And Then You Ask Yourself...
"Are you INSANE?"
—Dinobot, "Dark Voyage"
The area below is completely optional reading. It is not so much questions that early test readers asked me as questions that I asked myself during the creation process. It is provided so that I was able to keep my own fragile sanity intact while I was writing this document.
If you're considering sending me a nasty letter saying I've done things "all wrong," please read this document first. If you mail me, and the question you ask or the complaint you have is covered in my FAQ, I will simply direct you here.
Q. Do you realize that you've taken up a lot of bandwidth with this?
A. Yes. I am fully aware that this is an extremely long piece of work, and I should be ashamed that I spent so much effort and disk space on it.
I rationalize it this way. Written out in Word form, this system is all a little over a hundred pages. The "Werewolf: The Apocalypse" book is about three-hundred pages long. Granted, I don't include a "role-playing basics" section, or artwork, but I do have a "Merits and Flaws" section and a listing for "Natures," which Werewolf does not have. They have listed a lot of settings, but not nearly as many sample characters as I have. Also, their book is organized into two columns, which is at least one-and-a-half times the text fit onto one page. So I've only done a third of the work, or thereabouts. I'm not getting paid for this work, except in joy, which is free to all people.
Q. Where did you get all the free time it took to make this? (Can I have some?)
A. I finished up my first year of college by moving from a friend-filled, high-role-playing-density, freedom-oriented environment to a small town my parents had just moved to during my Christmas break. I had no friends, no activities to speak of, and a huge pile of Transformers tapes. Now that I'm in the real world, I have less of the mystical free time it took to make this.
Q. Say...Amanda Flowers? Are you that same Amanda Flowers that...
A. Yes. You're on to me. I co-ran a Ninja Turtles web site, cartoon information including nitpicks. I've written a few MSTings. I've posted comments on Grudge Match Ground Zero. I've written fan-fic for TMNT, Metroid, Final Fantasy III (J6), Chrono Trigger, Gargoyles, as well as Beast Wars. I'm a Computer Art graduate from Bowling Green State University, a former president of the Bowling Green Gaming Society. I'm currently a regular on Megaman and Videoland MUSHes. If you see the name Amanda Flowers on the web, it's me. If you see the name SamusStar, it's me, and if you see the code-name "Samus," it's often also me. That was a long time ago... And now I tend to also go by Lita, or Gemini, due to other pages I have on the site. Times change. Interestingly, my old contact information for this site doesn't work anymore, so you're barking up the wrong tree if you're looking for me there... try checking the main site: www.secondtruth.com.
Q. Why are there so many requirements and difficulties for Mechanisms?
A. I wanted the Mechanism system to be flexible and all-encompassing, but I detest Munchkinism. The last thing I wanted was a bunch of Munchkins walking around. I know people who play as Vampire Elders, High-Arete Mages... Very painful. I didn't want to limit Mechanisms by class or type, so I added Requirements for most of them to limit players just a little bit. It doesn't mean you can't start with a Level Five Mechanism; it just means you can't start with too many of them. On the bright side, Mechanisms mean you can have a pretty powerful ability pretty early in the game, as opposed to having to work characters really hard before the good stuff comes around. On the downside, you'll notice that Mechanisms never get quite as powerful as the high levels of abilities for supernatural creatures. There is no "Vampire-to-Lawn-Chair" Mechanism.
Q. My Mages can turn your Cybertrons into lawnchairs.
A. They shouldn't be able to, not without a good deal of Life, Spirit, Matter, and Prime. At that level, they can turn werewolves into lawnchairs, so, what's the gripe?
If your supernatural characters are walking all over Cybertrons, or vice-versa, during a Crossover Chronicle, modify the systems. I designed this system to be able to simulate the Beast Wars television series very well and also be able to hold its own in a high-powered White Wolf game. It wasn't easy, as you can see, and it's not perfect. Play with the rules to make them work for you.
