[Gun Metal Games] Interface Zero 2.0 for Pathfinder Open Playtest

[Shadowborn]

I am pleased to announce that Gun Metal Games is producing a Pathfinder compatible version of Interface Zero 2.0. This is a cyberpunk setting set in the year 2090. We are running an open playtest of the material for the next month. If you'd like to participate, the playtest document is available free for download from the link below. This document includes our new combat rules, hacking rules, 15 pregenerated characters highlighting all available classes and races, and several scenarios for GMs to run. Our design team—Savannah Broadway, Robert Hudson, Louis Porter Jr, Andreas Rönnqvist, Mike Welham, and myself—look forward to your feedback.

You can download your copy from DrivethruRPG. It should also be available here on the Paizo site in the near future.

You can post your feedback here, on the Gun Metal Games website forum, and we'll also accept feedback via email. Links to the feedback areas are provided in the introduction of the playtest doc. Thank you for your interest, and game on!

[Lurion Coravoss]

Link says product is no longer available. XD Came here from the Shadowrun thread btw.

[David Jarvis 182]

Lurion Coravoss wrote:

Link says product is no longer available. XD Came here from the Shadowrun thread btw.

Hi sir, there was a snafu with the pdf, and I needed to take it down. I'm fixing the product, and will have it up later today. Hopefully it'll get approved and also get listed here as well.

[Rusty Ironpants]

Since this is a Pathfinder compatible product, I am curious if the technology rules are consistent with Paizo's Technology Guide.

[Shadowborn]

Rusty Ironpants wrote:

Since this is a Pathfinder compatible product, I am curious if the technology rules are consistent with Paizo's Technology Guide.

They're not incompatible, but after reviewing the Technology Guide there really wasn't a need to follow them for this product. The setting is future Earth. Mass production negates the need for a character to sit down and craft a weapon from scratch when they can just use their TAP (Tendril Access Processor, a computer built directly into the brain) and order one online.

There is a modified combat and weapon damage system presented in the playtest document. It is intended for faster, more streamlined combat with a bent towards "realism." (Well, more cinematic realism, but you get the idea.) Players can also opt for the standard Pathfinder combat and weapon damage if they choose, but for the playtest we'd like feedback on the optional system.

Also, weapon size is not a factor, because the idea that a laser pistol designed to be used by a smaller person should be less powerful than a standard design is nonsensical.

[Rusty Ironpants]

Very interesting. I love cyberpunk so I will give the playtest rules a look.

Shadowborn wrote:

Also, weapon size is not a factor, because the idea that a laser pistol designed to be used by a smaller person should be less powerful than a standard design is nonsensical.

This I like a lot. Totally makes sense.

[Zwordsman]

neat.
hopefully i'll have some sort of chance to playtest it

[Shadowborn]

The revision is taking a bit longer than expected. Should hear some news about the layout today. Thank you for your interest and your patience.

[David Jarvis 182]

Update: I'm going through and redoing the layout. I want to show you what we're capable of at Gun Metal games. You deserve a document that is clean, and visually appealing. Once that's finished, I'll update the files.

[David Jarvis 182]

I'm pleased to announce it's up now here on Paizo!

IZPFRPG

[xorial]

Okay, I downloaded it & started to read thru. I wish you had at least included the first 5 levels or so of each class along with the pregens. I have a hard time getting a feel for them without that info. I'm saying this as a guy that would be GMing this if I can get a group to try it.

[Shadowborn]

We wanted to keep the playtest document page count within reasonable limits. Printing out all 15 classes would have bloated the document. Each pregenerated character contains all the pertinent class and racial ability explanations necessary to run the character. If any questions arise, I'll be happy to answer them.

[Mum-Rob the Ever-Living]

Has anyone else downloaded and had a chance to read through it? If so, and if you have questions, fire them off - we're here to answer them for you!

[Mum-Rob the Ever-Living]

It's been about two weeks folks. Does anyone have any questions? Thoughts? Observations?

[Here4daFreeSwag]

Other than being new free stuff? I guess it could make for a neat quickstart type of thing for a sample adventure sorta stuff.

[Malwing]

I have questions but I need to absorb it a bit more to figure out how to ask.

[Shadowborn]

If anyone wants to discuss their games using the playtest material, we're interested in hearing from you. We'd like to wrap up this playtesting section of development in the next couple of weeks.

[Mum-Rob the Ever-Living]

We really are interested in hearing from you guys - you're the people we're writing this for, after all! =)

[Dacryphilia]

It looks great. Hah. Well. I guess my feedback is a tiny bit late. But I will try and get my group together. And actually try this system out.
It's ever so slightly disheartening to see that no one else is checking this out though.

