The problem I have is when the Bounty Hunter with this ability is with a group of people fighting a battle designed for that group. It's a plot killer, or better a potential plot killer, because it removes the tension from the scene by letting one PC, one who is already a combat monster by this point in their career, completely eliminate a good portion of the threat without any chance of failure or setback.

Combat Monsters shine in combat. Starship Pilot Monsters will shine in starfighter battles. Senator Monsters will shine verbally destroying people on the floor of the House. Gambler Monsters will shine during Baccarat Tournaments. Of course that specialized PC will dominate their chosen field. I fail to see why this is a big deal.

Besides - the Hired Gun (assuming that the text maintains parity with what we've already seen with the other specializations) can only do it once. "Great, you've cleared out the hanger of Stormtroopers and you guys can get off the ship without incident. Now, about the Stormtroopers next door in the Data Center you guys need to capture. . . ."

Combat Monsters shine in combat. Starship Pilot Monsters will shine in starfighter battles. Senator Monsters will shine verbally destroying people on the floor of the House. Gambler Monsters will shine during Baccarat Tournaments. Of course that specialized PC will dominate their chosen field. I fail to see why this is a big deal.

I don't have an issue with this.

Besides - the Hired Gun (assuming that the text maintains parity with what we've already seen with the other specializations) can only do it once. "Great, you've cleared out the hanger of Stormtroopers and you guys can get off the ship without incident. Now, about the Stormtroopers next door in the Data Center you guys need to capture. . . ."

Combat Monsters shine in combat. Starship Pilot Monsters will shine in starfighter battles. Senator Monsters will shine verbally destroying people on the floor of the House. Gambler Monsters will shine during Baccarat Tournaments. Of course that specialized PC will dominate their chosen field. I fail to see why this is a big deal.

I don't have an issue with this.

Besides - the Hired Gun (assuming that the text maintains parity with what we've already seen with the other specializations) can only do it once. "Great, you've cleared out the hanger of Stormtroopers and you guys can get off the ship without incident. Now, about the Stormtroopers next door in the Data Center you guys need to capture. . . ."

It's the whole "once" thing, doesn't matter when, no restriction, no accounting for anything, no roll no chance for a setback, just boom all gone. It doesn't even have to be a scene with any drama at all. All the examples you put up are sequences with drama, tension, the big final battle or the set up to the final confrontation. Dramatic scenes that the character actions led up to, they earned that big finishing touch. Right now as far as we know all the PC has to do is say "I'm using Last One Standing" even though they aren't the only one standing and it may be just because were close to end of the session for that day. I'm sorry if I can't get you to understand where I'm coming from but stuff like this without a build up just flattens the scene.

As I said earlier if there was some pre-requisite, like you down to your last few HPs or your group is being overwhelmed (their all damaged or have sustained Critical wounds, then YES this is awesome! But without that it's just blah...

A good group can get around that by choosing to only implement the ability when thematically appropriate. That way it works with the narrative and not against it.

That said, in a less narrative group, it could become a point of contention between the GM and player. My only solution is to not find massive rules lawyers to enjoy a narrative game with.

Thankfully I have mostly accomplished that.

"It's the whole "once" thing, doesn't matter when, no restriction, no accounting for anything, no roll no chance for a setback, just boom all gone."

Maybe wait for the book to come out to see the specific details of what's needed to activate the ability?

What makes you so sure there's no restriction or no roll to activate it?

Right now as far as we know all the PC has to do is say "I'm using Last One Standing" even though they aren't the only one standing and it may be just because were close to end of the session for that day.

Well, isn't that potentially any roll in the game, be it bluffing your way past a guard, trying to shoot down a TIE fighter or gunning down a room full of mooks. If you let it be boring, it'll be boring.

Sure you you could go "You open the door and use your Last Man Standing, and everyone in the room dies. You open the door and in the next chamber you find three more stormtoopers." or you could go "With a massive strike, you kick open the door, splinters of wood showering all the occupants and making them flinch while you roll into the room and come up ready to fire. You catch the first stormtrooper in the chest and he collapses to the ground clutching his torso, gasping his last breaths in agony, Two more bolts drop two more imperials where they stand and you lash out with a mighty leg, catching the officer under the chin and sending him out the window, where he impacts with the ground in a bloody mess ten stories down. Hearing the commotion in the adjoining room, the remaining Stormtroopers find some cover waiting for you to burst in. . . ."

Drama is where you find it.

Right now as far as we know all the PC has to do is say "I'm using Last One Standing" even though they aren't the only one standing and it may be just because were close to end of the session for that day.

Well, isn't that potentially any roll in the game, be it bluffing your way past a guard, trying to shoot down a TIE fighter or gunning down a room full of mooks.

Sure you you could go "You open the door and use your Last Man Standing, and everyone in the room dies. You open the door and in the next chamber you find three more stormtoopers." or you could go "With a massive strike, you kick open the door, splinters of wood showering all the occupants and making them flinch while you roll into the room and come up ready to fire. You catch the first stormtrooper in the chest and he collapses to the ground clutching his torso and gasping his last breaths in agony, Two more bolts drop two more imperials where they stand and you lash out, catching the officer under the chin and sending him out the window, where he impacts with the ground in a bloody mess ten stories down. Hearing the commotion in the adjoining room, the remaining Stormtroopers find some cover waiting for you to burst in. . . ."

Drama is where you find it.

Have you been listening to skill monkey lately?

Have you been listening to skill monkey lately?

Geeze, you're right - that is very skill monkey-ish, isnt it! I guess I was channeling my inner Fiddleback (:

I wonder if this could also turn the HG with the ability into a walking WMD. All he has to do is walk into a stadium with tens of thousands of faceless sports fans and...

