FINAL WEEK: Reward Tiers!
almost 5 years ago – Fri, Jul 26, 2019 at 10:05:52 PM

Hello Continuum Community,

First super-quick (I should say, Mega-Quick) note: The Onyx Path kickoff schedule for their newly launched Twitch channel shows a Trinity Continuum Q&A with Eddy Webb running today at 11:00 AM EDT, so check it out! 

We're in the final week countdown of this exploration of the Trinity Continuum - it ends on Tuesday, July 30 at 2:00 PM EDT - there's still time to recruit additional backers go nova, but we're definitely getting closer to full Transcendence. With that in mind, I wanted to touch on some of the basics over the next 4 days to make sure that everyone has all of the information they need to support the project in the way that works best for them. 

Review topics to cover over these final days:

• Reward Tiers 
• Add-Ons 
• Stretch Goals
• Final Checklist & Next Steps

Whether you're a new backer or have been with us from day one, these are good items to review to make sure that we all end up where we want to be.

(An aside, if you're a new backer, make sure you check out the MANUSCRIPT PREVIEWS that have been posted - the entire manuscript will be available to review before the campaign concludes).

 BACKER REWARD TIERS 

Like it says right at the top of the campaign page, we've come together to help create a traditionally printed game book featuring novas in the Trinity Continuum. To borrow an analogy that I've used in past Kickstarter campaigns, this works similar to the "Viewers Like You" support campaign from your local PBS Station (for those who get American television channels or watched Sesame Street): There are various levels of support that you can pledge to, and these come with various levels of rewards offered as a thank you. Like getting a tote bag or t-shirt when you give money to public broadcasting to fund them doing their thing, you can get rewards for helping Onyx Path work on this project.

Let's review the Backer Reward Tiers to ensure that you've pledged to a Reward Tier that provides all the rewards you wish to receive.

Eruption: Digital Only or Hardcover + PDF  

The main reward offered in this campaign is, of course, the main goal of the entire proposition: the Trinity Continuum: Aberrant system and setting sourcebook. The first decision you need to make in figuring out your reward tier is whether you want to receive a digital PDF version or if you want the hardcover book.

PDF ONLY REWARD TIERS:

• ELITE
• ELITE and SIDEKICK
• DEFENDER and PARTNER

These are PDF-only reward tiers. So, if you're saving trees or saving shelf space - or avoiding the shipping charges that seem to be ever-increasing - these are the reward tier options that you should begin with. The PDF will be fulfilled by our partners at Drivethrurpg.com - when it is ready, you will receive a link to add it to your DTRPG library and be able to download at your leisure.

HARDCOVER+PDF REWARD TIERS:

• HERO
• HERO and PARTNER
• DYNAMIC DUO
• DYNAMIC DUO TEAM-UP
• SUPER SQUAD
• SUPER SQUAD TEAM-UP
• AUTOGRAPH AVENGER
• SECRET IDENTITY
• VISUAL VIGILANTE

These reward tiers include the traditionally-printed prestige hardcover version of this book. That means the books are produced in a large print run at one time, and will have the best production values, from color clarity and appearance to binding and materials. In addition, these options also include the PDF version, so you will get a digital copy as described above. 

And, yeah, there's also the Friendly Neighborhood Retail Tier if you're a pre-approved retail backer!

The only Reward Tier that does not include the PDF version of the book is the BASELINE tier. You should select this Reward Tier if you want to read the manuscript previews posted in the Backers-Only updates (and continue to have access to them after the campaign ends) but do not wish to receive either a PDF or hardcover version of the final book.

ADDITIONAL REWARDS

Once your primary decision between PDF-only or hardcover + PDF (or neither, baseline) has been made, it's time to learn about the additional rewards you may wish to receive. 

There are few additional reward options we'll cover before discussing Multiple and Premium reward tiers: 

MANUSCRIPT PREVIEWS – All Reward Tiers include access to Backers-Only manuscript previews. With the exception of the final Manuscript preview (which will be posted on Tuesday next week), I have posted the entire manuscript across multiple sections. You must be a kickstarter backer to access these previews, as the link will remain in a backers-only update post. The manuscript previews are not available to those who pre-order the book at a later date.   

