Back after a LONG hiatus....anyone up for a Gangbusters PBP?

[maxvale76]

As the thread title says; I'm back on these boards after a very long hiatus due to many factors including work and a kid; but I have much more time for on-line gaming now and was wondering if anyone out there was up for any Gangbusters Play by Post action? If people are interested; we could pick up where my old game stalled out a year and a half ago (Max's Game threads...right here in this section!); or we could start anew. Anyone out there interested? Oh yeah...and it's good to be back!

-Max

[kesher]

Don't have time for any more gaming than I'm already doing, but welcome back!

[kipper]

I could certainly get into another Gangbusters game, I'd prefer to continue using my old characters too (or at least one of them if we just get one character each). However, I am moving next week and all my books are currently packed away, it would probably be a couple of weeks before I'd have enough time to really get started.

[maxvale76]

Kesher: No worries; I completely understand and thanks for the welcome!

Kipper: Good to chat with you again amigo! I'm cool with waiting a bit and picking up where we left off; or at the very least; having you use the same characters! Hopefully I can find a few more players while we wait! How've things been with you?


Anybody: Anybody out there wanting/willing to play some good old fasioned Jazz Age/G-men & Gangsters/Roaring (and/or Bloody!) 20s action? Let me know; I'm hoping to gather up 3-6 players!

[sammarlow]

I'd like to play but don't have the game. Do I need anything to create a character?

[cleverkobold]

Sept 17, 2013 23:15:27 GMT -6 sammarlow said:

I'd like to play but don't have the game. Do I need anything to create a character?

This is my situation as well.

[sammarlow]

ok. I ordered the 1st edition on ebay. hope to have the instructions within a week or so. Are you still interested in running a game?

[maxvale76]

Allright! Some interested players; whoo-hoo!

No; you don't HAVE to own the books to play; but it makes a few things a bit easier....in a nutshell; the game is percentile based (attributes and skills) and has levels (a la D&D). There are two editions to the game 1st (1982) and 3rd (1990); there was no 2nd Edition; the use of 3rd was an error. As far as I can tell; there is no difference game mechanics wise between 1st and 3rd; so if you can get your hands on either via E-bay; Amazon; whatever; you'll be good with either edition.

I have a buddy who was in the original game I was running on this site (his handle was Mr. Tinkles); who I think I can get to join in as well; so that's plenty to get started with!

Do you guys want to pick up where the old game left off? Start a new one (with perhaps the same characters from the old game but in a new "alternate universe" Lake City)?

Do you guys want to use the idea I had last time with 1 gangster character, 1 law enforcement character and 1 Independent character....or just stick to 1 character?

For those that don't have the game....do you want me to roll up character stats for you or would you like to wait until you have the game book?

Let me know...and hopefully we can get this game rolling real soon!

[kipper]

Since we have two new players, we may be better off starting a new game so they don't need to get up to speed on events?

Three characters or one, I'm not really fussed either way, whichever you prefer. I would like to re-use one (or more as the case may be) of my old characters, either a "past"/"future" or "alternate reality" version if we're starting a new game.

[sammarlow]

I vote for a new game, but could go either way. I should receive my rule book sometime this week (or next Monday @ the latest). If you don't mind, I'd like to roll my characters ( I did like the 3 different scenarios/3 characters idea you had earlier). In order not to slow things down, could you go over the dice rolls necessary for character creation (and review the attributes?). Thanks and looking forward to this, I haven't played Gang Busters since I was in Jr. High a long time ago!

[maxvale76]

Okay; quick overview of character creation.....

Every character has 7 abilities: Muscle (MU); Agility (AG); Observation (OB); Presence (PR); Driving (DR); Luck (LU); and Punching. In addition; each character has Hit Points (HP); a Profession (Law Enforcement; Private; Criminal); and a Level. In essence; the Abilities are analogous to Attributes in D&D; Professions are the equivalent of Classes and Levels and Hit Points are pretty much exactly the same thing in both game.

The Abilities:

*Muscle; Agility and Observation are all rated as a percentile score in a range from 26 to 100. Three percentile rolls are made when creating a character and each is modified by the same table: If a 01-25% is rolled; then add +25 to the score; if a 26-50% is rolled then add +15 to the score; if a 51-70% is rolled then add +10 to the score; if a 71-90% is rolled then add +5 to the score; if a 91-100% is rolled then add nothing to the score.

