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[NAV]

Fuck yeah Outlaw Star

[Parisbre56]

I agree that APs probably add too much bookkeeping to be worth it, at least as implemented in the original X-COM. Something simpler would be better.

Or, if you need the extra granularity, maybe have APs but have them be much more limited. Maybe the slowest unit gets 2AP and the fastest with all the speed upgrades gets 5AP, a mix of the two systems.
I like the idea that Reactors are powered by Primrose Space. It lead to all sorts of opportunities for the GM. "Oh, that mechanic that was sleeping next to the reactor, lately he's been having those strange dreams..." or "There's been those strange noises around the Reactor section and some objects have gone missing."

Depending on how far you are willing to go with it, you could have pirates lying in wait in Primrose Space near the edge of a dangerous Dive, waiting for a ship with a small reactor signature to attempt to Dive so they can board it. Maybe a ship is lying in wait, looking for an enemy Reactor signature so that it can throw torpedoes at it and then run away. Maybe said ship can see in Primrose Space through some sort of sensors that work similarly to a Reactor and so it unloads a barrage of devestating Depth Charges or Primrose Space Disruptors, forcing the other ship to Surface.

Though it does raise the question of how the Reactor works during a Dive. I guess maybe being in Primrose Space is the same as using it or maybe it even results in more power being available. Or maybe it's just space magic and I shouldn't think too hard about it.

[piecewise]

I agree that APs probably add too much bookkeeping to be worth it, at least as implemented in the original X-COM. Something simpler would be better.

Or, if you need the extra granularity, maybe have APs but have them be much more limited. Maybe the slowest unit gets 2AP and the fastest with all the speed upgrades gets 5AP, a mix of the two systems.
I like the idea that Reactors are powered by Primrose Space. It lead to all sorts of opportunities for the GM. "Oh, that mechanic that was sleeping next to the reactor, lately he's been having those strange dreams..." or "There's been those strange noises around the Reactor section and some objects have gone missing."

Depending on how far you are willing to go with it, you could have pirates lying in wait in Primrose Space near the edge of a dangerous Dive, waiting for a ship with a small reactor signature to attempt to Dive so they can board it. Maybe a ship is lying in wait, looking for an enemy Reactor signature so that it can throw torpedoes at it and then run away. Maybe said ship can see in Primrose Space through some sort of sensors that work similarly to a Reactor and so it unloads a barrage of devestating Depth Charges or Primrose Space Disruptors, forcing the other ship to Surface.

Though it does raise the question of how the Reactor works during a Dive. I guess maybe being in Primrose Space is the same as using it or maybe it even results in more power being available. Or maybe it's just space magic and I shouldn't think too hard about it.

The AP system I was considering was similar to the one in divinity 2. The max AP you can have in divinity is 6. Attacks cost 1, moving a certain distance costs 1, some abilities cost 2, etc.  Its not a complex system, nothing like Xcom's.

[piecewise]

Here are the TBW units I've thought of so far. Still thinking on a few more hybrids.

Basic units

Mage: Focuses medium to long range, direct damage and debuff spells. Weapon is a staff, bolt action, crystal ammo. Type of spell dictated by ammo used, can custom arrange crystals in magazine to combo different spell types.  Slow movement speed.

Warlock: Melee and close combat specialized. Uses gauntlets/brass knuckles which load runes like bullets, releasing a spell or effect on impact. Cloak to negate/help protect from ranged attacks. High movement speed.

Druid: Support and area effect/denial specialized. Uses RPG style totem that fires small fetishes or other ritual objects. Spells focus mostly on healing or buffing allies, and either slowing or preventing enemy movement/ inflicting debuffs or tick damage. High health but limited direct damage options.

Wizard: Jack of all trades, but master of none. Able to fight at any range and has mild support capacities. Wields tablet carbine; resembles p90 with slot for magical tablet to be inserted like a magazine. Rapid fire magic bolts, tablets burn out and crumble to dust.  Uses flask grenades for other abilities, shatter on impact and effect small area.

Cleric: Heavy weapons and demotions focused. Wields oversized ballistic mace; flanged grenade launcher tubes on the head while the shaft holds a miniature rocket launcher. All ammo is blessed and deals extra damage to unholy enemies. Attacks are slow but do splash damage and the Cleric is tough.

Advanced units
Archmage: Dedicated long range specialist, sniper. Focuses on dealing lots of damage to single targets from far away. Carries a Wandcaster, basically an oversized crossbow/ballista that fires magic wands/staffs like arrows. Slow movement speed, cannot move and attack in the same turn, must set their weapon up.

Enchanter: Dedicated close range specialist with no ranged attacks. Wields Staff pile bunkers on both arms, which forcibly drives sharpened staffs into targets and injects magic. Magic type can be changed by swapping out staffs. Staffs for both direct damage magic and powerful debuffs.

Shaman: Dedicated support and area denial specialist. Wields magic instruments that cause effects so long as they are being played. Spells each have a certain number of turns they are active, but if the shaman remains in place, playing the song, the spells can be kept going indefinitely. Only unit capable of resurrecting fallen units, though doing so is difficult.