TRINITY CONTINUUM CORE RULES: Contains the complete rules for playing Talents, ranging from core concepts to descriptions of secret societies around the world, as well as introductory material for playing in any of the other Trinity Continuum games. This book can be used on its own, but is necessary for playing Æon, Aberrant, and Adventure!, as well as other settings within the continuum. The material presented here is enough to play a game set in a world very similar to our modern one. Included in the Defender and Partner (as PDF only), Hero and Partner, Dynamic Duo Team-up, and Super Squad Team-up reward tiers. 

OPTIONAL "AT COST" PoD VERSION –  For Trinity Continuum: Aberrant and the Trinity Continuum Core Rules, you will have the option of using DriveThruRPG’s Print-On-Demand service to purchase a physical, printed copy directly from their PoD partners at as close as we can get to the cost of printing and shipping (this cost is not included in your pledge, and you do not need to increase the cost of your pledge to use this option). When the PoD versions are available to order (which will be some time after the book has gone to print), you will receive links to purchase these versions of the book from DriveThruRPG.com. You DO NOT need to take advantage of this PoD offer as it does not affect in any way your pledge rewards. 

Note: The Trinity Continuum Core Rules "at cost" PoD Version is only included in the "and Partner" and "Team-Up" Rules Tiers. Double check the Reward Tier chart to confirm your tier includes this option, if desired.

Choosing Your Reward Tier  

There have been some quantum transformations this past week - a few Reward Tier adjustments and changes by backers, as budgets changed and parts of the manuscript were released. In these final days it's best to ensure that you've selected the Reward Tier that offers you the options and rewards you want to receive and are ready to lock down. This timing - before the campaign ends - is the absolute most affordable and inclusive these rewards will be, and will save headaches and heartbreaks if fully considered now.

 WAIT! What about special reward tiers?! 

Right! In addition to our "core" Reward Tiers, we've got two other areas for consideration. These are Multiple Copy rewards and Premium Rewards. 

Multiple Copies  

If you are backing for yourself and a friend (or just want a second copy for your collection), the DYNAMIC DUO Tiers were designed for you. 

If you are the point person for your entire gaming group and need 5 copies of the hardcover, the SUPER SQUAD tiers are your clear choice.  

And, finally, if you are a retailer interested in making this available in your store, a special retailer tier, the F.N.R.T., is open to you upon prior approval from Onyx Path (please email [email protected] prior to selecting this reward to confirm your status).

As discussed on the first day of the campaign, shipping outside the US has gotten quite expensive. Splitting the shipping cost across multiple copies in a single shipment is one way to bring the cost per book down, if you're able to coordinate your backing and delivery with friends.

Premium Reward Tiers

These special reward tiers offer some enhanced interaction with the setting, from naming characters that will be included in the supplemental books (N!WE, Proteus Nova Compendium, Novas Worldwide, or something else that hasn't hit the schedule yet...), serving as inspiration for an interior illustration, or just collecting signatures from the writing team behind this book. These options are extremely limited. If you were interested in a premium reward tier that is completely accounted for, keep an eye on them during the final days of the campaign, as there is sometimes movement that opens them up as we approach the conclusion.

Summary

So, with all of that said - consider your Reward Tier selection. Are you backing to receive your copy of the PDF or hardcover version of Trinity Continuum: Aberrant? Have you considered which additional rewards you're most interested in and selected the configuration that best works for you? Did you jump on one of the limited premium reward options?

Make sure your Reward Tier matches what you're looking for - or, at least, covers most of what you're interested in. On Saturday, we'll cover Add Ons and talk about how to tweak your Reward List to ensure you're getting anything that's missing from your list.  

And, with that, the final leg of our journey begins. Let's lock in our Reward Tiers and keep working towards growing the project so everyone has a chance to join in. DO NOT MISS OUT! And on to our destination and our funding goal!