(Example: Joe Schmo decides to roll up a G-man character and rolls a 47% for his character's Muscle Ability; consulting the above table he adds +15 to the score for a final ability of MU: 62. He then repeats this process for his character's Agility and Observation Abilities)

-Muscle is a combination of raw strength and toughness; sort of a combo of STR and CON from D&D. It will directly impact the character's Punching Score; his Hit Points and the final MU rating is the character's percent chance to break down a door.

-Agility is an indicator of manual dexterity and coordination. It will serve as the character's chance to hit opponents with weapons and in unarmed combat; it will serve as an indicator of how well certain 'stunts' are pulled off and it will have an impact on a character's Hit Points and Driving Score.

-Observation is a measure of the character's perception and alertness to all things going on around him. It will help determine whether or not a character is surprised in combat; serve as a percent chance to notice things and will affect the character's Driving Score

**Presence is a score from 3 to 10 and is determined by the roll of a single d10 and modified by the following table: A roll of 1-3 receives a +2 modifier; a roll of 4-7 receives a +1 modifier and a roll of 8-10 receives no modifier. Presence is a measure of the character's charisma; charm; personal beauty and ability to influence other people. It can help characters in the game get information; get help from NPCs; receive raises and/or promotions at work; etc.

***Luck is a measure of the how lucky a character is. It is a percentile score from 01-50%. It is determined by rolling percent dice and dividing by 2 (round up; i.e. a roll of 87% will generate a Luck score of 44%). It will be used when otherwise no other skill/ability really covers the situation that requires a roll and it will serve as a last-dtich chance to keep your character 'clinging to life' when his Hit Points reach 0 or lower.

****Driving is a measure of how well the character drives when speeding or undertaking maneuvers under tricky situations (tight turns; rain-slicked streets; under fire; etc.) It is a percentile score and is determined by adding a Character's OB and AG scores and dividing by 2 and rounding up. (Example: Joe Schmo's G-man has an AG of 61 and a OB of 74. Adding them together; dividing by 2 and rounding up leads to a Driving Score of 68%)

*****Punching is a number from 1 to 5 and is an indicator of how much Bruising (non-lethal) damage is scored when a hit is made in hand-to-hand combat. It is determined by the character's MU ability. An MU of 01-20 (NPCs only) equals a Punching Score of 1; an MU of 21-40 equals a Punching Score of 2; and MU of 41-60 equals a Punching Score of 3; an MU of 61-80 equals a Punching Score of 4 and an MU of 81-100 equals a Punching Score of 5.

******Hit Points are determined by adding a characters AG and MU scores; dividing by 10 and adding 1 for any remainder; and then adding 5. Example: Joe Schmo's Fed has an AG of 61 and an MU of 62. These are added together to equal 123; divided by 10 equals 12 with a remainder of 3 which adds 1 more to equal 13. Finally; 5 more are added for a final Hit Point score of 18. (Yes....this is kind of needlessly convoluted; but hopefully you followed me! )


This is the basics and just about 90% of the mechanics needed for the game. They will cover everything from shooting to Conning Bouncers at the Speak-easy to Noticing the guy in the Fedora with the violin case slipping out the back. In addition to the above; there are Skills (listed as a Percentile Score) and Experience Points which can be used to improve skills; gain new skills OR rise in Levels.

Hopefully this gives people a basic idea of the game's framework.....

[sammarlow]

Thanks for the overview.  My gangbusters book hopefully will be in tomorrow.  I plan to roll up 3 characters (1 for each type) and will send results back soon.  how much back story do you want and do you have a source for names of that time period. In the mean time, I will call them by their profession (until I find a name).

[sammarlow]

ok, I didn't get the book yet (delivery issue, hope to get it sometime next week) but I did roll up 3 characters (see below).  Do you have descriptions of the different professions?

Here are their stats (totals only, if you need the calculations, I can post those as well):

NAME: Michael Walker
PROFESSION: FEDERAL AGENT

MUSCLE 86%
AGILITY 95%
OBSERVATION 80%
PRESENCE 8
DRIVING 88%
LUCK 36%
PUNCHING 5
HP 24
Weapon: Nickel plated Colt M1911 .45 in a concealed fast draw hip holster (from his Texas Ranger Days).

