The Burning Empires Firefight scripting sheet is up:
http://www.burningempires.com/wiki/index.php?title=Image:Firefight_sheet_r2.pdf
I hope you’re not offended if I say that the kid in me that used to play Squad Leader for hours by himself is giddily excited about Firefight, now.
I hope you’re not offended when I tell you that our objective when designing FF was to make BE feel like a wargame while remaining firmly in the camp of rpgs. And I hope you’re not put off when I tell you that we suceeded – I can’t think of another system out there that simulates fire combat like Firefight.
Did I mention it’s also hellah fun?
SUPPRESSIVE FIRE!
-Luke
I hope neither of you are offended when I scream “tease!” at you and tick off the days until the PDFs are sent out with the bloody stump of my finger.
Regards,
Daniel
Judging by the scripting sheet, I would have loved to use Fire Fight with my character, Morgenthau, during our group’s Burning Sands game.
Yes, yes you would have.*
-L
*I have no idea who your character was, but I know you would have loved to use those rules.
TAKE COVER!
FLANK!
I’m excited by this sheet. So, a quick question:
It looks like large actions in the FF are scripted as a group, but then you can spend successes to allow individuals a chance to act with their own personal skills, and/or take shots with personal weaponry, during those large actions.
Sort of a cross between a Duel of Wits and a Range & Cover.
Is that accurate?
Thanks.
players are broken down into units. Sometimes, you’ll play one unit working together. Other times each player will be in a separate unit with separate objectives.
Each unit has a unit commander. He rolls for the unit’s dispo and issue the orders to the rest of the unit – he makes the unit action tests. If he’s successful and a good commander, then he spends successes to earn his unit members individual actions like shooting, signals warfare, sensors sweeps, etc.
The unit commander does the majority of rolling. Sometimes his subordinates can help, sometimes they can’t. But the responsibility for victory falls squarely on his shoulders.
-Luke
That’s hot. I can see what you mean about modeling a wargame structure in an RPG.
Does it model, say, one on one fights well? Or disorganized, non-military brawls?
Or are those bloody-versus tests, mostly?
Regards,
Daniel
It depends on the context of the one-on-one engagements.
Tank duel? Check.
Sniper duel in the forest? Check.
Running gun fight through the vaults? Check.
We actually do not recommend doing single roll stuff for important firefights in BE – they’re just too important!
For close quarters stuff, we have a single roll resolution (that can be expanded into multiple rolls if you want it).
-L
Thanks, Luke!
I’ll keep the rest of my curiosity in check.
Regards,
Daniel
You’ve got the idea. That’s also one of the reasons that I would actually still stick with Fight! and Range & Cover when playing Jihad. Jihad is really about the individual. Firefight is awesome for military SF, with massive battles and assaulting entrenched positions and all sorts of good stuff.
But for a down and dirty knife fight, or mule pistols and shields against swords, give me Fight! any day.
Thor also speaks the truth of the prophet.
One of the difficulties that you all will encounter in translating FF to your various games is the skills. FF is built around SF military skills. Jihad has some of them, BW has like one or two of them. Not having your skilled positions filled out in a Firefight can be very, um, troublesome.
Though I bet it’s possible to do a Jihad campaign that mixes Fight for the close-in stuff and FF for the big battles.
-L
Luke,
I was just sort of thinking about that, as well as a porting/conversion of FF into Burning Wheel for mass combats.
Likewise, perhaps a bit of Fight in BE to handle situations like when Trevor is kicking ass with his kusari-gama.
But really, those are all just flights of fancy right now. I doubt they’d even be necessary, let alone elegant, changes.
Regards,
Daniel
You’re going to have to do it yourself. I’m certainly not doing it.
Likewise, perhaps a bit of Fight in BE to handle situations like when Trevor is kicking ass with his kusari-gama.
You’ve got to be out of your mind if you think I designed a game based on the Iron Empires comics that couldn’t simulate that fight. Are you out of your mind, Daniel? Are you? ARE YOU?!
That fight is a one action “I Corner Him and Stab Him in the Face” engagement between Trevor and Krute. Trevor’s player chooses Hand to Hand, the GM chooses Overbear. Trevor wins. Rolls a 6 on the DoF. He gives Krute an Injury (a Light Wound to you BW players), and Krute fails his Steel test. Combat’s over. Trevor’s player opts to color up the next scene by describing how he finishes Krute before question his handler.
Done and done.
I’m partially out of my mind, yes. A little.
I fully believe you when you say you’ve made a combat system to model that fight. I just can’t picture it in my head is all (based on the scripting sheet), which is why I said my little flights of fancy probably aren’t even necessary.
I’m sure all my nonsense will be cleared up for me this weekend, though!
Regards,
Daniel
I’m only offended that every other role-playing game I’ve tried to play over the last 15 years completely botched or ignored this vital aspect of modern/future conflict. And I have NO doubt that you got it right.
Fun days ahead…
Tim
::Rallies TimP::
Let’s go, soldier! Fire down range! Fire down range! Full effect! Full effect! Targeting coordinates transmitting now!
:shock:
Rrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!
:twisted:
Dear Sir,
This letter is to inform you that you will shortly be billed for the full cost of one (1) new keyboard because on 6/19/06 our client, Victor, broke his old keyboard by drooling on it. This drool event was caused by the release of one (1) “Burning Empire Firefight Scripting Sheet” on 6/19/06.
Signed,
The Law Offices of Duey, Cheetem and How.