I'm working on so many different things. What that means is a lot of research, a significant amount of research. It also means a lot of play. I'm not a fan of writing things without trying to examine the genre or style of material it belongs to, and doing that well.
Derelict Delvers has me reading Space Opera, various molds of Sci Fi (Military, "vanilla", and others.) It's interesting because I wouldn't have discovered so many interesting things to read, and in my case been able to re-read anytime soon, without the need to research. I love the characters I've discovered.
I will probably keep up my reading and return to reading some of the science magazines I used to devour. What? You used to read science magazines? Yes. When I was young (child to teenager) I was driven by science fiction to become a scientist. Sadly, my math studies were not up to being a good scientist, or so I thought. Turns out the education system failed me.
It turns out I can do more of the mathematics/algebra etc, than I thought. It just has to be properly motivated. I won't be a scientist as a profession at this point, but I can focus on reading up on wondrous things and enjoying ideas. Maybe if I get some money together I can go back to tinkering on old personal projects. I was on the right track with some of them--as teams of scientist have done what I tried to do as a teenager. It is awesome. Sure I wish it had been me, but I'm happy I was mostly on target. (Most of my interest was in directed energy weapons and projected energy of various sorts.)
I know Derelict Delvers will make far less sense in terms of hard science fiction than most people would want in a Sci Fi game, but that's why its intentionally pulp space opera. Loose and fast with the rules, and lots of old school SCIENCE! As opposed to real science. I'm alright with that.
In other news I've had to pause in reading Wuxia, for the moment. I love the stuff, but it is very dense depending on what I'm reading and I've got to pause now, or burn out. I'll be going back in a few weeks. My space opera wuxia game may be hampered due to needing native Chinese speakers to assist me. I was being assisted by one but he fell ill, and I've not heard from him in a while. The last message I had was disturbing and made me worried about his health more than about finishing my game. I hope he recovers, even if his assistance is done on the RPG.
I'm still trying to figure out what "Pure" or Open Science means in E.o.N, mostly because the desire to seek knowledge is often turned into fodder for leaving one open in horror games.
I want true scientists to be strong, just as faith is against the evil of the stigmatim. Mostly because the desire to seek answers, real answers should be encouraged. Faith is resistance because of its nature (and the fact stigmatim are really demons, so faith repels them.) Science--the desire to continue seeking answers, and not resting on the laurels of past discoveries, should also repel or make one resistant to their powers.
I want a balance, rather than a denial of either aspect of humanities nature denies value. Yet I still want stigmatim to have power over those that simply accept what is, without curiosity or conviction.
Lastly, I've been writing short, of course, blurbs about various supervillains in H&S2E on Twitter
All two of you who read this should be aware if you weren't already...
-Tim
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Confounding Spirit...
I've not had a lot of game writing spirit lately. Or novel writing. Just seem bereft of the focus. Hopefully, as I catch up on sleep I can get things done.
I came up with the worst alternative name for Derelict Delvers I think possible. The Archive Science Service. Yep. Worst name. Ever.
In the mean time I'm running multiple games and threading the needle on which way to direct other game writing.
I wonder if I should leave the three-pool design in tact for my wuxia game. Letting it be Kung Fu, Yin, and Yang. Allowing you to use Kung-Fu with either is an interesting concept, and of course vice versa. On the other hand Kung-fu seems deeply tied to chi of the other two pools.
I came up with the worst alternative name for Derelict Delvers I think possible. The Archive Science Service. Yep. Worst name. Ever.
In the mean time I'm running multiple games and threading the needle on which way to direct other game writing.
I wonder if I should leave the three-pool design in tact for my wuxia game. Letting it be Kung Fu, Yin, and Yang. Allowing you to use Kung-Fu with either is an interesting concept, and of course vice versa. On the other hand Kung-fu seems deeply tied to chi of the other two pools.
Monday, April 04, 2011
Archive Space/Derelict Delvers
Science Action Dice!
I've added to the extra dice one can roll to do pulpy-space opera action things in play. They also allow a better chance of success at anything if a reasonable "SCIENCE!" explanation can be given. Allowing for the sudden brilliant moments, interesting explorations of ideas given in early space opera fiction.
Health
I'm considering ditching Health again and resorting to weapons hitting attributes. I like the idea of hitting Brawn and that being a sudden weak spell, hitting Mind and causing the person to have a foggy, unclear head they need to shake clear. I'm not sure if they would be tested against, or if I'd keep it similar to the current 10 box health system.
Initiative
Initiative will henceforth be setup so that certain types of attacks/actions simply go first. Heroes will tend to have the first go, but there are exceptions.
1) Fists go first if in melee range. Attacks using the but of a weapon is included in this category.
