FENG Industries

Kicking Butt in The World of Progress.

(adapted from the Feng Shui Mailing List)

SLA Industries is great. It has one of the darkest atmospheres of any game, a highly detailed world, and a hundred-and-one things for the characters to desperately try to never to find out.

Unfortunately, my experiences of playing the game have left me with some problems. Fights always come down to whoever has the biggest gun wins. Ebons and Brain Wasters run everything as they don?t have armour and ammo to buy, so they can save up for the really gross guns. Characters are invariably one dimensional in what they do as the experience system makes it too expensive to have a broad range of skills. Everybody is too scared to carry on chasing a plot because as soon as Internal Affairs says "stop" the party has little option but to take the pay cheque and run, and the game disintegrates into bean counting and countless investigations, waiting for enough money for the next gun or XP for the next power.

I had pretty much resigned to shelving my SLA books, another game that could have been good, until I played Feng Shui: This is a game where you concentrate on the action, not the hours of pounding the streets waiting for your next clue from a contact. The gun you carry is almost a style statement rather than a choice of finances. And everything is balanced. I like this.

And so, without further ado, my rules on how to bring a little piece of Hong Kong to Mort.

CHARACTER CREATION

1. Choose a race (SLA)

2. Choose a Training package (SLA)

3. Choose an archetype for the package or race (Feng Shui)

4. Choose attributes (adding SLA attribute), shticks and skills (Feng Shui)

5. Choose equipment (SLA)

Race

The character's race isn't that important to the overall character. A Shaktar Kick Murder Op is likely to end up very similar to a Frother Kick Murder Op.

Potential Modifiers do not directly effect a starting character's attributes. Instead, they change the maximum attributes available to the characters archetype, which is normally 10.

Training Package & Archetype

Choose a training package, which gives an equivalent archetype.

Any character may select the Big Bruiser archetype instead of the one listed, except for Wraith Raiders and Ebons.

Attributes, Shticks and Skills

Determine the character's attributes normally, noting any changes to maximum attributes due to race. Note the inclusion of the SLA attribute below, which has a value of one for all starting characters.

Choose the character's starting shticks.

Choose the character's starting skills.

Advantages may only be taken if a disadvantage of equal point cost or greater is taken also.

Equipment

No equipment is provided by you archetype. Instead, each Operative starts with the equipment provided by SLA, such as a Blitzer badges. Neither does your Operative have a wealth level.

Next, choose your Operative's starting equipment, arms and armour, up to a limit of 1500c. Do not purchase ammunition type other than standard. (see Guns, Armour and Bullets below). Don't bother to make a note of any money left over.

EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE

Ebons and Brain Wasters

Ebons and Brain Wasters may select the Sorcerer archetype instead of the one listed for their training package. If this option is not chosen, they may trade archetype shticks for Sorcery shticks on a one-to-one basis. Those following and archetype without shticks may take one disadvantage shticks per Sorcery shtick instead, and may also select the Magic skill.

Stormers

Stormers may select the Supernatural Creature archetype instead of the one listed for their training package. If this option is not chosen, they may trade archetype shticks for Creature Power shticks on a one-to-one basis. Those following and archetype without shticks may take one disadvantage shticks per Creature Power shtick instead.

Stormers heal an amount of damage equal to their Chi attribute between each scene, or fully if a days rest is had.

These rules do not differentiate between the Stormer variations. The differences can be reflected by choice of attributes, skills and shticks.

For the purposes of Ebons, Stormers, Brain Wasters and disadvantages, a disadvantage shtick is equal to twenty or more points of disadvantages on a single item.

SLA Attribute (new)

The SLA attribute determines how much power and influence a character has in the SLA hierarchy. SLA is broken down into three secondary attributes. SLA rolls should be made when attempting to use your influence within SLA Industries.

SLA may be advanced by spending experience points equal to four times the new level, or double the new level of a secondary attribute. This does not require attunement to a Feng Shui site.

Security Clearance Level (SLA secondary attribute)

When attempting to access SCL rated information, make a SCL attribute roll with a difficulty of eleven minus the SCL of the data. A non-negative outcome is a success.

