I've finally made a new version of the Rules Reference PDF, which I've been putting off for a long time. It doesn't currently have a whole lot of vehicle stuff, just the bare basics that I've been doing to try and get them playable for testing. I've got more stuff, but it's not ready for prime-time yet.

One of the other things that I'm working on is the whole Adrenalin pool system. This is going to be a little bit finicky, I suspect.

The big problem to moving to the pool system from Destiny is that while Destiny allowed players to have absolute control in certain situations, the new system is a little less powerful, but is intended to be used more frequently.

The problem is that as it stands Adrenalin is basically a once-a-turn system. It allows players to prioritize what they value in combat. This gives them more control, and lets them choose posturing (e.g. spend Adrenalin to defend for a bonus to be defensive, or use it to attack and be more dangerous).

Right now my goal is to figure out a way to switch to the new system without removing some of that agency, particularly because I want the new system to function both in and out of combat.

Choice 1: Hybrid Pool

This system is the most complicated one, so I'm not really leaning toward it, but it fits in with minimal changes and keeps most of the benefits of the current system.

The way that this works is that players get one point of Adrenalin to spend each combat round (use-it-or-lose-it style) by default, and then have a pool that they can use to apply further boosts, up to a maximum of 3 boosts for any action.

This would mean that they can still heavily influence important events (a +30 bonus in Hammercalled which stacks with other modifiers is fantastic, and likely to lead to automatic successes), but it would limit the amount of power characters could use to a slow-burn during combat and a trickle outside of combat.

This system works well at keeping the current style, but it does raise questions.

Choice 2: No Flow

The other option is to do away with the free Adrenalin each turn and just make it so that the character has a fixed pool of points.

This encourages more aggressive play in combat (if it's done right), but has some flaws, namely the fact that you save Adrenalin for risky situations–typically combat–which is the opposite of the goal.

Another question here is whether players could spend multiple Adrenalin at once. I kind of like the idea that characters burn through variable amounts in relationship to the importance of the problem they're facing. However, you'd have to do some careful balancing with pool sizes so players don't burn through too much.

Choice 3: As-is, but Better

One other thing that I want to think about is how to handle the notion of Adrenalin outside combat. If we could come up with a system to do it right, there's no reason why you would even need a floating pool of points.

All that's really required is some selection criteria for when you can spend the boost and why you would use it. Obviously, since it gives a direct advantage, the second question is answered. The first question is what would be difficult here.

One question here could be pursuing a more narrative system, which might be what I do for Genship Exiles. Have a sort of Adrenalin/Crash system, where you can gain a bonus at the cost of a later penalty played by the GM. I don't like the adversarial notion that it brings into the play experience, but as a whole "You can do it, but it'll have costs later" it matches the sort of narrative flows that I find interesting in games with an emphasis on sacrifice and prioritizing resources.

Other Problems to Solve

No matter what, we're left with two big problems to solve:

• How large should the pool be?
• How does the pool refresh?

I've been wanting to work on some of these systems to handle healing, vehicle repair, and gear repair in a more uniform way, so I'll probably work on this. I'd like to come up with a system that respects players' time, but also makes things interesting. It is likely that the downtime system will wind up being highly title-specific within Hammercalled products. I have an idea of something for Segira that will make it feel more like a game set in a war-torn land, but I don't want to go into too much detail until it's on paper.

Wrapping Up

It still amazes me that the rules reference for Hammercalled is so short with all the work that's gone into it. That's a good thing–bloat kills–but it's also a reminder that I need to be better about doing instead of talking about.

Don't forget to check out the updated Rules Reference!