Dice - The System!

This is a system Mr Wiggles and I have been working on for some time now. I'd abandoned the project some time back, when I decided that it didn't follow the core principles we'd been aiming for. That means it wouldn't work in an online game at all, and absolutely required in-person play. Over the last few days, I've made some adjustments that should bring it back to what we wanted originally. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Dice: The System.

The basic idea of this system is to present fast and easy rules for combat while allowing enough room for players to be free with their character designs. This level of freedom may be overwhelming to some players who find it difficult to create characters without a rigid structure. Since the game takes place mostly in the imagination anyway, its basic design was intended to place less emphasis on the tactical aspects of many roleplaying games, with hex maps and figurines, and focus more on description, cooperative storytelling, and exciting action. This decision was made primarily to make the game system easier to run for anyone with little room for such things, or for playing in online forums where such tactical elements are easier to deal with when made more abstract. If you prefer to keep those aspects, then you can simply make rules for such things as range, reach, speed, and facing. Ideas for these will be in the Optional Rules section.

Basics

Dice: The System uses six sided dice for task resolution and to determine overall well-being. Rather than the hit points of traditional roleplaying games, characters in Dice will have their dice pool decreased to represent lowered effectiveness, until eventually they have no dice left and cannot act. Lost dice return at a rate determined by the GM according to the situation, plot necessity, and how well the players are performing in the roles of their characters.

The core mechanic of the game is #d6 vs Difficulty. The difficulty is usually 5, but can be modified up or down depending on the circumstances, the action being taken, and the character's skills. If a character has a skill that makes the action easier, difficulty is reduced by one. If the action is impossible for most people, but the character has a skill allowing the action in the first place, the difficulty is 5. Each die that meets or exceeds the difficulty is one success, and a greater number of successes mean the action was performed better. When characters are competing, the character with the most successes wins.

Each character has a given number of dice to represent their level of overall ability. This is the number of dice rolled for any action, as well as the representative for health and overall plot immunity. Failing contests can decrease the number of dice a character has, until eventually the character can no longer act.

Characters

Dice: The System is designed to handle characters from all genres, eras, and worlds. From wizards to mecha pilots, aliens to psychics, normal people to superheroes, Dice can represent them all. This is because Dice abstracts many of the elements of a character, making each character more a matter of overall ability and what it is they do.

The first step in making characters using Dice is for the GM to select a Power Scale. Power Scale determines just how powerful a character is, and affects combat and a few other situations. Each level of Scale adds 1 to the number of successes each die gains, as well as the number of successes necessary to lose a die. If two characters of the same scale are fighting, this doesn't really matter. If one character is of higher scale, though, they'll have a great advantage over their weaker opponent.

Bystander - 1

Mook - 2

Hero - 3

Veteran - 4

World-Class - 5

Stellar - 6

Galactic - 7

Universal - 8

Cosmic - 9

Deity - 10

Player characters begin their careers with five dice at their scale. As characters advance they can increase their scale by gaining dice. Once a character gains their eleventh die, their scale goes up by one and dice return to 5. At that point, each die is more powerful, so it all evens out.

In addition to Power Scale and starting dice, characters get five ability slots, where they can list skills, powers, special equipment, and anything else they need to set themselves apart from the other heroes. Abilities that assist with mundane activities reduce the difficulty by one per slot taken, and special abilities that aren't possible for normal people begin at difficulty five. There are also abilities that can do things like improve Power Scale in certain situations.

Weaknesses are like abilities in reverse. Each weakness is about as powerful as an ability, but they reduce a character's effectiveness instead. For every weakness taken, the character gains another ability slot. Weaknesses need to be chosen carefully, as they should be appropriate to the setting (no 'Terrible Pilot' in a swords and sorcery fantasy game), equal to abilities (no 'Terrible at Sewing' for a heavy action combat character), and not be too limiting to play (no 'Requires Iron Lung').

