What I Want to Know about Tactics

I am as interested in the storyline of the Tactics game as anyone else. But here are some things that the art has me questioning:

1) Why is the Wraith not wearing a mask any more? (Also, she looks super good now that she's older. Much more impressive than as the young socialite.)

2) Who is this new Ra? I'd love to have his story.  (Based on the way he is going after Citizen Dawn on the box front, I am secretly hoping that this new Ra is Citizen Burn, the counterpoint to Vengeance's Citizen Slash, as in, Slash and Burn.)

3) I want to hear more about Visionary's choice of a Rubiks Cube and how it grounds her to this reality.

I think she's at risk of losing touch with this world and turning into pure mental energy, so by focusing on a Rubiks cube she keeps enough energy focused on a physical object that she maintains her physical form.

1. Not sure. Probably just her coming out of the shadows and standing unified with the rest of the F5 whos identities are all common knowledge (I think)

2. He might still be Dr. Washington, it's not totally clear whether he is the same or different.

3. I don't think the fact that its a Rubiks Cube means much in and of itself. From my understanding of her bio, she can keep her power/mind grounded by focusing it on a tangable object around her. It's like she is throwing down an anchor so she doesn't get swept out to sea so to speak. Or have you ever tried to balance on one foot, can't, but then choose something to stare and focus on and all of a sudden your balance instantly steadies out? I could probably think of some other metaphors, but I'm afraid I went overboard already haha

Visionary is manipulating that Rubiks Cube, not just focusing on it, we just can't see her doing that in the pictures because they aren't animated. So it's not just floating next to her, it'll be turning and twisting all the tme.

It's her equivalent of doodling in class so that she doesn't fall asleep.

In a D&D campaign I DMed a few years ago, the main artefact was a multidimensional prison shaped as a Rubik's cube. It had to be manipulated from time to time to prevent the entities imprisoned inside from "solving" it and breaking free.

But in this case, I think the cube is also symbolic of her mind and multiple personalities - she is unstable, a creature from a future that doesn't exist anymore, with a "dark" twin inside her head, maybe more "facets" even. Maybe the cube is a way to symbolize her constant work to keep herself "whole" rather than dissolving as the living paradox she has become ?

This seems like a good thread to put my question adressed to playtesters, but since it doesn't pertain specific mechanics I guess they should be able to answer:

How much time does a Sentinel Tactics take on average? What was the time of your shortest game and what was the time of your longuest game?

I'm considering backing up the project, but a game that takes too long to play kills even the best concept with my playmates. Thanks for the answer.

It plays pretty quickly. I haven't had a game take over an hour. Median around 35-45 minutes, I think.

Whaaaat? I haven't had a game be shorter than 90 minutes, and my average is 120-150.

i've taught the game to 6 people, and haven't had one game take longer than 50 minutes.  I could certainly imagine longer game given specific scenarios, but it plays really quick

Really?

I think the game time varies greatly based on how much time we spend analyzing options. I've found that I can enjoy the game and not spend an excessive amount of time doing analysis of options, keeping the game time shorter.

Also depends on what you are playing.

The scenarios don't take very long, maybe 90 minutes to 2hrs.  Skirmishes I've had go between 30 minutes (the game was set up already) and 2 hrs 30 min. (it was close and we kept it going)

I've never played a scenario yet, only skirmishes; I guess it's because we always spend a long time analyzing our options. Or because we roll badly. A lot.

My personal view of Bunker is so warped because I never manage a single good roll while playing him. Law of Large numbers really needs to swing back in my favor

I have that trouble with Tachyon, Wraith always has higher move than Tachyon, and my LSB attacks average like 70% 1's and 2's.

Of course! Everyone knows smaller numbers are faster!

They're sleek and aerodynamic.

1's been answered on the Kickstarter now, in the story update (She publicly revealed herself as The Wraith when she and Legacy announced the Freedom Five's becoming a private group).

And I gotta say, the government were real pals about the whole thing.  Sure, they had been crippling the Freedom Five with restrictions previously, but a group of private vigilantes based out of a major American city?  Nobody could object to that!

Perhaps they're not in too much of a position to do anything about it, depending on the reality altering circumstances. Or perhaps they're biding their time.

Not in a position to do anything about it?

How about... legally order them to either disband or leave U.S. soil?  Pretty sure that Legacy and Bunker, at least, would obey.  If not, then one side or the other is officially a supervillain.

