Leftovers' First Playtest

Unbeknownst to me, some of my San Diego gamer friends gave Leftovers its first test-drive tonight! Very cool of them. They brought up a lot of good points and have given me a lot to think about. The biggest issue is this:
Contested conflicts, especially at high trait levels, could take a long time. We tested out one where both characters had the same dice pool and it took nine rolls before we got one "hit." If the contest required 3 or 4 hits, it would've taken a very long time.
Hmm. Not sure what to do about that. An initial instinct is to say that identical dice on either side of the conflict cancel each other out -- that is, if one guy's rolling d6 + d8 + d10 and the other guy's rolling d8 + d10 + d10, it'd actually be roll of d6 vs. d10. If all dice are identical, just roll Nature. It's certainly simpler, but I'm not sure if it really makes sense, or would actually be fun. Have to give it more thought. Anyone have any ideas on that?

Also, I was excited to see a complete Leftovers PC for the first time -- Andy's Grey Smith:

Grey Smith
Human Nature: d10
Horrific Nature: d6
1 Minor Graft: a red eye on the back of his neck (d6)
Traits -
  • Stealthy (d12)
  • Deceptive (d10)
  • Combative (d8)
  • Resourceful (d8)
  • Driver (d6)
  • Horrors (d6)
  • Athletic (d6)
  • Strong (d4)
  • Perceptive (d4)
  • Intimidating (d4)
  • Resolute (d4)
  • Educated (d4)
Bonds -
  • I trust Jimbo because he fixed my car (d6)
  • I distrust Dr. Ido because she's too perfect (d8)
  • I'm loyal to Dr. Ido because I know she can fix me up (d10)
  • I'd betray DJ Beastly for his nice gear (d6)
Tools -
  • Lockpicks (d8)
  • Pistol (d6)
Physical Defense - 11
Mental Defense - 7
Vigor - 3
Spirit - 2

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