The Back Room

[Ieyfura]

Let's just say, I'm working on a different type of leveling/skill system from the norm. I'm not exactly sure how to explain it as of yet, but, it won't be easy to level certain things, and some things will be easier, etc. Not much math is involved really. I will be using a lot of non dice decisions throughout any game I make. The only time I will randomize something is if the odds are truly against you. Which, if everyone always tries to be said epic hero all the time....will happen. And in my game. If you die, it is permanent.

 

Don't worry, there are means of being "saved" from death with items, party aid, etc...I just don't want people to rush in like, "pfft, If I die, so what? I'll just respawn." It's rather complex to get it right, so I'm going to take my time on it. Don't expect anything too soon, but you can expect something eventually.

[Nexaduro]

If the characters end up as Big Damn Heroes in my game, well, they'll be facing Big Bads as well. If an ethereal being is capable of drawing on real power, then the Hunters will have a problem on their hands. The players won't be the only Hunters, either. Your colleagues will fight and die at your side, and likely show you up on a regular basis. Another thing to consider is the amount of profiling people do, this being a time when Humanity is being exposed to new races as well as controversial but useful body modifications. While the Hunter Foundation has a policy of enforced tolerance, some stranger-looking individuals might face prejudice. So, you might want to think twice before replacing your left arm with a chaingun.

[Grim_]

If the characters end up as Big Damn Heroes in my game, well, they'll be facing Big Bads as well. If an ethereal being is capable of drawing on real power, then the Hunters will have a problem on their hands. The players won't be the only Hunters, either. Your colleagues will fight and die at your side, and likely show you up on a regular basis. Another thing to consider is the amount of profiling people do, this being a time when Humanity is being exposed to new races as well as controversial but useful body modifications. While the Hunter Foundation has a policy of enforced tolerance, some stranger-looking individuals might face prejudice. So, you might want to think twice before replacing your left arm with a chaingun.

 

It really sounds like what you're doing/wanting to do is something along the lines of Hunter but possibly with a d20 system?

[Nexaduro]

F'in A, suppose there really isn't anything that hasn't been done before. Guess I'm obliged to look into it. :blink:

[Grim_]

If you look through esoteric systems enough you'll find rules for just about everything (like a game built for swashbukling or a game based off of medieval Japan or a game about the zombie apocalypse) though they are hard to find without use of amazon (or other less savory methods).

 

EDIT: And there's a STAR WARS RPG (both d20 and its own system iirc) as well as Mutants and Masterminds (d20 based around comic books) and traveller (scifi) as well as (as ross said) Rogue trader (sandbox sci fi set in the 40k universe) and Dark Heresy (focused sci fi set in the 40k universe) as well as games based around playing as a vampire (white wolf games). Then there's the dresden files rpg (very story driven which is based off of a different system and set in a fairly open to interpretation world) and shadowrun (near future, cyberpunk with magic. Own system as well as a d20 adaption)

[Jehosaphat]

I think it would be a neat little project for me to hone my very rusty writing skills. I haven't written anything in months. And I am craving some storytelling. lol

Dibs on making the illustrations. Because, like you, I could use the practice. :P

 

On that note, I finished a family picture sketch for Ye Olde Planned Webcomic in Physics today. I'm still reading guides and crap regarding coloring sketches before I upload anything more, though. Think I'm gonna stick with GIMP...

[jasignhagj]

Sneak peak?

[Nexaduro]

Meh. I won't let lack of originality discourage me, which is a bit tempting right now. :P

 

I just want it to be good, mostly. The inspiration comes as a mix of Parallel Dementia's Templars, Gundam 00's Celestial Being, and perhaps a bit of Demon's Souls and His Dark Materials.

[Jehosaphat]

Sneak peak?

That would require effort on my part. So no. ;)

Edit: I found the scanner cables... behind the scanner. Derp.

 

So enjoy a few-weeks-old, horribly zoomed in (as Windows has a penchant to do...) sketchy picture of Jen.

