Talk:XCOM: The RPG

--Gdaze 14:12, 18 November 2009 (MST) XCOM is one of the most amazing games, ever.

Edmiao sounds neat, what are the players trying to do? kind of a PA feel game?

JASON: I dont know yet. I was just thinking about X-Com and started writing, the history just wrote itself. What do you guys think would be cool? I have considered normals who have relatives captured by aliens, normals who have relatives killed by aliens, military cut off from orders, survivalists and pulp hero type alien busters. Anything else?

--Gdaze 15:52, 18 November 2009 (MST) For me, XCOM and the 2nd game, XCOM: Terror from the Deep (underwater XCOM) were not just about killing ze aliens, but also about stealing their tech and researching it. I think military cut off from orders could be pretty fun, but you'd have to come up with a good reason for why they can't. This is harder in the digital age (or is it.., remote jungle?).

JASON: Its established in the history there that the alien technology shorts out electronic devices. This makes it easy to say that they have used it to make communication difficult if not impossible. The tech stealing is another fun thing that could be implemented. I like that idea.

--Gdaze 16:21, 18 November 2009 (MST) Yeah I actually bothered to read the back story instead of just assuming haha. XCOM is a little bit more low scale (aliens doing research still), but I think what you have here makes sense. Thanks a lot North Korea. Seems pretty cool. I also like that it seems most players will start out with very little knowledge of the aliens. Dealing with various aspects would also be fun, such as, humans who side with the aliens (welcome star childern!), humans fighting humans even with the very real threat of aliens, small victories (group of "normal" people take out one alien tank, yay), and so on. I really like the unknown enemy aspect of it though. This way anything the aliens do, or pull out, could scare the characters AS WELL AS the players (thus helping the characters to act accordingly).

Edmiao did you see district 9? that would make an interesting setting, kind of the inverse of this one.

JASON: I think you hit it right on the head, Gabe. Those are all good scenarios to implement. And Ed, yes I have seen District 9. I thought it was pretty good. There are probably ideas in there I can steal. Maybe the governments know more than they led on...

--Dieter the Bold 15:24, 19 November 2009 (MST) The game was awesome. And I found the progression to basically proceed thusly:
Respond to small alien infestations in rural areas, desperately try and survive with a team of greenhorns
.........Immediately start expanding your base and begin researching captured alien tech
Begin responding to terror sites in major cities and attempting to shoot down medium sized alien craft
.........Continue desperately researching alien technology, focusing on laser and plasma weaponry, followed by xeno-metallurgy
.........Also make your first assault on a hidden alien base corrupting one of your international supporters (and budget)
Begin producing advanced fighters and flying powered-armor
.........Once you have advanced fighters with plasma guns and a crew of flying powered-armor veterans, it's pretty much over. You just keep playing smart and then build the advanced troop carrier for the final assault on Mars base.

What I found to be a singular experience about the game is how worthless your troops were in the beginning (didn't get many actions and were pathetic shots) and what crackshots aliens can be (seriously, they would one-shot your guys from the darkness). This dropped substantially once you researched and produced advanced armor, but it could still happen. And even at the very end when you were tripped out with all your gadgets, they put up a good fight.

I'd say a military-style operation (could be corporate funded, hoping to build their own money-driven state from the wreckage) would be your best bet for a setting, as your average person is really totally helpless vs the aliens. Or you could do PA-style where you were pretty much fighting other humans for survival (either desperate survivors like yourself or alien-dupes (who may or may not have a fancy gizmo)) and running like mo-fo's from any aliens (as such encounters would be insta-kill, or if you survived you'd have some kind of tracker implant or terrible mutations/scars from experimentation). I'd be totally interested in playing either of these options. Man I want to track a copy down, now.

--Gdaze 15:35, 19 November 2009 (MST) I think Steam put it out again. Although I've never used the service I hear a lot about it.

JASON: I have found them available online for $5 each[1]. I wouldnt be using the same aliens per se, though I would certainly draw inspiration. Mostly I want to follow along with what Gabe said and keep surprise possible, and many have played this game.

