Schlock Troops: The Schlock Mercanry RPG

As the post says, Schlock Mercenary creator Howard Tayler is teaming up with Alan Bahr to create an RPG set in the webcomic verse.

They've set up a website (pretty bare bones at the moment but it does have a developer diary for information and feedback) with more information... in the hopefully not too distant future.

Plans at this point are a kickstarter campaign early in 2015 with the game hopefully shipping out later the same year.

So would you play it or not? And if so... what sort of character would you play?

Personally a Fobottr (like Andy) Munitions Specialist. Four arms and high explosives sounds like the perfect recipe for chaos from where I'm sitting.

I'd probably *get* it, whether or not I'd play is up in the air.

Mostly because I have quite a few systems consigned to either the "played once" or the "mean to play eventually" piles, and should probably work on getting through those.

edited 6th Aug '14 1:22:04 AM by CountDorku

...*wants to play a Psychobear*

I want custom nuke cufflinks. What better way to be badass than the potential to blow up half a world with a misplaced punch?

I'm interested in seeing the worldbuilding and the mechanics (which they've said they're focusing heavily on). And I want to see how they balance out amorphs and AIs compared to everyone else.

Well, AI's are easy. With rare exceptions like Ennesby and Petey, most of them are fettered, and operate according to some strict parameters. They're not suitable for player characters. Amorphs are apparently a problem, though, and there have been quite a few suggestions on how to balance them. We also got some interesting new information in the process. For example, it turns out that an amorph can't just eat as much as it wants to bulk up; it won't know what to do with all that extra mass, effectively making it the same as a sick and overweight human. That's a nice explanation for why Schlock hasn't tried the trick he used on the diamond bugs more than once. Presumably if he hadn't gotten all the mass burned off, he would have had to shed it.

I suspect that AI's at least as a playable characters (as opposed to assets for the company in general) might be in one of the later modules.

Though I do wonder if you'll be able to build a character like DoytHaban of an AI/Organic Sophont gestalt. Or something like Haban or Petey's meat-space avatars which are essentially A.I.s in an organic shell.

Huh. One easier way to do AIs would be to give the system some equivalent of a muscle-memory stat; for relatively obvious reasons, an AI couldn't have that, and thus would simply not be anywhere near as good at straight-up ground-level violence, which would be in line with how they've been portrayed in the comics. Excellent shots, superb pilots, very good at strategic-level planning, not quite so good at punching people in the head or tactical-level on-the-fly adjustments to pre-established plans.

When I was binging through the archive a few weeks ago, I felt an urging to play a Sci-Fi RPG that wasn't entirely serious. This sounds great!

A warship AI would be difficult to balance correctly, but something like Ennesby? I'd love to play a character like that. Preferably with options of different chassis.

I mean, I play my droid character in Star Wars Saga Edition as if it were a Schlock Mercenary AI. The system doesn't handle it very well: it has some provisions for it, but they're clunky. Actually playing a Schlock AI would be wonderful.

One potential way to keep AIs playable for player characters is to limit them on the Henke-Ventura scale. HV 1 through, say, 3 or so is player character range; beyond that balance becomes harder. (Supposedly TAG was at HV 2.5, but he was heavily optimized towards one role: driving the ship. I can see that being a thing for PC AIs.)

edited 8th Aug '14 8:03:04 PM by SabresEdge

I'd imagine that they'd encourage an AI to do what Ennesby did for a while, which was pilot the ship but keep the a node that would allow them to act outside of ship-to-ship combat. That'd be the most logical way to avoid the problem riggers encountered in early editions of Shadowrun (i.e. absurdly important for their one role, but sitting around most of the session).

If I were to play this... probably would go for a Unioc. A couple of advantages, but nothing too unbalancing. Maybe I'd add in a stimmie addiction and ranks of poetry for humor value.

It's alive!!!

Short version: They were incommunicado because part of the character build section needed a complete overhaul. But they are now apparently to the point where they're ready to start planning the Kickstarter. Fingers crossed.

We have art! And a snippet from the fluff sections.