Q. Why would I want to make up a character like Cheetor, when the same exact system can produce Tigerhawk?
A. Variety adds spice to role playing. If the only point was to be powerful, everyone would be Tigerhawk—low on personality, high on power, dying swiftly within a few episodes.
Okay, that was a low shot at Tigerhawk, who, after all, did have some background to him. Still, you see what I mean.
And, in all fairness to the Beast Wars "Storytellers," notice how they splurged and allowed Cheetor a spontaneous upgrade when they discovered that the game was getting high-powered? Good Storytellers try to keep all their players active in the game.
Q. Regarding the original Transformers series: are you using the cartoon continuity or the comic book continuity?
A. Well, now. Here we've hit on the main problem with trying to document this "historical information," and the big reason why I didn't dare tackle doing a Great War compendium for this system right away.
For the most part, I try to follow the basic continuity without much delving into either "system." However, if there is a fine detail or two, it's from the cartoon, because I have ready access to all the episodes of the cartoon, which is not true regarding the issues of the comics series. The astute reader will notice a few references which seem to pull towards the comic. The references to a Transformer-god called "Primus" are the most notable, though this is for the most part borrowed from the Beast Wars series itself. Most fans seem to acknowledge the comic-based "Birth of Unicron" theory, not the one used in the cartoon. I'm not megafan enough to reconcile those differences.
Beast Wars itself is vague about which continuity it uses. I feel this is purposely so—the characters have seen their Great Wars devolve from fact to legend in only a few hundred years, and they're no longer sure what is fact and what is not. When I use words like, "legend has it," and "it is rumored that" in my continuity speeches above, I'm typically being as non-specific as possible. I think it's fun to imagine the newer crop of Transformers arguing about their origins, the way humans argue about our own.
Q. You said no one was sure who built Megatron. Wasn't it the Constructicons?
A. Yes, and then Megatron says he built the Constructicons. And Omega Supreme used to know them. When they were nice Decepticons. Ow, my head.
Q. You're using the wrong word. Isn't a "Cybertron" a Japanese Autobot?
A. I was looking high and low for a catch-all word to describe the Cybertronian race in general, something that didn't speak of alliance. The obvious guess—and I do use this word sometimes—is "Transformer," but it's not really specific enough for my taste, since other things can "transform." Besides, Hasbro doesn't want us using Transformer as a noun. It's "Transformers brand action figures." No thanks. So I go back to origins. "Cybertronian" itself seems a bit awkward. "Cybertron" fit a bit better, and without the Japanese Cybertron/Destron connotation, it works pretty well. If you have an even better word, feel free to suggest it to me.
Q. Has this game been playtested?
A. As a matter of fact, it has. And how.
Q. Has this game been playtested in the World of Darkness?
A. D'h— D'h— Ahhh.... Ehhh... (hee hee) er... not so much. The Storyteller I learned White Wolf under was...liberal, to say the least. We didn't play by the book, we crossed over systems, and we experimented a LOT, and we had a good time. In a short campaign I introduced a Predacon as a playtest—she survived in the "World of Psuedo-Darkness" by pretending to be a reclusive vampire, and is the "Nightspider" I use for my ID here. I found her to have considerable advantages over a starting-level Vampire (much more difficult to stake!), but she didn't walk over shifters or mages.
Since that Chronicle, I have been in several other serious White Wolf games (one-shots of several types, and two Werewolf campaigns), but none of them have been crossover games or games that seemed to fit the mood of the Beast Wars system. Personally, I think building a White Wolf chronicle that relies too much on crossovers (Werewolf/Vampire, Mage/Changeling, what-have-you) makes building scenarios difficult and the relationships between characters too strained. More of my rambling below:
Q. Autobots and Decepticons? Maximals and Predacons? People like you don't understand the mood of the World of Darkness, and you're ruining it for the rest of us. How dare you use the Storyteller system for this rubbish?
Owch. Harsh.
