Q&A With Rick Krebs

[Finarvyn]

Since Rick is hanging out here anyway (at least at the moment), I thought it would be fun to have a question-answer thread in which he can participate or not as he wishes.

So, ask about the design process, playtest process, or anything else of interest that you want to know about Gangbusters!

Rule #1: Rick can answer or not as he chooses. If he waits weeks or months to get back to your question, that's okay.

Rule #2: Don't tick him off or he may go away, and if this happens Vito will drop in to break your kneecaps.

[Finarvyn]

Ragnorakk actually got this process started on another thread, so I grabbed his question and imported it over here.

Mar 31, 2009 13:47:03 GMT -6 ragnorakk said:

Wow! Glad to see you here!
I got Gangbusters when it came out and thought it was a great game! Unfortunately, my players were more into elfs and such...so I never got much of a chance to play.

So, if I may ask some questions

How long of a campaign did you run with Gangbusters, when you were developing or playtesting? How many players did you have?

How long did it take a player to develop a nationwide syndicate? heh heh...

[rick krebs]

How long of a campaign did you run with Gangbusters, when you were developing or playtesting? How many players did you have?

Our campaign was 2 years plus. And, at the time I was operating a game store so to have 6 to 8 players playing on a nightly basis was a possibility. It's structure allows players to come and go as they please or as they die.

How long did it take a player to develop a nationwide syndicate? heh heh...

Some players were happy just to complete a meal. The nationwide syndicate games would have been settled at Gen Con, of course.

[Zulgyan]

I recently got a copy of this one and it seems to be a very very good basis for playing criminal gang wars and other action adventures in present Buenos Aires (Argentina), where I live.

I think that updating the weaponry and car models, and simply changing the names on some things should do the job!

So... have you ever used Gangbusters for a more contemporary setting? Take into account that argentina is a third world country, thus, the weaponry available could be similar to that in the US some years behind or even a decade or two behind. .

[rick krebs]

I think that updating the weaponry and car models, and simply changing the names on some things should do the job! So... have you ever used Gangbusters for a more contemporary setting? Take into account that argentina is a third world country, thus, the weaponry available could be similar to that in the US some years behind or even a decade or two behind.

I would think that Gangbusters would work fine in the situation you are proposing and with a minimum of additional research on weapons and vehicles. But, no we never did officially playtest it in a modern setting. But, that doesn't mean the playtesters, on their own, didn't create such situations and play them out. "If you build it, gamers will try and break it". 8-)Please let me know how Gangbuster works for you and your concept.

[Deleted]

I don't see any reason why Gangbusters can't be done with modern times. Looking at the system, it's general enough for any mid-to-high tech era. You might need to come up with a new list of weapons with damage, tweak the skills (add computer skills and others that weren't around in the 1920's) and so on.

[Finarvyn]

Agreed. It's one of the (many) projects I'm considering, unless Zulgyan beats me to it. :-)

[Zulgyan]

If I do it, I'll do it in spanish and argentine flavoured! So go ahead! ;D

[Stonegiant]

I have been working on this on and off for some time but I always felt that Gangbusters would work great as the basis for a horror game (say Zombiebusters?). I was thinking of the classic horror films (Dracula, Frankenstien, etc.) and also with ideas from the Dawn of the dead, etc. I was wondering if you ever attempted such a style of campaign?

[rick krebs]

No we never experimented with those genres, but there's nothing in the game mechanics to prevent you from doing it. As some of the inspiration for the game came from my Grandfather's sharing his love of b&w gangster movies, it is perhaps fitting that horror movies be a variant of Gangbusters. Try it, I'd love to hear how it went for you.

All the best

[Thorulfr]

Mr Krebs - I, for one, would enjoy hearing any stories you might have about the group you ran while developing the game.
One characteristic of the 'old school' games I've noted is that the "wargaming roots" show pretty clearly. I don't know if this is what you intended, but games like Call of Cthulhu favor a tight-knit party that sticks together and works as a unit, while some of the older games like Boot Hill and Gangbusters* seem to support a style of play where the individual players are only loosely connected, and each go about pursuing their own individual goals. How did you run your games? Were all the characters members of the same gang, or did you have one player who was a PI, one which was a beat cop, one playing the cub reporter, and another who was the gang member, all often working at cross purposes?