Invoker: All rounder, able to use many skills and magics but nothing advanced or specialized. Wields crystal fed gatling gun; ammo belts can be switched out to invoke different effects. Large cones of fire, can focus on enemies or allies depending on effect. Wields gun as a hammer in close range.

Paladin: A living tank in heavy armor, with a reliquary great shield and recoilless rifle lance. Very slow but hits hard and focuses mostly on buffing units in their proximity while drawing attacks towards themselves. Can drop shield and go full DEUS VULT, increasing speed greatly but losing many of their support abilities in the process.

Hybrid units

Pyromancer: Hybrid of ranged damage and support, particularly area denial. Wields a contained demon, a hellspawn trapped in a container with a nozzle and sprayer to vent its wrath as a weapon. The type of demon can be swapped out to change broad properties of the weapon. Pyromancer wields personal flame magic as well and can burn away status effects or enrage allies to increase their damage.

Kinetomancer: Hybrid all range attack focused unit. Wields kinetic force manipulation gauntlets. Enhances the power of their blows and allows them to throw or punch debris as powerful ranged attacks. Can easily move into and out of combat and shield others with their abilities.

Demonologist: Melee support hybrid; able to summon allied units and use powerful AoE attacks. Wields a grimoire and constant stream of summoned demonic melee weapons. Rush tactics, overwhelming force with little defense, able to pull targets in towards them. Different summons have different properties, able to act as ranged, melee or support characters with various abilities.

[piecewise]

I've been thinking about something as I poke through the mechanics and wondering: Do you guys want a straight tactical game?

I ask because there's this thing, this divide between RPG and Video game that is dangerous. Dangerous in that what you do or expect to be able to do in an rpg and what you do and expect to be able to do in an video game are two different sets of ideas. In a video game you move a character around and it has set actions it can perform. In Xcom there's no option to wrestle the gun out of a muton's hands, for instance, while something like that might be possible in an rpg.

So do you want a real Tactical game like the one that post was showing, where each character has specific actions they can do and nothing else, or do you want a more free form game where you can do kind of what you want within the rules?

[Egan_BW]

If I wanted a pure tactics game... someone is literally making that right now, that's where we got the idea. If we're gonna RPG, let's RPG.
It doesn't even need to be tactical, I just like the flavor of breach wizards.

[Pancaek]

I, too, lean heavily towards RPG. When it comes to the sort of games we play here, mechanics just don't make the game for me. It's the rpg stuff that does. If I want rigid mechanics and tactical depth, I might as well play a boardgame/video game instead.

[Doomblade187]

Given that you're already running two RPGs, I think a tactical game would also be easier to GM.

I would think.

[Devastator]

I would vastly prefer a tactical game to a RPG.  In many RPGs most players sit around and do nothing each update.  A tactical game features much more action.

[piecewise]

Two for each. Marvelous

[Caellath]

RPG.

[The Lupanian]

I always prefer RPGs in forum games. However, I don't play often, and I haven't been playing too long, so whatever.

[Shadowclaw777]

In Xcom there's no option to wrestle the gun out of a muton's hand

At least in NewCom, the Mutons are eight-footed steroid-junkie gorilla brutes, even the most athletic of man utilizing the strength of exoskeletons and whatnot, would probably get their arms ripped off trying to do that. Maybe for the mechs though

Anyways, fine RPG is preferred I guess.

[Egan_BW]

There's probably an OpenXcom mod for that. Or at least, if there isn't there should be, because CQC is fun.

[Parisbre56]

In Xcom there's no option to wrestle the gun out of a muton's hand

At least in NewCom, the Mutons are eight-footed steroid-junkie gorilla brutes, even the most athletic of man utilizing the strength of exoskeletons and whatnot, would probably get their arms ripped off trying to do that. Maybe for the mechs though

Spoiler: Obligatory CQC copypasta (click to show/hide)

What the hell did you just say about me, you little alien sympathizer? I’ll have you know I graduated top of my class in the X-COM training program, and I’ve been involved in numerous secret raids on ADVENT, and I have over 300 confirmed Muton kills. I am trained in gorilla warfare and I’m the top wrestler in the entire X-COM armed forces. You are nothing to me but just another target. I will wipe you the hell out with punches the likes of which has never been seen before on this Earth, mark my words. You think you can get away with saying that to me over the Internet? Think again, idiot. As we speak I am contacting my secret network of resistance members across the planet and your IP is being traced right now so you better prepare for the storm, maggot. The storm that wipes out the pathetic little thing you call your life. You’re fucking dead, kid. I can be anywhere, anytime, and I can kill a Muton Berserker in over seven hundred ways, and that’s just with my bare hands. Not only am I extensively trained in unarmed combat, but I have access to the most advanced exoskeletons in the X-COM army and I will use them to their full extent to punch your miserable ass off the face of this planet. If only you could have known what unholy retribution your little “clever” comment was about to bring down upon you, maybe you would have held your tongue. But you couldn’t, you didn’t, and now you’re paying the price, you goddamn idiot. I will punch fury all over you and you will drown in it. You’re fucking dead, kiddo.