solas
2nd Incarnation
Posts: 97
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Post by solas on Jan 22, 2010 8:22:57 GMT
Hi all.
I have a player interested in possibly playing a Time Agent in my game and whilst the concept itself doesn't bother me, I find there's a little confusion over whether a player character can have a Vortex Manipulator gadget or not. The player's guide seems to suggest they get one automatically, whereas the Game Master's guide talks about their Gadget cost.
I guess this also adds into a question as to whether Time Agents keep their Vortex Manipulators? I'm just finding it a little difficult to rule on this one.
S.
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Post by allivingstone on Jan 22, 2010 15:31:18 GMT
The description of a Vortex Manipulator (GM Guide, p72) gives all the guidance I think you need on this.
Charge 10 Story Points if it is not going to be the central time-travel mechanism around which your game is based. If it is going to be the equivalent of a TARDIS for your group, it's free.
The headaches having an independently time-faring PC will probably cause you as GM should cost the player a lot of Story Points.
Alternatively, let them have a broken one as a Major Gadget (just like Captain Jack).
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Post by JohnK on Jan 22, 2010 15:37:42 GMT
Hullo, Solas, Welcome to the DW: AiTaS forums. Always great to see a new face around here! You'll find the folks here to be a friendly group and all, and are willing to share all sorts of info and stuff and discuss the game (and the show, as relevant to the game) with no hesitation! Good folks here! I was going to answer this question, but then I noticed that Al had already done so, and a good job he did of it, too.
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solas
2nd Incarnation
Posts: 97
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Post by solas on Jan 23, 2010 11:39:42 GMT
Thanks to both of you! That clears up a lot of questions as the player that I indicated likes to be the center of attention heroic type and I don't want them to get out of hand on me. I'll definitely consider it being broken if the player starts insisting they have one. I love the Amnesia trait being in there; gives me SO much leeway. Thanks again and thank you for the kind welcome! S.
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Post by olegrand on Mar 1, 2010 11:31:53 GMT
Hello everybody ! I was wondering if anyone had any idea about what the "short temporal jumps only" limitation of the Vortex Manipulator meant in specific terms - ie if there is any specific measurement of what a "short" or "long" jump is supposed to be...
Any lights on this subject matter ?
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Post by da professor on Mar 1, 2010 17:15:01 GMT
Captain Jack jumped 200000 years and burnt his out, so that's clearly too far. I'd tend to stick to a couple of hundred years max, but if someone else has a good reason to say otherwise, I'm willing to listen to it.
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Post by Rel Fexive on Mar 1, 2010 19:38:39 GMT
To make a Vortex Manipulator more "plot friendly" I would disable/remove the Teleport, make the Vortex part "plot controlled" much like the TARDIS is, and let the player buy the other functions (scan and transmit) as for a normal Major Gadget.
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Post by Null and Void on Mar 9, 2010 18:21:07 GMT
Well, one possible met-game solution is to say that Vortex Manipulators can only allow you to jump one tech level at a time unless you push it and risk burning it out.
Perhaps the difference in tech levels beyond one can be calculated in a similar way to the way tech levels are handled for technology skills... Maybe each tech level jumped is +2 to the difficulty of the jump and the likelyhood of burning out the gadget... maybe a failed Technology plus vortex roll, or even a 'Success, but..." result would mean the device burned out.
Yes, I realize that tech levels are relative and somthing like tech level 4 lasted far fewer years than say, tech level 8... I'm only suggesting it as a rough and dirty guide.
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Post by Curufea on Mar 10, 2010 0:42:14 GMT
I'd make it tech level + locallity. Time travel is more problematic if it is into areas that affect the traveller's personal timeline. So there would be greater difficulty jumping back to Tech Level 4 Earth than there would be for Tech Level 4 Skaro.
The series (old and new) has often shown that you can mess with alien cultures to your heart's content without worrying about paradoxes. It's only you're own that causes problems.
Although Time Lords do seem to have an inherent ability to tell what they can and can't mess with, it seems to mostly only function with humans. The only exception that comes to mind is a Big Finish audio about the Ice Warriors and Mars.
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Post by azimerthemad on May 9, 2010 5:58:50 GMT
I've tended to make it "You make one important plot related Story Point-powered jump per adventure then it burns out that feature for the episode." I've even applied that to my Time Agents teleport function. No complaints so far, he's just glad to escape at least one bad situation a game.
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