v4 Beta Feedback

[Onix]

I'm going to read through the new version and give feedback as I go. I'll do my best to be helpful about this, the aim is to make a stronger text and therefore game.

Reading through character creation, I'm good until getting to the Complementary Skills subheading. How this works is a bit fuzzy. If it's explained later, I should have a (See: Rules, complementary skills page 340) pointer. Otherwise I get the impression that chaining skills together is only to my advantage which doesn't really make sense for the example. I may have that backwards.

in Procurement 4 Procurement through demonstration, Epochs are mentioned. Unless I missed it, Epochs haven't been mentioned yet so I don't have an understanding of what was just said. (Epochs have always confused me anyway)

As for the New Skills subheading, I'm cool until I reach "All Skills included in the new Skill must be 60% or above." I'm lost by this.

Again under starting values for skills Epochs are mentioned, now I get the idea that an Epoch is a branch in a skill tree but still no official description. I'll stop harping on that point now.

Stopped on page 8

[Onix]

I had some trouble with the sentence "Any ticked skills that are not then converted into raises are unticked" on page 9 Improving skills but then I read it with a British accent and it made sense. Must be an American thing.

On page 12 it talks about hp for various parts of the body but does not discuss or point to how these are generated. Are the values in the picture just standard for all unaltered humans? It's implied but not explicit. I read over it twice not picking up on that.

On page 13, for the Close Combat Combos, is there any more on how this works? Other than it saying not to worry about them right now, there isn't anything for what to do if I wanted to create a combat focused character.

Page 16 When torso or head go to 0 second paragraph "If this fails, then the Medic might some help from another Character " I think there needs to be a "need to get" in between might and some. I would also change might to will or must.

Stopped on page 16

[Rob Lang]

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! Thank you, Emmett. I'm going to bank these changes until Byrn has finished going through because I'll end up with three versions of the proof! Trying to work out where the text is becomes tricky.

Are you reading the whole thing in a British accent? What accent should I use when reading yours?

[Onix]

[kumakami]

[Onix]

My work here is done. . .

[Rob Lang]

The UK is without Taco Bell, so I am saved.

[Onix]

Pg 22 under Roll Dice to Hit "Player rolls a percentile (D100 or %). This must be less than number on the corresponding range disc. The ranges are listed below. If the player is throwing a Grenade, they can do so up to Short Range and roll Shift to hit."
It was stated, but it took me a bit to figure out that I should be entering my to hit values on the weapon sheet. Might I suggest "This must be less than number on the corresponding range disc that you wrote on the weapon sheet." to remind me that I was supposed to do that?

Second, it might be good to split the grenade rule into it's own heading since they are completely different.

Pg 24 in If Hits "However there are modifiers, which make it difficult to hit. Add these modifiers to the difference between the roll and the number required to hit." Wouldn't it be simpler to add positive (helpful) modifiers to my skill and negative (harmful) modifiers to my roll? Then in the end a simple comparison of the target and the roll tells me if there's a success. Instead of (1) add helpful modifiers (2) roll (3) subtract roll from target (4) subtract harmful modifiers, you get (1) add helpful modifiers to skill (2) roll (3) add harmful modifiers to the roll (4) compare. Two operations stay the same but two are cognitively simpler.

Just a suggestion. . .

Pg 24 Firefight Example -Turn 2 "The GM says that the NPC is going to keep shoot." shoot needs to be shooting.

Pg 26 Check the Resolution Table, Lose/Win/Got To Advantage. Should be "Go to advantage"

Pg 26 Evasion subheading. Evasion has been mentioned several times already, maybe this should be moved up the page, perhaps to just above the "Check the Resolution Table" Heading. At the end of this subheading is "GM will roll dice to see if battle can be started again. This is often not the case." but nothing else as to how the GM would go about rolling dice. This needs to point to where to find out how to roll the dice or explicitly explain it.

Pg 26 Dogfights. What happens if my Combat number (Combat = Combat Skill + Vehicle Manoeuvre + Manoeuvre Modifier + D10) is negative? Do I loose control? What happens if I do a 3 axis tumble and both my and my opponent's Combat numbers are negative? Is there any statistical difference between a DF -1 AT -3 and a DF -2 AT -4? If not, why not make the lower number 0 so there is no math and make the higher number (in the examples I just gave) -2?

End on pg 27

[Onix]

Pg 28 Finding Secured Data, a Gaia Isis is mentioned. I haven't been introduced to that term yet. Maybe something like "Of course, the Hacker never really goes into the house physically but their Gaia Isis, a kind of Gaia entity, will go into the virtual space."

Pg 29 Under hacking and impersonation "If a Hacker is found somewhere they should not be by another person then pretending you do belong can stop you from being thrown out." Seems oddly phrased. "If a hacker is trying to avoid being noticed and thrown out of Gaia space, they can try to convince the person that they are supposed to be there by impersonating someone.

A question on hacking, do I have to make a perfect string of rolls? or can I make one, miss one, make one etc? and still get where I'm trying to go?

Not getting much time for this the last few days. Ended on pg 29

[Onix]

Pg 30 looks good up until the last paragraph. "After three turns of trying to flee, you can determine if it is possible." sounds a little off. Perhaps "After three turns of trying to flee, a craft with a Point To Point (PTP) Light drive engine may jump to another system. Without a PTP the craft will have to get away on Grav. To do that. . . " and then carry on as written.

Pg 32 in the example, under pick targets, It is mentioned that just shooting at the hull is a +20% modifier which probably should be mentioned earlier in the pick targets sequence explanation.

Also the way it's worded sounds like if my ship has it's shields up I can't pick targets.

Then later, under the Pilots Maneuver section, they're picking targets again.

Ended on 33