Name:

Sex:

Age:

Concept:

Power Scale:

Abilities:

Weaknesses:

Star Wars Saga - Further Skills Adjusting

Alright, I think this is the best solution to my gripes.

I've been upset about skills being so overpowered, and I've been upset about non-proficiency in weapons making you so terrible with them you may as well fight unarmed if your only other choice is improvising. Giving a -5 untrained penalty to skills is terrible, and I don't like it.

My solution is to combine the two yet again. Non-proficiency in a weapon and being untrained in a skill are still effectively the same thing, but rather than a -5 penalty, you simply get a +0 bonus. Also, you can't use Trained Only features of a skill. This affects weapons as well, being that maintaining a weapon properly is part of proficiency, much more than being able to hit with it.

Training in a skill grants a +1 bonus and the ability to use Trained Only features of that skill. Proficiency in a weapon group grants a +1 bonus and the ability to take care of the weapon properly, from simply reloading to cleaning to using the Mechanics skill to modify and repair. Without being proficient in a weapon's use, reloading takes a standard action. If you are proficient, it's only a swift action.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my big plan to solve world hunger. I mean skill issues. Some people may miss their -5 penalty to weapons without proficiency, but penalties suck.

Transformers - Rules Light Robots

Ladies and gentlemen, a super-simple RPG for playing Transformers. It has only four skills that are considered derived stats, and all of the core stats are taken from the back of the toy boxes. Play is based on 2d6 + Stat vs Difficulty, meaning it's extra quick and easy to use. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out how to work humans into the system, so that'll have to be wedged in later on. In the meantime, I give you Transformers!

Character Sheet

Name:

Gender:

Rank – Level, overall power rating, authority.

Strength – Physical strength, melee attack and damage, carrying capacity.

Intelligence – Problem-solving ability, insight, perception.

Speed – Humanoid mode movement rate, overall defense, ramming attack and damage.

Endurance – Health point maximum, physical resistance.

Courage – Leadership ability, determination, willpower.

Firepower – Ranged attack and damage.

Skill – Agility, targeting, technical aptitude

Health Points – Physical damage capacity. Endurance x Size

Size – Overall size and mass in humanoid form.

Hacking – Ability to access and alter hidden information in computer systems. Intelligence + Skill

ECM – Ability to hide from electronics, and to counteract such hiding in others. Firepower + Skill

Stealth – Ability to move quietly and unseen. Skill

Detection – Ability to notice hidden objects and people. Intelligence

Character Creation

Rank begins at 1, and increases through experience. As characters gain experience and accomplish missions, Rank increases, which provides more points to increase stats.

Cybertronians begin play with 25 points to spread between the seven stats as desired. The average stat will be around 3 or 4, while actual average for most characters is 2. The maximum value for any stat is 10.

Size is chosen rather than bought with points, and applies to Strength, Stealth, and Health Points both in and out of combat. Size 1 is 1 meter (small animals), and each rank doubles the increment. Size 2 is 2 meters (humans), Size 3 is 4 meters (Bumblebee), Size 4 is 8 meters (Optimus Prime), and so on. You lift things in smaller Size categories, you may lift things in your own Size category, and you may push things up to one Size category larger than you. When sneaking around, your Size and your opponent's Size are compared, with the difference acting as a bonus if you are smaller or a penalty if you are larger.

Speed is measured in meters, using the character's Size rating as an increment. For example, a Size 3 character moves 4 meters x Speed per round. Keep in mind that's a combat movement speed. Normal walking is done at Speed 1, while a character can give up attacking to sprint at double Speed.

A cybertronian can skate using wheels or thrusters from vehicle mode, improving effective movement speed at the cost of maneuverability. Rather than being able to move freely, it takes one round to either stop or change direction, meaning it takes two rounds to double-back. The same applies to using vehicle mode for movement, but vehicle mode can travel much faster. Movement speed can affect combat rolls depending on the situation, often giving bonuses to melee attacks and ranged defenses, but penalties to ranged attacks and melee defenses.

