[Ragnar's RPG] - Start of a generic rpg....

[ragnar]

Firstly, the title of this game system is very much a working title. It's just there to distinguish it from other yet to be named systems (i.e. it's better than Untitled RPG :) ).

I'm working on a simple set of rules for a generic game system. The plan is to have a playable system and run a few one shot adventures with it this christmass. It's aimed mainly at narrative style play, but with enough rules and dice rolling to keep everyone happy. It should be easy to use in a campaign where very little planing has been done ahead of time and the GM needs to come up with encounters on the fly. The main design goals was to a) Keep it fast, fair and easy to use and b) role-play comes before rules (no flipping in the manuals to interrupt the "flow" of the game).

This is still just the bare bones of the system, or the skeleton. Flesh need to be put on those bones with examples, more detailed explainations, some tables, skill lists and so on.  Any feedback is welcome, but I'm particularly interested in hearing feedback on using a single die roll for attack, defence and damage, on the deadliness of the system and how well you think it will work in a role-playing oriented campaign (character acting and storytelling). Try to ignore spelling and gramatical errors. :)

Cheers,

 Ragnar

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- Ragnar's RPG -
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DESIGN GOALS
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- Fast, easy and fair
- Role play before rules


IN SHORT
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This is a generic role playing system for use in most settings. It's main goals is to be fair, fast and not to get in the way of the role-playing.


SYSTEM BASICS
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The system is based around using two six sided dice (2d) for resolving all conflicts and tests of skill. There are three types of rolls in the system. Rolling under, contest of rolls and table roles. Rolling under, is the most commonly used roll, and is simply done by rolling the two dice, adding them together and comparing them to your skill or stat (+/- any modifiers as specified by the GM). If you roll less than or equal to your stat, you succeed, else you fail. How much you succeed by or how badly you fail, indicates the quality of your success or the size of your blunder. A roll of 2 is always a success, while a roll of 12 is a failure even if your skill is greater than 10.


The system is based around 2d6, where you need to roll under your stat or skill, +/- modifiers as specified by the GM. The average level for a stat is 7 (58.3%).
The quality of your success or the size of your blunder is measured by how much you make or fail a roll. This will be reflected in the GM's description of the result of your actions as well as in the damage system for weapons. A roll of two will allways succeed, while a roll of 12 will alway fail no matter what your stat or skill is. This is the basic system used for almost any action, from wrestling, noticing a hiding monster, resisting cold, finding an important piece of info at the local library and so on.
When two or more characters are competing directly, such as in arm wrestling or a game of chess, both roll against their skill or stat and the one that makes their role by more (or fails by less) wins. This is called a contest of skills. Like with normal skill rolls, the difference between the characters rolls is used to indicate by how much one won and the other lost. Multiple contests of skills can be used for longer competitions, or to prolong the tension.
There is a third type of roll used a few places for tables. Here you roll the dice but read them separately. So a roll of 3 and 5, is 35 (not 8).

CHARACTER CREATION
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Characters in the system are created using a points. Every stat, trait or skill you choose has a costs associated with it. Note that costs for stats and traits may be negative, giving you extra points to spend elsewhere.

STATS
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The system only uses two stats. BODY and MIND. The stats are in a range from 2 to 12, though anything below 4 or above 10 would be highly unusual for a human. The BODY stat covers everything physical, health, agility, strength, bulk and so on. While the MIND stat covers everything mental, IQ, will, learning ability, logic and so on. Having an average stat (level 7) is free, level 8 costs 10 points, 9 costs 20 points, 10 costs 40 points, 11 costs 80 points and so on. The costs are reversed for low stats, so 6 costs -10 points, 5 costs -20 points, 4 costs -40 points and so on.

