"Crime Punk", or Criminal Sandbox RPG [IC]

[steelsmiter]

I began writing an RPG several years ago that I at the time called a "criminal sandbox", which was based on several video games in which the player takes the role of a character takes it upon themselves to bring down one or more entities or organizations that control the region using er... less than legal methods (hence Crime Punk). Examples of this go all the way back to the True Crime series, and include the likes of the Grand Theft Auto, Saints Row, Far Cry, Watch Dogs, LA Noire, and Mafia video game franchises, along with countless others I can't claim I drew any particular inspiration from. I've recently gone on a several month long binge of updating the game, and it now has a main book and a separate campaign setting (combined about 145 pages) with a multi-millennial timeline that allows for the Shot Caller (GM) and Playas to decide amongst themselves what genre conventions and level of wacky they want to lean into. It allows for a completely mundane, albeit cinematic world, all the way on up to a full on demonic/alien invasion, and every level in between. You want to play a completely mundane game where that beggar over there might just secretly be a goblin? more power to ya! You want to play a game that has superpowers but there is no such thing as goblins, demons, the undead, or aliens? Great! You wanna ignore all that and just capture the essence of some particular criminal heyday? Awesome, I'm all in... Now I just need to know how many of you (up to about 5) are in, and what you're in for!

[Raku]

I wanted to know if this is still up for interest since I wanted to sign up for it. If you wanted my opinion, I would go for a game involving a superpowered world.

[steelsmiter]

I wanted to know if this is still up for interest since I wanted to sign up for it. If you wanted my opinion, I would go for a game involving a superpowered world.

Well, you've played with me before, and you're on my discord, so you're in. You should also have access to the timeline and stuff so you can develop a more informed opinion on what period is ideal for you, plus the main document has superpowers and a few criminal sandbox appropriate power builds. Currently the most fleshed out era is between 1963 and 1983, but that's only by chance (I'd come up with a scenario centered around the KFJ Incident--which would be playa determined outcome). There's some future things as well, the supersoldier programs began rolling out in 2042 and are full fledged by 2055. I put a nuclear attack on US soil somewhere in the future as well, so that can be a springboard for straight powers about the time the Supersoldier programs are coming to fruition.

[Raku]

Starting to reconsider and lean more for the 2020’s as I’m more familiar with them and to use the inclusion of magic and the supernatural. Looks like cybernetics were starting to get serious around that time too. How well known is magic or how relevant is it around that time?

[steelsmiter]

That depends on some things

• player opinion: I'm going to try to run a game that has a bit of what most applicants want
• Whether we lean into certain historical events as supernaturally influenced such as homebrew alcohol occasionally being able to grant temporary superpowers in the Prohibition, the Kamasutra being Eromancy, Shamans from the Dark Ages to the Victorian era, and I can't remember if I mentioned any more.
• Whether we play some specific scenarios that require it. And even those can be tailored as to how secret magic is. I don't know if I told you about the plans for the KFJ incident, but I originally created several NPCs so that they would become manifestations of sin when certain events came to pass. Some such characters have both expanded universe and mundane world Special Abilities. If we actually played that event, powers would be readily apparent at some point. If we played that event and later played in the 2020s, the prevalence of magic and other powers would depend on its outcome
• Depending on the power. Its possible to have cybernetics without it being supernatural at all, but it should be marginal in quality before 2045 as certain technologies are really only in their infancies in the 2020s (like being able to detect a specified object with an optical sensor). If you were looking for the ability to hack other brains or whatever then you'd only get that after that point in the timeline without having conflicted loyalties related to a government agency, or a debt/enemy with a powerful criminal organization. Likewise, in eras where NPCs are specified to have certain power builds and certain power abilities, then those are assumed to have at least existed in that period (but might have died out before or during the Inquisition... kind of also playa dependent).
• (it kind of annoys me that I can't make this item 4a) On a tangent, some inhumans may or may not be assumed to have come over in portals, and the cosmetic features of those could be duplicated with 2020 or better cosmetic surgeries e.g. a demonic inhuman could just have red skin dye and synthetic horns if cybertech created them

[steelsmiter]

Starting to reconsider and lean more for the 2020’s as I’m more familiar with them and to use the inclusion of magic and the supernatural. Looks like cybernetics were starting to get serious around that time too. How well known is magic or how relevant is it around that time?

I wanted to know if this is still up for interest since I wanted to sign up for it. If you wanted my opinion, I would go for a game involving a superpowered world.

Upon further reflection on these quotes, if cybertech were the only source of "powers" is "supernatural" really the right word, and would we really have to include any other form of powers?

Also there's a thing when people talk about the advent of a technology, there's usually a debugging period to minimize or eliminate any glitches or disadvantages in the technology, so it would kind of depend what cybernetics you're looking for in the 2020s. I would hazard that 20 years is a reasonable debugging period, so if you're looking for the Neural Jacks that occurred in 2063 on the timeline that are able to connect to other computers wirelessly, we're looking at about a 2043 start, and you'd need to take thematically appropriate disadvantages (like squishy vs. electricity with disabling), the combat capable Exoskeletons of 2024 Murica would be in late testing in 2020, so they'd also come with disadvantages, like squishy vs. fire due to inefficient cooling, possibly a recharge requirement , and so on. If you wanted to be cloned, have to be born after 2002, and if you wanted to be produced by a pair of clones like Adam Bravo you'd have to be born after 2023. As I'm running this over and over in my head the main thing I'm pondering is if you might have confused the 2023 nuclear attack as specifically only occuring in 2023, which could cause you to mistake supersoldiers entering the field before the 2040s.