2) Melee weapons go next.
3) Ranged Weapons (Light) go after Melee weapons
and finally
4) Heavy Weapons go last.
In case of a tie Heroes go first.
If the distance is too great for someone to reasonably engage in melee attacks, they'll be allowed to make a test (Speed) to cross the distance, and go the same action sequence.
It should make the game feel pulpy and make for interesting tactics.
One can always talk, of course during any action, so essentially they can go at O, but that's not likely to matter once the conflict has begun.
I'm taking suggestions for a potential name change on www.rpg.net here.
Although so far ARCHIVE SPACE, sticks better for me than anything else.
Of course ARCHIVE may be changed a bit too: Artifact Recovery Control and Historical Investigation Venture Enclave. (Rather than -Enterprise)
We'll see how it goes.
I've added to the extra dice one can roll to do pulpy-space opera action things in play. They also allow a better chance of success at anything if a reasonable "SCIENCE!" explanation can be given. Allowing for the sudden brilliant moments, interesting explorations of ideas given in early space opera fiction.
Health
I'm considering ditching Health again and resorting to weapons hitting attributes. I like the idea of hitting Brawn and that being a sudden weak spell, hitting Mind and causing the person to have a foggy, unclear head they need to shake clear. I'm not sure if they would be tested against, or if I'd keep it similar to the current 10 box health system.
Initiative
Initiative will henceforth be setup so that certain types of attacks/actions simply go first. Heroes will tend to have the first go, but there are exceptions.
1) Fists go first if in melee range. Attacks using the but of a weapon is included in this category.
2) Melee weapons go next.
3) Ranged Weapons (Light) go after Melee weapons
and finally
4) Heavy Weapons go last.
In case of a tie Heroes go first.
If the distance is too great for someone to reasonably engage in melee attacks, they'll be allowed to make a test (Speed) to cross the distance, and go the same action sequence.
It should make the game feel pulpy and make for interesting tactics.
One can always talk, of course during any action, so essentially they can go at O, but that's not likely to matter once the conflict has begun.
I'm taking suggestions for a potential name change on www.rpg.net here.
Although so far ARCHIVE SPACE, sticks better for me than anything else.
Of course ARCHIVE may be changed a bit too: Artifact Recovery Control and Historical Investigation Venture Enclave. (Rather than -Enterprise)
We'll see how it goes.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Derelict Delvers and more.
Derelict Delvers is really clicking now. Just means I need to sit down and set down the exact methods of play, the tools, and the rules.
So its not a matter of I have the concept, the basic mechanics, the rest is all tweaking and explaining as I playtest it. Unfortunately this is usually the slowest aspect of development. I hope I can do it quickly enough and get art, and other materials to put it out at the end of this year.
Starting next week, I'll be tweeting short descriptions of my villains. The "Cover" copy you might say used in longer comic descriptors.
If you don't follow me, that's fine, if you want to: @SilverlionPrime
So its not a matter of I have the concept, the basic mechanics, the rest is all tweaking and explaining as I playtest it. Unfortunately this is usually the slowest aspect of development. I hope I can do it quickly enough and get art, and other materials to put it out at the end of this year.
Starting next week, I'll be tweeting short descriptions of my villains. The "Cover" copy you might say used in longer comic descriptors.
If you don't follow me, that's fine, if you want to: @SilverlionPrime
Monday, January 03, 2011
[Derelict Delvers] The Dilemma
I'm having another dilemma with Derelict Delvers mechanics. I've got two ideas that are oppositional.
The first idea is a fairly simple and elegant mechanic that is tested through a number of games I am familiar with; using it and few tweaks would make a simple but powerful game that I'd love and enjoy. The catch is it doesn't wow me. The basic mechanic is 2d10+Stat+Skill with a build in success scale.
Roll less than or equal to 0: Critical failure
Above 0 but less than 5 is Failure.
6 to X is a partial success.
X+1 to Y is a Full success
and Y+1 to Z is a critical success.
The numbers can be juggled depending on the final Stat+Skill range of course.
The other idea is a lot more complex on its surface, but can be used to create a more dynamic system, the biggest problem is the removing of the "instant" results which is elegant enough to keep the focus on the characters actions, and the mental state of the player being "in the setting" rather than "in the mechanics"
The mechanic for this design is Stat+Skill+floating dice valued in a number of d6-es. Each die is searched for a value, and any dice meeting that value becomes a number of "merits" towards success. In order to keep the scaling of the previous mechanic one needs multiple dice to match the Difficulty assigned by the GM or the default rules. In this mechanic there are two roll types.
Task rolls which are your generic roll when you are checking for success.
The other roll is a Threat roll which comes up when the outcome involves danger and threat.