#TCAberrant

#NovaRewards

Baseline Opponents and Allies
almost 5 years ago – Fri, Jul 26, 2019 at 12:00:10 AM

Opponents and Allies 

Baselines 

Baselines are an important part of the Aberrant world. Despite their lack of powers, they can still influence events and people with their actions and words. There are many more baselines than there are novas. They take positions of power and influence and they populate every part of the world. Additionally, baselines make up a large majority of the criminal world. While super powered novas have an advantage on the competition, baselines manage to get by just fine. 

Baselines can be enemies, allies, or simply just the people who populate the world around the nova characters. Putting in a variety of baseline characters will help the world feel more diverse and fleshed out. 

Executive 

Andrew always knew what he needed to do to get to the top. Even when he was at the bottom of the corporate ladder, he still knew exactly who to schmooze and what work to put his name on, so he could quickly rise through the ranks. It was no surprise when Andrew quickly rose from junior vice president, to senior vice president, then, eventually, to president and CEO. He is both ambitious and ruthless: the only thing he wants to save more than his current corporation is himself. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there, and everyone knows that the strong are better able to survive. The corporate ladder climbers take this lesson to heart. Workers are mere cogs in a machine designed to benefit Andrew and the others like him. While they may start out passionate about the work they do, it’s rare that someone ends up at the top by being friendly and morally righteous. Sometimes you have to think outside the box to get the job done. 

Executives are the people who have talents specific to the corporate world. They are ambitious, hungry, and willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their ends. This doesn’t always lead to the most morally righteous outcomes. Executives are in it for themselves. To most, they are the physical representation of greed, capitalism, and the exploitation of workers. 

Primary Pool: 6 (job description) 

Secondary Pool: 4 (corporate politics) 

Desperation Pool: 2 

Enhancement: 0 

Defense: 3 

Health: 3 

Edges: None 

Source: None 

Expert 

Behind every great innovation is someone working tirelessly around the clock to make it happen. Kali is no exception to that. While some pursue their interests to demonstrate competence (or even creativity), Kali sets out to show that she is the best and she knows more than almost anyone else in the world. In tech circles, she’s a rock star, capable of anything she sets her mind to. Her understanding of technology is incredible for a baseline. Though novas are essential to rapid innovation, they need a team of experts to support them and their emerging technology. 

However, it’s easy to get lose the big picture while focusing on innovation. Not every expert will follow the same moral path. While many pursue knowledge — or even try to pursue good, it doesn’t always work out that way. Still, a fair number of experts pursue knowledge to improve the world. Whether or not their expertise will help or hurt is often unknown. 

Primary Pool: 7 (area of expertise) 

Secondary Pool: 5 (public relations) 

Desperation Pool: 3 

Enhancement: 1 

Defense: 3 

Health: 4 

Edges: Library •, Lightning Calculator, Ms. Fix It 

Source: None 

Security 

Avery enjoyed their job working private security. What started as a gig watching public libraries overnight quickly turned into something much more. Avery was never satisfied just playing on their phone or watching movies until their shift was over. They went from job to job, slowly climbing their way up the ladder until finally landing a gig doing personal security for a very important client. Avery takes their job very seriously and will do whatever it takes to protect their client. 

Security personnel in Aberrant are meant to protect everyone from baselines to novas. While some of these important persons may be formidable in a fight on their own, everyone knows minions can slow down heroes by a significant margin. While the person they are guarding can focus on other tasks, security can focus on physical structures and the wellbeing of their client. 

Primary Pool: 6 (combat) 

Secondary Pool: 4 (security procedures) 

Desperation Pool: 2 

Enhancement: 0 

Defense: 3 

Health: 3 

Edges: Danger Sense, Hair Trigger Reflexes, Safe House, Wealth • 

Source: None 

Soldier 

Aiysha came from a military family. Her father, his siblings, her grandfather, and all her siblings served in various branches of the armed forces. Aiysha knew from a young age that she would follow suit. While she knew more than some of her follow soldiers about what boot camp would entail, the physical and mental pressure it put on her was still brutal. Despite the difficulties, she pushed through. Aiysha was put on the front lines to defend her country. She pursued the start of her career in the military, and her specialized knowledge helps her in every combat situation she comes across. 

