Small Personal Lockdown Compatibility Project
Here's my attempt to increase the quality of the Lockdown compatibility package.
I'll tell a little backstory first (as it's my first post here) with which many likely resonate with.
Classic story. I played the OG Nemesis first with friends who got it from their institutional workplace. Absolutely fell in love with it but didn't think much of it as this happens with many games we try. Many months later we played it again and the rush I got from being killed at the last second in the escape pod room because my a**hole friend brought an adult there (he just tried to survive) and got killed also while a third friend laughed, came to kill the adult and escaped using our pod (with a mission to kill the first doofus). I not only got hooked but pretty much obsessed with the game. I started to look in my city for the game but it was very hard to come by in my country and just wasn't available, so I forgot about it for some time. Many months later, as my group meets only seldom and we switch games, I had not cured my itch for more Nemesis, so I started to look more closely. I then found out about Lockdown, and that it's actually stand alone 'expansion', and actually very much physically available (for quite a good price then, 99€) near me. So I bought it. I cannot express easily how much I enjoy that game, I don't even completely know why. Needless to say I started my journey as the 'Nemesis aficionado'. To get to the real topic faster, I dug deep (into my pockets) and got the OG Nemesis, Aftermath (because I love expanding good base games), and then after METICULOUSLY studying what is needed (honestly knowing about Nemesis expansions etc. require a degree or 9 knowledge) I understood I needed the Lockdown Stretch Goal box still to get the 'full compatibility'. Oh boy, that did not finish my journey.
I quickly found out that there are TWO versions of aftermath characters, and now I have stuff for both (I have retail Aftermath and the Stretch Goal Box has the so called 'KS backer' characters). Honestly, what a terrible business decision which erodes faith in the whole company. Well, in any case, I never quit so easily as I'm a RL engineer with artistic tendencies, so I got to work.
ANDROID
Android is such a cool and unique character who's at the same time powerful and quite hampered by the UPS. NEVER trust the Android player, like at all.
I mixmatched (it's a word now) android's DIRECT ACCESS art into NETWORK ACCESS, while also fixing the DEMOLITION misprint (I didn't bother to fix the 'fix/break engine' part of REPAIRS as OG Nemesis characters have it anyway). For SELF-REPAIR I fixed the tools/toolbelt mismatch. POWER UP action I left as is as it fits for the Male android, too.
Rules: Android is fully a facility worker that starts with the Arm Gun and UPS (which is kind of an unique quest item in spirit).
BOUNTY HUNTER
Bounty hunter is another so damn cool and unique character that I just had to fix her. And in Lockdown, there's two totally different Bounty Hunters! the facility worker and Nemesis Survivor. Trust the Nemesis Survivor Bounty Hunter even less than the Android.
First of all, I had to fix the art of the new cards DETERMINATION and THIS WAS A GOOD DOG with the robot Laika (the Schaeffer Laika is beyond cool but the robot Laika also has a place in my heart). Then, I was flabbergasted that Bounty Hunter had only 9 cards in her deck (!??), so I just had to invent a card to make the Survivor game a bit easier; never ever before seen WEAPON SPECIALIST action card. Then I also fixed the Quest item cards and the Special Objective cards to include robot Laika and female BH.
Rules: Bounty Hunter is either randomly or chosen by the player to be a Nemesis Survivor or Facility Worker. Facility Worker uses the rifle 247 starting item and Aggro Override (in the beginning, Surgery is chosen as one of the II Rooms) and uses Laika trait, the regular deck and the doggo. Nemesis Survivor Bounty Hunter uses the survivor deck of 8+1 custom cards and the Laika Quest. No trait obviously and no doggo, basic stuff.
PSYCHOLOGIST
Rules: Full on Facility Worker that starts with the Pistol and Quest item Emotion Scanner. I'm planning on testing, if the Oculobe Probe could be the starting Item but not for now. No trait.
CONVICT
Rules: Nemesis Survivor with two Quest items, Pipe and Augmented Arm (in the beginning, Surgery is chosen as one of the II Rooms) as she needs it... No trait.
CEO
This is the most interesting one, because on the other hand there is nothing to change. You have the Broken Robot and you can call it a day for the most boring Nemesis character ever. CEO should be the pinnacle of cool in a game such as Nemesis Lockdown as there's so much potential. It's the damn head of operations for ALL OF THE GAMES. Pointlessly nerfed starting item and NO QUEST???? Not on my watch. The extra stacked action deck was fine as it is but CEO terribly needed something to do in the game. So, I invented a completely new Quest and Objectives for the CEO to chase down that enhance the theme of the character in the spirit of the Nemesis Survivor Bounty Hunter. Also, DO NOT TRUST my version of the CEO, you'll likely die as the corporate pawn you are.
I fixed the art of the Broken Robot to represent the bulky fem-CEO Robot. Then I created two Quest items that are practically one but the other part can be ignored, if the CEO wants to finish a basic objective. These are never before seen Robot Diagnostics and Contingency Decipher. CEO needed help, so I made it possible to fix the Robot. In my mind it fits that the CEO must send the signal to download the Robot update and then override the company/personal protocols (contingency and objectives). Transmitter room isn't usually too hard to find as everyone is looking for it anyway. Then I created three crazy looking (but honestly in game not so crazy) objectives in line with the CEO theme. They require careful timing and some micromanaging but are not too hard because you can ignore the contingency check completely.
Rules: Obviously CEO is a Facility Worker (how could she NOT BE??) with the Broken Robot starting item and the previously mentioned new Quest items. Uses Trait.
I don't aim at perfection, rather to a realistic balance of immersion and functionality. I could instantly propose one hundred little improvements to make things 'even better' (subjective). I rather play more, than spend too much time on micromanaging every little detail.
In any case, there's so much replayability in Nemesis games, so much fun and fun is the point of this post, too. Also, enjoy my Space Raccoon as a treat. I hope this post didn't break any rules. I tried to make the images such poor quality JPG's that they aren't really usable directly from here. And of course all rights to all of the images, including the modified custom ones, belong to Awaken Realms and whoever else hold the rights to the art (not me). I hope you enjoyed this little story and personal project. My only wish is to inspire more games of Nemesis in its all forms, because with quantity the 'pain games' will eventually even out ;). Peace, friends.