The Pacesetter System Part 1: Intro and Characters

[Goblinoid Games]

Introduction

The Pacesetter house system, also called the Action Table System (ATS), was used in TIMEMASTER, CHILL (1st edition), Star Ace, and Sandman. Pacesetter was a company started by Mark Acres and colleagues, who broke away from TSR in the early 80s. There was a period in the early 80s where game companies were trying out a slightly different approach to RPG systems by using a chart from which most game resolution would reference.

As many readers already know, Goblinoid Games is the current owner of TIMEMASTER, and recently released ROTWORLD, a zombie survival horror game, using the same system. ROTWORLD is the first in a series of RPGs for this system that will cover various genres.

One of the things that separates ATS from other chart systems is the wide applicability and granularity. The system is gritty, and manages to be a functional universal system without feeling like it makes sacrifices in resolution complexity. This is (in my opinion) where some other universal systems (chart-based or not) fail. This post is the first in a series of posts where I talk about the system and some of my thoughts on its applications and strengths. Many people are unfamiliar with the ATS or haven't looked at it for many years, so this series is a way to bring everyone up to speed.

Characters

Characters are built based on eight basic abilities: Strength, Dexterity, Agility, Personality, Perception, Willpower, Luck, and Stamina. These abilities are generated initially by rolling 3d10 and adding together the results. This produces a bell curve, similar to using 3d6 in <a href="http://www.goblinoidgames.com/labyrinthlord.html">Labyrinth Lord</a>. However, the ATS is a percentile and d10-based system, so to get these scores within that range the sum generated for each ability is doubled, then 20 is added, producing a range of 26-80. This is important because skills reference these abilities and ability checks also need to be applied to a range compatible with a d%.

All of my readers are familiar with RPGs, so these abilities will be self explanatory for our purposes. However, the Luck ability is something a lot of RPGs don't have, so I'll say a few things about that here. Luck can be used by a PC to reduce damage dealt by attacks. The Luck score generated at character creation can be <span style="font-style:italic;">permanently reduced</span> to avoid damage. I like this mechanic because it meshes well with my old-school system sensibilities. Luck mechanics in some other games are bottomless pools. In the ATS, Luck is a very useful resource, but it is a resource, and when a PC is out of luck, well....he's out of luck! A character's Luck can also be used by the referee as a base percentage chance for a PC to avoid death in certain situations, or to simply have a lucky break at some point.

Skills

In the Action Table System skills are percentile-based. Each skill references one, two, sometimes even three, basic abilities, and is divided by the number of contributing abilities. So for example, Wrestling is Strength+Agility, divided by 2. Then, characters will have a level in the skill. There are three levels, Specialist, Expert, and Master. They grant +15, +30, and +55, respectively, to the base skill percent generated by abilities. At character creation a character can buy a skill at Expert level, but only through play and experience points can he raise it to Master.

One important and refreshing thing about skills in this system is that characters will start with only a few skills. Some skills default to abilities, and so they can be performed by anyone. I like skill-based systems generally, but when a character becomes a laundry list of 30 skills it is not just cumbersome in play, but it reflects a system philosophy that tries to identify a skill for about anything that a character can do. In my opinion this is the root of the problem with most people who dislike skill-based systems. So many mechanics are placed into skills that all characters have to be encyclopedias of skills. So ATS gets this right in creating a balance between having a smaller number of meaningful skills, but also in having a system that does not put characters in a straightjacket for doing other things not defined by skills.

Paranormal Talents

Paranormal talents (PTs) are supernatural abilities possessed by some characters. Obviously, these will not always be available to characters depending on the specific implementation of the ATS and the genre of game. For example, they are always a part of TIMEMASTER games, but are purely optional in ROTWORLD. The PTs available are not always the same either between games. PTs function in a similar manner to skills, being based on abilities and used as a percentage roll for resolution. The number of PTs characters start with also varies depending on the game, but in general characters start with only one or a few, and can buy more with experience. Using PTs costs Willpower. Characters have a fluid pool of Willpower that is based on the Willpower ability, and they regenerate points with rest.


This is where I'll leave the discussion for now. Next time I'll start to actually get into the Action Table and how skills, PTs, and other actions are resolved.

[seneschal]

This thread answered some of my questions. But what makes the Pacesetter System memorable, special? Chill was popular back in the day when it was the primary non-Lovecraftian horror RPG, and folks who liked movie-style monster bashing rather than tremulous investigation had a blast. Today, however, with all the old, new, and free game rules running around, what makes the system itself especially useful, fun and playable, regardless of genre? Rotworld is getting plenty of commentary because of the zombie fans eager to support it. But TimeMaster doesn't seem to receive as much love as it might. So what are the strengths that would cause me, as a GM, to plan my next campaign around the Action Table rather than choosing Brand X?

[Goblinoid Games]

This thread answered some of my questions. But what makes the Pacesetter System memorable, special?

"Special" is a pretty loaded word. There are a lot of systems out there, and I think it is tough to argue what makes one more special than another. The Pacesetter system is pretty unique in implementation, though.

Chill was popular back in the day when it was the primary non-Lovecraftian horror RPG, and folks who liked movie-style monster bashing rather than tremulous investigation had a blast. Today, however, with all the old, new, and free game rules running around, what makes the system itself especially useful, fun and playable, regardless of genre? <snip> ... what are the strengths that would cause me, as a GM, to plan my next campaign around the Action Table rather than choosing Brand X?

First I need to say that the purpose of my posts on this is not to convert everyone to this system as their go-to generic system. Check out Part 2 for more info. The system never really had a chance to be explored too far since Pacesetter was a fairly short-lived company, and one of the things I have seen when people reminisce about these games is that their memories about the system are hazy. So I just want to reintroduce it, that's all. If you have a system you like and are comfortable with that's great. Personally I just feel that the system is a great system, very cleverly designed, and that it deserves a new look. I can't tell you (and wouldn't want to try), for example, that playing Star Wars with the Pacesetter system will be "more fun" than the d6 system. That's a pretty personal experience/preference issue I think.

[seneschal]

I wasn't at all trying to be snarky or to put down Pacesetter. It's just that game systems, in addition to personal preferences, tend to have their perks and quirks. For instance:

Fans of Labyrinth Lord like it because it enables them to re-create the old-school play style of early edition fantasy games, and it smooths out many of the kinks of the original rules.

Fans of Hero System like it because it enables them to create any sort of character they can imagine.

Fans of BRP enjoy gritty combat and say the rules "fade into the background" during play.

And so forth. I was trying to get a similar feel for the Action Table system. That's all.

I had a friend who enjoyed and played several horror games -- Beyond the Supernatural, Call of Cthulhu, World of Darkness -- but Chill was his favorite because of the Action Table System. He felt the game mechanics especially suited the genre.

[seneschal]

"First I need to say that the purpose of my posts on this is not to convert everyone to this system as their go-to generic system."

As proud owner and publisher of fully half the Action Table System games in existence, it behooves you to attempt to convert me. Marketing -- it's the American way!