Nerd

Sweet idea man, I would play it. GURPS is a lot of work to get set up, but if you have enthusiasm for the subject it will be fine.

Player roles are a really irritating issue, on the one hand it is always important in any role playing game that players feel attached to their characters, but x-com is a strategy game, and a great deal of time is spent completely detached from the people on the ground. Furthermore it makes no sense at all for the players to command individual soldiers on the ground and then to go back to base and run the show. As I figure it there are a couple of solutions to this problem:

1—The players have separate characters in the strategic game and the tactical game, the tactical game characters are expendable grunts and the strategic game characters are effectively statless avatars that justify the players’ ability to command the organisation whilst also fighting with characters at a tactical level.

2—Fucking ignore it. The players come back from a hard mission, relax, talk to their colleagues and superiors as if they were a set of regular grunts and they command x-com at a metagame level.

3— As 1 except in combat each player commands a group of grunts who are all relatively faceless and expendable whilst their “main” character is some x-com head honcho.

4—Some combination or variation of the above.

5—Your better idea.

6—I’m overthinking this.

Personally for base design/management, I'd just steal the ship building rules from Traveller. (Dunno how they work in GURPS though)

For example, A 100 ton base would be a regional outpost, It's got a team of troopers, a automated SAM battery, radar uplink, a few HWP platforms and a hanger for the Skyranger.

But I wouldn't make a whole bunch of stats and rules for something unless the players will be involved with it.

How and why are you going to represent manufacturing, trade, and research?

I suppose could see the players brokering deals (say selling Heavy Plasma to Russians or Lobsterman corpses to the Japanese.)

In my advice I would kind of build up to the actual X-Com plots. If I was running I would just incorporate it as a possible quest branch in that that /x/ themed Modern GURPS Campaign I have been wanting to run for a while.

Since you want it to be the actual goal however my most helpful advice is to think about how close to the book do you want to run it. Are all the alien pals, Cydonia Base, Ty'rlth and all that good stuff? Is X-Com and Aliens public knowledge or just another Illuminati shadow organization among others (why else do you think they had to rush to those crash sites?)

Will you be content with a single monolithic threat or will you shake it up a little, perhaps introduce other less predictable threats or make some of the races into legitimately different power groups "well it turns out the Greys are shapeshifting, mildly empathic, Yuggothi hybrids, but these LGM's (little green men) are telekinetic, all male, impotent, rage filled dickheads with a hard on for deep, invasive probing who hale from somewhere near Sirus if we can place it correctly!"

"And don't get me started on those crystal cultists who just want the to bring in the 'Age of Aquarius', there is a reason we're still trying to find Atlantis and I'm pretty damn sure its not because someone forgot to turn off the faucet one night! *mutter fuken deep ones mutter*"

>>5363592
Does it need to be as complex as that? Why not just import base building wholesale from the origional game?

Bases come in prefabricated modules that have a fixed cost and take a certain ammount of days to build. Hell, if everything lays out on a grid then that makes tactical combat in base defense scenarios easier to plan for, if less interesting.

Don't forget the pilots, I was playing Ace Combat 6 today and realized that if they did a multi-player crysis graphics remake (each player assumes a role whether its mission control, pilot, rookie Johnson, or sectoid#3) I would love to be a pilot on wing just struggling to keep up and match missiles against beams, or hop into a chopper or A-10 to give Martian Tripods and Sectoid Cyberdisks a taste of close air support.

"Damn we shot that one down easy, big sukka it was too, wounded though, looked like it was just riveted together out of a juckyard... pow! lock and fire, bitch was belchen smoke all over the outback sky so I switch to IR let em loose while dodgy it's crappy aimed return fire. Good thing I took it down too it was blasting its damn signal on most channels, just the same damn thing too, some kind off guttural chant sounden more like a football rally than a theramin like I always expected."

this would be better as a sort of boardgame.

>>5363918

Savage Worlds be my system pick, It scales fairly well from individual characters to squad based combat and the rules are fairly quick flowing.

A while ago, someone told /tg/ about how they ran a giant robot game with three phases: the ground troops that fight the initial big bads, the giant robot fight, and the emergency services that cleaned up the fight and saved survivors. The first phase would affect the second which would affect the third which would affect the bottom line funding that the Giant Robot Squad got (can't research bigger guns when that money needs to fix that hospital that got crushed, you see).

I'd suggest something very similar to that. The players take control of the Interceptor Squadron first to hit the ship and affect the fight later on (that Avalanche missile tore through the side and ruined the navigation system!), then the Skyranger loads up and the players play their main characters who do the whole Tactical Battle thing. Then after that, all the stuff they did gets analyzed and they make requests on the next stuff that gets manufactured, researched, and purchased. Provided of course that the UN's monthly cash injection allows for it. While you're at it, you could set up these shady government deals to sell those alien corpses and laser rifles... you know, as full game sessions.

I'd place the entire game a number of months after X-Com has started operations. With the development of power suits or at least personal armour, it becomes more believable the players survive longer. It is also the time more interesting stuff starts to happen, like base raids and the like. Downtime will perhaps be a bit boring seeing you're stuck on a base, but choose an interesting location and perhaps one can believably make subplots materialize concerning the discovery of the base by civilians/media and having to deal with those issues.

As for the research and base building while possibly an interesting diversion would probably only bog down the game. Have both take place, but not controlled by the players. However players can of course still interact with the scientists and engineers, talk about their experiences with the artefacts and being asked to fieldtest new weapons and equipment.

The withdrawal of funding may yet another interesting subplot. With X-Com command saying fuck it and using its connections with other clandestine operations to infiltrate those nations and finding the source of the alien's manipulation. This is where X-Com encounters human enemies, who may even be using the same weapons X-Com has been selling to keep itself afloat.

>>5363769
I didn't entertain for a moment that I'd be able to retain interest from my players if I just constantly threw them up against the same old aliens over and over with little variation. I intended to include cultists and possibly even military forces of subverted governments as possible enemies and to have some kind of faction split within the aliens.

