So I wrote an extension to Pathfinder for post-modern because I was tired of fighting Shadowrun and not looking to invest another wad of money in 5th edition. Mostly, I like Pathfinder because of the OGL aspect so my players can play basically for free, and the greater community makes money off of me buying books and supplements.
The extension is lovingly referred so far to as Dead Channel Sky, an obvious tribute to the cyberpunk genre king William Gibson. My design goal was to extend, not rewrite, normal Pathfinder. By simplifying a lot of extension rules and rebalancing using new equipment, new archetypes, new classes, and a couple of new races, I am trying to make Pathfinder come alive in a post modern campaign. Traditional Pathfinder sorcerers can now fight alongside modern gunslingers with machines guns and hackers. The best part, however, for DCS, is that it has nothing too closely tied to setting. As a result, I am taking my own homebrew Port Wayne Shadowrun setting and reusing it as a test.
Our band of 4 was able to get through character creation in person, but the impending move has forced me to move the game online. Roll20 and teamspeak3 come to the rescue again; but this time, I am sandboxing it and making up stuff as we go along with a rough outline already in my head. Unlike my other Pathfinder campaigns, this one is going to be very free-form. It makes it more fun for all of us. My roll20 prep is simple -- loading a bunch of urban maps in advance.
The campaign, for me, is a playtest as well as just a really fun game. I get to see where things might break and where things don't work and where complexity isn't fun. First hand experience playing these things helps a lot. It also helps that both of my younger daughters are playing in the campaign, so I can see when they are and aren't having fun and adjust.
Session 1 started out in a club. The party is a foblin (flying goblin race of size tiny) bard with a new archetype "Face", a human pilot (new class), a human gunslinger with a new archetype "Overkill Gunner", and a cavalier with the new archetype "Leatherback". The foblin is named Mr. Fixit, the gunslinger is Vee, the pilot is named Ziggy, and the cavalier is Caversen.
Fixit and Caverson are Dubs, a nomadic band of VW-loving hippies that inhabit the ground floor and specialize in providing cheap taxi service. Fixit is their spokes-person to the elder council of the ground floor and Caverson is his body guard, provided by the council. Ziggy and Vee are privately hired to keep an eye on Fixit, and the four of them also take on jobs, as needed, to pay the bills.
Cav and Fixit are enjoying a smoke and a drink. It is noticed that a gal at the next table iswatching Fixit. The group gets suspicious, but they get a message from Spinner, their business contact, to meet them at this very bar. They wait; Spinner shows up, dressed in a gaudy blue suit.
The business proposition is a simple snatch 'n' grab in the security zone on the edge of Port Wayne. They have a guy in a safe house to pick up. Negotiation to $1200 each is easy and Spinner picks up the tabs on the drinks. Spinner leaves.
The party turns its attention back to this lady, who now seems to be operating some device under the table while staring at Fixit. The group heads for the bathroom, keeping Fixit surrounded. The gal and her new troll friend, who had entered the club with an obvious gun, then leave the club.
Fixit would like to take flight out the window in the bathroom, but it is barred to keep folks jumping their bar tabs.
The party heads outside. The gal from earlier is in a car. They get to the corner and find the troll hanging out. Vee draws her weapon, and everyone moves out to get Fixit out of here. Vee and Cav head to the bike, Fixit gets in the limo back-end that has no top, known as the Chariot. It is the honorable transport for the Dub representative to the council, aka The Dub Council Dude. Normally it would be on a hitch on the motorbike, and they don't notice that it is unhooked.
Ziggy gets hit on by the troll, while the gal starts driving. Cav pulls away on the bike, but the trailer is unhooked. The troll tackles Ziggy and the gal tries to shoot Fixit with a net gun, but misses. The troll and gal take off, while Cav runs his bike into a junk car, trying to get back to Fixit.
Meanwhile Fixit has been conversing with a contact trying to get info on the two folks. As Fixit later explains, they are from the lab where he was created, and they are trying to get him back. The gal, for all intents and purposes, is Fixit's scientist mom.
They head on to Metaburger, grab way too much food, and then head on to the hotel. A good night's rest for most does the trick, though Fixit is up part of the night sick from the "food".
The morning brings breakfast and a quick run to the S-zone. They find the house, and it looks bare and empty. They go in and see something moving, but don't find their target just yet. To be continued next time...
