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Quiver
2017-02-19, 12:02 PM
Because, title puns!

...no, but seriously. This is almost more a matter of curiosity than anything, but I was wondering if anyone could recommend a game system for playing an Attack on Titan-based game.

The obvious answer is probably fate, but I'm wondering if there are any alternatives.

IShouldntBehere
2017-02-19, 12:32 PM
You could do a rules lite-system. No real character stats or anything just when anyone announces an action, roll a d6. On a 5+ the action is successful, on a failure the character dies.

Grod_The_Giant
2017-02-19, 05:23 PM
Well, what aspects of the series are you looking to emphasize?

Potato_Priest
2017-02-19, 07:49 PM
You could do a rules lite-system. No real character stats or anything just when anyone announces an action, roll a d6. On a 5+ the action is successful, on a failure the character dies.

I attempt to persuade the merchant to purchase my book.
*rolls*
I got a four. Looks like I'm dead.

Quiver
2017-02-19, 07:50 PM
Well, what aspects of the series are you looking to emphasize?

Well, iwas asking mostly for curiosity reasons but iadmit, I've been floating some ideas around for what I'd do in a game...

... Anyway. Right. So.

To me, there are a few elements which would have to be present to match the Attack on Titan feeling:

- Themes and moods of conspiracy. That might just come down to GMing though.
- Dangerous combat. I'm not sure how heavy that should be; there should be a risk of death at all times, I think, but having to game with stacks of character sheets at the ready kills that vibe as hard as invincible PC's.
- Titans. Seems obvious, but I'm having a hello a time figuring out how you'd balance enemies who can die from one hit.
- The equipment, particularly the 3D Gear and the swords. On the one-hand, tracking hoe much gas one has, how many swords they've broken and how far (and in what directions) they can move sounds tedious...but I also think it adds to the tactics of it. Do you burn extra gas to get in position to flank or circle around? Will your swords snap if you try to cut them - is the risk worth it?
- And, I guess, Titan Shifters. Since they ARE one if the more iconic images of the series and all.

Esprit15
2017-02-19, 07:54 PM
I seem to recall a fairly rules lite system that was based on AoT that was made shortly after the anime caught people's interest, Titan World, or something like that. You might look there to start, since it is designed with aspects of the setting in mind.

Arbane
2017-02-20, 02:06 AM
I seem to recall a fairly rules lite system that was based on AoT that was made shortly after the anime caught people's interest, Titan World, or something like that. You might look there to start, since it is designed with aspects of the setting in mind.

It's an Apocalypse World hack, so fairly rules light.

Here's a version of it (http://www.mediafire.com/file/pch2cfc2uslfdxy/TITAN+WORLD.pdf) I found with a quick Google search.

Just to give you an idea what it's like:


When you begin play as a Rookie, choose only a first name. When you make it to Level 1 or start play at Level 1, also choose a last name.

I think it captures the show's spirit well. :smallbiggrin:

Martin Greywolf
2017-02-20, 07:11 AM
Since Titans in general have one hard to hit weakness and not much else than instagibbing them even slows them down, FATE would be good for that - just give them no stress boxes and high defensive shifts.

FATE has a problem with lethality to PCs, though, and while it's easy to take care of at first glance (you get taken out, you dead), going through its character creation every five minutes may be a problem.

Maybe go for FATE, but character-create a squad of what are effectively supporting NPCs.

Grod_The_Giant
2017-02-21, 03:18 PM
Since Titans in general have one hard to hit weakness and not much else than instagibbing them even slows them down, FATE would be good for that - just give them no stress boxes and high defensive shifts.
Given that stress boxes are pretty explicitly "hits that don't really slow you down," I'd say that the opposite is true-- you want them to have lots of stress boxes but not take consequences, so you need to load up on Aspects to tag and blow through their track with one strong hit.


FATE has a problem with lethality to PCs, though, and while it's easy to take care of at first glance (you get taken out, you dead), going through its character creation every five minutes may be a problem.
I've played a decent bit of Fate, and I've never seen a character die. Not once. The occasional consequence, sure, but a character who really doesn't want to be taken out can soak up a lot of punishment. If that was what you're complaining about, though...? (not sure I'm reading your sentence right), then just Compel consequences a lot so you feel wounded.

Fate would work decently well, as it does for most things. I touched on the combat above; Titans with big stress tracks, weak attack skills and lots of bonus shifts when they do hit should do pretty well for opposition. You can always use Compels* to represent equipment difficulties at dramatic times, though it might be better to have something more codified. (Say, your 3D gear can add up to 4 bonus shifts to Athletics checks, split up over multiple checks however you want, but when you've used all of them up you can't make super-jumps at all until you refuel).


*If you're not familiar with the system, many things are represented by "Aspects," short descriptive phrases that usually just serve as kind of background fluff... but the player may spend a hero point to bring one into the spotlight in their favor, of the DM can give them a point to bring it into the spot light in their not-favor. So, like, I might invoke my "Too Long At War" aspect to get a bonus on a combat roll, because I've spent years as a soldier and have gotten pretty good at it; later, during a social scene, a car backfires and the GM compels that same aspect, saying that because I've spent so long living on the front I'm going to instantly assume that's a gunshot and we're under attack. In the case of equipment, you could use Compels to represent it failing.

Amaril
2017-02-21, 10:21 PM
Highly recommend Titan World. I got to play a game of it on here shortly after it was published (I think), and it remains one of the best I've been in. Somehow, I managed to survive until the game died.