 

[hide][/hide]

[Retech]

That's a nice picture, Theros. :thumbup:

 

Now add a pinch of overpowered, imperiousness, and overbearing and you've made it absolutely perfect. And the grin is *slightly* too nice. Remember that she was EVIL, MANIACAL, WILLING TO GUT ANYONE IN HER WAY.

 

The way I've been roleplaying the Jens, if they were the same person, then they would DEFINITELY have bipolar. I guess that is just the nature of the game though.

[Jehosaphat]

That's a nice picture, Theros. :thumbup:

 

Now add a pinch of overpowered, imperiousness, and overbearing and you've made it absolutely perfect. And the grin is *slightly* too nice. Remember that she was EVIL, MANIACAL, WILLING TO GUT ANYONE IN HER WAY.

 

The way I've been roleplaying the Jens, if they were the same person, then they would DEFINITELY have bipolar. I guess that is just the nature of the game though.

It's still not colored yet, although I'm going to do Theros's coloring first to get a hang of it. So yes, the actual picture will look very much more evil.

[Ieyfura]

lol, ok. I give you full permission to the artistic rights.....but as I said, don't expect anything for quite some time. I don't want to make another "flop" game as this board seems to have many. (Not calling the current ones flops, but for every successful one, there are a number of unsuccessful, I would like to avoid being in the latter group of games.) :)

[Grim_]

Any chance you could tell us the general genre of what you were planning (that and the general tone you intend) so Thog the not so friendly barbarian doesn't end up in new york city fighting crime (though he may still end up doing just that if you run a point buy system like mutants and masterminds).

[Ieyfura]

It is going to be a medieval setting. But, there is a "time warp" of sorts. As the game progresses, the tech available will become more advanced. Evolving from swords and arrows to more cybornetic blades and firearms.

 

I know, the recipe for this to fail horribly is there, hence, I am taking my good old time.

 

Yes, there will be magic. Yes, it will be extremely OP. But. the use of magic takes a tole on the caster's body. Anything extremely powerful compared to another type of combat will also have a vulnerability mechanic.

 

Right now, I'm trying to decide how the latter part of the game is going to work. Atm, I have no solid means of making it "cool". So I need to work on it more.

[Grim_]

Erm you could have a pool of wounds that a character has and give magic a cost in life force (Lets say bob the sorcerer has 15 wounds, Bob casts flame strike a spell with a 1/2 wound cost. The flame strikes. Bob now has 14 1/2 wounds). You could also have a magic "skill" effect the number of wounds required to cast a spell. Let's say Fred the muscle wizard with a magic skill of 10 casts punch! a spell with a wound cost of 1. However his level 10 rate of reduction gives him 1/2 of the wounds (because he has to use less of his life force to attain the same effect).

 

With the magic costing wounds system you could also have the option of adding amounts of wounds to a spell to give it a more potent effect. (Ex. Bob the sorcerer with a magic skill of 10 casts flame strike at a were-goat. However desperate times call for desperate measures and Bob puts 4x the usual amount of power into the flame resulting in a 2 wound spell before his level 10 wound reduction comes into play. This lowers it to a cost of 1 wound out of his total)

[Jehosaphat]

So guess what! I decided to get off my butt and go absolutely nuts trying new stuff in GIMP. And whaddaya know, I actually found one of the functions I had been looking for.

 

So, without further ado...

 

[hide=Theros Picture Halfway through Coloring][/hide]

 

I know you guys would rather see the finished version, but I'm done working on it for tonight. Still working on that whole "artist work ethic" thing. Meh.

[jasignhagj]

I like it. Where's the mouth though?

[Seraphi]

Erm you could have a pool of wounds that a character has and give magic a cost in life force (Lets say bob the sorcerer has 15 wounds, Bob casts flame strike a spell with a 1/2 wound cost. The flame strikes. Bob now has 14 1/2 wounds). You could also have a magic "skill" effect the number of wounds required to cast a spell. Let's say Fred the muscle wizard with a magic skill of 10 casts punch! a spell with a wound cost of 1. However his level 10 rate of reduction gives him 1/2 of the wounds (because he has to use less of his life force to attain the same effect).

