I'm currently composing a long write-up for Countdown to Doomsday. There's nothing that accurate out there -- the documentation and clue book both have a significant number of errors and omissions, Gold Box Companion doesn't handle it or Matrix Cubed gracefully for many reasons, the new guide on GameFAQs that appeared ~2 months ago does not have up-to-date information, and the Genesis version is too different to be compatible.
I think the best party is this:
- 3 Desert Runner Warriors
- 2 Martian Medics
- 1 Desert Runner Engineer
Explanation:
Desert Runner is the best race, bar none; any class that can be one should choose that. Many of their bonuses aren't documented: they get +3 movement, +1 to Plasma/Explosion saving throws (this is the most important saving throw; you get relatively small bonuses to saving throws from level compared to AD&D, and there are also no magical spells or items that enhance saving throws), and +2 to Paralysis/Stun saving throws (the next most important saving throw).
(Yes the Buck Rogers games implement all kinds of rules like this without ever bothering to document them, which should surprise no one familiar with SSI.)
Tinker is a dubious choice, even with +3 Tech and +3 Dexterity, and even though Dexterity is the King of Stats as usual in retro RPGs. The -2 penalty to Strength and their undocumented -3 movement and -3 penalty to Plasma/Explosion saving throws are enough to more than negate those benefits. Martian is better for Medics; you still get +1 Dexterity, you don't get either large undocumented penalty, and -1 to Strength is a small enough penalty to possibly carry some heavy weaponry (plasma thrower, rocket launcher, grenade launcher) without hitting the encumbrance penalty. (70 max vs 85 max doesn't sound like a big difference ... but it is when a rocket launcher weighs 50 and a plasma thrower weighs 75.)
(Non-Warriors have a comparative advantage wielding heavy weaponry, as warriors can specialize in needle guns, polearms/mono swords, or rocket pistols.)
One Medic isn't enough to restore all the hit point damage you'll be taking. Having two of them is much more reliable and also saves you from heavily developing First Aid, which can now be one of those skills everyone should put one point in and then forget about.
Rocket Jocks are actually counterproductive in space combat. Pilot Rocket skill, despite the urgent tone in the documentation, is only actually useful in space combat for the one specific reason it states (ramming); what's more important is THAC0 (your pilot's weapons do
far more damage than everyone else combined when hitting non-weapons), and Warriors are much better at that. That's partly because the Gold Box games faithfully replicate the flawed tables in the original tabletop sourcebooks that give Rocket Jocks worse THAC0 than they're supposed to. Thus you're better off with a Warrior who pours a bunch of general skill points into Pilot Rocket.
Rogues also have the same THAC0 problem, which weakens them as well. On the other hand, Engineers and Medics have
better THAC0 than they're supposed to.
You shouldn't make a party of just warriors and medics, because then you won't have enough general skill points to cover all the skills you want. Either a Rogue or Engineer should be enough, and an Engineer does all of help significantly in space combat, has better THAC0 than a Rogue, and can be a Desert Runner.
For reference, the non-tactical-combat skills you should put >1 skill point in Countdown to Doomsday are: Climb, Hide in Shadows, Move Silently, Pilot Rocket, Bypass Security, Jury Rig, Open Lock, Repair Electrical, Repair Nuclear Engine, Astrogation, Library Search, Planetology, Programming, Befriend Animal, Fast Talk/Convince, Notice, Planetary Survival. If you transfer to Matrix Cubed, you also want: Acrobatics (on the same character who has Climb), Pilot Fixed Wing, Use Jetpack, Commo Operation, Repair Life Support, Sensor Operation, Etiquette, Intimidate.
Not ever used in either game to my knowledge: Drive Ground Car, Drive Jetcar, Pilot Rotor Wing, Treat Disease, Navigation (the log book is wrong on this one), Tracking (apparently intended to have been used, but Notice always gets checked instead). Life Suspension Tech is only checked once, and in that one place it's actually harmful to have; Mimic, Act, and Sing are also never checked for if you have Acrobatics.
I need to actually play through both games with this exact party composition and what I now know about the games to make sure the above actually works, which I plan to start soon. Does anyone have any reasons not to play the above?