TRAITS
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Traits are used to describe the character in more detail. They cover physical, mental and social traits, and can be used to differentiate between a strong but clumsy character and an agile but sickly one that both share the same BODY stat. They are also used to define special powers, character flaws, physical handicaps and various things that help make your character into a fully fledged person. Things like X-ray vision, stuttering, constantly love sick, has dependants he needs to take care of, is a lord and thus has a high social rank and so on. Traits should be described in only a few words so they can be glanced over quickly to get a general idea about the character. More detailed descriptions of them can be included in the characters history, personality description and physical description. Only things that would affect the character in play should be considered traits, other details, however interesting, belong in the character description.
Besides helping you define your character, traits cost or give you extra points. The player writes down his characters traits and determines their point cost with the GM's help. Bad traits give you extra points to spend, while good traits cost you points.
The point cost of a trait depends on how likely it is to enter into play and how much of an effect it has. The player may suggest a cost, but the GM's word is final. The point cost of two identical traits may also vary depending on the setting. Being dyslexic in medeival times was the norm and thus worth no points, while being dyslexic in modern times is a major disadvantage worth at least -5 points or more if the campaign requires a lot of reading.
The GM can ban any trait for any reason if he feels it doesn't fit the campaign or would unbalance the setting. Another option is, of course, to make it available at an extremely high point cost the player can't afford.
It's a good idea to not let the players have more than 40%-50% of their total points in bad traits and low stats combined. We don't want to have too many one eyed, peg legged, drug addicted, greedy, social recluses running around.
[some tables detailing frequency of traits appearance, costs and so on to be included]

SKILLS
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Skills are derived of either of the two stats. Traits can affect skills as defined in the description for the trait, lowering or raising them, or simply making a group of skills entirely unavailable to the character.
Skill cost is defined as a modifier and the letter B or M, depending on which stat the skill is based on. So for instance Swordfighting is a B-2 skill. This means that an unskilled person could grab a sword and use it at the level of their BODY stat -2. Bob, an untrained character with BODY 7, would be able to swing a sword with skill 5. In some cases, there is no way an unskilled person can attempt to use a skill, and in such cases no roll is allowed (e.g. trying to build a nuclear bomb without any experience at nuclear physics).
Like with stats the point cost of increasing a skill level is squared. Spending 1 point on a skill increases it by one from it's default level, 2 increases it by 2, 4 by 3, 8 by 4 and so on. So if Bob in our example above spends 1 point on his sword skill, it becomes 6 (BODY-2+1). Should he decide to do extensive training with his sword, and spend 4 points his skill would become 8 (BODY-2+3).

COMBAT
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Combat is turn based. Usually one turn is 1 second long, but may vary depending on the situation and the type of combat.
Who starts the battle is in many cases obvious from the role-playing prior to the battle, but if in doubt you can have each side (or player) roll a contest of MIND. Modifiers from traits or the situations, as specified by the GM may apply. After the first turn, each turn continues in the same order.
An attack is resolved by a single roll. The attacker describes his intention and then rolls against the appropriate skill, most likely his weapon skill. If the defender chooses to defend, he must stat how. And defense is applied as a negative modifier to the attackers skill. Other modifiers can include bad light, terrain, surprise, cover and so on, as determined by the GM. If the attacker makes his roll he wounds his foe. The damage is figured by taking how much the attacker made his roll by and multiplying it by the damage factor of the weapon (rounding fractions down).
The defender notes down the damage and rolls for any adverse effects (see Wounds).
If you roll an outstanding success (2) or and critical failure (12) the GM may roll on the success/failure table.
It is generally assumed that you're trying to harm your opponent as much as possible, by going for weak spots and vital organs, and this is reflected in the system by how a greater success inflicts more damage. If you stab your opponent, but only do minor damage, he may have turn and you hit him in the arm instead or it may have just grazed his chest. Should you wish to attack a specific target, such as the head or an arm, you get penalties to hit. [size table here]. Attacking specific targets can give you an advantage by knocking your foe out, disarming him or preventing him from pressing that red button that will start WWIII.

