Thinking of buying some Recon...

[Janus]

But I am not sure where to start. What to expect. What are the game mechanics like? Classes? Stats? Is it closely related to Palladium Games? Is it completely different? There is a copy at a gmae shop I go to and everytime I see it I reach out to buy, but never do. Am I missing out here? Can someone give me the dirt on this little game?

Thanks.

[lather]

Very briefly, it is nothing like Palladium's games.

I would suggest reading the Recon file in the cutting room floor on Palladium's website. A lot of that made it into the 'revised' game.

There are only three attributes for your character, and his (or her) job in the military determines the skillset from which skills can be chosen. There are mercenary characters will give other sets of skills.

Character generation is really fast and straight forward because these are infantry guys with short life expectancies. They are somewhat cookie cutter. But that works in the game context.

The MOS (Military Occupational Speciality) are things like Point man (he walks out front looking for tripwires and enemy ambushes), Sniper (kill the enemy officers, disable the front truck on a bridge, direct indirect fire, etc), Medic, Pigman (machinegunner), Demolitions, and a few others including the mercenary ones.

The book also includes a fictional Spanish-speaking landmass for your special forces and mercs and grunts to explore.

I highly recommend the game - it can be a gore fest or highly intellectual if you like. Most people I know describe the game as "gritty".

I also think that getting Advanced Recon which was bundled in the Deluxe version is absolutely essential because it allows characters to live a little longer and be involved in a larger variety of missions.

It is a Vietnam-era game so all weapons and technology are, well, fairly antiquated but would take you into the 1980s easily. If you want a more modern game, you will have to figure out how to modernise your forces' weapons and gear.

[Janus]

Sounds like I will need to go deluxe then...I was wondering about the differences.

To the cutting room floor I go to check some of that material out.

Viet Nam era and early 80's is not a problem actually.

Thanks.

[lather]

Cool. I hope it works for you. I really enjoy playing it.

Now I got the RECON bug again.

[Janus]

Got the bug eh?

I just read through the cutting room floor material. Very interesting stuff. I like the creation rules and the MOS rules.

Yeah this is on my need to get list.

[lather]

Yea. Already started on the campaign notes, too. Hehe.

[Janus]

Cool deal.

On average how long does a campaign take?

[Jefffar]

Depends on what you want to do.

If you want, you can create characters and run one of the book missions within a few hours and have a lot of fun at it.

If you want to really spend some ime roleplaying, you cna draw things out quite a while.

Just bare in mind it is a Wargame and like War death can be random and sudden.

It's one of the few games I know where a low level random encounter can stil TPK an experienced group because of a handful of fluke rolls.

As a general rule, I have each player make between 2 and 4 characters. This allows the team to be a little more robust, and it gives the player someone to play if their other character gets critically wounded during the mission.

[panzerfaust]

There's also Conversion Rules to the Palladium Megaversal System on pages 119 to 120 of Duluxe Revised Recon, if you want PCs to last a bit longer, but remember that these conversion rules are for the FIRST Editions (Not the Revsied Editions) of TMNT or Heroes Unlimited (I.E. these rules use the old High School and College and Secondary Skills system) so it may take some adjustment. Hey, Jeffar could you post which skills from HU2 could be taken as High School and Colledge Skills? This would Also help with After the Bomb and HU2 (oddly it still uses the same old rules for this) Mutant Animal character creation, as well as Recon Conversions to Palladium.

[lather]

Personally, I would not convert. Not that I have anything against anyone doing so. It's just that RECON is so much its own game that if you want to play a TMNT/HU type character, play one.

Just my personal opinion though.

[lather]

It's one of the few games I know where a low level random encounter can stil TPK an experienced group because of a handful of fluke rolls.

Yea and even low tech ambushes and booby traps are devastating.

Really have to think about each step sometimes.

[panzerfaust]

Personally, I would not convert. Not that I have anything against anyone doing so. It's just that RECON is so much its own game that if you want to play a TMNT/HU type character, play one.

Just my personal opinion though.

I was actualy thinking of converting RECON to the the Megaversal system, you know with the skill rules, W.P.s, S.D.C., Hit Points, Combat Rules and the like and keeping it as it's own setting (I.E. NO mutant animals, superpowers and such) sort of a serogate for RECON Modern Combat (til it comes out, if ever ) to tide people (including me) over in the mean time.

[lather]

Personally, I would not convert. Not that I have anything against anyone doing so. It's just that RECON is so much its own game that if you want to play a TMNT/HU type character, play one.

