Good video and explanation. :) I've been a Rifts player for many many years now and would be VERY interested in hearing the MDC video. I've never actually been sold on the idea, since an MDC guy can just blow away an SDC guy without a second thought. So hearing your explanation and take on it would be very interesting. Thanks :)
Kevin Seimbeida worked on a few ADnD modulars, he did artwork for sure, you can google his art, if you play some 2ed, you can see a few things that may have influenced, like the Rogue skill percentage
Great points made about the flexibility of SDC and HP combination. We always thought it was way more fun and realistic than the primitive D&D methods of handling HP and AC. And I agree that palladium system is indeed quite easy to house-rule to tweak the game to your liking.
Had my PCs Rift into a full SDC based realm, with no MDC. It wasn't really all the bad for most part. Had to make up a few custom ACs. They seemed to enjoy it while they were there, but didn't really miss it when back to "normal" MDC environment.
One of the perverse things I used to do was game the system to make a character with the absolute maximum amount of SDC. In Rifts. Kind of an exercise in futility given the MDC setting, but my record (when I stopped...which would have been around WB 10 or 11 I think) was almost 2000 SDC using an RCC from South America 1 as well as taking all the physical skills I could source from multiple books to plus it up. I just thought it was funny from a record-keeping standpoint.
Yes, 1st edition Palladium Fantasy is Kevin’s home brew AD&D rules. My guess as far as the inclusion of “odd” races for PCs, like troglodytes, is actually an influence from the second published fantasy rpg, Tunnels and Trolls, where Ken St. Andre included a table for how to play PCs of any race, even things like dragons and demons. Yes, SDC and HPs in Palladium is Kevin’s attempt to have “heroic” damage (SDC), versus life threatening damage (HPs). IMHO having both SDC and HPs would have been an unnecessary redundancy, for example if a depletion of both is needed to die why not just have one total like D&D does, except that Kevin made the brilliant decision to have SDC affected by choice of physical skills and, in the earlier versions of games like 1st edition Heroes Unlimited, the PC suffered different limitations based on a depletion of SDC first (usually more mild limitations), and HPs later (more serious limitations). The limitations from losing a lot of SDC and HPs have become less severe in later versions of the game, sadly so imho, but still these two elements, connecting SDC to physical training, not just class, and the loss of a significant number of SDC being associated with things like pulled muscles and a significant number of HPs lost associated with things like a concussion make Palladium’s treatment of the simple points for damage mechanism from D&D much more interesting. To me, the “gift” of the Palladium system is that you have a detailed and complex character sheet about your PC with really simple game play rules. Thus is really hard to do. Character details and game rules can both be derailed (like in the Hero system), or both simple (like B/X D&D or Tunnels and Trolls), but a complex/detailed character sheet with simple game rules is rare in rpgs. This is what I love about Palladium and the fact that defensive actions in the game are as active as offensive actions.
You have a way of presenting that is very reminiscent of Steve Renela from Meat Eater. You are informative without being condescending. I’d love to see you do a video of your thoughts on the Savage Worlds: Rifts setting and see how they handle damage in a very similar way to Palladium with out as much of number tracking and leaning into the cinematic feel that Palladium introduced with SDC, AR, and hit points.
Thanks for watching. I'm not familiar with that channel but I'll check him out. I'll think about doing Savage Rifts but I'm not that well versed in the system. I've played only a handful of times. I have the GM box set from the first kickstarter though, never ran it.
Oh wow, thanks for stopping by. I just checked your channel out and I guess I'm going to have to find the time to listen to some of those play sessions. Especially cool that they're fairly recent. I also really like your GM tools that you made. The attack matrix is particularly great in a game like this.
@@RogueScholarMDC Thanks! Yeah the campaign is still ongoing so Im uploading bits as I can. As for the GM tool, im tempted to add more functionality to it. Either way, thanks for the support and keep up the great work with your channel!
