From previous thread, RE: Static Blue
>>47061768
I'm really not familiar with any games that really handle hacking as a core game mechanic in an elegant or interesting way. I'm sure there must be but I lack much of a frame of reference.

Still, separating combat hacking and puzzle hacking is definitely a good idea.

>>47063040
The problem Im running into is every hacking system I think of is entirely independent of the rest of the system. So maybe I make it a simple mini game?

>>47063691
One though is to maybe construct hacking as another kind of combat. Your system is d20+dX vs TN, yes? On a hit you roll for damage.

You could conceivably do something similar for hacking. Your actions in the network are against specific defenses or for the purpose of achieving specific goals. If you succeed you inflict damage against the ICE or whatever is slowing you down, or you do direct "damage" to your target in the form of procuring information/access/whatever.

Working on a card game. I'm calling it Dynasty.

Card Game Rules
Win condition: have 1 king, 1 queen, and 1 jack in play. All must be of the same colour.
>This represents having a full, stable "dynasty."

Turn sequence:
Choose one of the following:
-Draw 1 card
-Place 1 face card into your field.
-Place 1 ace on a face card, target can be controlled by any player
>Each face card can have a single ace. The colour of a face card with an ace on it is identical to the ace. So, a red king with a black ace would then be a black king.
-Challenge opponent
>The person to call a challenge places one of their number cards face down. The challenged player then places one of their number cards face up. The face-down card is then flipped. The player with the highest number wins. The winning player takes one card from the loser.
>A player with one card cannot be challenged
>If a challenged player has no numbered cards, they lose automatically.

Draw Card (this means players must draw one card at the end of their turn)


In other words, you must choose one of the actions above (draw, place face card, play ace, or challenge) AND draw each turn.
-----
A player with 1 king, 1 queen, and 1 jack, all of the same colour, on their field wins.
----

The game is played with a standard 54 card deck. Jokers do nothing. They cannot be played and must remain in a player's hand. The only way to get rid of the Joker is to lose a Challenge.

Aces change the colour of face cards, yours or your opponents. If an opponent has 2 face cards of the same colour, you can prevent their dynasty forming by changing one of their colours. Or, to prevent an opponent from doing that to YOU, you may use an ace to force one of your face cards into retaining its colour.

I'm not sure if I'm being clear, but there you have it.
Thoughts?
I can go into more detail if you'd like.

I'm trying to find a way to make the challenges more interesting.

>>47063792
The problem is I dont want the lone hacker playing by himself

>>47063867
It took me a second to work it out but I think I got it.

It seems like the game is mostly luck based though. Question: is there any limit to the number of cards that a player can have in his hand?

Also, is there a way to remove an ace from a face card, or can they only be added?

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>>47063902
I don't know. A hacker playing with himself sounds pretty realistic to me.

>>47063951
Haven't decided about the hand size limit. What do you think, 5? 6?
Aces cannot be removed once played, and only 1 ace can be placed on any individual face card.

>>47063902
AKA the Shadowrun Dilemma.

I don't know that there are any really good ways to handle that systematically; the only solution I can think of is to engineer encounters so that everyone has a thing to do. So while the Hacker is breaking through the ICE, the rest of the team is fending off security.

Alternately: everyone is a hacker, so hacking a system isn't a one-person operation. That might actually be a more original approach, and more accurate to Ghost in the Shell, where pretty much anyone with a cyberbrain can hack to one extent or another.

That would help distinguish the system from Shadowrun, which pretty much has proscribed parties of Hacker/Rigger/Samurai/Shaman, where each person does one thing and one thing alone.

>>47064006
Okay, so aces are nukes then that you hoard until absolutely necessary to wreck your opponent's dynasty.

I feel like the game would end in draws semi-frequently though. Still, it's simple enough and would be very easy to test.

>>47064045
While that might work, I worry that would involve everyone having two character sheets essentially.

I'm tempted to just leave all hacking as handwaved except for commandeering of drones mid combat

>>47064341
that would work, my main thought is not to miss out what could be really cool. GitS and Neuromancer spent a lot of time in virtual environments, and glossing over that seems like lost potential.

That would also depend on how much information each player character needs to keep track of. I personally doubt you'd need an entire character sheet to keep tracking of hacking skills.

I'm making a rules light game where the characters are part of a village in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world.

My question is: should I make the village part RTS like with resource gathering, or try to make it more narrative instead? So like the event table would be based less around affecting resources but more around driving what the characters do?

Or should it be more dispassionate almost like a D&D 3.5 system for managing a village would be?

What kind of mechanics / resources should I include?

I've already made the system but I am starting to redo the village rules as they need the most work. I also have rules for garnering favor with other settlements and spending it. I have a merchant class but I am still trying to give it a role in the game. Part of the idea is that the different classes can contribute different things to the village mechanically (like the botanist developing crops to help the village resist drought better)

Thoughts?

>>47064462
I suppose I could go deep on VR and make actual combat take place there, giving hackers spell like abilities in there.

Perhaps the shared hallucination has some underlying restrictions that make actual combat expertise come in handy for say, transmitting data packets to enemy units

>>47064511
Isn't this kind of what Kingdom Death does, except with less explicit horrible things happening?

Regardless, you should definitely make it part RTS. Don't make it dispassionate, make it so that you can go elbow deep into the mechanics and potentially affect the lives of every individual villager.

There aren't enough games around that do this sort of thing, so having one that does it really well would be very nice.

>>47064511

Oh and it's a roleplaying game by the way. In case that wasn't obvious. The combat mechanics are very simple, the classes are very basic, and it's meant to be like D&D 3.5 epic 6 kind of play, with crafting and downtime mechanics.

part of the rules involves co-op settlement creation, drawing a map of it, saying who the characters are and how they know each other (you are encouraged to be brothers, sisters, childhood friends, apprentices to each other, etc. as it is a small village so everyone knows each other). Then each month you roll on the Fortune table to see what event befalls your village. This is meant to be like an adventure generator but the GM is supposed to make more out of it (though some stuff like Drought is just an event that happens). The characters are supposed to help contribute to the village by going on adventures and stuff.

I am curious how many rules there should eb for the village management. Right now, you get 10 food per month per farm, and you subtract your population from the resulting food. Any people who dont get fed get moved to the starving column then die the next month. Problem is it's phrased oddly so its kind of confusing.

I can't decide if its better to have a set number for population, and have an RTS-style resource flow? Or something more abstract. I like the idea of a set population. Like you have 53 people in your settlement. Oh but 8 died in a raise, now you have 45. And so on. But at the same time I don't want things to be too complicated.

I also have season mechanics but those shouldn't be too much of an issue. I might integrate those into the fortune table instead of having them be a separate thing to remember. Like if you roll 12 on the fortune table you pick an effect depending what season it is.

Hey thread! Been a while since I've seen this one active, so decided to drop in. Got a skirmish over here >>47064507 and also came up with an idea earlier today.

Summoners playing a ball game (handegg or blitzball) and the objective is to score five points by throwing the ball through the opposing goal posts. Each point gained allows the opponents to summon one creature for the game, and summons can be swapped out between matches. What do you anons think?

>>47064657
I don't think you'd need to go that far, though you could if you want.

Remember, your source material is Ghost in the Shell and Neuromancer. Snow Crash had a live virtual world where you have an avatar and can do direct battle with your problems. GitS are more abstract and functional-- you don't literally take a hammer to a firewall to smash it down, but you fire code at it that does the same.

Complex hacks in GitS look kind of like playing Rez, where you're interacting with shapes and colors that represent elements of the system that you're affecting, rather than what they themselves appear to be. In that way you could actually have a lot of fun with it.

My feeling is that people who really want to play a hacking game are probably be less interested in "fight this digital ogre to gain access to the root file directory", because that's just taking existing tropes and stapling hacker jargon to them. Approaching it from a more abstract but still object based perspective might have better results.

You mentioned that you have CSE friends, right? Consult with them on how they visualize programs and networks to get a better idea at how to do so in your game.

>>47064784
I was thinking more along the lines of "you want to hack this dude? load your program into that sword and shank his ass"

But I'll worry about this after getting a robust run and gun

>>47064872
In that case you should totally read Hannu Rajaneimi's The Quantum Thief and its sequels, since that's in large part how it handles hacking.

Oh and I'm probably off for tonight. Hopefully this thread will be around tomorrow.

Hey guys. I've been tooling around with a game of my own making... and the biggest hang-up that I have right now is how turns are taken. I want to do something non-traditional (I.E, not D20 and similar games), and actions occur.

What I came up with is an "Initiative" system. You have a certain number of points to spend on various actions (skill rolls, movement, attacks, etc).

I kinda borrowed a bit from Magic the Gathering in this concept...

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9FE25lqbSbDQzVpR3NSVE1XajA

Any thoughts on this would be nice.

Hello there /tg/. I'm trying to work on something related to a little space fantasy setting I have, and I'm currently thinking of carrying capacity. A great many groups dislike having to deal with keeping track of how much the shit they pull around weighs, but at the same time a core part of this system involves magic with a physical form. While you might not let someone carry a chaingun, ammo for said chaingun, AND an entire backpack full of bricks at the same time, it might get a little out of hand when everyone with a medium load also carries a backpack full of fucking bricks.

Should I consider having "how many spell bricks you can carry" be a separate counter to carry weight? Is there a less annoying way to deal with how much you can hold on to at once?

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H'lo folks. I posted this in the osr thread but didn't really get any feedback I've been muddling around with my homebrewed LotFP/Into the Odd style hack. I plan to keep it level less, and give characters abilities after they devote so many levels in either their skills, spells, or attack bonus. I could use some help coming up with about 3 or 4 thiefy/specialist tiers.

>>47065462
You could go the Numenera route and say the spell bricks have bad ju-ju when in close proximity to other bricks. Kind of like carrying too many radioactive things at once.

>>47065595

I like this

Add a bestiary , email it to me at tenduril at gmail.com and I'll help you more with it .point is it looks interesting

>>47065623
That's already a thing, kind of. Miscasted spells are something that happen frequently enough and enough shock to the actual bricks (or even a specially enchanted weapon) is enough to cause one or even the entire pack of bricks to chain-miscast. Obviously you would be taping bricks to the inside of sleeves and armor, but a backpack is a better option because you can just plop it behind cover and just snatch however many you need when you need to cast something, at the risk of someone stealing them all at once if the enemy gets close.

But why would you ever let the enemy get close?

