In the coming days, we'll be indulging a bit more in some nostalgia involving the scary side of role playing, including Palladium's horror-themed RPG, Beyond the Supernatural ("BTS"), first edition.To get everyone primed for these meandering jaunts down memory lane, I thought I'd re-post my last BTS-specific creation: the character sheet my game group's been using since 2009 or so.
Which, unfortunately, means we haven't used it much at all - I can probably count on one hand the number of BTS games I've played in that time. TriTac's Bureau 13 just had more traction with my group, so BTS was always sitting on the sidelines, watching and hoping to get picked first next time.
That's really a pity, because BTS is a really fun game. It's not perfect, of course, but there's really nothing like sending in your proto-super hero to smash some nasties in the face (be it literally or figuratively). We'll cover that ground a little more in the aforementioned posts.
Anyway, here's a simple sheet for a simple (but fun) game from the days of yore, for those of you who keep the torch lit...
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I don't play BtS anymore, but I still have an active game of Palladium Fantasy 1st Edition.
ReplyDeleteBut I'd be totally down for playing a BtS game online.
DeleteNever got Palladium Fantasy off the ground with my group, interestingly enough. I guess everybody was too connected to their D&D characters to make the switch.
DeleteGood luck getting something together online. I don't do online gaming, myself - playing RPGs is one of the few times I'm able to completely disconnect. (We try to keep even cell phones away from the table.)
I don't play BTS, but like you it's been on my mind a lot lately...and by "lately" I mean the last year or so. I picked up a PDF of the 1E from DriveThruRPG a while back and I'm looking at adapting some of its concepts as a little side project. Lots of neat stuff there.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to more of your "jaunts." The map you posted the other day was great!
: )
Thanks!
Delete"Lots of neat stuff," indeed. Will we be seeing your side project someday?
And glad you're enjoying the posts - there are more jaunts imminent!
@ Chris B:
DeleteMaybe. Not for a while, though.
Played the hell out of it back in the day, thanks to our AR houserule:
ReplyDeleteAR is base of 4, modified by PE bonus and skill bonuses to AR.
When a character is hit, damage up to AR is taken from SDC, any excess from Hit Points. If wearing armor, dmg up to armor's AR is taken from its SDC, any excess is passed on to wearer. Works for monsters too.
Couldn't imagine.playing BtS or any horror game from Kevin without it...
Awesome!
DeleteWe played the rules straight briefly. Then, the group's other GM introduced us to the armor and hit location rules from Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic. They were a good alternative to the clunky AR rules and melded nicely with the BTS system, so we played that way for quite some time. (Until we finally made the move entirely to TriTac's 1990 edition of B13.)
I run a lot of games of BtS some time ago in the 90's-00's but after that I changed my gaming group and the new one is more interested old style fantasy so I have my BtS and Talsorian Cyberpunk's book taking dust in the self.
ReplyDeleteThat stinks - but hope springs eternal! Maybe, some day, they'll get tired of fantasy and desire a break from it. And when that day comes, you'll be prepared!
DeleteI'd love to a back side of this for psionics, weapons, gear and the like.
ReplyDeletebtw, have you see the BTS fan site houseofbts.net ?
I played BTS back in the day (90's, 2000's) and I was so eager to continue when 2nd Ed was released. Too bad it was only the first half of the Core Rules. The changes they made between editions were incredible. They cleaned up so many Over Power issues and made the game playable again. If only they had finished the job. It's been over 15 years since the 2nd Ed was released and we still don't have the 2nd half of the core rules. Palladium is still too busy releasing its latest Rifts "Partridge Family Rules and the Gummi Bears meet Zombies" Blech!
ReplyDeleteI know - right?? I mention this same issue (briefly) in a different BtS post. It's frustrating. And the Palladium Books website even still has the additional BtS 2E books listed for preorder - after so many years, that just feels like a scam. :(
DeleteThank goodness I still have my 1E book(s) - aside from the equipment being a bit outdated, first edition is perfectly playable.
Maybe someday before I'm too old to roll dice, Palladium will finally set aside some of their Rifts energy to complete 2E. (One can dream!)