Task Resolution

When something needs to be done, characters use their stats to beat difficulty numbers. Choose the stat that most effectively matches the action at hand and add 2d6. Difficulty numbers can range anywhere from 5 onward, with 10 being an average difficulty and 15 being challenging.

In general, most mundane tasks won't need to be rolled for, and even many heroic tasks should simply succeed if it would better the story. Where the die rolls really come in is in combat, two opponents struggling for survival.

In combat, each character gets to Move and take Action. Attacking, transforming, and performing other acts that require attention takes an Action, while any movement requires a Move. A character can give up an Action for an extra Move and vice versa.

To determine initiative order, or who acts first, each character rolls Speed + Rank + 2d6, acting in order from highest roll to lowest. In the case of a tie, the two roll again and act in order, but on the same initiative number.

Rolling for contested actions, with one character pitted against another directly, is a simple process. Add all related stats together and subtract all related penalties. All rolls use 2d6 to add to the appropriate modifiers. The higher roll wins.

Melee combat uses Strength or Speed vs Strength or Speed. If the attacker wins the roll, the damage dealt is Strength x Size difference + 1d6.

Ranged combat uses Firepower + Skill vs Speed + Skill. The smaller character adds the difference in Size to their roll. If the attacker wins, damage is Firepower x Size difference + 1d6.

In all cases, the attacker has the option of trading a modifier to attack rolls in exchange for a modifier to damage rolls. This can represent forming weapons with different properties, firing a salvo of mini missiles as opposed to a single large cannon, or it could just be down to using different tactics and maneuvers.

Damage is dealt to a character's Health Points, which determine how much damage a character can take before being hurt. Once HP is reduced to 0, the character is Wounded and should get medical care. HP resets to full, with any remaining damage applying from there. When HP is reduced to 0 while a character is Wounded, it becomes a Critical Wound. HP resets to full again and remaining damage is applied. Once HP is reduced to 0 a third time, the character is Incapacitated. At that point, the character is out of the action temporarily, usually until some time undergoing medical treatment.

Damage within one wound tier only lasts for that round, meaning if an attack doesn't reduce a character's HP to 0 in a single round, the character isn't Wounded. HP returns to full at the beginning of each round. For an especially tough opponent, it may take several characters working together to harm it.

A Wounded character receives a -3 penalty to all rolls. A Critically Wounded character only rolls 1d6 instead of 2d6. An Incapacitated character can't do anything, except maybe talk a little bit for a few seconds before passing out.

Advancement and Spark Points

At the end of any given adventure, players are awarded Spark Points. Spark Points are for character advancement, and can increase stats and Rank. The number of SP required to increase Rank by 1 is Rank x 10, and a stat can be increased using Stat x 3. Points should be awarded as follows:

1 SP for playing

1 SP for good roleplaying

1 SP for good thinking

1 SP for dramatic heroism

1 SP for dramatic villainy

1 SP for success of a major goal

1 SP for gaining wisdom (ask what was learned)

When Rank increases, the character can improve three stats by one point each.

Instead of increasing Rank or stats, Spark Points may be spent to gain bonuses to rolls, or to apply penalties to opponents’ rolls. Spending a Spark Points on a roll grants +1d6 to the roll, or -1d6 to an opponent’s roll.

Cybertronian Abilities

Transformation - Cybertronians have the ability to copy any machinery they take an action to scan. This lends well to stealth, since they can spend an indefinite amount of time hidden as a vehicle, tool, or other device. They can even replicate the functions of such a device, so long as the object is functional at the time of scanning. Any time a cybertronian scans a new form, the old one is lost and must be rescanned to be used again.

As a side effect of their ability to change form, Cybertronians can change their bodies into various weapons, including melee weapons such as blades and clubs, as well as various energy and projectile ranged weapons. Ranged weapons are generally energy-based, powered by their own laser core, though some prefer to use solid ammunition or missile weapons using bits of their own bodies. These different weapons are really all just special effects, but their description may add situational modifiers depending on the scene.

