Didn't see one in the catalog, so homebrew general.
Post whatever you're working on, be it a card game, a board game, or a RPG system. Let /tg/ see it and lend a hand.
Or just post vague ideas that you've had and plan on doing nothing with, that's cool too.
>>44152365
> not posting the links
>Useful Links:
/tg/
http://1d4chan.org/
>Project List:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/134UgMoKE9c9RrHL5hqicB5tEfNwbav5kUvzlXFLz1HI/edit?usp=sharing
>Online Play:
https://roll20.net/
https://www.obsidianportal.com/
>RPG Stuff:
http://www.darkshire.net/~jhkim/rpg/freerpgs/fulllist.html
http://www.darkshire.net/~jhkim/rpg/theory/
>Dice Rollers
http://anydice.com/
http://www.anwu.org/games/dice_calc.html?N=2&X=6&c=-7
http://topps.diku.dk/torbenm/troll.msp
http://www.fnordistan.com/smallroller.html
>Tools and Resources:
http://www.gozzys.com/
http://donjon.bin.sh/
http://www.seventhsanctum.com/
http://ebon.pyorre.net/
http://www.henry-davis.com/MAPS/carto.html
http://topps.diku.dk/torbenm/maps.msp
http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~amitp/game-programming/polygon-map-generation/demo.html
http://davesmapper.com
>Design and Layout
http://erebaltor.se/rickard/typography/
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B4qCWY8UnLrcVVVNWG5qUTUySjg&usp=sharing
>The other two:
http://www.therpgsite.com/showthread.php?t=21479
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FXquCh4NZ74xGS_AmWzyItjuvtvDEwIcyqqOy6rvGE0/edit?usp=sharing
I'd like to use coordinates rather than a grid, but my mathematical curiosity got the better of me in that "square vs hexagon" thread, so I made a reference for the distance and area on a hexagonal grid.
I'd also like to mention that hexagons with diagonals is objectively the best kind of grid.
>>44155427
Are you the OP?
Please help me get the ball rolling here.
I'm currently reading up on design patterns.
http://legendaryquest.netfirms.com/books/RPG_Design_Patterns_9_13_09.pdf
Trying to get some ideas for health and armor systems.
>>44155551
Going ahead and plugging this here again.
Alright, so, Trenchbreaker is starting to come together as a playable game. If anyone's willing to give a look at it, that would be real helpful. Basic concept is Trench Assaults with mecha in an alternate world.
Links
>Basic Rules
https://docs.google.com/document/d/13fvJ4q63RR_wFSQSL62iNyPk9fKqTOABMKvYa5o9bds/edit
>Aquilonese Platforms
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vUB0dfGL46o2hfW1Dc6yhQLn4aLI8t3rdO8BRH1Cvnw/edit
>Astarian Knights
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RP2OH7ezxdYOVvweFCgDfEcZLW02F4cFIA-BAUKgnc8/edit?usp=drive_web
>Shoshkepali Sarcophagi
>https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GzY7LB4h3Q7dId5InAqwhZsoQ8CulBUz_vx5uuZr3QE/edit
>Weapons
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nGAmbs63f7grcWsoDWJUPoqk2ALaflAF6l_M9gra8EU/edit
>Orders you can give to mecha(Will vary from mech to mech)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KLoHYP7QYZTWjsQ_4iY6Up9SJvs18vXZG7rjCExTN1c/edit
Latest version of Hellsgate. I feel I need to expand on the upgrades system a bit.
A dinosaur thread on /tg/ has also renewed my interest in the hybrid wargame-card game I was working on.
>>44156197
Already started reading through. I'll post when I've gone through them all.
>>44156197
Ok, read over the main rules and the orders, and glanced at the weapons and mech units. Quick observations, since I'm making dinner, but the first thing that jumps out is formatting. It needs to be cleaned up.
There's also some things that are grey, like what dice does the game use and how the order cards work. I get that you mean to use D12's since its mentioned rolling them for a few things, but its never straight up said that you use them for all the rolls.
The orders is more of, do you have a hand and a deck, or do you just take the cards that come with each mech, put them in a pile, and choose which two to place for orders?
I've got more, but it'll have to wait for after dinner.
>>44158343
Alright, useful to know that I have to clarify those
Essentially, each mech has a hand of orders unique to it you can play from.
>>44158384
There's some other things that are nitpickey, which are things obviously not finished yet, like artillery.
The big game balance things I've saw was infantry and beam weapons.
Infantry just seem to be there, they don't serve much purpose. I can get using them as victory points, like the trencher example you used, but for the most part, infantry just doesn't seem to really interact with most of the game. I think the victory points route is the way to go with them, play around with the idea of each side has a certain amount of infantry that they have to move across the board, and make the list building more focused on the mechs.
The beam weapon is just over the top. Yeah, its one shot and you have to wait a turn to use it, but it just removes everything without any interaction with it. Honestly, I'd keep the insta-kill part, but give mechs a chance to avoid it with a gears check, the chance for the crew to react to try and move out of the way before the entire mech is melted. It makes the weapon a bit less end all to be all. Right now, the weapon would have to be priced against the most expensive mech in the game, since it just automatically removes it from the game when you field it. Adding that little protection means that its still powerful, but a gamble, so things balance a bit better.
Hoping I make sense, little distracted while writing this out.
Howdy fellow Heavy BowGunners, question for you all. What would you guys use or recommend for putting together character sheets for your systems?
>>44160530
Shame Skyresh isn't around any more. He had a damn good talent at character sheets.
>>44160530
Photoshop?
Posting this until some actual RPG designers show up that can help.
I should learn RPGs one of these days.
>>44159847
Consider if the trouble of creating a brand new game from scratch is what you want, or if you want "Savage World, but x". If it's the latter, you should base things off of it first, and gradually add and change stuff as you go through it with a comb for "things I don't like".
For dice, try ctrl-f "Dice Mechanic" in the therpgsite link in >>44153732, there might be an idea there you're interested in. Be prepared to completely revamp the system if necessary.
>>44156409
The game mechanics themselves seem quite fine and surprisingly quite simple, I could probably summarize it as 'decide stats for minis, move minis around, subtract Defense from Attack for combat, complete objectives to win'. Morale is definitely an interesting way to keep the models moving around, though I think you forgot to explain when to consider a model is Wounded. The Upgrades also seem like a nice way of personalizing each model, though I wonder a better word than Upgrade can be used.
My complaints are mostly with how the rules are written though, the rules are clear and explain the mechanics quite well, but kind of lengthy and fascinatingly dull. Reading through everything in order get the game to click in my head felt like a slog. I do realize that this is a prototype though, so feel free to ignore this. The one thing that I'd like to recommend however is moving the 'Setting Up the Game' section up top, since I feel it gives purpose to the game mechanics infodump that precedes it.
>>44160530I'm sad I can't think of a joke involving gunlances.
>>44162327
Thanks for the feedback. I need to cut some of the writing down. I have a very technical way of writing rules, which I know can be hard to read.
The 'Wounded' thing is a leftover from a previous version that I missed when implementing the new system. Previously, I have rolling for attacks and to wound separate, with a threshold system instead of wound count. This new system is an experiment I'm trying.
Same with the Upgrades. I originally had a system of commands for the leading models, that felt tacked on. I'm hoping this new one would feel better for a model supporting the army than the old one. I was thinking of naming it Requisition or something, but its a strange mix of spells, equipment, and skills, so I'm not sure that fits.
Do you think that moving it to before the Line of Sight rules, but after Characteristics would be a better place for it?
>>44162488
I think the decision to combine attacks and wounds is a good one, I personally find the typical 'roll to hit then roll to damage' to be unsuitable for miniature games, since you'd typically want to keep each model's Activation phase as short as possible to maintain a high pace.
Since Upgrades are closer to model-specific abilities, a few synonyms I found that might fit are Aptitude, Faculty, Prowess, and my personal choice, Flair.
Yeah, that positioning seems about right, since it exposes some of the terms first before outlining the start of a game, although Line-of-Sight itself could probably be moved to a section about combat, which could include the rules for attacking and stuff as part of the activation phase, but after a short explanation on possible actions. That way a reader could go:
"Ok, here's objectives. How do I actually play... Ah, so I have actions, and each action does this, I see. Then for certain actions I can resolve combat, which goes like this."
This helps maintain a 'flow' of sorts as the reader continues reading. This is personal preference however, since I find explaining the rules in a way that it walks you through a round/phase/turn/etc. helps give a feel for how the game plays.
How do you find motivation to actually work on your project and not slack off on other things?
I have an idea for a project, and I've even done a lot of research, and found sources I want to borrow from, but I can't seem to stay focused. I also seem to be having trouble in getting my ideas and writing them in a coherent way that someone would actually be able to read.
>>44163157
Try copying the mechanic directly then, and building a system out of that. Replace Savage Worlds specific stuff with something suited for a general RPG. Figure out a stat, leveling, combat, etc. system that works with with it. All the while, research on other systems, and takestealany mechanics that you like, modifying them to your needs. Deciding on a core concept for your system based on something you like and are familiar with can help determine the direction of how you develop the system quite well.
I'm sorry for being vague and not giving any specific advice to help with your system.
>>44163187
I uhh admittedly slack off more than I actually work on my projects. That said, I jot down stuff I think up quite frequently so that I'd have plenty of stuff to compile into a single document when I want to. Reading and commenting on stuff here also keeps the mind going, and eventually the urge to write things down in a concrete format appears. I realize that 'wait for the urge' isn't exactly good advice though.
>>44163119
I decided to go with 'kits' for the upgrades, since it seems neutral enough. And I moved the setting up a game, though I left the making a force and deployment sections down where they were, closer to the army lists.
Also some minor fixes, removed the Wounded bit in Morale, and renamed an effect.
>>44163187
I have spurts of creativity in-between lengths of slacking off. It tends to work for me, even if its annoying, since it let's me process things and come back with fresh eyes.
Giving a bump so the thread survives the night.
>>44163187
I'd say if you're having trouble staying focused, don't go into it trying to slam out huge reams of paper. Instead, just try to do a little each day-- a page, a paragraph, something to make forward progress.
There's a mechanic I've implemented very early in my homebrew.
The effort mechanic.
You can basically give in some brittle HP in exchange for what's called an "effort" which is essentially you doing an action a bit above your usual ability.
If you give all of your remaining HP, you do what's called an "Ultimate Sacrifice" and the action you're undertaking has immense bonuses. But then you die.
>>44168752
Is character creation in your game fast and simple?
I'm asking because any rule that incentivises dying needs to be coupled with being able to create characters fast and easy, otherwise it will never be used.
>>44168918
It's pretty simple, yeah.
>Tell me the character's basic stuff, like gender, race, age, hair color, name, title height and shit.
>Choose how you balance your MP and your HP
>Get either 2 starting powers, A power and an artifact, or 2 artifacts.
>Get some lesser skills.
>Choose which two skills are the ones you're the best in.
>Add up to 9 benefits, and up to 9 drawbacks, the total worth of the benefits must not outweigh the drawbacks.
>Choose between 100 coins and some non artifact, non-precious item to start the game.100 coin is plain better.
Here's a thought exercise to bump the thread. Create a game using the following mechanics as its core. If you cannot/can't be bothered to create a game from scratch, then create something with it that fits within your homebrew, and test your systems with it. A puzzle to solve, a quest to be completed, a combat scenario to be resolved, a monster to slay, a world to explore, a scene to interact with, anything. Try thinking outside of the box.
>Cut Off One Head, Two Grow Back
The moves that the player make will also cause obstacles to appear. Many moves are obviously possible, but the move that does not have negative side effects is not obvious, and making some necessary progress also causes the game to become more difficult.
>Repeat Pattern
The player must repeat a series of given steps.
>Hidden Image / Where's Waldo?
The game presents the player with a complex scene with lots of different variables and pieces of information, and the player is looking for a particular item, clue, or pattern.
I'm working on a dicepool-based system right now and have a few problems with general combat stuff.
The size of my dicepool is determined by a general attribute and modifiers, while the success treshhold (6+ untrained to 3+ in the way lategame usually) is determined by the skill.
This works for skillchecks just fine, but in combat i want to keep the amount of rolls down to prevent a shadowrun-like flow where you have hit vs dodge, followed by resisting damage if hit, repeat for automatic weapons and take a few minutes to resolve a 3 second turn...
To prevent this I wanted to have just an attack roll against a static, rather low value which is determined by Acrobatics (though i'm thinking about inlcuding a seperate dodge-skill to make it less of a godskill) or the armor you wear and usually ranges from 1 to 5. Similiar to AC you could say.
Heavy Armor mostly ends up with lower "AC" values then un-/ light armored and skilled for dodging, but also reduces incoming damage by a higher amount.
I have my actionpool split between actions and reactions and the idea was that you might take an extra action on your turn, but would have to get by with your static defense instead of getting to roll.
I only want to have people make a defensive roll (dodging, blocking etc.) when they have restricted their offensive actions and are prepared for incoming attacks.
Now i'm thinking about
>a) have them add their successes to the static value, which makes them really hard to hit as attackers don't have a way to get such guaranteed boni.
or
>b) replace the static one, which rarely improves and often makes worse what they already have. Of course you just might always use the better of the two.
Should i maybe just let one part of the system completely out? Take opposed rolls all the time? Static Defense only?
What's important is that I want to reward the players for reserving reactions instead of going ham all the time.
Any opinions?
What other creative things you do when you need to have a break from making your homebrew? Start new projects? Paint warhams? Write?
I've been working on something six months straight so I feel like its time to take a little break. Perhaps I'll write up things I could make into a novel or something.
>>44170773
Writing fluff for a setting is a good way to take a break while still contributing to your project. Even if its just little things, like fleshing out politics or coming up with local folktales for a region in the setting, is a good way to take a break and come at the project from another angle.
how does one make a home brew board game? What are the things I need to think about as I begin to plan this.