NAME: Danny Sullivan
PROFESSION: Criminal

MUSCLE 83%
AGILITY 87%
OBSERVATION 65%
PRESENCE 7
DRIVING 76%
LUCK 32%
PUNCHING 5
HP 22
Weapon: Smith & Wesson M1917 .45 (do they also have hand to hand weapons?  I was thinking a switchblade or black jack)


 NAME: Jim Holland
PROFESSION: Private Investigator

MUSCLE 70%
AGILITY 96%
OBSERVATION 78%
PRESENCE 6
DRIVING 87%
LUCK 23%
PUNCHING 4
HP 22
Weapon: Colt M1911 .45 (shoulder holster)

Does this look ok?

[sammarlow]

Maxvale76: I noticed in your prior game you listed a backstory for each character. did you want them for these as well? What year does ours start?

Kipper: what do your characters look like?

Cleverkobold: did you roll up your characters yet? Maxvale76's instructions were very helpful.

[kipper]

Here are my characters:

Character 1 (FPB): Agent Andrew Neals

Andrew has political aspirations. He first tried lawschool but found that he couldn’t stand the monotony and instead applied to be a Prohibition Agent. He plans on making a name for himself, and using that popularity to work his way into a political office. (No one said he was very smart!). His sister, Betty Neals, is a reporter with a local paper.

Muscle: 78
Agility: 41
Observation: 91
Presence: 5
Driving: 66
Luck: 20
HP: 17
Punch: 4
Skills: Wiretapping: 97; Public Speaking: 66

Weapons:
-Colt 1911 "Government" Auto: .45, 7 shot clip, $50.00, Range: 40 feet. 2 spare clips.
-Sawed-off, Double-barreled 12-gauge shotgun.

$50 (pay), +$100
XP: 10,000
XP to Spend: 5,000

~~~~~
Character 2 (Criminal): Brian McMurphy.

Brian just recently got into the crime game on the word of his cousin, Aaron McMurphy, who works as a runner for a local syndicate. He was previously working as a taxi driver.

Muscle: 45
Agility: 80
Observation: 89
Presence: 7
Driving: 85
Luck: 24
HP: 18
Punch: 3
Skills: Auto Theft: 77 ; Lockpicking: 18 ; Stealth: 52

Weapons: 0.45 automatic, lead pipe
Money: $250

XP: 10,000
XP to spend: 0

~~~~~
Character 3 (Independent): Deloris “Del” Kennedy

Del loves hanging out at Speakeasies, and gets a thrill from rubbing shoulders with and talking to gangsters. She is currently in a developing relationship with a speakeasy bouncer, Roderick Tate.

Muscle: 43
Agility: 80
Observation: 71
Presence: 8
Driving: 76
Luck: 37
HP: 18
Punch: 3
Skills: Pickpocketing: 48; Public Speaking: 73

Money: $75.50+$100
Gear: Colt 1908 "Pocket" Auto: .25, 6 shot clip, $22.00, Range: 30 feet
.25 Bullets (50) - 6 currently loaded into gun.

XP: 10,000
XP to Spend: 5,000

[sammarlow]

kipper- looks good, can't wait to start.  I'll work on backgrounds for my 3 characters as well.

[sammarlow]

ok. here are the descriptions for my characters:

Michael Walker (Federal Agent) former Texas Ranger, a true believer who joined the Feds to protect society from organized crime at the national level.


Danny Sullivan (criminal) Former Irish Republican Army (had to leave the United Kingdom in a hurry). Favors a tommy gun (but can't afford one yet). Looking to sell his "skills" to the highest bidder.

Jim Holland (private investigator) Former WW1 vet. Saw a lot of horrible things in the trenches. Chose the PI route because he wants to have some control in his life.

[cleverkobold]

NAME: Agent Mick 'The Bull' Carson
PROFESSION: Law Enforcement

MU: 96%
AG: 43%
OB: 48%
PR: 5
DR: 46%
LU: 27%
PH: 5
HP: 19
Shadowing: 70%


WEAPONS: Colt Police Positive Revolver: .38 cal; 6 round cylinder, 12 extra rounds,
DESCRIPTION: A stocky, gruff man with a mustache. Though he isn't very bright, Agent Carson is a major asset to the Bureau of Prohibition. He has been instrumental in a number of successful raids. He is very much a 'shoot first, ask questions later' kind of guy.