Also I feel that research and economics are important because the gradual progression of your forces from unarmoured, barely armed amatures to power armoured, blaster launcher wielding death machines did alot to make you feel like you had really achieved something in x-com and I want my players to feel that.

>>5363976
Did somebody say Savage Worlds?
http://savageheroes.com/conversions/SavageX-Com.pdf

>>5364065
>and possibly even military forces of subverted governments

They don't even need to be subverted, XCOM would obviously be funded by the world powers and there are more than a few countries which would see them as nothing more than a tool of the imperialists.

>>5364065

That can still happen even if you abstract out the economics side. A lot of your research and ubertech comes out of salvaging alien techs, remember. That can be brought into the game - things like missions focused on capturing alien tech/prisoners - remember, before you can do anything with psionics, you have to bring back a live and probably very angry psychic alien - and you have no clue which troops will be able to resist its mind powers until you've actually interrogated the little bastard.

Testing out prototype gear, picking up and actually trying to use alien weapons in the field, and having to take over a flying saucer in mid-air (leading directly to the team's first Lightning in the next mission, say) when the aliens panic and take off are all things that you could bring in that the computer game doesn't do so well, too.

Wow, OP I was planning the exact same thing, albeit with a few slight deviations. The weapons I statted, for example, were based on GURPS weapon lists based on real / generic sci-fi plasma weapons. I'm still not sure if I got the aliens right either. The notes are still not finished, but they're there on a bare bones level. I made Sectopods and Cyberdiscs by comparing them to example robots in GURPS Ultra Tech. Sectopods based on something that sounded suspiciously like a Tachkoma (the Warbot) and Cyberdiscs as a kind of heavily armoured automatic grav-sled.

>>5364092
I would think Japanese school girls would somehow be more effective against tentacle monsters and aliens then one might think.

>>5366138
You seem to be someone who can put this to better use than I.

I run the game with the players as either soldiers or "Agents".

You know, the guys that sometimes find alien bases for you, the guys that are there in the background when you get that new order of supplies in, the guys who do all that other stuff that you don't see much of in the game. The X-Com MiB / intelligence division. When you don't respond to a Snakeman crash they're the ones who have to clean up the nests that the buggers make.

Give the players some modicum of survivability, but don't be afraid to kill them off either. Make it like an X-Files themed action setting.

Sectoid
ST: 9 HT: 10 Base Speed: 5
DX: 10 Per: 11 Base Move: 5
IQ: 11 Will: 11 Thrust Damage: 1d-2
HT: 10 FP: 10 Swing Damage: 1d-1

Advantages: Night Vision 2 [2]

Skills:
Guns (Blaster Pistol) - 11 [2]
Soldier - 10 [2]
Stealth - 10 [2]

Medic: First aid 13, diagnosis 10, Surgery 9, Physician 10, Physiology 10 [10]
Navigator: All piloting and navigation at [2] point advancement, all earth and geographic skills at [1] point advancement
Engineer: All repair and electronic operation skills at [2] point advancement (10).
Leader: +1 IQ, Leadership 12, Tactics 11, psi-power: alien mind control
Commander: +2 IQ, Leadership 13, Tactics 12, Strategy 12, psi-power: mind control

Possible psychic powers (some/most/all might be alien only). I never finished this section as codifying and costing all the powers is the newest section I'm working on.

Psychic Powers:
Para-Radar, Healing, Regeneration, Damage Resistance, Flight, Mind Control, Telecommunication.

Flight:

Healing: 1FP per 2HP healed, failure causes a loss of 1d6FP, critical failure causes loss of 1d6HP. heals injuries only, own race only. [15]

Mind Control: IQ vs Will. Range penalties apply, -1 for every slave. Subjects have no initiative. Mind Control only lasts for seconds, equal to the amount of successes scored, but may always be reattemped. [25]

Mindlink: Permenant telepathic contact. Usually possessed by Mutons and Sectopods to Ethereal officers. Has little effect on the game, points values vary.

Mind Shield: +1 to resist telepathy and detection based psionic powers. [3]

Mind Probe: IQ vs Will, requires touch contact. Universal language. [28]

Sectopod (and sectopod brain, pilot compartment)
ST: 40 HP: 40 / 10 Size Modifier +4 / -4 Weapon(s):
DX: 12 Per: 9 Damage Reduction 60 Double Blasters (x2 RoF)
IQ: 4 Will: 9 Combat Skills: 10 Heavy Blaster / TL Blasters / Missiles
HT: 12 FP: - Value: $540,000
Hyperspectral Vision, Machine Traits (including damage resistance Unliving)
Weekly Maintenance, two day operating time. Radar and full electronic operating suite.
Carries two heavy weapons. Basic AI, can be psychically controlled by Ethereals. Destruction of the brain will disable the Sectopod.

Alter weapons as appropriate depending on how faithful to the setting you want to be.

Sectopods are harder to mind control if being directed by an Ethereal - use the Ethereal's will stat instead.

Cyberdisc (and cyberdisc brain, centre compartment of disc)
ST: 20 HP: 20 / 10 Size Modifier +2 / -4 Damage Resistance 18 Weapon(s):
DX: 10 Per: 9 Reaction: 5.00 Combat Skills: 10 Heavy Blaster
IQ: 4 Will: 9 Move: 5/30 Value $60,000
HT: 12 / 10 FP: 10 Damage Modifier Unliving (+3x damage to brain)

Reaper
ST: 28 HP: 28 Base Speed: 6.25 Size Modifier +3
DX: 11 Per: 11 Base Move: 6
IQ: 5 Will: 9 Thrust Damage: 3d-1 (3d)
HT: 14 FP: 14 Swing Damage: 5d+1

Advantages: Fangs, Claws and Horns (cutting or impaling damage for all melee attacks), Damage Reduction 6 (carapace armour), Biting attacks have a (2) armour modifier.