EDIT TO ADD: most of the cybernetic stuff would be in the experimental phase during the civilian entry period into Moonbase Luna, and with rioting in the early years, it would be the perfect time for a bunch of cyberaugmented criminals to shake things up.

[steelsmiter]

So I've been wondering if maybe it wasn't a little too broad of a question to ask something along the lines of "here's a game, what do you want to play with it" so I thought I'd post a few ideas to springboard off of

   
• Post Civil War- I'll admit this one was inspired by the meme of Abe Lincoln with a chain gun on his arm. But it also has potential for squabbling factions, and classical western tropes (of which I'll admit I'm not super familiar with, but can hack it.)
• 1920s and 30s- Heyday of the Chicago Typewriter. Could involve a decent amount of moonshining (with or without anything special in the homebrew to grant someone a Power Ability on a temporary basis) bank robbery (the system doesn't particularly have Heisting rules, but those can be winged with what it does have)
• The KFJ Incident- Murica has a different President. His assassination attempt takes a more occultish turn, during a different period of time, when he goes to see some nuclear testing done. The outcome of the attempt, and whether the extra occultism means anything is up to playa consensus
• "Black Friday" on Moonbase Luna- Rioting in 2035 leads to the creation of factions which are eventually united and bid for independence in 2047. Due to the fact that the Moonbase is in a glass/polycarbonate dome to protect the delicate scientifically created ecology, all firearms are replaced with the Frickin' Lasers optional rule. The character mentioned above by Raku works best in this period, though I'm given to understand he's flexible 
• War- This game has a feature called Crysis Mode that is meant as a nod to the last several Far Cry games (of which the earliest I've played is 2). It's even reasonable to assume the character might get nabbed up in a Cutscene because that's literally an Advantage within the game. That being said, I probably won't be that cruel. BUT wars are about capturing locations and objectives, and that's one of the components in the game, so it bears mentioning. Anyway, a war between 1860 and say... 2164 is reasonable. The players participating in The Sexbot Uprising in the Shenlong Empire might be a bit too wacky. I don't actually have a war explicitly mentioned after Murica was nuked in 2023, but nothing fleshed out.

[steelsmiter]

my discord where the files are. I also prefer the dice roller channel I have.

[Raku]

Still interested.

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

Name: Ryoma Sakamoto
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 150 lbs

Ryoma was born as the son of an American woman and Japanese man. He had an older sister by three years and a twin sister. His family weren’t exactly well off and even had a few close calls. This lack of money and disrespect his family faced gave birth to his dreams of wealth and power. His childhood was spent running around the streets and learning how to stand up for himself. Throughout this, his best friend was his twin sister. However, both went their separate ways to pursue their own life goals around twenty years old. His father knew about Ryoma’s desires and wouldn’t stop him from trying. He did advise his son that taking such a path can have him dead much sooner than he thought. Knowing this, the young man kept moving on his desired path.

Attributes:
Agility 2
Driving 2
Influence 2
Precision 4
Stamina 3
Strength 3

HP: 30
Endurance: 30

Cash: 1,030

Special Ability:
-Magic Bullet

Counter: 0/10

Replenish Actions: N/A

Medals: N/A

Disadvantages:
-Dependant (-4) (Both his sisters)
-Attitude Problem (-2) (Moral Code) (Screwing over someone who doesn’t deserve it)

Powers and Abilities:
-Animal Connection (1 alpha and 6 pack wolves; 3)
-Clairvoyant (Voodoo)
- Healing (Endurance, with a special bonus: You can draw FP from your Supernatural Entity equal to the
amount you draw from yourself, 2) 
-Mutable Features (both, 2) 
-Telekinesis 2 (Voodoo Only; 1)

Drawbacks:
-Debt (Supernatural Entity He bothers you to commit pranks, -3)

Equipment:

-Light Armor: $1000 (40 armor points)

-Mars Armaments 9mm Auto-loader
Cost: $350
Damage: 2d10+3
Range: 6 DS
Ammo: 4
Fire Rate: Semi Auto

-Knife
Cost: $100
Damage: 1d10+Strength
Attack Delay: 1
Tooling Down: This entry also works for awls, chisels, gouges, ice picks, and screwdrivers.

-Police Cuffs: $20

[Raku]

How’s that?

[steelsmiter]

Great!

So heads up for people who aren't following along too closely but I'll be setting something up in worldbuilding to discuss the differences between the KFJ Incident and the JFK Assassination, but will welcome people who familiarize themselves with Crime and Chaos, and submit sheets in the interim.

[Raku]

Wanting to see if this is still up.

[steelsmiter]

Wanting to see if this is still up.

Well, shit

<snip>I'll be setting something up in worldbuilding to discuss the differences between the KFJ Incident and the JFK Assassination, but will welcome people who familiarize themselves with Crime and Chaos, and submit sheets in the interim.

I've forgotten to set up the details in Worldbuilding due to being distracted by sudden inspiration to write a JRPG, but I am still up to run this! I'm just um... kind of distracted from the headspace of writing out the WB thread.

[steelsmiter]

The world building thread is up! Prospective players, please read it, but build a character before engaging further please.