>>47063040
Real life hacking isn't interesting unless you consider dumpster diving and digging up info on social media interesting.

>>47066073
What if I consider ARP-cache poisoning and hash-code matching interesting?

>>47063792
>>47063691
Like detect and disable traps and pick lock. in D&D it's basically not connected to anything.
Best it's to keep it quick from player's perspective. it can take time in game, but for players it can be as simple as one dice roll + consequences.
Just make it a set of skills.

hacking tolls are custom written programs. made by the hacker or bought.

>>47066073
Cyperpunk has never cared about real life hacking.

>>47066117
That's...
just to abstract for normies to care about.
Just like child soldiers somewhere in Africa.

>>47066299
>>47066073
If you want to go full 80's cyberpunk with your hacking, make it some sort of cyerspace mini-combat versus the security program. Let multiple hackers (and counter-hacking security personell) partake in the same "battle".

>>47064045
Computer expert just needs equivalent of sneak attack and greater evasion to not feel gimped in combat. (if you're making combat driven system)

Alternatively, you could probably abstract real hacking down to something vaguley comprehensible. It could use a resource system, with "Information", "metadata" and "Crypto", or something like that, and a short list of techniques that use them to gain other resources, remove security measures, or gain actual valuable access or information.

I kinda wanna try this now. You might hear back from me in a few days.

>>47066401
Which is pretty much what I outlined here >>47064045 and >>47064784, so by and large I agree, though perhaps not in the same literal intention as your post.

>>47066483
This is what I'm talking about. Don't downplay it, make it something that everyone in the party cares about, not just the one guy designated "hacker".

>>47066453
My plan for hackers mid combat is hijacking drones and then fighting with those. Implies a few rounds of doing dick all followed by a few rounds of being a monster

>>47066483
How about this idea. Most hacking is done against captured drones from combat that for one reason or another didn't self-destruct. That becomes a matter of time (abstract), processing resources (items you buy), and technical know-how (rolls and decisions)

I'm thinking something like a 4x4 grid kind of like Battleship. You roll to see how many points the system has, that dictates how many squares are blocked/trapped, so you start probing until you find the undefended square and everything goes FUBAR if you hit a trapped square and roll low. Each company would have finite profiles of trap arrangements.

Or perhaps I simply make three types of hacking for three specializations that correlate with skills you have anyways. Hacking a drone requires the tech wizard to grind away on it. Hacking a person requires VR combat from the physical adept (to borrow the term) and hacking a full AI involves slipping inside and tricking the AI by talking to it and getting it to expose data, move it through lines filtered by your tech wizard, or spill the info out of hand accidentally.

>>47070011
How about rather than rolling to get past traps, the hacker(s) has a sort of suite of tech, gadgets, and skills that work on specific traps. They'd have to prepare them early, then use them while hacking. However using them disables them for a period, so if they're not up again by the next time they hit the same type of trap, they'd be in trouble.

Companies would have a certain definite distribution of types of traps, that way the player can somewhat predict what traps they may encounter. The traps themselves can also be varied in effects or requirements to break, as does the suite of gadgets the hacker has.

For those who noticed, yes this is basically Netrunner.

>>47071948
I'm not going to do cooldown mechanics, although I do like the idea of gear dictating which squares on the grid can be attacked.

Oh, now here's an idea, maybe everything has two layers, the ICE layer and the FIRE layer (open to anagrams for them) You can safely probe around on the ICE layer to find where there's gaps in that, which has a corp based correlation to the spots on the FIRE layer that will burn you out and blow the mission if you probe them. While the ICE layer may have about 3 holes you can enter through, there'd be about 9 kill spots in the FIRE layer on or near those holes

>>47072517
So would the process be:
>Probe ICE > find hole > go through ICE > probe FIRE > find win spot

or

>Probe ICE > wrong probe either bounces off, activates FIRE, or goes through hole > only one hole is correct

The first one might have the problem of taking time since you'd need to scan more spaces (once for both layers), assuming the win spot is not directly underneath the holes. The second one is weird, since if you can probe around on the ICE safely without activating FIRE, then you'd only go for the holes, which is a 1 in 3 chance of being correct. If probing ICE activates FIRE though, then there's not really a reason to have the ICE layer in the first place.

A suggestion would be to stick with "kill spots around holes", but to also have the win spot be around the hole as well. That way you can introduce some form of deduction ("this is a hole, which means the win spot may or may not be around this hole) and avoid "I go in this space on ICE, then go to this space again on FIRE" situations, adding a sort of uncertainty and tension since the player doesn't immediately know where the win spot is..

>>47073523
I'm trying to find a way to make it work like this
>Probe Ice
>There are X holes in it
>A good check tells you how many points the system is worth (how many holes/FIRE points)
>Every hole leads to a FIRE spot
>That FIRE spot is in fact part of a shape (think Tetris or maybe chess) based on the corp
>You have to deduce where they couldn't possibly put FIRE and probe it

Like, say you find these holes, and know that their FIRE is a 4x1 (or 1x4)

X X X 0
0 X 0 X
X X X X
0 X X X

There's numerous places it /could/ be safe to break through, but only one that is guaranteed safe

>>47073600
Ahh, that sounds pretty neat, simple but still requires a bit of thinking. Not sure how you can introduce gadgets and stuff into this though, maybe use them and the character's knowledge to reveal more info? Terminology will also be important to avoid confusion.

>>47073917
Gadgets would do things like give you a free fuck up, determine the orientation of a FIRE block, boost your identification of possible FIRE blocks (imagine how hard that would be if it could also be 2x2's?), squelch certain FIRE blocks (though if you squelch the wrong type, you trigger it), and so on.

How do you guys feel about a dice system in which the constant is greater than the random component? So that a fighter will succeed at hitting most of the time, mechanics will succeed at repairing most of the time, etc. While doing things you're unskilled in will more often than not result in failure?

>>47074117
Just means less variance, means a different playstyle, typically more strategic.

It can be seen to inhibit creativity since if the larger the random element, the more stuff you can try to get away with. But it also means you have to actually think about your decisions which has its own rewards

>>47074117
Depends on how high that constant gets.

There's a Final Fantasy D6 system that's actually fairly fun to play that uses a growing constant + d6 for randomness. The issue with it is that after a certain point, you're just doing loads of damage and the rolling is more of an afterthought, contributing little to no help in the overall roll.

So it depends on how flexible you want things to be, and how big a role that randomness takes.

Hey guys, so based off this exchange;
>>47071783
>>47071311
>>47070974
I had the idea of a little co-op mostly card based Inn management/social game.

Basically you and your friends build your Inn and take on the main "Jobs" trying to get up to either a certain value or patron number (not sure on that one yet, maybe objective cards) kinda like roller coaster tycoon. While avoiding disgruntled customers and the threat of property value plummeting barfights.
Patrons have a sliding Mood scale (so far 1 to 5 but I'll probably go up to at least 7). This goes from Thrilled(5) down to Angry(1) which is when punches start flying (or earlier).

Patrons walk into the bar as various adventurers with traits, moods and desires.
For a rough example a Dwarf Barbarian shambles in one night and asks for a drink. He drinks twice the amount of liquor as a normal person. Paying more money but also depleting your stores. He is a jolly fellow, so his 'Mood' starts on Friendly/Happy(4). However if you don't serve beer which he 'Desires' he drops one point down to Neutral(3). If he sees a Troll he will drop another 1 which would make him Disgruntled(3) (His 'Trait' being Barbarian means he starts fights when he's Disgruntled instead of waiting to be Angry).

The players on the other hand can employ a number of things to try and deal with the Dwarf such as having a Bard play a tune, hiring a Bouncer to throw him out or by other means such as feasting him Roast Beast if they have a Kitchen.
You can also build extensions onto the Inn such as adding the aforementioned Kitchen so you can serve meals (which also brings a new list of demands from your customers of course). A stage so your Bard can gather and entertain a proper audience, or maybe a underground gambling den where fat cats and whales learn that the house always wins.

Still kinda hammering the main idea out, but it helps to type it out. Whatcha'll think?

Hey guys. A thread or two ago, I posted an idea about a setting/system that tried to combine dark, moody fantasy with cartoonish hopefulness. Like Dark Souls meets Adventure time. I've been putting thought now into character creation, and though I haven't quite settled on a system yet, I have the gist of some of the core "traits and abilities," the closest analogue to class. At creation, characters have a pool of points to buy equipment, abilities, and othe rsuch interesting things: the most powerful abilities parallel class, but aim to be nonspecific enough to allow a variety of thematic and stat approaches.

The gist of the setting is: you and your friends play a band of bold heroes and adventurers in a dark world known as Under. Under is populated by a vast assortment of creatures left behind by the enigmatic Humen, powered by the mysterious energy known as Heart. Most of these creatures are unpleasant at best and downright terrifying at worst; however more friendly varieties do exist, the most common three (coincidentally, the player "races") are skeletons, autos, and goblins.

Skeletons are outwardly spooky-looking and rather gangly, but often boast a bold hero's heart and a genuine caring for others.

Autos are mechanical in appearance, a stout and sturdy folk with a knack for interaction with the inanimate.

Goblins are unique among the Friendly in their squishy, fleshy bodies. They often wrap themselves thoroughly in silks and scarves to disguise themselves.

>>47075363
Heart is consumed very slowly when performing mundane tasks such as running, jumping, and general life, to the point where it need not be tracked. Further, Heart is generated in sufficient quantities for survival when friends spend time together: in this way, so long as you keep company, you will never be without Heart. For heroes and adventurers however, this is not quite enough. Heart can be found stored in various trinkets and items scattered throughout Under, as well as within every creature and critter. Heroes will often brave the darkness to do battle with foes, taking their Heart as just reward and using it to power a variety of mighty abilities to further the cause of hope.

The closest thing to dying in Under is running out of Heart, most commonly by suffering from Heartbreak. When one is Heartbroken, their Heart is released into the surrounding world; an attentive bystander can focus on absorbing this raw Heart. Heartbreak is most commonly induced by having one's body worn down by physical wear and tear, such as one may experience from vigorous combat, falling from heights, or other painful calamity.

Not to fear, however! A creature without Heart can be revivified by having Heart bestowed upon them (however this does not necessarily cure them of their Heartbreak!).

I don't have the time nor documents right now to fully explain this question but;

Conceptually speaking, how should one balance Medium weapons and armor? Or rather- heavy weapons and armor deal the most numerical damage and protect against the most, light weapons and armor have the best armor piercing and flexibility in what they can do, but what should medium get beyond just acting as a middle ground?

