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[syvarris]

Opinions? If this is accepted I'll probably rebalance some of the starting classes. Since things like the commander's flare will be more of a promotion power than anything.

I know you didn't ask for opinions on balancing classes, but I'm gonna give you mine anyway.  Giving unsolicited opinions is fun!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Rifleman:
Decent and basic.  I kinda feel they should get more clips, maybe five, so that they just never run out of ammo.  Rifles are the weakest primary weapon, so it makes sense that they'd be more efficient.

Heavy Gunner:
Overpowered.  In comparison to riflemen, they lose two risk-7 AoEs, and a point of damage in melee, but gain a weapon that has four times the ammo of a basic rifleman, spread over more clips (reducing the impact of 6s), and with the ability to expend extra ammo for higher damage.  I'd reduce magazines to two or maybe three, so ammo is more of a concern for the guy with a full-auto gun.  The pistol is also nearly meaningless, as it doesn't seem to have any advantage over the BAR in this system, and the BAR has more than enough ammo.

Specialist:
Pretty good.  Both types of explosives require setup, so they're less useful in offensive missions, but I think the Thompson's better than the M1 due to being an automatic.

Radio Operator:
Terrible.  The radio would need to have a large and continual impact on something for this class to be playable--the lack of any extra ammo means that a Radio Op will have nothing to do if they use up their clip, which means they'll often want to save it rather than fire.  I think just losing grenades would be worth a radio, but at the very least give them a bayonet!

Tank Hunter:
Probably the mosy overpowered class, if statistically likely to suicide or teamkill.  They get six long range AoEs, and three general "disable area" attacks.  They could be busy for nine turns, and will be impactful during that time--just look at the first mission for proof of how OP this class is.  As cake, they also get a bonus satchel charge.  I'd give them two of each grenade (only because three total would be too limiting), and remove the charge.  Maybe give them a pistol too, so they can still participate without being a defining influence.

Sniper:
Perfectly fine.  It's a situationally very strong class which is less versatile than the rifleman, with less ammo.  The only complaint I have is that ranges are ambiguous; I'd rather the sniper rifle just have 4 risk at all ranges, for simplicity.  Or 3 risk, doubled to 6 if the last turn was spent aiming.  Either seems fair, since sniper has no grenades or bayonet, with less ammo.

Trench Clearers:
Fine.  Very powerful in a limited area, without the ambiguity of Snipers.  Only odd thing is that it's the only class which can completely swap its loadout between two weapons which are identical in role.  Why not just have two classes?  (Also, flamethrower should get a pistol)

Medic:
Eh, I think their medkit should either do more, or they should get a real gun.  Maybe a thompson.  They can restore three life points, but an extra rifleman would generally be better at preventing the wounds from even occuring to begin with.

Engineer:
What?  They effectively get no weapon--even pistol whipping someone does 2 damage.  I guess a sharp rock knife might be better than fists, but still, what?  They basically can't do anything at all in any non-defensive mission that doesn't involve vehicles!  Even if either of those criteria is true, they're broadly worse than the specialist, which is already a relatively niche class.  Why would anyone aside from a dedicated vehicle user choose engineer?  It should be removed, and repair tools should come with vehicles.

Commander Flare:
Binoculars aren't useless, but you only really need one set and snipers are actually viable.  So this class' only ability is having a single annihilation attack per mission, assuming artilery is even available.  I think removing it is a wise decision.


...Universal Equipment:
I wasn't gonna comment on universal equipment, but why not just give everyone a pistol and two mags?  It means even low-ammo classes can always have something to do.  Virtually everyone already has a significantly better gun already, so I think the only (effective) classes which would notably be affected are tank hunters and trench clearers... who I believe should get pistols anyway.

@Milo
Bah, I should stop assuming everyone else doesn't use mobile.  Here's the code for that bit.

Code: [Select]

@Milo
[abbr=I'd love to provide a compelling and well-reasoned counter-argument to your statement, but I rolled a one, so this is the greatest comeback I can provide.  Sorry.  :(]WRONG![/abbr] [img]It's odd how much I like using abbr, since I browse almost exclusively on my phone and therefore can't read abbrs without quoting the post to see the source.  Apologies to anyone who thinks I consider "WRONG!" to be an appropriate or effective response.[/img]

I didn't say I didn't want to be subject to [things beyond my control], I said I didn't want to be punished for them.

