Sci-Fi Beta Kappa- playtesting now!

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Get into a spot of bother on your homeworld? Don’t fancy a spell on the prison planet? No problem, go and do a degree at Weber College, the fustiest, dustiest learning establishment on the East Coast. Eh? Don’t like the sound of that? Prison planet it is then. Yeah, thought that’d make you change your mind. Next shuttle leaves in ten hours. You’d better be on it.

Don’t know much about History? Biology? A science book? Then you’ll fit right in to Alien House. It’s the coolest, hippest, happeningest frat house on campus, but watch out! Dean 'Wormhole' is on the warpath. He’s been trying to have Alien House closed down for years, and now he thinks he’s got them just where he wants them. Complete your studies, have a cracking time and save Alien House from closure. Do you think you can manage that?

Sci-Fi Beta Kappa is a game where players take on the role of slacker aliens with a bunch of abilities such as power manipulation, enhanced senses, larceny, super strength etc., who, having been kicked off their homeworlds for various misdemeanors, have been exiled to Terra. There, they get into all sorts of scrapes and are under constant surveillance by Dean 'Wormhole', who hates aliens and is always looking for an excuse to close down Alien House.

Think Animal House meets Men in Black, with a dash of Monsters And Other Childish Things. Anyone interested in playtesting this game, please either reply in this thread, PM me here or e-mail leomarshalldesigns [at] hotmail [dot] com. Party on dudes (just don't get caught!).

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Following a recent query, here's some more info about the mechanics and opening scenario:

On the Trad/indie spectrum it's somewhere in the middle, i.e. GMful, not diceless but big on narrative and player interaction. The closest comparison would probably be Umlaut, where you undertake a series of challenges, success being narrated by the player and failure narrated by the GM/facilitator. Success at skill checks means that players build up a store of dice to roll in the epilogue, while failure means that the GM builds up a store of damage dice.

We're looking at a d12 dice pool, no. of dice equivalent to attribute + skill (e.g. physical + larceny). Scene by scene, failure will be narrated according to the action, e.g. if the alien with the larceny skill is being employed, they will be able to steal/break in etc., but will perhaps leave evidence behind. At the epilogue, the GM will narrate the denouement, which will be on a sliding scale of Alien House closed down completely, saved but under Double Secret probation/final warning etc., all the way up to Alien House saved, zero recrimination, gets to take part in the parade, in fact gets to be at the head of the parade.

Intro scenario: Toga! Toga! Toga! The Dean has just given AH a massive dressing down and spirits are low. What better way to lift them than with a toga party? After all, what could possibly go wrong?

Happy to answer any queries

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Will pitch this at Indiemeet for playing in March. But please keep those suggestions coming in for other possible dates for peeps who don't go to Indiemeet. Also, I'm happy to come to other locations where there's interest (and within financial and logistical reason. Where that's not feasible I'm happy to send rules to any potential GMs outside the South East) .

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Nearly ready! We're aiming to finalise the rules this week and then we'll go into alpha. Should be going into beta in a month or so. I'm really excited by this project and I hope you will be too when you see the final product. If it looks like beta's going to be significantly delayed I'll post some teaser material to keep appetites whetted .

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Pre-registration for Conpulsion here

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First beta playtest on Saturday, with students from Leicester Uni at Sabrecon, the mini-con their gamesoc organises that's now in its second year.

According to the feedback forms the players enjoyed the freeform element, speedy resolution, character descriptions and setting. One comment was made about the way damage is narrated which I've now built into the GM advice.

Next stop Conpulsion, Edinburgh April 6-8th. Hope to catch some of y'all there .

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Yeah looking foward to that one, should be good. Will see you thurs to discuss and do an outopsy on the session from Sabrecon, Dan

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A usable PDF is nearing the boil. When it's ready I'll probably put it on either DriveThruRPG or http://www.1km1kt.net

In the meantime, here's something to whet folks' appetites:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/44973653/SFBK%20teaser.pdf

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Another cracking playtest, at Conpulsion, in Edinburgh, this weekend. Details in my and/or Dan's con report...