Ranged attacks are treated much the same, with a few differences. You get penalties for both the range to, size and speed of the target. In addition you can get a bonus for taking the time to aim your weapon, 1 turn of aiming gives you the accuracy bonus of your weapon. Damage is calculated as normal.
Modern firearms can fire multiple shots in a single turn. Revolvers and pistols can fire up to 3 shots by pulling the trigger repeatedly. Doing this adds a -1 penalty to hit, but doubles the damage. You still only roll once to hit. A good roll simply means 2 or all 3 bullets hit. The GM can describe this in detail.
Automatic weapons that can fire bursts have a separate notation for bust attacks. If you fire a full burst you use the numbers listed there. They generally are less likely to hit, but do more damage because of the number of bullets.
All ranged weapons have a max range noted. This is the maximum effective range of the weapon. It may be able to shoot further, but you're not likely to hit anything beyond this range. To find the range penalty use the table below.

RANGE MODIFIERS
Penalty
-0  0 - 2m  (point blank)
-1  2m - 1/4 Max (Short)
-2  1/4 Max - 1/2 Max (Medium)
-4  1/2 Max - Max


WOUNDS
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How much damage a character can take depends on his BODY stat and any traits that may affect it. Any damage the character receives is subtracted from this number. If the total damage you have suffered exceeds or equals your BODY score you must roll vs BODY+2 minus the damage received on that turn to avoid collapsing. If you fail you will be unable to do anything for the rest of the battle, if you stay conscious or not is up to the GM. Roll again for each additional wound received.
If the total damage you receive is 2 times your BODY score or more, you must roll vs. BODY at -2 or die. If you fail by 1 or 2 you collapse as above instead. At 3 times your BODY roll at -3 or die. Fail by 1 or 2 and you collapse.
Getting hit by a sword hurts and cause shock and disrupt your actions. If you suffer damage you roll against your BODY stat minus the damage you suffered. If you make the roll the damage affects you as a penalty on all rolls on your next turn. If you fail, the effect lasts and extra turn for every point you failed by. A roll of 2 means you get no penalty at all, while a roll of 12 means the penalty lasts the whole battle. The penalty is successive, so if you receive additional penalty from another wound add the two together. You still for them separately, and they necessarily last the same time.

BLEEDING, ILLNESS, INFECTIONS & SLOW DEATH
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Even though it's not very heroic, your hero is realistically more likely to die after the battle, especially if left unattended. This may not be appropriate for all campaigns, so feel free to ignore these guidelines.
Someone who has been beaten with a club is much less likely to bleed to death than someone who was stabbed. A character who has been severely wounded may bleed to death. If the character is unconscious have him make a BODY roll at a penalty as appropriate (GM's fiat). If he fails, he never wakes up again. Success and he wakes up, though he may still be bleeding a little. If the character is conscious, have him do the same roll and receive as many points in bleeding damage as he fails by. First aid skill or an outstanding success can stop the bleeding, while critical failure means death. Roll for survival as for normal damage.
Detailed rules for infections and illness I'll leave up toe the GM who is evil enough to include such things in his campaign. For most campaigns it will be unsuitable as it's not a particularly fun or interesting way to go and most players will hate their GM for it.


FEAR
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What people fear and when to roll for fear will depend entirely on the character. van Helsing may not be spooked by a vampire jumping out at him, while Bob Average could freak at seeing a dead body.
Rolling for fear is simple. Simply roll vs. your MIND stat, +/- any penalty applied by the GM and/or supplied by traits. The more you fail by the more you're freaked out. Serious failure can cause permanent damage to your mental health (new appropriate bad traits as worked out by the GM and player), while minor failures can be anything from fainting or vomiting to running away in panic.
Note that some players and GM's prefer to simply role play their characters fear, rather than rely on game mechanics. If you have such a group, it can be a preferable route to go.


PERCEPTION
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Sometimes the GM needs to check if the characters spot or hear something. This is called a perception roll. It is based on MIND, but can be affected by both physical and mental traits (hard of hearing, absent minded character etc.) and some skills (spy training). Perception rolls should generally be done in secret by the GM, and he shouldn't tell the players why he's rolling (or he could lie about it). The GM applies modifiers as appropriate. Failure means the character doesn't notice anything, till it may be too late. Critical failure may lead to the GM lying about what they hear or see.

[TonyLB]

Hi!  Welcome to the Forge!