----------

NAME: Danny Jensen
PROFESSION: Independent (Investigative Journalist)

MU: 47%
AG: 47%
OB: 60%
PR: 3
DR: 54%
LU: 32%
PH: 5
HP: 18
Photography: 51%

WEAPONS: Switchblade,
DESCRIPTION: Danny Jensen is tall and lanky with dark brown hair, he wears glasses. Danny had a tough childhood, but due to lots of perseverance he has made somewhat of a name for himself as an investigative journalist for the city's most prominent newspaper. Danny is very socially awkward but is well respected for his tenacity and work ethic. He has become somewhat of a celebrity in recent weeks for exposing a priest who has been selling enormous quantities of communion wine and pocketing the proceeds.

----------

NAME: Dmitri Melikov
PROFESSION: Criminal

MU: 39%
AG: 59%
OB: 72%
PR: 10
DR: 65%
LU: 46%
PH: 3
HP: 22
Public Speaking: 91%

WEAPONS: Colt 1903 'Hammerless' Auto .32 cal; 8 round clip, 16 extra rounds,
DESCRIPTION: A dark haired young man of average build. Dmitri is very sly and charming, and came from a very wealthy family in Russia. Using his guile and his fortune; Dmitri set up an impressive business that sold military hardware to both sides of the Russian Civil War. When he was deemed a traitor to both his clients, he fled to America and got involved in running shipments of booze for the Russian Mob.

----------

[sammarlow]

cleverkobold: these were posted in the prior game that maxvale76 ran, I'll see if I can find them.

[sammarlow]

Here's the posting from the prior game (note: I think he changed the damage for automatics (Machineguns and Submachineguns) and Shotguns- I'll try to find those and post those after).  In the earlier game everyone started with handguns (if they wanted one):

Jan 28, 2011 11:17:05 GMT -7 maxvale76 said:
Okay; I need to get a few things sorted out and then hopefully, we can begin the process (I'm thinking of starting with character creation) either late this weekend or early next week.

I'm not planning on using any houserules with one/two (one's really just fleshing something out and they're all in the same vein; i.e. weapons and thier usage/damage) possible exception(s)....I'm DEFINITELY planning on using a historical list of firearms (though a small list!) and I was thinking of perhaps using some kind of random damage system....if we stick to just d10s; here's my first few thoughts:

Light Pistols (.25, .32, .41): 2d10
Medium Pistols (.38, 9mm): 2d10+1
Heavy Pistols (.45): 2d10+2

Rifles: (.30-06, .351): 3d10

Shotguns: (12 gauge buckshot): 5d10/3d10/1d10 depending on range (short, medium, long)

Automatics, i.e. BARs and Thompsons: (I'm thinking of having 3 kinds of fire modes: Single shots will do whatever the caliber damage does as per above; Short Bursts (5 shots) will do 1 extra d10 (i.e. 3d10+2 for Tommy's, 4d10 for BARs); and Long Bursts/Sprays (10 shots); which will do 2 extra d10 damage if 1 target (4d10+2 for Tommy, 5d10 for BAR) or Short Burst damage for all those in the spray.

Dynamite/Bombs/Grenades would be like Shotguns and have a sliding damage scale depending on what range the target is from the blast.

List of Weapons (Quick Take):

Pistols:

Colt 1908 Pocket Auto: .25 cal; 6 round clip
Remington Derringer: .41 cal; 2 rounds over-under break-open
Colt 1903 'Hammerless' Auto .32 cal; 8 round clip
Colt Police Positive Revolver: .38 cal; 6 round cylinder
Smith and Wesson 1917 Revovler: .45 cal, 6 round cylinder
Colt 1911 Auto: .45 cal, 7 round clip

Rifles:

Springfield 1903 Bolt Action: .30-06, 5 round magazine
Winchester 1907 Auto: .351 cal, 6 round clip

Shotguns:

Parker Double Barrelled: 12 gauge, side-by-side break-open
Winchester 1912 Pump Action: 12 gauge, 6 shell magazine

Automatics:

Browning Automatic Rifle: .30-06, 20 round clip
Thompson 1921 SMG: .45 cal, 20 round clip or 50 round drum

Thoughts? I know the damage increase DEFINITELY makes things more lethal; but I think it's a bit strange to think that someone with 15-20 hit points is ALWAYS going to take 3 slugs from a .45 to drop...on the other hand; if someone is hit in the arms three times it doesn't necessarily mean they couldn't take MORE shots to bring down; etc., etc.