*Yes, I know that Gangbusters came out AFTER Call of Cthulhu, but the game design of the former seems far more "old school" than the latter, ...well, at lest to me.

[rick krebs]

I will work on injecting occassional storylines in the Gangbuster (1982) subject and will try and cajole an original playtester judge&player for experiences.

An interesting and probably helpful part of the B20>Public Enemy> Gangbusters history is that this project spent 4 or 5 years in Lake Geneva. So that may help explain that GBs actual design precedes that of Cthulhu. It's correct position on the release schedule should fall after AD&D DMG. Thus, it also predates Top Secret.

There were several gangs, of various sizes and approaches. I owned a game shop, so it was very easy to say who wants to play B20s tonight, and what does everyone want to do ? Revenge was a frequent motivator. And, using my computer I could create a newspaper using headlines to suggest potential storylines and a place to help make memorable characters for all to see. Isn't that what we'd like to play a memorable character ?

I am a "free willer" in RPG games. I have played with many great players and DMs who taught me creative solutions toward any problem. Yes, we were making up the rules as we went and were encouraged to do so by the creators of D&D. Using percentage dice is important here. I believe that you can pretty accurately give odds for almost any action a game character could create. And, there is margin for error, I think something is 40% to happen and you disagree and think its 30%...we could find agreement at 35%. Poof it works. While I may be a good GM and handle this free-wheeling approach, I also discovered that other people could handle this chaos with dice rolls.

GB calls for a cast of characters to be developed. NPC stats are easily generated, but the flesh on the bones comes from the "Judge". NPC's do have feelings, too. Every character and NPC has a story, expand it, contract it. Fact or gossip it is all grist in the storytelling mill. D&D is an up and down plotline, but GB more closely follows a novel, rising to a climax... a movie, TV show, newspaper article, or novel with percentage dice.

[Thorulfr]

Apr 20, 2009 16:54:24 GMT -6 rick krebs said:

I will work on injecting occassional storylines in the Gangbuster (1982) subject and will try and cajole an original playtester judge&player for experiences.

Please! Get this stuff down on paper - the 'archaeology' of our hobby.

[dwayanu]

I don't remember details, but there was an issue of Dragon with a "pulp heroes" game (a la Doc Savage and the Shadow) as a feature. I think the pages are still stuck in one of my old CoC rule books.

Any way, memory suggests that those rules were pretty compatible with GB and that we used bits from GB to flesh out some scenarios.

(I happened to dig Chaosium's "Basic Role Playing" framework underlying RuneQuest a lot, so that came largely to displace more specialized games apart from D&D, Traveller and V&V.)

[rick krebs]

This n' That

Please, call me Rick. I'd hope we're all friends here. And for decades that's what the kids of my neighborhood call me.

It is all written down, just a matter of finding all the boxes and files. Have found some material such as my unpublished barebones scenario (unpublished as the new school was opposed to providing the Judge so much leeway in running their games) and additional charts for creating NPCs sort of a Rogue's Gallery for GB. Found some audio tapes which were done as radio news broadcast for GB, but weren't salvageable. I'm hoping to find scripts of that material.

Remember when thinking about running GB, think playing cops & robbers as a kid, and not playing D&D with machine guns

All the best
Rick

[Deleted]

Rick,

Were any of the other TSR personalities or contributors part of the design, development or playtesting of GB?

Did you attempt to maintain a lot of continuity in your campaign or was it more free-wheeling?

Thanks,
Scott

[rick krebs]

eGG's contributed many suggestions, particularly interested in accenting the role of union's in Chicago's ward system and Brian Blume provided additional info on the Chicago ward system, as well as other game play suggestions. This was done at a time when GB was going to use Chicago as its backdrop. So, I was lucky to have the Chicagoans for additional research.

