An overview of PCCS What sets PCCS apart from other conflict resolution systems? First of all, PCCS is only a conflict resolution system. It's not a complete game, it contains no rules for character generation or development and the system for recovering from damage is very simplistic. The focus and strength of PCCS lies in handling tactical situations. This includes not only combat, but any action that requires either timing, is stressful or is a conflict between skills on a tactical level. Sneaking past a guard, bribing an official, navigating unknown territory or getting rid of a tailing car can all be handled using PCCS. Naturally, where PCCS shines is in actual combat situations. Combat rounds What most seasoned RPG'ers stumble on when trying to figure out the PCCS is the lack of combat rounds. All actions in PCCS take place in a flow, for convenience divided into half second chunks but it's possible to run PCCS under 1/10 or even 1/100 second resolution. Each character has a certain amount of Combat Actions (CA), determined from skill level, statistics and combat load. To do something takes a certain amount of CA, and when they have been expended, the character is done, possibly checking for success. This gives a very realistic flow to the action and allows players to think in terms of what to do instead of in terms of rounds. Combat resolution Hitting a target is also handled in a manner very different from traditional RPGs. The chance to hit is influenced by time to aim, type of weapon, visibility conditions, distance, target and shooter stance and movement and shooters and defenders skill. The result is very realistic. Tactical decisions and planning play a much more important role than character skill or luck. A high skill team caught in an ambush is at a severe disadvantage, while a low skill team can leverage tactical decisions and planning to handle a numerically superior or higher skill opponent. Note that the PCCS derivative games, such as Aliens, Lawn mower Man and Dracula RPG, use a simplified combat resolution system. The advantage of the simplified system is that it's a little bit easier to get started with. It doesn't save much time in actual use once the system is understood and it gives a more narrow result. It's also very easy to switch from the simplified to the full system, no character conversion is necessary. Damage Damage is handled by Physical Damage, calculated from the severity and location of a hit. A hit in a leg will cause much less damage than a hit to the head. Inflicted PD, health and medical care are used to determine the long term effect of damage, including survival. There are no hit points. The seemingly hit point like number Knockout Value determines coolness under fire, including short term effects of damage. It has no relevance to a characters long term survival of damage. There is also a system for long term effects of surviving damage. Severe wounds will lower a characters attributes, sometimes reducing the character to a vegetable dependent on life support. PCCS skill system PCCS skill level is expressed on a scale from 0 to 20, and to raise a skill learning points are accumulated. Skill levels above 8 are generally very rare. To resolve conflicts and determine success the Action-Reaction system is used. It takes into account situational parameters, skill of both object and subject and any other circumstances in a natural way. This system is detailed in the Phoenix Command Advanced System and in the Living Steel role playing game. Other PCCS based games Several PCCS derivative games have a different skill system. These include Lawn mower Man, Aliens and Dracula. The main difference is that there is no numerical skill level. Instead there is a descriptive skill level that is raised through making a series of learn rolls. This is simpler to manage and offers less detail than the PCCS system, and may be preferable since it doesn't bog down in details as much. These games use the same Action-Reaction system but the combat system is simplified. A perfect match is to use a derivative game, preferably Lawn mower man or Dracula, for character creation, NPC tables, equipment and vehicle combat rules while using the full PCCS system for combat resolution. Introducing PCCS When you introduce PCCS to your gaming group, be prepared for casualties. Players used to traditional RPG systems will suffer severe casualties while changing their mind set. Very few other conflict resolution systems reward tactical thinking, and none reward it to the extent PCCS does. A good idea is to run a few practice scenarios, giving the players moderately skilled pre-created characters and pitting them against various opponents in various situations. Also be prepared to make a large number of tactical decisions for NPCs and to juggle a lot of numbers. Making some `cheat sheets' with important numbers, CA, KV and Skill Levels of characters and NPCs, may be a good idea. A dynamic list detailing what each character in the game is up to and when it will be done is also quite useful. Gaming aids There are a number of aids that will help both the GM and the players use PCCS more efficiently. Using a good character sheet is important, and calculating as much as possible beforehand will help immensely. If you like using miniatures and maps for your game you'll find that PCCS works very well with these kind of props. If you prefer free form with as few props as possible, PCCS will still accommodate you but be prepared to lose some precision. -- Version 000114 - Jesper Anderson