Im currently reading TMNT and other strangeness, that lead me here in my search of determine how did you determine SDC 😅 I couldn't find it on the book
SDC is a sure sign to me that the system was cobbled together from various genres and not made through house rules and not built withe entire vision of how vehicle combat would work with the existing systems
Thanks. I've been looking into a few sources. I never can decide what music might go good with me explaining so I always end up with none. Maybe we can discuss. Thanks!
Played with my dad a bit and he seemed to keep me on the mdc side of races and classes or if it was a class that technically should be sdc he'd boost it with a mdc race. He seemed to do this as a standard for all his games. Either way, somehow my first character, through race selection i ended up with a dumb strong by decent level psy-slinger who was rather large obviously not human and with a race bonus to psy. Payed heavily for the race thing (don't remember what it was) as the setting had a lot of coalition in it. But in the end the dummy amount of mdc i had plus a decent proficiency in hand to hand and I think a vibro dagger? Made it workable if I was chill about the racism. Dog boys liked me, other coalition 100% didn't. Wish I could remember wtf the race was 😂 I remember it was mdc based, usually used melee but had rlly good psy and as a PC you could focus that, was rather large (like 8ft.) , also its existence seemed to piss off the coalition (most non humans do if i remember correctly).
You know what I find fascinating how everyone seems to forget the death from massive damage rule if any single attack drops your health by half you have to roll a save at least in most versions of Dungeons and Dragons the save is usually a constitution or fortitude or save vs. death and this threshold can be manipulated but let's just take the basic example of a first level Mage which has four hit points plus to hit points from this constitution so a total of 6 on any single attack he is probably going to have to roll a save vs. death if he takes any damage at all
Another great video! Keep them coming!
Thanks! I'll try to get them out a bit faster than this last one.
@@RogueScholarMDC Please do. I've run out of RS videos to watch, and you're one of very few sources for Palladium/Rifts goodness.
I've been supporting this channel since the Phase World video, and the quality just keeps getting better! Great job!
Thanks! I really appreciate the feedback.
Good video and explanation. :)
I've been a Rifts player for many many years now and would be VERY interested in hearing the MDC video. I've never actually been sold on the idea, since an MDC guy can just blow away an SDC guy without a second thought.
So hearing your explanation and take on it would be very interesting. Thanks :)
I can definitely do that. Thanks!
Kevin Seimbeida worked on a few ADnD modulars, he did artwork for sure, you can google his art, if you play some 2ed, you can see a few things that may have influenced, like the Rogue skill percentage
Great points made about the flexibility of SDC and HP combination. We always thought it was way more fun and realistic than the primitive D&D methods of handling HP and AC. And I agree that palladium system is indeed quite easy to house-rule to tweak the game to your liking.
Had my PCs Rift into a full SDC based realm, with no MDC. It wasn't really all the bad for most part. Had to make up a few custom ACs. They seemed to enjoy it while they were there, but didn't really miss it when back to "normal" MDC environment.
One of the perverse things I used to do was game the system to make a character with the absolute maximum amount of SDC. In Rifts. Kind of an exercise in futility given the MDC setting, but my record (when I stopped...which would have been around WB 10 or 11 I think) was almost 2000 SDC using an RCC from South America 1 as well as taking all the physical skills I could source from multiple books to plus it up. I just thought it was funny from a record-keeping standpoint.
Yes, 1st edition Palladium Fantasy is Kevin’s home brew AD&D rules. My guess as far as the inclusion of “odd” races for PCs, like troglodytes, is actually an influence from the second published fantasy rpg, Tunnels and Trolls, where Ken St. Andre included a table for how to play PCs of any race, even things like dragons and demons.
Yes, SDC and HPs in Palladium is Kevin’s attempt to have “heroic” damage (SDC), versus life threatening damage (HPs). IMHO having both SDC and HPs would have been an unnecessary redundancy, for example if a depletion of both is needed to die why not just have one total like D&D does, except that Kevin made the brilliant decision to have SDC affected by choice of physical skills and, in the earlier versions of games like 1st edition Heroes Unlimited, the PC suffered different limitations based on a depletion of SDC first (usually more mild limitations), and HPs later (more serious limitations). The limitations from losing a lot of SDC and HPs have become less severe in later versions of the game, sadly so imho, but still these two elements, connecting SDC to physical training, not just class, and the loss of a significant number of SDC being associated with things like pulled muscles and a significant number of HPs lost associated with things like a concussion make Palladium’s treatment of the simple points for damage mechanism from D&D much more interesting.