- Fast, easy and fair

Can you define "fair" for me, as you interpret it?  Can fairness be seen in a single execution of the rules (e.g. one combat attack) or only over the course of a whole instance of play?  If someone is consistently less smart than the other players is it fair for them to be consistently less effective, or is it fair for them to have as much importance and effectiveness as everyone else?

- Role play before rules

Can you clarify?  I mean, I've heard the slogan, but... surely roleplaying under this system is going to be influenced by the rules.  If not, why bother writing rules?  And what manner of roleplaying are you aiming to encourage?

[Ben Lehman]

Ragnar -- I love light, universal games, and I wish you the best with this.  But this is a design path that I've seen many many people trod before, and it is one frought with frustration, difficulty, and inadequacy.

First and foremost, you need to let us know what you want to do with this RPG:
1) Flex your design skills
2) Play with friends
3) Publish online for general perusal
4) Publish and charge money for it.

When I have this in hand, I can give you more detailed feedback.

I'm also going to give you an offsite reference.

Go to:
http://www.livejournal.com/community/rpg_workshop/

And read the posts by the community member Prothall (Paul O'Leary McCann).  All of them (there aren't that many.)  And all the comments.  If the download links still work, download the various drafts of Streamline (his RPG) and take a look.  His design goals seem to be pretty similar to yours, and the advice that I and Xiombarg (Kirt Dankemeyer) give him is mostly likely going to apply to you as well.

Good luck!

yrs--
--Ben

[salkaner]

I'm working on a simple set of rules for a generic game system. The plan is to have a playable system and run a few one shot adventures with it this christmass.

I love that philosophy :)

SYSTEM BASICS
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indicates the quality of your success or the size of your blunder. A roll of 2 is always a success, while a roll of 12 is a failure even if your skill is greater than 10.

It sounds familiar

Like Fresco or GUS

STATS
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The system only uses two stats. BODY and MIND. The stats are in a range from 2 to 12, though anything below 4 or above 10 would be highly unusual for a human. The BODY stat covers everything physical, health, agility, strength, bulk and so on. While the MIND stat covers everything mental, IQ, will, learning ability, logic and so on. Having an average stat (level 7) is free, level 8 costs 10 points, 9 costs 20 points, 10 costs 40 points, 11 costs 80 points and so on. The costs are reversed for low stats, so 6 costs -10 points, 5 costs -20 points, 4 costs -40 points and so on.

Well, so a difficult of 0 is about 50% probability avg

SKILLS
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Skills are derived of either of the two stats. Traits can affect skills as defined in the description for the trait, lowering or raising them, or simply making a group of skills entirely unavailable to the character.
Skill cost is defined as a modifier and the letter B or M, depending on which stat the skill is based on. So for instance Swordfighting is a B-2 skill. This means that an unskilled person could grab a sword and use it at the level of their BODY stat -2.

Then I suppose you have a long list of defined skills



Well, just before continuing.. have you paid a look on the other minimalist systems?

Like my Fresco / Freskily (it's in my sifn), or maybe  or Instant Fuzion or Corps in a nutshell, or (if you know Italian) GUS?


maybe there's already the system that fits for you

About yours... if you decide to finish it, I'll be interested on it (as I said, I like minimal systems)

[ragnar]

Thanks for the replies and the links to the Streamline discussion. Some interesting comments you've made there, and it's true that many of them apply to me as well. :)

Tony:
I think "fair" is probably not the right word there. What I'm trying to say with it is that I want a system that is "not stupid" or in some ways "realistic", though that's not fully appropriate either. I don't want to have rules that forces characters in to arbitary catagories (classes) or have rules that feel like game rules, such as hacking away at your opponent who gradually looses hit points but keeps fighting unaffected till he suddenly dies (hit points reach zero).
By role play before rules, I mean that I want a streamlined system where the rules don't get in the way of the story telling and character acting and don't interrupt the flow of the session. Basically to have the rules simple enough so the GM hardly ever has to stop to look up a rule or a table.