@Twinwolf
Why would the GLORY system prevent newbies from being completely outclassed by veterans?  I'd think it would do the opposite, since it's introducing more ways to improve.  Beyond that, this system is actually fairly difficult to be completely outclassed in, because you start with one skill maxed, and there's very powerful equipment in the beginning.  It's nothing like ER, where battlesuits, synthflesh, and amps made vets into physical gods.

[Twinwolf]

Veterans would have more stats, so they're much more versatile, or better gear due to requisitions. Generally, we're probably going to be letting people with +3s try to do anything relevant to that stat. The potential to have a +3 in more than a single stat would let the new characters have more options. My perception may however be a bit colored by ER and Omega Legion in this regard though.

[milo christiansen]

I would just like to say I like syvarris' proposed class tweaks. I really can't see anything there I disagree with.

[Tiruin]

I would just like to say I like syvarris' proposed class tweaks. I really can't see anything there I disagree with.

Well...just one issue

Radio Operator:
Terrible.  The radio would need to have a large and continual impact on something for this class to be playable--the lack of any extra ammo means that a Radio Op will have nothing to do if they use up their clip, which means they'll often want to save it rather than fire.  I think just losing grenades would be worth a radio, but at the very least give them a bayonet!

I'm kinda biased because nobody picked this and I requisitioned a radio instead so...I do hope this gets more use than someone going in this class!

[Egan_BW]

Banking GLORY would make older players more powerful, because they can gain something over time that can never be removed. Veterans having way too much power was a problem in ER because there was stuff that you could get that would flat-out make you invulnerable to most things, especially taking into account temporary death. In 888th, older players will have about the same power as newer players, because there's nothing here that will really save you from having a mortar shell dropped on you, but that would change with GLORY banking because older players could just keep a certain amount of GLORY banked to make them into gods again as soon as they respawn.

[Radio Controlled]

Perhaps give a fixed amount of glory to new characters as they spawn, and maybe increase this amount over time (eg after every mission)? That way you can precisely tweak how strong new characters need to be to be able to keep up, without making death meaningless or vets continuously OP.

[piecewise]

Alright, I'm beginning the GLORY overhaul with a change to starting character classes, removing some, merging others, modifying some and adding two.  Next up are the promotions, the scaling for training and the medals. I hope to be done by the time I post our turn this saturday. These changes will take effect on any new people and will effect the loadout of current people once you return after this mission. Don't worry about changing anything now.

[dustywayfarer]

Waitlist: I'll change with the rebalance as necessary.

Spoiler: Charlie (click to show/hide)

Name: Charlie
Description: Wears a bowler hat; has a moustache embarassingly similar to Adolf's. Apart from these unique features, he's unrecognizable.
Backstory: Draftee; hasn't said anything since he arrived. his files have some info; nobody ever looks. His reasons for being in this mess are personal.

Physical: +0
Mental: +1 less vulnerable to verbal abuse and manipulation; Charlie never talks.
Life: +0

Stats: Str: -1 | Speed: +1 | Dex: +1 | Will: +2 | Knowledge: +0 | Senses: +2
Charlie tires easily: lowered strength.

Skills: +3 Camouflage | +2 Mechanics | +2 Melee | +1 Interrogation | +1 First Aid | +1 Pistol
Charlie is always the bad cop while interrogating. His very silence is unnerving.

Inventory: [Chaplin Equipment] [Universal Equipment]
Holy book (Used to restore 0 to 3 mental damage. Every 0 roll deals 1 mental damage to user)
Holy Symbol (+1 Mental)
M1910 pistol (9 shot, risk 2)
2 pistol magazines
Knife (2 risk)
First Aid Pouch (Allows First Aid. Single use)
Entrenching Tool (A folding shovel)
Ration (Restores up to -2 on physical dice)

[Tiruin]

Looking at that OP update, I would love to ask my current requisition to be "borrowed" due to the new stuff :3
Maybe a full/partial reset for all M1 vets? If it's okay?

[piecewise]

Looking at that OP update, I would love to ask my current requisition to be "borrowed" due to the new stuff :3
Maybe a full/partial reset for all M1 vets? If it's okay?

We'll see. Its not like you'd have that radio if you reset to the new set up.

[Ozarck]

may I suggest some edits to the chaplain archetype?
I don't know how these will work with the underlying system though.