Not all soldiers are novas or even enhanced baselines. While some receive specialized equipment, many baseline soldiers rely on more traditional combat techniques. Novas will likely encounter soldiers as both allies and enemies when dealing with international conflicts. Soldiers are not always in battle, but they are disciplined and focused in every situation. 

Primary Pool: 7 (combat) 

Secondary Pool: 5 (security procedures) 

Desperation Pool: 3 

Enhancement: 1 

Defense: 3 

Health: 4 

Edges: Hair Trigger Reflexes, One Against An Ocean, Tough Cookie 

Source: None

#TCAberrant

#BaselinesArePeopleToo

FINAL WEEK: BE AN AMBASSADOR
almost 5 years ago – Wed, Jul 24, 2019 at 04:08:13 PM

Hello Continuum Community,

We've started our FINAL WEEK countdown! We've come far in the past 23 days - funding the project, unlocking FIFTEEN Stretch Goals, sharing the majority of the manuscript - but there's so much further we can go in these final six days!

At this part of every campaign I urge everyone to Be An Ambassador - spread the word about the campaign, share your excitement on social media and in your social circles, and let everyone know that not only is this campaign nearing the end, but it's definitely one you want everyone to jump on! Let people know what the parts are that excite you! Encourage them to read the previews and updates, and check out the various videos we've shared (including the recent Trinity Continuum: Aberrant actual play session streamed on Onyx Path's TWITCH channel).
 

The Process and The Project

The fun part about these kickstarter campaigns, for me,  is sharing the manuscript and project details with the fans and supporting backers, and expanding the project via Stretch Goals and making jokes and having fun in the comments and around the net on social media. It's cool, because it's not entirely passive (although you can sit back and just enjoy the ride, if you want). One of the great things about working with Onyx Path on these kickstarter projects is that they want the backers to be involved in the process and committed to the project.

The Evolution of Involvement

Back before my time, in the Old Old Days of The Long Ago, a kickstarter campaign would fund the project, which would trigger the outlining, writing, and development at that point, and backers would wait to see what the final results were, supporting the ideas and themes and creative teams, but going on a lot of faith for these early works. 

Onyx Path has a philosophy of being as transparent as possible, and as open and engaged as all factors allow. One of the developments over the past few years is the effort to provide as much information as possible before backers are asked to lock in any funding for a kickstarter campaign. They've been showing designs and artwork for some time, and provide backers with the complete manuscript prior to the conclusion of the kickstarter campaign, to allow backers to make sure they're on board with the project and that we're all working towards the same goal: making this game the best it can be.

And, until recently, backers would read the kickstarter manuscript, and then see the next phase of the game when the backer PDF came out several months or a year later - after additional editing, development, and some tweaks to the writing. And the addition of awesome art and layout, which always makes things better! At that point, they'd collect errata in an effort to transform the backer PDF into a final version that was a solid as could be.

With Trinity Continuum: Aberrant, they've opened up that process even earlier! Now, backers can help guide some of the next steps of development and editing by providing feedback at the kickstarter manuscript stage! The team has created a feedback form to collect reactions about the system and design so that they know what areas need to be nudged a bit, or clarified, or revised. 

 So, you can read the kickstarter manuscript and still know the game that you're supporting, but you're also giving the developers and writers tools to help guide the next stages of production. A note that says, "Can you add clarification as to which Mega-Attributes apply in terms of Enhancements and Scale?" is feedback that may be taken into account when the developers are working on finalizing the text for the layout process. 

Here's that feedback form: https://forms.gle/oJMMwS4mTGNXMNBm8

The Book and The Campaign

So, those are the fun ways in which the Onyx Path team ensures that you know what this project is, and also how they interact with the backers to work together to fine tune, refine, and add clarity. It's a big help to the team to see how the project works "outside the test lab," so to speak. 

So, now we go from talking about how backers are helping the book and the game (and the development team), to how everyone can also help your humble Kickstarter Concierge!

