volume-1

--

Does the game have stats for a Browning Automatic Rifle, preferred weapon of Clyde Barrow?

He stole several from national guard armouries, and modified some to be handier weapons by sawing off the barrel and shoulder stock:-



He is supposed, but almost certainly didn't, have constructed special magazines for the by welding three regular magazines together for extra capacity:-





I feel certain that Threshold agents, or their foreign equivalents, could certainly have made that modification.

Either way,

[superflytnt]

SA has no ammo count, so the magazine capacity is irrelevant. Rate of fire, however, is, and a BAR is quite nice for that. Honestly, though, there's ample "archetypes" in the game that you can call a gun whatever you want on your list, provided you identify it by something that can be cross referenced to the SA equivalent.

Plus, this isn't a Min-Max type game, so if you want to create your own, by all means, have at it. Just be sure to post the costing, your "thesis" on why the weapon is costed as such, and I think we'd all be happy to provide feedback.

Here was my thread devoted to such an endeavor:
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=46327.msg541149#msg541149

[Mason]

..... you can call a gun whatever you want on your list, provided you identify it by something that can be cross referenced to the SA equivalent.

Spot on, Pete.
We use the standard list, without modification.
We just think of the .22 stats as a 'light' pistol and the .45 as 'heavy'.
It does not literally mean that is EXACTLY what it is.
It just makes life so much easier if you have fewer categories.

So the Tommy Gun stats will represent all weapons of a similar 'type' and use the .30 cal to denote 'heavier' and less portable variants.

[Dezmond]

Honestly, though, there's ample "archetypes" in the game that you can call a gun whatever you want on your list, provided you identify it by something that can be cross referenced to the SA equivalent.

Oh I agree. I just came across the reference to Harker carrying a Kukri, and thought that might make a more in character alternative for an investigator than a meat clever.

Similarly, cultists in the Masks of Nyarlathotep adventure for Call of Cthulhu are often armed with a 'panga', a sort of machete which sadly still sees much use in some parts of the world.



As for the guns, I just find it slightly aesthetically unpleasing that a list is likely to feature so many '.22 pistols'. And a Threshold agent with a cut down BAR and a sorta 1920s (leather) version of this vest from Heat:-



under his coat might be kinda cool.

[Bergh]

in the game that you can call a gun whatever you want on your list, provided you identify it by something that can be cross referenced to the SA equivalent.

Plus, this isn't a Min-Max type game, so if you want to create your own, by all means, have at it. Just be sure to post the costing, your "thesis" on why the weapon is costed as such, and I think we'd all be happy to provide feedback.

Spot on! and I would personally always choose weapons which I think is "cool" for my agents, not really looking at was is "max-power".
Also a BAR seems like a nice "heavy"-weapon for a threshold agency, also the Lewis Gun would be nice. anything bigger would be problematic too transport and such without be too suspect, ie. how much room are there in the backroom of a car?
Until now I think the weapons list is sufficient, adding variants of big knifes or gun don't really give much too the game.


btw: I'm very happy too read that most SA players arent power-gamers or min/max'ers.

[Mason]

btw: I'm very happy too read that most SA players arent power-gamers or min/max'ers.

Me too!
Not amongst those that I have encountered anyway.
The 'story' and having a fun, balanced game is the main thing.

In fact, I shall be posting an AAR tomorrow showing the best aspect of SA: The way a game can 'swing' back and forth, but is never over until the end...

[Dezmond]

anything bigger would be problematic too transport and such without be too suspect, ie. how much room are there in the backroom of a car?

You can see cultists employing a .30 cal machine gun they have mounted on the back of a truck in this clip from Boardwalk Empire:-



(I have also seen references to bootleggers mounting machine guns on the specially constructed fast boats they had made for carrying alcohol from ships outside territorial waters to shore.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum-running

At the start, the rum-runner fleet consisted of a ragtag flotilla of fishing boats, excursion boats, and small merchant craft. But as prohibition wore on, the stakes got higher and the ships became more specialized. Large merchant ships like McCoy's Tomoka waited on Rum Row, but specialized high-speed craft were built for the ship-to-shore runs. These high-speed boats were often luxury yachts and speedboats fitted with powerful aircraft engines, machine guns, and armor plating. Oftentimes, builders of rum-runners' ships also supplied Coast Guard vessels (such as Fred and Mirto Scopinich's Freeport Point Shipyard).[1] Rum-runners often kept cans of used engine oil handy to pour on hot exhaust manifolds, in case a smoke screen was needed to escape the revenue ships.

Which seems just the thing if one needs to pursue Deep Ones offshore!)