GI Joe RPG pre-orders are up

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I'm intrigued and worried all at once. I did some light google'ing. I'm curious about the system in play. I would like to see a few examples of play.
 
I really wish I was more excited by this, but then I read about the core dice rolling mechanic and went blah.

It’s d20 but more complicated. They could have just copied and pasted d20 Modern and done better.
Dang, I really want to like this game. I would appreciate any examples of action resolution,
 
Am I the only one that prefers the standard cover to the deluxe? I wonder when they will accept preorders for the Transformers RPG.
 

This article explains the mechanics better than anywhere else I’ve seen. It’s using a d20-inspired system called “Essence20”. The bit about characters being unable to die scares me because that sounds like the cartoon.
 
The fact I have a chance at getting back my GI Joe comic collection from the friend I gave it to makes me interested in this far more than I should be.
 
I have to say that I’m not a big fan of that cover. I’m not sure why Snake-Eyes’ sword is sheathed in flame or why Roadblock is firing lasers with an LMG.
 
I have to say that I’m not a big fan of that cover. I’m not sure why Snake-Eyes’ sword is sheathed in flame or why Roadblock is firing lasers with an LMG.

Snake Eyes got a +2 flametongue in issue 52.

I feel like someone should tell Roadblock “turn around, he’s right there”.
 
I pre-ordered Power Rangers, G.I. Joe and Transformers at my local game store, thanks to bits and mortar, got the Power Rangers PDF, but Joe and Transformers are the ones I am REALLY looking forward to. Only skimmed the PDF, but it looks interesting. Turning the suit colors into classes isn't something I'd have done, but I can kinda see why they did it. I suppose.

the classes they went with really only work for the original line up. Red is leader (that one works across the board, the rest, well, don't), Blue is the tech guy, Green is the edgy outsider who tends to be a loaner, Black is the jokster tough guy, Pink is the dexterous one, Yellow is the heart of the team. White is basically an advance class that you have to blow a feat to transfer to, and is the embodiment of the ranger creed. (Hopefully later source books will fix this a bit, because that line up really doesn't work for like RPM, or Time Force)

Zord combat looks to use the same base sheet as the standard PCs, but has a size modifier bonus, but they have 2 rules. 1) don't do anything that your ranger can't do for themselves. (no sending your Zord out to pick up a pint of Chunky Monkey at midnight) 2) Don't enter combat until all hope seems lost. (so basically wait until the Rangers beat up the bad guy of the week, then the evil guy makes the monster grow, then you can join in)
 
why Roadblock is firing lasers with an LMG.

Young me was very confused by Roadblock’s .50 was firing bullets when he was introduced in the comics, and I rationalized it that each bullet must be an individual energy shell for the beams it shot out.

Ah, to be young and dumb again.
 

This article explains the mechanics better than anywhere else I’ve seen. It’s using a d20-inspired system called “Essence20”. The bit about characters being unable to die scares me because that sounds like the cartoon.
Mhm, that's why I hated the cartoons. My immediate thought seeing the cover, was wanting to see a "Realism Version" where the cover would be the same scene, but them getting mowed down by machinegun fire because they stood around striking flashy poses in the open with no cover.
 
Mhm, that's why I hated the cartoons. My immediate thought seeing the cover, was wanting to see a "Realism Version" where the cover would be the same scene, but them getting mowed down by machinegun fire because they stood around striking flashy poses in the open with no cover.

Clearly they’re just following in the footsteps of the Hasbro mandates back in the day, where characters were killed off to make room for the newest action figures—I mean characters.
 
Yeah, I'm waiting on the Sgt Rock RPG that includes multiple gruesome and grizzly ways to die.

I never read GI Joe comics and always assumed they were like the cartoon.
There weren’t necessary a lot of Joes that died; most of them came at one time. There was just quite a few deaths overall, mostly supporting characters. But you always felt that your favorite could be KIA in any issue.
 
Having no possibility of character death would feel like playing Toon
 
Born in the early Eighties, so GI Joe was a big part of my childhood. Toys, comics, cartoon.

I'm not usually a huge fan of IP licensed RPGs, but I may have to check this out.

You roll a d20 but if you have a specialization, you roll all the dice under it. Talk about buckets of dice!
Wait, like...


Roll a d4, d6, d8, d10, and d12.

At once?
 
Young me was very confused by Roadblock’s .50 was firing bullets when he was introduced in the comics, and I rationalized it that each bullet must be an individual energy shell for the beams it shot out.

Ah, to be young and dumb again.

Young me was never so caught up in - or mature enough to catch - the distinctions between cartoon lasers and a Ma Deuce's .50 BMG shells clinking on the ground.

Oh-Shit-I'm-Almost-Middle-Aged-Now Me doesn't worry about it.
 
Wait, like...


Roll a d4, d6, d8, d10, and d12.

At once?

WTF. From the publisher's overview:

First off, as you may suspect from the name, Essence20™ is a d20 based system. The core mechanic for resolving a roll is for the player to roll a d20 along with their Skill die (ranging from a d2-d20). The result of the d20 and skill die must exceed the difficulty of the test in order to succeed. Characters with a specialization in the skill being tested get to roll their skill die and all dice below it, and pick the highest result to add to their d20 roll, increasing their odds of success! What’s more, a max value roll on ANY die is a critical success, leading to more chances for crits and more opportunities for great roleplaying incorporating them.

Character creation follows a three-pronged approach, based on their Origin (what type of person are they?), Role (what is their place on the team?), and Influence (what experiences have led them to this point?). Character’s abilities and skills are based on the 4 S’s, Strength, Speed, Smarts, and Social. These options give an amazing depth and breadth to the variety of characters that a player can create!

The character backgrounds, character flaw system, and Story Point system (awarded for mission success, special heroics, and spectacular roleplaying) lend themselves to a cinematic and cooperative roleplaying experience that is a great fit for our upcoming games.

I'm curious what a Crit entails if it pings on a max roll of any die - even a d2.

Rolling all dice if you have a specialization, well if it's a rare enough or niche thing, then I guess dropping all the dice on the table and looking for a high roll may be okay. Kinda weird, but as a once-a-game 'fuck all this' moment? Guess that's okay.

I'm also wondering how they will make a distinctions between Origin and Influence. They seem similar.
 
I'm willing to give this new-fangled Essence nonsense a chance to deliver, but I'm going to be grumpy about it darn it. :argh:
 
Young me was never so caught up in - or mature enough to catch - the distinctions between cartoon lasers and a Ma Deuce's .50 BMG shells clinking on the ground.

Oh-Shit-I'm-Almost-Middle-Aged-Now Me doesn't worry about it.

It was hard to miss in the issue that introduced Roadblock, as the artist made a point on focusing him and another character’s guns firing away before they showed the characters themselves.
 
Can you give a quick idea on what that looks like?
so far the only thing they have mentioned in any of the articles I've been able to find is you roll 3d6, you need 3 different dice, one to represent the one's digit, one for the ten's digit, and one for the hundred's digit, and the best roll you can get is a 616, because that is the universe number for the core marvel universe. We will find out more in march when the playtest book hits the stores, I guess.
 
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