[Tales from the Loop] Supernatural powers

[finarvyn]

I tried posting this on the Free Legion webpage and have gotten mostly crickets chirping, so I thought I'd try my luck here where folks actually discuss gaming.

I have copies of both Tales from the Loop and Kids with Bikes and I'd like to run something of this genre with my gaming group. I like the overall feel and mechanic behind Tales better, but Kids has rules for supernatural characters (well, mostly supernatural NPCs) and my wife pretty much only plays RPGs where she can use magic. (She says she can be normal in the real world, so if she role plays she wants to be a magic user. I can see her logic.)

Anyway, I'm thinking of doing some sessions of Tales from the Loop but I'd like to have some sort of magical or psychic talent for her to work with, sort of like Eleven in Stranger Things, but as far as I can tell TftL doesn't have any rules for this style of play. So, for those of you who have run TftL games, have you tried any rules for supernatural talents? What rules did you use, how did it work out, or do you have any suggestions of what I might try?

 

[Necrozius]

I was thinking about this the other day. I’d likely just take the easy route and make a supernatural ability as a “skill”, using the same basic mechanic for success. The idea being that powers are used to overcome obstacles like any other ability, but with different fluff and consequences.

I would just frame it somehow with the player: set basic limitations (telekinesis, telepathy, precognition, ghost sight, pyrotechnics etc) and what the source is. Also define what is still a mystery, letting the GM create a plot and cool storyline.

Eleven recharged herself with downtime just like the other kids, come to think of it.

 

[ORtrail]

Normal kids dealing with odd situations is really the premise of Tales From the Loop. The kids finding a way to succeed DESPITE not being combat monsters, or having wealth/influence, or powers of some sort is part of the charm of the game. The sci-fi elements are strong, while any supernatural elements are not really there.

Have you tried any of the Tiny D6 RPGs? The latest kids-in-the-eighties RPG is Stranger Stuff. I don't own it, but it sounds like it might do what you are looking for. You can get the PDF for $10.

DriveThruRPG

www.drivethrurpg.com

 

[NinjaWeasel]

In Coriolis, which uses a variation of the same rules engine, there are some rules for what it calls "Mystic Powers". They're pretty simple. Basically, it works very much like what Necrozius describes above, so if you want one of these then you need to take the skill called "Mystic Powers". In order to use a Mystic Power you then just have to do the skill test. Failing the test means that something goes wrong but the nature of what this entails is entirely in the GMs hands. The list of powers described in Coriolis is:

Artificer
Clairvoyant
Exorcist
Intuition
Mind Reader
Mind Walker (allows a PC to experience another character's senses)
Prediction
Premonition
Stop (prevents NPCs from performing simple actions)
Telekinesis

Each one has very simple rules, literally just two or three lines worth, about what it can allow the player to do. The use of it results in a player getting a Darkness Point and I'm not sure whether you would want to take the Darkness Point system into TftL or not. To be honest you could just ignore that part of it completely anyway and it wouldn't break anything.

Forbidden Lands also has a full blown Magic system that is more complicated than the Mystic Powers of Coriolis. I haven't read that section fully yet but I suspect it will be trickier, though not impossible, to adapt to use with TftL.