[hide]

[/hide]

[Jehosaphat]

I like it. Where's the mouth though?

Thin line, bottom-right half of the face. Going to make it a bit bolder when I add details.

[Resistance]

 

I'm not intruding, just trying to help. I've removed the lines, added despeckle and made the smile a bit bolder. If I were you I'd completely redraw it on the computer, tracing the original image so it will look cleaner and bolder.

[archimage_a]

On originality:

Things are only ever copied when you copy them.

If you think up something someone has already thought of it gives you the prospect of re-imagining it in a new and exciting way.

 

 

 

The other alternative is to find a random word generator.

Then find a list of adjectives.

Then find a list of political ideologies.

Now you have the name of your race, two adjectives to describe it and their political outlook.

 

Then pick a second ideology, this makes the race 3 dimensional, since not everyone thinks X.

Then get a random number generator, and use it to work out how powerful this race is.

 

Create more races as needed.

Also works for factions/countries within races.

 

Then pick two/three from a list of future technologies.

More than five and things are hard to relate to (Ever notice how, on TV, in the future, with all that technology, everything is the same? In roleplay its harder to hand-wave 'Yes, there are replicators that can make anything everywhere...but there are also factories, and even though everyone has super nanites, there are still hospitals....and even though this rifle can blow vapourise a man within a material which is 90 times better than titanium, it will only make a small hole in the wall...Or how genetic engineering is everywhere, but some people are still naturally better than others...or mind control that is broken by a kiss'), three is more than enough to give a good roleplaying experience.

 

You can then use the random number generator to define how good each race/faction is with that tech, if so inclined.

 

Then pick a reason for the war. Even if it never comes up knowing why there was a war helps you work out how the world works.

 

 

If so inclined you can make a world map too.*

 

And you more or less have a roleplaying world.

 

 

 

Then you just invent a sensible system to go with it.

For a system you want something that, either:

Takes a long time to resolve, but rarely needs to (eg DnD system), because the important information is stored in a buffer.

Takes seconds to resolve and is constantly needed (eg Dungeoneering system) because everything is adhoc.

 

What most people do is create a complicated (long time to resolve) and constantly needed system, because that is the system computer games use.

I won't insult people's intelligence by explaining why this doesn't work in the Tavern.

 

So...I would suggest key stats (Strength, Dexterity...whatever) which rarely, if ever, change. Which resolve, via excel, into HP, AC and Max/Min hit.

 

Unified XP system.

 

Then there are two major options from here:

1) People buy Skills. Skills give set bonuses. Pros: No complicated maths, Cons: Argument about what is covered by a skill or not.

2) People buy Levels. Levels give cumulative bonuses. Pros: Smaller integers mean player is not forced to choose 1 skill per level to improve, Cons: Can get majorly complicated.

 

Feats/Perks/whatever are set up along the same lines as Skills.

 

Then weapons/tools usually give modifiers as well.

 

End result is a rarely changing system, which can be buffered very easily (Levels/Skills+Mods**, HP, AC, Min/Max Hit).

 

 

*Site is pretty useful generally.

**Keeping these as separate values is important)

[Ieyfura]

I prefer to work from scratch. At least on the system. I am gathering a few ideas that have probably been used before and what not. But I do try to be creative and not copy paste anything. Most of what I do comes from my imagination. I've always been told by my friends that I would make a very good game designer. So I'm confident in my ability to create a game, but, my issue is, making the right thing for the right playerbase. I like to make things based on what I think is ideal. Sooooo, yeah.

[archimage_a]

Depends. Copy and pasting data...like weapons, for instance, is just sensible...It saves massive amounts of time.

But generally working from scratch is my preferred method...Lets you respond to situations that are unexpected, and allows the players to be creative.

[Ieyfura]

Yeah, I do leave a lot of room open for the players to explore their own characters and create a few things of their own to add into the game if they so wish. I just create the world, setting, stats, classes, and races, and let everything else go from there.

[Resistance]

Dungeons & Dragons...

 

When is the next installment of hegemony coming?