I agree that an average person may be in very bad shape versus aliens, no matter who the aliens are, but that could be fun if the players are committed to playing a patient, calculated game. Maybe it gets all Red Dawn. Another option is the players get recruited by a group trying to resist the invasion. The players could also be a group of military personnel who are operating a resistance cell with or without governmental authorization. I think I am going to make a link to an ideas page so that there can be specific discussion about those.

--Gdaze 16:30, 19 November 2009 (MST) I also don't think normal people are totally ineffective, more so if they are player characters haha. I mean yes, the average person is out-gunned, out-classes in almost everything but... Even against advance technology grass root efforts can really mess you up. Current US wars being a prime example.

But I think Dieter also touched on the same thing, not knowing about the aliens. They can head shot you from the dark! They can do this! They can do that! And when you play the game the Aliens do seem to just come out of no-where and rip you apart. All of this can put some real fear in the players. I mean you are going up against something that took all the nukes in the world JUST to have a partial victory. This game does sound like a blast haha.

The fact that we can talk about an RPG somewhat based on this game just shows how awesome it is. I guess it actually has been on several All Time Best PC Game lists.

--Dieter the Bold 12:01, 20 November 2009 (MST) I would love to have a pre-game agreement between GM and Players that PC death would totally happen in this game. So not just, 'watch out, those aliens are badasses that you need to run from', but 'be really frakking careful or it's time to make up a new character'. And I will agree with Gabe that normal people aren't totally ineffective, as someone with an assault rifle who manages to sneak a full-on burst into some alien should be able to take them out with a good roll, but I'd find it fun to have some kind of hierarchy like in the game, where you have some little old aliens that are kinda puny overall that you might stand a chance against, and those that move like greased lightning and can rip you limb from limb, as well as psychic dominators. Plus the occasional robotic combat drone that you have to outsmart.

JASON: I would not want the aliens to be invincible. I think that given the right mix of ingenuity and weaponry the players can defeat any enemy threat, but on the average the aliens will have higher tech gear and excellent military training. In Red Dawn the Wolverines were able to live because they knew the countryside and could lure the Russians into traps and other precarious situations. I think it will be key to decide during each engagement what the goal is, and for the players to be ready to scatter once they reach it, like if the goal is kill one dreadnought alien, then once its done, dont push it and try to do more. Get away with the victory and build on it next time.

--Gdaze 14:33, 20 November 2009 (MST) You know I've never seen Red Dawn? Again, another movie I need to see. Yeah, having some enemy that is just insta-kill is not fun. For sure, it should be a high lethal game, but you don't want to make events that are JUST there to remind the characters of this (oh, a overlord finds you and kills Billie). It should just happen because of what actions the players are taking.

I like that last part Jason put in. Kill one dreadnought and get the fuck out. Lots of reasons for this too, that all make sense. Resources are used up, same trick won't work twice in said environment, etc. And of course they don't even need to leave totally, but a trick will only work so many times.

Ooooh, fun aspect. Trying to infiltrate groups that are pro-Aliens. This game sounds like it is gonna be pretty rock'in.

JASON: I saw Red Dawn at the theater. Yep, Im old. I was 13 the year it came out and its the first PG13 movie ever. I took my friend Shawn with me for my birthday.

The game would end up being a good deal of scouting and planning, then observing the aliens and luring them into traps. Characters should risk death, but PC death should always be a crucial plot element. If it did happen, it needs to become a strong plot point that drives the story forward. Infiltrating loyalist cells could be excellent as well. Lots of possibilities.

--Dieter the Bold 17:20, 20 November 2009 (MST) All sounding very excellent. I'm not advocating killing PCs just because. I'm promoting a campaign where PC death can happen and everyone is on-board with this from the get-go. PC death from stupidity (let's trap them in this cave, oh wait, now we can't get out) to simple bad luck (oh snap, he rolls a head shot and a billion damage. Sorry Dieter, you're dead). I'd like to have the kind of fights where you have to be good AND lucky. GM would be responsible for not dropping in behemoths that insta-kill and etc. And totally fine with aliens being overcome by clever planning or overwhelming firepower. I'd simply prefer any direct alien confrontation to be one you're either desperately trying to avoid or one you've spent a session planning so you can survive it.