So, my playgroup recently discovered a discrepancy between my book and the character sheet. I couldn’t find the “Veteran” special ability in my book, could anyone give me a page number or something for that. Also, I don’t know how to determine the “Items” section of the character sheet, aside from the “Load.” I take it those will be acquired stuff throughout downtime, so I should tell my players to leave it blank for now?
Edit: I answered my own question for the Items and Load, but I still want to know where the “Veteran” special ability is.
A veteran ability is an ability taken from another playbook, or from any other source which has been opened up to the player.
Veteran advances cannot be taken during initial character generations. In play as a veteran advance you can take from any standard character playbook (Not Ghost, Hull or Vampire).
Special abilities (starting p234) has lots of additional veteran advances which can be taken only once certain conditions are met.
And of course you can introduce various veteran advances in your own game.
Veteran is just a reminder that you CAN learn abilities from other playbooks.
At the start of a job, you decide what level of load you’re taking. At any time during the job, you can tick off items up to that maximum, to reveal that you brought that item.
Declan Feeney I appreciate the help you’ve given me, you’ve for the most part answered my question and more. But do you have either a page number in the book or other reference I could look at for reference during the game when it comes to veteran advancements? I’ve struggled in finding one outside of page 234, which you’ve given me.
There’s no further explanation in the book. You’ve really only got what the playbooks say.
Alright, I guess you could make a veteran advancement that was just a copy of an existing special ability, I wish it was made more clear, though, that you could design an ability rather than copy another playbook’s ability on the sheet, though. Anyways, thanks to all who helped me out.
The wording of Veteran is important: its choosing from another source. In earlier versions, Veteran was choose “from another playbook”. John changed it to “another source” to leave the door open for you to use it to get custom special abilities.
It’s also important to keep in mind that while the sheets have three dots, players are not limited to three veteran advances.
Philip Monsees unfortunately I’ve no page reference because I’ve picked that up from a) experience of veteran moves from PbtA games, b) The fact it said Other playbooks in the playtest versions but was changed to sources late in development and c) listening to the various John Harper run online games.
I figure though that if that’s the way the designer runs it, then it’s the correct interpretation. He reminds his players that the can take moves from other playbooks several times in RollPlay Blades even though they are using the final version of the game.
Declan Feeney I think it’s been said more than once; the Playbooks are a clever illusion. At the end of the day, a starting character is 7 action dots, a special ability and a handful of experience triggers and personal higher-quality items.
The standard playbooks make it easier to jump right into a game, but you can basically make anything with any mix you like without breaking the game (aside from making broken custom stuff yourself.)
In John’s own Bloodletters game, I think Adam changes his exp triggers and special abilities up about half way into the series without any break in the flow of the character.
Ben Morgan Declan Feeney I took those three bubbles to mean the Veteran advances cost 3 advances each.
Does it only cost one each? No disincentive from going for another playbook?
It only costs one each. The only disinctives against Veteran advances are:
1- They may not synergise as well as your own playbook’s ones
2- You’ll have to copy out what they do 😀
Ben Barnett No, special abilities (including Veteran advances) all only cost 1 each. If they cost 3, there would be a line connecting them, like the Armor boxes.