Transponder - While in alternate form, the cybertronian has the option to either display personal information to any Tcybertronians looking, including name and faction, or not, enabling them to pretend to be no more than a normal specimen of whatever they appear to be.

Transmission - Cybertronians can communicate with one another over long distances using radio transmissions as if it were normal speech. Consider it a form of telepathy blocked by certain materials or other interference. In addition, a cybertronian may take an action to activate ECM, jamming tracking devices and communications in the surrounding area. Roll ECM + 1d6 to determine the difficulty to overcome the jamming. Other characters may roll ECM + 1d6 to try and beat it. If so, they are no longer affected.

4X Game Design Review Part 1

Probably one of the most complicated game genres in existence by its means of definition is the 4X genre: eXpand, eXplore, eXterminate, eXploit.

This is the first part of a series of examinations of the mechanics that go into a 4X game. It will be used to design a 4X game that takes you from the stone age of your country, to dominating the planet, eventually taking your species in the stars, wherein you test your mettle at conquering the galaxy through expanding, exploring, exploiting and exterminating.

There are several issues that arise in making an enjoyable 4X game, such as pacing, learning curve and difficulty. Oddly, after looking into the mechanics and design features, these are not the key design elements that I think a 4X should concentrate on, but should be taken into account by proxy. The two design elements that I think are of equal importance are the balance between Marco Management, Micromanagement, Information Absorption, and Abstraction.

There is a very subtle balance with Mirco and Marco management of the game environment, that is very hard to design correctly, and must be played to feel correct. Ideally the balance should allow the player to get his hand as dirty as he wants, and focus on what the player finds interesting while letting the computer handle other aspects.

If there is too much marcro, then it starts to feel like a spectator game, as you tap on the plastic wall of the ant farm, removing the player's connection with the game and preventing the player from really add his own thumbprint to great effect.

If there is too much micro, then the game pacing will start to suffer as tedium sets in. This also allows for greater chance of information overload, preventing the player from having a sense of a 'bigger picture', requiring an outside means to keep track of objectives and progress. It will also prevent the player from knowing what is happening within her own empire.

Information absorption plays key into these two above concepts. The information has to be provided with just enough detail, and context to be understood. Ideally, a player should get all the information she needs for an action from a single screen and know what it is in relation to other aspects.

To allow for ease of information absorption, the game's simulation of events will need to be abstracted during macro and micro management. Abstraction is a tool that should be handled differently for the player then from the non-controllable characters. A human player has an easier ability to understand when certain things are done behind the curtain for the sake of game play, whereas the computer can do rather odd things when this done for it, as seen in other games such as MOO3, Galactic Civ. Arguably this has more to do with how the non-controllable characters are programmed, then the actual abstraction to make them easier to handle. Ideally the abstraction level for the human player should be for the elements of the game that are tedious and have no game play impact.

The next post will define the academic experiment game with all this in mind.

Adaptive Role-Playing System

The Adaptive RolePlaying System is a universal engine designed to be fully adaptable to any genre and setting with minimal adjustment. Naturally, any specific world will require some fine tuning to its own laws of physics and the like, but the core of the system remains versatile enough to handle such changes elegantly.

This version of the system, Lite, is a much simplified version of the full game, designed to be easy to learn and allow for near-instant character creation. Stats and skills can fit on a standard 3"x5" index card, and the rules themselves are quick and intuitive. The full version of the game involves more crunch and allow considerably more precision to character creation, at the expense of a small sheet and immediate play.

ARPS Lite uses a Stat+(Skill*d6) mechanic for task resolution, and experience point spending for character advancement.

-Characteristics-

Starting characters have 10 points to spread among the four Characteristics. The ratings range from 1-10, with 1 being inept, 10 being the absolute peak of human potential, and 2 being adult human average.