>>44171402
Think of a theme and what you want to accomplish with the game.
>>44170773
Draw. Alternatively, drink. Usually both.
>>44171294
Also this. Writing fluff is great for breaking up mechanics writing.
HELP NEEDED
I'm putting together a list of potential hazards-- environmental or otherwise-- that an alien species might be resistant or even immune to. I need 10 and I have 9 so far:
>A specific toxic atmosphere (carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, etc.)
>Radiation
>A specific disease vector (bacteria, viruses, parasites, etc.)
>Either extreme hot or extreme cold
>A general kind of harmful chemical (acid, animal or plant toxins, etc.)
>High gravity
>High-energy discharges—electricity or fire, as examples
>Impact, such as from falling or being thrown from a vehicle
>Vacuum exposure
What might I be missing? I'm trying to avoid direct combat situations, i.e. "these guys are immune to bullets or being cut" but I'm stuck on the last one.
(The reason I need 10 is that it's for randomly creating playable aliens, and I need to fill out a 10 item chart)
>>44170692
Okay so here's how I'm interpreting this:
Dicepool is Attribute + Modifier.
# of successes is determined by skill training (less training = more successes needed). Which is a novel idea actually. Only problem is that what you end up with is a system where Lower Numbers means Better (the better your Skill, the less successes you need to pass), which can confuse some people, especially since you obviously want bigger Attributes to increase your Pool. But still, it works.
In combat, instead of using your Skill to set the success threshold, its the defense of your target, correct? Dodgier targets have a higher threshold, tankier ones have lower but soak damage, yes?
And finally, a character can take defensive action at the cost of depriving themselves of offensive actions.
Am I interpreting this correctly?
Things have been going alright with Hardsuit but I've hit a small wall
I've written up a quick summary of my game describing the general world, situation and events firstly to clarify things for myself but also serve as a digest for those interested.
Particularly i'm looking for potential enemy and adversary and campaign suggestions that a party could take part in.
Feedback and ideas would be appreciated.
>>44173028
Immunity to malnutrition or starvation
Resistance or immunity to persuasion or psychic suggestion
Resistance to the effects of fatigue
So, for trait groups I'm thinking:
Weapon Style
Exploration
Companionship
Crafting
Magic
Would a group just for Social be worth it? Or could be be tucked into either Companionship or Exploration?
Also: I'm thinking having characters work as such
>Character starts at level 0
>Select Race (starting traits, one skill naturally "Trained" to 1)
>Select Place of Birth (trait/Skill set to 1)*
>Distribute Attribute Points
>Select Background (things like merchant or noble: gives one trait or skill to 1)*
>Select one Free Trait
>Distribute 10 Skill Points, all other skills start at -1, can not go above 1 at creation.
>Select Job (Gives starting traits/leveling spread)*
Character is now Level One
>Each player must make a connection to another player at one of the steps marked with a * (so they can be connected based on their background or their place of origin or their job)
>based on these, players distribute a stack of starting traits based on connections, skills and attributes. (Highest Will gets Motivater, Oldest can take Team Parent, highest weapon skill/most weapon skills gets The Ace, two players with the same Origin and job can take Rival, ect ect.)
>Enters play as Level 1.
Players then select the job they want to move to NEXT, so if you are a Squire you can either decide your next level will be in Squire or in one of the other Jobs. Each Job gets setting different at each Character Level, mechanically it doesn't matter what Job Level you are at, just what Job you took at which level. Right now I'm thinking of having each Job basically cycle through 2-3 Trait Types each level, so at Level 3 Vagrant might be giving Exploration Traits, but Initiate is giving out a Magic Trait.
Characters cap out at level 20, and at Level 10 they gain a Title based on how they've Leveled. So Constantly Leveling Squire gives you Knight, gishing between Squire and Initatiate let's you pick Druid or Necromancer. Titles give you special social options.
Thoughts?
>>44173028
What about the 10th be randomly generate 2 traits?
Or immune to vision impairing effects? Like smoke or bright lights.
>>44173306
I'll combine malnutrion and fatigue into one. Perfect!
>>>44173385
Generating 2 traits is a seperate thing. I'll post the finished work when I'm done.
And this is specifically for hazards that will incur damage. But thanks though!
>>44173144
Not exactly, i guess i have to take it a bit more slow, just didn't want to make a wall of text at at first.
Your Dicepool is Attribute (strength, agility etc.) + situational modifiers, yes.
You skill determines what facing a dice has to show to count as success.
> two characters have both 4 strenght, one is mine worker untrained with swords and thus counts only rolls of 6, the other is a soldier, counting dice of 4 or better as success.
From here it is normal "DM sets you a DC, between 1 and 4 sucesses usually"
But your misinterpretation might be interesting to try out sometime.
> Dodgier targets have a higher threshold, tankier ones have lower but soak damage, yes?
Yep, just like that. The hit threshold is determined by the skill of your target. I don't have the attribute scale in here for two reasons:
>Attributes can scale rather high, often outside of what a sensible difficulty would be, and I want to avoid math other then +/- as much as possible.
>Someone who is naturally slinky and agile but never hat any combat training whatsoever is still a bit of a sitting duck, even though he' be a bit more slippy I guess. But I want to emphasise training.
It's mainly reason 1 though, it's more of a mechical concern.
I have subsystem called "Focus", with your normal rookie adventurer clocking in at 3 Focus. Every Focus you spend is comparable to a Half Action in other systems, "Full actions" just clock in at 2 Focus etc.
>Basicly a fancier word for actionpoints.
The setting is intended to start low and go really epic with longer action chains (around 5-6 Focus minmaxed)
Anyway, any Focus unspent equals a Reaction outside of your turn, whatever that might be. Dogde, block, Counter, intercept an attack on a nearby ally etc.
At the start of your next turn, Focus refills to your max.
So you either get long combo-esque turns or shorter turns with reactions.
>>44173416
Pressure seems like a situation that could arise often. You already got the low end with vacuum, but the high end is definitely possible as well.
>>44173646
I considered this, but in the end I figured that most environments with crushing atmospheric pressures would also have toxic atmospheres and/or high gravity.
Do you guys think there is design space for a Modern Fantasy/Horror game? I'm looking for a side task for when I don't feel like working on All Around the Fireside.
That and frankly I love Modern Fantasy as a genre.
>>44174939
sure why not, i'd go nuts if all I did was work on drawing robots and writing up mech rules all day. As a side project i've got a weird fantasy based on adventurers exploring an inverted tower built by a demonically possessed king some time in ancient history. Inspiration taken from Clive Barkers Jericho, The biblical Tower of Babel and parts of Michael Moorecock books
>>44174939
Tell us more.
>>44160768
speak of the devil, here i am with a new charsheet, although some leftovers from last version might still be there like the actual/chance of the stats
>>44160530
adobe illustrator, or inkscape if you can't pay for it or don't want to pirate it
the good thing about working with vectors is that you get great quality on really small stuff so it doesn't take up much space and it's not completely off
---
some big changes since last time i updated the doc or gave a shoutout in here eh
>basic stats are now decided by 1+d4 at the start of the game, players are given all 4 results and they'll put those wherever they feel they should go
>basic attributes are added at the END of the formula, and they count towards the "success with consequence" range (i.e. 3 vigor + 4 greatswords = 1-4 success, 5-11 success w/ consequence)
>basic attributes never change naturally, and push players to look for modifiers (augments, passives, spells, enchanted equipment, cyber) if they want to see them grow
>experience points are never more than 15 awarded at a time, and are used to "purchase" abilities and passives off the manual, while the skills themselves have a basic stat and/or attribute requirement
>weapons limited to 3 at a time, and double-wielding weapons take up one weapon slot
>inventory limit is now decided by base vigor x2
>attacks that affect basic stats directly, causing detrimental effects on roll have been added and will be listed in the manual later
>since the system is fairly narrative-driven, a Notes section was added to keep track of relevant information
I'll update the doc first chance i get, but it's finals month and I'm covered over my ears with exams
there are some rules i need to clean up because they turned out to be overly complicated and some things that need to leave, like leftovers of the part-by-part combat system
What's the general opinion of Faster=Goes first or Faster=Goes last in regards to initiative?
>>44177319
Why should faster=goes last even be a thing? Sorry but i'm to dense right now to understand that.
>>44177416
I suppose it plays either into ideas about weapon reach or having tactical opportunities after seeing what everybody else did.
>>44177496
The only way that makes sense for me would be in scenario where you build up actions like a stack in most TCGs so that the fastest one can wait what everyone else is doing and react first to this whole mess of stuff going on.
The PCs have organizes a religiously motivated freikorps, moved in and took a minor city in a clusterfuck of a high elven civil war.
I need ideas, details, insignias etc for the participants.
Thought up a thing for my thing I posted before.
>>44170591
First, the players need 50 dice each. During each scene, everyone rolls all of the dice at the same time. Then they push around all of the dice until a 7x7 grid is formed. The remaining one die is given to the GM. Whenever a task need done, the GM rolls a number of dice according to the difficulty, up to the maximum number of players. He then announces an order of numbers, example "Two, Two, Five".
The players then need to find atleast two dice that are next to each other with the same numbers that was just announced from the 7x7 grid of dice (Mechanic 3). They do this for each announced number (Mechanic 3). Once they find it, they remove it from the grid, and any other dice above the removed dice are shifted top to bottom, or right to left if a column is empty.
Players can remove more than 2 dice to get additional benefits, at the cost of maybe they could've used the dice in the future for something important (Mechanic 1). All the dice can only be rerolled if they change into a new scene, or no more matches can be found, in which case that player has one chance to roll the remaining dice and get a combination of the numbers that were announced, or get a critical failure, before being allowed to reroll all their dice.
In summary, it's Match-3(2?) as a dice mechanic. I can see some flaws (holy shit 50 dice) and some potential (holy shit 50 dice), but hopefully this will inspire anyone who sees it to try the exercise for their homebrew.
>>44173363
I'm assuming based on the silence that it may be a bit complicated?
>>44177567
One Roll Engine handles it just fine. In each combat round, the players and NPCs declare what they are going to do in order of ascending Sense stat, which means that characters with higher Sense are aware of what the lower-Sense characters are doing. Then everyone rolls their dice at the same time and looks for Matched Sets, and actions are Resolved in order of whose Set has the most dice in (called the Width).
So a character with Sense 5 will declare his action after a character with Sense 3. However, if the Sense 3 character rolls a set with Width 3, and the Sense 5 character has a set with Width 2, then the Sense 3 character's action will resolve first.
One Roll Engine. Learn it, love it.
>>44179027
Social could probably go under Companionship, since the term implies interaction with companions. As for the leveling system, it seems alright, though I expect that players would tend towards "10 levels in x, then 10 levels in y" or something.
I'd like you to consider whether or not your system complements your core concept of "bonding over the campfire" however. I feel that if there's too much stuff tacked on, that core concept is going to be overshadowed by everything else, and you'd lose that particular uniqueness. If I'm confusing you with a different anon however feel free to ignore this paragraph.
>>44179083
I've read a bit about how ORE works and I must say I have a beef with the basic mechanics, namely the width & height thing. Adding the height mechanic feels superfluous and fiddly, and is simply a second method to tweak the difficulty. Having a height requirement to a roll doesn't feel like it works at all, and I have trouble understanding what it even represents. (Width is easy; since pool size comes from your char sheet numbers it directly represents your skill and maximal achievable success level.)
It feels like I'd prefer dicepool systems I've seen elsewhere, each dice being a binary pass/fail and you count the number of successes. Simpler and more straightforward.
>>44180217
You make a very good point. Maybe I'll drop "classes" all together. I've been kind of on the fence with how to use them this whole time anyway.
I want there to be some crunchy goodness, because I love that in games, but you're probably right that I can smooth a lot of this out
>>44174939
The only Modern Fantasy games I can think of is World of Darkness, Modern d20, and partially Shadowrun. So I'd say there room.
>>44180550
See, I'm not overly fond of the systems in 2 of those, and I'm trying to avoid d20 systems so that's good news.
Right now it's probably because I just read a couple urban fantasy books and I'm in that head space.
>>44181479
You need, I repeat, NEED to read Unknown Armies if you haven't already.
I have a concept for an RPG that I want to make, but I have no experience creating RPGs. I'm in the process of reading Design Patterns of Successful Role-Playing Games, but I was wondering if there's any really important information or advice that I should be aware of. Right now, I have nothing other than the vague initial idea. I'm just trying to figure out how to get started.
>>44181864
It's nice. I tried to do somethings with it but I can't bring myself to work with it again.
>>44181828
What kind of games do you like playing?
>>44176545
Well, depending upon how you end up doing experience, something you might want to ape from 1e Ironclaw (of all the places) is divvying up the total experience into smaller parcels.
For example, IC recommended handing out 10 experience per session, divided into 4-, 3-, 2-, and 1-point parcels. These parcels must be fully used, with no leftover, when put towards Skills, Gifts, and Traits.
Your mention of no more than 15 XP really only changes that loadout by adding another 5-point parcel on top. Of course, this is assuming the maximum experience, and you could always do non-standard rewards of, say, 3/3/2/1/1 for 10 XP.
This can cause some tough decisions among the players, like when they need two 2-point parcels to buy neat shit but you hand them a 3, 2 and 1.
>>44181926
I tend to like systems that can support a lot of lore, but have a good amount of structure. I mostly play D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder, but those two are slightly bulkier mechanically than I'd like. It's more the sheer amount of options than the mechanics, but slightly lighter in general is a bit better.
anybody use or familiar with the open ended machine's system before?
http://theopenendedmachine.blogspot.ca/
looks kind of fun and adaptable, I just wonder if it can be homebrewed without having to use a ref all the time
So, I'm trying to bring a custom setting into GURPS.