>>47075500
At creation, characters can buy abilities, traits, and nifty items. The following traits are, I suppose, the closest analogue to classes, though I'm trying to make them as open ended as possible to allow for as many playstyles as possible (without falling into the trap of letting everyone be able to do everything).

Vampire: Through mysterious means, you can siphon Heart from non-Heartbroken creatures with a touch. This is a violent, imperfect thing and 1/2 of the Heart is lost in the process. Do note that this is viewed as a pretty questionable act by most intelligent creatures (especially Friendly ones) and should be used carefully.

Chevalier: You are a master of all things mounted! Whenever you need to roll for anything to do with mounts (such as daring maneuvers, charging an enemy, or calming a spooked animal), you may elect to re-attempt it. Note that there are no takesies backsies: the second roll is used even if its worse! Further, choosing this trait grants the character their choice of mount, from a fuzzy spider, to an autocycle, to a simple hoss!

Guardian: You are an immovable bulwark against evil and calamity. You ignore armour penalties to Defence, while retaining armour bonuses to Deflection. Further, you may re-attempt rolls made to hold your ground in the face of adversity.

Breaker: You are assault incarnate, throwing your soul into every strike. You may spend Heart to add a proportionate bonus to attack rolls. Further, you increase the damage of all weapons by one step (ie., d4 to d6).

Storyteller: You are a bringer of cheer and entertainment, heartening your fellow heroes. When you rest with friends, you may spend Heart to create a pool of re-attempts from which the party may freely draw. When you next rest, 1/2 of Heart spent is restored to you, and unspent re-attempts are lost.

>>47075801
Martyr: You are a selfless soul, a rare pure spirit in the darkness of Under. You may freely bestow your own Heart upon others with a touch. Further, you may expend Heart to cure a companion of their Heartbreak or other ailment. 1/2 of Heart lost in these ways is restored when you rest with friends (note that abusing this to create more Hear than you began with will likely end in loss of this ability!).

Enchanter: You are a weaver of a valuable sort of magic, temporarily infusing Heart into various items. When you rest, you may infuse Heart into weapons, armour, and other sundries to grant them special properties. For this, you must have knowledge of the practices required for each properties: the purchase of this ability includes a book of basic enchantments (with many extra pages to add new formulae as you go along your adventure!).

>>47075560
The cheaper alternative for either, probably. Heavy obviously requires more or better materials, while light could require a certain technique or material to make. Medium needs neither.

>>47075844
Not a complete list yet, of course, but its the idea. Exact numbers will come once I have a system nailed down for sure.

For weapons, fine-detail isn't important: Big weapons require two hands to use, and deal a lot of damage. Normal weapons require one hand to use, freeing up your off hand to hold a shield, cast spells, or throw gang signs. Little weapons deal the least damage, but are light enough to be dual wielded, allowing for two attacks in one turn! (have yet to think of how Little weapons and shields interact)

There are two defensive stats: Defence, which indicates your ability to avoid being hit altogether (decreased by wearing armour, increased by having a high dexterity and using shields), and Deflection, which indicates your ability to shrug off the hits that do land (increased by wearing armour and having abnormally high strength).

Spells will be available to anyone willing to invest Heart into learning and using them (have yet to come up with a trait that benefits spellcasters), and castable with either the Brain or Spirit stat.

Sorry for spamming up the thread, but things seem to be pretty slow anyways. thoughts so far?

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Been a while again, /gdg/. For some reason whenever I sit down and actually focus on my game, something else comes up and steals my time. Anyway.

My card game, Frontier Fables, has entered the version 1.2. Last time I posted I talked about revamping one of the playable classes and with this version, the revamping is done. The latest version also included quite a lot of rewriting and card adjusting, but the workings of the Glyphscribe class were most prominent.

If someone is seeing this mess of a thing now for the first time, a quote from the book;
>Frontier fables is a competetive card game where the players battle, strategize and explore to emerge victorious over their opponents. This is accomplished by building their own unique exploration parties that are supported by various cards that are compiled into a deck. Special skills,valuable treasures, even creatures of the new world are theirs to utilize. The explorers need every tool in their disposal to reign supreme and claim the glory that belongs to them, but even more so, to you!

As usual, ANY kind of feedback is appreciated. I do have couple of questions though. The game in its current state is pretty much complete gameplaywise, but that requires something I have no access to. Playtesters, where do I whip them up? To my eyes, without extensive playtesting, the gameplay cannot be refined enough. Sure it COULD be done, but it would be lot easier. Yet, finding playtesters for a card game is very difficult, due to the need of physical media being printed out.

Another thing is, how do I post almost 300 cards? If I compile them all to a single image, it crosses the file size limit. I guess I could make them into smaller images or post the entire thing to imgur or something similar.

Once again, thanks for any feedback!

>>47075363
The concept for your game is frankly fantastic; I'm really interested in seeing how you balance those two themes. I assume the goal of the players is to maintain hope in the face of increasingly dense despair?

I love that the most heroic race you have are the skeletons. Wanna be that skellington.

>Heart
So Heart = Souls, yes? I like how you can clearly see what the inspiration is, but by changing the context and names of things a little bit it completely alters one's understanding and connection with the setting and what it requires.

>>47075908
Seriously, the core concept is quite excellent. What I'm interested in is what sort of mechanical framework you're planning on to support it.

>>47077213
Either imgur or pdfs per faction, depending on the resulting size of the pdf. You could probably make them smaller to decrease the size.

As for playtesters, any local FLGS around you? Or you could persuade your gaming group, friends, colleagues, etc.

Btw what kind of game are you looking to achieve with this again? A TCG/LCG?

>>47077929
>Either imgur or pdfs per faction, depending on the resulting size of the pdf.
Seems like the most effective thusfar, considering the numbers are only going to get bigger with time.
>As for playtesters, any local FLGS around you? Or you could persuade your gaming group, friends, colleagues, etc.
My main problem is with trying to do something locally is my lack of equipment to print out all the cards in multiples. While also being unlucky enough that the local FLGS is dead. And I have no friends left in the area.
>Btw what kind of game are you looking to achieve with this again?
I kinda wish it was a TCG since I like them slightly over LCG, but that is not really a realistic goal at this point. Until an opportunity comes along, the game is LCG.

>>47077982
No print shops in the area at all? Even a dead FLGS is fine if you can get atleast 1-2 people to test it out with you. Even without printing, you could write stuff down on cardboard paper and use that instead, like that one guy with the alchemist game thing.

Without any physical options though, you're probably going to have to settle for some form of online play on a medium that lets you add custom games. Then you can see if you can find some playtesters in /tg/. Do make some starter decks for each faction though, include cards that explore as much of the possibilities available as you can.

>>47078234
Yes, unbelievable as it is. No print shops in this city, atleast from what I have heard of. The dead FLGS gets only very aggressive 40k and MTG players who are not up for chatter, speaking from experience.

Of course something that would allow online play would be the most optimal solution, since then no one needs physical objects and the testing step is easier to arrange. From the top of my head there is Tabletop Sim, but I am not sure how easy it is to develop modules for it.

>>47078652
No Office Depot? They print.

>>47079499
Wrong country, unfortunately.

Nitty gritty penny pinching? Or resource dots?

For the cyberpunk game still

>>47079861
Resource is my preferred when it comes to modern, non apocalyptic settings. Penny pinching doesn't well represent the day to day life of someone with income in a relatively structured economy

>>47080101
Yes, but how lame is it to get paid for that huge heist with "another resource dot"

>>47079861
You know what? I'd normally go with Resource Dots but so many games do stuff like that now (understandably) that I'd love to see one that does penny pinching well.

>>47080329

This is a rather important point. Pennies might not be important, but Money is. Therefore, money should be exact. Also, Shopping lists of cool guns and stuff loos better with actual pricetags.

>>47080537
You know, I kind of want to include a mechanic for collateral damage.

>Get awarded 10,000
>DM rolled for every time a bomb went off
>Rolls up an invoice for bullets
>Modifies based on subtly
>Reward reduces to 7,890 split four ways

>>47080679
God yes, I love this idea. It's super crunchy but nails certain specific themes really well.

>>47080679
I like this idea. Not so much because it discourages destructive playstyles (although some players could do with a bit more thinking before exploding), but because it puts a score on the mayhem. And nice flavor.

Have any of you guys had a Kickstarter? What about hiring an artist or manufacturer?

I posted a week or two ago, since then I have put together some more concrete notes on the game. It was the cyberpunk hashing game, anyway I put my notes into a markdown document here: https://notehub.org/nuyma

I am looking for feedback, I understand it can be a bit complicated to read the first time through so feel free to post any questions.

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>>47077213
Here we go. I made a collab of every single card done thusfar. I need to start linking this alongside the rulebook too.

http://imgur.com/a/Gm8Fm

Hey gents of /gdg/,

I have a question on turn order mechanics in a partially-narrative-based ttrpg I'm working on. The game is narrative based to the extend that actions, combat especially is not meant to work in a completely mechanical way. Many abilities change the way combat works and most actions involving another entity are treated as fluid occurrences rather than discrete sets of actions.

The system focuses on upsets and reactions as core components. For example, the mechanics dictate that two dueling swordsmen both roll a difference in ability each round, and based on the difference in ability one player is given an upset which is used to do one of a number of actions - in a traditional system, each player might just use their round to attack the opponent, then their opponent attacks back, then they attack, etc...

The system has some problems I'm working on, mainly that if actions are treated as simultaneous events, occurrences can run together and be impossible to keep track of mechanically. I've created a set of narrative rules for the GM that I'm hoping keep everything in order, but if anyone thinks of a better way to keep track of such complex actions, or knows of a game that does something like this right (or wrong), I'd love to know.

I'm hoping this type of mechanic makes combat situations more engaging and narrative based, but I haven't had anyone playtest with me yet, so I'm in the dark as to what cracks such a narrative-heavy system has. If you have any suggestions or think the system is stupid for some reason, let me know. (If you like it enough to help me playtest and polish that set of mechanics, let me know.)

>>47084716
I didn't expect that. So you have two starting hashes, goal is to create hash of certain of composition and sell it. You can combine 2 hashes. What will [0xFA][0xF] produce? How are you supposed to find new symbols for hashes? Reboot and trade ad infinitum? What should you do with bad hash pieces?

I don't see the point of this game desu senpai.

