So I got the PDF...

[AslanC]

And for the life of me I can't figure out this system!

Is it good? Does it play well?

I have their version for Conan and the same damn thing, I can't figure this system out! Old man prejudice and dyslexia I am sure!

Someone help me please? I want to run an all-female live-play and this system my be the ticket!

Cheers!

[RaconteurX]

Anything in particular you're having trouble comprehending? I fear it's too new for anyone other than playtesters to have played it extensively. Have you seen the actual play reports on YouTube?

• Episode 1
• Episode 2

[AslanC]

Thanks for those, I'll give them a look-see and see if it catches for me this way.

Cheers!

[RaconteurX]

There are also a couple actual play reports from the alpha playtest on YouTube as well, although I have to imagine those will be less informative since the rules design was still in flux.

[Mr_Tricorder]

I played in the playtesting adventures via PbP, but I haven't read through the final published rules yet so I don't know how helpful I can be. Are you having trouble wrapping your head around the 2d20 system in general, or is there something more specific that's proving to be difficult to grasp?

[AslanC]

Are you having trouble wrapping your head around the 2d20 system in general...

This!

I just don't get this system reading it.

[Sea Tyger]

The basics:

The goal for each die you roll is to roll equal to or under a target number.

The Target Number is determined by adding an Attribute to a Discipline, giving you a potential range of 8-17.

If the die roll is equal to or less than that Target Number, you get a success. If it is a natural 1, you get 2 successes.

The goal for your roll (called a Task) is to reach a number of successes determined by the GM. In most cases, this will be 1 (average difficulty, equivalent to TN10 in CODA). This is called the Task's Difficulty.

In most situations, you get to roll two dice (hence the 2d20 name) for a Task, meaning you get a range of 0-4 successes.

A little more detail:

If you have a Focus that applies to the Task, instead of getting 2 successes with a natural 1 on a die roll, you would get 2 successes if you roll equal to or less than the Discipline you are using for that Task.

You have one or more Traits that can be occasionally invoked to make a task easier (using your Trait in a positive way, reducing the Task Difficulty by 1), or to make a task harder (using your Trait in a negative way, increasing the Difficulty by 1). Traits are designed to be either a boon or a hindrance, depending on the circumstance. For example, the species Trait Vulcan can be used to help or hinder the character, in that logic can give a character clarity in a chaotic moment, or can be a limiting factor when the situation requires intuition to succeed.

You have Talents, that can give you a specific benefit in certain situations (either granting you an additional die to roll for the Task, or by decreasing the Difficulty of the task).

Even more detail:

If you exceed the Difficulty of the Task, you gain a plot-point-like currency called Momentum (1 for each success above the Difficulty). Momentum can be spent in a variety of ways, including adding dice to a Task roll, or gaining an Advantage (which acts like a positive use of a Trait, reducing the Difficulty of a Task by 1) or imposing a Complication (which acts like a negative use of a Trait), or gaining additional information on the subject of your Task, etc.

The GM has a counter currency, called Threat, which acts like Momentum in every way for GM-controlled characters...and the pot of Threat can be added to by players, to gain Momentum-like benefits for themselves.

Determination is a super-Momentum currency, doing the same things as Momentum, only better (like adding a die to the Task roll...but, in the case of Determination, it automatically gives you a result of 1 (2 successes)), but these can only be spent when a character invokes a personal Value (a belief or creed) or a mission Directive (mission orders, standing orders like the Prime Directive).

.....
I hope that helps a little.

[Mr_Tricorder]

I'm going off of the playtest rules here, but I assume the basic core mechanic of the system is still the same.

The 2d20 system is built around the roll to succeed in a task, regardless if the task is something like making an attack in combat, opening a dialogue with someone who is hesitant to talk, or accessing a damaged computer core on an alien ship. In order to succeed, you must roll at or under a specific target number (TN). That TN is determined by the combination of two of your character's stats (one Attribute and one Discipline).

For example, say you're character is the ship's doctor and you're trying to diagnose an illness. You would use Reason (an inherent attribute) and Medicine (a learned discipline) to make a proper diagnosis. Now, let's say your character has a Reason stat of 10 and a Medicine stat of 5. This means your Target Number (TN) to succeed is the sum of your Reason (10) and your Medicine (5). 10+5=15, so you need to roll between 1 and 15 on one of your d20's in order to succeed.

Whenever you roll for a task, you will typically be rolling two d20's (hence the name 2d20 system). Most tasks you would need to roll for require a single successful roll to succeed, but more difficult tasks may require 2, 3, or even 4 or more successes. To continue with our example, let's say your doctor does not have access to the ship's medical library, making a proper diagnosis more difficult. Now you need 2 successes to reflect the added difficulty of the situation. Typically, this means you will need to roll either 2 normal successes (2-15) on both d20s, or roll a 1 on a single d20 (1's count as two successes). There are ways improve your odds of gaining multiple successes on your rolls, such as spending Momentum to roll additional dice.

There is, of course, a lot more to the system than this, but these Attribute + Discipline 2d20 task rolls are at the heart of the game's mechanics.

EDIT: Sorry for the delayed post. It looks like a couple of people beat me to it. I'm writing this at work, so it took me over an hour to finish and submit my explanation.

[RaconteurX]

Teamwork works well in the game. Those wishing to assist describe how they are doing so and roll a single d20 against an appropriate Attribute + Discipline. Any successes they generate add to the acting character's so long as the acting character achieves at least one success. The captain could give an order to the acting character, for example, and roll Reason + Command to assist. Further, when shipboard, most tasks receive teamwork from the ship itself using System + Department. The ship would roll Sensors + Security to help the acting character, as another example, with a sensor scan to detect a cloaked enemy vessel.

[AslanC]

I think I get it, but I'll need to play it to really understand it.

You know, boots on the board as it were.

Anyone running any online games?

Cheers!

[RaconteurX]

Sea Tyger has something going on RPOL...