Team Pool, Got an idea, Feedback? Options

[Mr. Mage]

So I was reading through this topic and it got me thinking that a team edge/karma pool (whatever you want to call it) would be pretty nifty. So I was thinking of some possible ways to implement some team based house rules. I am going to try them out for my current game, but I figured I'd post them here as well for others to use or to get feedback on them. I have two idea, one for team shared Edge and another for team shared Karma.

Teamwork Pool

[ Spoiler ]

The teamwork pool works kind of like the players' individual Edge Pools. There are, of course, some major differences.
First of all, the maximum is not 6, but is rather half the number of team members. So if you have 6 people on a team, then you can only have 3 Teamwork Points in your pool. Another major difference is that Teamwork points do not refresh after each session, once they are used they are gone!
During character advancement, whenever a player would spend Karma to increase his statistics, he can spend 10 Karma points to add 1 point to the Teamwork Pool. This can not be done during character creation.

Uses: Teamwork points are used like Edge in that they add dice to your roll and allow for rule of sixes. When using a Teamwork point, at least two people must be present and participating in the event. This does not mean that both people will get a bonus however! The extra dice can only be applied to one kind of roll, which must be chosen at the time of spending the point. The bonus is equal to the highest edge of all characters participating plus 1 for every additional character. So if the highest edge was 4 and there were characters then the total bonus is 6 (4 + 2 additional characters beyond the first).
Some possible scenarios:
a) Two (or more) characters are performing simultaneous actions of the same type, such as both simultaneously attacking the same target. They each gain the bonus and act on the same initiative pass.
b) Two (or more) characters are assisting one another in a task. Each person assisting as well as the person performing the task gain the bonus. Assisting is otherwise calculated normally.
c) One character is performing an action and another is not. Only the character performing the action gets the bonus. An example would be that one character picks a lock while another stands guard. Only one would get the bonus (they must decide who) but the other one is "helping" in that they are performing a secondary task which could be integral.

Participating in using a Teamwork Point uses your turn for that Initiative Pass, and if you have already acted that pass then you can not participate. In special cases, a participant(s) may act as if they had Delayed their actions, such as in example "c" wherein the guard may act as if delayed as soon as enemies appear. In this case he might act immediately before the enemies, since he was ready for them. This is based on GM discretion.

Team Karma

[ Spoiler ]

This is essentially a Karma resource that any character may use to upgrade their abilities. It functions the same as normal Karma.
Players can gain Team Karma in two ways:
a) Particularly good plans or exceptional teamwork will grant between 1 and 3 points. This is not simply accomplishing a Run successfully, but rather utilizing and succeeding with complex plan or considerably well done improvisation and teamwork. These should not be awarded lightly or often.
b) At a cost of 5 Karma points, characters may add 2 Team Karma to the pool.

One thing I am particularly wanting feedback for is the cost of each thing. I'm curious whether people think they are too expensive/not expensive enough. Feel free to leave feedback on anything else of course, and hopefully I will post here again on how well it worked with my group.

Also, if you have any questions on how the Teamwork Pool should work, feel free to ask. I can think of new stuff pretty well in my head but writing it down is kind of....eeehhhh....

[Doc Chase]

NOTE: Had to leave before finishing this, please don't reply until it is finished! I will try to finish it by tonight.

Ha ha! Like I'm going to listen to that.


I'm not sure about the point of the Teamwork Pool - especially if I have to use my hard-earned karma to fuel it. I'm better off getting a synergy/Tacnet bonus from my fellow mooks since that's a combination of like-minded skills and nuyen; much easier for me to come by!

That being said, I do have sort of 'group Edge' in the form of a 'Fate Pool' that I roll at times during a session. If my players want to spend an Edge to help the group out indirectly (as in someone has run out, they're failing on the action and the group really wants it so succeed, then they can have me roll the Fate dice. The longer the Hail Mary on the action they want Fate to change, the fewer dice I roll.

(They don't actually know they can Beseech Fate, because it hasn't come up...yet.)

If the dice end with successes, Fate intervenes on their behalf. More successes means a cooler effect.
(Dude, I swear a cat ate the laser and Shoop da Whooped the gangbanger with a Giga Beam.)
If the dice glitch but succeed or if there are no successes, Fate does not intervene.
(She ain't listenin'. She ain't listenin'!)
If the dice critically glitch, Fate intervenes on the behalf of their opposition.
(Holding still, you can't stop the drop of persperation falling off your nose...and onto the pressure floor.)

I keep the pool small - one die per player. If the players try to do something that doesn't readily link to a skill/attribute set, or something else suitably out of the box (what are the odds I can find <X>?) then they can roll their own Edge, and their own personal Fates tell me what happens.

[Neurosis]

Hard to tell cause you haven't finished, but I think I approve of this. I do something similar with my Players, which is basically that I award individual Karma during the game session as little beads or counters and if the players get in a tough spot (which they often do) and run out of edge they can lose the semi-earned karma instead. In a way it's kind of throw-backy to SR1.

[Dwight]

http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?s=&a...st&p=982684

Jake didn't talk about how his rule played but it already has 4 key advantages on yours:
1) an order of magnitude less text than yours...and you are still going
2) simple accounting, nothing new to track
3) decision happens in the moment when the teamwork is happening, and is supported by & rooted in the fiction
4) related to #1, way less edge cases (what happens when PC count goes down, PCs are swapped out, etc)

Note that I felt the old team pool sucked. For basically the same reasons. If you are looking to revive that mediocrity and bloat then you are on track!

[Mr. Mage]

Well... finished now... and like I said: not sure it will be used all the time, but I just thought about it a bit and decided to write my thoughts down. My friends are just play testers. (insert evil laugh here)

[Mr. Mage]

http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?s=&a...st&p=982684

Jake didn't talk about how his rule played but it already has 4 key advantages on yours:
1) an order of magnitude less text than yours...and you are still going
2) simple accounting, nothing new to track
3) decision happens in the moment when the teamwork is happening, and is supported by & rooted in the fiction
4) related to #1, way less edge cases (what happens when PC count goes down, PCs are swapped out, etc)

Keep in mind I thought the old team pool sucked.

Hmm...must have missed that one when I read it...

[Dwight]

Hmm...must have missed that one when I read it...

Different thread than the one you linked to. Plus it's unfortunately got some cruft in it you have to sift past.

[Mr. Mage]

Different thread than the one you linked to. Plus it's unfortunately got some cruft in it you have to sift past.

Oh...I suppose it is a different thread....looked familiar tho...hehe...
of course....so does every other thread here...just words and avatar pictures (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)