Information about game rules

Hi there!

I read about Noctum on the Mongoose Publishing website and am quite interested in it. I love dark modern horror scenarios, like Unknown Armies, Cthulhu Now or The Esoterrorists. So I hope I will like this one, too.

I liked the background information and the downloadable content so far very much, but I miss some information about the rules themselves. How is combat solved in this game? Is it very deadly, like in UA or is it more powerplay? Or does it depend on the style of play.

How are skills used? I read you don't need to roll any dice at all. Is that optional or only used in one aspect of the game like getting clues in The Esoterrorists? I prefer games using dice, but have a light rulesystem!

Could you give us an overview of the nine different styles of play? And how about an example of a typical minion of darkness?

I hope you don't mind my many questions! But enough of them now!

I really like the downloadable soundtrack. Very nice! I hope we can get more like that someday!

Greetings from Germany!
Draugr

Hi there,

Well how rules-lite you want it to be is pretty much up to the gaming group. There’s even a one-shot option in which you can put together a character in about three minutes (for pick-up games). Using this system the rules are very simple.

When it comes to combat you can play it out in a “simulationist” kind of way, with a lot of detail or you can employ the Duke Mode. This mode has a much more narrative streak with very few rolls and a ratio of success. Here the players themselves can narrate part of the combat depending on how well their move succeeds. And yes, combat is very deadly. To some degree the deadliness depends on style of play as well.

The automatic success is very much regulated by the storyteller and how he handles difficulty levels and pacing. There’s no point spend system when it comes to investigations, rather there’s an abstract point gaining system. This enables characters to have “flashes” and lets them connect the dots by using their skills and smarts.

There will be an interview on RPGnet sometime this week and there you’ll get some more background. I also recommend checking out our wiki. There you’ll find some info on the styles of play, antagonists and some other goodies.

If you have more questions just ask. Hope I’ve been helpful.

Thanks for the answer!

I didn't know it's the third edition already, so I didn't look it up on wikipedia! Thanks for the link!

I read through the different styles of play. Well, I think I am officially hooked!

The mixture of investigation, conspiracies, madness, combat AND paranormal abilities, too, is great. I have to see how much I like the monster design. I am fan of Lovecraft and his Cthulhu Mythos and so am used to his slimy tentacle monsters or the rather normal creatures like zombies, werewolves and so on. But there are the serial killers as alternative!

Regarding the combat: I love the Condemned games on Xbox 360 and I just hoped to copy the gritty violence in a roleplaying game. I will check out the Hack & Slash style of play, when the book is published. I don't care, if the antagonists die fast, but the player characters should survive at least till the highlight of the story and I don't like to "rescue" them all the time. They should always be aware, that they can die anytime.

In the wiki it is written, that 2D10 are used. Is it a percentage system?

I like the way you deal with investigations. That was the reason I looked into The Esoterrorists. It's annoying when the story comes to an abrupt halt, because of some bad luck in dice rolling. Nowadays I just let the characters find the necessary clues without rolling any dice in the other game systems, so that the story can continue. But they can roll dice to get further information.

That's it for now!

Hello,

I've been interested in Noctum since I first saw it on Mongoose's website. I didn't know that it was a translation of another rpg and from what I've read, I'm really intrigued by it.

But along the same lines as the OP, what is the game system like. I saw on the wiki that you roll 2d10 but what is the scale of attributes for humans? How are the 2d10 interpreted? Percentile? Added together? How do attributes and skills go together to affect the skill roll?

The basics of the system are very simple. Roll 2D10, add the result to your skill/attribute score in order to get the final result. The skills/attributes of humans are measured on a basic scale from 1-10. The standard difficulty is 15. The final result has to be equal to or exceed the difficulty in order for you to be successful. The difficulty can vary depending on the situation.

The attributes generates a base score, this base score is added directly to the skill. So if you have invested 4 points in a skill and have a base score of 2 in the attribute which supports the skill you would end up with a skill rating of 6.

Then there’s the mechanics of taking it slow and fields of expertise. This is basically a system that supports a very narrative way of role-play. Using this system the storyteller can regulate the difficulties, and in doing so cut away any unnecessary rolls, only using dice when it adds to the suspense. This will allow the players to take part in the narration as well. It’s kind of like the classic “taking 10” system with a twist.

In our game sessions we discovered that a lot of actions (especially criminal investigations dealing with forensics) becomes very cool when using this system. A top notch investigator never needs to roll in order to be successful with the investigation on the scene (as long as the player actively uses the skills of the character in the proper way). Then he also gets to narrate what he finds, based on information given to him by the storyteller. We’ve had players walking around the room in character, reconstructing the crime scene and explaining it to their co-characters. This really sets the mood and also lets the character in question shine when in his right element.

There is, however, one major and deliberate switch in the system and this pops up when dealing with magic/psychic abilities. This mechanic is mainly card based, using the seven aspect cards (you can check them out in our download section).

I have just ordered it, but I will have to wait 3-4 weeks before I get it. But I am looking forward to read it!

Well, when you start playing it tell me what kind off stories you create. It’s always very cool to see how people shape the game world and how they use the system

I just ordered mine today, as well. I hope I get it by Thursday.

Like NiallNai, I saw this game in the index on RPGnet, and am very intrigued by it.

I read on your blog that the cover art is getting yanked, which is unfortunate. I thought it really suited the tone the game seems to be communicating, but people have fragile sensibilities. I was surprised to find my wife agreed with me with no small amount of fervor.

I'm putting this on my must-buy list and hope to have it in my budget by the middle of next month.

I'm a fan of Rafael Chandler's Books of Pandemonium RPGs as well as Unknown Armies, and this seems to be a combination of two concepts I would happily have in the same game, with a unique twist and hopefully an easy, fast, and readily playable system.

One thing that drew me to this game was that it sounded like a grittier version of "Chill", if anyone remembers that. My friends and I were kind of fried on the D20 systems that seem so abundant anymore.

I actually ordered the book a week and a half ago from my local gaming store. They made it sound as though they could get it fairly quickly, but I have yet to hear anything. Any problems with distribution at the moment? Is it a result of the cover? I agree somewhat that the cover art could be toned down a bit, and I like the alternate one posted to the blog.

Ars Mysteriorum wrote:

I'm putting this on my must-buy list and hope to have it in my budget by the middle of next month.

You’ll have to spill some info on how your stories unfold when you have been playing it for a while

Fehdman wrote:

Any problems with distribution at the moment?

I haven’t heard of any direct problems, but then again I have very little insight into the actual distribution to the stores. The best thing you could do is to ask the employees at the store about the delay. I hope the game arrives soon.

I know that the book is in stores. I've seen it listed on several internet stores as in stock. I ordered mine from Noble Knight and I should have it in my hands by Monday.