It's a dieselpunk setting in a fictional world, where dragons have ruled over humanity since the dawn of man, and only over the last few centuries have humans become the dominant species on the planet due to technological development and well-organized societies.
The setting is similar to real life in a lot of ways, but there are a lot of small details that make the setting unique.
I don't want to bog my players down with an infodump. I'm not going to make success in the adventures dependent on knowledge of the setting. But they need to know enough to get by, and interact with the world.
How can I convey information to the players without a long exposition before the session, or writing up a bunch of documents they'll probably never read?
>>44173234
The quotes from various sources are great. Typically in a mercenary based setting, the main enemy is usually in the form of a corporation getting too greedy, a rival spurring the main character's growth, or an event that the characters wish to attend or be successful in, you can probably build a basic campaign with that. Or maybe there's something you want to introduce into your game, but you don't think it fits as part of the world, atleast not as a starting point, like a major thing which shifts the current borders.
If you want smaller, less important to the world campaigns, maybe you can produce some ideas from here. There's a 'First Line Generator' too which might help kickstart some ideas.
http://writers-den.pantomimepony.co.uk/writers-plot-ideas.php
>>44171402
>>44181828
Core concept > everything else. Have anything else you think up, be it combat, stats, etc. complement or bring into focus the core concept you have in mind, don't be afraid to cut loose a mechanic that you think doesn't fit. On getting started, explain your core concept, detail out how players will be playing with that concept, explain any discrepancies, and fluff up the smaller details. Don't be afraid to ask here if you're having trouble, regardless of how little response you may get.
>>44183856
Something like the Hard:Suit pdf in the post I quoted above might be good I think, a 2 page or less summary of the world and various aspects. Alternatively, divulge extra information on a need to know basis. There's no need to tell players everything, basic world knowledge that lets them be polite in a random situation (or rude) is enough, let them discover the rest.
>>44183856
>>44184311
This is what I was thinking of doing. Thanks!
>>44181799
O-okay? Anything specific I should look out for?
OC Homebrew Donut Steel.
http://pastebin.com/UuHwzLuS
Whatchu think?
>>44168752
Sounds really good in theory, hope it will work out in practice. Maybe you would like to thorw in a level cap for Ultimate Sacrifice, so players would think twice about throwing away their character.
>>44186166
Looks fine? I don't see a particular incentive to move around the grid though, you could probably do away with it altogether and it'd still be fine. Sure you could spend one action to move farther and one action to attack, but why not spend two actions to attack and kill stuff faster?
>>44184918
All of it is amazing but especially the madness system. Each character has five madness meters: Violence, Helplessness, Isolation, Self and Unnatural. When you're faced with terrible events that impact one of those areas, you make a sanity check. Failing the check forces you to make a Freeze/Flee/Fight decision, but passing it hardens you against checks of that degree. Too many failed checks and you become completely unglued; too many hardened checks, and you turn into a psychopath as you lose your connection to humanity. It's the best sanity system I've ever seen in a game.
>>44186166
I find the flow of combat you're describing to be very interesting, in that it's designed to specifically replicate the action between two weapon-armed fighters. I'm not really sure where magic fits into it though; and it seems like if you aren't a mage then you are pretty much useless outside of a fight.
Hey guys, I posted some time ago my project in its early stages.
Now I have a bit more polished system for a Symphogear-based tabletop game.
I've done some play testing throughout the editions, and I'm pretty happy where it is sitting right now.
I would be happy if some of you /tg/ folks would take a gander through. Maybe give suggestions.
My biggest problem right now is a darn character sheet. I cannot wrap my head around making a good one that is all inclusive.
>>44188080
That definitely sounds awesome, might be pretty lethal, maybe more lethal than I'm intending. I will definitely try to get it off the PDF thread though. sounds worth it.
So: combat system based on one player a line 3 spaces long on a 3x3 grid and another drawing a defend template on another and then revealing: good idea? Or asking for trouble? I'm thinking different amounts of damage reduction based on defense type and amount of overlapping spaces. Then either initiative shifts to the other player, or if the attack is good enough then they get to keep attacking.
Different special attacks could be triggered if the person attacks the right squares, like if they make a full line through the bottom squares and they attack hits they sweep the legs, straight top to bottom is a launcher.
>>44191822
Okay just so getting it right in my mind: you want each combatant to have a 3x3 grid that represents body locations/attack directions. When you declare an attack, you draw a 3-field attack line and the defender a 3 field defense line, right?
(screams for laminated paper and non-permanent marker)
When the attacker does not cross any defense lines, he deals full damage and certain hit locations have certain combat effects, right?
Sound interesting to say the least, but i would also give the defender the option to mark less spaces for a more general defense, that might not be as effective but not relying on perfectly predicting your oponent.
Also lines (maybe with arrow) could symbolize slash attacks while circles or crosses could simbolise thrusts that don't have to be connected to each other but are fewer in number for example.
Let alone the number of fields you could mark could be a stat of its own to make clear who is the better fighter.
Also when played with relative positioning this could get even more depth.
Standing side by side with an ally allows them to cover for example a single field on your right when they are right to you, in addition to your own defense.
So while i think it is an interesting take it might bog down the action a little, but I have another idea:
Have a movement phase first, where everybody moves how they wish to move, then let them decide to split their boxes between attack and defense, and then attack and defend in Initiative order again. To prevent just crossing huge sections of the grid you could limit it to 3 boxes per attack, but investing more generates another attack.
This of course would require a character have at least 6 boxes to spend per turn.
I get a really good fencing vibe from this, but I don't know where to fit in magic and ranged combat, unless you too count them as "ranged" thrust (or maybe slash an other patterns for magic) attacks and ranged weapons don't give the chance to parry/block.
>>44191822
>>44192220
cont.
Shields might cover a side passively or allow for bonus boxes to defend only on this side, or of course a shieldbash for one more, weaker attack box on that very side of the target.
Small, fast parry weapons might be allowed to cover fields that are not connected, swords might need to form a line and axes might just have only two connected fields per parry but an additional one when attacking.
Large, unwieldy weapons (Polearms, greatsworrds etc) might only be allowed to block in straight lines or diagonals, so no L shapes etc.
Beeing backstabbed does not allow for any defense at all or maybe just a single box.
After all, this sound like a really fun, deadly system for drawn out swashbuckling and itself might be a game of its own.
Also, I have no idea what dice are intended to do here, if at all.
Also isn't the focus of your game something about forming a cohesive, deeo bond with your party and less about tactical in-depth combat?
(haven'r read it yet, just what I noticed by lurking)
It might shift focus away from that, but again that also depends if you end up with grognards that only focus on the combat and forgo roleplaying at all.
It might be a good idea there to emphasise the fact that you're weak in combat when no one has you back and sides. You can be easily swarmed and overwhelmed by less skilled oponents that come in great number when alone, but a wall of shield-brothers that know each other in heart and in steel is almost unstoppable.
Allow for teamwork and characters that spent time together to be even more effective then just two strangers standing side by side.
>>44179027
If social isn't under companionship already, I have no idea by looking at it what companionship does.
>>44192430
>>44192220
>>44192430
>>44192220
Right now as far as defenses go, I have 4 "styles"
>block: a 2x2 square, better at preventing damage but less likely to take back initiative.
>parry: same as a slash (3 connected squares), better at getting initiative and if lined up perfectly gets a bonus to attack, but not great at damage reduction
>void: 3x2 square, gives a HUGE area of dodging, but if an attack hits at all it's going to do basically full damage
>Ward: a mix of block and parry, you get one block for "ward location" and 2 blocks for "parry location" any overlap on parry location mitigates all damage, any overlap on ward gives initiative and a bonus to attack. Very high risk high reward.
As far as attacks I have slashes (3 connected) and thrusts, one box marked with an x, thrusts in generally do more damage (2-3x as much based on defense) but are easier to block.
I really like the "different weapons can do different attacks" idea.
And this is for an unrelated system, AAtF has a more straightforward combat mechanic that uses a lot of positioning and flanking wih allies.
>>44193289
Companionship is bonuses with your team, like spending unity and helping around camp and in combat, Social is more talking to other people and haggling and stuff.
>>44192430
I really like the idea of "spending" boxes for attack and defense, as well as the initiative mechanic. Right now it's just kind of a tuned up system for swashbuckling, but these ideas seem like they could really elevate it. I'm gonna see what I can do with these ideas when I get some free time, work is a bit of a bitch for creative types.
PDF formatting question: Do you prefer two columns or no columns in your rule books when you read? What are the pros and cons of each?
>>44196245
I like two columns, as I do a lot of reading on my phone, so I can zoom in on one column easier.
>>44187894
I've never played with anyone that ever abused this rule, my players usually love their characters, and a player's ultimate sacrifice tend to happen at the culmination of a campaign, or at least a character's personal arc.
It's also pretty great for showing an opponent's resolution or hopelessness.
>>44196245
I recently pondered this question, myself.
I found that I really prefer two columns, because it's easier to read, for some reason and it gives your book more of a "textbook" feel.
I sent my friends a two column and one column sample of a game I'm working on, and they all seemed to say that they preferred the two column version.
Using text frames, I also made certain portions of the book as "whole page" text. I would recommend that on portions of your boom like introductions or if there's any prose in it.
>>44197101
There's a reason most RPG and wargame rulebooks are two columns. I can't figure out WHY, but I can tell you that I and most other people prefer it.
But it's easier for me to work in two-column, so I'm developing Trenchbreaker in a single column and will change it to two once I have the rules done.
>>44196245
Actually, I have a question regarding preference in books, too.
What is this best way to find a good, unique "medieval/Fantasy" font? I want something that's quaint and unique, yet sincere. I'm thinking Garamond.
But that still leaves the question of the Title's font.
>>44196245
I personally like two, makes it easier to read on a screen.
>>44197319
If I remember what I read about the trick for speed reading, its because people are trained to read to the end of the line, and then to go back and re-process parts that they missed. So two columns mean shorter lines, which means less time going back to re-process.
So, for my main game, I'm thinking of 3 "main" branches of combat styles, then styles for each weapon type and some special things (parrying, critical hits, two-weapon)
The three "main" styles each have 2 "marks", but players are free to grab as many as they want over the course of the game. However only one "mark" may be active at a time.
They are
Guardian
>Defense: mark gives one foe disadvantage to attack anyone but them. Target: One Foe
>Protection: mark gives foes disadvantage against one ally. Target: One Foe
Aggressor
>Force: mark gives advantage against one foe. Target: One Foe
>Rage: mark gives advantage to attack all foes and advantage to be attacked by all foes. Target: Self
Skirmisher
>Mobility: mark gives one foe disadvantage to attack them. Target: One Foe
>Duel: mark gives all foes but one disadvantage to attack them, the other has advantage and you have advantage against them. Target: One Foe and Self.
Do these seem relatively balanced?
>>44188431
>it seems like if you aren't a mage then you are pretty much useless outside of a fight.
Really? I designed it to make mages inferior to combatants but that was an old version.
>>44188023
>I don't see a particular incentive to move around the grid though, you could probably do away with it altogether and it'd still be fine
Will do, ty.
>>44201084
I'm a little iffy in Duel, I want to drive home that Only you are attacking only THIS GUY and only this guy is only attack you.
Maybe
>mark gives everyone but one Foe disadvantage to attack you, everyone but you gets disadvantage against that Foe, you each get disadvantage attacking anyone but each other.
How's that sound?
Additionally, I'm working on a fourth "Commander" but I only have one mark style for it so far
>Guiding: Mark gives one ally advantage against one foe
I can't think of a second one.
>>44202379
That Duel is a little clunky, but gets the idea you want across better.
So, homebrewskis, how do y'all decide on an action resolution system? One day, the one I'm working on seems fine, and then next it seems like garbage.
>>44196245
Two column reduces horizontal eye motion, which helps me focus.
>>44202843
Started with ones that I am familiar with and that I like, then read some more, tweak from there, and repeat.
>>44202577
Any suggestions that would sound clearer?
>>44188486
Glad to see this again, may you keep on trucking. For sheets maybe look at some already available templates? What kind of information do you want in the sheets?
>>44191822
Interesting concept, but writing then erasing markings on the grid could become tedious. If you're going to go through with this I'd suggest using small metal sheets with magnets instead, or appropriate one of those 'travel games with magnets' for use. Also, it reminds me of how Tash-Kalar plays, so it's definitely doable, though the focus there is on moving around an arena to create the formations needed to play cards. Try looking at that game for ideas on line formations.
>>44201084
Wording for a few of the mark descriptions could be better, but they seem functionally alright otherwise. For Commander, maybe "gives self disadvantage and gives all allies advantage against all foes"?
I wonder if there's a better word that can be used other than advantage/disadvantage, maybe that's why the descriptions seem so clunky.
>>44203039
>Place a mark on the caster and one target. When making attacks, or being attacked, by players or NPCs with out this mark, attacks are made with a disadvantage.
>>44203141
I think I will do just that, assuming I can find it. I haven't heard of it before but any resource can be a good one.
That's a good idea for the commander thing, though it does seem pretty insanely powerful. Maybe all allies against one Foe?
And I have no clue what to use aside Advantage/Disadvantage, though I did kinda jank those from 4E/5e.
>>44203190
This, this is good.
Would Vassal be a good tool to do playtesting with testers from online? I've never used it and know little about it, but local playtesters are few and far between.
I'm thinking about designing a simplistic system from the ground up with some dungeon crawling mechanics and stuff, but for the most part I've been satisfied with just hacking DnD basic apart instead. Anyone else feel a similar way? I don't always feel like its necessary to make something new if you can revamp the old.
Pdf related; some custom reworks of classes I've made before.
>>44206811
What exactly do you want to playtest?
Wargame or boarsgame? Yes, as long as you get your own module working or do proxy with another module. I have no Idea about Module developement in vassal though.
Tabletop-RPG? I'd rather say not, Roll20 or Maptool are easier to use and MADE for this kind of game.
