F*ck*n’b*st*rd Points
almost 8 years ago
– Fri, Jun 24, 2016 at 10:51:35 AM
Stretch Goal Added at $17,500
Now three bonus scenarios for pledges $45+! It will be at least four because we'll certainly make the $15k stretch goal. But if we can stretch to $17,500 and unlock a 5th bonus scenario, then pledges $100+ will receive a printed edition of these bonus adventures!
So... what are those F*ck*n’b*st*rd points on the Hellywood character sheet?
F*ck*n’b*st*rd Points
F*ck*n’b*st*rd (also called FBP) are a means to cheat fate — except that it always comes back to bite you in the ass. You can ask to reroll the dice – one and only one reroll per situation. In exchange, you note down one FBP on your character sheet. You may accumulate as many as you like; just know that they absolutely will blow up in your face.
That moment is left entirely to the discretion of the VO. When he sees fit, he can remove one or more of your FBP and inflict on you, for your pains, minor inconveniences or huge catastrophes.
1 point: your car breaks down when your need is urgent, even vital.
2 points: the extreme measures used against you count double. (NOTE: An “extreme measure” is a system term. It’s a weapon — physical in the case of a pistol or a knife, for instance, or social in the case of physical evidence or arguments like a secret threatened to be revealed — with a score between 10 and 200 that counts against a character’s pool.)
5 points: you see your informant get run over by a bus before he had the opportunity to give you a crucial piece of information you expected.
10 points: your mother-in-law is coming to dinner tonight; you have forgotten the kid’s toys for Christmas and your ex will use it to take visitation rights form you; a demon is inside your head ever since you fainted in your last brawl…
As you can see, the scale is very variable and the VO has the final word on the matter. You have no say in the matter: you are always caught by Fate and you have been warned.
Example: Rinaldi has pushed his luck one time too many. He’s accumulated no less than 9 F*ck*n’B*st*rd Points. For now, the sneaky VO lets him be. And then you find Rinaldi running breathlessly in an ally hoping to reach his car before the three goons that want to do him harm get their hands on him. Rinaldi rejoices: he managed to outrun them and gets behind the wheel. But Fate catches up on him: despite his panicked efforts, the car refuses to start. The three guys break the window and pull Rinaldi out of the car. He has won a good, old-fashioned beating... later, when Rinaldi emerges from alley, covered in bruises and spitting teeth, his F*ck*n’B*st*rd Points are reduced to 4. Great…
Also, when your VO uses your Nature to push you in some direction, he must subtract one of your FBP for it.
Final Days!
almost 8 years ago
– Wed, Jun 22, 2016 at 01:29:32 PM
With more than a day to go we cleared out first stretch goal! In combination with the great success of the Joh Doe Editions project, we've now added all of this to various pledge levels:
Two Scenarios for Pledge Levels $45+
Two new scenarios! Road Kill and The Glass Prison will be translated after the core books are finished and delivered to backers as a PDF.
Wall Map with Printed Hellywood
A wall map of the city of Heaven Harbor is included with every printed Hellywood. This is almost the same as pledge level $45+, except for the $50 PDF-only reward.
Player Handouts Added to Justice of Angels
Leo Bruiser's File is 64 pages of player handouts that's added to all rewards of Justice of Angels. A PDF of the handouts accompanies all JoA PDF rewards, while a printed edition of the handouts comes along with a printed JoA!
We certainly appreciate every single pledge in support of our project, but please consider upgrading your pledge to include some or all of these stretch rewards.
By doing so, you'll push the project toward even more bonus rewards. There may well be a total of FIVE free scenarios by the time this project and the John Doe Editions project both close.
Thanks for your support!
Character Creation — Step One: Nature
almost 8 years ago
– Wed, Jun 22, 2016 at 10:50:46 AM
Selecting two Natures is the first step of creating a tough guy or girl in Hellywood.
Natures represent a character’s deep inclinations and motivations. They are the flame that burns deep inside you — a fire that is not extinguished no matter the events that life throws at you. Natures push you to action and, sometimes, handicap or clearly paralyse you.
Here is a list of the Natures available to your character. If you are playing a hornhead, then one of your Natures will necessarily be that of the kind you chose (Golem, Possessed, Seraphin or Succubus).
Natures
(names subject to change as the translation and editing process continues)
- Addict/Boozer
- Already Dead
- Ambitious
- Avenger
- Believer
- Chameleon
- Code of Honor
- Comeback
- Coward
- Cynical
- Deviant
- Diehard
- Everybody’s Pal
- Femme Fatale
- Free Woman
- Fugitive
- Golem
- High Roller
- In Love
- In Search of Redemption
- Loony
- Loser
- Methodical
- Poser
- Possessed
- Protector
- Quiet
- Rebel
- Rotten to the Bone
- Sell out
- Seraphin
- Snitch
- Soft
- Succubus
- Violent
Advantages and Disadvantages
Each Nature offers one Advantage and penalizes with one Disadvantage. Here are a handful of the many interesting possibilities:
Advantages
-
Already Dead: you can be put out but never killed.
-
Protector: you share an empathic link with your protégé, so you always know when he or she is in danger.