For those of you who are utter goth purists, and who are absolutely offended by what I've done here, and managed somehow to read this far, I apologize. But I will still argue my point. No one from White Wolf itself has seen this site, yet. In the words of Jim Comer, Mokolé author, "They would probably think it was funny." I hope it's a lot better than just funny. It's playable, it's engaging, and it's fun.
I use the Storyteller system because it is familiar, simple, and very character-based. It converts extremely well to this and a lot of other things. I, personally, do not use this system to run a crossover Chronicle; there are no Vampires on my Cybertron and no Garou on my prehistoric Earth. These characters have a lot of racial advantages, and they are, by and large, powerful in a crossover Chronicle. You as a Storyteller have every right to disallow this in your game. Run what you want to run, and if you do want to allow Cybertrons to run free in your World of Darkness, I'll provide that for you, too. I created this for my own use, for future role playing use, and for the use of anyone else who cares to try.
If you've watched the Beast Wars series, you already know that this isn't just about big robots that tromp on things. Just as in any White Wolf game, this is about a culture, a group...people, no matter how outlandish it may seem. It is no less an oppurtunity for branching out in role play than any other supernatural group.
Q. Will you make a system that works for Beast Machines?
A. If you read this a year ago, the text said "yes." ...I'll admit, after watching the second season of Beast Machines, I felt a little dismayed, maybe even a little disappointed. Though I'm no "purist," seeing the Beast Machines creators revamp Cybertron so immensely put a hole in my spark. Regardless, I think Beast Machines had its moments of brilliance, and, with a little reorganization...maybe in your Chronicle?...it may work out very well indeed.
Thus, in the hopes that you, someday, can do better by a post-apocolyptic Cybertron than the Beast Machines writers have done, I may provide rules for a Machines RPG in time. However, this would not be any time before the Autobot and Decepticon "Great War" rules were perfected.
Q. All right! Now you're talking! When will the Great War compendium be complete?
A. I can make no promises about the completion of a new book at this time. While I originally had planned to write Transformers: The Great War in summer, 2000, I ended up putting it off for other pursuits...one of which was completing this original site before moving on to a new one. So, in other words...maybe some day...I dunno.
Q. I think you got so-and-so's stats wrong. Shouldn't he have TWO points of this and that and only one point of that?
A. If you have a gripe with the way I put a Beast Wars regular together, change what I have when you make your own sheet. I tried to stay within the limitations of "normal" character generation to start, but if you think that generating more powerful characters makes more sense, go for it. I know I'm not perfect.
Another option, if it is REALLY bugging you, is for you to send me feedback and tell me what your proposed change is. If I really, really agree with you, I will alter my files. But I don't have to agree with you.
Q. Yeah, but... WASPINATOR HAS A WITS OF THREE?
A. Half of the stuff up there I had to invent purely for Waspinator. He is a "toon," and doesn't follow logical role playing game rules at all. You'll notice him in a lot of the Merits and Flaws listed above. Yet, somehow, he works, so it all evens out.
I gave him good scores in a couple of strange areas, when it seems like he ought to bottom out in all of them. I did this because I had the points and had to use them somewhere, and also because I think people tend to underestimate the little guy. He did, after all, survive the war, which one can't say for the more "powerful" and "intelligent" types.
Since we're on the subject of Merits and Flaws, I'll give my usual rant about them. Homemade White Wolf systems tend to place way too much stock in them. If you think this document is a mess now, imagine the fuss if I had put all of the Mechanisms and Generations into Merits and Flaws. When I was first putting this system together, a certain White Wolf Storyteller asked me if being a Fuzor was going to be a Merit or a Flaw. After all, it was a tough call—they have a lot of innate power, but they look weird and are liable to be picked-on for it. There are obvious pros and cons, just like being in a tribe or clan, so it makes sense to portray Fuzors as a faction, not just a characteristic.
