Alternate/expanded rules

[Skunk]

I've read a few really cool posts about making modded versions of Strange Aeons to fit Sci-fi, post-apoc, and other settings. I've been playing around with a few ideas of my own, but has anyone thought about making a community maintained pdf or word doc that contains expanded rules (kinda like Core-heim)? Like a generic Sci-if expansion that includes a couple new missions, a new weapons table, starting rules, and an expanded alien lurkers selection. It would mostly contain very archetypal Sci-fi elements, nothing too specific to any one source, like simple laser or plasma variants of the shotgun or Tommy gun, the typical "little green dude", recruitable robotic agents, Etc. This way people can insert their own preferred setting so a wider range of models "fit", so with this example sci-fi mod, you could run anything from xcom to 40k. I've made a small but kinda cool expansion of strange aeons that includes models and elements from Malifaux, but it has since become a bit more of a general steam punk add-on.
So would anyone be up for sharing ideas for generic alternate themed rule mods?
Also, how do I post a word doc on here, or a link so you folks can read it? I originally thought this would be difficult but the Strange Aeons rules are simple and flexible enough that this turned out to be fairly easy and fun!

[hummus]

sounds great as strange aeons is a great generic system

[WallyTWest]

Funny- I was just looking at my first edition book and admiring how straightforward and approachable it is compared to (the clearly superior) second edition-

I often thought that a D&D Module stile approach for this game would work rather well...

[horridperson]

I hadn't gave genre swapping SA much thought in a while.  There was a thread I remember taking part in almost a year ago that I really enjoyed.  More recently I had been batting around ideas for sanity/detachment rules akin to mordheim style physical injuries that might affect individual models or the greater group dynamic in the meta but none of this is actually attached to an existing system.

The post human question is one of the things that interests me here.  When dealing with androids/artificial humans what are their mental thresholds/tolerances versus a regular human?  The crazy android from alien had me thinking about this.  Metaphorically speaking I see an artificial having "higher walls" than a baseline human but there tolerance/wiggle room would be greatly diminished.  We are pretty good at adapting to stimuli but an engineered person might not have the same adaptive capacity.  Don't mind me rambling .   

[Skunk]

The main reason I wanted to do this is because I have a bunch of space ork, sisters of battle, emperium, and other 40k stuff. None of it is enough to make a full army, but I still want to use them in a game. Also, my wife has a lot of fantasy and 40k stuff her father gave her (he's the guy who got me into this hobby), and I managed to get her to play a few games of strange aeons and she really digs it!

I've made a few drafts of variant "agencies" you can play as, but I'm learning it's much easier to make custom cults in VUK. The main issue I ran into was creating a hiring pool that would fit the 15 pt allowance. When I use VUK instead, it's super easy to use existing lurkers as templates instead of trying to make them fit into SA.

So a few questions for you folks.
1. Shields. How much should they cost in points? I thinking they should either give you Parry or a 6+ save.
2. Power armor. I think They should be prohibitively expensive, but offer simular protection while reducing the heavy armor movement penalty. Any ideas on point cost? Here's what I'm thinking:
light powered armor: +1 constitution/ +1 movement
heavy powered armor: +2 constitution/ -0 movement

Point costs are a bit different in VUK so I'm not quite sure how much they should reasonably cost.

[horridperson]

I'm not familiar with VUK so I can't comment on specific point values.  It isn't terribly helpful for me to try doing that unless I had a look at the whole system and then it would have to be played to be proven.  Hopefully some general comments on the three items will give you something to consider as you try to fit them into your rules.

Shields are a hail mary save as a parry.  A one in 6 (sounds like you are running on d6) is statistically minor.  As is the point cost shouldn't be very.  This is assuming parry is a one off action allowed to occur a single time in a combat round.
-Does it use a model action or is it an interrupt response?  Cost higher on latter.
-Is it cumulative with body armour?  Cost should be higher. 
I like systems that classify shields like weapons.  losing the second hand to a shield is a nice downside that provides some balance for shield use.  A cumulative system feels as though someone is trying to poke or stick through multiple layers.  A shield as parry better represents movement in combat where fighters are in action rather than static like pillboxes.

Your armour types have no downside has no downside so they should cost a premium.  It's dangerous for it to provide mobility buffs as well as Con.  Are there other types of armour that are non-powered?  If there were and they offered protection but penalized movement would it be enough for the powered suits to mitigate the penalty rather than buffing?

Once you decide how you want the item to "work" within your rule set assign a value based on comparable items (better more/ worse less).  The big issue is watching for unintended synergies.  Play a bit and see if the new part fits.  Feedback from both ends helps.  If this is for fun and you are having it with the addition don't sweat any of this too much.

[Skunk]

I am having fun with this! I just know that I'm not the most experienced gamer, so I like to get outside opinions when writing additional rules. To be clear, the VUK combat rules are nearly identical to the combat rules in Strange Aeons.

To put the armor cost thing into perspective; a light Armored Vest costs .5ep and a heavy Armored Vest costs 1ep in Strange Aeons, but in VUK, the light armor costs 1ep and the heavy is 2ep.
Also, in the alien weapons table in the SA rulebook there already are deflector type armors that reduce the movement penalty while offering the same protection as standard armor. The light deflector armor costs 1ep and the heavy costs 2ep; the light armor imposes no movement penalty and the heavy reduces movement by 1". I think that since deflector armor is kinda a step up from standard armor, powered armor should be a step up from Deflector armor. I'm making this with a sci-fi setting in mind, so humans will have access to the deflector and powered armors and as well as the standard versions.
I'm thinking of using the Strange aeons costs as a pattern to determine the price of powered armor.
So I'm thinking of having the light powered armor cost 3ep and the heavy cost 4ep.
And of course there are non-powered armors, I'm just adding a couple new types, not getting rid of the old ones.

The shield issue is something else. I want to play SA using Fantasy miniatures, but I noticed that there are no shields in the weapons table.
Not being able to use two-handed weapons while using a shield is a good idea. I think it's best classified as Extra Gear (the SA Extra Gear section can be used in VUK). A 6+ save against melee and ranged attacks at a cost of .5ep doesn't seem too OP though.

I'd also like to write up a rule for a new type of lurker. Robots and constructs are something I'd like to see in SA, but I'm not sure how resolve would be handled when it's a robot. I'm thinking of making them immune to fear, terror and insanity tests, but are still subject to the black marks rules or some variation of them (mostly to represent the robot becoming self aware and turning on its creators). I'm not sure about letting them learn skills either. Maybe when a robot "levels up" it can choose from a list of upgrades that are robot specific?

[horridperson]

I like the idea you have about robots.  Black marks could be corruption of the core program or the much dreaded self awareness; very cool.  Maybe skill sets identified as programs would be a way for robots to get skills that would allow them to be "plugged" into roles.  Complexity of the program could be another cause of black marks/corruption with a test based on the number of skills in the package accelerating it's failure; nothing concrete just another spitball.