Though i also can imagine Wargames or other boardgames to work on Roll20 with a bit of fiddling.
Also: Mythweavers and RP Online are suitable sites if you want to test textbased gameplay.
In the End the problem is that you'd have a hard time contacting people and advertising with Vassal.
Roll20 or a Forum include tools to make people find your game and establish contact with them.
>>44206894
I agree, there's no real reason to reinvent the wheel if there's plenty of material you can play around with, especially if there's an existing ticket you really like.
>>44207510
I don't know anything about Roll20, but yeah, its a wargame.
Bumping because I'm almost done with a major project and I want to be sure this thread sticks around.
I have been thinking about a Tyranid RPG called "Hunger Without End" where you could play as non-MC synapse creatures...
>>44209036
Then yes, as long as you manage to put up a working module and get players to notice you somewhere else on the internet, Vassal works.
I Just checked Roll 20, it supports gridless gaming, free rotation (at least around the center of an asset) and distance measuring. Also tracking army compositions and rolling dice is no problem.
The only major problem i see is that you are only allowed 100MB of personal art assets as a free user, so you might want to check if that is enough for all the material your game has.
>>44210499
Go on...
>>44210499
Why limit yourself? Sure starting as non-MC is good for starting, but i think the hive mind would (for the sake of game progression, nids most likely don't work like this) be inclined to transfer/mutate successfull synapse creatures in more powerful bodies.
Also I think gameplay might get stale soon as it will be very much just nom everything in sight or retreat and figure out a way to nom it later, so you might want to throw in infiltration missions as genestealer or lictor for example, as they are not hivemind-reliant.
It might be a good idea to have "the Swarm" as a shared "character" and progression base for the whole party and everyone just jumps into a creature that fits the task at hand.
Of course they might jump into thier personal synapse creature each, but death will just weaken the swarm a little and spawn replacement.
It's take about three weeks but here's the first draft of my completed ruleset for generating playable alien species using the One Roll Engine for my sci-fi homebrew.
It's a bit on the long side (19 pages), but that's because I erred on the side of readability with a size 12 font. It's also extremely comprehensive-- it covers everything from how an alien race (called a Xenotype in my game) looks, it's culture and history and of course its natural abilities. And all you need is a handful of d10s.
basically, you can play as:
>Warrior
>Genestealer
>Lictor
I need some more though...
Warrior is your basic guy, armed with a devourer and scything talons, and has the Command ability.
Genestealer is your combat-heavy, armed with 4 Rending Claws that do double damage, starts with the Control ability, so every time you do a challenge and win, you gain control of that character for a short time.
Lictors are your assassin characters, armed with Scything Talons and Chamelonic Skin, he can go stealth as long as enemies don't have line of sight.
>>44212206
>>44212380
Okay i have two things to say:
>1)
Beeing just another grunt in a huge swarm that mainly has no relatable human characteristics or personality will make successful roleplay very bland if you're not careful, and just being in a niche from you chosen subtype of nid makes long-running games hard as every character-type feels very samey.
One of the biggest appeals in RPGs mechanics, at least for me, is having options and small things to tweak. Sure D&D or Shadowrun are whole different slices of meat in this regard, but the both have the room for slightly different feat and spell choices in the same class.
>2)
Maybe you should rescope it a bit, as synapse or hive mind independent only makes a rather short list, even with biomorph stuff.
Actually, playing a bunch of regular Nids in some sort of wild animal-survival scenario (where they are cut of from the hive mind after a large scale loss for example) could make for some classic exploration and adventuring gameplay.
I think a good target are non-MC, but higher then gaunts organisms.
>Warriors
Can be done both in meele and ranged, can even go shrike and scout the skies. I think a suitable Warrior-unique thing might be the ability to control and "inspire" broods of smaller nids. A swarm of Gaunts or Gargoyles could act like a permanent uprgade to the character and will be more effective compared to other synapse creature. You classic Beastmaster archetype with some competence on its own
>Lictors and Genestealers
Both fit the stealth and assasination niches and the idea that jeanstealers are able to do some funny things to other species is quite intresting for scouting missions and even messing up enemy command during a major battle.
When the character evolves enough to become a broodlord, you might want to give options for more psychic or more meele heavy builds.
I would even go so far and give chameleonic skin just outright adaptive camo. You can still be noticed with smell and sound.
cont.
>>44212681
>More Lictor
As Lictors are neither synpse nor do they have an advanced form (as a broodlord could later get his own stealers to command) it would make sense to make them the best solo duelists. They are just made to operate alone, everyone else compensates with numbers to some degree.
>Zoanthropes
Your Nidwizzard. Make a large variety of psychic powers available so both defensive, offensive and supportive builds are a thing to differentiate them. You can't put up a fight, you have smallfry to control but you're not as good as frontline commander as the warrior would be, but your shitton of Waprlightning should make up for that.
>Hive Guard and Tyrantguard
Your tanky and less agile solo characters, for meele and ranged. Of course it bites the fluff to be a Tyrantguard without Tyrant nearby, but a bit of fluffbreaking might just bring more variety to this game.
>Venomtrophe
Another supportive character type, can hold its own in a fight but is at its peak in a team. You might go into more detail and invent new uses for the sporecloud and allow different sets of poison (paralyzing, just outright damage, mindnumbing etc.) to allow for different builds.
Though might be better fitting as an NPC-addon instead of a gaunt swarm or something like that
>Pyrovore
Though a joke in the game, here might be their chance. Also most likely better as NPC-Character upgrade.
>Raveners and Biovores
The other non MCs, but I guess they qualify the same way as the two above
>Final say
Warriors, Zoanthrophes and Genestealers are mostly the ones with the most possible options to make them unique in some way.
I think it might be a better way to limit the "core" character to Synapse only and instead let them build up their personal swarm.
Sure, every player is a Warrior or Zoanthrophe now, but the fact that one might just go for full meele swarm tactics with hornswords, hormagaunts and rippers and a pyrovore to clear out trenches. cont.
>>44212941
Meele Nid might also want some raveners maybe.
Another Warrior does the general ranged combat. A lot of gaunts under his command, anti infantry weapons on himself as well as some biovores for long ranged suppression.
A Zoanthrophe going full ranged anti tank. Any maximum single target kill psychic power, hiveguard to the max.
You might even consider giving MCs later on that take up the spot of multiple smaller units, but just bring a lot of specialisation to the mix.
Dakkawarrior might want a Dakkafex as meatshield and walking cover (or to crush something that surcives his barrage) while Meelewarrior wants a Clawfex with plasma to break a door in that imperial bunker and kill the marines holding it.
Your little swarm is just an extension of your whole character.
Just remembered Zoanthrope isn't an MC, so he's your mage. Every mission, he can roll up an amount of psychic powers equal to his level, but only from the same discipline. So if he chooses summoning discipline, he can only choose summoning powers.
XP will be grouped, with the more enemies you kill the more XP the pool gets. You can use exp to buy new biomorphs. every 30 levels you can choose to Respawn, allowing you to change classes or become a Monstrous Creature. During that time you cannot contribute to the XP pool, but you earn your own XP that is spent on your upgrades. You can revert back to a regular creature at your next level up.
Monstrous Creature level ups:
Warrior->Hive Tyrant
Genestealer->Broodlord
Lictor->Dimaechaeron (Pretty sure I didn't spell that right, but who cares)
Zoanthrope->Maleceptor(Going to try to make him less fail)
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
CRUNCHY
well that wasn't so bad
i'm gonna be running a test for the basic system with a group but hey i did a small solo test and i went from a snorefest in build 2 to a skirmish where a character actually died and was revived in less than 30 minutes and the enemy was slain with a bit of overkill
i might've overdone it with the math though, and i think characters will suffer the dread of missing checks a lot in the early game
what are some simple ways to work around that? give them an early check boost? make an actual and tangible difficulty chart?
What are some cool creative schools of magic?
Not even creative really, just cool. Stuff like fleshweaving and oozemancy.
>>44214660
Golomancy
>>44214660
Pheromancy, the school of controlling pheromones for controlling social checks.
Ongoing metaplots for wargames or 'backdrop' style settings that advance slowly, if ever?
>>44220025
Honestly, both work, so long as they don't stagnate. The best examples for each stagnating are 40k and Warmahordes.
40k, the problem isn't that the plot isn't advancing, the problem is that they keep retreading the same plot points. Its a huge universe, with lots of space to explore, but over the years, Games Workshop has kept reigning it in to a few key points, and that's why it feels stagnate. You can go out, explore new characters and ideas in the same setting, and sometimes they do, coming up with awesome lore pieces like the Ork warboss that went back in time while traveling the Warp and ended up attacking his Waaaagh! before they left, so he can have two of his favorite gun. But generally, GW will stick to the big names over and over again, who are stuck because the setting doesn't advance.
Warmahordes is on the metaplot side, and it shows how you stagnate when you don't actually use the purpose of a metaplot story, at least Mk. II shows it. The writers have fallen so in love with their characters and the plot device, that they can't move from it. This is causing bloat and a lot of new expansions where little is actually happening. People tend to forget that, just because something happens in the story, like a character dying, doesn't mean you can't keep using them in the game. There's already a bit of disconnect when it comes to wargaming, unless you are playing specific scenario ones, like a lot of WWII ones do, so its okay. Most gamers are making up the narrative of their own armies, anyway, so if they don't like a bit in the story, they'll change it themselves for their experience.
Also mind that backdrop settings are the easiest, but the hardest to sell to players in the long run, and if you make it too narrow initially, may have problems expanding later one; while metaplot ones are harder to create, more engaging, but easier to really run into a rut if you are not careful.
>>44210499
I agree with >>44212681, roleplaying hive mind creatures seems dull. Since you're focusing a lot more on just skirmish level combat (hope I used that right) than any type of social or exploring activities, why not make a war game with this idea instead?
>>44214477
Probably hold off on important tasks that require checks early on? No 'roll above 8 or DIE' things.
>>44220025
I think >>44220916 has already explained it quite well, but I personally like the 'official campaigns' method some RPGs have, where the events in the campaigns themselves are canon regardless of what players actually do. That way the narrative keeps moving and there's plenty of opportunities to produce new materials to play with.
>>44220916
I've actually had the idea of including short form fiction, either serialized prose stories or comic books, in the same boxes as the miniatures, to appeal to fluff people and give people an extra reason to buy the newest box. I'm well aware that they'll mostly end up online within a week of shipping out, but I've found that one of the most powerful things a company can harness is the collector instinct.
Like, say we have the story "Betrayal at Pine Reach", a comic book about the Duke of the Astarian Duchy of Cold Pass going over to the Aquilonese side. We break it into five parts; parts 1, 3, and 5 are found in Astarian unit boxes, while parts 2 and 4 are packaged with the Aquilonese units. Completion-minded players will want to get all 5 parts, and might buy the other army's units just for them. At which point they have half an Aquilonese army sitting around next to their Astarian units and decide to splash into Aquileon to add more variety to their games. At which point they realize they have half of a story about Aquileon fighting Shoshkepal, and the cycle starts again.
For players who want to have all the stories but don't want to buy lots of units to do it, we can later on publish a hardcover quality printing of the fluff stories published so far, getting a bit more money out of the same work.
Does this seem like a good idea? Keep in mind, I'm thinking about a game that doesn't have 40k's Codices or X-Wing's extensive background, so this might be the main way fluff gets into the players' hands.
Board game pitting hero against foe. Primarily smaller monsters which should take small effort to beat with larger ones that should be more difficult. What are good examples I can look at? I would like to stay away from 'stats auto determine victory' and have some good luck elements.
>>44221488
>some good luck elements.
What, like...dice?
>>44221052
I'm going to start by putting it on record, I'm not a fan of exploiting the completionist mindset.
That out of the way, the biggest things to look into it is how many of a specific box are player's expected to purchase, and if the player's feel they are getting their money's worth from the purchase.
If you go the route of something like GW games, where players are expected to buy multiples of the same kit, than the inclusion of fluff pieces would be seen as unnecessary. If you want to include the fluff in the kits like that, you'll need to balance your price point and content of each kit to the collector's end, where one box should be enough. Check out Malifaux, where the rules are designed that you will rarely buy more than one of a kit.
The second part is the quality of the story given in a kit. The reason things like monthly comics works is because of how low the investment is; each comic is only $3-5, so the length is understandable for the cost. Model kits are going to be bought for the models, the fluff is icing on the cake. An idea to look out is how back in the 90's, action figures had a trend of being packaged with serials and such. These were pretty fluffy pieces that were mostly action. The best idea is to keep the story in the kits light, enough to make you feel for the piece, but not heavy enough that you feel like you are missing out for not having the other pieces. Its easier to lure people in if you make them want to, not feel like they have to.
I think the best approach would be to go with comics or short stories in the kits similar to ones found in old magazine serials; once that are shallow but well enough written to draw people deeper into the narrative of the setting, and then offer novels that go into the deeper lore and build the world, either separate or bound in rulebooks. This way you can pick up and learn the world without heavy investment, but buying kits digs you deeper into the lore and build it for you.
>>44221660
>>44221052
Was running out of space.
Examples would be, keep world history to the rulebook or side novels, but the story of the Duke included in the kits isn't setting defining (Its not the formation of a nation), but expands the setting (It shows off the differences of the two nations and helps get into the minds of their populations).
>>44221488
Descent, Heroscape, Star Wars: Imperial Assault, anything that gets defined as a 'dungeon crawler' would be a good place to look. Those games are generally players controlling one or two characters, versus one player controlling the monsters.
>>44221660
This is pretty much what I was thinking. The stories published with the kits will basically be about the kits you just bought, whereas the main stuff will probably come in the form of a webcomic or standalone books, and will generally be more of political thrillers, getting you the point of view of national leaders and the other movers and shakers of the setting.