To me, the “gift” of the Palladium system is that you have a detailed and complex character sheet about your PC with really simple game play rules. Thus is really hard to do. Character details and game rules can both be derailed (like in the Hero system), or both simple (like B/X D&D or Tunnels and Trolls), but a complex/detailed character sheet with simple game rules is rare in rpgs. This is what I love about Palladium and the fact that defensive actions in the game are as active as offensive actions.
You have a way of presenting that is very reminiscent of Steve Renela from Meat Eater. You are informative without being condescending. I’d love to see you do a video of your thoughts on the Savage Worlds: Rifts setting and see how they handle damage in a very similar way to Palladium with out as much of number tracking and leaning into the cinematic feel that Palladium introduced with SDC, AR, and hit points.
Thanks for watching. I'm not familiar with that channel but I'll check him out. I'll think about doing Savage Rifts but I'm not that well versed in the system. I've played only a handful of times. I have the GM box set from the first kickstarter though, never ran it.
I liked the sdc mdc system. Like the difference between wood is to steel is to graphene.
@rogue scholar, will you be making more Palladium videos? These are great!
I have always loved the versatile of the system.
Love your videosI haven't played a game in 18 years but I study the lore at times.
Great video! Glad to see another Rifts fan out there :)
Oh wow, thanks for stopping by. I just checked your channel out and I guess I'm going to have to find the time to listen to some of those play sessions. Especially cool that they're fairly recent.
I also really like your GM tools that you made. The attack matrix is particularly great in a game like this.
@@RogueScholarMDC Thanks! Yeah the campaign is still ongoing so Im uploading bits as I can. As for the GM tool, im tempted to add more functionality to it. Either way, thanks for the support and keep up the great work with your channel!
I think Hero games and gurps worked better with multiple genres but even hero games you can tell was not designed for fantasy systems
Great video! Thank you for sharing!
Im currently reading TMNT and other strangeness, that lead me here in my search of determine how did you determine SDC 😅 I couldn't find it on the book
Great video!
Thanks for watching!
Looking at using this system in my homebrew Becmi style game. Wondering if combat will go faster if monsters only have Hp and not both?
SDC is a sure sign to me that the system was cobbled together from various genres and not made through house rules and not built withe entire vision of how vehicle combat would work with the existing systems
Great video! If you need some royalty free music let me know. Keep em coming!
Thanks. I've been looking into a few sources. I never can decide what music might go good with me explaining so I always end up with none. Maybe we can discuss. Thanks!
Played with my dad a bit and he seemed to keep me on the mdc side of races and classes or if it was a class that technically should be sdc he'd boost it with a mdc race. He seemed to do this as a standard for all his games. Either way, somehow my first character, through race selection i ended up with a dumb strong by decent level psy-slinger who was rather large obviously not human and with a race bonus to psy. Payed heavily for the race thing (don't remember what it was) as the setting had a lot of coalition in it. But in the end the dummy amount of mdc i had plus a decent proficiency in hand to hand and I think a vibro dagger? Made it workable if I was chill about the racism. Dog boys liked me, other coalition 100% didn't. Wish I could remember wtf the race was 😂 I remember it was mdc based, usually used melee but had rlly good psy and as a PC you could focus that, was rather large (like 8ft.) , also its existence seemed to piss off the coalition (most non humans do if i remember correctly).
hero games had body and stun long before Palladium
You know what I find fascinating how everyone seems to forget the death from massive damage rule if any single attack drops your health by half you have to roll a save at least in most versions of Dungeons and Dragons the save is usually a constitution or fortitude or save vs. death and this threshold can be manipulated but let's just take the basic example of a first level Mage which has four hit points plus to hit points from this constitution so a total of 6 on any single attack he is probably going to have to roll a save vs. death if he takes any damage at all