To steal some characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe for analogy purposes, a lot of backers are like Steve Rogers - give me a nova template and let me get into action as quickly as possible! Others of us are more like Tony Stark - thanks for all of these tools! Now I'm gonna fiddle and take things apart, see how the mechanics work, and see all the different things I can build!

The Kickstarter comment sections and some online messageboards have been filled with a lot our Tony Stark theories and tests. I really enjoy looking under the hood, and seeing how all of the systems fit together, and trying to test the limits of what each can do and how they work in combination. But I think we may be alienating our potential Steve Rogers backers a bit - they want to get in and play and have fun without thinking about how all the math works. 

I saw one comment online recently from someone who was going to give the game a pass because "it looked too math-heavy." And that's disappointing, because as much as I like to figure out how to maximize a power suite (and then all the cool stuff from the recently-shared Technology chapter), it's not really an intensive math game. There's a ton - A TON - of more narrative-based gameplay and options there, and I'd be sad if someone missed out on this cool game because I'd misinterpreted it in any discussions I'd had.

 So, help out your humble Kickstarter Concierge, if you can, with these two quick thoughts:

 1) make sure you use the feedback form for stuff that will help the team refine and clarify where needed. Our comments threads are awesome, but they won't be utilized by the writers the same way the feedback on that form will be.

 2) Remember to engage our Steve Rogers fans a little bit. That doesn't mean not to talk about math or systems, but let's remember to talk about the tabletop roleplaying aspect of this tabletop roleplaying game a bit.

 Be an Ambassador  

So, long long preamble to get to my topic for the day. Sorry, I've got the Mega-Typing edge.

I know, this is something I've already said many times (and seem to say during every project!), but for this final week, you are officially a duly-deputized ambassador for this Kickstarter project. You may even say "Trinity Continuum: Ambassador," if you want to be consistent with the game line. (Don't try for Æmbassador, though - that doesn't fly as well as you'd think!)

I know I end every update post with "Keep spreading the word! Invite others to join in!" - but what does that mean, and how do you do it?

Easy answer - don't stop talking about the Trinity Continuum: Aberrant kickstarter until 2:01 PM next Tuesday EDT (when the campaign has ended). Yes, family and friends are tired of me talking about it (believe me!), but everything will go back to "normal" in just one week, and they've learned to tolerate me during a kickstarter campaign (for now). But here's the thing - there are others around who haven't heard or don't know about the campaign.

What Excites You?  

Thumbs up to everyone who's shared a link to the kickstarter in an online forum, or posted an "I just backed this project" message to their social media - you've done all of the first steps that are critical during the first weeks of the campaign. Now, it's time to let others know why you are backing this project (and, therefore, why they should consider it as well).

That's the thing - for this final week, you don't have to tell people the kickstarter exists. Instead, tell them what's got you excited about the game. What makes this an interesting and updated take on a classic setting? What kind of stories will you tell? What sources of inspiration are you running with? At this point, people may have seen the "Kickstarter now live!" posts. But the ones that always pull me in are things like:

• My thoughts on running a space exploration based Daedalus League campaign...
• Social Media in the world of Novas, and what how an Influencer could be a super villain...
• Superhero school / Teen Tomorrow campaign ideas...
• Here's a name, help me figure out the powers...

You get the idea. When I start seeing conversations that spin out of posts or ideas like that, I get intrigued about the game. And that's when I click on the link. So, share your ideas! What parts of the manuscript have stirred your imagination? What pop culture touchstones do you want to adapt for your game? What style of game are you thinking of running, and what threads from the book will you incorporate? What kinds of challenges will you throw at your players?

There are tons of websites related to rpgs or superhero stories or gaming in general. Now, all of those may not have forums for you to post on, or be an appropriate venue to share your ideas. But, if you are a member of any of those and feel like sharing your ideas about a new Trinity Continuum: Aberrant game, these final days are the time to do so!