Strength - A measure of physical prowess, including muscle strength and overall endurance.

Mind - A measure of mental prowess, including logical ability and force of will.

Dexterity - A measure of coordination and mechanical aptitude.

Speed - A measure of sheer speed, in 1 meter increments.

Hit Points - Represents a character's physical condition, how much damage they can take before being rendered incapacitated. When the amount of damage a character has taken reaches the Hit Point total, that character is out of the action, whether because they've been rendered unconscious or simply weakened to the point where they can no longer act. At HP + Strength damage, the character is dead. Damage heals at a rate of Strength per day of rest, though certain injuries can take longer to heal and there are some outside forces that can allow a character to heal faster.

Calculated as Str x10

Guard - Represents a character's innate ability to resist damage. Incoming damage is reduced by this amount before being applied to HP, unless stated otherwise.

Calculated as Str x2

Energy Points - Represents a character's mental condition, overall stamina and spiritual resources. Special abilities and powers use EP. When the character has spent as many EP as his EP total, he's exhausted and can't use any more abilities. EP is healed at a rate of Mind per day of rest. Some game worlds may calculate EP differently and adjust the rate of regeneration.

Calculated as Mind x10

-Skills-

As characters learn and grow, they become better at what they train to do. Skills represent effort and training to become better in certain areas, and are represented by levels. Each level in a skill adds a die to the amount rolled when that skill is used. Each skill begins at level 1, and characters have ten points to raise these levels with.

Awareness - The skill in observation and perception. Roll Awareness + Mind to actively search, or use the value itself for passive detection.

Body - The skill in physical feats of agility or endurance. Most sports fall under this category.

Control - The skill in concentration and using special powers. For each level of Control, you can know another ability. In a single turn,you can spend up to Mind + (Control x 3) EP.

Fighting - The skill in both attack and defense in melee combat, this skill improves basic combat ability. Roll Fighting + Dexterity when attacking and when being attacked in melee combat. Defending with Fighting is called parrying.

Evasion - The skill in effective dodging, this allows a character to evade ranged attacks, whether from guns, thrown objects, or energy blasts. Roll Evasion + Speed to defend against ranged attacks or to hide from others. Defending with Evasion is called dodging, hiding with Evasion is called stealth.

Mind - The skill in general knowledge, including history, geography, math, and the basic sciences.

Ranged - The skill in ranged combat either with thrown objects, ranged weapons, or special ki powers at range.

Social - The skill in understanding how to influence people, including empathy.

Technology - The skill in mechanical engineering, electronics, and figuring out new gadgets and vehicles. This also includes driving and piloting.

-Powers-

Some games won't use powers, and so this section won't apply to them. Neither will the Control skill. Make sure powers exist before trying to use any, or you might get confused looks from other players and a disapproving frown from your GM.

Powers are the abilities beyond normal that allow supers to be considered super. Characters may know as many powers as the Control skill, and characters begin with the maximum amount of powers they can learn.

Strike Effects - Normal attack rolls use Fighting + Dexterity, and normal damage rolls use Strength in dice. Strike powers allow the character to trade attack dice for damage dice on a 1:1 basis, as well as performing Knockback and Stun strikes. Knockback strikes deal no damage, but push an opponent away a number of meters equal to what damage would have been. Stun strikes deal no damage, but cancel one action in your opponent's next turn for every multiplier by which your damage roll exceeds their Guard number.

Special effects use energy points, and require power slots to learn.

Attack - 5 EP per +1 die to hit

Damage - 5 EP per +1 die damage

Knockback - 5 EP per 1 meter knockback per damage (can stack with normal damage)

Stun - 5 EP per +1 dice stun damage (can stack with normal damage)

Special Powers - These powers either improve the existing abilities of a character or grant entirely new ones. Their use should generally be limited to super heroes, magicians, aliens, or people with very impressive technology.