>>47086875

> What will [0xFA][0xF] produce?
[0x109][]

But... I guess it is too complicated that it's being asked.

> How are you supposed to find new symbols for hashes?
By trading with other players, combining, or gaining income, which happens when you make 5 trades with different players. Each new hash has an associated behavior.

> Reboot and trade ad infinitum?
I just put reboot in there for starting over, you shouldn't need it often, and maybe not at all.

> What should you do with bad hash pieces?
Trade them, the behavior is likely unknown by the other players until they have it in their slot.

> I don't see the point of this game desu senpai.
I'm sorry. I really need to work on "how the game works" because it is pretty different. The idea is that there is a "bounty" hash that you are trying to make, so you keep crafting (combining) until you can make it. The hashes combine predictably (e.g. just hexadecimal math) so you can understand how to get to it.

I am rethinking hex as it has been a point of confusion for everyone I have shown this to. It was mostly for theme anyway.

Thanks for the feedback.

>>47086507

I like using index cards for games with simultaneous actions. You might consider something like that, or maybe something like the action sheets in Burning Wheel.

>>47087233
>[0x109][]But... I guess it is too complicated that it's being asked.
You should've said outright that it's a game about making a really big number with right sequence of symbols.

>>47087430
Good point, I was trying to keep it on the theme, but you're right.

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New Fearsome Gods update- game is looking as good as ever.

Alternate rules in the back help balance medium weapons and armor if you want to balance them better.

>>47083592
Not yet, but that might be an option in the future.

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I'm probably getting too far ahead of myself with all this graphic design for a game that isn't even playtested yet, but here's a rough mockup of my game's cover. Obviously, the finished product will be a bit more refined.

>>47089396
This is dope.

>>47089396
Loving it. It needs a little color, something subtle for the title and icon, for some contrast, like an earthy brownish red or gold. But nothing too bright or heavy.

>>47064045
How about Helmets that use a persons brain as a supplemental data network for the hacker. Letting you run an extra attack program with your buddy being plugged in.

>>47077213
Have you tried Tabletop Simulator for playtesting?

>>47087233
Makes me wonder if you should retheme it and use more conventional methods of play, maybe replace it with cards or something. Because expecting normies to understand what happens when you add up hex numbers is a tall order. It still looks fun even you retheme it to be about farmers trading around misbehaving farm animals.

>>47089396
IMO you should sample photographs of foggy forests or something for the texture along the bottom, like creating a suggestion of a treeline. That could be either me liking that sort of thing or the name or both, though. Stuff like the cover of Infinity by Jesu or any number of kvlt black metal albums.

Also agreed on needing colour, possibly blending a textured red-gold through green on the dragon (which, looking at the color theory, would suggest royalty in decay. I dunno that that's applicable to your game). Obviously darkened/washed-out.

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>>47089453
>>47091009
>>47090368
Thanks! Will work on color.
Verdigris on copper perhaps?

100% Fantasy RPG, v1.00

the site id dead, anyone have the pdf ?

>>47091119
I think that will fit really well with the theme.

I can't express how much my friends and I enjoy playing your game!

>>47083592
This reminds me to put this down.

>>47062875
http://www.gatekeepergaming.com/article-6-how-to-get-minis-made/
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/838422/mass-production-custom-made-miniatures
https://www.flickr.com/photos/britishlibrary/ - Free illustrations

>>47091464
Your friends are playing my game, already?!

I need details. Please email me. Thanks!

>>47091119
Yes, it done right, I think that would look great.

Does anyone have a character creation system they would like me to test? I figure I should give back before posting my shitty knock-off systems and trawling for ideas.

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>>47091690
Have you tested [Dragon Forest] yet?

>>47091727
I feel like I made a character in this before it was called Dragon Forest. Or at least a similar system that used Doom Points by you. Am I nuts?
Regardless, lemme read through it. If I can grasp the mechanics, I'll make something.

>>47091804
It was fun as fuck, the class system is really neat.

>>47091500
I will tomorrow after work!

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>>47091804
Oh, yeah! I remember. :)

Yeah, it was Fury or Sword Fury for a while, but that name was a little too wuxia for the tone I was going for.
I've attached a form fillable character sheet you can use.

>>47091898
Thank you kindly!

>>47092094
Just so you know, the char sheet is missing a few classes. I didn't see Chimera or Veteran on there.

>>47092261
Aw, shoot! One moment please, I'll fix that right up.

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>>47092261
>>47092261
>>47092094

Okay, try it again now. Thanks.

>>47092359
My browser crashed and I didn't save my character sheet, but I'll just say what I remember I was going to say.
1. I like the DOOM point thing, especially with how it functions as experience.
2. It reminds me of Darkest Dungeon, with a lot of inspiration from DnD 4e thrown in.
3. Dark Gifts look super fun, but a system to make your own would be better.
4. While I liked the Redemptions, Mentor seemed meta-gamey and out of place among the others. They also all need to be fleshed out a bit more.

>>47090709
That does sound like a handy way to do it. I only wonder how to actually do it. In the game you have four cards already on the table in addition to one or two decks and I am not sure how that works out in Tabletop Sim. All the guides for it focus on how to make a singular deck and put in on the table. I dont doubt at all that the game can do the set up for a a match of Frontier Fables, I just have no idea how.

Bumping because I'm going to have something new to post today.

You know, as silly as this sounds, can someone like, list off a few things that a system needs to cover?

>>47096583
As the very basic level, a system needs to answer a few questions:

>What is the basic conflict resolution mechanic (i.e. dice+modifier vs TN, pool, playing cards)

>How does the game measure success or failure?

>How does the game measure difficulty?

>How does the game measure character aptitude and abilities?

>What is its action economy, in and out of combat

I think those are the key questions from a mechanical standpoint.

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Okay so here's what I've got.

Marvels is the system that my project uses to allow GMs and players to create fantastic technologies and alien body parts with which to pimp characters out. If you know about the One Roll Engine, what I've basically done is mashed together Sorcery from REIGN with Miracles from Wild Talents.

The document itself is 14 pages long, including the cover page and contents section. My hope is that it's clear to understand and lends itself well to DIY gear and power creation.

If anyone wants to help, you can give me suggestions for artifacts, technology, techniques of alien weirdness that I can build using this system as a test. Once I get into the Fluff I'm also going to compile a list of Marvels used by the various Factions in the setting.

Any thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated.

>>47087821
Try explaining what exactly a "Dare" is. As it stands, it really just reads as a mechanical device instead of something that has meaning within the reality of battle.

Hello /gdg/!

I've been brainstorming for a new project. Basically, I am a fan of weird fiction (a la Lovecraft, Derleth) but find all the current games too long.
I wanted to design something shorter in the same flavour, something akin to Love Letter in terms of interaction and speed. I also wanted to add deception elements such as in Resistance. Here is the draft of the order of play.
>For each player, a good guy and bad guy card is added to a pile. Each player draws a card to denote their starting role. Roles are kept secret (Yes, a small amount of games may have all players on the same team)
>Another deck of X cards is then shuffled, X cards are burned
>Players take turns flipping the top card and resolving its effects
>If no cards remain, bad guys win. Good guys win by having one player acquire 3 Resource. Players can be eliminated from the game.

Things I am thinking about having:
>Resource can be used in another ways, perhaps as bonuses to card effect, or perhaps to stop you from being eliminated or to cancel another card
>Should players always have one card in their hand like in Love Letter? In this case you'd play one card and save the other. This would add more elements to the game, but take away from the mystery of who is what role in some ways
>Alt win cons in the deck for both teams? This is likely
>A different set of cards perhaps for different "cults"? This would mean more variable games, different playstyles

Any thoughts? I am particularly interested in suggestions for the parts I am unsure about.

>>47097622
Any specifics on what the card effects are? Doesn't very Lovecrafty at the moment, and flipping the top card to resolve effects is potentially more "the deck plays you instead of you play the deck".

>>47097770
Ah right, I've brainstormed a few ideas, most are target based obviously. There would also be some 'OH SHIT' ones such as Old Ones or something.

>Accuse - Target player reveals their identity, they are eliminated if they are a bad guy.
You could also target yourself, to prove your innocence.

>Discover Turncoat - Look through the remaining role cards
This way you could work out how many players are on each side

>Necronomicon - Play two cards a turn instead

>Card that gains you a resource

>Card that lets you take a resource from another player or give one to another

>Card that changes someone's role

I agree with you, there may need to be additional avenues with which to interact with others, but I don't particularly mind some deck RNG. I'd like the good guys to lose more often than win.

>>47097912
By the way, I am looking at having about 4/5 players?

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Aa3XMcdHzkkiY4SF2RBS2pZSgDhMrmO57xNYnWlAJ7I/edit?usp=sharing

Someone take a look at this and see if it makes sense, if there's any glaring flaws, that kind of thing.

Ideas for Feats welcome

>>47098082
Can you explain the difference between the three tools skills? Looking good otherwise!

>>47098202
Wheelman is for like, cars, Pilot is for things that fly, and Operator is for drones that require full immersion

>>47097912
Hmm... Resources seem really out of place for a Lovecraftian setting. How about changing it to sealing a monster instead of resources? Also, switching the entire theme to be about "bad guys finding the good guys" instead of the usual "traitor with the good guys". That would feel pretty pulpy as the more modern stories are.

Next, have the overall goal be about emptying the deck (thus summoning an eldritch being) or collecting seals (stopping it). No real difference, just retheming, and making the goals clearer. Player elimination may or may not be necessary, I think. Maybe use a sanity mechanic in the cards to induce this instead of "accuse and eliminate"?

Let players draw 2, play 1 and put the other at the bottom of the deck. This gives a little bit of choice to the player, and also gives some deduction or bluffing opportunities.

I agree that seals should be expendable, but they should be restricted to interact with card effects. This also introduces opportunities for bluffing and intrigue (why didn't he use up the seals to fuel this card? How suspicious).

Different decks for different cards would be good, and could be different for every depending on the monster in focus. Deck size should also be restricted, probably 30 cards at max.

Even with the theme changes though, the Lovecraftian theme still feels pasted on honestly. But I suppose there's really no way to condense existential horror into a <15-30 minutes game.

>>47098516
First, thank you for this! Very helpful.

To clear things up, I did mean resource as in something like an Elder Sign. Just using place holders at this point. The options for good guy victory seem like either one player collects X amount or a specific card allows the group to spend collectively.

