tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post2395737143786142973..comments2024-03-18T20:22:06.331-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: Retrospective: Top SecretJames Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-84528847562606596422012-01-22T20:44:09.155-05:002012-01-22T20:44:09.155-05:00Stuntman Mike has the right of it. :-) However, T...Stuntman Mike has the right of it. :-) However, Top Secret Fame and Fortune points were OPTIONAL. See Rulebook pg. 41. <br /><br />James Bond's Hero Points were much like Top Secret's 'Fame and Fortune' Points, in that they could avert a fatality or severe injury by lowering the 'Wound Level'. But they could also be used to improve the result of a player skill roll, or decrease the GM's. Also, at the GM's option, they could ALTER the immediate environment, though only in 'minor' ways, to benefit a Player Character. You could spend a Hero Point to bring a useful item to hand in a brawl, say, a rock or sturdy wooden pole, for example, rather than produce a rocket launcher out of thin air to destroy a Huey Hog in a car vs helicopter duel. See pg. 75 of the Rulebook.<br /><br />Great Retrospective on a game that intrigued me greatly when I was younger!velaranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15689908090884198784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-50625718887975444692011-10-10T05:11:29.587-04:002011-10-10T05:11:29.587-04:00My favourite memory of Top Secret was a multi-day ...My favourite memory of Top Secret was a multi-day operation that involved two agents moving from the US down into central America, locating a compound full of heavily armed goons, assaulting it and rescuing the hostages. It was long, arduous, and consumed Fortune points like mad. And at the end, in a 'Dallas' like twist, the GM indicated it was our neophyte characters' training mission (i.e. was an Agency fake, not a real mission). It was a good thing he was on the other side of a table, or melee may have ensued...<br /><br />Great game. Not as 'crunchy' as monsters like Spycraft and D20 modern.Lux Mentishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16188286486649909678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-91211214084359072782011-08-03T14:14:21.565-04:002011-08-03T14:14:21.565-04:00Merle was his real name. Top Secret was the first ...Merle was his real name. Top Secret was the first game he wrote, and he would have been the first to admit he had no idea what he was doing. I used to work with him at a game store in Des Moines.EricChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08950782682735424890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-11350213381474809772011-06-12T01:53:48.254-04:002011-06-12T01:53:48.254-04:00Top Secret included Fame and Fortune points; they ...<i>Top Secret</i> included Fame and Fortune points; they were used to avoid a lethal damage result. An agent received one Fame point per level; characters received 1-10 Fortune points at the beginning of the game, but the total was kept by the Administrator - the player didn't know how many Fortune points the agent did until they ran out.<br /><br />They were not, per the rules as-written, 'drama' points. They served one purpose in what could be a very lethal game.Black Vulmeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-58465289729466520792010-07-14T05:15:26.082-04:002010-07-14T05:15:26.082-04:00you can get everything (even all the Dragon magazi...you can get everything (even all the Dragon magazine articles and Modules) in a Torrent.. all scanned. Ive been 'Thumbing' through it for a couple of days reliving old times.. I totally dug this game.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02683314246859596521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-65688061613775275722009-06-04T12:35:34.003-04:002009-06-04T12:35:34.003-04:00The chase mechanic from the James Bond game is awe...The chase mechanic from the James Bond game is awesome as Richard mentioned above. I just bought that game a few days ago for a couple bucks at a used bookstore and I have been having a blast reading through it. The auction format sounds like it would work very well to create tense and exciting chases, and I think I will steal the basic idea to use for chase sequences in my D&D campaign. I was rereading that section before I fell asleep last night and I was involved in a very elaborate chase sequence in my dreams last night that involved me comandeering an ambulance as I was being pursued by machine gun wielding goons in a helicopter. Somehow my dream self did not think to turn on the ambulance's siren, so I ended up going off road to get away from the traffic and crashed into a construction lot and fled on foot into the trees... and then I woke up.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07648499022366444265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-7357108261834737702009-06-04T07:35:07.997-04:002009-06-04T07:35:07.997-04:00So at the risk of sounding like a broken record, J...So at the risk of sounding like a broken record, James Bond RPG had a similar mechanic ("Hero Points"), but a point could only affect the outcome of a single die roll, turning a failure into a success or a success into a crit.<br /><br />Still, I think it was a troubling precedent: it's the first actual game mechanic I can recall that supports "story gaming" - a departure from the oracular power of dice in favour of a dramatically satisfying outcome.richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13517340075234811323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-57115753376425355732009-06-04T00:10:55.168-04:002009-06-04T00:10:55.168-04:00I they're called "Luck" points and t...I they're called "Luck" points and the only thing they do is prevent death. <br /><br />I recently blogged very negatively about all such stuff like that (the Top Secret mechanic being the first I saw). I recall a particular PC in a car chase being shot (to death) over and over and over again as the Luck points were drained away, extremely awkward.Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-76981372969035857922009-06-03T23:30:53.485-04:002009-06-03T23:30:53.485-04:00_Top Secret_ is something I probably haven't e..._Top Secret_ is something I probably haven't even *seen* since 1988, but I recall one mechanic from it very clearly, that I think *is* the bridge from a more-or-less human-scale espionage game to Roger Moore Lunacy. And that thing is the:<br /><br />You start off with some number of Fate Points (that's probably not the name). You can spend one to achieve any *one* result. And the rulebook, as I recall, specifically stated, "The player wants to dive out of a plane without a parachute, that's OK. If he keeps doing stupid stuff like that he's gonna run out of points soon enough."<br /><br />And *that*, boys and girls, is how Jaws can survive reentry on the outside of a space capsule.<br /><br />AdamAdam Thorntonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06368676086759298705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-6786340060538358852009-06-03T22:15:41.780-04:002009-06-03T22:15:41.780-04:00Love Top Secret...actually ran a pretty decent PBE...Love Top Secret...actually ran a pretty decent PBEM game with a friend, though needed to supplement with the Story Engine rules. However, the game itself is awesome, especially for a small group of players.<br /><br />One interesting thing (from a design perspective) is the "reward" system. Different characters received different amounts of money and experience for different activities based on CLASS. What this does is encourages class-specific behavior...which is totally cool. <br /><br />2E AD&D also tried to encourage class specific behavior with a class specific experience system with very poor results (um...so I convert people to my faith...and that makes me better at hitting monsters in combat?).<br /><br />A classic game...and I avoided the SI version like the plague!JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08532311924539491087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-80423509113784043362009-06-03T21:45:38.858-04:002009-06-03T21:45:38.858-04:00I'm still mad that my mother sold my Top Secre...I'm still mad that my mother sold my Top Secret set to the used book store when I went off to college! I'm unusual in that I started with Top Secret and worked into D&D from there. Its the game that I associate with the best one session of gaming that my group back in my high school days had (and we had a lot of good days and campaigns). Sigh.AngryBellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12121915142399397657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-19434979563410633542009-06-03T17:48:55.554-04:002009-06-03T17:48:55.554-04:00My brother and I played this a lot when I was youn...My brother and I played this a lot when I was young; the genre led itself well to DM and single player. My characters died a lot. My most memorable death was when I rolled up a character, but didn’t have enough money to buy bullets. I had a gun but no ammo and my brother in classic older brother fashion rolled some dice behind the screen and said my agency was out of whatever caliber I needed. I was 10 so I did the logical thing; I tried to rob the gun store and was shot to death by the police. That’s how I learned about silent alarms.sevenbastardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11961009160456478009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-25559449050643653512009-06-03T17:10:15.803-04:002009-06-03T17:10:15.803-04:00I'm intrigued by this notion of two separate p...I'm intrigued by this notion of two separate posters being lured into the world of Top Secret by a femme fatale :)<br /><br />I had the good fortune of picking up an original TS boxed set at a local con auction last year, for just a few dollars. When I got it home and opened it, I found not only the original book and material in pristine condition, but all the original modules as well. Score!Rafialhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07077298546098373938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-33935716540763277862009-06-03T15:18:58.963-04:002009-06-03T15:18:58.963-04:00Top Secret was the second RPG I played; Superhero ...Top Secret was the second RPG I played; Superhero 2044 being the first. <br /><br />I remember sitting on the ramp at Monterrey Road Elementary School with a girl whose name I can't remember as she had me "roll" up a character by pulling pieces of paper (which we cut up) with numbers on them from a box. Man, that was looong ago.Thoth Amonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00172210835575382770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-5674793430816342242009-06-03T13:54:05.550-04:002009-06-03T13:54:05.550-04:00My only experience with the game was as a mid-teen...My only experience with the game was as a mid-teen. A girl I liked from the local hobby shop wanted to run a game, but I was the only taker. I rememember riding my bike to her house in Brentwood on a weekend afternoon, to play with her in the attic. Dreams of virginity-losing dancing in my head.<br /><br />Long and short of it, my character got killed (and she laughed about it like on of those killer-DM's would) and I got no touch from the girl. Pretty crappy experience all around.Kevin Machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14122665488285424578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-50754942248628671232009-06-03T13:00:03.844-04:002009-06-03T13:00:03.844-04:00The atrociously-named revamp Top Secret/S.I. intro...The atrociously-named revamp <em>Top Secret/S.I.</em> introduced some really, really smart changes - particularly a single attack roll for to-hit, damage (two types), and wound <em>location</em>. First RPG I ever played, back in the mid- or late-80's - I still remember the two villains in the included starter adventure, Biff and Cherry, and the enjoyable/dumb 'Agent 13' novel that came with the game.Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12215651059418273961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-41083400259052898112009-06-03T12:45:00.547-04:002009-06-03T12:45:00.547-04:00That was Gygax's daughter...? Man, now I feel...That was Gygax's daughter...? Man, now I feel guilty for, uh, liking that cover so well.Dr Rotwanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16750632906878388570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-37104035735207046642009-06-03T12:22:24.177-04:002009-06-03T12:22:24.177-04:00There was, Christian, from 1984. It was called Cl...There was, Christian, from 1984. It was called Cloak & Dagger.Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17808216932213232929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-10957336183063553262009-06-03T12:13:18.966-04:002009-06-03T12:13:18.966-04:00When my friends and I played Top Secret, it felt v...When my friends and I played Top Secret, it felt very "grown up" to us. We were very young at the time (14 or 15), so playing adult spies in the "real" world was very thrilling. <br /><br />Peace,<br />Christian<br />www.iridiazine.net<br /><br />PS: Wasn't there a Dabney Coleman film from the early 80s where the lead character played a role-playing game similar to Top Secret?christianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09650456794111980661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-40215929285412408492009-06-03T12:11:40.510-04:002009-06-03T12:11:40.510-04:00Great Scott! Sorry to jack the post but for just o...Great Scott! Sorry to jack the post but for just one moment I need to interupt...<br /><br />"It was called Nutz & Voltz, and it was a game where you played robots. It was a mini-RPG published in an issue of White Wolf magazine (back when WW was just a general RPG magazine, before Vampire and all that)."<br /><br />Gaaghh! Ed, I could kiss ya man! I've been looking for that article/game for forever and a day. Any chance you could get me a copy?! That game has a very strange and twisty heritage that I'd love to share with you if you have the time and the interest.<br /><br />Contact me at my blogsite. BarkingAlien.blogspot.com.<br /><br />Thanks in advance.<br /><br />AD<br />Barking AlienAdam Dicksteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04840144928096089178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-31017951615951331342009-06-03T11:40:16.591-04:002009-06-03T11:40:16.591-04:00I absolutely loved Top Secret; my group played it ...I absolutely loved Top Secret; my group played it to death for years.<br /><br />I actually met the person who wrote the game -- he worked for a time in a now defunct gaming store in Des Moines, Iowa (I miss that game shop!), but that was many, many years ago.Mark A. Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07576788083597632774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-4096711435662231962009-06-03T11:39:15.579-04:002009-06-03T11:39:15.579-04:00Top Secret S.I. was actually the game that brought...Top Secret S.I. was actually the game that brought me back into gaming as a married college student, after I had fallen away due to time, loss of contact with older gaming friends, and otherwise been distracted by other things. For that reason alone, it has always been a favorite of mine.<br /><br />After playing through my first session (of my second gaming era) I picked up the books and read through them and realized that my GM was fairly heavily houseruling the game (in ways of which I approved), though. I think the only time I ever played the rules as written was a quick one-shot on the bus of a band trip in junior high in the mid 1980s. Wow. Nostalgia city, there.Desdichadohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14774274812688958457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-88256641643284655362009-06-03T11:36:14.501-04:002009-06-03T11:36:14.501-04:00I was amazed to run across a *second* Merle Rasmus...I was amazed to run across a *second* Merle Rasmussen game somewhere around 1990. (I dug the hell out of this edition of Top Secret when I was a kid too.)<br /><br />It was called Nutz & Voltz, and it was a game where you played robots. It was a mini-RPG published in an issue of White Wolf magazine (back when WW was just a general RPG magazine, before Vampire and all that).<br /><br />Like Top Secret, it was all percentiles.<br /><br />It was kinda cool. Don't remember if I ever played it.Ed Hhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-29405589444892054112009-06-03T11:22:10.578-04:002009-06-03T11:22:10.578-04:00Rasmussen also designed a pretty obscure (but fun!...Rasmussen also designed a pretty obscure (but fun!) card game called Sqwurm, and details appear on BGG @ http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12328<br /><br />He was active on ENWorld several years ago, but then dropped into obscurity again. Here's a query to find the posts: http://www.google.com/search?q=Rasmussen+site%3Aenworld.org&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a (many of them are simply references to TS in Dragon, but not all).<br /><br />Allan.grodoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11800184312511280050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-37603395310408656722009-06-03T10:57:30.293-04:002009-06-03T10:57:30.293-04:00re rules for car chases, the James Bond RPG (which...re rules for car chases, the James Bond RPG (which was innovative in so many ways) had a really elegant Dutch Auction mechanic for this, where you and your antagonist (generally the GM) would bid ever smaller chances of success on a percentile roll - if you met your bid you got your result, but the lower the bid the larger the chance of critical failure.<br /><br />Simulationism aside, the element of gambling suited the setting perfectly.richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13517340075234811323noreply@blogger.com