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Hi there! I've been reading through the Quickstart and really enjoying the theme and vibe. My questions are about Movement and Combat:
The different movement speeds and types imply the use of a battle map or grid to run combat. However, this is not stated specifically, nor are alternatives for non-distance-based/grid-based combat suggested. My main concern is with setting up interesting combat arenas on-the-fly with a system where distance and movement speeds matter (rather than pre-planning combats in carefully arranged arenas).
Do you have any recommendations on how to make the use of combat speeds and types in Beetle Knight easy to run and fun to play? Is a battle map or grid the only way to go, or are there alternatives that will work? And will the full game expand on these types of questions with GM Best Practices? Thank you!
These are great questions! Thank you!
I have generally run combat on a grid, but not always. I use words like adjacent, near, far, and very far when I’m not on a grid. I will be sure to include that in the Arbiters principles that we’re working on (I added it to my notes). For speed what I do if, say, someone is slightly slower, I’ll say “you don’t quite reach your destination because your speed is lower”.
All this being said, I feel like the combat can be improvised on the grid without any issues. There’s no need to worry too much about a perfectly balanced encounter.
Hope this helps!
I think having consumables that would permanently change the knights would be nice. It'll be neat to see how the consumables play into the theme of Beetle Knight and how they could be acquired or found. Also I was wondering would the items from the equipment page have descriptions of how and what they can be used for or is that more up to the arbiter's discretion based on how the player is trying to use the item.
For the consumables that permanently change a knight I was thinking some of them could be special items, for example you defeat a junk bug type enemy that is carrying some loot and you may find some old tome with forgotten history or magic that promotes your intellect or gives you +1 emblem and +1 emblem slot. Or you venture into some secluded area and find an NPC that recognizes your strength and gifts you an elixir that promotes your might in return for fulfilling a request to prove your strength by freeing them of some accursed spider that has been preventing them from leaving. Just some ideas for the permanent change items. for some of the other special items maybe some of the descriptions have hidden benefits like a silken may help you hide better from spiders when you are in their lair and surrounded by their webs of silk, or an antenna mask may have actual antennae sticking out of it and hide your appearance better giving you a temporary promotion to presence when talking to other creatures. stuff like that was what I was thinking.
Subject to change but take a look https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GLH0oDVutWUzus_RH6UgC0c8-9ZzRm_GIZUE85s02Rs/edit
It will have replayability! Yes! That is the intention.
Regarding solo tools, these may be of interest to you