SDHSR design: Updates from playtesting

After a good bit of playtesting we’re making some updates to the mechanics of Super Destiny High School Rumble. Some of the moves and playbooks needed balancing in order to work with all the others. A couple larger issues appeared as well, so here’s how we’re fixing those.

1. Since every destiny playbook used Powers Engage (which goes off Spirit) to do their special powers, Spirit became a bit of a god stat. We’re fixing that by making some of the less supernatural destiny playbooks, like Night Hunter and Science Experiment, use Go All Out, Come to the Rescue, or other playbook specific moves that don’t rely on Spirit.

2. We had an overly complex way of unlocking Limit Breaks, which involved counting how many times you rolled Powers Engage. With the previous fix that became obsolete anyway, so we’re tying the Limit Break to leveling. Much easier, uses an existing mechanic instead of inventing one, yay.

3. Our mechanic for bonds, in which people rolled versus them to Use Teamwork, didn’t seem to correctly simulate the power of friendship. No one really remembered to use their bonds, or to bother to raise them because once you get to +3 you’re at max anyway. So—we’re making bonds into a spendable currency. You can make bonds easily, with teammates or NPCs, but you can also spend them easily for a +2 on a roll. You can spend them to boost yourself or others.

This new system for bonds also fixes our issue with having contacts among groups of NPCs. Before there was no mechanic for that. Some moves just said “you know people who can help you out.” Now you can have a bond with those people.

And yay, you can have bonds with villains too! And they can have bonds with you in return, which you both mess you up and/or lead to the villain’s redemption.

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