Just my personal opinion though.

I was actualy thinking of converting RECON to the the Megaversal system, you know with the skill rules, W.P.s, S.D.C., Hit Points, Combat Rules and the like and keeping it as it's own setting (I.E. NO mutant animals, superpowers and such) sort of a serogate for RECON Modern Combat (til it comes out, if ever ) to tide people (including me) over in the mean time.

I understand. And I am very much wanting Modern Combat as well.

In the past, when we want a megaversal type RECON game we just grab TMNT or something with the basic character generation rules and restrict the available skills list, then just make normal guys (and girls). But Modern Combat looks like it was going to be more involved than military grunts and special operations forces. Having a megaversal system begins making sense in that context.

[Jefffar]

I've always thought that RMC would come out faster as a "low powered" module for N&SS

[lather]

RMC's scope is definitely broader than RECON's.

I think dialing back NS&S's power would get you to RMC, and that is the only thing that sort of bothers me about it. And that is why I am perfectly satisfied with playing RECON exactly the way it is. That is the game of modern combat I want to play.

If I want to take over an airport or infiltrate a Hizbollah cigarette smuggling operation in North Carolina, I can, and the lack of skills really brings out a player's role playing which is decidely more fun than figuring out which dice is the tens and which is the ones. I really enjoy the lack of Intelligence attribute in RECON, too.

[Grey Death]

I've always thought that RMC would come out faster as a "low powered" module for N&SS

I would agree with that. As a matter of fact I'm starting a campaign using N&SS along with the expanded skills for mercs in one of the rifters (I forget the issue number). Its has the players starting as a LRRP team in Nam. The it will move forward in time. Till they reach the current time line. Basically playing the characters back story.

Just if anyones curious. They will start in NAM (1973). Then become SAD operators for the CIA in Angola (1976). Then they will flash forward to the current timeline (1982-3). Where they will more or less be Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta operators. That will more or less be encountering one enemy. Fighting them and spoiling their plots almost exclusively.

[lather]

Small units are the most fun to play in my opinion.

And there is unlimited possibilities under the special operations umbrella.

[panzerfaust]

Personally, I would not convert. Not that I have anything against anyone doing so. It's just that RECON is so much its own game that if you want to play a TMNT/HU type character, play one.

Just my personal opinion though.

I was actualy thinking of converting RECON to the the Megaversal system, you know with the skill rules, W.P.s, S.D.C., Hit Points, Combat Rules and the like and keeping it as it's own setting (I.E. NO mutant animals, superpowers and such) sort of a serogate for RECON Modern Combat (til it comes out, if ever ) to tide people (including me) over in the mean time.

I understand. And I am very much wanting Modern Combat as well.

In the past, when we want a megaversal type RECON game we just grab TMNT or something with the basic character generation rules and restrict the available skills list, then just make normal guys (and girls). But Modern Combat looks like it was going to be more involved than military grunts and special operations forces. Having a megaversal system begins making sense in that context.

Yeah, My ONLY problem with the Conversion Rules as presented in Deluxe Revised RECON is figuring out what fragging skills to assign characters (as it uses the VERY FIRST HU skill system and they didn't update the conversion rules either) , I've pretty much got the conversions for other stuff like weapons, ground vehicle and the like EXCEPTING aircraft: I simply wrote Mr. Julius Rosenstien asking for 'em (and he sent them to me too, one of the reasons I LOVE Palladium Books a whole lot).

[panzerfaust]

Small units are the most fun to play in my opinion.

And there is unlimited possibilities under the special operations umbrella.

I agree, they're about the right size for most gaming groups too.

[lather]

Yeah, My ONLY problem with the Conversion Rules as presented in Deluxe Revised RECON is figuring out what fragging skills to assign characters

There is that, too.

[Janus]

Wow a lot to think about. Imay keep everything Recon pure for a bit unless the group survives and then maybe try a conversion. Sounds like an awesome system /setting.

[lather]

Yea, keep your D10s warm.

[Natasha]

Gonna play test an airstrip take over soon.

I already rolled up my pigman/demo named Mike, and the intel/point named Lt. Dan

Hehe, I never played RECON before. I hope I make a good spetsnaz girl!

[lather]

I think you will do good, although I know that you would make one heck of a bomber pilot.

[Jefffar]

BTS2 and Recon - you're gonna make some gamer guy a really happy man there Nat.

[lather]