Could you perhaps give an example of how a sanity mechanic would work as you describe, if it's not too much trouble? Like some card effects give you insanity, or maybe you can voluntarily get some to make card effects better? And then maybe you lose if you acquire a certain amount of insanity? Maybe players gain insanity as a group and then cards reference this number in their effects?

I like the draw, play, hide idea, sort of like Secret Hitler. I suppose bluffing would be difficult the more accustomed players become with the deck; playing an elder god would pretty much confirm your identity.

As for the deck, I was thinking a base deck with various deity cards, with a fair amount of them being burned.

Any other suggestions for card effects? Is there perhaps another game I could look at to get ideas?

I understand the concerns with the flavour, but I would like to see a Lovecraftian game that is relatively short and not reliant on resource management. I probably won't finish this project, but, all a bit of fun!

Thank you again for your suggestions and design tips!

>>47098763
>>47098516
hey just chiming in. Maybe if a player loses enough sanity they could reveal their character and become a cultist if they weren't one already.

>>47098082
What's the difference between Firearms: CQC and Athletics: Brawling? Is CQC like melee weapon fighting?

What does Mobility do?

What's the role of Insight?

>>47098947
I think CQC is shotguns/smgs

>>47098947
Firearms CQC is things like shotguns but I wanted the name to be a bit more general. Athletics Brawling is fighting hand to hand and with swords and such.

Mobility is for sprinting without getting shot mid combat

Insight is an RP skill as well as will be used for discerning information during hacking about the firewall and what not.

Alright, so I've been working on a tabletop game for quite a few months now, but only just yesterday admitted to myself that I needed to get the mechanics for time travel hammered out, since multiple classes of characters have time traveling powers. Even though the game play is pretty fast and loose, I still like having general rules for how things work.

The basic mechanics of it is there starts with one timeline, and various actions can create other timelines where different things happen, however by the end spare copies of players generally die, so that in the end there will be only one set of successful players in one timeline. Given that, any general or specific questions you would have about time travel? Everything you ask now will help greatly.

>>47099030
Have you played any of the published time-travel games like Continuum? It's not easy to make it work without being impossible for sane people to follow.

>>47099059
I can't say have, or even heard of it before. Hopefully the fact that only one player per session can have time powers, and that their interaction with it has specific limitations will reduce the complexity to something understandable.

>>47098763
I only suggested a sanity mechanic so that it could represent the struggles of the good guys trying to stop the cult from succeeding. I personally see the deck as sort of events that could happen, so it'd range from "weekly rituals" to "shoggoth encounter" to "crazy old guy drives a fuel tank". So sanity loss would occur whenever you get a relevant event, and more importantly, this introduces a sort of story as the players play. I realize a narrative isn't really that important though, especially since the game is supposed to play quickly.

As for relevant sanity effects, anything you can think of is probably fine. Sanity related effects should act as a sort of pressure mechanic for the good guys, but shouldn't benefit the bad guys directly. Stuff like "to play this card, take 1 sanity hit". Bouncing off of >>47098821 suggestion, maybe the cultists can survive any number of sanity hits? That could give the good guys a bit of pressure to prove their innocence by using up sanity, since theirs are limited.

>playing an elder god would pretty much confirm your identity
It would really depend on the effect the card has. Card effects should illicit the question "why the heck did he play that?" and should always induce suspicion. A vague and tall order, but it's probably doable. No idea what games could serve as good reference material though. Not a card game, but maybe Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space and how it's cards work?

>>47098985
Makes sense.

Your Skill list seems like it casts a good net. You could probably flesh out Tools a little bit though.

Also, again, if you want to flesh out Hacking a bit you can probably break it into a few distinct skills (which I might recommend since this is a cyberpunk game and could probably use a variety of actions related to Hacking).

What about:

>Firewall
Skill for constructing or breaking through network defenses

>Dive
Skill used for searching networks and data sources for specific information or access points

>Command
This is the skill for forcing exposed systems to do what you want them to do by reprogramming or dropping custom viruses into the code.

>Scorch
Skill used for causing chaos in a system by erasing files and corrupting code

Those are just off the top of my head. Someone with more experience with hacker culture and computer programming would probably know better than me, since my knowledge of hacking comes from cyberpunk novels and Mr. Robot.

>>47099105
Well that's good at least. Continuum is a game based on the player characters being time travel agents, and the whole system is based around causing and preventing paradoxes within fairly short time frames, frequently as characters travel through time to assist past or future versions of themselves.

>>47099171
I just added Immersion as a Tool skill, a rating on your BCI synapses, VR is going to be a relatively big thing in the setting. A lot of what you suggested I either want as Gear qualities or actions you can do after breaking into a system.

Does the Combat Flow tab make sense? No one's commented on that yet.

>>47086507
With the way you have your actions laid out, I think simultaneous actions would actually not be the best way to go.

With the example of dueling swordsmen, you describe an action/reaction relationship, which already works perfectly for turn order. When there are multiple people involved you can define separate "combats", and just go with the action/reaction for each group. When multiple enemies are engaged in an uneven fight (2v1), you can treat each side as entities with relevant advantages.

In addition, you could have a designation that placed people into "in combat" (actively fighting) and "transition" (moving from one skirmish to another) states. This all should allow for a relatively normal combat experience, but in a more narrative sense.

>>47099659
It makes sense, and its thematically appropriate to the game, but I'm having a little bit of a hard time groking it to be honest. Probably just because the way you present it (as code) isn't something that I normally see or follow. But it seems reasonable enough. I wonder if your dedication to the structure of the round (which feels kind of like a card game really) is overly restrictive and might bog down the flow of action.

>>47101052
There was a small clause in the beginning of the turn subroutine that your actions can be taken in any order to alleviate that, I assume you missed that?

Also, Stunt is going to be a replacement effect instead of its own action

Is there any place on the web where you can discuss game design in long form? I like this thread but you just can't post very long essays here and expect people to answer.

>>47087347
Maybe I do need to take more from burning wheel if my goal is narrative...

>>47100101
After thinking on how to make such a system work for a few days and coming up with nothing better here, I might have to agree that simultaneous turns wouldn't work. I still wonder how I can make a discreet turn order feel like logical coexisting narrative though.

It's just that in most games I've played, I always feel boxed in by a turn order that can't adequately describe a situation where many things are happening at once. I've been thinking about how to fix that problem, but as of yet I've still to come up with one good idea on how to do that.

\_(ツ)_/¯

>>47101465
What do you need to ask in essay form that can't be asked in a few sentences? Nobody says you have to keep your shit short.

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My system is much like FATE where instead of buying set feats, players define their characters by mutable qualities (FATE calls them aspects, I call them qualities) that help improve their rolls when they're relevant. There are three stats and characters get a number of qualities per stat determined by that stat. The stats are body, mind and charm.

However, I want to add a fourth stat called dream reflecting their supernatural ability. I want it to work differently. As the players defeat enemies or overcome obstacles, they'll collect "dreams", like the boss souls of Dark Souls. Characters can meditate on one dream at a time, and their dream stat dictates the magnitude of effects it can grant. Sort of similar to the 3.5 totemist and the animal shapes discussed in the Eddas.

For example, making good with a pack of wolves might grant the characters access to the wolf dream. At dream 1 it might just improve your senses. At dream 2 it might give you lethal hunting instincts or tracking ability. At dream 3 maybe you can turn into a wolf!

Can you tell me why this is a bad idea?

So, I've got a lot of meat to this dark souls game I'm working on. Lotsa stuff figured out. But one thing I don't have, and that I don't even know how to figure out, is what skeleton to use. Like, what scale of numbers? What dice? How do you guys decide these sorts of very basic, core things?

>>47106033
So it's line a "quest reward stat" ?
I actually like the concept, except that it seems so difficult to make balanced with other options. Unlike the other stats, where you immediately know what you're getting into, dream would very much be blindly banking points, from the player's view. And until they get access to the first dream, it's doing nothing.
Really, I think it's too different to belong with those three other stats. Perhaps, to make it still a variable from character to character, you need to introduce another "meta" stat that's in the same arena as dream. So one could have, say, 1 dream and 4 [other stat] or 3 dream and 2 [other stat] or some such.
I just don't think it belongs sharing a point pool with the other three stats. But the whole purpose is that it has a range, so if you want that to be decided at character creation and change with the character, I think you should add another stat that's on the same access as that one which uses a different pool of character creation points.

>>47106486
>dream would very much be blindly banking points, from the player's view
Oh, I forgot to mention it would increase automagically as the characters, who have lived their whole lives in the mundane world, fall increasingly into the supernatural world and not be in competition with the other stats for investment.

Are there any examples of games where power management is important for combat? I kind of want to make something where the players have fuel limits on their super powers, but I'm not sure how to make it not a pain in the ass to implement and keep track of.

Also, is it obnoxious for me to make rules where the players have to take the equivelant of a SAN check when they get into firefights and stuff? The PCs are supposed to start out as more or less normal people, so it'd make sense for them to suffer from shock of being thrown into the shit, but I'm worried people would get annoyed with it.

>>47106581
To me that kinda ruins the point of it being a stat. You can just give appropriate rewards for the point, rather than having this bank of dreams to swap out which seems not worth it to me.
But having it completely cut off from the other stats eliminates issues I had with it, so while I think it's a roundabout way of getting the idea you want, I like the basic idea so sure. It'd sounded like it was in the same pool as the other three.

>>47106620
Do you mean power limit/fuel as in something like a mana system, or something like an x/encounter for each power system?

>>47106667
A mana system, like something straight out of vidya, I guess.

>>47106811
That's what I've been working with too. I think the biggest thing would be to use easy numbers. Fast mental math isn't everyone's strong suit, and even if it is that doesn't mean it's fun. I suppose that's what you're worried about though, isn't it? The best I can figure is that sticking with 2s, 5s, and 3s in the ones digit makes it not so bad. Also, it should be designed so that powers are costly and impactful. Taking out a big chunk of your points at once to do something makes it so you do less math, and feels better than paying a pointless little tax that you still have to keep track of every time you do something cool.

>>47106486
Also, realizing that this thread is more broad, specifying that this is for a dice table top game. More focused on combat but not a full on war game.

>>47106636
It would be separate on the character sheet and explained in a different section of the rules. But to me anything that is basically [adjective]: [number] is a stat. I realize I wasn't very clear on it. It would just be a small reward in addition to the normal loot. A collectible trophy like Pokemon badges. Something the party could look back on and say, "Remember that?" Maybe even something they could wager against other supernatural beings.