Just some early musings...

[sammarlow]

Here's Maxvale76's comments re: modifications for automatics and shotguns:

Also; note: I did a bit of screwing around this weekend and I think I will "tone down" my proposed weapon damage as listed above a little bit:

Pistols will still be 2d10-2d10+2 and I think Rifles are good at 3d10; but I think I will have Thomspon short bursts/sprays do 3d10+1 and long bursts do 4d10; and BARs have short bursts/sprays that do 3d10+2 and long bursts that do 4d10; and shotguns will do 4d10/2d10+2/1d10 depending on range.

I might monkey around a bit with range and for bombs/grenades; I'll use a 5d10/3d10/1d10 depending on a blast radius. I think this will work out....thoughts?

[maxvale76]

Hey there peoples!

Cleverkobold: welcome to the game! We've got enough to get rolling now and I think I can get one more (Mr. Tinkles in the old game). Quick question....did you add the bonuses to the percentile rolls for the first 3 stats (Muscle, Agility and Observation)? If not; please do so....and if so...then I think I'll let you re-roll! Don't worry about not having the book; it's not too much of a big deal....the only time it should really come up is for when it's advancement time; but I'll walk you thru that.

Sammarlow: WOW...you rolled some pretty amazing stats there with your guys! Nobody has a score in the main 3 that's lower than 65%; that's a pretty badass bunch there!

Everybody: Okay....looks like people like the 3 different character approach; so I'll stick with that. I'll get cracking' on opening a new Chapter in the "Max's Game" boards. Anybody have a preference for which characters to start with: Law Enforcement; Criminal or Independent?

-Max

[sammarlow]

Yeah, I had my son watch the rolls as a witness! I vote for Law Enforcement, but any will do.

[kipper]

I'd vote for the Independents to have a turn, but really I'm not too fussed.

[sammarlow]

independents would be fine too.

[cleverkobold]

Sept 30, 2013 4:13:12 GMT -6 maxvale76 said:

Hey there peoples!

Quick question....did you add the bonuses to the percentile rolls for the first 3 stats (Muscle, Agility and Observation)? If not; please do so....and if so...then I think I'll let you re-roll!

Oops. I misread that and thought that the modifiers only applies to muscle, I'll add it to agility and observation.

[sammarlow]

are all the characters ready?  Is anyone missing?

[maxvale76]

Hey there folks; sorry for the delay; it's been a crazy few days!

Okay; Mr. Tinkles (the last player) should be on these boards in a day or two; and then we'll get started.....actually; we'll get started if he posts or not; it'll be fairly easy to work him into the game; I think....

Do you guys mind if we use the previous game as a "this happened several months ago"; set-up? For those of you who didn't play it; don't worry....other than background bits which I"ll spell out in the intro to the new game; there won't be anything critical that you'll have missed. Basically; I'm just thinking it'll be something along the lines of....

Four months later....with former Prohibition Bureau District Commissioner forced to resign in disgrace; the Agents that were critical for causing this development have been broken up and reassigned and continue their war on the gangs in the 1st Ward of Lakefront City....namely the O'Connors and the Tolino Mob; both of which at this point are in an all-out war with each other.

Meanwhile; some Private Citizens who have bonded over a Bank Robbery in which they were all unwilling participants in; find themselves once again thrown together by events outside their control in a strange murder mystery....


Does this sound cool with everybody or do you guys just want to say; "Screw it....let's start at ground zero!"


Finally; Cleverkobold: Your Independent and Criminal Characters are fine; but your poor Law Enforcement Character just has truly atrocious stats....I'm going to let you re-roll them and unless you roll worse for multiple attributes; the second set will stand!

-Max

[sammarlow]

maxvale76: the continuation sounds fine. will that change our starting equipment in any way? can't wait to get to it. Which group will we start with (LE, Criminal, or Independent)?

[kipper]

Continuation is good with me too.