Q. Where did you get the screen shot of so-and-so that you used on such-and-such character sheet?
A. Why, I stole it from your web site! ...Part of my long-standing hypocracy as a digital artist. Seriously, I have access to screen-capture equipment, but even my time is limited. It was generally easier for me to rip pictures off the web than it was for me to take my own shots. Most of the stolen pictures I use are edited, some more than others. However, I'm well aware that, right on my front page, I assume credit for the "original art" on the site. It's a bit unfair of me to take other people's work, even just screen captures, and I admit it. If I am using your picture, and you are offended, drop me a line. I will credit you for taking the screencap, or I will remove the screencap, at your request.
Q. Where did you get the picture of Cybertron on the Campaign Updates page?
I drew it. I'm proud of it. I'm morbidly curious to find out if people will steal it, not that I am encouraging you to do so.
Q. I'm playing in a World of Darkness Crossover Chronicle, and my character is a Cyberorganic tigress. Is it okay if she carries a Bastest baby?
A. ACK! Primus save us all from Gamer Libido!
Well, I did use the words "fully functional organic parts," so I'll elaborate. In your particular case, I would say no. Things happen during a transformation sequence; stuff gets...rearranged. Your idea could get pretty messy. As far as the male Cyberorganics go, I would leave that up to your Storyteller. I would say no, myself, but...there's always the Snowstalker Defense.
(Beast Wars fans! Quick! Don't think about Tigatron and Snowstalker!)
Q. Aww...ick!
A. Heh. Sorry about that.
Q. Why will my Autobots and Decepticons have a "Spark" rating?
A. The original Transformers series does not use the term "Spark" regarding the soul of a Transformer. I realize that both Beast Wars and I are applying retroactive continuity to this issue. On Beast Wars, Optimus Prime had a Spark, whereas before the glowing blue sphere was presumed to be part of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. However, the Transformers series did not discount the idea of a Spark, and it was shown time and again that there were things that separated Cybertrons from simply being robots. I stand by the inclusion of the Spark method even in older characters, because this system is by and large based on Beast Wars continuity. If you want to create a Transformers universe RPG without this rating included, use the term "Laser Core" instead of "Spark," and the rules convert properly.
Q. Where did you get this notion of "Unicron Protoforms"? It's not official canon.
A. Well, it is, and it isn't.
The entire basis for adding a "third species" of Transformer dates back to a line of dialogue in the episode "Nemesis, Part Two." Bob Forward penned the line where Megatron referred to Tarantulas as "Unicron's Spawn." The exact meaning of that line has been in hot debate since the series ended. Some fans believe, as I do, that the character was in fact of a subrace created directly by Unicron. Other fans feel that the line from Megatron was a "throwaway," intended as mere insult, and it shouldn't be taken as an admission of Tarantulas' origin.
I wanted to get this exactly right, and finally, at Botcon, I got the chance to ask Bob Forward what he meant by the line. He in fact did intend to suggest that Tarantulas was created by Unicron, and did want for the character's origin to be tied to that of the Dark God, cementing my theories and making the information in the "book" bulk of the web site which regards Tarantulas to be entirely accurate as to the suggested canon.
However. Some fans don't like this version: Larry DiTillo, the other story editor for the series, among them. Therefore...if you don't want to use any mention of the Unicron protoforms in your campaign, no one is forcing you. Take a point of Willpower off Tarantulas' sheet, and play him as an ordinary, run of the mill, and somewhat less interesting, regular old Predacon protoform.
Q. What's a "Transmetal Fuzor"?
A. Something you'll probably rarely see, but a much-needed "missing link" in my evolutionary line for the Cybertron Generations. I had originally tossed around the suggestion of allowing "Autobot" or "Decepticon" to be the five-point Generation, omitting the "Transmetal Fuzor" category and moving the other Generations down the line. However, I didn't really like this idea, because it limited players who wanted to create Autobot and Decepticon starting characters for Great War scenarios. In Beast Wars, the Great War Transformers are like Vampire Elders. They're rare now, but if you're in a Dark Ages scenario, that's all you are.