Ben:
I'll try to explain some of my goals with this system so you know where I'm coming from. My first goal is to have a system I can play with my friends. If, and only IF, we feel it's a good system worth sharing with the world I would make a free PDF of download of it (after rewriting the system to make it more presentable to others, with more samples, GM tips, how to play this game chapters and so on). I have no plans to sell it or get it published by a publisher. For now the goal is simply to create a system for me and my friends that fits our style of play.
What's our style of play?
A typical sessions would generally have plots based around the characters background and actions with a lot of GM improvisation and little dice rolling. The story could be anything from an heroic epic to the daily lives of the peasants in a small village.
One of the systems we've had the a lot of fun with, despite it's obvious shortcomings, is the Fighting Fantasy/Dungeoneer the role playing system (it's a slightly more advanced version of what you find in the FF pick-a-path books if you're familiar with those). We've tried a whole range of systems, but what I think made FF work so nicely for us was that it's simple and you never have to look up any rules in the book. Full characters can be created in minutes and NPCs take an instant to make. New players can also be introduced to the system without much effort. Where it fails is at being "not stupid". For instance it uses a hit point system, where combat takes ages as you slowly hack away at your opponenets till he finally collapses. So I guess I'm aiming for a system that's as simple as Fighting Fantasy, but better. :)

I've tried playing systems ranging from GURPS in complexity (including most optional rules, battlemaps and what not) to no-rules-diceless-free-form-everyones-a-GM, inbetween those come things like Theatrix, Amber, Star Wars (WEG), FF, old D&D, Cthulu, TWERPS, and more. While I love the idea of diceless free form systems, I seem to miss the dice when playing or GMing those. Which is why I want to take a step away from free form diceless, adding dice and some rules, but still keeping it simple enough not to get in the way.

I don't think it will be the most original system on the planet and I don't aim for originality either. I try to measure every rule against how easy it is to use in play and how simple it is to understand. I also try to trim away rules I feel are not needed. I'm sure there are lots of systems out there that are simple and good, I guess I just haven't found the right one for me yet. Though, thanks for the pointers to other systems...I've been checking them out.

[this post is getting kind of long...just a few last points]

Average stat of 7 is a 58.3% chance of success. For most basic things you don't need to roll. Attacking for another human for a swordsman with skill 7 is considered a difficulty 0 task, so he would have about 50% (58.3%) of succeeding, unless of course his opponent is actively trying to defend against the attack.
I do plan to include a skill list, but probably not an exteremely long one. I haven't decided yet how broad an area each skill will cover, but something like Sword, Knife, Axe, Biology sounds about right (or maybe I'll go with Melee weapons, Firearms, Throwing etc.).

Phew...I wonder if anyone is still reading this. :)

Still interested in more feedback,

Cheers,

  Ragnar

[TonyLB]

I may be reading too much into what you've written, but it sounds like you've been burned by a long list of systems that are dysfunctional with regard to your Creative Agenda and Social Contract.

If your goal is just to find a system that doesn't actively ruin your fun, you'll save yourself a lot of effort by plunking down the money to buy InSpectres, My Life with Master, Sorceror... oh, the list goes on and on.  Pick one of the classics described around here, buy it and run it.

If you want to build a rule system that does more than just "get out of the way" (and I certainly hope you do)... my advice is still to buy one or more of these games and run it.  The amount of practical insight you'll gain in a session or two outweighs anything I can tell you over a forum.

In all seriousness:  A bad rule system (as you know) is a hurdle to be cleared in order to tell a good story.  But a good rule system can be an active partner in telling the story, adding as much or more than any player.  If that strikes you as philosophical hogwash, play one of these games exactly as it is written.  They deliver.

[Tomas HVM]

A bad rule system (as you know) is a hurdle to be cleared in order to tell a good story.  But a good rule system can be an active partner in telling the story, adding as much or more than any player.

This is great wisdom! It should be obvious to anyone involved in roleplaying games, but a lot of gamers tend to believe that this is hogwash.

My slogan as a designer is this; A really good roleplaying-game will support the gamers in any and every way possible, in their creation of a great drama!