Skills:
Brawl - 13 [4] Increase damage by +1 per dice

Chryssalid
ST: 17 HP: 17 Base Speed: 6.25
DX: 13 Per: 12 Base Move: 6
IQ: 6 Will: 10 Thrust Damage: 1d+2 (1d+3)
HT: 13 FP: 13 Swing Damage: 3d-1
Advantages: Mono-crystal Claws (cutting attacks, armour divisor 2), Combat Reflexes, Follow-up attack (HT-4 or be implanted with a Chrysalis egg; until removed HT-2 every round or Chrysalid egg successfully implants and host becomes a zombie), Damage Reduction 3 (engineered chitin), Extra Attack, Very Fit (+1 to HT rolls, only lose half fatigue)

Skills:
Brawl - 15 [4] Increase damage by +1 per dice
Climb - 13 [2]
Stealth - 13 [2]

Although they cannot break through advanced power armour, Chryssalids are taught to attack uncovered body parts and will, after the aliens have seen human power armour in action, be taught to wrestle with power armour and remove portions of the armour, which is no problem for a Chryssalid as they can match / exceed the strength of a human in power armour.

(This next section was added to explain why Snakemen don't just take over the earth with a wave of Chryssalids) Chryssalids have an extremely active metabolism and will die after [two minute of operation?]. They are kept in cold storage until the order is given to release them. (wrrrrrrrrrrrry)

Chryssalids have twenty eggs, and spent an egg each time they use their implant attack.

Of all the aliens, I am least happy about how I did Chryssalids. I wanted to walk a line between grim but vaguely realistic dark sci-fi, faithfulness to the game, and logical observations from the fluff / considerations for the players.

>>5366259
Also note that it is possible for a player to not become a Chryssalid by surviving the first health check and then digging out the eggs with a knife / amputating the limb.

Anyway, here's a zombie.

Chrysalid Zombie
ST: 10 HP: 9 Base Speed: 4.25
DX: 8 Per: 4 Base Move: 4
IQ: 4 Will: 4 Thrust Damage: 1d-2
HT: 10 FP: 10 Swing Damage: 1d

This is an average zombie. Zombies will have physical stats reflecting their host, with -6 IQ and -2DX. Every round, the zombie makes a HT-1 roll, if it passes, then it becomes a Chryssalid. If the zombie is killed, it instantly undergoes metamorphosis into a Chryssalid.

Ethereal
ST: 7 HP: 7 Base Speed: 4.25
DX: 10 Per: 12 Base Move: 4
IQ: 13 Will: 14 Thrust Damage: 1d-3
HT: 7 FP: 7 Swing Damage: 1d-2
Advantages: Compartmentalized Mind 1, Hard to Stun 4, Night Vision 2
Psi-Powers: Flight, Detection, Mindlink (Sectopod), Mind Control, Mind Reading, Damage Resistance (Forcefield) 36, Telekinesis.

Skills:
Guns (Blaster) - 11 [2]
Guns (Launcher) - 11 [2]
Soldier - 13 [1]
Tactics - 11 [1]
First Aid - 14 [2]
Electronic Operation - 14 [2]

Ethereal Leader
ST: 7 HP: 7 Base Speed: 4.25
DX: 10 Per: 13 Base Move: 4
IQ: 14 Will: 15 Thrust Damage: 1d-3
HT: 7 FP: 7 Swing Damage: 1d-2
Advantages: Compartmentalized Mind 1, Hard to Stun 4, Night Vision 2
Psi-Powers: Flight, Detection, Mindlink (Sectopod), Mind Control, Mind Reading, Damage Resistance (Forcefield) 36, Telekinesis, Psi-Healing, Para-Radar, Psi-Talent 1 (Telepathy).

Skills:
Guns (Blaster) - 12 [4]
Guns (Launcher) - 12 [4]
Soldier - 14 [1]
Tactics - 13 [2]
Strategy - 12 [1]
First Aid - 15 [2]
Electronic Operation - 15 [2]
Navigation - 14 [2]

Ethereal Commander
ST: 7 HP: 7 Base Speed: 4.25
DX: 10 Per: 14 Base Move: 4
IQ: 15 Will: 16 Thrust Damage: 1d-3
HT: 7 FP: 7 Swing Damage: 1d-2
Advantages: Compartmentalized Mind 1, Hard to Subdue 4, Night Vision 2
Psi-Powers: Flight [36], Detection, Mindlink (Sectopod), Mind Control, Mind Reading, Damage Resistance (Forcefield) 36, Telekinesis, Psi-Healing, Para-Radar, Psi-Talent 2 (Telepathy).

Skills:
Guns (Blaster) - 12 [4]
Guns (Launcher) - 12 [4]
Soldier - 16 [2]
Tactics - 14 [2]
Strategy - 14 [2]
First Aid - 16 [2]
Electronic Operation - 16 [2]
Navigation - 15 [2]

>>5366282
I quite like the direction I went statting Ethereals. They can choose two physic powers a turn to use, but this includes their flight ability, their strength ability (which they'll need to wield anything above a pistol / possibly a plasma rifle), and their incredible armour (represented as a physic shield). To stay more faithful to the game, I am considering upping Compartmentalised Mind to 2, allowing them to use three mental actions a turn.

Ethereals, then, must carefully choose their powers each turn and adapt / anticipate the flow of combat. Will an Ethereal leave himself helpless in order to use Psychic Detection followed by Mind Control (allowing him to mind control from almost anywhere in the combat area out of line of sight), or buff himself for a straight fire-fight?

Thanks OP and contributors, this is awesome :)

Possible Muton, not sure if he's strong enough.

Muton
ST: 15 HP: 15 Base Speed: 5.75
DX: 10 Per: 10 Base Move: 5
IQ: 9 Will: 9 Thrust Damage:
HT: 13 FP: 13 Swing Damage:

Advantage: Combat Reflexes, Damage Reduction 10 (body and limbs), Damage Reduction 4 (head), High Pain Threshold, Night Vision 1
Skills:
Brawl - 12 [4] +1 damage in close combat
Guns (Heavy Blaster) - 11 [2]
Soldier - 10 [2]

Gear: Heavy weapons and Bioplastic Armour (DR 14 / 4; all areas except face)

Medic: First aid 11, diagnosis 8, Surgery 7, Physician 8, Physiology 8 [10]
Navigator: All piloting and navigation skills (9) [2 per skill].
Engineer: A Muton given enough knowledge to make very basic field repairs (skill 9) [2 per skill].
Leader: +1ST +1 IQ, +1 HT, Tactics 10 [42].