>>44221747
The other benefit is that keeping it light in the kit helps draw in new players. If someone sees your kit and buys it because of the looks, not overwhelming with a lot of story makes it easier for them to become interested and lead to the opportunity of them becoming invested and purchase more.
>>44222072
Exactly what I'm thinking. Besides, if you've just bought a model mech, you probably want to read an awesome action sequence, not some deep political development.
Done a lot of clean-up, changed how morale works, and added some new Kits.
I'm pretty much new to homebrew generals so I have a few things to ask and something to drop in for opinions on a future project.
First thing's first. Is there usually one up somewhere? Judging from the OP I can tell that sometimes there isn't one, but is that an uncommon thing or no? (I'm basing my judgement mostly on the likelihood of a Drawthread existing I suppose.)
Secondly, do any official game devs ever drop in here? I realize they might not always make themselves known, but does anyone know at all?
Thirdly, am I right in assuming this is homebrew for everything, including entire homebrew systems or just homebrew for something within a system?
Lastly, assuming my previous assumption is correct, does anyone have any direct opinion on things to include or remove or changes to make to this for either a tweaked T3ish version of this or an entirely new class with the Final Fantasy Dragoon flavor? (I have a strong preference for early FF Dragoons, however for the sake of making it T3ish I may need to include aspects from newer versions or entirely new aspects)
https://armrstudios.wordpress.com/2014/12/12/new-base-class-sephyrus/I will likely wind up namefagging or even tripfagging eventually, for the sake of several small scale projects as well as a potential large scale project or two and possible QMing in the future.
>>44223392
Not an RPG guy, so can't comment on the actual project, but I can answer the other questions.
>First thing's first. Is there usually one up somewhere? Judging from the OP I can tell that sometimes there isn't one, but is that an uncommon thing or no? (I'm basing my judgement mostly on the likelihood of a Drawthread existing I suppose.)
These threads are slow, so they can die. Though lately, they have been pretty consistently up, even hitting bump limit.
>Secondly, do any official game devs ever drop in here? I realize they might not always make themselves known, but does anyone know at all?
No idea. I do know there's one guy that's gotten to the point where he's selling his homebrew on RPGdrivethrough.
>Thirdly, am I right in assuming this is homebrew for everything, including entire homebrew systems or just homebrew for something within a system?
Yes.
>>44223508
Alrighty, cool. Thanks for the response. I'm a bit mentally exhausted right now considering I was suddenly thrust into a GM slot for one of my games (yeah I volunteered to take over, but it's still sudden) so I'll have to come back later at least with my project details.
Also, oddly enough, your reply neither has the (you) at the end of the link nor did it italicize the thread link in my watcher. Glad I checked regardless.
>>44223354
I'm thinking I need to put the setting up a game section back towards the end. I tend to favor Introduction -> Materials needed to play -> Basics needed to understand the rules -> How the game is played -> How to set up a game once you know how its played when it comes to reading a rulebook.
What do people think?
>>44223585
People can be finicky when it comes to what catches their attention, though, so don't be discouraged if it takes a while for someone to comment on a project.
I'm designing a system with four main classes (Fighter Thief, Mage, Priest), each with 3 skill trees, and you pick-and-choose your own trees from each class to make your own class. (For example, a Paladin would be a fighter that swaps a tree out for a Priest skill tree)
Anyway, I have the skill trees for everyone but the Priest. For the Priest so far I have Invocation (Calling on your god to help allies or harm enemies), Faith (passive bonuses based on your god's domain), but I need one more. Ideas?
>>44225639
Sounds like Legend http://www.ruleofcool.com/
>>44224818
There's no reason not to do as you like with your own game, though if you're worried about it, get some feedback from the players in that future play test session you plan on having.
>>44221035
>Probably hold off on important tasks that require checks early on? No 'roll above 8 or DIE' things.
yeah i'm doing this for starters
i'm avoiding unnecessary checks that stump the progress like things you should already be able to do anyways (such as breaking open a door if you have enough plain vigor or hitting an immobile target at point blank range) and wait for more important checks til the players have more points gained
Anyone have a <20 page PDF they'd like to get looked at?
>>44210804
Hey UnityAnon, did you ever get a chance to read Unknown Armies like I suggested?
>>44229169
I'm looking through it right now actually finally got some time off to work on projects.
>>44152365
Was there any real recent progress made in Together as One or the Digimon RPG?
I never made an RPG before but honestly I kinda just want to see those games get finished and playable. So I'm considering try to build off them or trying my hand a something similar myself.
>>44229679
Found this a few days ago in another thread, I don't know if it's the same one you think about.
>>44229169
I see why you reccomended it! There is a lot. I mean a LOT here that I can use or tweak or play with. Thanks are definitely in order. You are a good man.
I'm trying to put together a pseudo-20's wargame, what are some decent examples to look at?
>>44232254
If you're interested in trench warfare and dieselpunky mecha, I am working on exactly the game for you. Check out the picture for a sense of the looks, and my post here >>44156197 for details. Or just ask questions; I really like talking about this project.
>>44231451
Yeah, the only problem with reading through Unknown Armies is that it will crush many people's desire to actually make a modern horror fantasy game since it's just so darn good.
Greg Stolze is actually currently writing a new edition to it too.
Requesting feedback on my updated (and clarified) Attribute and skill list, presently skills are mix and match (you choose what attribute to tie them to when you use the skill).
Attributes
Might: Raw power, hitting hard and keeping things down
Endurance: raw durability, taking hits and pushing through
Finesse: Precision and timing, hitting weak points and hitting fast
Agility: Positioning and maneuverability, being in the right place at the right time
Knowledge: Numbers and facts, knowing what lord rules where and what berries to eat
Perception: Noticing and using your surrounding, finding hidden passages and sturdy cover
Wits: Conversational flexibility and mental speed, spotting lies and getting answers
Poise: First impressions and visual signals, seeming friendly or imposing or weak or charming at a glance
Basic Skills:
Constitution: Keeping your heart beating and staying healthy
Focus: Not getting distracted and having an eye for detail
Presence: Looking imposing or threatening and commanding others
Will: Pushing on and keeping physical and mental control
Senses: Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting
Nature: Knowing what lives cave or the name of those berries and how to use them for potions
Sincerity: Seeming honest and genuine, telling lies or comforting the grieving
Logic: Putting 2+2 together and turning ideas into plans
1/2
>>44234937
Religion: Knowing who worships who and what tenets other follow
Insight: Spotting lies and guessing a foe's next move
History: Knowing kings and lords and wars and tactics
Mobility: Staying upright when you want and getting where you need
Stealth: Staying unseen in darkness, unheard in silence or unnoticed in crowds
Medicine: Knowing your knots, knives and natural remedies
Arcana: Magical Theory, Language and Marking
Athletics: Running, climbing, swimming and lifting
Reflexes: Knowing when to move and getting gone
Survival: Knowing how to follow tracks, build shelter and not freeze to death
Perform: Putting on a show, getting everyone's attention or passing yourself off as someone else
Animals: Knowing how to command, use and identify animals
Tact: Knowing how to appeal to a merchant or a duke, knowing how to push someone's buttons and how to word your plea to the judge
Streetwise: Knowing what gangs run what towns, where the best beer is and what path to take to get there
Investigation: Getting information, knowing a clue when you see it and knowing what that means
Geography: Knowing what river that is, where it goes, what town it's near and what trade routes go through it
Weapon skills:
Blades: Sword and knives
Axes: Axes and halberds
Blunt: Maxes and hammers
Spears: Spears and lances
Pistols: Handguns and dragonfists
Rifles: Longarms and carbines
Unarmed: Arms and legs
Protection: Shields and armor
Crafting skills:
Smithing: Blades and armor
Woodworking: Staves, stocks and shields
Alchemy: Potions, oils and salves
Cooking: Food, drink and happiness
Mechanics: Firearms, machines and golems
Foraging skills:
Gathering: Gathering plants and identifying herbs
Hunting: Hunting animals and tanning leather
Mining: Mining ores and scraping minerals
>>44230437
Well I be damned, it did get updated. Thanks!
>>44234971
>>44234937
An example of how it's used would be as such like
>Investigation+Perception: Notice a lock has been forced
>Mechanics+Knowledge: It was not forced by mundane means
>History+Knowledge: Remember a society of Thaumaturges who specialize in skullduggery
>Arcane+Knowledge: Remember a spell that can be used to break locks (Airburst)
>Streetwise+Wits: Chat up your source to find out of they've been working in the area.
It's meant to be rather flexible, so you not necessarily need a specific combination of Skill+Attribute to solve any one problem
>>44234971
Refresh me on how the skills will be used, the idea is to have each PC have a few skills that they can use, and they would complement each others' skills, right? Do you roll to see if you succeed in using the skill? If so, a chain of checks like in >>44235787 might get tedious.
Mix and matching skills might become problematic depending on how loose the GM allows the skills to associate with attributes that they are not typically paired with. For example, would you allow a player to test Investigation using Endurance (fighting through a snowstorm looking for a clue), or Religion using Might (recognizing a habit the opponent gained through religious activities by how heavy his attacks are during combat). It could be interesting, but arguments between player and GM might be frequent.
>>44235870
Yes, the example there is (presumably) each different player contributing towards the challenge.
Right now I'm going with each challenge has a Difficulty Rank (that may vary based on how you're approaching it, at DM's discretion) that serves as a penalty (or bonus) to your Total Score, if your Score is 10 or more, you don't have to roll, otherwise you need to Test (Skill+Attribute, roll under on d10).
Right now it's gives a narrow range of numbers, so I may consider moving to 2d10 for Skill Checks.
And I decided in the final book I'm goin to give some guidelines and example of Each Skill+Attribute a la Traveller.
>>44235870
And regarding DM and player disagreements, I'm going to emphasize that DM's should reward players for clever ideas like the example you gave, and to save the antagonistic role for the enemies, not the DM. The DM's goal is to help guide the party to success while making the story interesting and full of twists, not to bash them against a skill gate until they bust it down.
5e Kenku I'm working on.
>>44232254
There's plenty of WWI wargames out there. I don't know much about them, since I've never been into historical gaming, but here's a list from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_miniature_wargames#World_War_I
I wonder if Wizard Battle could be spliced into a bigger system in any way.
It's a simple board game for two players that takes place on a 5x5 grid, with each spot given a number, typically 1-3 and symmetrical. On each player's turn, they move equal to the square they're standing on and adjust another square up or down a number, but they can't adjust the square they're on, square they're moving to, or the square other player is on. A player loses when they can't move.
>>44238838
That seems pretty interesting but I'm guessing you can move a space of 1 down to zero, right? Because otherwise I don't see how the game would ever end.
>>44238875
High numbers. You can't move out of bounds or onto the other player's space.
>>44239084
So you can only move in straight lines then?
>>44239182
This is the original thread.
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/8941465/
More of a question than any particular help with homebrewing, but I was curious if there was any retroclone or other fantasy dungeon-crawler that was using a classless system and wasn't GURPS.
I've got an idea in mind, where there's a small handful of playable races, each with their own variants on fighting, skills, and magicor psionics, expressed as talents. Theoretically, these talents are the equivalent of classes, giving proficiencies and abilities, while also offering minor discounts on buying some of the other abilities and skills. Stuff like a fighting talent offering discounted combat ability, or magic talents making magic much cheaper to buy.
My biggest hurdle is trying to come up with approximate values for each purchasable value, as well as about how much experience I'd shoot for at the end of an average character's lifespan, to try and determine what sort of breakdown needs to happen. Something where the vast majority of characters will end their careers, and thus can be used as the balancing point.
>>44240526
I don't know any systems, but when it comes to pricing things, its going to be a lot of trial and error. If you don't have a frame of reference already built, the only things you can rely on is what scale you are looking at for costs, and relation between the things themselves. If you are working in a scale of 20 levels, getting 1 point to spend per level, things need to be low, and if you have, say, night-vision as a 1 point skill, a heat-vision that would let you see things in the dark and behind cover can't also be 1 point.
I tend to make a baseline example first, work with how much of the scale I want it to take up, and work from there. If I want a guy that will hit the average on a 50% and be wounded on a 50%, and I want it to be 1/5 of the scale, I go "Okay, I want to 100 points as the scale, so I have enough room in point values, so I don't feel trapped. That means this guy that is the average is going to be 20 points. Any one that improves on it without a significant downside must cost 21+ points."
So the best place to start is to look and ask "What do I want the scale to be?", which in your case is the end career. And then work backwards from there.
>>44238838
Probably doable, but unless it becomes the focus due to the amount of concentration needed to play through a session, or if it's a slower moving version where turns can last a while as players do other things, it probably wouldn't do well in a randomly defined situation.
>>44239620
Not to be dismissive of your idea, but have you checked for a system someone already made that's similar in concept? That way you can either just play using that system, or improve it based off of that and you'd need to do less work.
>>44194713
Keep doing this boxes thing, I'm really fucking interested. I thought it was dumb at first, but I'm seeing some interesting application in special abilities giving special kinds of boxes that trigger under certain conditions.
Bumping with the latest version. Took some advice in another thread, and now have it that all modifiers to the resolution system are applied only to the attack dice. Should make the math part simpler.
>>44244297
>I thought it was dumb at first
At least you're honest...
Right now I've written up some maneuvers like
>Launcher
>Straight Vertical Line up middle column, bottom middle must hit
>Increase Damage on next attack, Initiative does not shift on a partial block
>Sweep The Legs
>Straight Horizontal Lone across the bottom, both corners must hit
>target can not Void next turn
And then I'm working on various weapon effects like
>Unarmed
>-1 Strike Squares, count overlapped squares at +1
>Successful Thrusts deal 1/2 normal damage instead of bonus damage
>Kite Shield
>+1 square to Block (must be connected)
>Void becomes 2x2
>Tower Shield
>Block becomes 2x3
>Void becomes 1x3 (must touch edge)
Thoughts so far? Some things I need to keep in mind are that increase an attack profile to 4 may make it more difficult to block all the squares in an attack, but easier to block at least 1-2 and get damage reduction
Also: allowing attacks to be unconnected allows for certain attacks to not be completely blockable, but again, it becomes easier to catch at least some.