To determine an operatives SCL in 'pure SLA Industries' terms, subtract the Operative's SCL attribute from eleven.

Wealth (SLA secondary attribute)

Unsurprisingly, wealth is a representation of how much money the character has access to, whether in hard cash or resources.

Each point of the Wealth attribute means the character has roughly one thousand credits, probably in resources. Once per session, the character could also get their hands on roughly one hundred credits in cash. This can not be "stock-piled" to increase the Wealth attribute.

Attempting to acquire resources 'in the filed' will require a successful Wealth attribute roll with a difficulty equal to the price of the item in question in hundreds of credits. For example, a 375c item will have a difficulty of 4. Items gained in such a fashion are typically lost before the next adventure.

Increasing the wealth attribute means the character has invested well, conserved ammo, won the lottery, or whatever. It will allow them to select new equipment up to the value of their new wealth attribute in thousands of credits.

Reputation (SLA secondary attribute)

Reputation is a measure of how the character is perceived professionally and by the press. A high reputation will bring more sponsorship offers and the choice missions, but also more than a fair share of professional challenges and pubic recognition. Not always a good thing.

Attribute rolls can be attempted to get something to go your way ("You KNOW I would never do that") but could also be used as a penalty under some situations, such as trying to move unnoticed through a crowd.

Guns, Armour and Bullets

HEAP rounds, recoil suppressers and laser sights are all very nice, but they are not going to effect game mechanics. If you shoot somebody, and they have a PV greater than the calibre of your gun (in mm) then the bullet bounces off. If not, they take an amount of damage equal to the calibre + 3. Critical successes on attack rolls will also damage, irrespective of armour.

Ignore damage, penetration values, armour damage and blood-loss.

If you attack with a melee weapon, calculate the damage you will do. Use the damage listed in the SLA book as a modifier to your strength. If this damage is less than the target's PV, the blow bounces off them. Otherwise, the blow bypasses the armour. Critical successes on attack rolls will also damage, irrespective of armour.

Equipment.

As mentioned under the Wealth secondary attribute, operatives will have a limited set of equipment that they keep from session to session. Any additional equipment that is acquired either for a mission or through it is lost between sessions, unless it is important to the plot.

Generally, no bonuses are gained from equipment. Everything from an electronic lock pick to a laser sight is just cosmetic.

Drugs are an important part of most operatives lives. Again, almost all effects are cosmetic for the character. A dose of UV will send you berserk and you laugh at bullets flying at you, but it's not going to reduce the damage you take or give you additional initiative.

Healing drugs are the only exception to the rule - you'll need them.

(Drugs may be expanded upon later, but will add complexity to the game that may not be required.)

Karma

Operatives may not purchase Karma products. Well, none that will have an effect on game mechanics. Any purchased Karma goodies will be purely cosmetic.

However, the discerning genetically modified with experience to spare may acquire creature shticks through Karma's products, with the Games Master's approval.

Karma products can also be used to explain increases in the operatives statistics.

(Karma products may be expanded upon later, but will add complexity to the game that may not be required.)

No Feng Shui Sites?

The concept of geomancy doesn't fit well with the world of progress, and if they existed, Slayer would control them all. Hower, all is not lost, because a Sponsorship contract gives the same bonuses as attunement to a Feng Shui site, such as the bonus experience. Some contracts may provide additional benefits, such as cheaper arms, or free DNA tattoos.

The Ebon Option

Death Suits

All death suits start out as light suits, with their limited protection. For each Sorcery shtick spent specifically on Protection, the suit will raise one category.

Necanthropes

Necanthropes. Big and scary. But for the purposes of Feng Industries, an Ebon or Brain Waster with a Chi attribute of 10 that has been through the white. Necanthropes gain a new Blast shtick (Gore Cannon) and can take Creature Power shticks.

Martial Arts Option

Some may feel that Hong-Kong style Martial Art Shticks don't fit well within the world of progress. As an alternative, I would suggest allowing melee weapon versions of the Gun Shticks.