I do not believe that eGG or BB were a part of the playtest group in Lake Geneva, and since they were in WI and I was in PA, they were not part of my group of playtesters. But, their input was part of the game's development.

By it's design, not all players in the same party, so to speak, GB is free-wheeling. But, even while the game transitioned between Chicago & "Lakefront City" the story line, characters and locations (and several "blood feuds" ) remained continuous through the 4 -5 years of playtesting.

GB is more playing the kid's game "Cop's & Robbers" than playing D&D with machineguns.

There is more material available at the website: bloody20s.blogspot.com/ with more to come.

All the best.

[barrataria]

Rick, if you still come around, I'm curious about the preceding post.

How or why did things change from Chicago to Lakefront City? Were there some kind of copyright issues, or (like Boot Hill, I guess) did it just give everyone creative freedom without a need for extensive historical research (which must have been done anyway given the detail involved).

LC is a great setting; I'd use it for a superhero game if I ever got around to running one (my GB games have always been set in San Francisco).

Thanks!

[rick krebs]

I am still visiting. TSR, by this time, was doing market research to determine which format would sell the most. eGG, BB and myself leaned toward Chicago and considerable historical research was done... considerable, as eGG was indeed a stickler for details.

[malchya]

I, for one, love Lakefront City. I must admit that I spend a LOT of time there. If I don't have an active game going in a different setting (Privateers and Gentlemen, HackMaster, Boot Hill, Pendragon, etc) I find myself working on LFC. Rather than use the Chicago clone map that came with the game I have laid out my own street grid and moved LFC from Lake Michigan to Lake Superior in a mythical analog of Chequamegon Bay. I've developed the city to such a point that I can see the skyline in my mind when I close my eyes. The wet cobbles of the alleys and the looming presence of the 66 story Convocation Tower is as real to me as Camelot or Minas Tirith.... Guess I do have some issues....

Heck, I can even name the entire staff of the '27 Lakefront City Express major league baseball team!

Rick, if you're still here, I would really like to hear more!

[malchya]

Rick, I do have a question concerning design philosophy if you don't mind. I've always thought the lethality of the weapons mix was considerably underplayed. It seemed a common failing of RPGs from that era. Was this a conscious choice to improve pc survivability?

[Ronin84]

Rick,

I made a choice back in the 80's not to get into this because I was a high school student and I was already heavily involved with DnD and Top Secret.

I have managed to get a hold of the 1st edition rules, and maybe you answered this question already...

What were the differences in the editions of the game?

Thanks in advance!

[rick krebs]

I have no idea Ronin84. Never spent the time with 3rd edition rules, once it appeared to be an effort to deny the original game designer his justly owed royalties.

Glad you picked up a copy of the 1st edition rules and hope you enjoy it.

[Ronin84]

Jan 11, 2011 6:43:35 GMT -6 rick krebs said:

I have no idea Ronin84. Never spent the time with 3rd edition rules, once it appeared to be an effort to deny the original game designer his justly owed royalties.

Glad you picked up a copy of the 1st edition rules and hope you enjoy it.

Did not know that, thanks very much for answering!

[coffee]

Third edition seems to me to be a combination of the first edition rules and the setting from the first module.

So if you have a copy of that (GB-1), you have pretty much the same thing as third edition. Only better.

[rick krebs]

Jan 12, 2011 2:55:36 GMT -6 coffee said:

Third edition seems to me to be a combination of the first edition rules and the setting from the first module.

So if you have a copy of that (GB-1), you have pretty much the same thing as third edition. Only better.

[smokestackjones]

Jan 12, 2011 2:55:36 GMT -6 coffee said:

Third edition seems to me to be a combination of the first edition rules and the setting from the first module.

So if you have a copy of that (GB-1), you have pretty much the same thing as third edition. Only better.

"Better" as in Rick's great game with a campaign city written my Tom Moldvay.

-SJ