Here are my playtest notes:
The extension is lovingly referred so far to as Dead Channel Sky, an obvious tribute to the cyberpunk genre king William Gibson. My design goal was to extend, not rewrite, normal Pathfinder. By simplifying a lot of extension rules and rebalancing using new equipment, new archetypes, new classes, and a couple of new races, I am trying to make Pathfinder come alive in a post modern campaign. Traditional Pathfinder sorcerers can now fight alongside modern gunslingers with machines guns and hackers. The best part, however, for DCS, is that it has nothing too closely tied to setting. As a result, I am taking my own homebrew Port Wayne Shadowrun setting and reusing it as a test.
Our band of 4 was able to get through character creation in person, but the impending move has forced me to move the game online. Roll20 and teamspeak3 come to the rescue again; but this time, I am sandboxing it and making up stuff as we go along with a rough outline already in my head. Unlike my other Pathfinder campaigns, this one is going to be very free-form. It makes it more fun for all of us. My roll20 prep is simple -- loading a bunch of urban maps in advance.
The campaign, for me, is a playtest as well as just a really fun game. I get to see where things might break and where things don't work and where complexity isn't fun. First hand experience playing these things helps a lot. It also helps that both of my younger daughters are playing in the campaign, so I can see when they are and aren't having fun and adjust.
Session 1 started out in a club. The party is a foblin (flying goblin race of size tiny) bard with a new archetype "Face", a human pilot (new class), a human gunslinger with a new archetype "Overkill Gunner", and a cavalier with the new archetype "Leatherback". The foblin is named Mr. Fixit, the gunslinger is Vee, the pilot is named Ziggy, and the cavalier is Caversen.
Fixit and Caverson are Dubs, a nomadic band of VW-loving hippies that inhabit the ground floor and specialize in providing cheap taxi service. Fixit is their spokes-person to the elder council of the ground floor and Caverson is his body guard, provided by the council. Ziggy and Vee are privately hired to keep an eye on Fixit, and the four of them also take on jobs, as needed, to pay the bills.
Cav and Fixit are enjoying a smoke and a drink. It is noticed that a gal at the next table iswatching Fixit. The group gets suspicious, but they get a message from Spinner, their business contact, to meet them at this very bar. They wait; Spinner shows up, dressed in a gaudy blue suit.
The business proposition is a simple snatch 'n' grab in the security zone on the edge of Port Wayne. They have a guy in a safe house to pick up. Negotiation to $1200 each is easy and Spinner picks up the tabs on the drinks. Spinner leaves.
The party turns its attention back to this lady, who now seems to be operating some device under the table while staring at Fixit. The group heads for the bathroom, keeping Fixit surrounded. The gal and her new troll friend, who had entered the club with an obvious gun, then leave the club.
Fixit would like to take flight out the window in the bathroom, but it is barred to keep folks jumping their bar tabs.
The party heads outside. The gal from earlier is in a car. They get to the corner and find the troll hanging out. Vee draws her weapon, and everyone moves out to get Fixit out of here. Vee and Cav head to the bike, Fixit gets in the limo back-end that has no top, known as the Chariot. It is the honorable transport for the Dub representative to the council, aka The Dub Council Dude. Normally it would be on a hitch on the motorbike, and they don't notice that it is unhooked.
Ziggy gets hit on by the troll, while the gal starts driving. Cav pulls away on the bike, but the trailer is unhooked. The troll tackles Ziggy and the gal tries to shoot Fixit with a net gun, but misses. The troll and gal take off, while Cav runs his bike into a junk car, trying to get back to Fixit.
Meanwhile Fixit has been conversing with a contact trying to get info on the two folks. As Fixit later explains, they are from the lab where he was created, and they are trying to get him back. The gal, for all intents and purposes, is Fixit's scientist mom.
They head on to Metaburger, grab way too much food, and then head on to the hotel. A good night's rest for most does the trick, though Fixit is up part of the night sick from the "food".
The morning brings breakfast and a quick run to the S-zone. They find the house, and it looks bare and empty. They go in and see something moving, but don't find their target just yet. To be continued next time...
Here are my playtest notes:
- Need stats for modern walls
- Need to explain rules for 'texting'
- Need to look if Foblins are overpowered as a rogue thief.
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