Better Angels is a an upcoming One Roll Engine role playing game from Greg Stolze and Arc Dream. It’s currently in playtesting and we were fortunate enough to get our hands on the draft. Caleb ran the playtest scenario so we could get familiar with the game before we dive into a campaign. In this scenario, we all play supervillains in an existing group of bad guys, out to rule the American Midwest with an iron fist….in theory. However, after a horrifically violent outing at an Occupy rally and a fight with a ‘superhero’, we get a job offer from another supervillain. The job isn’t what it seems though so will our protagonists find out the truth behind the scheme and what will they do about it?
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Not even 5 minutes in, but I heard Ross’ character’s name and I am sold.
I was trying to think if Greg Stolze had ever done anything that didn’t make me intensely happy. I think he once did a sneeze I wasn’t especially interested in, but I bet I’d’ve liked it if I reread it. sooo looking forward to this campaign.
interesting; this game reminds me of Ron Edwards’ fine and excellent game, “Sorcerer”
STEAL ALL THE BREAST MILK
This was pretty great. Love that you play a human, and the demon of a fellow PC. Have to pick this game up as my group finish our current campaign.
Somhow the Defenestratior did not make me think this would be a serious game. It has to be one of the best superhero names for a long while.
It’s amazing how much stuff there is on defenestration on the internet. There are whole articles on wikipedia and even poetry.
Defenestration by R.P. Lister (1956)
I once had the honour of meeting a philosopher called McIndoe
Who had once had the honour of being flung out of an upstairs window.
During his flight, he said, he commenced an interesting train of speculation
On why there happened to be such a word as defenestration.
There is not, he said, a special word for being rolled down a roof into a gutter;
There is no verb to describe the action of beating a man to death with a putter;
No adjective exists to qualify a man bound to the buffer of the 12.10 to Ealing,
No abstract noun to mollify a man hung upside down by his ankles from the ceiling.
Why, then, of all the possible offences so distressing to humanitarians,
Should this one alone have caught the attention of the verbarians?
I concluded (said McIndoe) that the incidence of logodaedaly was purely adventitious.
About a thirtieth of a second later, I landed in a bush that my great-aunt brought back from Mauritius.
I am aware (he said) that defenestration is not limited to the flinging of men through the window.
On this occasion, however, it was so limited, the object defenestrated being I, the philosopher, McIndoe.
I feel like I’ve been away from RPPR for far too long. It’s nice to know that some things never change. Even in a game about demons, the RPPR crew has questionable ethics.
I can’t claim credit for the Defenestrator: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_8_%28comics%29
“The Defenestrator: A large, burly man in a denim jacket, black sunglasses, with black hair who obsessively carries around a window through which he forcefully throws criminals and the occasional unlucky policeman. His assaults on police officers landed him in Arkham Asylum. His appearance, name, and his death (and last words) are direct parodies of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character in Terminator 2: Judgment Day.”
Wow, just wow.
What a great game. All the demons were incredible, but Shen-Mu takes the cake. Props to Aaron for such a great job.
I really must insist this campaign be posted immediately. None of this year long delay malarkey!
Nope.
http://i.imgur.com/bY5XsDW.gif
three posts in a row
i like the new look, Ross; are you on Broadway?
As the second image clearly shows, he’s from the streets.
Aaron ordered someone to steal breast milk. Done. Sold. Nothing more needs to be said.
Was Jason’s demon Ross’ character from that playtest long ago? Somthing about a statue as a weapon?
Also this is the funniest AP in a long time. Well done.
I want to call attention to David’s totally awesome idea of a sin for Aaron: buying ice cream from a child to convince the kid that some strangers are nice. That was an amazing idea. Too bad Aaron didn’t go for it.
Thank you, Tadanori. 🙂
Aaron’s a challenging player to suggest sin for because he’s such a good person. He’s not one to massacre an entire building, or commit a murder *just* because the demon says to, or even steal mother’s milk…
I’m looking forward to another round of this. Next time, I’ll have a list of lesser evils that can masquerade as good deeds.
“That smoker needs a light. Help him out.”
“No!”
“Perfect. That nicotine fit’ll be brutal.”
Major kudos to all involved, no one disappointed!
I’ve never heard of this system and really like the idea of players controlling the demon aspect of another player. Also a fan of how it ties in with the “Gotta be evil, but not TOO evil” playstyle.
Aaron is the man, but is it terrible that I’m looking forward to seeing him squirm at the prospect of committing evil deeds intentionally? Take it as a compliment my good sir, and don’t you go changin’!
Bonus shout-out to David and Jason for the hilarious bank robbery scene. David with a fistful of bank, literally, and Jason trying to eat money… I literally cried laughing.
Ross, the Defenestrator should have one of those big panes of glass people are always moving across a busy street in all 80’s car chase scenes, and just push people through it from ground level.
@ Journ-O-LST-3 – Grignar does first appear in the con game that Ross and Caleb played, Old School Hack.
I didn’t find this until I’d listened to all of No Soul Left Behind, but it’s still a lot of fun. Especially the burst die packs from the cunning bank robbery. The part where the team very nearly blew off/forgot their own ambush was also great.
As for “doot doot doo” (which Caleb does in this one), I’ve found myself doing it when looking stuff up myself. It really is a basilisk hack.