>>47106486
>Like, what scale of numbers? What dice? How do you guys decide these sorts of very basic, core things?
Honestly I had kind of decided on that stuff before I got to the real "meat" of the system. I wanted to keep the numbers low so that there would never be too much math or too many dice on hand at once. I went with 3d6 for that smooth bell curve. I limited the number of stats to avoid stepping on each others' toes. I used one unified resolution mechanic to keep players from needing to learn more. I went with FATE style aspects over particular, detailed D&D style feats to minimize bookkeeping.

I made a list of things I hated about other systems and would avoid at all costs. I made a list of things I liked about other systems and would consider adapting. I made a list of my own embryonic ideas to polish. I made a list of "Rules to Design By" to keep myself on the right path.

>>47106811
3.PF psionics use a mana system. Savage Worlds and Deadlands Reloaded use something similar.

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So for conflict resolution I've been thinking about trying 1d12+stat+rare modifiers, with most class bonuses etc conferring rerolls rather than flat bonuses. A stat of 0 is average (duh) for heroes (-2 would be more common for regular folks: the system/difficulties aren't for regular people!). I'm thinking a stat of 4 is probably the highest a non minmaxing shit will get at creation. I'm pretty shit at math though, how can I refine this?

>>47077467
Heart is kind of like Souls+FP, yeah. Where DS theme is "there is no hope, each fight just staves off the inevitable a little longer," I want the theme to be "everything is terrible and will never get better, but by sticking together and keeping hope alive we can stop it getting much worse."

>>47064511
>RTS
you mean TBS, as in Turn-Based Strategy.

in TBS you will want people to compete and cooperate with their own settlements so that they can make decisions independently. you will be making something along the lines of settlers of catan.

in TBS I prefer players to compete against each other, not against the game.

In Role Play I prefer players to be forced to band together to work against a common foe / adversity.

First define your design goals.

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I recently left my job of 2 1/2 years because I couldn't take it anymore, and realized that it's given me time to actually finish this game I've been working on on and off for the past 3 years.

I'm a deviant motherfucker, and so one day I just thought "Wouldn't it be great to have a sex game that was as inclusive as possible, where people could share fetishes and try out new things without directly telling others with an awkward conversation, by putting this type of thing in the framework of a game?"

Here comes, Paraphilia Truth or Dare. Here's a crappy cellphone picture of the first prototype, and I've already ordered the second version with a bunch of changes that were obvious to me once I had the physical cards in hand.

From the back of the box: "A new take on the classic Truth or Dare game rests inside this box. It's a raunchy race to earn the most Kink Points, which can only be gained by performing actions your partner tells you to! Counter back with special Safety cards to change the course of the game and get others out of their comfort zone! Whether you're Dominant or Submissive, everyone wins."

Might change that description up before the actual production run, but for now it gets the job done. Sending copies to other couple friends that I have to playtest, start getting a Website going, find a manufacturer that's not The Game Crafter, and go for the Kickstarter.

Any one have any questions for me, or just general thoughts?

>>47106811
Most games don't like using Mana and similar resources because it requires a lot of erasing and re-penciling on the part of the players to track the numbers.

Just off the top of my head though, I know Unknown Armies tracks magickal charges that way, aaaaand I think most White Wolf games track their superhuman power supplies like that, but I've never played one of those games so I could very easily be wrong on that account.

>>47112527
Forgot to add, that the game is designed around customization by each person choosing 15 cards that they want to put into a shared deck. There's going to be expansions for as many legal fetishes that I can find, starting with the most popular. Shared deck idea came from 100% Orange Juice, and I feel like it works with the whole "I wonder what we'll end up doing this time."

I made sure to keep the mindset of "Keep the rules as simple as possible so that people wouldn't just think to do whatever they want without taking out a complex game to get to the foreplay, but keeping it just complex enough to offer a fun experience they wouldn't get otherwise."

>>47112527
...Huh

> which can only be gained by performing actions your partner tells you to! Counter back with special Safety cards to change the course of the game and get others out of their comfort zone!

Can you give an example of this interaction?

>>47112527
That's a very neat prototype. Can't say much other than it will most likely be a very niche game, and it may or may not be the right time to produce this given the recent success of other "relationship" games such as Fog of Love(?). I wish you good luck though, if it proves a good alternative to regular Truth or Dare, then you did well.

>>47112583
Glad to. The game flow starts by a player drawing so they have 5 cards in their hand at the start of their turn. There are Truth cards, Dare cards, and Safety cards. You choose a Truth or Dare card to play that you want your opponent to do.

The opponent has 3 options: 1.) Perform the action. If they do so, they gain the Kink Points (KP) listed on the card. 2.) Play a Safety card. 3.) Deny the action. If they deny the action, they have to draw from the top of the deck until they come across another Truth or Dare (ToD) card. They must perform this action, or the game is over and totals are added up.

Safety card example:

"Safe Word" - Negate a ToD action. (Very simple one.)

"Mutual Pleasure" - Your opponent must also perform the ToD action in play. They receive no KP for the action. If they decline the action, then the ToD card is negated.

"Submit" - After performing the ToD action in play, your opponent must choose another action for you to perform immediately after from their current hand. If you perform the new action, gain double the total KP; If you do not perform the new action, lose that much KP instead."

etc.

There's also an "Ignore" safety card which negates a Safety.

This type of interaction along with the options given for different situations should make the game more interesting than your standard truth or dare game. "I don't really want to do this...should I use this safety now, or deny it and risk doing something that might be worse, or easier.."

There are 9 Safety cards with 3 copies of each in the base deck. 10 are randomly added to the shared deck before the game begins. I thought about letting players choose their own to add to it, but decided not to after playtesting and getting feedback from my partner that it slows the game down and starts to kill the mood havin g to read through all of those cards and effects.

>>47062875

I have some very specific questions and they maybe a bit misplaced here because it's not exactly game design. Nonetheless I suspect it is relevant for a number of anons - marketing.

Suppose you have designed an awesome game - how do you market it? Where do you market it? Aaaaaand at which point in the game design process (relevant to the thread topic) do you begin marketing? After successful conclusion of the alpha test phase?

>>47112674
>>47112671
Very interested in this question as well. I'm going to start marketing very soon, and figure I need to do more than just get a good looking Kickstarter up. Going to make a website for my company, along with social media sites, such as a Tumblr, Twitter, FB page, etc.

But is there anything major that should always be done to start marketing?

>>47112674
/biz/ time
If you intend on making more games or can see some potential growth in that idea, I'd suggest looking towards starting a small business. I don't know exactly how it works with these "one-shot" deals where you just have one good marketable idea, so for those I'd look for indie-gogo, patreon, or kickstarter crowdfunds. Above all, no harm would be done in meeting a business adviser, sometimes its free too!

You're not really supposed to know the intricate details of marketing since that's why people spend 4 years learning that shit, but DO know your competition. Think that when you add a new game to what's currently out there, you're adding to an already big and growing plot of products that has some dominance over the market. To make any bit of profit you'll have to differentiate yourself enough. How to market? I'd ask any friends you have with marketing knowledge or are jews, you'll most likely market using SM, near hobbyist stores, and some online stuff probably. With app development it's easy since you just put it on the store, mainly, so I don't know your shit.

>>47112718
>But is there anything major that should always be done to start marketing?

I suppose talking about the game. Do any of you feel hawkish talking about your core game ideas before release?

>>47112795
Do business advisors understand the specific market though?

>>47112966
>Do business advisors understand the specific market though?

Nope, they don't even understand basic data-structures and what a "string" is. However, that's not their job. Their job is to know people that know, so by setting up a meeting with an adviser - they get a clear image of who else to set you up with. They might set you up with three main people:

>Hobbyist-gaming business mentor (most likely via skype, however)
>Patent Attorney (if not, ask for one!)
>A similar entrepreneurial venture guy/team, who may know a marketing consultant who specializes in games and entertainment media

It all depends on the adviser and how you "sell it" to them. If you're near a bigger city you'll have better chances on being set up with more important people. But marketing should come after you've established yourself as a business entity

>>47112527
This seems like a fun game. I think it would benefit from being a little more subtle, personally.

I understand the need for a points system, but I'm not sure bogging down all the foreplay with rules and complex interactions would be fruitful. I think you've already grasped this concept and made it as simple as possible.

Reaching out on social media I think would be a great idea. The acts this game refers to infringes on a very personal are between a couple; a bad experience with this game could be very harmful to a relationship - just see how upset classic Truth or Dare can make some people.

I definitely think input from social media response would be very helpful. I know Tumblr has quite a large "kink" community.

Best of luck!

>>47113085
Patent Attorney? What do you mean established yourself as business entity? Founded the company, taken care of accounting, etc.?

>>47114342
I'm not sure on the attorney part that much but the main jist is to secure your idea so no one else steals it and makes a profit from.

If you want to profit off your game design then you'll have to be considered as a business entity, that or ask the adviser on other profit ways for profit (etsy esque things??).

You can't just ask a book-printing company or plastics manufacturers to make you shit and you can't just take that shit to hobbyist stores to sell and you can't just go back to them to take your profits.

Google up the "business model canvas" for a good direction to start on making a small business, or ask your adviser for how you can profit from your idea - you might just be able to sell it to some company and they'll mass produce it. If it's good enough and you have proof it will be profitable.

>>47114314
Thank you for the feedback! Yeah, it's a tricky balance between it being so simple that what's the point of the game, and it being too complex, again raising the same question.

It's also true that regular unstructured ToD sucks. It always ends up being 'yeah well you're a pussy if you don't do it' or people making promises that are easy to forget. All the ToDs I have in the game are things that you can do right then and there, in the moment. Constraining everything to immediate actions I figure would help to keep things logical and not 'that's dumb, the game is over why would I do that.'

Tumblr's a great idea and I'll be getting responses there as well. Really excited about this, probably because for the first time in my life, I'm actually making something that A.) Doesn't really exist and I want it to, and B.) My own product>>47114314

>>47115507
What are some examples of ToDs you have in the game so far?

>>47115576
Simple ones that are tame which have low or no point values such as 'Kiss my neck' and 'Trail kisses from my face to my crotch.' That people would want to play to work up, or just for the sake of it.

Then other stuff, like 'Give me a rimjob / Let me give you a rimjob.', 'Lick the head of my penis / Lick on and around my clitoris.', and 'Let me climax / cum in your mouth or on your face.'