[Shadowborn]

Dacryphilia wrote:

It looks great. Hah. Well. I guess my feedback is a tiny bit late. But I will try and get my group together. And actually try this system out.

It's ever so slightly disheartening to see that no one else is checking this out though.

Thanks. If you'd like to provide playtest feedback, we'd be glad to have it. Our team is currently in the midst of playtests themselves, so you wouldn't be too late if you ran it soon.

[Dacryphilia]

Well... Where do I start? I guess document. Before I playtest it with my friends. Who are all late today, for some mystical reason.

There are some odd things though, so if possible, I’d like to have some clarification.

1. In the document, it says:

“Base damage is measured in dice as normal, but the actual computation and application of damage is done differently. On a hit that strikes the target with the exactly number needed, damage is 1 point per die of base damage. A hit higher than an exact hit, but that is not a confirmed critical hit, does the average of the dice.”

Then why list the number of dice, and not say... the damage numbers? Which you do later on (but when you look at weapon entries, they show dice again, unlike the table).

That said, are you allowing for players to choose whether to use the exploding dice? If so, then that’s great!
But… does that mean that if I don’t play with exploding dice, I should use the dice average damage?

2. Moving along, there is something that confuses me in the test document (maybe I'm just being retarded, because that happens a lot):
Under the firearms rules, it states pistol damage is 2d6. However 2 out of 3 examples do not follow that. Which is fine! I like it, the flavor text, the pictures? They’re great, but there’s only one pistol that has 2d6 damage and it sounds like a holdout. In fact it states that it is a holdout. As such, a light pistol in theory should have 2d4? It seems a little inconsistent to me.

3. If an idol uses "Hogging the Spotlight," how often can she do this? when? Where? Could she do it after her turn in a given combat situation? Is it just an I-can-enter-the-turn-order-wherever-I-please-but-that-uses-my-turn-for-this -round kind of deal?

If that's the case, then rolling low on the initiative table would be very advantageous to the idol wouldn’t it? Then she could be the last to act in any given around, as well as the first to act in the next, since she could suddenly move to the top of the initiative list.

4. I find the explanations on drones to be rather unclear. Regarding Drone Jockies (actually Drones)-- they have +8 to hit when the AI are controlling them. But is that factoring in Improved Drone Control? Does Improved Drone Control even factor in when they are piloted by AI? Or only when piloted manually (which I assume is when they are in "Basic mode")? If so, then cool beans.

5. Can they also control drones outside of their range? The character example had 75 feet of range. Is it anywhere within 75 feet? I assume it’s not literally, "Want remote surveillance on your mark?" where you could literally have your mark be anywhere within the specified range.

But how long is their range then? Even though it says anywhere in 75 feet, is it actually the 900 ft. range that is under their Cyberware? Well... It's a play test. So I guess when the full thing comes out, I'll know.

6. Also regarding drones, can the Jockey who is currently piloting use Wheelman to try and avoid damage to the drone he is currently piloting?

7. When you say “piloting,” I assume it means “assuming direct control,” much like much like collector general from mass effect… is that correct?

8. Do drones count as vehicles when they’re being piloted?
Because Wheelman comes to mind.

Looking closer of course I see that the TAP is for hacking. Which leads me to believe it's 900 feet. But what if a drone, was hacked. Would it only then be effective within the hacker's range? Or would the hacker need to hack the drone jockey?

[Dacryphilia]

It feels unfinished. Now that we've run all the encounters.
The character sheets ability sheets were lacking in explanation, but we figured it out cause it was... Well. Pathfinder. We played with explosive dice. That was enjoyable, with the burst firing P9. 4d4... One of the players got a 32 in a rather clutch situation. Not that that's relevant to the system I guess, just fun with dice.

We did not test out hyper combat and engrams.
Don't really have any complaints. It was a fun twist on a familiar system, and I want the entire book, it seems to be loads of fun.

Don't worry about responding to all the questions above, because I'm sure the full thing will answer all of my questions.

[Shadowborn]

Thank you. Your playtest data has been recorded and compiled with other feedback. We appreciate you taking the time to help us out. We'll be compiling a list of playtesters in the front section of the book. If you and your players would like to be mentioned, you can PM me your names and I'll see that you get credited as playtesters.

[Mum-Rob the Ever-Living]

I'm echoing those thanks. We really do appreciate it!

[Dacryphilia]

Uh... Any ETA?

[Shadowborn]

Editing of material and an in-house playtest on other rules will be finishing up soon. Layout of the book begins this month.