This isn't about getting more funding and unlocking more Stretch Goals (although that's an exciting prospect!). It's about getting those fans who haven't checked it out yet to dip in and see what we're about. It's about making sure anyone who might love this game gets an opportunity to read the manuscript and start imagining stories and ideas like we have.

I get so many e-mails from people just after a campaign ends, would-be-backers who just found out a few days - or sometimes hours - too late to participate and missed out on the fun. Spread the word, share your enthusiasm, and let's get as many people on board for this project as we can.

And don't forget, if you pitch joining - all backers can pledge for $5 and check out the manuscript before deciding if they want to upgrade their pledge to include a PDF or the hardcover book. Or, if the game in the manuscript isn't for you - and it's not for everyone - then you can cancel before the campaign ends. We're not interested in tricking anyone or using my Mega-Manipulation to get you in under false pretenses. We want you to want to be with us on this journey!

SO: Spread the word! Share your enthusiasm! Remember the Steve Rogers and Tony Starks that are possible backers, and invite them to join in!

And now, let's use our Mega-Love for this game over the final week, and finish strong on TUESDAY, JULY 30 at 2:00 PM EDT. (Also, remind everyone that this ends on a Tuesday, rather than Onyx Path's usual Thursday end dates!)

And... behind the scenes, I just typed that three times. Kickstarter ate my formatting and images twice! Sorry if it goes a bit adrift! An important lesson - if you don't have Mega-Compsure, always remember to save your work frequently!

#TCAberrant

#FinalWeek

Backers Only Bonus - Early Appendix: Quick Nova Creation Tables
almost 5 years ago – Wed, Jul 24, 2019 at 01:06:46 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

A Mega-Update of Mega-Stuff
almost 5 years ago – Tue, Jul 23, 2019 at 11:58:22 PM

Hey Continuum Community,

We're exactly ONE WEEK from the end of the campaign! To celebrate, I've got an update that's just packed with... stuff. Not miscellaneous, just covering a few different topics. 

It's a recipe for fun!

LET'S START WITH SOME MATTHEW AND IAN...

Last week, the Gentleman Gamer himself, Matthew Dawkins, hosted a live Q&A with Trinity Continuum lore master and Creative Lead, Ian A.A. Watson. They discuss our Aberrant kickstarter and take questions from the virtual audience.

AND THEN MIX IN SOME MORE IAN AND DASH OF STEVE...

The BAMF Podcast recently had a chat with Ian Watson and Steve Kenson to chat more about Aberrant! Check this one out:

NOW, THROW IN SOME EDDY and DANIELLE...

Hey all! Eddy here to chat a bit about Scale. I'm seeing some confusion about it, so I thought I'd post a piece from our Trinity Continuum system developer, Danielle Lauzon, which will hopefully help!

---

WHAT IS SCALE?

Scale is a narrative term that is used as a shorthand to describe large differences between two things. We often use Scale as a comparison between two things, such as the speed of a human on foot versus that of a person on a bike, and further, to that of a car or plane. Scale is a comparison mechanic to help us decide if something or someone is so outclassing someone else that a normal roll with standard successes just doesn’t express that difference well enough.

For example, we don’t talk about Danielle’s Scale for running around unless it comes into contrast with something else. If Danielle got into a foot race with Eddy, there is no Scale difference between us. Even if Eddy spent his time off training for marathons, his comparative Scale is not that much higher than Danielle’s, though his Athletics and Stamina are probably much higher, so his roll in the foot race is likely to be better than Danielle’s. If Danielle had to outrun a car, she’s unlikely to be able to do so, as the car (unless something was seriously wrong with it) is inherently able to go faster than any human can at sustained speeds.

Scale is also not a universal constant. If a car has a Scale against Danielle in a race, it certainly doesn’t have Scale against her in a game of chess. In fact, Danielle’s Scale in that instance is so much laughably higher than the car’s that it isn’t even worth rolling or talking about. The car just can’t play chess. And in the same vein, the Scale of the car’s durability versus Danielle if she tried to punch the thing to stop it is so high that she wouldn’t even get a roll to try.

