New Edition of Twilight 2000 Interview

[Ewan]

A very interesting interview
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/6277597...tt_content=vod

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Definitely "interesting". I think some people will find it quite illuminating.
I am still very much curious (and interested) in the material that Free League will create for the game world but for my tastes, their Year Zero rules are not for me.

[sellanraa]

Yeah, it sounds like they've got some ideas I can agree with, so I remain excited. It's just the difficult challenge of 'sticking the landing' with a good execution of a rule set.

[CDAT]

I there an overview of what was covered for those who do not have an hour+ to spend listening?

[StainlessSteelCynic]

I haven't seen anything to that effect but the basics are things that we already know: -
Free League is not really changing the world background that much from what we've seen in 2nd/2.2
it will use a variant of the Year Zero rules
Sweden will be a campaign starting region like Poland was in the earlier editions (like their Tales from the Loop RPG there will be two possible starting locations, in this case, Poland and Sweden)
the artwork will be pretty damned good

What I found interesting was that some of the live audience for the Twitch stream were happy to see that playing civilians would be an option - something that has been in the game since at least 2nd Edition. So it seems to me that some of the audience is actually quite ignorant of the earlier editions which may possibly be an indicator that Free League is attracting a new group of people to the game?

The other things of interest to me were how much the Year Zero rules are slanted towards fast play and also the systems reliance on gimmick dice. They're modifying aspects of the Year Zero system to account for T2k's survival theme and to give some differentiation between items of gear (e.g. small arms), but it is still intrinsically a Year Zero rules set.
While many aspects of the gimmick dice probably won't make it into their version of T2k, they still exist as a possibility. The guy that was interviewed said that the rules are not set just yet as they are only now going into play-testing. Therefore there is still the possibility that changes will be made.

This also means that the skill system we're used to from earlier editions is going to be much reduced and it seems that they won't even be called skills but "talents" and while these talents will be combined with Year Zero's much smaller Attribute list to see if you pass a skill test (like we see in the 2.2 d20 system), multiple types of die will be needed depending on how "talented" the PC is (subject to the play-test). At the moment they are using a two-dice system, it seems the core die is a d6 while the second die reflects how "talented" the PC is.
Low talents start with a d6 but as your PC increases ranks in that talent, the second die becomes a d8, then a d10, then a d12.

While I can see that that sort of mechanic can be really useful for fast paced or cinematic games, it's exactly the opposite of how I view most of a T2k game. It seems to me that the Year Zero system suits lots of dice rolling where you don't have to think too much about the mechanics behind the system or even how rules mechanics can shape/inform the game world. While that can certainly be an asset for some game genres, I'm not convinced it's a good fit for any sort of gritty survival game. It appears to suit their Mutant Year Zero game but that is as much fantasy as the Fallout computer games so definitely not what I would class as gritty or survival themed.

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by StainlessSteelCynic

Free League is not really changing the world background that much from what we've seen in 2nd/2.2

Tomas has offered to

share the current draft for the overall backstory (alternate 1990s history)? It's a work in progress however, so I'd need to ask you not to share it with others or discuss its contents openly (yet - later, we'll of course welcome public feedback on it).

So obviously once I see it I can't say TOO much, but should be able to give general comments I think - enough to confirm or otherwise how closely it sticks to the earlier versions.
The feedback opportunity should be welcomed by many I believe - sounds like the community will have some influence over the final product.

I'm with you on the intended rule set, and personally don't intend to use it unless it's dramatically better than we fear it will be. Of course there's nothing to stop anyone using the 4th ed setting with 1st, 2nd or even T:2013 rules! For that matter, why not go all the way and use Phoenix Command?

[Vespers War]

Originally Posted by StainlessSteelCynic

The other things of interest to me were how much the Year Zero rules are slanted towards fast play and also the systems reliance on gimmick dice. They're modifying aspects of the Year Zero system to account for T2k's survival theme and to give some differentiation between items of gear (e.g. small arms), but it is still intrinsically a Year Zero rules set.
While many aspects of the gimmick dice probably won't make it into their version of T2k, they still exist as a possibility. The guy that was interviewed said that the rules are not set just yet as they are only now going into play-testing. Therefore there is still the possibility that changes will be made.

Gimmick dice aren't really a requirement for most (all?) of the Y0 system games as long as you have three different colors of D6s. In past games, you get dice for stats, skills, and gear. There are situations where a player can choose to re-roll dice, but a re-roll of 1 on stat dice means an injury and on gear dice means something goes wrong with the gear (skill dice have no re-roll flaw, which makes them valuable). All you really need is to be able to tell your three types of dice apart. The gimmick dice make it easier, but they're not necessary.

[Lurken]

Originally Posted by StainlessSteelCynic

[...]
Free League is not really changing the world background that much from what we've seen in 2nd/2.2
[...]
Sweden will be a campaign starting region like Poland was in the earlier editions (like their Tales from the Loop RPG there will be two possible starting locations, in this case, Poland and Sweden)
[...]

Hmm... it sounds then like it will be v2.2 timeline, and the Swedish setting will be an offshot from the timeline to keep it playable, because in v2.2 Core book it says: "Most of the cities of Scandinavia are independent or insular, although broad regions in the south are organized. Areas in the north subjected to fighting during the war are either cantonments, devastated or in anarchy."