I wonder if this could also turn the HG with the ability into a walking WMD. All he has to do is walk into a stadium with tens of thousands of faceless sports fans and...

Well, I suspect that the actual text will read "defeat or rout". That way they all don't get killed, that could take way too long for that size of a group. They would all panic, chaos would ensue, and many would perish. You get the flavor without it being too outlandish.

Naw, you just need a goodyear blimp loaded down with 10,000 explosive nails!

If your sessions run longer than the standard, then adjust for it. It really is that simple. The FFG designers aren't designing the game for those people that play outside the norm. They have to have a baseline. So they design for that. Others will have to adjust otherwise.

And if you are a GM throwing 50 minions at your players in one shot, then it is either a good thing something like this is in the game or you are trying to destroy your players. Personally, if I was going to do such a maneuver it would be with this ability in mind. That is so the the big **** hero can then feel like a BIG **** HERO.

And if your plot is failing because he took out all the minions in one shot, rather than a few rounds, then your plot was going to fail anyways.

Wait - it doesn't?

How about one Hired Gun against Four Mooks?

How about one Drunken Master against 100 mooks?

Clearly you've been watching the wrong action movies, son.

Killing 4 minions is already well within the capability of a PC and does nothing to support your argument, and a comedy/wire-fu example just supports mine.

Imagine if you put all this constructive energy into your own ruleset! It's obvious your superior rule making abilities are sure to be a hit when you form your own company. Good luck in your venture!

I'll take your inability to address any of the arguments and the resort to sarcasm to be a compliment on their strength rather than a weakness on your part. Thank you.

You know, I only posted those because the forums breaks after two videos. I can find examples of what the ability is trying to simulate all day long. Here, how about these (from the front page, but they work well enough to repeat).

To claim that this ability doesn't emulate "cowboy samurai flavor" shows a shocking ignorance of what cowboy samurai flavor should actually be.

Imagine if you put all this constructive energy into your own ruleset! It's obvious your superior rule making abilities are sure to be a hit when you form your own company. Good luck in your venture!

I'll take your inability to address any of the arguments and the resort to sarcasm to be a compliment on their strength rather than a weakness on your part. Thank you.

You have yet to show a strong argument other than "I don't like it".

Heh heh. Just picked up the original Django a while back. Love me my westerns and samurai flicks. Gonna have to watch Sukiyaki Western Django and The Good, the Bad and the Weird again.

I seriously don't think it will be a win button. There will be a roll involved and any time there's a roll involved in this system, there will always be crazy, fun and interesting results. What happens on a success with a dispair on this ability? I can't wait to find out!

What happens on a success with a dispair on this ability? I can't wait to find out!

I'd imagine it could be something like Groo the Wanderer would do - you take out the minions allied with you as well!

Heh heh. Just picked up the original Django a while back. Love me my westerns and samurai flicks. Gonna have to watch Sukiyaki Western Django and The Good, the Bad and the Weird again.

You know, I was not thrilled by Sukiyaki Western Django. It was okay, but I think I just don't like Miike's flicks. I didn't dig Ichi the Killer and thought The City of Lost Souls was just meh. 13 Assassins wasn't too bad (and you want to talk one Hired Gun against hundreds of mooks - that climax was off the rails), but that's the only flick of his I've liked. Then again, I only paid 3 bucks for the SW Django DVD, so its not a huge loss.

Havent seen The Good, the Bad and the Weird yet - the trailer looks very promising. Perhaps I might have to rent it here sometime soon.

Imagine if you put all this constructive energy into your own ruleset! It's obvious your superior rule making abilities are sure to be a hit when you form your own company. Good luck in your venture!

I'll take your inability to address any of the arguments and the resort to sarcasm to be a compliment on their strength rather than a weakness on your part. Thank you.

I've addressed many of your complaints. You clearly have broken the code and with your help this game will get better at a much faster clip. Your deep understanding of game design, your extensive research on products you don't purchase and overall disdain for the game will clearly help this game in a constructive manner. Thank you!

Once per game is a bad mechanic. Some people get together once a month and play for 10 hours straight, others play for an hour with workmates every day at lunch. Some tables are pure combat and every room or hallway they enter is another set of droids to down, others may only have 1 combat per game.

This makes the ability have a wildly different power level at different tables. Or even at the same table on different days.

I'd recommend breaking these days up into two or even three "sessions", for the purposes of abilities, Obligation, the Destiny Pool, etc.

By the way, according to the just posted podcast, you have to make some kind of check and spend destiny points to turn Last Man Standing on. So no, it's not automatically "Everyone dies when I say so" - and I'd still wager that there's a once per game limiter on it too (although nothing was mentioned one way or the other).

By the way, according to the just posted podcast, you have to make some kind of check and spend destiny points to turn Last Man Standing on. So no, it's not automatically "Everyone dies when I say so" - and I'd still wager that there's a once per game limiter on it too (although nothing was mentioned one way or the other).

Okay, that makes it more reasonable.

By the way, according to the just posted podcast, you have to make some kind of check and spend destiny points to turn Last Man Standing on. So no, it's not automatically "Everyone dies when I say so" - and I'd still wager that there's a once per game limiter on it too (although nothing was mentioned one way or the other).

Okay, that makes it more reasonable.

Did you really find it reasonable to assume that such a powerful ability would be just usable an unlimited amount of time with no restrictions?

I was going by the info released, regardless I still think based on what we know that it suffers from the Baysplosion! effect. One of the things I found that turns me off of some games as they progress is this need to get more better'er, a special effect arms race to keep the kids interested. What concerns me is that AoE, F&D and their splatbooks aren't even out yet and already these Signature Abilities are getting pretty powerful. The other thing that bothers me is that these abilities weren't and aren't in the Betas, so how extensively have they been playtested?

I think it's reasonable to express concern.