And then they're down their most iconic (and probably beloved) superhero team, and I'm sure at least one of them would make sure the whole of America knew why they were leaving. So maybe the government doesn't like what the Freedom Five are doing, but there's nothing they can really do about it without guaranteeing their losing the next election. Plus, while they may want to restrict and control heroes (of which they have many of a vigilantic nature), they can't outright get rid of them. Dawn would have a field day, Omnitron would take advantage and Blade would laugh maniacally.

Well, since vigilante-ism is already illegal…

The Freedom Four/Five were acting with sanction of the government, probably with limited police powers. Their job wouldn't change, just their status. They'd only be villains in the eyes of the government that would be embarassed by the whole situation that they created.

So...

Did anyone else get punched right in the feels with Absolute Zero's response to getting his freedom back?

Not really, but then I'm a heartless bitch. ;)

I'm also too British to approve of his lack of stiff upper lip. A British AZ would have stayed, complained about it a bit, and when confronted would admit only that he was still there because there wasn't anywhere else to go. 

I did.

British Superheroes are too busy fixing League matches to fight crime.

"West Ham up three?  Come on boys, we're needed at Wembley!"

Given such a result could only come from a localised suspension of the laws of reality, getting involved seems only rigght and proper.

I am also a heartless monster.  In addition, I play Absolute Zero's personality a little darker than canon - I knew both that my AZ would never (truthfully) say those words and that the canon one must feel that way, thanks for a few convenient laws of narrative.

That said, I did really like that bit - not for what it says about Zero, but for how it let Tachyon and The Wraith finally do the right thing and not use indentured servitude to force a wounded man into combat.  That always struck me as an incredibly twisted and morally abhorrent act for the Freedom Five, so seeing them finally acknowledge that fact was welcome.

He didn't have to fight.he spent like 2 years or so locked in his chamber before he took up the offer to join the battlefield. Not sure it makes a whole lot of difference, but worth noting. 

"We are capable of producing a prosthetic which would allow you to, to some extent, live a normal life.  However, sadly, your insurance doesn't cover it, so you have to choose between a featureless metal box, and being punched in the face by the physical embodyment of planet Earth.  Take your time - we'll wait."

Yeah, a bit.

Kind of because Tachyon thought he was not sure about what he was going to do, and tried to be all reassuring.

It makes me wonder just how much money Zero owed.

They probably only let him have his freedom because they realized that if he were to compensated at minimum wage for every hour he spent fighting crime, he would have paid off the suit (including interest) like three years prior. 

And one of these side has superpowers, lots of money, and public support. A confrontation could lead to civil disorder - or worse, as Legacy, for now, has a lot of public approval, and the means to win a civil war…

Anyway, it is better policy to wait for the Five to become a real danger, or do something stupid, to use the legal weapon against them - it has to be used at a time were they don't have the means to fight back, and when the population would support the decision.

I bet the "government" already took measures to take back control of the FV someday in the future - like investing more in F.I.L.T.E.R or another top secret superpowered agents department, or in "depowering" research, just in case the FV get out of hand and publicly oppose government policies - or take too big a risk with Earth/the population, etc.

In fact, they probably began these projects long before the team went private, it may even have been one of the untold reasons of their decision to "go free". I think that Legacy and Bunker would not have done it if they had not discovered that they could not trust the officials… I think either one of the future Core pack for Tactics, or one of the future expansions for Sentinels, or both, will be about government conspiracies, secret organizations and plans that go out of hand.

I don't think the Government would be too hard line on it.

Public sentiment and international politics cause all kinds of things to go wierd.  The government would want to control risk, the Heroes would know that those restrictions could mean the difference between stopping a Voss and losing the Earth.

By going Private the Government can publicly wash their hands of any their activities, without as much backlash.

No one wants to be at the mercy of Super-Heroes, but they want to be at the mercy of Super-Villains even less.

As long as the heroes self-regulate enough to maintain enough public approval the government won't dare touch them.

