When I think of an anti-gravity racing league my mind goes
back to fond memories of games such as Wipeout, F-zero, and Star Wars: Pod
Racing. There are other terrestrial contributors to this futuristic, super-fast
sub-genre of racing such as Extreme G, POD, and Kinetica. All of these games
have one thing in common: they are all video games. Neon Burn aims at bringing
the excitement and speed of a futuristic racer in to the story driven and
strategic realms of traditional RPGs. This is no small feat, but from what I
experienced last night, Neon Burn is definitely on the right track.
In its present iteration, the game focuses on a cooperative
model based around different character classes (Such as Driver, Publicist,
Coach, Pit Crew) narrating off track scenes to generate Spark. When characters
do things that relate to their character’s Passions, they are rewarded with
Spark. This is used to activate player abilities which can be used in these
scenes or during the race to modify rolls. The type of scene also determines
what else you can gain from it, whether you are Moonlighting to make some extra
Credits, Buying/Selling equipment, or setting up an Afterburn, which is a
special kind of tension with rivals or other events that will affect the game
in future scenes or during the race.
Once you've finished framing all of your off track scenes,
which is determined by a race Start Time (real world time you transition from
Scenes to the Race) it’s time for the race. The game has rules to help you
generate a custom track, whether random or piecemeal. The track sections have a
Width (max assignable dice) and Difficulty (minimum roll to get an Even result),
as well as the preferred stats for vehicles in those sections. Vehicles can
give or take a number to the Driver’s dice according to their stats, and after
dice are rolled they are placed in a grid based on the max Width of the
Section. Higher value successes trump lower values, and same values cancel each
other out completely. The game’s dice system focuses around a d6 base with (+)
or (-) modifying the dice size (ex. d6 with a (-) turns in to a d4) The Driver
rolls dice for the team, while others roll dice for the Field and any Rivals or
Drivers that are other drivers with stats and personalities. All of the players
can use their Spark to modify rolls beforehand, allow for re-rolls, cancelling a
Failure, or making modifications to what stats are affected by certain roll
outcomes. There are many more nuances to Neon Burn’s rules, but I have outlined
the most central components of the current system.
Overall, the game has married a very free-form storytelling
system with a crunchier and tactical racing system. Personally, I feel like
this is a great success. Neither side of the system feels neglected, and apart
from a little lack of rolling for a couple of our players, was engaging and
exciting. Craig and I discussed some possible solutions for giving players in
the support roles a little more to do during the race. Other than that, the
system is deep and flexible. Being in an early stage of development there are
some glaring imbalances, but nothing that is rooted in the core mechanics.
Class attributes can be balanced through Spark cost or redesign, and the
competitiveness of Rivals, Drivers, and the Field can be adjusted through
giving them some default uses and pools for their own Spark or similar roll
modification system.
To me, the most exciting thing about this game is how fresh
the idea of a racing system is in the RPG game system space. I’m sure there
have been parts of systems for races in the past, but I have never seen one
that could elevate a racing experience, which in itself would be hard pressed
to leave the board game realm. The system already includes rules for many
different types of Leagues, whether they are stock or custom, weaponized or
pacifist, and single race or a long sustained Circuit over many play sessions. Another
great aspect is that the system’s core allows for the addition of source
material for all types of racing-centric eras and sub-genres. Anything from
Roman chariot racing, fantasy beast racing, sci-fi tank racing (suggested by
one of our playtesters), or something that even resembles modern day stock car
racing would be supported. Could this be the system to allow NASCAR fans to
live the dream of being part of a big time stock car team? I sure hope so.
Gamers United!
Cavin “Pox” DeJordy
Craig Judd’s Blog: http://powerframe-rpg.blogspot.com/
Neon Burn Information: https://plus.google.com/events/cm79rb0kdd0v6pvpa09ug9f655o
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