It should be noted that, while the Generations are set in the document, they're certainly not set in stone, and if a new procedure in a Chronicle ends up developing a new model, it can be integrated into the line.
Absolutely! Please, oh please link to this site! I would love to have additional traffic, even if you would prefer that people use your system. And tell me where your site is so that I can return your favor.
Q. Can I "steal" ideas and materials that you worked ever so hard on and convert them into my system?
Please don't. Or, at least, not without credit for every word that you steal from me. This system took almost two years to perfect. I would like for you not to borrow my fundamentals or use my wordings. If you want to use my ideas, you can mail me your files and I will look at them, but then I would like to be credited for the work I put into your system. I realize that I don't own a copywrite on anything that I do for Transformers or White Wolf, but I DO own a copywrite for every word that I type on my own. And I would like to have my writings protected since, yes, a lot of work went into this and I am proud of it.
Q. Can I make a character who was Optimized with the spark of Wheelie?
A. Not on my watch, you can't.
Q. What about Warpath?
A. Confession: I find Warpath even more annoying than Wheelie. I think it's just all the—BANG!—very irritating—POW!—Adam-West-Batman-Style exclamations he was—ZOWIE!—given to uttering for—WOW!—no particular reason.
Q. Why are you so sympathetic towards some of these bad guys?
A. Beast Wars didn't give us much reason to assume that Predacons were naturally evil people. Plenty of them realized when something was going wrong; Megatron was the really insane one. Way back when, there were even some Decepticons that were okay guys. The Constructicons were friends with Omega Supreme (unless of course Megatron built them, or vice versa...ow, again), and Starscream was a researcher. It's just that there were enough bad apples in the 'Con stocks to ruin the barrel. That's our story, and we are sticking to it.
We do not, however, support the theory that Soundwave is a New Age Sensitive Family Man.
Q. Ummm...are the little Silverbolt-beast-mode creatures on the Silverbolt character sheet breathing and staring at me?
A. What? No. That must just be your imagination.
Q. "Vok"?
A. Vok, Vohk, Vokk, Vock... I've seen it a lot of ways. I thought it was "Vohk," at first, but "Vok" is the way Benson Yee spells it, and given that he worked for the show from time-to-time, I'm willing to take his word for it. The spelling issue on that was closed once the Tigerhawk figure came out. (Actually, they misspell "Predacon" on the Optimal Optimus box; even Hasbro gets it wrong occasionally. I have a "Predicon on Board" bumper sticker courtesy Rugby's Starbase: whoops.)
Regarding the version of the Vok backstory that I use in Secrets of Cybertron, it's more closely tied to Larry DiTillo's version of the alien race than Bob Forward's version, who wanted them to be the apex of human evolution rather than the Matrix-charged "Swarm" from the Generation Two comics. As with Unicron Protoforms and their existance, the writers didn't agree, and neither do the fans. I don't mention an origin for the Vok within the text of the book itself. Use whatever version of the Vok makes you comfortable.
Q. So, did you like memorize this series, or what?
A. More or less. I also get a lot of information from pretty good web sources, as above.
I try to make as little as possible up regarding the Beast Wars series. I infer when I have to. If I'm blatantly wrong about something, and you have proof, I apologize upfront. I want this system to be as good as it can be, so please help me to fix it.
Q. I've downloaded your homemade Beast Wars character sheet. At the bottom, it says there are only 10 points allotted for Weapons. Your document says 12. Which is wrong?
A. The sheet is wrong. It's not perfect, as I put it together before I had completed this document. I originally only allotted ten weapon points, but I realized that that simply wasn't enough to cover the weapon-load of most of the regular characters. So I added two more points, which is good because it allows a player to choose two weapons of the highest basic caliber: 6-pointers. Actually, the twelve points still aren't enough for some of the regular characters, and most of them have freebie points sunk into weaponry. Pathetic culture sometimes, huh?