Floater
ST: 10 HP: 11 Base Speed: 5.25
DX: 11 Per: 11 Base Move: 5.25
IQ: 9 Will: 9 Thrust Damage: 1d-2
HT: 10 FP: 10 Swing Damage: 1d

Advantage: Damage Reduction 8 (body and limbs), Damage Reduction 4 (head), Flight, Night Vision 2, High Pain Threshold
Skills:
Gun (Blaster Rifle) - 11 [2]
Soldier - 9 [2]
Stealth - 10 [1]

Medic: First aid 12, diagnosis 9, Surgery 8, Physician 9, Physiology 9 [10]
Navigator: +1 IQ, all piloting and navigation skills (skill 10) [2 per skill].
Engineer: +1 IQ, all repair and electronic repair (skill 10) [2 per skill].
Leader: Combat Reflexes, +1 IQ, Leadership 10, Tactics 9
Commander: Combat Reflexes, +2 IQ, Leadership 11, Tactics 10, Strategy 10

Floater Life Support Ball: HP 10, HT 10, DR 8 (side), DR 2 (underneath)

Possible Floater. Stats have not been playtested, but I have run them by a few XCOM fans. Any ideas or criticism welcome.

Snakeman
ST: 11 HP: 11 Base Speed: 5.25
DX: 10 Per: 10 Base Move: 5
IQ: 10 Will: 10 Thrust Damage: 1d-1
HT: 11 FP: 11 Swing Damage: 1d+2

Advantages: Fangs (impaling damage on bite attacks), DR 2 (scales), Night vision 2
Disadvantage: Cold-Blooded (penalties dependent on climate, completely incapacitated in Arctic)
Quirks: Fast Reproduction

Skills:
Brawl - 12 [4] (+1 damage in combat)
Guns (Blaster Rifle) - 11 [2]
Soldier - 10 [2]
Stealth - 10 [2]

Navigator: All piloting and navigation at [2] point advancement, all earth and geographic skills at [1] point advancement
Engineer: All repair and electronic operation skills at [2] point advancement (10).
Leader: +1 ST, +1 IQ, Leadership 11, Tactics 10
Commander: +2 ST, +1 IQ, +1 HT, Leadership 11, Tactics 10, Strategy 10

Presumably Snakemen eat their wounded.

>>5366358
And that's all the aliens I think. Oh, I forgot the Muton terror weapons, but those are relatively easy. They have Damage Resistance: Homogeneous. I'll work on them later.

My notes didn't start out as XCOM, but ended up like that because I just love it too much. I originally was working on a game like XCOM with two different warring factions. Maybe I'll try the TFTD ones next.

This is why you have little oddities like plasma being called blaster in my notes. Blaster Bombs are covered in the Launcher weapon type.

Alien Gear:

Ethereal Robe: DR3 / 1, all locations bar face. $40. Weight 5. [+2DB, 12HP]
Bioplastic Suit: DR 14 / 4, all locations. $3,200. Weight neg.
Armoured Bioplastic: DR 16 / 4. $2,800. Weight 6 Location: Torso only.

Bioplastic Suit: Face is DR 6 / 2. Full-body bioplastic armour incorporates infra-red cloaking, radar stealth, and environmental filtering; it also increases lifting and striking strength by one. Each suit can last for six days before it needs to be recharged with nutrients. Mutons are hard core motherfuckers.

Ethereal Cloak: Worn by Ethereals
Bioplastic Suit: Worn by Mutons
Armoured Bioplastic: Worn by Snakemen

Was considering giving Sectoids some kind of transparent "second skin" armour, but went against it after some /tg/ advice.

Humans start out with basic TL8 ballistic vests, and can use full ballistic suits. The TL9 "Reflex suits" which are essentially +4 DR ballistic suits, are also on my list of human armour, but I do not feel that they accurately represent XCOM's personal armour, which uses TL10 alien materials (although since XCOM can manufacture the alien materials required at TL8, perhaps they are not so advanced after all).

Powered Armour (TL 9, hybrid technology)
Location: All (DR 70 / 50), $90,000
Weight: 150
18 hour battery

Power armour troopers are badass. There's a lot of power creep in the end game, because of power armour, mutons, and heavy plasma.

All TL10.

Blaster Rifle: 6d (5) burn
Acc: 10+2 Range: 700 / 2,100
Weight: 10 RoF: 3
Shots: 10 (3) St: 7
Bulk: -4 Rcl: 1 Cost: $39,600

Heavy Blaster: 8d (5) burn
Acc: 10+4 Range 1,200 / 3,600
Weight: 20 RoF: 3 Shots: 20 (5)
ST: 10 Bulk: -6, Rcl 1
Cost: $88,000

Small Launcher:
Acc: 4+2, Range: 2,200, Weight 3, RoF 1, Shots 3i+1, ST 9, Bulk -4, Rcl 3, Cost $1000

For a more accurate small launcher, change shots to 1i, instead of the multi-grenade variant posted here. This variant can also fire explosive plasma based charges (see below)

Stun grenade: HT-6 sleep, detonates on impact (handheld variants, if used in the game, may have a fuse)
Plasma grenade: 6dx4 burn, detonates after two seconds or after suitable impact. Also representative of alien hand grenades.

The amount of shots held in a plasma rifle (blaster) and heavy plasma (heavy blaster) are not canonical. This was because I was adapting from GURPS stats based on generic plasma weapons. Feel free to alter to the canonical charge pack size.

>>5366491
There's too much to name, but thankfully most of them are already statted in GURPS.