Since the defense mechanic works on counting what IS blocked, and mostly ignoring what ISN'T blocked, for purposes of damage calculation, smaller attack profiles actually become more desirable, unless they automatically count one squares as blocked.
On the other hand, separating out blocking squares but leaving the same total number just gives slightly better chances of damage negation.
It's pretty interesting to play around with
So in my game I pretty much took Pathfinder and made some modifications. One of the two classes I built up myself is a Chronomancer, pretty much a time/space mage.
I'm trying to think up some feats that are Chronomancer specific but I've only been able to come up with two so far (one where the chronomancer gains a small haste effect when struck in melee and another where duration spells have a longer duration).
Anyone have any ideas?
Would you rather have more "unique" weapons that do special things that you have to earn
or a system where all weapons have a secondary shot/style/ability unique to that kind of weapon
>>44249265
So BB Trick Weapons vs DS3 Weapon Arts?
I like variety personally, as I want to be able to use whatever weapon I feel personally suits that character, so a wide array of weapons with different secondaries sounds more appealing, it let's there be a difference between say, a saber and a scimitar, though it depends on how you do them.
My biggest issue presently is Weapons, I started with a Build Your Own system with Affinities based on what the weapons good at, but I may go back and codify some specific weapons and work backwards from there, as the math for my system took a rather sharp turn.
>>44249622
>>44249570
I wanted a distinction between Physical Charisma (poise) and mental charisma (Wit), I really need to find a new word for that, as it is understandably confusing. I kept Agility and Finesse separate as Finesse is what most weapons key off of and if it also applied to Dodging then it kind of becomes a SUPER STAT. All checks are Skill+Stat simply to save myself a lot of problems with balance down the line.
It's Skill+Stat Roll under.
Maybe I'll incorporate Mobility into Athletics? I'm not sure about that though.
The system is basically Georgian/Napolianic/Colonial Era Fantasy about a group of companions going on adventures and growing together as a team. It has Fantasy races and some magic (mostly low-key stuff), guns, adventure and friendship. The name All Around the Fireside kind of captures it, it's a last grab at the fleeting age of adventure, shared by a group of friends, rather than mercs who hardly know each other.
Any suggestions for an alternatey skill system?
>>44249891
>mental charisma (Wit), I really need to find a new word for that
How about Charm?
Working on my own JoJo system, having fun
>>44249622
Also, I do not have everything all typed up in a cohesive document as of yet. So unfortunately I can't send anything.
>>44250000
Does use of each power require the players to stand up and actually do the pose?
>>44250068
Probably for the more powerful abilities.
They will do real poses whether they like it or not
Just started on making a Terra Formars system, friends are pretty excited to play it
>>44250354
I do have a mechanic similar to that, but that's a really good idea the same, I'll see what I can do with it.
>>44250084
I'll throw what I have in a text file and get it to you either after work today or tomorrow. In the mean time I'll toy around with trying out your suggestions.
>>44252249
Alright.
Aside from conventional cannon based artillery and Katyusha style rocket barrages, what artillery types should my dieselpunky mecha game have?
>>44252466
Poison rounds are things I should add, I forgot to mention I have smoke. Not sure what I think about the wire torpedo.
AA guns aren't an issue because the scale of the game is so small that planes would basically be treated as artillery, but also because this setting features no fixed wing aircraft, only lighter than air zeppelin-like things known as Skyships. And Skyship combat will be treated in an entire separate, naval style game.
I really like the idea of Chain Shot though; that hits straight at my love for all things in the era of wooden ships and iron men.
>>44253496
Time-fused shrapnel shells actually take the place of grapeshot at this period. They airbust, spreading lead balls in a wide cone beneath the detonation point, which is better than grapeshot because you can control the spread by varying height of detonation and because they can be fired from an offsite cannon rather than direct-fire at close range.
And yeah, it is a wargame.
>>44252588
Is there a link to the google folder containing all these files? Just for ease on mobile.
Also, damn you, you've bought back my urge to revive that game I started planning five years ago.
>>44253671
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwBWo5FzN-KvfmdER2RVRnlpR0l4cjhjdGF4OEhiQ0NibU9Oa1JEUVFhVnhrZ2YySDJHRTQ
Here you go. Comments are enabled on everything, so put your thoughts in there.
That goes for anyone else interested.
>>44253726
Thanks very much!
>>44223392
>QMing in the future
*high pitched hissing noises*
Hah, welcome to /hbg/, regardless. Always nice to see new blood. Honestly, the biggest publishers I know of post on the pathfinder threads (the dreamscarred press guys). I know a certain ~2nd tier dev does browse here and occasionally provide critique, but he'd gut me if I said much more. Not 3.pathfinder/DnD, WoD or Steve Jackson for sure though.
>>44253744
Currently I'm working on artillery, which will be interesting because you'll buy two separate things; your Battery, listing the guns you have available, and your Table of Ordinance, listing what varieties of shells you have. So if you've decided airburst fragmentation shells are useless, you don't have to buy them.
>>44252377
Have I mentioned grappling hooks? Love me some projectile, piercing grappling hooks.
>>44253756
In case you're curious, just worked out the rules for Airburst Fragmentation Shells. When you fire them, you'll choose High, Low, or Medium detonation. High detonations have low damage but enormous radius and low detonations have high damage and a small radius, while medium of course falls in between. This represents the fact that you can time the shells' fuses to control how dense or spread out the cone of shrapnel is when it hits the enemy.
>>44254105
Not good for artillery but I should totally mount those on one mech or another.
>>44254850
Actually, this is offsite artillery, so it's a gun-captain doing the same through his spyglass, then barking orders to the gunners.
>"Elevation forty two degrees, range one thousand yards, cut fuses for seven seconds. Prime Charge! Secure Charge! Fire!"
>>44254920
That is pretty badass
>>44249265
I think it depends on the tone of your game. Is collecting and mastering unique weapons a focus, with each weapon being wielded in a different way even if they are the same type? If so the former would be interesting. Otherwise the latter would suit most games that have a focus on mastering types of weapons instead of specific ones, and probably more feasible too.
>>44250085
Good man.
>>44250213
I've been meaning to ask, but why not just comment on stuff here? Sure, there's usually more half-formed ideas than full ones, but atleast people can chip in, or atleast glean some new knowledge from your conversation.
>>44252377
I just recently read about fire balloons, maybe something similar to that? Could either serve as actual bombardment, or deter people from firing artillery in order to not make them explode.
>>44250184
I know nothing about the Savage Worlds skirmish game.
Honestly, Warhammer is all momentum, it is not a good ruleset; Fantasy, Age of Sigmar, or 40k. Their systems are either clunky and weighed down, or in the case of AoS, lacking basics that make the game run smoothly.
The problem with the idea of activating X models a turn is that you have to balance it with the economy of actions in mind. Its a hard counter to the general rule, which is more things doing things is better. It forces quality to the front, instead of quantity. This is not bad, but if not handled properly, it can cause problems. Heroclix is a good example, since the limit on activations can be too tight, it tilts to quality too much. The idea of swarming a powerhouse with fodder is non-existent, since you can't afford to activate enough mooks to equal the power the single powerhouse puts out. Its like Superman versus a horde of zombies, even though Superman is wasting activations by being by himself, he's so strong and tough that the limited number of of zombies that can do anything can't hurt him.
>>44257223
Sometimes the 2000 characters limit can be too tight it get your feedback across.
>>44257900
How about just posting a PDF with the feedback in it then?
Practicallly no word limit there.
>>44261535
That would work.
>>44253726
Just wanted to let you know about a blog site I learned about that covers wargame development. It has 60 some articles on the subject, so might be a good read. Its Delta Vector on Blogspot. I'm currently reading through them myself.
I've been working on an asymmetrical board game about aliens invading earth. Each player controls certain regions, and the alien faction controlled by one other player try to take control of them. It's thematically somewhat grim, but not meant to be realistic; mechs are a possible thing for example. It isn't necessarily a co-op since single winner conditions exist, but working together is advantageous.
I initially had an upgrade system for the humans, they spend resources that they collect from their controlled regions, then they can "research" combat strategies, stronger units etc. But I've been thinking, and the system I have seems rather dull. It works, but the extra rules for upgrading doesn't really feel that necessary, like an extra thing thrown in to make upgrades work. The aliens have a similar thing of spending resources to upgrade something, which feels just as unnecessary, especially since they have a method for upgrading themselves that ties in very well with their desire to expand their control, so I can just meld it in with that.
An idea I thought up was to tie in upgrades to the objective cards. The objective cards not only determine the winning conditions, but also trigger the end game. I can have a card break down to 3 - 5 segments, and working towards an objective gives thematically appropriate upgrades according to the objective itself.
My only problem with doing away with upgrades is that resources would be somewhat redundant, since there'd be nothing to spend them on other than buying units. I could do away with resources altogether, but that would remove the "aliens produces units faster than humans" aspect, which I'd really like to keep.
Any thoughts or suggestions on how I should handle upgrades and resources? Something that I can preferably focus on as a differentiating aspect for the human faction. Or maybe any ideas unrelated to those two things?
>>44265624
Have you seen how Civilization the board game does research? Might give you some ideas.
I'm using a Traits system which encompasses the things players know or can do and allows them to progress in that trait via roleplaying and usage
I think I'm not missing any trait now but the final number for traits is now a whooping 50 - did i overdo it?
players are supposed to know up to 8 traits (4 combat, and 4 utility/social) and out of those 50, 35 are combat knowledge traits and 15 are utility traits
Also I realized i didn't think of ways to make traits grow rather than "if the GM sees they're doing it and they're doing it right, he should award a point to that player's trait" and that's exactly what I want but it seems kind of... loose? vague? I'll see how it goes in the next test but i think i'm basing my system in a rather abstract point distribution system that makes stat grows whenever the GM feels like it
>>44267340
That is a lot. You might want to consider cutting down on the combat traits. 15 for utility isn't that bad, though.
I need a system to show the effects of damage. I'm thinking penalties the less health a model has, but should it be for every set amount of damage, or based on the model's total health?
Let's say, for set amount, you get a penalty for every 3 points of damage on the model. This would mean that models that can take more damage than others would become less effective as time went on. This could be seen as a trade-off for durability.
The other system would end up being something like a penalty every 25% of the health of the model lost. This would be a little bit more fair, since every model is affected the same way, but it could also mean that models with less health would be more susceptible to penalties than tougher models, making the value weight of durability of a model higher.
>>44268080
I merged some together and cut a few and i got...
40 traits now
wew lad
I hate to be the type that dumps a long list but I could use an outside remark
Pistols
Rifles
Heavy Guns
Crossbows
Bows
Fists
Knives
Throwing Weapons
Swords
Axes
Hammers and Maces
Great Weapons
Massive Weapons
Polearms
Magnetic Weapons
Catalysts
Tomes
Cards
Kinetic Magick (Movement)
Elemental Magick (Creation, Destruction)
Hermetic Magick (Modification)
Prophetic Magick (Divination, Perception, Deception)
Geomancy
Faith/Concentration
Pathfinding
Art
Survivability
Looting
Stealth
Charisma
Barter
Lore
Mounting/Piloting
Weapon Crafting
Armor Crafting
Tech Crafting
Enchanting
Spellcrafting
Alchemy
Cooking
Do any of these look remarkably out of place, or any that could be crammed into another one? Maybe a knowledge or combat trait that I should add?
I considered merging pathfinding, survivability, looting and cooking into "Resourcefulness" but I think that's just gonna end up being one of those must-have abilities that every single character will use and that shit don't fly
>>44269865
The ones I can see are combining Pistols and Rifles into Small Guns, Fists and Knives into Martials, and I'm not sure the difference between Great and Massive weapons. But those are really necessary. I think you've got it as down as you can go without starting to drift into too generic territory.
>>44270082
the reason pistols and rifles are separated is because pistols have some mechanics that i can't apply to rifles, like being able to dual-wield pistols in a single slot, some unique passives and some other abilities
same case with knives and fists, there are certain passives and mechanics that i can't apply to both at the same time, although the sound of "martial" weapons can be a pretty good concept to apply
great weapons are your conventional greatswords, warhammers, battle axes, etc while massive weapons are unrealistically big weapons that can only be wielded after a certain Vigor threshold and only exist because of the reduced gravity of skyresh - not absolutely gigantic, but big enough to warrant its own category
>>44270643
Then I'd keep them separate. I think that's as low as the list is going to go without just cutting things out.
>>44269865
I would suggest combining great weapons with pole arms, unless there is a functional difference. I don't know much about your system so detailed suggestions are kind of beyond me.
I've been toying with this system for a while, but I can't seem to break out of the DnD str/dex/con/int/wis/cha stat spread.
So what are some of the stat types you've seen, and which ones do you prefer or think work better? Do you prefer a large amount of base stats like in Machine Heart, or do you like a smaller pool of stats that determines the numbers for other stats like in DnD or FFG Star Wars?
>>44272047
I personally do
Might
Endurance
Finesse
Agility
Knowledge
Perception
Wit
Poise
Or MEFAKPeWPo
I basically asked myself "What do I want players to feel is important to the core of their character and technically I ended up with a Skill list, but then I asked myself what kind of Skills are immutable between characters, what do most characters need at least some of?
>>44267181
No ideas yet, but the tech pyramid concept is certainly interesting, I like how you can pick and choose which tech to research. I also like how Trade and Production are separated, maybe I can use that to separate military and research, something like gain resource, immediately distribute them. I do want resource scarcity in the game though since I want to have that sense of desperation when face with an overwhelming force with limited capabilities, but I wonder if there's another way to portray that.