-
Snitch: you always have a name you can mention to get out of a bad situation.
Disadvantages
-
Avenger: you will never miss even the smallest chance of pursuing your vendetta.
-
Golem: a summoner who knows your tattoos and succeeds on his demonist roll may chant the words that enslave you.
-
Rotten to the Bone: no-one ever trusts you, ever.
Next, Step Two: Backgrounds...
Character Creation — Step Two: Backgrounds
almost 8 years ago
– Wed, Jun 22, 2016 at 10:50:18 AM
Continued from Update #1 — Step One: Nature.
After selecting two Natures, you define the Background of your character. Backgrounds are a variety of things: periods of your life, resources, equipment, status or contacts, etc. You have 50 points to spend on Backgrounds, and may also develop one free Past.
Here is a list of your Background options:
Pasts
In addition to one free Past, you may purchase more of these for 10 points each. A Past is a period of the character’s life that left such a mark that it can, even now, have repercussions, if only as an obsessive memory. A Past can be a long period, a series of events, even a regularly frequented social group.
Some examples offered in the rulebook are: took part on the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, went through a painful divorce, spent 10 years in the slammer, fought in World War Two, was a local police officer, has long frequented the night life, had joined the International Brigades in Spain, lost a very young child, was committed after a long depression, or was member of a fraternity at college.
A Past can be a source of information, but usually non-specific information. For instance, if your Past included hobnobbing with Heaven Harbor’s high society, you have doubtlessly heard of Mayor Palmer’s numerous female conquests. However, only someone close to the mayor can really help you identify a particular girl.
Pasts also allow you to launch Flashbacks during play. Flashbacks are a very important element of the Hellywood system — and one of my favorites aspects of the game! Each character is allowed one Flashback per game session he can launch at any moment he likes. Some natures grant a second Flashback per session. A Flashback is ALWAYS linked to a past — that’s the reason characters have one free Past.
At any moment, the player may launch a Flashback and take control from the VO (the GM, called the Voiceover in Hellywood) and describe something from his past that influences the present narration. A Flashback can possibly even change the situation or introduce more information: the character has visited this place; he knows someone present, etc. What’s important is to use his imagination and link the flashback to the character’s past and the current situation.
Here’s a Flashback in action as described in the rulebook:
The players forcibly enter the office of the lawyer of one of their enemies, determined to make him spill some information. They get the lawyer by the collar and prepare to put the screws on him when the door opens and a mountain of muscles enters. The bodyguard! Things are about to get dicey. That’s when Loris spends a Flashback and explains how this guy served under him in Normandy, how they took a bunker together and how he had carried the wounded big man to shelter. The bodyguard recognizes his former lieutenant. The VO decides that the very confused guy is not going to break the bones of an old brother in arms. Instead, he explains to his boss that surely these guys are all right and he should perhaps listen to them…
It’s worth noting that characters with a horned Nature (golem, etc.) cannot launch a Flashback that’s set prior to their arrival in Heaven Harbor.
Other Backgrounds
You also spend Background points on these options:
Connections: This represent the people the character knows and who he can call upon to get aid or information. Of course, this kind of thing never works in one direction: it's not uncommon for a connection to request help in return. A character’s Connections can be contacts (5 points), allies (10 points) or friends (15 points). The contact’s status also costs points: everyman (5 points), minor authority (10 points), local big shot (20 points) or head honcho (30 points).
Possessions: Items or real estate the character owns. Very often these are not trivial items — there’s no point in spending points for your razor or a pair of shoes. The item will often be an element from your past and you have a strong connection with it. Examples are 5 points for a customized weapon or 40 points to have shares in a casino.
Dough: This is essentially an income from your character’s activities. Each character starts with level 5 “laborer” without any point spending. Notably, 15 points lands you “detective”.
Status: Your character belongs to an organization and has status and authority therein, with all associated rights and duties. Status +5, that of “everyman,” is given free to each character. At 30 points you might be an advisor or assistant to the mayor. Status is a very special notion in Hellywood. A Voice-over will only allow choosing this Background in specific conditions, determined by the type of campaign he has in mind. The game you all wish to play may be entirel;y “street level” and so everyone should accept being a 5 point “everyman”. That or take the bonus point and chose the 0 point “scum”.
Demon Directory: This Background is reserved for the irresponsible individuals who want to deal with the forces of the Maze (the origination of the hornheads). This directory is not a physical object: it is a sort of abstraction measuring the familiarity the character has with the forces of the Bound, his knowledge of their hierarchy, and his ability to summon the right entity.
Disadvantageous Backgrounds
Sometimes the past is very hard to bear. Your character may carry some past experiences or some youthful errors like a ball and chain. Thus you can choose up to three “negative” backgrounds that grant a certain number of points with which you can buy other backgrounds.
Your choices are Broke (worth -20!), Enemies, Negative Status (-10, you Communist!), and Consequences. A consequence is a physical, mental or social scar, something remaining after a strong, dramatic episode in the character’s life. The consequence can sometimes influence the character’s actions by reducing his pool or increasing the damage score (permanently or not). This is dealt with in its own section of the rulebook.
That’s it for Backgrounds. Step Three is Attributes.
