Clichés have their own Chapter: Why? Because they are what gives Coppers distinct thematic advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore when they come into play these Clichés refuel the Copper’s Virtues.
Virtues can be spent on Re-rolls and invested in Advancements to the Character and Equipment. This allows Players to have a bit of fun with the whims of fate in a manner that suits the over dramatic action of the genre.
With the History Farce system at it’s core CID: Coppers In Disguise has a relatively straight-forward Character Creation system for both new players and those who’ve dabbled in the mess of Georgian England.
Having said this the very team orientated nature of the setting has forced a more Co-Operative Character Creation Process in which Players are required to work together to establish their place in the Team. It is very likely that some Coppers will begin play at a more effective ability level than others but this is balanced out by extra Flex and the Drawbacks of more Clichés.
Clichés are kind of like ready made Merit-Flaw (or Strength-Weakness) packages that also contribute Virtue points when they help or hinder.
In addition the system has been further enhanced with the division of Statistics into Good Cop and Bad Cop with mechanical bonuses available to those who emphasise one over the other with a direct impact on the spendable Virtue Points that provide a heroic edge for Player Characters.
CID: Coppers In Disguise is the first of the Random Insane Side Project games that aim to take Tabletop Roleplaying to very odd (if not unique) places. With the basic mechanics of the History Farce system powering them they shall endeavour to emulate some rather strange genres.
My British fans will be very aware that the majority of our Television Dramas are based around Police Detectives. The format is cheap and can be relied on to succeed even if the show is so full of clichés that nobody takes it seriously. CID: Coppers In Disguise casts your Gaming Group as a bunch of maladjusted plain clothes Coppers working out how to solve the case whilst keeping their noses clean and hoping against hope that what little personal life they have doesn’t come crashing down around them.
American fans of course have the novelty of playing a Police Officer who isn’t a trigger happy knuckle dragger weighed down by unnecessary heavy weaponry. Hell most characters don’t even have guns: Imagine that!
I know I have a lot of international fans so I thought I’d share this BBC America explanation of the differences.
As part of a reorganisation of my web presence I have deleted the old Random Insane Side Projects blog.
As I get to work on these projects, beginning with CID: Coppers In Disguise, previews will appear on the company blog here.
There will also be regular cross posting the to the Facebook Group
Initially I wanted to keep Kittiwake focused on my non Roleplaying products. However I have since reconsidered this position.
It may well be a more niche market than fiction but I think I need all the income I can get.
Thus the following Roleplaying projects will be joining the Kittiwake line up.
The Random Insane Side Projects including…
CID: Coppers In Disguise, SOE: Sexy Operations Executive, The Ugly Game, In The Shite and Knights of the Realm.
The Doxy Supplement Transported
The Tough Justice Supplements The Case of the Falling Spire and The Big Book of Crooks.
The Courtesans Supplements The Quizzer’s Bulletin, The Landladys Guide to Eligible Gentlemen and The Landladys Guide to Scandalous Ladies.
Hopefully my other stuff wont be too harshly impacted by this but I guess Im a Roleplayer at heart, for the moment at least.
I will still be working with Postmortem Studios on Ultimate Tough Justice, Freaky Doxy and the Shadow World line.
Kittiwake Classics 