Auto Pistol (.40), Auto Pistol (9mm), PDW (4.6mm), Assault Rifle, Sniper Rifle, SAW, and LAW are all available in the Basic Set. So are these next few weapons, but I have modified a few I think:

Laser Pistol 3d (2) burn, range 450 / 1,350, Acc 6, Weight 3.5, RoF 3, Shots 20 (5), ST 6
Laser Rifle 4d (2) burn, range 700 / 2100, Acc 12, Weight 10, RoF 3, Shots 40 (5), ST 7
Heavy Laser Rifle 6d (2) burn, range 900 / 3000, Acc 14, Weight 18, RoF 1, Shots 40 (5), ST 11

NEW WEAPON: Sweep Laser
A bi-pod mounted anti-personnel weapon, like a heavy machinegun.

Sweep Laser: 6d (2) burn, range 1200 / 4000, Acc 16, Weight 30, RoF 10, Shots 100 (5), ST 16(b)

All lasers have a recoil of 1.

Frag Grenade: 8d cr ex [3d]. Four second fuse. $40
Smoke Grenade: -10 to vision within cloud, HT+2 to avoid choking effects (-1 each round). $40
Flash Grenade: HT-5 or be stunned. Two second fuse. $40
Psi-Amp: Wielder can use any latent psi-powers he has been trained in.

Armour Piercing Ammo: Add (2) armour modifier to bullet weapon, but degrade piercing ability by one step.
Alien capital weapons can be modified with sufficient research and workshop work with human equipment. Alien personnel weapons require modification to be wielded by human hands; use without modification is at -2 on top of any other modifiers.

>>5366533
Shotguns, flame throwers, flashbangs, and all the other weapons you might like to use but which X-COM the game doesn't have are in Basic.

I made Human-made plasma weapons worse then alien-made plasma weapons because the humans are comparatively low-tech and have to work with a poorer materials science.

Human Hybrid Plasma Pistol:
Damage: 3d (5), Range 300 / 900, Weight 2, Shots 40 (3), Acc 5, ST 5
Human Hybrid Plasma Rifle
Damage: 6d (5), Range 700 / 2100, Weight 12.5
Shots: 10 (3), Acc 10, ST 8
Human Hybrid Heavy Plasma
Damage: 8d (5), Range 1200 / 3600, Weight 25, Shots, 20 (5), Acc 10, ST 11

I also statted out Laser Cannons and Plasma Cannons.

I'm definitely going to have to go over these plasma weapons. The laser weapons could use some alterations as well (lower range then bullets, what? That must represent how experimental they are at the moment with modern power cells. They are super-accurate at least).

Well, note dumping Anon here, that's everything. Best of luck OP, I hope you have a great game.

I need to go get some work done, but I'll be back at some point. If anyone has any comments on the X-COM notes I'd be very grateful.
So long guys.

Worthy of my bump.

OP here.

Thank you for bumping whilst I was alseep with your stats and gear, but I generally don't like them, all of the aliens are extremely fragile and lacking in skill, to the point in fact that unless an x-com grunt would almost certainly have a better statline than a floater, which seems wrong.

Also your plasma weapons seem to be particle beam weapons, they don't have any qualities commonly associated with sci-fi plasma weapons, nor with plasma weapons according to ultra-tech.

Good effort though.

Personally I think d20 modern is a good candidate for Xcom: Enemy Unknown. It has a lot of rules to use, including psi, and good ol' laser guns. Easy to make "monsters" in too.

The resource system of modern/future will also help with the management details.

As for player roles, I don't think it would be fun to play a scientists or engineer in a base. What in my opinion could work is that Xcom opens up a new base on SOMEWHERE, and the players is a command team that manages that base. Obviously they don't need to hunt for small ships on their own, but if something big comes up, they might op to go in... because the xcom commanders, as per the game even, are more powerful than rookies!

>>5367590

D20 modern/future I meant to say.

>>5367540
Eh, you're right. Work in progress I guess.

I went assuming that the aliens were probably clones (hinted in the Cydonia or Bust research I think) and probably had limited mind uploading to give them skills. Like I said, I haven't had time to test them out yet. What sort of levels would you suggest?

>>5368040
Just because they are clones it doesn't mean they are craptacular skills. I think that if you gave them all +1 to their IQ and +2 to their DX then they'd be about right, it'd bring their skills up to more reasonable levels too. And perhaps, for the Etherals and the Sectoids you could give them an extra couple of HP, so they don't die quite so easily.

What happens if you try and intercept something but somebody else beats you to it? Also, what consequences could there be to other groups or even nations developing their own alien-based technologies?

>>5369265
Alright, I'll give it a go.

I agree about the HP thing for Sectoids and Ethereals. Makes sense.

>>5369265
+2 to DX seems far too much, that'll ramp up their secondary attributes too much. I do think there needs to be more Combat Reflexes though.

>>5364054
I think back at base would be more sub-plots about unloading the various items they found off to buyers, and finding contacts to purchase things they need

For the GURPS stats all the skills ought to be 4 points at least and I agree that an extra point of IQ would help.

Commanders need to be more badass. Definitely Combat Reflexes, extra skills, more tactics, leadership, and weapon skill.

this is on sup/tg/ right?

>>5369684
CIA and MI6 would go apeshit trying to keep alientech out of the hands of rogue states. Possibly X-Com experts would have to be accepted into teams hunting for this alien artefacts. God forbid they land somewhere like Iraq or Afghanistan. X-Com is set in 1999, so Saddam is still in power, and so is the Taliban... and the centralised Al-Quaeda camps in Afghanistan.

But on the plus side any 'Rogue States' probably don't have enough scientists or resources to reengineer UFOs.

I know it goes against the norm but what about not letting your players make their characters. Rather than make them superhumans among cannon fodder, randomly generate their stats at creation and force them to only control that one guy. this will keep the OH FUCK mindset from the game but if they keep themselves alive for a long period of time and excel at the missions, they get promotions.

>>5369791
Still, take out some of the scout ships with stinger missiles

>>5369821
Still, they can*

>>5369791
I'm sure that won't stop them making an elerium bomb.

>>5369817
I was just going to give them a really cheap and nasty 20 point template and give them 30 CP to throw around.

>>5369836
Elerium itself, isn't explosive,

>>5369855
Indeed, but since elerium powered engines convert matter to energy at 99% efficiency I'm pretty sure you could repurpose a UFO power generator into a pretty nasty explosive.

