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Aerlock
2007-06-01, 06:03 PM
My group and I are planning to start a Serenity game soon (tomorrow or next weekend depending on how quickly everyone can build their characters and if the GM has the game planned out) and I'm still having difficulty with how combat works in this system. I've been mainly a D&D 3.5 player with smatterings of D6 Starwars, BattleTech/Mechwarrior, Shadowrun (2e through 4e), and D&D 2e under my belt. Even with all those systems to compare it to, I just can't seem to wrap my head around how it works. I understand the basics of how to determine a hit, I think, but determining damage just doesn't seem to be sinking in.

Is there anyone here that can give me a hand with understanding it or point me to an explanation/example?

Aerlock

JaronK
2007-06-01, 07:24 PM
Here's the deal: the game wasn't finished.

Seriously. There are pages with paragraphs that are halfway done at the end of the page, and then don't continue on the next page. The attributes were never tied to the skills. There's no space combat system whatsoever in a game that's supposed to include pirates and space travel.

Basically, Serenity's solution to everything is "the DM should figure it out." In the end, Serenity is just a freeform game with a few suggestions for how to incorporate some dice rolls if you feel like it.

As such, combat isn't actually fully fleshed out. If you want to shoot someone, you combined your appropriate shooting skill with an attribute... they never decide which one, so figure that out on your own.

Thus, it all boils down to "ask your DM."

But if it helps, there's a forum for the game, called "Waves in the Black" I believe.

JaronK

Zincorium
2007-06-01, 07:29 PM
Here's the deal: the game wasn't finished.

Wow, so it remains absolutely faithful to the TV show? J/K.


Really, I've looked at the book while browsing, but it's too difficult for me to introduce new game systems to the group to really use. I love the setting though, and I have run a d20 future game based on the adventures of Wash, Jayne and the rest.

crimson77
2007-06-01, 07:34 PM
My group and I are planning to start a Serenity game soon (tomorrow or next weekend depending on how quickly everyone can build their characters and if the GM has the game planned out) and I'm still having difficulty with how combat works in this system.

I played with a group who wanted to use the serenity world but without the confusing rules. We just used the D20 Modern Future rules (MSRD), which can be found on the wizards site for free like regular SRD. Then we just modified it for that world. The DM would then just modified things to work.

Our thoughts were that we all have seen the TV show and the Movie so we knew the basics of the world. We have extensive D20 knowledge, so we could modify things to fit into the campaign.

Serenity
2007-06-01, 08:51 PM
I think not tying skills to attributes was deliberate; the idea is that in different situations, a different attribute could apply, so they left it to GM fiat. But yeah, the combat system does need a lot of clarification.

JaronK
2007-06-01, 10:47 PM
I think not tying skills to attributes was deliberate; the idea is that in different situations, a different attribute could apply, so they left it to GM fiat. But yeah, the combat system does need a lot of clarification.

Oh it was deliberate all right, but it was a pretty annoying mistake to make that choice. Honestly, so much is left up to DM fiat in Serenity that you might as well just play freeform.

JaronK

Merlin the Tuna
2007-06-01, 10:57 PM
Even ignoring the freeform nature of the game, I'm pretty sure that damage is actually described a couple different ways over the course of the book.

TheOOB
2007-06-01, 11:08 PM
Serenity doesn't really need a role playing system of it's own, there is nothing in the setting that warrents rules unique to it.

I'd suggest using WotCs d20 future/modern, Shadowrun, or Green Ronins True20, all three of which would be good at handling that type of game.

JaronK
2007-06-01, 11:25 PM
I'd vote for Shadowrun as the main way to run Serenity, though the RPG book does at least give a basic idea of ship travel. You want a nice deadly combat system where one hit can really hurt, and Shadowrun without magic really gives that feel.

JaronK

TheOOB
2007-06-02, 12:07 AM
Shadowrun could definatly handle it, and well, but without cyberware or magic shadowrun could become a little boring do to the lack of special abilties to make characters unique.

I think True20 is the best option, it has a brutal leathal combat system similar to shadowruns, but implements the ideas of levels and feats in a ver intiuitive manner.