X-COM 2: Strategic Game Rules

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X-COM 2: Strategic Game Rules

Post by Lazybones » Sat Jun 01, 2019 5:52 pm

This won't start until after the June 8 session, but here are the rules for the between-sessions Strategic Game. All of this is completely optional, but is for those who are interested in helping X-COM upgrade between missions. I will post each week's options in the game discussion thread (I'll try and get the posts up before the end of the weekend so you have ample time to weigh in).

* * *

Rules for player participation in the strategic game:

Each week, players may post that their characters are helping with a research or manufacturing project. They should post the relevant skill they are using to boost the project. The DM determines whether a skill is directly related to the project or indirectly related; directly related skills have a lower Difficulty Class for success. The DM will conduct all rolls using random number generators on the Internet.

Base DC: Research/Manufacturing cost of the project +5 (minimum 15)
Indirect skill: DC +5

The results are:

Critical Failure: some sort of disaster befalls the project, possibly affecting the entire X-COM operation.
Failure: the character’s contribution is negative; i.e. the project suffers a small setback.
No Impact: the character’s work has no effect on the project
Success: the character’s assistance boosts the project. Typically this will result in faster results, efficiencies in terms of scientist or engineer time, or something similar.
Critical Success: the character’s work provides a spectacular benefit. This may result in the project being completed in half the expected time, an extra prototype being produced, or something equally impressive. The character receives a +500xp bonus for his or her contribution (on top of the posting bonus).

Result:
Natural 1: if this roll fails to meet the DC with the character’s skill bonus added in, then result is a Critical Failure. If it otherwise met the DC, then it’s a Failure.
DC-20 or lower: Critical Failure
DC-19 to DC-10: Failure
DC-9 to DC-1: No Impact
DC to DC+9: Success
DC+10 or higher: Critical Success
Natural 20: if this roll would have met the DC with the character’s skill bonus added in, then result is a Critical Success. If it doesn’t meet the DC, then it’s a Success.

Example: Character X is helping out on research on Magnetic Weapons, using his Mechanical Engineering Skill. The project normally takes 10 research units, and the DM determines that the skill is directly related, so the DC is 15. The DM rolls a 6. The character’s skill is +7, so the character’s help has no impact on the project. If the DM had rolled a 1, the result would have been a Critical Failure, since 1 + 7 is less than the original DC. If the DM had rolled a 20, a Critical Success would result because the result is higher than the DC. In this case, the DM might determine that two pistol prototypes instead of one are created when the project is completed as a result of the Critical Success.

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Re: X-COM 2: Strategic Game Rules

Post by Lazybones » Sat Jun 01, 2019 5:57 pm

As noted above, each week (after June 8) I will post a message from X-COM identifying what projects are available for the Avenger's Research and Engineering departments. At the start you can only focus on one project at a time. The team will implement whatever programs the majority of the Planning Committee (i.e., the player characters) select. If there is a tie, I'll have one of the NPC Department Heads make the decision.

I am not going to post the entire tech tree in advance, but will try to give you enough information to make informed decisions about the impact of your decisions. Folks who have played X-COM 2 will obviously have some extra knowledge going in. :) Many of the tech options will be unlocked by bringing in alien corpses from missions and conducting a research project into those corpses (you don't actually have to carry bodies, we'll assume that you collect specimens from any mission where you defeated a particular enemy and were not retreating under fire at the end).

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Re: X-COM 2: Strategic Game Rules

Post by Lazybones » Sat Jun 01, 2019 6:24 pm

Finally, I will note that there is a certain random element in how quickly projects are completed, since you don't know exactly how long you will have between missions, or how quickly advances will be discovered. Manufacturing projects face unexpected delays or complications. So at the start, the Avenger will gain the following for each interval of time between our games:
  • Research Output: 1d10
  • Manufacturing Output: 1d10
  • Medical Kit Production: 1d6
All of the above may be augmented by player character skill rolls or by Avenger upgrades. I will note the Research or Manufacturing costs with each Planning Committee memo that you receive. If your output exceeds the amount needed to finish a project I'll allocate the surplus to the next project in line.

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Re: X-COM 2: Strategic Game Rules

Post by Lazybones » Fri Jun 07, 2019 4:12 pm

Addendum 1: If folks want to use the d20M crafting system between sessions that's fine, since the ship's stores and workshops can provide just about any raw material you would need to manufacture mundane equipment. But if you craft you can't participate in the system above for that week (since it will take up all your free time). Note that you can only create default items from this method, not X-COM's superior gear. You should only craft if you have down time between missions (i.e., the session didn't end mid-mission).

Addendum 2: The Avenger's workshops/labs can manufacture any kind of default toolkit in the game. If you would like a specialty kit (e.g., something needed for one of your skills), just post and you'll get it in the next session. I will make a small deduction from that week's Manufacturing Output depending on how complex the item is.

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Re: X-COM 2: Strategic Game Rules

Post by Lazybones » Fri Jun 14, 2019 4:48 pm

I made one small tweak to the above: minimum DC for player support to projects is 15. That means that you would have to have a minimum of +4 in a skill (+8 if not directly related) to reduce the chance for a critical failure to 5% (1 in 20).

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Re: X-COM 2: Strategic Game Rules

Post by Lazybones » Fri Jul 19, 2019 2:23 am

I tweaked the DC for Critical Failure, since I realized (from this week's rolls) that the numbers for Critical Failure and Failure overlapped.

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