>>5369900
Atomic bombs convert matter into energy at less then 1%, I don't think you understand how power 99% would be

>>5369791
Quite, however note that even relatively wealthy and organized nations like Japan couldn't even take down a UFO. That's why X-Com was created, the technology you sell probably ends up in the hands of the sponsoring nations.

>>5369946
Not to mention all of the laser cannon equipped air forces. No rogue state could fly a plane to an enemy and have it survive to drop the payload.

>>5363549
I know I'm late to this party, but what *I* would do if I were running this game would be to have the players be fresh recruits in a relatively well-established X-COM organization, and have them stationed at a brand new (read: Still not built) base... and while they're on the way, somebody destroys the X-COM headquarters (Aliens? Jealous Imperial country? Terrorists? Cultists?).

The CO at the base is either completely incompetent (and therefore asks the PCs for everything) or was supposed to be on the "next plane" from HQ and doesn't make it.

The framework the PCs need is already there, but there's nobody else left to be in command... good luck!

>>5369992
I can see where you are coming from, but my personal opinion is that, that is not really the direction this is going in. But still a pretty cool idea

>>5369957
I suspect the distribution isn't entirely equal though, probably something in relation to the amount the sponsors put in and old realpolitik realities. First world countries get all the laser cannons and those Africans get some more sectoid jerky. When the aliens infiltrate such a nation they'll probably use their advanced technology as a bargaining tool next to their terror tactics.

>>5370042
I'd think they'd give it to whoever had the cash

I think there is a question we need to address, how would x-com be viewed in this universe. Would it be something that is unheard of publicly, with world leaders paying x-com under the table while they spoke of diplomacy with alien leaders?

Question, if you're putting in UFO interception, will you put in the option to refit (in some form) Alien UFOs to human purposes? This would probably require a Completely intact UFO (and that's highly unlikely, unless you catch a landed UFO. Even then you'd still have the chance of blowing up something vital)

>>5370089
Not at first, they probably have some shitty charter that limits such things, but as more and more nations start bowing out and the situation grows ever more desperate, I think they would.

>>5370197
I didn't think xcom was the kind of organization that would have charters. They are just paid to get the job done

>>5370313
"Charter? What charter? I got a stack of laser rifles, some plasma pistols, a few good old-fashioned firearms... no charter. How much would you pay for one?"

>>5370313
With so many nations sponsoring it, I think it highly unlikely that any would risk it operating without a charter in fear of it going rogue or destabilizing the preferred power balance.

Make something on 1d4chan or something like that. because I'd love to play in this, and frankly it'd make a great cthulhu style game. Knowing that you are essentialyl expendable, but still playing.

The game is -specifically- built to work for survival rpgs; new players are just the rookies you hire to cover the last lost guys. Let them just play their current character, and gain promotions. Don't tell people who gets alien controlled, play them off against others <3

>>5370384
The amount they are getting paid, it could just be a single politician, or a major member of that countries department of defense, paying a little underneath the table

>>5370417
Could be. Me, I like to think most involved don't really believe they'll succeed or even consider the aliens a real threat worth worrying about, but still throw some money at it in case it does yield results. The nations probably deal with it on the semi-shadowy level.

>>5370482
They are working on diplomacy, but they are throwing these guys a bone every now and then so they have all their sides covered.

>>5370190

>>5370580
Like giving them military grade tech, but they need some funds to cover their tracks (pay off factory workers, and media, etc)

>>5370580
Yeah, probably trying to deal with them in some way or form since Roswell or something.

>>5370190
It'd be nearly impossible to try and grasp and actually get it so that they actually understand what all of the parts do. But you probably could take parts that are understood, and rework them into new kinds of ships

Hmm, maybe we shouldd start on some of the bottom points
-- Available weapons and equipment
-- Alien behaviour, ship types, missions and strategic objectives
-- capabilities of the aliens
-- Character advancement

Think about it logically. The governments of the world are approached by aliens. Aliens offer them shit in exchange for whatever. Now being human they will try their damnedest to be the greedy conniving shits we all are. So what better way to improve their bargaining position with the aliens than to fund a secret military organisation whose sole purpose is to drive the aliens off. This proves to the aliens that they can't just do what they want, with terror missions being their attempts to prove that they can, and also is completely deniable leaving them to negotiate in 'good faith'.

Any recovered alien tech is simply a bonus.

>Alien behaviour, ship types, missions and strategic objectives
This is something I think we need to add on to

>>5370750
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=932WM42lRpE
doesn't look like the aliens are very diplomatic

>>5370822
That's when X-Com fails. Up until that time the aliens have needed time to coordinate their invasion and have thus employed various subversive means to achieve domination. The total withdrawal of funding from some nations hints at that government cutting a deal or being infiltrated by the aliens.

>>5370868
With mind control, that isn't a surprise

>>5370811
http://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Alien_Missions
This shows the missions, we can expand on some of these somewhat

>>5370877
Yeah, I suspect Earth would probably have fallen sooner if not for all those shadow governments, other black ops programs and secret organisations around who are probably just as involved on multiple sides of the spectrum.

>>5370936
Speaking of rival organizations, that could be quite interesting, as you could come across other rival organizations, on a mission or two. If a big enough of an event happens.

>>5371009
It wouldn't be surprising, heck some may even be walking around with even more advanced stuff seeing X-Com's meagre funding and laser weapons and the like already being available for research right of the bat. Ofcourse those guys agendas may vary wildly and most of them probably don't have kill all aliens on the list.

>>5371009
Big mothership lands near UN. All the organizations are sending teams in order to make sure nothing goes wrong. It's a prison ship, and all the teams have to work together in order to break out, before being tortured into divulging information about their organizations. You never know who is being mind controlled

>>5371009
Run several campaigns with different governments, that can cross over with each other. USSR vs X-Com =3

What better opponent than another team of /tg/ers to screw up your mission along with the GM's aliens.

Or what happens when there are mind controlled guys on both sides?

