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Advice for new SF GMs

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 5:55 pm
by Spinachcat
I just got Systems Failure as part of my Christmas Grab Bag and I am very impressed with most of the book. I have Nightbane and BTS 1e so having a plethora of modern day equipment is easy. I am thinking about running a short campaign or convention one-shot. I am a veteran GM, but obviously new to the SF setting. What advice do you have for GMs who are new to running Systems Failure?

Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 6:16 pm
by RockJock
My advice is to have fun. The person to person contact is what System Failure is alll about. The crazy dude down the street with a 10x10 bedroom full of macaroni is your new best friend.

Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2006 1:07 am
by Mike Taylor
Watch these movies to get a feel for the game:

Tremors
Aliens
Mad Max
The Road Warrior
A Fistful of Dollars
28 Days Later
Slither
Army of Darkness (more for Bruce Campbell's Ash character, who would make a perfect Exterminator)
Bubba Hotep (Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis as inspirations for Wackos)

Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2006 10:47 am
by Mike Taylor
mattling wrote:
Mike Taylor wrote:Bubba Hotep (Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis as inspirations for Wackos)


They were not wackos. <:-x> They put a bag of sand in his head!


Note that I said inspirations, Matt. :)

Anyway, it's good to see you. How's your hair? Has it taken over the East Coast yet?

Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2006 1:05 pm
by glitterboy2098
Mike Taylor wrote:Watch these movies to get a feel for the game:

Tremors
Aliens
Mad Max
The Road Warrior
A Fistful of Dollars
28 Days Later
Slither
Army of Darkness (more for Bruce Campbell's Ash character, who would make a perfect Exterminator)
Bubba Hotep (Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis as inspirations for Wackos)


the Terminator trilogy has some nifty 'future war' segments that get across the feel of the SF struggle. (hiding in bunkers, paranoia about newcomers, surviving off anything you can find)

The postman also is great for gettign the "post collapse" feel, and it has good inspiration for the lowertech side of the game. (M-16's on horseback, modern howitzers towed by teams of mules, modern buildings, but medieval cooking/cleaning...)

Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 3:07 pm
by glitterboy2098
the biggest bit of advice game wise i can think of is:

the bugs can only travel as electricity. thus they have to travel down conductive surfaces. they cannot travel as light or radio waves, so cellphones, radio's, and fiberoptics cannot be 'bugged'.

something i've noticed alot reading the online stuff. so many tales of bugs popping out of radio's, cellphones, ect.