Threat rolls add another mechanic element, Threat. Threat has three elements. The Threat Rating (or Risk), the Threshold level, and the Trigger Event.
The threat rating is how dangerous something is in severity, and also its difficulty number for how many merits it must get for the hero to "pass" and not trigger the threat. Threshold is how many dice that fall out of the "pass/fail" test that fail the roll and build towards triggering the effect. If the game gets the "fail" dice of the Threshold before it gets the success merits, it activates the trigger event.
It is a bit rough at the moment and needs some balancing (so that failure is not exactly equal to success, thus making the roll simply 50/50 at all times.) The idea is to generate a reason for exploration and investigation: Hero dice are earned by doing the base Task rolls during non-threat instances and gaining information on some threats so it makes it easier to deal with them. Perhaps hero dice can only increase towards the "pass" side of things, and cannot themselves count towards the trigger event. In general I'm aiming for a mechanic that makes the threats tenser, and the tasks important (since the game is "dungeon-crawl" like, I want the entire process to be entertaining.
The first idea is a fairly simple and elegant mechanic that is tested through a number of games I am familiar with; using it and few tweaks would make a simple but powerful game that I'd love and enjoy. The catch is it doesn't wow me. The basic mechanic is 2d10+Stat+Skill with a build in success scale.
Roll less than or equal to 0: Critical failure
Above 0 but less than 5 is Failure.
6 to X is a partial success.
X+1 to Y is a Full success
and Y+1 to Z is a critical success.
The numbers can be juggled depending on the final Stat+Skill range of course.
The other idea is a lot more complex on its surface, but can be used to create a more dynamic system, the biggest problem is the removing of the "instant" results which is elegant enough to keep the focus on the characters actions, and the mental state of the player being "in the setting" rather than "in the mechanics"
The mechanic for this design is Stat+Skill+floating dice valued in a number of d6-es. Each die is searched for a value, and any dice meeting that value becomes a number of "merits" towards success. In order to keep the scaling of the previous mechanic one needs multiple dice to match the Difficulty assigned by the GM or the default rules. In this mechanic there are two roll types.
Task rolls which are your generic roll when you are checking for success.
The other roll is a Threat roll which comes up when the outcome involves danger and threat.
Threat rolls add another mechanic element, Threat. Threat has three elements. The Threat Rating (or Risk), the Threshold level, and the Trigger Event.
The threat rating is how dangerous something is in severity, and also its difficulty number for how many merits it must get for the hero to "pass" and not trigger the threat. Threshold is how many dice that fall out of the "pass/fail" test that fail the roll and build towards triggering the effect. If the game gets the "fail" dice of the Threshold before it gets the success merits, it activates the trigger event.
It is a bit rough at the moment and needs some balancing (so that failure is not exactly equal to success, thus making the roll simply 50/50 at all times.) The idea is to generate a reason for exploration and investigation: Hero dice are earned by doing the base Task rolls during non-threat instances and gaining information on some threats so it makes it easier to deal with them. Perhaps hero dice can only increase towards the "pass" side of things, and cannot themselves count towards the trigger event. In general I'm aiming for a mechanic that makes the threats tenser, and the tasks important (since the game is "dungeon-crawl" like, I want the entire process to be entertaining.
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
Devious Devices of Delvers
One thing I've always been at odds with in role-playing games are weapons which stun and capture characters.
In some games--like superhero ones. The idea is reasonable, and commonly a side effect of combat actions of any kind.
In other other genres, they're usually badly done, making disabling effects pointless. As it is often just easier to kill someone mechanically. If it isn't pointless then its a simple test, which steals the struggle, and challenge from a combat encounter.
With Derelict Delvers, I've got a few devious devices. I'll have to go into them in detail in the game but right now I'll simply give a brief rundown.
Tanglers
From a lowly Tangler to the wide area Web Gun, tanglers project basically synthetic webbing designed to immobilize a foe. A troublesome weapon that fits in perfectly with the game mechanics as written.
See Heroism points are lost first, indicating that the person or character made a narrow escape from being hit with the weapon. A Tangler hit drops HP just like a killing attack, but when it zeroes out HP, the person is entangled, and must struggle to free themselves. They're never damage--just trapped. They're out of luck/fortune and their skill has failed. (Agility or Brawn is tested.)
Needlers
Needlers are small armor piercing weapons that fire tiny high velocity projectiles. (Despite my desire for the lethal Energy Needlers from some of H. Beam Pipers Works.)
In this case the shots work similar to tanglers,but instead of a test to break free when HP is zeroed. The character tests to resist the drug, rather than escaping it. (Using Brawn to resist.)