>>5371079
Or even Alien Infiltrated countries, fighting with advanced alien technology

Alien infiltrated countries would be really interesting

>>5371096
4 rookies armed with primed grenades and stunrods, 1 tank, 1 commander in flying armor with psiamp and heavy plasma
vs
FUCKING PREDATOR GEARED MUTANT HUMANS WITH CRYSSALID BACK UP

>>5371168
That would suck balls

Anyone got any ideas for new alien mission types?

>>5371202
hence why we don't fight alien controlled agencies, when the chances are only one person will survive passed rookie ever in our teams

>>5371318
They could try and start terraforming an area at a local area, or maybe just have different types of bases, like all the different kinds of ships

>>5371318
Impregnate the alien queen with human seed to contaminate and defeat their gene manipulation program?

>>5371422
They are already kidnapping humans, but I like the way you think

>>5371440
Quick! SEND FOR THE TARDS

>>5371318
Find the X-Com traitor or alien infiltrator.

>>5371455
I got an even better idea, they have Alien Research, and your plan is to make sure the area they scan is filled with incorrect information, and do so without them finding out.

>>5371318
As has been said, all the existing missions can be spiced up through the introduction of a rival to x-com. In addition you could run small detective missions to try and discover alien infiltrators that you weren't able to shoot down before they landed. Freeing captured civilians/x-com members and escorting them out of a hostile alien base would be cool if there was a time limit and/or vastly superior alien numbers so it isn't a scorched earth mission so much as a smash and grab.

>>5371460
I was thinking about something like that working. Or maybe a infiltrated country having some high ranking officials who completely disagree with the governments consorting with the aliens, so they decide to help you

>>5371484
I still think it'd be a crushing blow to them if we got a 40 tard gangbang started in the hive cluster.

Think of the damage.

But your idea isn't bad either.

>>5371497
Yeah, but there's like 8 different types of missions, it's nice to be able to spice it up with more

>>5371519
Yeah, I'm not saying your idea is bad, I just think we are going in different directions. How about we split it even, and place high explosives inside cows?

I think having a mission where you need to help defend Roswell against Kamikaze sectoid ships would be cool

Is there any new items you guys would want added for this game?

>>5371697
Athrodisiac rounds for the small blaster

Mini CyberDisc scouts

>>5371697
Tranquilizers

>>5371554
Fair enough. Can we select the dumbest ones while we're at it?

Some sort of Sniper Rifle

>>5371858
Why not.

>>5371860
I GURPS already has stats for those, so that's a time saver

>>5371860
that's no fun, far too safe.

>>5371822
You have a stun rod, and gas guns, fuck tranqs

Fine, an Idea that I said while I was Streaming X-Com one day. A Rawk-et-lawnchair that shoots Stun Rods

OP here, back from seeing GI Joe, nice to see my thread is still alive.

>>5371971
I was bumping it forever, because I liked the concept. Also if you wanna check up on it later it's archived

>>5371954
OP

>>5371989
Great, you'll also be glad to know that GI Joe was really fucking awesome, there were ninjas and submarines and shit, and everything explodes forever.

>>5372016
KK. I will go see it ASAP

>>5372010
Alright, fine, how about another idea that came up. How about a Missile Battery that, instead of missiles, shoots Rookies dual-wielding Stun Rods?

>>5372079
op

>>5372107
op

>>5372125
op

>>5372134
op

>>5372153
op

>>5372185
>>5372153
>>5372134
>>5372125
samefag

>>5372196
>>5372185
>>5372153
>>5372134
>>5372125
Samefag

>>5372210
>>5372196
samefag

>>5372234
>>5372210
>>5372196
>>5372185
>>5372153
>>5372134
>>5372125
Maybe we should just get back on topic

>>5372234
differentfag

>>5372346
Like I said, back on topic please

I guess we can continue this topic in a couple days

>>5372426
Yeah, I'll get back to you when I can think of something that isn't the huge fucking submarine battle ath the Cobra undersea base.

>>5372791
Yeah, we need to finish regular x-com, before we start statting terror from the deep

DAT BUMP

Last bump for the night

I think we need to work more on UFO interception. And come on, /tg/ loves X-COM and D&D, so what's not to love.

>>5374987
I think ships should have more customization options. Reworking interceptors with Elerium based engines, and make it able to carry various payloads

>>5375026
Interceptor has plenty of things that could be used in that situation

Alien behavior notes.
Sectoids should be angry little scientists. They're not combat-ready, really. While they're more than willing to pick off single rookies, they should be more focused on the task at hand, such as mutilating cattle or kidnapping babies and so forth. If the humans show up shootin' and stunnin', they should book it and try to get out. Also, plot hook involving a team-member getting 'sampled' by a Sectoid's hand-weapon-syringe, then the players have to fight CLONES a few missions later.

Floaters are basically rednecks. They don't really know how a lot of their stuff works, and are fairly social, they mutilate cattle for fun, and a common Earth foodstuff or chemical should be incredibly intoxicating to their cybernetic insides (which is why I always find them inside convenience stores and gas stations). They're basically space hillbillies, shootin' shit for fun and trying to have a good time despite being slaves to the Master Races.
Reapers are their oversized guard dogs. Also, reaper 'pups', possibly fit for human companionship prior to brain implants.

Snakemen are fidgety (they have to move in order to circulate blood, remember), and should have ravenous appetites. If Rookie LeRoux goes radio-silent on a Snakeman mission, the next Snakeman sighted should have his french head sticking out of it's mouth. Also, they eat Chryssalids, who don't even seem capable of noticing Snakemen, even while being devoured. Plot hooks to involve stopping a Snakeman infestation, after the team is informed that 'all the snake-things you brought in were full of eggs... well, except this one. It apparently laid them all. Recently..'. Suddenly, baby snake-men terrorizing the next town over. The little buggers are EVERYWHERE. Cue hunting tiny snakemen in air ducts.