I added a safety card after playtesting that lets you delay an action for X turns, due to my fiance saying you might not want to lick ass then do other stuff with your mouth after for example.

Truths are a fun mix, from simple 'Do you prefer the lights on or off? Chain: Explain why', to fun 'Have you ever had sexual thoughts about a fictional character? Chain: Describe.' To deep 'What you think your younger self would think about your sexual knowledge now? Chain: Would you impart that knowledge given the chance?'

Forgot to mention, Truth cards have a chain bonus where you get extra KP for extrapolating, and Dares have a timer that indicates how long to do an action in minutes.

Fetish expansions will include different mechanics based on the type of fetish, and inform if any object are required.

>>47115767
I think my wife and I would definitely be interested in testing this out.

>>47109784
>I'm pretty shit at math though, how can I refine this?

It's a fine line to walk; the best approach for this sort of thing is to look at another game that uses a similar resolution system to yours and see what numbers it uses, and tune around that (do you want success to be easier or harder than what is shown there?)

Unfortunately I don't know of many other systems that use d12+Modifiers. I'm sure there are some, however.

>Where DS theme is "there is no hope, each fight just staves off the inevitable a little longer," I want the theme to be "everything is terrible and will never get better, but by sticking together and keeping hope alive we can stop it getting much worse."

This is a good theme, stick with this. It really encourages party dynamics, which is something that you should definitely put work into.

>>47064784
>virtual world where you have an avatar and can do direct battle with your problems.
It's either everyone or no-one's a hacker if you do this.

you don't want to run separate session for 1 guy

Sup /gdg/. I absolutely love kaiju films. I love the serious, grim, genuinely terrifying ones like the original 1954 Gojira. I love cheesy shit like Showa Gamera and Godzilla kickboxing and sliding on his tail. I love surprisingly cool-as-fuck shit like Frankenstein Conquers the World.

And to be honest, while it's good, light fun, King of Tokyo/King of New York doesn't quite scratch the kaiju itch for me.

So I want to design an LCG (well, some other name, but same premise) where the players are giant-ass monsters. They can be subterranean horrors awakened from a slumber of aeons, creatures from the ocean mutated by radioactive testing, giant robots made to fight the monsters, and so on.

I realize what a big undertaking this is. Just wanted to spit the idea out. Off to work on it I go.

>>47065185
you need to keep it at D&D simplicity.
people hate anything more complex

>>47118262
I agree with this. Games that have giant rulebooks that will take over an hour for everyone at the table to understand without people constantly going back and forth to figure out how to do something sucks.

Whenever you think about a mechanic, think of your first idea of it and then flesh it out. Then afterwards, keep thinking of "how can this be made simpler, without sacrificing the main goal of this mechanic?"

You keep doing that until it feels like you can't do it anymore.

>>47117982
Well, I certainly want modes of hacking where everyone jacks into VR and all your combat monkeys are on burner decks fighting off hordes of pseudo-AIs bum rushing the actual hacker in one touch and you die virus hacking

Also, can I issue and open invitation of crowdsourcing my feats? commenting is enabled.

>>47065185
>https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9FE25lqbSbDQzVpR3NSVE1XajA
what pare is it?

>>47119027
So it's basically 2 games. 1 in real world. second in VR.
I'm not a fan of that.

>>47119381
I don't think there's any real alternative

>>47065462
there's no good way to keep track of that.
you might tell people ignore it until it becomes silly
or make an abstract system.

Bottom line is nobody cares as long as it does not break the immersion.

Hey /tg/ I'm looking into designing a simple deck building game and was wondering if you guys had any resources I could read about best practices/principles etc.

>>47119996
Eh, just start writing everything down. You get an idea for a system? Write it down and follow that train of thought.

Fuck best practices / principles. You want your game to stand out. Think about the type of game you want to make as I'm sure you already have an idea in your head, and then just keep writing ideas down and it should just start to form together.

When you get to your playtesting phase, that's when you find out the parts of your game that work good and the parts that don't.

>>47120048
Alright cool. I've already started a notebook and just jotting down everything that comes to mind. I'll keep it up and see where it goes

>>47119750
1 test or 1 roll
to be done with it.
like trap disarming or diplomacy

>>47120904
Nah, fuck that. That shit's lame yo

How am I supposed to build up the dichotomy and juxtaposition between the glory of the unreal against the horror of the absolute if they only interact with VR for a single roll at a time?

Historically speaking, the best way to kill a motherfucker in good armor was by throwing him to the ground and stabbing him there.

How would you represent that in tabletop?

>>47120993
Grappling + hit locations. Both have been done by numerous systems.

>>47118069
>kaiju films
there are multiple?

>>47121062
yeah, but what system does grappling well enough to allow you to necessitate it?

>>47121103
>there are multiple?
Are you serious?

Out of curiosity, what do you think is the only one?

>>47120993
It's the most boring way to take down armored foe. I would avoid it and focus on other methods like using mass weapons, poleaxes, tripping down opponent, halfswording or mordhau the shit out of him. They are way more flashy and fun for everybody without huge mess of grappling rules.

>>47121123
Well my first thought is GURPS. Especially Martial arts. But I have a feeling that is more complicated than what you want.

>>47118069
I've been tempted to make a hybrid card-miniatures game with the theme of big monsters smacking each other around.

>>47119090
Pare? If you mean part then it should be under combat for the most part.

I'm trying to make a "combo" centric game with chaining a number of attacks together for damage.

So I'm running a one-shot soon in which the PCs are all clones of the same person. Each PC is assigned a "randomized" serial number. The idea is that the numbers are cumbersome and names are easier, so they'll come up with nicknames.
Basically I'm looking for 4-digit numbers that point towards an obvious nickname, like "5678" might call himself "Dancer", or "1776" might pick a name having to do with the American Revolution. the player that decides on a name that has nothing to do with his serial number gets a bonus

>>47125755
>the player that decides on a name that has nothing to do with his serial number gets a bonus
Why even have the numbers in that case? The bonus means there's absolutely no reason to even find a related nickname and players should go with absolutely random ones instead.

Actually randomizing the numbers then letting the players decide on a nickname depending on the numbers is a better idea. Unless the numbers actually serve a purpose, there's no need for set numbers that you want to corellate with something.

>>47126436
He's obviously not planning on telling the players before hand.

Except he doesn't realize that the average player will just go "Bob. My nickname is Bob. And uh, his is Frank, and Fuckface, and Blue"

>>47125077
>Pare
I R dumb
page number

>>47126436
I'm thinking you're right, it'd be easier for both of us that way
>>47126637
Our last game was Paranoia, featuring Mrs Joe Pesci, Carl Winslow, Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor and Tony T. Tiger.
Our current 5e campaign is almost entirely wacky homebrew races and classes, including a camel man archer and a large jumping spider ranger.
These are not average players.

What is a good shorter word for "Mental exhaustion"?

>>47131662
Breakdown

>>47131662
Burnout

>>47131662
Bump

I've just been sitting with this page open on my desktop for quite awhile now, and I think its time for me to really get to work on this.

Its an Ace Combat homebrew that I'm trying to makes as relatively simple as possible. Fortunately its not too long, so I'm posting the entire work here. I can't really bring myself to work on any specific thing (which is why you see a partial glossary right at the beginning). I just need someone to tell me to work on something, and then I can do it. Even if they don't stick around, just being able to tell myself "someone specific wanted progress in an area" should hopefully give me enough motivation to actually make that progress.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-x7vMbcJeXps8ZaeTa2ovoXK2yoB7ICqcEmNKP1dlww/edit?usp=sharing

>>47134541
You could be burnt out on figuring out stuff for aircraft. How about some stuff concerning the base of operations? Upgrades, possible interactions, resources, etc.

>>47134624
I think part of the reason I haven't done upgrades either is because they're essentially modifications to airplane stat blocks, which I've been dreading to do (dreading at least in comparison to the rest of the work).

But, that's probably a good start. Areas that don't actually involve the planes themselves

>>47134688
Not upgrades on the planes, but on the facilities of the base. The players need a place to live in after all.

>In Normal Range you roll damage dice as listed
>In Long Range, you roll double the dice, and take the worst half
>In Close Range, you roll double the dice and take the best half
Given that one of the weapons rolls 3d4 for damage, is this too many caltrops being thrown around?

>>47134760
Eh well, that's not exactly something necessary in the Ace Combat games, and not exactly within the scope of my brew. Even the between mission exposition the games give, might just be a GM only thing while the players RP in the missions themselves. Its very episodic, and that's what I'm leaning towards replicating. (unlike many of the Ace Combat quests that used to be around /tg/)

>>47134856
So nothing on the pilots at all? No fatigue, mental health, relationships, piloting skills, etc.? Which is of course fine, atleast the direction you're taking is better defined. Perhaps some mission guidelines and how to make one, maybe a few skeletons to play quickly?

>>47134912
I know a lot of people like to make pilot stats, but that doesn't really seem like a direction I want to go. All the attributes of the pilot (the strain of g forces, the skill in maneuvering, the RP) can all be done by the individuals. None of that really has to be coded out in mechanics. Your pilot acts differently from other players, or even your own other pilots because you make them act differently. It isn't really necessary to play the game, nor is it necessary to translate Ace Combat to tabletop, but it isn't really necessary to make rules for.

Like I mentioned, relative simplicity is what I'm aiming for. Even X-wing miniatures (one of the more popular dogfighting games, and therefore a target for comparison) is slightly more than I'm going for. Compared to that, I'm removing the need for movement templates (though they can be optional) and making rules fit onto a square grid so that you could just draw a map on notebook paper and play. One complication I'm adding is 3d space, with altitude represented by a d12 or 2d6. even the d20 I might consider replacing with d6s.

By comparison, Planes and their stats are necessary. Modifications are necessary so that a full flight of F-22s might still have different mechanical roles if desired. The key for me will be to phrase and encourage certain things to happen if they don't have rules laid out for them, but that won't be a needed step until I get closer towards finalization.

>>47135183
Something doesn't sit right with me and I can't really word it right. I guess I'll settle with 'try to avoid making it too shallow to be a roleplaying game, and avoid making it a numbers balancing act'.

So i'm making a small game for my group to play about Dark Souls, and i've decided to use the Age of Fire. My idea is the players will spend and gain power to perform all their actions(attacking, buying heroes/armies/covenants) and this will also be their health bar. The thing is I want this to eventually start to fade, so the first part of the game is all killing dragons, but eventually shifts to them trying to survive as long as possible. Any idea on how to slowly decrease the points of power they earn a turn without it seeming so obvious?