Fri
2017-02-22, 01:07 AM
Titan World
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_R3h_rMkGImUFp0NUk4VFZpRHc/view?usp=drivesdk

It's an Apocalypse World hack, so it'd help if you're familiar with Apocalypse World system first. Apocalypse World is a relatively rules-light system though, but it's a narrative system that's closer to Fate rather than DnD.

CharonsHelper
2017-02-22, 09:16 AM
In a more concrete system - I think the titans could be done as a high risk attack.

Besides maneuvering (titans should have a front & back) when attacking you could

1. Distract

2. Hurt

3. Go for the kill

#1&2 can never kill a titan - but they give temporary bonuses to #3. Against the big titans, you generally don't want to go straight for the kill.

#3 would be almost impossible against the big titans without major debuffing first, and if you attempt #3 and fail by more than a couple of points - you get caught by a titan. (Maybe use some sort of limited hero point to get away - or a final check to attempt the spin to chop off fingers etc.)

This system would make taking out a titan 1v1 almost impossible unless you're a total badass and/or you come on them already distracted somehow. But if you have multiple soldiers distracting & wounding the titans - it would be possible.

Really though - the high lethality of the show is mostly red shirts. They just show you a bit more of them than Star Trek did to hit you in the feels.

Martin Greywolf
2017-02-22, 11:21 AM
Given that stress boxes are pretty explicitly "hits that don't really slow you down," I'd say that the opposite is true-- you want them to have lots of stress boxes but not take consequences, so you need to load up on Aspects to tag and blow through their track with one strong hit.

Problem with having stress boxes is that you can take down a titan by several smaller hits in succession through them and sooner or later, they'll have to pay it off with consequence and after that be taken out. And titans certainly aren't something that should be taken down by 6 smaller hits. If you disable consequences but leave stress boxes, that leaves us in a bit of a weird place - what happens if all the stress boxes are taken out and a titan takes 1 shift hit? Taken out right there?

Neater approach is to say that they can't be hurt through stress boxes, consequences have no effect and you need to land a 7 or more shift hit on them to overwhelm them with one strike. The difference between consequences and player-created aspects is, after all, a bit academical when it comes to one fight.



I've played a decent bit of Fate, and I've never seen a character die. Not once. The occasional consequence, sure, but a character who really doesn't want to be taken out can soak up a lot of punishment. If that was what you're complaining about, though...? (not sure I'm reading your sentence right), then just Compel consequences a lot so you feel wounded.


I'm not complaining about it per se, just saying that it clashes with AoT's everyone can die theme, if you want that out of your game. You could do a few things to make FATE more lethal (taken out == dead most of the time and limiting conceding come to mind, being stingier with FPs would work, too), but then you probably should streamline character creation.



You can always use Compels* to represent equipment difficulties at dramatic times, though it might be better to have something more codified. (Say, your 3D gear can add up to 4 bonus shifts to Athletics checks, split up over multiple checks however you want, but when you've used all of them up you can't make super-jumps at all until you refuel).

I say, do both. I can already imagine several aspects along the lines of "goblins that - as we know - operate all technology hate/love me". For added bonus, give titans a ton of defensive shifts, and have your blades loose their offensive shifts as you use them, with limited number of replacements. FATE is neat in that it allows you to tinker around with it like this.

Friv
2017-02-22, 01:05 PM
Part of the problem here is, what aspect of Attack on Titan are you supporting?

Because while the secondary cast dies a loit, the main characters in the series almost never die. They're ridiculously lucky over and over again. Which, fair enough, but are you baking that into the rules?

If so, I imagine that you want some kind of system where instead of personally taking wounds, if a PC takes an 'injury' it represents a member of your squad getting chomped on. Only very rare hits result in serious injury to the PC, and death is usually related to a big narrative sacrifice. Similarly, fighting a Titan should involve positioning; rather than making rolls to hit them directly, you build up tactical advantages and then strike; the larger and faster the Titan, the more advantage you need.

In Fate, you'd probably do that by replacing Stress boxes with Squad boxes (a 1-Stress box represents a minor character you've never really chatted with, a 2-Stress box is someone with a name, and so on), and giving Titans a massive defense bonus and a single Consequence box, but no stress. Hits either fail completely, or take out the neck.

In Apocalypse World, you'd probably want to look at Night Witches as your example, with different moves for politics and warfare, and "someone in your squad dies" as a common result for failure and partial success in place of personal harm.

Grod_The_Giant
2017-02-22, 01:44 PM
Problem with having stress boxes is that you can take down a titan by several smaller hits in succession through them and sooner or later, they'll have to pay it off with consequence and after that be taken out. And titans certainly aren't something that should be taken down by 6 smaller hits. If you disable consequences but leave stress boxes, that leaves us in a bit of a weird place - what happens if all the stress boxes are taken out and a titan takes 1 shift hit? Taken out right there?
Yeah, because that last hit was the one hit in the right place. That's how Stress works-- only the last attack that actually overruns the track is a "real" strike, and the others are all glancing blows, near-misses, and so on.


I'm not complaining about it per se, just saying that it clashes with AoT's everyone can die theme, if you want that out of your game. You could do a few things to make FATE more lethal (taken out == dead most of the time and limiting conceding come to mind, being stingier with FPs would work, too), but then you probably should streamline character creation.
I think it works with what the OP was asking, though. If a Titan's fist does, oh, an extra 4 shifts of damage on every hit, those hits will be meaningful. You'll almost certainly have to take a Consequence, meaning repeated hits will quickly kill you and even single shots will make you feel like you've been hit.