So I recently decided I wanted to try a game which exemplifies the basic cliches of action movies. 70s kung fu films to Die Hard Knock offs and everything in between.

Originally, I was going to try a system called "Kung Fu Action Theater" but rather than try to learn a new system I figured I might try it with one I already know (and more importantly, own copies of the rules for)

I opted for the SR4 system over other systems I know (like D20) specifically for the dice-pool mechanic, the reason for that will become apparent later.

Anyway, here are some changes I wanted to put into effect:

1) Lower Tech level - First of all, most action movies take place in the present and so super tech like AR is not available (though real world AR is on its way!) so most of the super cool things like drones or lasers, etc. would not be available to characters. My main reason for this is to get rid of Cybernetics. Replacement limbs and organs might work in a cyber-punk setting, but wouldn't necessarily be in a hollywood action movie. For the most part, guns will remain the same, but bullet options, such as stick n' shock (or whatever they are called) would probably be limited.

2) No Magic - There is rarely "magic" in any Action movies, unless it has a fantasy setting to it. While some of the enemies might be "supernatural" the heroes for the most part would not have access to "magical" abilities or items. The one difference to this is that everyone will have the option to become an adept. This isn't to introduce magic but rather to reflect the extreme training, superb luck, or sheer badassery of the action heroes. The Adept powers would be limited to the ones that would at least seam plausible, such as running along a wall or increased Reaction.

3) Increased BP - Standard starting BP is usually 400. I was thinking of raising it to 500 or 600. Mostly to further reflect how much more powerful the heroes are compared to everyday civilians. I realize that most normal ShadowRunners with 400 BP are more powerful than average civilians, but I feel that 400 is still to constricting for your basic Action Hero.

4) Everyone is Human - This might piss off some of my players, since everyone loves playing Trolls and Elves, but in a setting with no magic, there are no elves. Goes along with #2

5) Cimematic Style - I will of course be using Rule of Sixes for the heroes at least and probably for the stronger bad guys. The other thing I wanted to add was ways of getting Bonus Dice. These mostly follow along the lines of classinc action movie cliches like "one-liners" and plans that are "just crazy enough to work". Some examples might be if just before landing the killing blow on a big bad guy the player says something like "It's time for you to COOL down" and then beats the bad guy in the face with a block of ice then they would get bonus dice to the attack. Or perhaps the bomb is about to explode and the techie character devises a master plan using only harclips and a rubberband for a McGuyver like escape. Bonus dice to that too! It's things like this in action movies that always make me laugh and I figure it just helps reinforce the "rule of cool" that most action movies go by.

So these were some of my ideas, post some feedback if you like them or have any suggestions on things I should do differently or things I should add. Hopefully I will be able to start this pretty soon and my players will enjoy themselves!

Please Note: The point of this game isn't necessarily to be as deadly as a normal SR game, just to emulate an average action movie. So please don't post responses like "This will make the players too powerful, they should be toned down". That's kind of the point to it, they essentially should have 'Main Character Shield' protecting them from most everything except for the Big Bad Guy at the end of the movie. Of course, they can't be TOO powerful either, so if you have a good reason that still follows the idea behind this thread, than I would love to hear how you think they should be toned down a bit. But make it good!

My only other request is that if you do have an idea, post it, but it must be awesome!

You should really change #2 to this:
2) Main Characters: Your character is awesome, and has something that sets them apart from the rest of the wanna-bees and mooks of the action movie. Representing this, everyone has a limited number of adept powers. If you look at the adept powers, some of them are not very magical at all, and could very easily be explained by personal skill instead of magic. Therefore, every player gets three power points(or half their edge, or something) to improve their character's theme, free.
The point being to give the players something that sets them apart, but not deal with Magic Initiation, trying to minchkin it up better, and other rulesey headaches. Like seasoning: a little for flavor, but not too much.


You're also going to want to take a look at the Vehicle section, and figure out how to work it when vehicles don't have Pilots or Sensors. For the most part, your players are just so going to be using their own stats for vehicle actions(agility for gunnery, intuition for regular perception tests). Additionally, because this is an ACTION game, you may want to reduce the penalty for a player shooting out of a vehicle(i think its -3?) because, well, that's kind of a staple of the genre.

If you want your characters to be more powerful, well-rounded individuals, instead of giving out a bunch more BP, let them use Karmagen instead(just make sure to use 4a costs: attributes are x5). In a game where everyone's Human, there's no metatype fuckery, its very balanced.

As great as the Shadowrun system is for playing shadowrun, for over the top action movie stuff I really like Feng Shui as a system

As for the no magic thing, you might need just a little for when the guy with the lightning bolts shows up at the fish market to steal Jack Burton's truck

Ooh...hadn't thought about vehicles...that could make it interesting.
and your "free adept" idea might be a little better than extra BP, I'll have to check that out.




I was thinking about Feng Shui as well as HKAT. But it still boils down to that I already am familiar with and own sourcebooks to SHadowrun.
I'm still adamant on the "no magic" thing but I will certainly give the players a way of defeating Mr. Lightning Bolt...

If you want a really quick system that's designed to do action movie style stuff then you should try Explosions & Escapes.

I'm actually doing a Shadowrun con game this winter using these rules.

This looks fun, will give it a try.

I'll have to take a look at it. Looks interesting so far... thanks!