Now, if we do need to make a roll in an attempt to see if Danielle’s sword can cut through the hood of the car to stop it — ha, no bare-fisted car assault for me! — we’re going to still apply the difference between the car’s durability Scale and the sword’s power Scale to the action as Enhancement at a rate of 2 Enhancement to 1 difference in Scale. We’ll likely apply it as the car’s Defense since that’s how many successes she needs to hurt the car. So, if something has Scale in one arena, it doesn’t necessarily have Scale in another. 

DRAMATIC VS. NARRATIVE SCALE

Another thing we should talk about is the difference between dramatic and narrative Scale. The examples above mostly use Dramatic Scale, which is useful when a roll result matters such as in a contest between two actors. But sometimes Scale comes up in situations where opposition isn’t dramatic, so the action is more narrative. Think of this as chewing up the scenery. The difference between when something is narrative and when it is dramatic is a bit subjective, just like figuring out when a character needs to roll to accomplish an action vs. being able to just do it because they are super cool.

Narrative Scale comes into play when a fine-grain application of successes doesn’t matter and the action that would use that system isn’t dramatic. Examples include a speedster getting to the other side of the city, a cyborg solving a complicated quantum equation, or a superpowered human bringing down a building. What we want to know is how many successes can we pile on it, i.e. “how well did we win against it?” The giant fighting robot with a huge power Scale can probably punch through buildings. And its power Scale compared to a building’s durability Scale is probably a bit higher, but we want to pile on enough successes to knock the thing down, but that durability is likely to result in a high difficulty, just because, well, it’s a skyscraper. So we don’t just roll and add a few Enhancement, we roll and multiply successes by the difference in Scale. We could also not roll at all and get some successes based on the dice pool and multiplying.

WHEN TO APPLY SCALE

Okay, so that’s how Scale works in the big picture, but how do we figure out when to apply Scale to a situation? Well, this is going to be a bit of a judgment call by the Storyguide, and sometimes specific powers will tell us when to apply Scale to the situation. For instance, if something makes sense to just be bigger, stronger, faster, more durable, or have more computational power in a way that is dramatically different, you’ll want to apply Scale to that aspect vs. the characters. Determining how much Scale difference is somewhat subjective, but that’s why we’ve included some examples in the book to try to give you a perspective on what real-world things have Scale in certain areas. So, when you make a 15-story tall monster for the characters to fight, you might want to throw some size Scale on it, which might also give it some durability Scale.

But that prompts the question: When do characters get Scale? And the answer is: when a piece of equipment or the character’s powers say they do. Characters in the Trinity Continuum get Scale through powers and sometimes equipment. Talents have Gifts, psions have Psi powers, and novas have Quantum Traits that all give them some access to Scale, which applies in certain arenas and on specific rolls, but not all rolls. Talents can spend Inspiration to increase their Scale for a single action, hopefully reducing the difference between themselves and something bigger than them, or making them so much better than the average human that it shows as Scale. Novas will have some ways to get inherent Scale bonuses to certain actions as described in the power.

The underlying thing to remember is that Scale is both subjective (given by the Storyguide in places where it makes sense, because an item or creature deserves to narratively have Scale) and objective (given by the game book by a power or in a piece of equipment’s description). This means that sometimes your character will mostly get Scale through her powers or equipment via what the game book says and sometimes when the Storyguide says, and non-player characters will always get Scale because of both when the Storyguide decides it and because the book suggested it.

---

Thanks, Danielle! The only thing I have to add is that Scale isn't meant to be objectively quantified. Like Danielle says above, it's meant to be used for comparisons. A baseline can't generally outrun a car, but a nova speedster can. Once you compare Scales, you can get on with your game. This isn't a setting that cares much about how many miles per hour you can run -- it only matters that you're faster than your opponent. It's entirely possible there might be a few sections of the manuscript that give a misleading impression on that front: if so, point them out to us in the playtest feedback form, and we'll take a look!

AND THEN ADD IN A BIT MORE DANIELLE...

After that bigger piece, Danielle's got a few more notes and examples to share.