Q. Okay, now I don't GET the Weapons system. Wasn't there a simpler way to do it?
A. I'm open to suggestions, but my way works. Since Transformer weapons are obviously either "dedicated" or "non-dedicated," (See "Coming of the Fuzors" for a great example of Dinobot working with non-dedicated weaponry, if you don't believe me), there had to be a way to purchase them during creation other than buying them with resources. This makes sense in the "real world" as well as most other White Wolf systems, but isn't the way RPGs tend to work out, anyway. From my experience, RPG players choose a weapon or three with which their character is most comfortable, and work from there, like the weapon proficiency system in (gasp of horrors?) D&D. This makes sense, proficiency-wise, even in reality. Just because I can, for example, wield a bo staff, doesn't mean I know what to do with a rapier. Plus, picking only a few signature weapons tends to add color to a character's fighting style.
I thought about allowing for more freebie points—say, Cybertrons get 30 freebie points, but then have to buy weapons as well as other things. But I was already putting a lot of stock in freebie points. You can't be a triple-changing-Optimal without blowing a few points, anyway. That would have bugged me, almost as much as if I had placed too much stock in Merits and Flaws. So I came up with the "Weapon Points" system, which seems to work. You can "save" Weapon Points and buy more, better weapons when you factor in your Freebies, so, it's almost the same idea. But you can't use Weapon Points as Freebie Points, the same way you can't take away an Attribute for five extra Freebies.
Q. In all seriousness, who wrote the essays on the "Essays Page?"
A. Me, myself, and I, as I suppose you would expect. They were "prewrite" for me, and I'd actually had them sitting on my drive for several years before I finally went around to posting them here. For clarification, I actually agree with some of the "authors," most notably Blackarachnia, as I am very strict about putting female Decepticons in continuities as a canon no-no. Many fans consider me to be sexist on this regard, but in my opinion, I'm simply supporting what I witness in the canon. (Offer me solid proof that I am wrong and I will retract! Consider it a challenge, femmebots!) And while I'm actually not putting Cybertronians in Vampire, Werewolf, or Mage games, I couldn't resist giving you some glimpses of the inherent—serious and silly—possibilities. I actually don't one-hundred percent agree with Lightbreeze's opinions, though I'm offering them from her point of view. And I have no idea how Rattrap even got in there.
Q. I'm sold! I want to run a campaign. But do I have to use the Secrets of Cybertron continuity?
A. Nope, not if you don't want to. My continuity is strict about a lot of issues fans argue on, and it has some interesting quirks of its own (see below). However, it is a small dream of mine to have my continuity more universally adopted and respected by fans: it's something that I'm doing one RPG at a time. If you run an RPG in my continuity, please send me campaign updates! I would be more than happy to archive them on the site and make them part of my "living Cybertron." If you run a game with my rules, but not my continuity, that's great, too! I'll still post your updates, though not from the main Secrets page.
Q. Okay...I read the Secrets updates. What's with the Shockwave and Elita thing?
A. If you have access to the old episodes of the series—which you should if you are preparing to argue my points—go back and watch "Search for Alpha Trion" again. I am completely surprised that there are not more Transformers fans on the internet with the theory that the two generals were somewhat less than mortal enemies.
Q. Will this system ever be converted to D20?
A. Probably not. D20 works for Dungeons and Dragons, but all-in-all, I just don't like it as much as D10 for this sort of thing.
Q. I, your current reader, have a question. How can I ask it?
A. Got a gripe? My Feedback Page will let you know the best ways to get ahold of yours truly. I want to make this system as clear and as fun as possible, so get those questions rolling!
Q. Well, any last words?
A. Actually, yes. For anyone who read this far, thank you very, very much. I hope you have a pleasant tomorrow, next week, and upcoming millennium, and I'll be hoping to hear from you!
Without gamers, no games are possible...
Peace of the galaxy,
—Amanda Flowers
—Nightspider
—September, 2001