Here's a question, guys. I want outside information gathering and research to be part of my homebrew setting, because knowledge checks feel like a boring way to test knowledge.

How pissed would you be, as a player, if your DM gave you a bibliography for you to reference on your downtime?

Here's my idea on how it would work:

>Players have the option to read books from the bibliography on fae and fantasy creatures
>Use knowledge from the books in order to have an easier time preparing for the combat (I'm planning on tough encounters, so they'll need anything they can get) and social aspects of their jobs as monster slayers
>Players learn2read, or end up facing harder (but not lmaofuckyouyou'redead-tier) encounters

Of course, the biggest issue is that there's a lot of books on fantasy creatures, but some of them are... Variable at best, one book will tell you one thing, and the other will tell you another, and there's always the risk of the players not reading because reasons.

Would it be worth the time and effort to write my own, in-character bestiary for the players to reference? I wouldn't let them reference it during sessions, because that'd make it too easy, and I'm fond of the Paranoia school of fast, rapid combat without much BS and 'wait no that's dumb can i do this instead?'.

>>47129478
page 78 and 79 breaks down how turns are supposed to be taken.

My goals for the combat system is to create a flexible turn order, where the players work together to put together team attacks and combos using their spells and abilities for each round.

>>47136341
Simple. Just have any sustained injuries or wrongs detract a small portion of their power. Small enough for them to think it's a reasonable punishment for big fuck ups during combat or social stuff, but it'll add up. If that fails to work effectively, make it so that, as time goes on and as the world becomes more souls-like in general, raise the cost of things slightly more and more, with justifiable in-world reasons for doing so.

Gradually grind them down, to the point where when they finally realize how neutered they've become, it's already a bit too late.

>>47136341
Another option is to change the perception. Give them a small minimum power that they'll get every round. The earlier rounds have a decreasing "bonus", like a reverse 13th age escalation dice idea. They'll get all that resource saved up from the beginning, but will soon get to the point where wanton spending is unsustainable.

>>47065958
>Miscasted spells
that's an underrated idea. not many games use it, not many players like it.

Works with the right setting

>>47136743
Players would be much more receptive to reading assignments if you wrote it yourself.

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This is my game that I've been working on since last October. It's called The 12 Towers, and I'd like a little feedback on it.

Currently I'm working on the 2nd edition of beta testing (1st edition was all hand drawn/mspaint printed), I'll post the general concept, but for now I'm keeping the files and official rules private, still waiting on my licensing paperwork to go through.

The game is a lite mixture of a lot of familiar concepts:
- Free roam board, Figurines, Lore (D&D)
- Randomized Events (Talisman)
- Multitude of cards (Magic: The Gathering)
- Conquest and Board controlling (Risk)
- Dice Roll movement

Right now the final stage of this part of the project is the cards (Over 600 different ones), ranging from melee and ranged weapons, spells, dragons, siege engines, and secret locations.

The game can hold a total of 12 players at once (If there are 6 or more players, 2+ players take their turns at the same time, it gets messy, but fun) the goal of the game is to control the other towers, or eliminate the other players.

Each tower has it's own theme (Elements, Materials, etc), strengths, and weaknesses. The more towers you control, the better your cards are (Think Megaman when he defeats a boss and takes his shit).

The pic is the new printed board I just picked up yesterday. is this something /gdg/ would play? I'll answer whatever questions there are.

>>47065462
>Should I consider having "how many spell bricks you can carry" be a separate counter to carry weight?
depends on how much the spell bricks weigh. If they are light as a feather then you can just add volume limits.
If bricks weigh something you can just give them uniform weigh like 1 of something. Simple Multiplication once in a while should be OK.

>>47119090
>So why Initiative points?

>Because Initiative is largely derived from experience. The more experienced the character is with combat and situations the quicker he can act. Initiative is spent, and serves as a measure of time in combat.

You should assume that other systems do not exist.

it should be:
>what are Initiative Points?

>>47070011
>My plan for hackers mid combat is hijacking drones and then fighting with those. Implies a few rounds of doing dick all followed by a few rounds of being a monster

Or hacker can disable something or cause a malfunction.

Make not-hackable stuff weaker / slower.
balance hacking ability so that vital stuff (your cyberbrain, grenades) has more hacking defense

>>47070011
basically make hacker the guy that makes all your nades not explode before toy throw them. the guy that jams your aim assist rifle / plasma pistol / thermo-vision / etc.

>>47138908
>>47065185
responding to attacks makes the combat take up 100% more time.

>>47141854
Which is why you make combats last half as long. I'd much rather have quick, interesting combats where a lot of small actions happen very quickly. A larger fight is generally a narrative scene with things described in broad strokes, and not quite the same thing.

I'm a big fan of the idea of easy and difficult opponents being separate entities that operate differently, such as Reign's Unworthies.

>>47138908
>>47141854
True, by I like the idea of being able to make responses to attacks. Like setting up 'traps' of sorts. That's also why I set up the "Stagger" mechanic, break the opponent's guard/footing so you don't have to roll offense/defense and just string together attacks.

>>47142574
>>47142011

An example of how I want one round could go now that I look at things. Let's say its 5 players versus a "boss" character.

>Player 1 Is a Guardian with 7 Initiative Points (IP).
>Player 2 is a Hunter with 8 Initiative.
>Player 3 is a Savant with 5 Initiative.
>Player 4 is a Mystic with 6 Initiative.
>Player 5 is a Phase Master with 8 Initiative.
>Boss is a giant robot. 5 Initiative.

The characters roll a D10 + Initiative. The order goes as above. Convenient.

Guardian
> 1 IP: He starts out by using an attack to help him close the gap against the boss.
> 1 IP: He declares an attack, a 3-hit combo strike with his longsword.

Hunter
>1 IP: He declares to make an insight (perception) roll to determine any weaknesses to make a called shot with his handguns. He finds out the robot's limbs have joints partially exposed.
>3 IP: He instead makes a "charge shot" attack, with a -4 penalty to the accuracy roll.

Savant
>1 IP: She runs towards the boss.
>1 IP: She jumps up into the air.
>2 IP: She uses a Twin Swords Air Combo.
>1 IP: She makes a mid-air dash backwards.

Mystic
>2 IP: Conjures spell circles to duplicate his spells.
>3 IP: Readies a charge shot spell.

Phase Master
>1 IP: Creates a portal near him.
>1 IP: Creates a portal behind the Robot.
>1 IP: Moves through the portal.
>1 IP: He performs a series of blows with his Tonfas.

Boss
> He decides dodging is best, since most of these attacks are focused on one location, he only needs to make 2 dodge rolls. 1 For the Guardian, Savant, and Phase Master, and 1 for the Hunter and Mystic.
> He succeeds on the First. Fails the second.
> Robot is Critically Hit, and Stunned!

The rest of the round is spent by the players (save for the Savant, no IP) stringing together attacks into a combo that makes sense. After that, players total up their individual damage done to the boss, and divide it by its Guard or Resist.

>>47137896
First impressions are that's a really pretty - but rather busy - board, dice roll movement will turn off quite a few players, 600 cards is a heckuva lot, the potential for snowballing to occur is huge (one player gets 2 towers, then they get 3, then 4, etc.), and player elimination means this will probably play way too long once there's only 2 players left, consider collecting victory points instead.

>>47143979

Thank you

1.) Indeed dice roll movement can take a while, I've included many cards and permanent effects that boost movement. For example, having a Hellfire Dragon in your hand increases your roll by 4 every turn.

2.) Surprisingly I haven't seen a snowball effect happen yet in any of the demo games I've hosted. The most players I've had at once was 8 (4 teams of 2), the inactive towers were not placed on the board either.

And I'll definitely look into victory points, thanks for that

I'm in a situation that'll have me posting in the world building threat as well.

Right now, I feel like I've outstripped my organizational and creative abilities to write about my setting and game alone. Mind you I'm not alone, but basically its been up to me to write, edit, and present drafts of the rules; and also to solidify the setting.

I get that its up to me to do the leg work, but it feels like these days I do nothing but open google document files, get scared off by how much needs to be organized, and get tunnel vision. Its to the point that I basically hallucinate parts of the rulebook due to over reliance on unwritten knowledge.

I'm rewriting the rulebook for maybe the 4th time, and before I get too far I want to fix this cycle of creative despair. I guess I'm asking how to manage extremely large documents and how to design a coherent rulebook without the san loss.

Secondary quandary.

Realizing that 40k and games in general fooled me into thinking squads are mostly generic riflemen, I've had to rethink the way squads work in my tabletop wargame. Setting is non earth but with 20th century tech, so I can take some liberties from history. Before, riflemen acted like HP markers with specialists acting as equipment markers. However in real life a rifleman is the minority, US marine teams have a composition of Squad Leader, Automatic Rifleman, Grenadier, Rifleman; not really leaving a lot of room for a 'generic' soldier model. Instead, I'm starting to rethink the way squads are designed.

My problem is that I want to account for individuals' contributions with in a squad without getting bogged down in micromanagement. If the automatic rifleman is killed, remove the automatic rifleman model, fair enough. But what about models that don't have a special weapon? I've considered the implication for the models, if I have a specific look for medic models in order to organize them better, then I guess that means you're not making them from a 'base' model anyway like you would with IG. The other idea with this is to have almost a class system where generalized abilities like breach or fire special weapon are based on the presence of said models in the unit. If thats the case, I feel like I'm leaning towards infinity style hard set looks for models; which some like and other's don't.

TL;DR how much sense does it to have a platoon-(small)company scale wargame with models accounting for squad abilities?

bampu

>>47148121
Why did you make such a rule-heavy system that requires revisions and huge docs in first place

>>47070011
>few rounds of doing dick all followed by a few rounds of being a monster
this can easily backfire. There is no way to prevent combat from ending before drone is hacked or before drone did any damage.
there might be no drones to hack.

hacker can scan the enemy, make their stuff malfunction, send false scan info to enemy sensors ... there;s lots. even make their nades explode if they have some sort of digital pin.

>>47148121
Kill your Darlings.

In other words, go through your rules once and get rid of everything that isn't 100% necessary to your game. You don't have to delete it entirely if that would trigger your OCD too badly, but from the sounds off it your game is bloated beyond what anyone would actually want to play (or indeed could play).