>>44269799
The former seems preferable due that 'trade-off for durability' thing. If the model has specific parts others can target, maybe deteriorate those instead? Alternatively, assuming this is for Hellsgate, have a deterioration gauge where the model progressively turns into a member of the enemy faction? Then the player has to relinquish control of it to the other player. It'd be different from health though, and I'm not sure if you actually had the whole turning into demon thing in the lore, if not then my bad.
>>44269865
40 seems fine, especially since players aren't supposed to know all of them anyway.
>>44274611
Resource deck? Expanding your control means more draws, but its still limited by what you draw.
I haven't fleshed out demonic corruption. I have hybrids in the game, but I'm thinking its going to be something that takes extensive rituals, since they are rare.
The health system has been such a pain for me. Can't really get something that I'm happy with. Something that feels like it has an impact, but doesn't take excessive book-keeping.
>>44275679
Hmm, a resource deck would be pretty interesting. Each region could add certain cards into the player's deck, and drawing cards means removing them from play. There could be an action where players add a number of cards equal to their regions back into a discard pile. If the deck is depleted, then they wouldn't be able to gain any resources anymore, unless a discard pile is available, which would be shuffled to make a new deck. If they lose control over a region, they'd have to take all their cards and remove the region specific cards before forming a new deck. As the player loses regions, reforming the deck becomes harder and harder as well. Other players could help by spending an action to move a card or two into the discard pile.
My concerns are if building a resource deck would make too similar to the alien faction, which would remove the asymmetrical aspect of the game (but ultimately I don't mind doing), and if the system is too heavy in addition to all the others. Otherwise, I like it, it ties in really well with the other mechanics, and any scarcity would be due to the players mismanagement instead of the game itself. I think I might use the upgrade system from before as well since I like how it could potentially influence how a player plays.
Now I think the human faction would certainly have a good bit to do, while still being relatively manageable. The mechanics are also less disconnected too, which would make the rules "click" into place easier. Thanks for the help.
>>44276359
>>44275679
>health system
If it needs impact, then it'd have to be something that happens quick and dirty, and changes how you play using a model as soon as it happens. If you can't figure something out mechanically try doing it thematically; what would happen to this model when it's dying? What do you want the player to feel when their model is deteriorating? Despair? Encouraged? Fear?
Personally I think demonic corruption into an AI controlled 3rd party or persuading a model to switch sides in the middle of battle would be an interesting gimmick, something like 'as the body grows weaker, the mind is easier swayed'. Otherwise, there's criticals the way X-Wing/Armada does it, which is randomized effects for a certain amount of damage at once. Or there's the wounds system of Kingdom Death, where you roll on a table each time you gain a wound, and at a certain amount the model dies.
>>44152365
Glad to see that this is still alive. First off:
I'm making a homebrew that uses Infinity's AP system and uses an Awareness system that determines who you can shoot at. It's a skirmish game, good for 3-15 models each. I'll be outlining what's the game's main features.
>Awareness
Models may only fire at models which are in their line of sight. Models which can be shot at gain an Awareness token, which is immediately lost when they are out of a model's line of sight. Models can hide in unlit places, unless a unit has night vision goggles or an item that let's them see in the darkness. In darkness, a model can only see another model within 12".
>Action Pool
Taking the idea from Infinity, the AP is determined by the number of units x2. Both players alternate in which models to "activate". Some models may make "free" Actions. When both players have exhausted their Pool, or decline to do further actions, the round ends and a new round occurs.
Now, I would like some help towards how to balance both forces. While points sounded like a good idea, I have found them too clunky and tiring to use. So, I'd like to bounce off you guys a few ideas.
>Model Slots
A model has a number of slots, which you can equip grenades, night vision, flashlights, etc. A model's weapon does not take up a slot. However, back-up weapons may take up a slot.
>Team Slots
Both players agree on a number of slots for models, in increments of 3. Different models occupy different slots. A street policeman may occupy only one slot, and a trained trooper may take up three.
>Random
Before a game, roll for the mission, forces and equipment.
I'm still making a .pdf, don't worry.
>>44276359
An idea is kind of like how the Necromancer works in Small World, where its gameplay is more momentum than the humans. Where humans are going to diversify their resources, aliens capture territories to generate more.
Idea: The alien deck uses one resource, with each card giving a number of them, the more territory they control, the more they can draw. It causes the humans to have to prioritize fighting among themselves to capture the territories they need versus stopping the aliens from snowballing.
>>44276404
I currently have it that right now, if you take damage that would take you below half your wounds or take damage when you are under half, you must take a morale test.
That might be enough, really. I started second guessing myself after reading some articles on game design. While he's right about a LOT of stuff in them, there was some stuff I didn't agree with. I think this might be one of them, simplicity takes the lead over realism.
>>44276880
>Now, I would like some help towards how to balance both forces. While points sounded like a good idea, I have found them too clunky and tiring to use. So, I'd like to bounce off you guys a few ideas.
Take a look at Wrath of Kings. They use a system where each force uses the same compositions, and models can use up more than one slot, depending on their power.
For example, a Skirmish level game, each player can take 3x Rank 1 Leaders, 18x Rank 1 Infantry, 2x Rank 1 Specialists, and 2 choices from either another Rank 1 Specialist or 3x Rank 1 Infantry, and Rank 2's count as two Rank 1.
>>44277350
That's somewhat similar to what I already have for the aliens. Basically while the humans focus on resource management and play using actions, the aliens are about deckbuilding and performs actions depending on their cards. Conquering regions let them add cards to their deck, and they can see which region gives what cards too, which helps decide goals for the alien player.
That's actually really nice and fitting with the theme of the game, I don't think extra penalties or the like would be necessary, having your troops run away in a critical fight can already be plenty entertaining.
And I partially agree with you, whether or not to go for simplicity over realism or vice versa really depends on what you want your system to do. The intent behind the creation of the game is super important, and should be reflected in as much of the mechanics as they can. An example would be comparing Civilization the board game and Between Two Cities. The former intends to create a game about building a civilization unique to the player, and it's reflected by the winning conditions, the tech pyramid, as well as other various mechanics. Between Two Cities is about building cities with the other players, and thus focuses more on negotiation and keeps the city building mechanics simple, while maintaining a certain amount of strategy, due to how only the player's lowest scoring city is counted..
>>44276880
Team slots seem nice and simple, model slots might get tedious with the taking in and taking out of equipment, plus there's the situation of someone not having enough equipment to fill slots vs someone with completely filled slots. Random would be nice as a separate module, not as a main thing.
If you're familiar with DoTA there's the counterpicking and locking thing they have for tournaments. Have a pool of units, take turns picking them and locking some out and stuff. Might need a large pool to be doable though.
>>44278599
Yeah, that would be another good way to differentiate the two forces. The biggest challenge is going to be making the aliens able to handle multiple players without being over-powered. I think quicker gameplay mechanics like deck-building and such would work.
I really feel board games are one of the best things to study for game design, no matter what genre you are working in. Most of the best games can get across the feel of the theme with nothing more than the rules and wooden blocks. The diversity of rules out there offers so many new ideas and points of view, anyone working on designing games would benefit greatly from studying even just the games on popular top 10 board game lists.
>>44269799
I have an idea that's more or less a combination of those two.
Models have their health bar and thresholds which when crossed takes penalties.
This way you have a lot of potential to make a models toughness different. The number of boxes, where the thresholds are, how many.
If you fill in wounds from the left, the more right a threshold is the more tough the unit is because it can take a little more damage before it feels the wear and tear - even compared to another model with the same number of boxes.
How the thresholds are placed is the core of this idea. Toughness could/should take of the rightmost while the leftmost could fall to armor. The middle, assuming only 3, could be be training/upgrades/talents/whatchacallit.
Thresholds should probably move independently to avoid adding more power to each.
Placement could be some like
"Armor-threshold is placed after a number of boxes equal to armor." while
"Training threshold is placed in the middle and is moved one box right for each upgrade."
Toughness threshold is the weirdest to word if you want to use the right side as the reference point, but it is doable.
Remember a rule ala "If a threshold would cross or be the same place as another threshold, they stay separated with one box between them."
Picture is an example of how to do it on the model sheet. Just some preprinted boxes (in black) and the wounds and thresholds are done manually (in red).
>>44278599
How would you handle unit loads and stuff? Trust me, I'm pretty cockblocked for ideas.
>>44278761
I agree, one reviewer said it best I think, 'each box is a bundle of ideas delivered straight from the designer into your hands, losing nothing in the process'.
>>44279465
Oh, were model slots supposed to be used together with team slots? I thought they were mutually exclusive, and the model slots determined balancing and stuff. If so, it seems fine for determining model equipment, though keeping track of items on each model could get tedious if the amount of items aren't kept in check.
>>44279570
They are separate from each other. I was thinking of adding weapon slots, but it'd seem like it could be rolled in with the model slots. My issues are force-building, items, combat modifiers, and pdf. layout. I would appreciate it if other anons would help.
So, I have Skill up for review (again) and I have an idea I cripped from partially from Unknown Armies.
Basically the idea is that you roll a d10 and try to get under a certain number, in this case X, but the maximum effect of the roll is limited by another number, in this case Y. You want as high of a number as you can get, while still being under X, however you can only gain the effects of it up to Y.
So if your X is 7 and your Y is 5, you'll want to roll 1d10 and try to get under 7, but the maximum Effect will only ever be 5. So if you roll a 1-4, it will count as that number, but 5-6 counts as 5. 7+ is considered a failure.
The issue however, is I can't decide if X should represent Skill or an Attribute? And vice versa? X obviously needs to be the generally higher number, but I can't decide if it's more intuitive to have Skill limited by Attritbutes, or Attributes limited by skill?
In either case I am still going to go for Mix-and-Match skill and Attribute pairings.
I'm thinking about a rolling system inspired by mahjong.
Players have 7d6 in front of them. When they make a roll, they reroll up to as many dice as their ability value plus an additional one(their "draw"). Ability values beyond 8 give them extra rolls and they pick which results to use. Ability power is number of dice rolled minus how far they are from completing the hand. When the hand is completed, the ability that triggered it gets some kind of bonus(+extras for each triplet in it) and the hand is completely rerolled next time.
Now here's where it gets weird. When you choose a die to reroll and discard a die at the end of your turn to bring you back down to 7, those values can be picked up by anyone who is in tenpai with a wait on it. Stealing a reroll will provoke a counter action against the ability it was rolled for, and stealing a discard powers up their next action. Though this is just a deterrent and not a trap if they can see your dice.
plz /tg/ help me and my senpai balance and improve this.
>>44283680
I really can't get a handle on what kind of game this is supposed to be and what kind of tone it sets. It has a LOT of good ideas, but some of them seem odd for a war game and some odd for an RPG, so I'm assuming your goal is a Skirmish Game with carry over players? Some of the Personas seem really shitty compared to others, but there doesn't seem to be rules for deciding what ones you get, or any type of point system. Also, Prostitute Persona seems kind of... Out of place. I like the idea of Skills being things you get based on your Loadout as well as your class.
All in all there are some neat ideas, but it's all VERY scrambled.
>>44283407
Since it's Mix-and-Match, Skill limited by Attributes would make the players choose to try and trigger Attributes that are the highest (or is it you want rolls to be lower the better?), while Attributes limited by Skill would have them trying to trigger the higher numbered skills.
Testing Attributes limited by Skill seems intuitive(?) I think, since it follows that a person would be limited by their training in a particular skill. So a test would go "You need to climb a tree. Test Endurance", then players would choose skills to complete the test. Would make an interesting motivation to roleplay weird combinations of skill and attributes.
>>44283612
I think it's nice. One thing about stealing dice though is mahjong is competitive, and thus a steal bringing negative effects to the stolen(?) is logical. Unless the stealing is limited to GM vs player, there isn't much merit in stealing another player's dice and messing up their plans other than being a dick.
There's the matter of what this system is used for too. It can't replace the usual roll-under/over for tests, since rolling until you get a hand would take some time. If they trigger actions during combat, combat would be really slow, though you could make it go faster if you have everyone madly rolling dice quickly to get a hand, and stopping only when someone declares an attack or a steal, ala Space Cadets: Dice Duels or Escape from the Temple (these might not be their names, I'm getting pretty sleepy).
>>44283680
I'll look through it later in the morning, would be interesting to see how others try and interpret gunpla battles into tabletop games.
>>44284006
>or is rolling lower better?
Basically you want to roll as high as you can, while still under a certain threshold.
>Attribute limited by skill
See the other way seems intuitive to me, that your Skill is limited by your natural capabilities. I may practice a lot to be an artist, but unless I can get my hand to do what I want it to, I won't be very good.
But at the same time I can easily see where you're coming from. And thus the source of the issue.
>>44284154
I honestly can't think of a situation where you can get to a certain level of skill without being capable of doing it as well. A black belt in karate would most certainly have the body of a black belt to match it, and a gold medalist archer would certainly have had the experience to match his title. You could have the knowledge to do something in an highly skillful way, but knowledge isn't exactly skill, just theory.
Though if you want you could just allow both and let them test either Attributes and Skills. Climbing over a wall could be "You start climbing the wall, test Climbing." and the subsequent landing be "You jump down, but the wall is pretty high. Test Endurance".
>>44284371
Thats a fair point, Attribute limited by Skill, you can usually rely on your base Attributes to get you through, but you wont get very far without a Skill to match.
Though, the alternative I could say, "To climb the wall you'll need to test Athletics no matter what, but are you going to Parkour Spider Climb(Agility), rely on your upper body strength to drag yourself up (Might) or keep going until you are over the wall one way or the other (endurance)?" And it reflects the fact that being skilled means you aren't likely to fail at a task, but your attribute decides the magnetude of your success.
See why I'm having such a problem with this?
I could do that the other way as well, but it'd be weird to give them a Limiter and the they choose the Point of Failure.