---

I'm seeing a lot of questions about Scale, what it is, how it works, and what thing corresponds to what Scale. I'm not going to make a table here, but I'm going to try to give some context for Scale that *might* help.

Scale is a comparison tool first and foremost. When a Mega-Attribute gives you a Scale increase, it is assumed that Scale increase is over a baseline. But imagine Mt. Everest (as people seem to be fixated on that big old mountain). The core rulebook mentions that Everest is at Scale 6, but doesn't say what kind of Scale that is. Scale 6 in the Size department. If you wanted my take on the mass of Mt. Everest, I'd say it's more like Scale 10, but we don't really have a mass Scale. 

To a baseline, Everest is huge. To a Nova with Growth that brings their Size Scale up to say 7 or 8, Everest is not so huge, in fact it's kind of puny. It's a comparison, the difference in Scale between that Nova and Everest is only 1 or 2, so dealing with Everest where Size matters (such as stepping over it) will give the Nova some Enhancement, but until they get to be 3 size Scale higher than Everest, they aren't just doing so without a roll.

Let's use something with power and durability to really drive this point home. Let’s say a building in downtown Los Angeles, built to withstand earthquakes, has a Durability Scale of 4. Okay, so now say you have a Quantum rating 3 Nova with Mega-Might 2 and Mega-Crush could easily have Power Scale 5 vs inanimate objects. So when punching through our Durability Scale 4 building, the Nova has +1 Scale over the building which would give her 2 Enhancement to her rolls to smash through it. Depending on what’s going on, we might just want to know what kind of damage she does to the building as she goes through: narrative Scale. So we use that 2 as a multiplier on her successes for attacking the building, helping us describe the terrible damage she does. Or maybe we just abstract how many successes she’s going to have based on her dice pool and then multiply that because it maybe isn’t worth rolling.

So just because a Nova has a Power Scale of 8 for lifting, doesn’t mean she can just yeet Everest into the ocean. Her difference in Scale here is only a 2 (or less depending on if you want to consider Everest a major land mass and maybe it is, and it wasn’t a very good example of a Scale 6 item). It means she can even attempt to lift something with a high Size Scale, but she’s still going to need to roll to do anything with that lift and all the Complications that might come with it, especially if she is only Size Scale 1.

And don’t forget the Collateral Pool. There are good reasons to use that level of power Scale sparingly.

AND THE CHERRY ON TOP...

I guess I'm making a sundae or something? Anyway, this recipe for fun ends on the most fun note... or flavor?.. with the launch of Onyx Path's new TWITCH Stream.

Onyx Path exploding onto Twitch in a big way, as Travis Legge runs an Trinity Continuum: Aberrant RPG for five players this coming week! The name is Collateral Damage and can be found on this channel at these dates and times https://www.twitch.tv/theonyxpath/:

• Session Zero on Tuesday the 23rd at 6pm CDT/7pm EDT
• Session One on Thursday the 25th at 6pm CDT/7pm EDT
• Session Two on Tuesday the 30th at 6pm CDT/7pm EDT

Players will be:
Dixie Cochran (Onyx Path Internal)
Ashley May (Onyx Path freelancer on Legendlore, DMs Guild creator)
TheConri (GM for Scarred Lands: Pirates of Bloodwater on the Devil’s Luck Gaming channel) 
Kassandra Leigh (Player on Scarred Lands: Pirates of Bloodwater)
James Perry (Player on Scarred Lands: Gauntlet of Spiragos on the Roll the Role channel)

Please check it out, subscribe, and share! This is an exciting time for us!

FINAL WEEK

We've got ONE FINAL WEEK to bring this kickstarter campaign in for a landing! We're closing in on TWO Stretch Goals (we're currently about $600 away from adding additional art funds to the book, and about 7 backers away from early release on the Quick Nova Creation Appendix! We may end up with THREE updates to post today if we spread the word and invite gaming friends to join in...).

This Mega-Update was built using the latest nova-tech. Remember to share in your social circles and on your social media! Let's ERUPT a few more Stretch Goals over the next few days!

#TCAberrant

#NovaTech