Blast - Ranged attack, uses 1 EP per 1 die damage and extra EP for special effects. Attacks use Ranged + Dexterity and are defended using Evasion + Speed

Accurate - 5 EP per +1 bonus to hit; can represent homing attacks, control over the attack, or a volley of smaller blasts

Area - 5 EP per 1 meter per damage die

Deadly - 2 EP per damage dice to completely ignore all Deflections and Guard

Knockback - 5 EP per 1 meter knockback per damage

Stun - 1 EP per damage dice to add stun effect

Boost Speed - 1 EP per +1 Speed per round; +1 Evasion per +10 Speed

Boost Strength - 1 EP per +1 Strength per round; applies to lifting and damage only

Deflection - 1 EP per 1 damage die negated from energy blasts, ignored by physical and Deadly attacks

Extra Actions - 5 EP per extra action, up to Speed /2

Flight - 1 EP per round, fly at Speed rate

Healing - 1 EP per 1 HP restored; takes 1 full turn per 1 HP restored

Hide Energy - Suppress maximum EP, hides from Sense EP and detecting technology. Unable to use suppressed EP.

Sense Energy - Passively detect Energy out to Awareness + Control x 30 meters. EP in meters is the radius of a character's 'energy bubble', and can be detected within range. If a character is directly within range, a round of active detection (Awareness + Mind vs Evasion + Mind) pinpoints location.

Telekinesis - 1 EP per Strength, +1 EP per Speed

Teleport - 10 EP per person teleported (including self), +1 EP per 10 meter distance

-Training-

Forms of training grant experience points, which are immediately spent on the characteristic or skill being trained. Spent XP are recorded by the stat they apply to, until the stat levels up.

For purposes of training, a teacher is a character with a skill higher than the character being trained, a student is a character with lower skill, and a peer is a character with equal skill.

Any traits can be trained, though some require different teachers. Martial arts instructors most commonly train Strength, Dexterity, Fighting, Evasion and Awareness. Gyms often train Strength and Body, sometimes Speed. Universities train Mind, Education, and Technology.

Combat Experience

Outside of normal training, characters will often be fighting for their very lives. This field training is the quickest way to gain experience, and is also the most dangerous. Healing from fights takes days, sometimes weeks of recuperation. Still, it's often well worth the trouble. Combat trains Strength, Dexterity, Fighting, Evasion, and Ranged.

After a fight, the two combatants divide their opponent's Fighting skill by his own, and multiply the result by ten. That number is the number of experience points gained. Combats mostly at range will use the opponent's Ranged and the character's Evasion, instead. A good fight against an equal opponent nets 10 XP. Fighting weaker opponents doesn't often amount to much. In fact, any increase below one point is ignored: fighting someone that much weaker just doesn't count as practice at all. Fighting stronger opponents is a good way to grow fast, assuming you survive the fight. To be counted as a proper fight for your life, you must take damage equal to at least %50 of your maximum. Anything less than that is simply considered sparring, and can be considered group training.

Mentors and Peers

Group training under a teacher, the type of training one might find in a city dojo, allows steady improvement up to the teacher's level. Each day of practice grants 1 xp.

Private training with a teacher provides the same bonuses faster, at 2 xp per day.

Group training without a teacher, peer training, is slower, at 1 xp every two days. This includes one-on-one training with a peer.

Solo training is the slowest, at 1 xp every four days.

This method of training does have a limit. A teacher can't improve a student's skills beyond his own, and teaching a student grants no bonus. Once a student reaches the level of his teacher, the two become peers and training then changes to peer training.

-Experience Costs-

The experience points gained through training are spent on stats to improve them. Points are spread to all stats being trained at once, though the character can focus training to improve in some areas faster.

Characteristics - 20 * Current Level XP

HP - Improves with Strength

Guard - Improves with Strength

EP - Improves with Mind or 10 XP per 10 EP

Skills - 10 * Current Level XP

Powers - Require Control skill improved enough to gain another power slot, plus XP payed to learn the power. All techs cost 25 XP.