Mutons are angry purple gorillas in green bio-spandex. Possibly, part of their ships are modified with transmitters that facilitate Ethereal brainwaves into the crew. They're all soldiers, unless channeling an Ethereal they've got no skills aside from directly combat-oriented ones. Might be cool to have a character goofing around with the Muton-Ethereal Amplifying transmitter (MEAT) in the vacinity of a captured specimen suddenly passing out, and waking up to find themselves possessing the prisoner, but lacking the vocal chords to communicate.

Ethereals should be enigmatic, and horrifying to stumble upon. First encounter with one needs to involve scary shit, people eating their own laser pistols. They don't even hold their own weapons, they just float about them. Also, their weapons are better quality than others, but modified with no external firing mechanism.

>>5375484
>>5375489
Wow, that's pretty awesome

>>5375489
I am thinking Ethereals should be based more around of the horror mechanics, because you never know who they are controlling, and they seem to phase off every attack you make

I'm wondering how mind control should work. Should the player know he's under mind control?

When their turn rolls around, do you say 'You suddenly realize that you're surrounded by aliens! Quick, kill as many as you can!', then randomly determine who he's shooting at?

Do you tell them every turn 'You suddenly realize that Gaston over there keeps touching your things. For some reason, this is pissing you off." and mix it up, till the player decides to take the shot? "And oh yeah, that's right, he's been banging your wife. And SHE says HE'S BETTER."

Go for something middle ground? "You feel a little off. Like, suddenly you're a lot heavier than usual, and you can't think straight. You look around, and Gaston over there looks REALLY, and you want to stop his pathetic life. You want to snuff him out, to swat him like the insignificant fly that he is. It wouldn't even be murder, you're doing him a favor, he's less than a person. little more than an animal that can count by stamping a foot. He's... HUMAN."

>>5375563
Or it could be just like possesion, I am thinking we should leave that to when they are Berserked

>>5375563
But then again, that could be cool, and I am thinking the middle ground would be good

You guys mind bumping this till tomorrow?

>>5375484
I think Snakemen use air pills of some sort. Maybe I am wrong but it seems this would limit their capacity for infestation.

Here's how I would handle Ethereals. They're big floating robes with hoods. What's under the hoods? That depends on the character.

Every player should write down what scares their character, and what impresses them. If they idolize Shaq and are afraid of spiders, it looks like SPIDER-SHAQ! If they join X-Com after a bad tour of Iraq and they love wrestling, under that hood is Andre the Giant as a turban-wearing terrorist. Pyrophobe that admires intellect? It's Albert Einstein ON FIRE. A family man who loves boobs? Pamela Anderson snacking on baby parts.

Of course, once they manage to kill one, and see it dead, they're made somewhat immune to this illusion effect, which plays off of the 'uncertainty center' of their brain. This immunity requires them to be present at the 'disrobing' of an Ethereal that they saw die.

Instead of close-combat, Ethereals assault with a barrage of psychic immagery. While it's only capable of temporarily stunning an opponent, it can cause lasting psychological damage. They may gain phobias, strange addictions or obsessions, fall in love with anyone wearing the color orange, become afraid of the stars, or find the human form repulsive beyond reason. Counselling and Psychic Training will help resolve these problems, and possibly have a preventive effect...

All in all, though, a round of hand-to-hand with an Ethereal will likely kill the alien. Seriously, tackling one from behind will almost certainly send it into shock and snap it's spine.

>>5375808
If it doesn't stop you in midair and defenstrate you through the nearest saucer porthole with mind powers. But thats what stun rod rookie wave tactics are for right guys?

>>5375484
The thing about floaters is that they don't seem to look like the brutes they're described as being.
It's the cape that does this
When I first saw them I though they would be the alien leaders or something (i.e. lower rank ethereals)

You should describe floaters as wearing something less dignified looking.

I think the reason the Snakemen don't just infest everything is because the Ethereals don't want them to since Earth is THEIR planet and having the place be infested with Snakemen would probably ruin some of their plans.
Also since they're aliens Snakemen shouldn't just be able to lay eggs anywhere without the offspring being "damaged"

>>5375489

I think Mutons should be like the generic Honor obsessed Aliens race like Klingons or The Mangalores from fifth element and should act as such if captured before dying as the mechanisms that keep them loyal to their "gods" shut down

>>5376163
Floaters have pretensions at being important, hence the cloak? Mostly this because they can fly. I personally like the rednecks from space idea.

Makes it even funyer when you realize wounding them would likely make them spin off like a bottle rocket before slamming into a building or the ground as their grav-engine wonks out.

bump

For mind control, just make sure the player knows privately. Use notes or whatever, but you can use notes quite frequently anyway, common thing. Nothing wrong with the player knowing, it's roleplay. Just make sure they know they can't let the others know.

It's easy to do with irc based games of course

X-com funny goodness needs help and more should join.

The concept of the redneck floater I just love.

>>5376925
Just imagine if one of the things that helps you find some ships are some dumbass floaters on the radio.

K here are some ideas for alien ships:
Alien Probe

Alien Scout Ship (Small, Medium and large sizes)

Alien Transporter

Alien Fast-Attack Ship

Alien Destroyer

Alien Assault Ship

Alien Bomber

Alien Escort Ship

Alien Battleship

Alien Mothership

Alien Abductor

Alien Harvester

Alien Terror Ship

Alien Research Ship

>>5376163
The cape answer is simple. The cape isn't considered dignified amongst the aliens. It's the only clothing worn by any of the aliens that isn't armor. The dirty little secret is, it's a loincloth. Floaters have their sex organs on their back, and they wear capes because the Ethereals make them.

Ethereal wear cloaks to make them look imposing. Plus, when you're a seven-foot tall beanpole, a very broad-shouldered cloak provides a false silhouette.

>>5380147
Other then making them selves seem larger, it also makes it so most blaster shots won't connect

I think the best part will be when you start to come up with hybrids of human and alien aircrafts. You need to recover them, and make sure you get all the right parts etc

I think we have gone through all the points needed by OP

>>5380802
OP here, back again from sleeping, good work guys, you've got alot of good stuff here.

>>5381113
So we can finally let the thread die?

>>5381113
Is there anything particularly that you would like to state your opinion on, that has been posted?