>>44285756
I think the best way to approach this is to let the GM choose X, and the players choose Y. If one is an Attribute, the other must be Skill, and vice versa. If you want you can also lock some skills or attributes out during a test, to show that you can't do certain things during a particular traits.
The problem with this though is what to do when Y is higher than X. Automatic pass given good roleplay? Or lock out any Y higher than X?
Do wait for opinions from other anons too, maybe they'll have a fresh take on the idea.
>>44287349
I'd like as many different opinions on the matter as possible. I like the idea of GM chooses X, Players chose Y though, I feel it helps cultivate a health DM/Player relationship by letting both of them be involved while not letting things get out of hand in favor of the DM or the Player.
The issue of Y being higher than X isn't as much of an issue, as all Y does is limit how much Effect you get from your roll, if you have to Roll under 7(X), it doesn't matter if Y is 7 or 23, because in order to pass, they still need under 7, but the magnitude of their success is now only limited by their X.
If that makes sense?
I'm thinking of how to graph my current combat mechanics to work with this, as presently its 1d10+Att+Skill vs either a Static Defense (Blocking) or an Active Defense (Parrying). I could have Blocking adjust values downwards (a penalty to X and Y) OR require a minimum number needed (instead of Y as a limiter, Z as a minimum) OR simply be a number subtracted from the Effect, while Parrying would be rolled for and it's Effect subtracted from the attacker's.
Also, I have some Character Bond ideas if anyone would like to see them.
>>44284006
I imagine this mahjong system being used for action games. Small enemies would use a simpler system, but every roll counts as a reroll for the purpose of performing steals from them. Also, here is an example of a roll:
Person makes their first attack in a scene. They don't have a hand yet, so they roll their full 8d6. Result: 1,3,6,4,4,4,5,1
From this hand, we already see a (triplet of 4) and a pair(of 1). He can discard the 3 or 6, but both give him the same wait(for another 4). The resulting hand is in tenpai(1 from completion). That means this attack is 8(rolls) - 1(steps from completion)=+7 power.
In situations where you can choose your wait, you'll want to look at the numbers the opposition will want to discard the most. For example, if a boss needed to discard a 4 to have the highest chance of completing their hand, the above example would be a strong defense against them. Discarding that 4 will have consequences, especially since the above hand has a triplet, so the boss will consider rearranging their hand to use that 4 instead of discarding it. This is where having access to high ability scores comes in handy: it lets you more easily remake yourself to evade the defenses of your enemies. It is possible, however, for somebody to have no safe numbers when against multiple people. This is a good thing. After all, what is the fun in big counter attacks if you can never use them?
tfw It doesn't work
>>44289466
Hit a snag?
>>44287738
Fuck it I'll post it anyway.
Bonds:
Chosen on player to player basis, Player A might have bond X with Player B, but Bond Y with Player C
Likewise, player B might have Bond X with Player A, but Player C might have Bond Z with Player A.
Decide on Bonds with each Companion but one, that Companion instead becomes your Rival. That Companion does not need to select you as a Rival, and may in fact chose you to be a friend, this giving the pair a very one-sided relationship.
Bonds include:
Idol
Like a Brother/Sister
Battle Brother/Sister
Protector
Guide
Teacher
Student
Like a Son/Daughter
Sibling Rivalry*
Friendly Rivalry*
Like a Father/Mother
Overwatch
Faithful Companion
Lover
Soul Mates
Leader
Favored Pupal
Rivalries include:
Stolen Love
Ex-Lover
Broken Pedestal
Betrayed
Resentful
Suspect
Failure
Sibling Rivalry*
Friendly Rivalry*
Outsider
Spurned
Thoughts?
>>44289506
pretty much yeah
i realized i based most of my new stuff on old things that i scrapped but for some reason never removed entirely so i have this awkward pile of things that work relying on stuff that doesn't
and as i go i keep finding more and more of these
like most of the weapons started out thinking of HP, then moved to locational damage and were remade, and now that i have the damage track thing i have weapons designed for hp and locational and they just don't work
also universal rolls were designed for the first draft of the rules and now that i changed it into stats and traits without ever having changed the rules, the rolls are awkward and complicated - i think i'm gonna scrap the d20 roll under if i can't work around this
>>44289580
sweet, i've always loved companion customization, in fact i had a scrapped vidya draft where you used a similar system
there are some of these that sound kind of the same to me, namely guide/teacher, lover/soul mates, betrayed/resentful (in that case not because they're the same but because betrayed implies resentful)
still, i'm loving the concept
>>44289580
Not personally a fan of mechanics forcing players to know each other start-of-game. I'd include a "hired hand" option, or something like it, for mercenary-company styled groups.
Need an opinion on this because I'm an indecisive fuck: I have ideas for every choice, but I keep flip-flopping which basic roll mechanic I want.
>Trav5 style: (difficulty)d6 roll under stat + skill
>One Roll Engine: (stat + skill)d10, succeed on matches
>Ironclaw style: stat, skill, etc are dice; roll all applicable dice against TN
Which one do you all like best?
>>44289690
trav5 style sounds pretty easy to get into, specially since d6 are really common
>Not personally a fan of mechanics forcing players to know each other start-of-game.
most of the games i played have had a pair of players saying they're siblings or work partners for no particular reason other than narrative, so rules tied to that could be pretty fun
but this anon is right, unity, you should consider working on it but making it an optional system rather than a forced rule
>>44289652
Guide I feel is more of a guru, or someone who gives advice, where as teacher would be actively teaching you something like swords or art or something of that nature.
Lovers is explicitly romantic, soul mates just implies they're meant to be together. I might want a better name for it, but Legolas and Gimli are Soul Mates, as are Frodo and Sam or Snake and Otocon.
Betrayed would be like, they actually did something to fuck you over, Resentful would be like, you're made they always pick someone else over you, or they picked a life path you feel was just to mess with you.
They would each have different mechanical effects as well as roleplay effects.
>>44289690
>hired hand
I want to kind of steer away from the "We're a gaggle of mercs" thing, as I feel it goes against the theme I'm looking for.
It depends a lot on the tone of te game, ORE seems to have successes be very common, and one system may be more geared towards or gains the style you want
That said, Ironclaw or Trav5 sounds interesting as hell.
>>44290048
Forgot my name
>>44289807
See, the goal of my system is to represent friends or close companions going out on adventures together, and growing closer as a result. As well as capturing the last spark of adventure is a world that's slowly becoming more colonized.
It's a good point to be sure, but I've found that unless pushed together, players tend to gravitate towards only one or two other people as "close allies" and the rest as just "people who help me fight".
In this system a hired hand would be considered an "Outsider" for the rules.
>>44290145
That makes a bit more sense, and explains why you chose it.
>>44289807
>>44290048
Thanks for the suggestions, I'll go with Trav5 for this one, maybe use the others for something else. I'll post a draft when I've got it together.So probably in a few months.
>>44290145
ooh you raise a really good point
yeah i've had campaigns where some players would just float around and be more "stuck" with the party rather than be a cog in the party machine
disregard what i said then, it's a pretty good base to work with
>>44288823
Wouldn't that mean that if someone was waiting for 1 dice then any abilities using that hand would be consistently really strong? You'd have to keep mind that most would frequently have +5 to +7 even after the first roll.
I think rather than rerolling dice there should be a pool of dice available for everyone to use, an amount of whatever maximum number abilities/skills/etc. are. That way it'd be easy to slot in dice rather than removing them and rerolling.
Also, I just realized there's no real reason to not use a full mahjong set while roleplaying. You could have discards be attacks with attack power corresponding to the different faces, that would make stealing and counter attacking be more logical. If allies steal they'd just be stealing your thunder or something.
>>44289580
I just recently found out about a few JTRPGs which have something similar to your bonds, maybe you should try looking them up for ideas? One of them was Tenra Bansho Zero I think. There were several titles mentioned in pic related.
As for your list, what's different between Overwatch and Protector/Guide/Teacher?
>>44289652
I think a full format of the system is needed. Just start from scratch, write everything down again. Could help gain new perspective in stuff too.
>>44289690
Here's a few questions which might help narrow it down:
Which system are you most experienced/played with the most?
Which system do you like most?
Which system did you find easiest to teach/learn?
Which system fits your setting the best?
Which system would be easier to play with materials wise (available dice, cards, etc.)?
>>44293666
Oh, I just figured out a litmus test for picking a system too.
Build up a mock scene, doesn't matter if it's social, combat, etc. Having multiple types is best. Play through it using each system. Next, make a similar scene, but harder. Repeat, again once per system. Repeat one more time for a scene of the highest difficulty in your setting.
Once you're done, ask yourself which of the systems you had the most fun with.
It takes time to test, sure, but you're choosing something that players will be playing with through a 100+ hour campaign. If you don't have fun, why would others?
>>44293666
>Wouldn't that mean that if someone was waiting for 1 dice then any abilities using that hand would be consistently really strong?
Hands bestow a bonus and then reset after completion. Or are you asking about something else?
Here's a dumb little thing I did for my campaign
>Dices are used according the difficulty of the place you're in. Currently you are in the easiest place so you only use 1d10. you also have a modifier with your character. To succed you only need to have your roll and your modifier be higher than the die
Example:
I want to stealthily approach an vineyard. I roll 1d10+plus my modifier, if the result is higher than ten I win. if not I fail
Dice will change according to the difficulty of the action
Steal the keys of a drunkman: 1d5
Enter a secret lab full of secrets: 1d20
Manage to steal the heart of a human being without him noticing: 1d30 for Charisma but 1d100 for Skill
Levels up are done after certain milestones. simple quests will net you a steady amount of money but no Level ups. once you done enough of those, powerful entities will contact you for bigger jobs. whenever you get a big job, you have a chance to level up.
Leveling up is simply done by rolling a 1d5 and putting the results in the stats that you choose.
EXAMPLE
A Pimp Named Slickback (You gotta say the whole thing) is a Pimp that requires a lot of charisma to manage his hoes therefore his stats are like so
Charisma: 5
Strength: 3 (His pimp hand must be strong too)
Mind: 1
Skill: 2
How does he have those stats? at the beginning of his life when he was creating himself he rolled a 1d5 (4 times) and adjusted the results accordingly! now when he levels up he rolls the 1d5 again (4 times) and gets another 4 and a bunch of 2s and 3s his results are now
Charisma: 10
Strength: 6
Mind: 4
Skill: 4
There! A Pimp Named Slickback has leveled up! Now A Pimp Named Slickback is ready for any speech check!
Trucking is a serious endeavor even more in the harsh conditions of The Dessert! that is why most Truckers are ensembled in teams! you should too! (or not to everyone his own)
cont
>>44294006
A trucker team will most likely consists of
A Driver: Someone with High skill should always be the driver, since quick maneuvering is always needed when you encounter hordes of suicidal bandits throwing their newborn at you in an attempt to disgust you and make you crash
A Medic: Someone with High Mind should be the Medic. Considering there is no magic pixie to kiss your wounds goodbye, Medic always have to make sure nobody is quickly dying or worse (slowly dying is a plus since it lets you have a breather)
A Gunner: High strength allows the Gunner to keep shooting everything the truck has to offer, Gunners are the ones you use when you need to kill something FAST (Or slowly if you're into that kind of thing)
An Engineer: Another class with High Mind, Engineers are the medics for your truck, from doing quick repairs to hanging from a wire, trying to change a wheel while the truck is moving, Engineers make sure everything is not exploding for no reason
What about Charisma? Well there will be plenty of times where you'll be off the truck and those 2 skills will come really in handy when the time is right. so don't worry if you want to create a cunning thief or a voluptuous dandy! I'll adjust the campaign according to what the players choose so that everyone has their time to shine!
Your truck is the most important thing in the Desert next to your life (And your money too, but let's not talk about that in the moment). If the situation arises that your baby gets defaced by horrible meanies like Bandits and gargantuan snakes well, here's a quick guide to know if your everything dies or not
The truck has four sides! Front (Engines, Cabin, Windshield, Dashboard) Both right and left sides (Wheels, Windows, All the metal bits, Doors) and Back (Rear end wheels, Storage) Getting hit 4 times in any of these parts will disable them so think well about what you're doing.
>>44294053
Now to the Next more important thing besides your money (and your truck), You!
Just like your truck you have 4 important body parts (Head, Arms, Legs, and Torso), getting hit 3 times in any of them will disable them until getting them healed (Which costs a pretty penny or a skillful hand depending on the injury) Different injuries can affect each body part, depending on the gravity, Here are some injuries you can take from least to worst
Head: Contusion (Mind,Skill become obsolete until healed) Amnesia (All stats obsolete until healed) Blindness (Unavailability to see anything until healed) Neuroparalysis (Unavailability to move at all until healed) Hemorrhage (Roll strength every turn, failing 5 turns will kill you, this can be extended to 10 turns if there's a amateur medic nearby) Brain Hemorrhage (Same like hemorrhage only strength roll is much more difficult and there's nothing an amateur can do, still can be healed by an expert)
Arms and Legs: Shrapnel/Contusion/Burnt (-10% skill based rolls with the injured member) Stabbed (-50% Skill based rolls with the injured member) Broken (-80% Skill based rolls with the injured member) Unusable (Member becomes obsolete until healed) Amputation (Member becomes obsolete at any action, cannot be healed)
Torso: Contusion/Shrapnel (-10% all stats) Stab wound (-50% all stats) Lung failure (All stats obsolete) Heart Failure (See Hemorrhage) Multiple Organ Failure (See Brain Hemorrhage)
Now just because I listed some here dosen't mean that that's all there is! in fact there are plenty of ways to die around here in the Desert! and a trucker will probably see most of them!
Just copy pasted my handout on rules, any recomendation? tips? Extra rules?
>>44294006
I feel like you could modify this a bit then play a short campaign using Galaxy Truckers to generate events. Would be silly fun. Good job making it a fun read too, I need to learn how to do something similar with my own rules myself.
