With the Remaster being very close to finished, I figure it's time to talk about some of the changes that aren't in the SRD. First thing I want to talk about is that, in addition to updating all the Alternate Rules Modules from BCZ, I gave a complete makeover to some of them. The most notable of these is, I think, Corruption, which is the new name for the system that replaces the so-called Insanity Rules.
To summarize how the rules work: Every PC has at least one Corruption Theme, an ailment born from humanity tinkering with forces it doesn’t understand let alone control. PCs gain Corruption Points when using Corruptive abilities themselves or when NPCs use Corruptive abilities against them. The accumulation of Corruption Points makes life harder for a PC, to the point that it can make participating in Intermissions impossible, but it still allows them to participate in Operations.
There are three reasons Corruption works this way. Thematically, it’s because only the "weak" and peaceful human side of the PC can no longer function normally, the part of them that is a replaceable cog in a war machine feels fine. Mechanically, it’s because PCs do not die or are retired from the narrative unless their owner wants to do so. Narratively, it’s something to decide between the PC’s owner and the GM whether the PC should be removed from play or not—if you can’t justify them staying as part of the game, then they are in fact retired.
Integrated Pilot
Corruption 1-3 (Mild): Your Mecha sometimes feels like a better version of yourself. While you do admit those thoughts seem silly, you can never really shake them off. You might’ve even found yourself saying “I am Gear.” or something along those lines once or twice.
Corruption 4-6 (Moderate): You have begun to feel very insecure about yourself when out of the cockpit. Sometimes when you’re stressed you climb the cockpit, the one place where you’re both safe and powerful.
Corruption 7-9 (Severe): You can barely leave your Mecha without feeling sick, your limbs feel sluggish and some of your senses are diminished when you’re not in the cockpit. You may even feel a gross sense of dysphoria, wishing it was your real body.
Corruption 10 (Extreme): You have become another component piece of your Mecha. Your physical body could have partially or fully merged with the cockpit, perhaps you depend on the robot’s life support systems to live, or maybe your consciousness is stuck in the computer system.
This is the iconic Corruption Theme in my opinion, as it symbolizes the kind of consequences they have in a PC's life while also giving them an out of being forced to retire but still affecting their role in the game. It is also one of a handful of Corruption Themes that can be spun into a positive, as a PC who fully embraces their new self can simply just roll with it and say "Yeah, I'm a robot now, it's pretty cool actually". Corruption Themes aren't necessarily about losing who or what you are, but about transformation and pain, which can heal and make you stronger over time. It is not the most obvious difference between both rules, but it is an important one.
As for the ways in which PCs gain Corruption, I'll show the most important one
Victory at Any Cost
Reaction Power
Effect: You increase the result of a Test you just rolled by 5 or restore 5 points to your Threshold. At the Operation’s end, you gain a Corruption Point. You can use this Power once per Operation.
Ryo knew his Gear’s regular weaponry wasn’t going to be enough to destroy the giant lizard known as the G-Tyrant before it could regenerate. With a grim chuckle, he released the limiter on the Synchronizer and let the mech draw power directly from his own life force. As the fiery green light of his reactor blinded the whole of the battlefield, he yelled his iconic battlecry: “FUCK. DINOSAAAUUURS!“
Listening to Yuusou while using this Power is optional but recommended. Oh and, by the way? This is a Default Genre Power for games using the Corruption rules. That's right, everybody gets to have just enough rope to hang themselves with, for free!
NPCs can also cause Corruption, but to do so they must have a corresponding Feature or Trait and also must Defeat that PC in combat and also the PC must have not used Live Another Day. Doing Damage, or even reducing Threshold to 0, is not enough. The result is a system that puts the pace of Corruption largely in the hands of the Players, making it a much better way to tell stories of loss, trauma, change and all that jazz as the story is no longer 100% at the whims of the dice gods. It is, almost paradoxically (but entirely intentionally), a very empowering system and I'm fairly happy with how it turned out.
That's all for now. Next update, I will show not a remade old system, but a new one.
Gimmick Out.