Chaplin Equipment
Holy book (Used to restore 0 to 3 mental damage. Every 0 roll deals 1 mental damage to user)
Holy Symbol (+1 Mental)
Holy Oil (used to remove or reduce the effects of 1 mental affliction)
Vestments (Chaplain's visible presence on the field grants +1 courage/resistance to hostile influence to those who invest "mind points" in the chaplain. Loss of the chaplain to death or insanity causes an immediate roll vs. mental damage equal to the number of mind points invested in the chaplain.)

and/or

skill: prayer (successful prayer grants one +1 to a specific action or defense roll. The roll affected must be declared in the prayer action)
skill: inspiration (on a successful inspire action, those affected gain x courage/resistance to hostile mental influence.)

Edit:
aslo, the Chaplin set ups shold be more along the lines of:
bowler hat
mustache grooming kit
cane
tight vest
baggy pants

skills: sleep anywhere (even mostly submerged in water)
And of course: the spy package

[dustywayfarer]

Edit:
aslo, the Chaplin set ups shold be more along the lines of:
bowler hat
mustache grooming kit
cane
tight vest
baggy pants

skills: sleep anywhere (even mostly submerged in water)
And of course: the spy package

That was somewhat my idea, except I put him in the waitlist: +3 Camo, Bowler Hat, Never speaks, etc.

Waitlist: I'll change with the rebalance as necessary.

Spoiler: Charlie (click to show/hide)

Name: Charlie
Description: Wears a bowler hat; has a moustache embarassingly similar to Adolf's. Apart from these unique features, he's unrecognizable.
Backstory: Draftee; hasn't said anything since he arrived. his files have some info; nobody ever looks. His reasons for being in this mess are personal.

Physical: +0
Mental: +1 less vulnerable to verbal abuse and manipulation; Charlie never talks.
Life: +0

Stats: Str: -1 | Speed: +1 | Dex: +1 | Will: +2 | Knowledge: +0 | Senses: +2
Charlie tires easily: lowered strength.

Skills: +3 Camouflage | +2 Mechanics | +2 Melee | +1 Interrogation | +1 First Aid | +1 Pistol
Charlie is always the bad cop while interrogating. His very silence is unnerving.

Inventory: [Chaplin Equipment] [Universal Equipment]
Holy book (Used to restore 0 to 3 mental damage. Every 0 roll deals 1 mental damage to user)
Holy Symbol (+1 Mental)
M1910 pistol (9 shot, risk 2)
2 pistol magazines
Knife (2 risk)
First Aid Pouch (Allows First Aid. Single use)
Entrenching Tool (A folding shovel)
Ration (Restores up to -2 on physical dice)

[piecewise]

I wasn't able to finish off the GLORY system yet...so instead I'm gonna just give GLORY and post the finished thing when I finish it. It won't really matter till after this mission anyways, so I have some time.

There's a lot of actions in this thread, but because I post once or twice a week at best, we're gonna focus on the stuff that matters and move things along.

Basically, Toaster sets the bomb to go off, Egan flies the plane, then they and everyone else jump out and we all roll to see how well we can target a parachute drop. Alright, lets go.

Alice[2]
Jack [6]

The plane shifts and then dives down hard, cutting through the low lying clouds. Everyone in the crew cabin grips their seats as they momentarily experience weightlessness, before being slammed back down as the plane pulls up.  The entire vehicle shutters violently and lists back and forth like a ship on a stormy sea, buffeted by the wind. Outside air raid sirens blare in the distance and searchlights cut the darkness in great sweeping slashes, blind groping fingers. A moment later, the first incendiary bombs hit and the hillside erupts into flame. The valley is filled with the flickering yellow-orange light and the river looks like burning gasoline, all shimmer and fire-light. The AA guns fire and flak guns open fire; feelers of lead and bursts of shrapnel fill the sky.

Jack, who has been kneeling next to the bomb since the first announcement that the planes were going in, suddenly screams, jumps up, and runs for the jump door.

"30 SECONDS! RUN!" He screams before shouldering open the door and leaping straight out into the dark.

Alice, in the cockpit, screams curses as she jerks the stick to the side and down, before locking it in place and scrambling to get out, along with everyone else.