Too bad he didn't live in Canada (or anywhere else that has a health-care system)

Also; maybe the government read the Civil War storyline.

not to mention I bet the Wraith has some kickin lawyers

I just watched Man of Steel last night and couldn't help but think that Superman was probably not very popular after that movie. The bad guys (as far as everyone is concerned) came to Earth for no other reason than to get him, so he was in essence a solution to a problem he created. Also, he kept throwing the bad guys into buildings and other populated locations at times and in ways that seemed unnecessarily destructive... yes, he may have saved the planet but did it have to be done in a manner that cost those people their lives? I would imagine the family and loved ones of the deceased would not be as quick to hold him in high regard. 

I imagine superheroes overall wouldn't be held in as high regard by the public as we might imagine... especially if they are given free reign to operate above the law.  I think in fact a very large and vocal group would demand that the government keep the FV accountable. And whether or not they were able to, they would have to at least make a show of it. Bunker suits with anti-FV capabilities would be made and pilots would be trained by this time and a network of spies dedicated to knowing exactly where the FV members were at all times. 

We have seen how arms races play out in a world and I imagine superheroes would shape the geopolitical discourse in a very similar manner... and no one likes to see such powerful weapons in the hands of independent interests. 

I had this little theory that Beacon was going to be a villain for exactly those reasons. Shooting eye beams through (presumably) occupied buildings? It turns out she's still a hero, but that can't sit well with the general public.

I am clearly in the minority, but I just cannot comprehend the government being described as increasingly hardline, restrictive, uncooperative, etc... up until the heroes stop taking orders entirely.  But as soon as the group of human superweapons goes rogue, then they're totally okay with it and there's no conflict at all.

There are superhero setting governments which try to control the heroes to the point it ties their hands, and there are superhero setting governements who let heroes do their thing, either out of legitimate trust or simply the need to keep up appearances.  That one government could fit into both groups at once is utterly baffling to me.

But I think I now see the answer: the government's true restrictions were fashion-related.  For years, the Freedom Five And Also These Other Three Ladies Who Don't Get Counted I Guess wanted desperately to have grey panels on the sides of their costumes, wear matching belt buckles, and paint the Bunker suit in patches of rust orange, but The Man wouldn't let them.  However, now that they are no longer defined as a costumed service, the FV are beyond the reach of the jack-booted fashion police, and can fly free!

It's really quite uplifting.

The whole government/superhero friction reminds me of Marvel's Civil War comic arc. Comparing the two it would seem the Sentinels government is going pretty soft on the heroes. However the Freedom Five has always been a sort of a government organization though as opposed to any of the Marvel teams.

Many things have changed in the last several years. After some of the major, nigh existence-ending events which rocked our world, there was backlash against superpowered individuals, and the U.S. government sought to gain tighter control of their superteam, The Freedom Five. A series of mandates left the team unable to act without court permission and hamstrung their ability to fight villains on non-U.S. soil. These changes were tenuous at best, and each member of the team bristled under this new control.

Standard operating procedure, nobody likes weapons abroad, everybody likes the idea of keeping our big guns at home.

We could also have a M.A.D. situation on our hands. There has been a lot of speculation on the whole F.I.L.T.E.R. situation as well as The Block. We also don't know what else might have come to light, and while Legacy and Bunker might be inclined to silence over "national security", I get the feeling Wraith and her legal team wouldn't play nice with the Government when trying to get the team broken away.

So on top of the risks of public disapproval and the need to protect against major threats like Voss, Omnitron, Dawn and Blade, the Government might also be dealing with a group that is willing to air all the dirty laundry they've learned over the years.

Plus, no where in the summary did it say the government took this lying down. I'm willing to bet it comes up in public discussions quite a bit, and in the black ops/ F.I.L.T.E.R. breifings near constantly. If the FV(I) doesn't have a specialist team assigned to them to track their every move and  prepared to intervene if neccessary I'd be surprised, but so far the FV(I) are playing by the book, so the government is limited with what they can do out in the open

Did Unity always a tattoo on her left arm?

I'd like to know if we will see Omnitron IV.   Tactics has V.  We have seen the original, cosmic, and blade.  

Oh you can play as omnitron IV. Just start the game with 2 less health (it is a downgrade after all)

Wouldn't he be just two hexes as well?

Something like this as a prelude to the Sentinel Tactics storyline would fit with another Vengeance-type expansion in which we get another team of villains (missing five of those sinister looking six on Setback's "High-risk behavior"). More and more vengeance motivated attacks on the city to lure out the heroes and collateral damage to boot would make it hard for any organization to justify having those heroes on a payroll.