That jungle looks gorgeous (though it might be improved by the generous application of plasma fire ).

We have a whole heap of updates.

Probably the biggest news is the game has an official name: Planet Mercenary and the game book will be written from an in-universe perspective to some degree.

Also I need a Shurikannon. Because it sits right at the perfect level of Crazy Awesome that you can't not need one.

...I want a Shurikencannon too but all my GM's know better than to hand me things such as these.

Lots of movement on the whole issue. The Kickstarter goes live on April 14.

The Kickstarter... it's alive!!!

The stretch goals are relatively restrained and spaced out, and I like the way they've broken them down. Core, Extended-Mag and Add-On. Core is for everyone who bought the book and seems to refer to mostly additions to the core rule book. Extended-Mag means that it will be automatically included in certain pledge levels. Add-on will be automatically included at the highest pledge levels and available for purchase at lower tiers if unlocked. And pledge levels specifically state what they cover.

Of the stretch goals the one I really want is the final one. The 70 Maxims book annotated by Karl Tagon. I suspect there won't be many other stretch goals mostly because of Howard's experience with the challenge coin Kickstarter (ie: Let's see how many stretch goals we can make Howard come up with).

Also included is a more detailed primer on the game mechanics. I really like the ablative meat-shield/back-up character creation rules for the grunts.

Edit to prevent a slew of double posting (I try to space them out further):

We have reached funding levels. Planet Mercenary is officially go. If you were holding back because weren't sure if it would fund or not, you're good. Get that funding going so I... er WE can get the annoted 70 Maxims book stretch goal.

edited 15th Apr '15 4:01:36 PM by KnightofLsama

Okay, I'll try and space new posts out to a week or more. (Yes, I am shilling a bit, but I really want that $150k stretch goal) and any chance to reach those who might be on the fence.

On the Kickstarter campaign itself, the first two stretch goals have been unlocked the Challenge Coin and Dice Extended Mag and the increased page count Core upgrades. And I know a couple of people who are holding back and will only pledge a couple of days before the end to simplify their finances (I do the same thing myself on other campaigns).

On other fronts there has been an increased amount of information, both mechanical and in terms of design philosophy. A page on the 3D6, how it's going to function and why they went with that choice rather than something like a D20.

A sample page spread from the Sophont Templates for the Fobott'r (Andy) and Frellenti (Legs). While everything is officially subject to change in the final product I'd lay good money that the broad outlines are much the same, at least as far as fluff and mechanics go.

A more indepth look at character creation. Much of this has been covered in before, if in less detail, but it does contain an increased list of playable sophonts. And it's official. We get psycho-bears!

And finally a rather detailed Q and A post originally taken from the Kickstarter comments section.

edited 25th Apr '15 1:05:47 AM by KnightofLsama

More updates and samples. Some taken from the site, some taken from Howard's blog.

Chainsabers will be a thing apparently

Pin and Mayhem deck designs

Artwork of Tagon!

Some details on the Seventy Maxims book which is beginning to look like a distinct possibility.

Howard and Alan did an AMA on reddit that might be worth checking out.

Also we have more stretch goals!

• $175k 20 RiPP tokens (Add-on)
• $200k 16 More pages of characters, weapons and locations (Core)
• $225k Game Chief (GM) screen (Add-on)
• $250k Secret until we get closer.

Normally I wouldn't post again so soon, but the news is worth it.

We have officially reached the $150k mark and with it, the 70 Maxims book! They've even added a pledge level for just the Maxim's book which is a definite bonus if that's all you want.

Wooo! This is great to see.

As an FYI, I'm Alan Bahr, the game designer. I just thought I'd pop in and say thanks for all the excitement and talk!

edited 11th May '15 11:34:54 AM by TheLastPaladin

Welcome to TV Tropes

I schill because I care... and really, really want the Seventy Maxims book.

Though I'm curious, will we get to see What Might Have Been with regards to the game screen?

Eh...yes and no.

We stil want to do it. But it'd be a separate, much smaller Kickstarter. We are a little leary to share the idea because we feel it's so innovative.

Last day for the Kickstarter.