Winston [6][6] Over Over
Gus [6][6] Over, Over
Joe nix [6][6] Over, Over
Alice [6][5] Over, Pass
Robert mckinley [6][5] Over, Pass
Ramses [6][2] Over, Fail
Smith [4][4] Pass Pass
Jack [4] Pass
Robert [5][3] Pass fail

Joan [4][4] Fail Fail
Zack [3][3]  Fail fail

Edward [2] Fail
Simon [2] Fail
Jonathan [2]  Fail
Yarrick [2] Fail
Charlie [1] Fail
Joe Polnik [1]Fail

The next 30 seconds are little more than a mad, elbowing, shoving, screaming, biting, clawing melee as everyone in the plane attempts to squeeze out through a single person door.  Winston, Gus, Joe Nix, Alice, Ramses, and Robert M. are the first out, punching and shoving their way through the throng before hurling themselves out.  Smith and the other Robert are out next, getting away clean without having to fight. Joan and Zack, though slow, are just fast enough to leap out before the plane explodes.  Zack clears the little door just as the bomb detonates.

Inside the plane, there is a deafening roar and flash, and then the scream of wind. The bomb, rather than blowing the plane in half, has simply blown off one wing and left a huge hole in the side of the fuselage. Those still inside -Edward, Simon, Jonathan, Yarrick, Charlie and Joe- can see very little. The inside of the plane is a haze of smoke and small fires growing larger on burning canvas and fabric. The plane is starting to invert, banking hard to the left, the walls becoming the floor and ceiling. Through the hole, they can see the night sky above, the stary dark smeared with smoke, flameflicker and searchlights.


Meanwhile, those that made it out are drifting down. Some drift far from their targets. Winston, Joe and Gus miss the hill completely and land beyond it, far too close to the base for comfort. Winston manages to land in an open area but both Joe and Gus end up tangled in the trees. Alice, Robert M., Smith and Jack end up on target, on the right side of the hill, bunched close together and free of the trees.  Ramses, Robert, Joan and Zack have some manner of failure with their chutes. Joan simply tangles herself in a tree far from the rest, and Zack comes in too fast and slams straight into the foliage. He manages to get out of it with nothing but a few scratches though. Robert slams into a tree and falls straight to the ground [-2 health, -2 physical] and Rameses chute fails to open completely, resulting in a semi-controlled fall straight into the tree tops. [-4 health, -4 physical, -2 mental] He's left barely alive, hanging like a marionette, wrapped in the cords of his chute, dangling from a tree.

[milo christiansen]

Whoo! Down safe!
Run twords Ramses, try to get him out of the tree without further damage. I probably can't heal him until next turn, but do so if possible.

Spoiler: Smith, lean mean healing machine. (click to show/hide)

Name:
Description:
Physical: 0
Mental: 0
Life: +1
Stats: Speed(3), Will(1), Dexterity(1)
Skills: Medical Training(3), First Aid(2), Submachine Gun(2), Pistol(1), Mechanic(1), Car(1)

Inventory:
Helmet (+1 Life bonus, Single Use)
First Aid Pouch (Allows First Aid)
Entrenching Tool (A folding shovel)
Ration (Restores up to -2 on physical dice)
Medic’s Bag (restores up to -3 on life dice)
M1911 pistol (9 shot, risk 2)
2 pistol magazines

Smith came to the 888th because he wanted more carnage to fix. Normal units are simply too boring. Smith won't tell anyone if "Smith" is his first or last name, and his officers don't care enough to look it up in his records. As far as appearance goes Smith is remarkably ordinary. So ordinary that in any group he practically disappears.

[MidnightJaguar]

Quick question, do we have the standered american parachutes?Which you need to either cut yourself out from or manage to unlatch. Or are we using the British versions? Which just have a chest release. I figure I might as well ask since the 888th is kinda an odd ball unit and thus might use the better British version.

If we are using the British version Gus will slap his chest and drop to the ground from the tree, if he is using the American version he will attempt to cut himself from the parachute and drop to the ground.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Name: Gus Daneeka
Description: A very nervous individual in his early 30's.
Physical: 0
Mental: 0
Life: 0
Stats:
Speed: +1
Knowledge: +3
Senses: +1

Skills:medical training +3
pistol +2
first aid +2
tanks +1
cars +1
mechanics +1
Inventory:

Post this with any action you take.

Medic Equipment
Medic’s Bag (restores up to -3 on life dice)
M1910 pistol (9 shot, risk 2)
2 pistol magazines