Sonostunners
Sonic weapons have a similar effect to the other two, they stun when HP is zeroed and the target must resist going unconscious. (Perception Test to escape.)
Now this seems fairly traditional, but using these weapons can create environmental impact to the PC's. Even a near miss (which HP accounts for) still has a minor side effect.
The side effects offer a way to combine tricks and maneuvers with non-lethal weapons to create more tactical choices than just killing someone.
Side Effects:
A Tangler hinders movement. Agility is penalized if even one HP is lost! As you've hindered the person by restricting the area they are inside. A failed roll may mean they've snagged themselves on remaining webbing.
A Needler has a chance to puncture armor, even if the small darts do miss hurting the person inside. In Space this is a dangerous condition. They may need to take a turn to repair any damage to armor, spacesuits or the like with sealspray or tape.
A Sonostunner creates a focused cone of sound. Even dodging it and getting out of the way can set ones ears ringing, hammering the Perception of the character, making multiple shots even more likely to drop a foe.
Normal weapons will have some tricks as well, Suppressive fire, Burn effects, and the like.
The battlefield of a Derelict is a dangerous place even if you are a lucky and skilled person.
In some games--like superhero ones. The idea is reasonable, and commonly a side effect of combat actions of any kind.
In other other genres, they're usually badly done, making disabling effects pointless. As it is often just easier to kill someone mechanically. If it isn't pointless then its a simple test, which steals the struggle, and challenge from a combat encounter.
With Derelict Delvers, I've got a few devious devices. I'll have to go into them in detail in the game but right now I'll simply give a brief rundown.
Tanglers
From a lowly Tangler to the wide area Web Gun, tanglers project basically synthetic webbing designed to immobilize a foe. A troublesome weapon that fits in perfectly with the game mechanics as written.
See Heroism points are lost first, indicating that the person or character made a narrow escape from being hit with the weapon. A Tangler hit drops HP just like a killing attack, but when it zeroes out HP, the person is entangled, and must struggle to free themselves. They're never damage--just trapped. They're out of luck/fortune and their skill has failed. (Agility or Brawn is tested.)
Needlers
Needlers are small armor piercing weapons that fire tiny high velocity projectiles. (Despite my desire for the lethal Energy Needlers from some of H. Beam Pipers Works.)
In this case the shots work similar to tanglers,but instead of a test to break free when HP is zeroed. The character tests to resist the drug, rather than escaping it. (Using Brawn to resist.)
Sonostunners
Sonic weapons have a similar effect to the other two, they stun when HP is zeroed and the target must resist going unconscious. (Perception Test to escape.)
Now this seems fairly traditional, but using these weapons can create environmental impact to the PC's. Even a near miss (which HP accounts for) still has a minor side effect.
The side effects offer a way to combine tricks and maneuvers with non-lethal weapons to create more tactical choices than just killing someone.
Side Effects:
A Tangler hinders movement. Agility is penalized if even one HP is lost! As you've hindered the person by restricting the area they are inside. A failed roll may mean they've snagged themselves on remaining webbing.
A Needler has a chance to puncture armor, even if the small darts do miss hurting the person inside. In Space this is a dangerous condition. They may need to take a turn to repair any damage to armor, spacesuits or the like with sealspray or tape.
A Sonostunner creates a focused cone of sound. Even dodging it and getting out of the way can set ones ears ringing, hammering the Perception of the character, making multiple shots even more likely to drop a foe.
Normal weapons will have some tricks as well, Suppressive fire, Burn effects, and the like.
The battlefield of a Derelict is a dangerous place even if you are a lucky and skilled person.
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Derelict Delvers: Simple Templates
I've gone with templates that can be snapped together to allow a player to create a character in a few minutes, with a bit of tailoring.
The system I've decided upon for character creation doesn't remove a player getting something completely unique, in fact each template is built so they can be recreated, changed, or new ones introduced with a little more work.
The templates come in two forms: Racial Templates and Professional Templates, Add to that gear packages to speed play instead of nitpicking gear lists, and I've got the game speed I want for just throwing together a Delver team, and going into space at a moments notice.
Sure, I think the game will have a bit of lethality, but shouldn't be too terrible with the way Heroism points work.
A few more bits and it should be ready for play testing.
The system I've decided upon for character creation doesn't remove a player getting something completely unique, in fact each template is built so they can be recreated, changed, or new ones introduced with a little more work.
The templates come in two forms: Racial Templates and Professional Templates, Add to that gear packages to speed play instead of nitpicking gear lists, and I've got the game speed I want for just throwing together a Delver team, and going into space at a moments notice.
Sure, I think the game will have a bit of lethality, but shouldn't be too terrible with the way Heroism points work.
A few more bits and it should be ready for play testing.
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