okay let's post my game's P19

[poireau]

it's a game I'm trying to shape for almost a year now but because of my lack of time and constancy, it never went far.

1.) What is your game about?**
It's about the new generation of sur human (super man level) being and their families in a world very similar to ours.

2.) What do the characters do?**
struggle to get some political power (or Independence) in a world controlled by super families.

3.) What do the players (including the GM if there is one) do?**
. Then, they try to push forward the agenda they chose by intriguing and allocating there resources to maximize the benefit.

4.) How does your setting (or lack thereof) reinforce what your game is about?

The players pick from people of the last generation and define who is there parents. They create together the present global political, social situation as well as who married to who.
The setting provide the base to create intrigues. The player try to beat the scenario, the GM write the base situation. it's like creating a dungeon, only the traps are social one and the monster layers and journalist.

5.) How does the Character Creation of your game reinforce what your game is about?

They create there character background and decide who there parents are and how they get along. They define the party goal and how being of such powers got together.

6.) What types of behaviors/styles of play does your game reward (and punish if necessary)?

The type of behavior rewarded is intelligent use of the brain power of the player and keen tonguing. What's punish is inconsiderate use of destructive powers.

7.) How are behaviors and styles of play rewarded or punished in your game?

The player gets reward by gaining what he aims for, if he wish to be famous, he'll gain fame once he has done enough effort to have it.

8.) How are the responsibilities of narration and credibility divided in your game?

The scene are framed by GM, the credibility belongs to the master in last, he is the referee. The player can control everything characters do.

9.) What does your game do to command the players' attention, engagement, and participation? (i.e. What does the game do to make them care?)

It involve them in the creation of the game world and put them in charge of deciding what the story is about.

10.) What are the resolution mechanics of your game like?

Each player got a pool to use competences. there are roughly three types of competences :

-physical and power, classically when you use them, the GM states a difficulty, then the player use a number of point equal to the difficulty to make the action. When you use a power it's easier to match the difficulties, but use of too much power create some unwanted secondary effect. example, superman fly at top speed to go save Lois, all the glasses in rhe city are broken.

-knowledg, each time a player want an information regading one of his knowledg he use one point

-social, each one of the social compétencies work as a RP facilitator, they help to represent social facilities and body language. Let's say i want to seduce some one, i use a seduction point to look him in the eye and make a charming mile. It won't seduce him by itself but it will create the mood.
Another exemple is lying, if i don't wan't to be caught lying I use some points to insure that my charcter keep a straight face. The other one can use points to try to sens if i'm lying, do I look up or start twitching my eye.

11.) How do the resolution mechanics reinforce what your game is about?

It force the player to talk an think by them self to resolve the situation.

12.) Do characters in your game advance? If so, how?

They advance by attening goal an gain what they decided to play for.

13.) How does the character advancement (or lack thereof) reinforce what your game is about?

It force them to go foward an create the goals of there character.

14.) What sort of product or effect do you want your game to produce in or for the players?

Make them think to go forward. Show them the burdens of power and the consequences of there choices.

15.) What areas of your game receive extra attention and color? Why?

Social interaction and consequences of the use of powers. Because they are the main theme of the game.

16.) Which part of your game are you most excited about or interested in? Why?

The social interaction of the players and the intrigue they'll greate. Cause they'll impress and surprise me.

17.) Where does your game take the players that other games can't, don't, or won't?

In a game of Ambre or Nobilis like (almost) power where the main limitation to the action of the player is the uniquness of Earth.

18.) What are your publishing goals for your game?

May be some French underground editor one day

19.) Who is your target audience?

Gamist who likes mental challenge and is pissed by chance in his effectiveness reflection.


ps pardon me if my english is not perfect i'm french

[Willow]

Do you have any questions for discussion?

[poireau]

I'd like to know if the design seems coherent enough to you and if you think the resolution système (spécialy the social one) can work.

[joepub]

Your idea reminds me of Underground.

One thing that stands out as potentially problematic for me is this:

4.) How does your setting (or lack thereof) reinforce what your game is about?

The player try to beat the scenario, the GM write the base situation. it's like creating a dungeon, only the traps are social one and the monster layers and journalist.

Contrast that with what you say later on:

9.) What does your game do to command the players' attention, engagement, and participation? (i.e. What does the game do to make them care?)

It involve them in the creation of the game world and put them in charge of deciding what the story is about.

The social-situation-as-dungeon model you describe in Answer 4 doesn't mesh with the player empowerment you talk about in Answer 9, or the multiple answers you give about player goals driving play. In my opinion.

What I think would be better than creating a dungeon or a linear "adventure" would be to create complex situations that are relationship-driven, rather than plot-driven. You are already using a lot of the tools that make that possible: setting up relationships as a part of character creation, setting up a "relationship map", having characters that work towards personal goals, having an ethical battle surrounding the use of power going on. What I would urge you to do is experiment with different ways to use those tools to create a session's content, rather than defaulting to the "dungeon style". It's fun, but I don't see it fitting with this idea at all.

[poireau]

first I'll talk a bit more about the background of my game.

The game take place in 2050 and since the fall of the Berlin wall, superpower people have appeared, but only 15 couples, each one with there own power. All of them have reached prominent position in there country, some are dictators, some are top business owner and some are police boss.

The player are the grand son and grand daughter of these people, an not only the grand son of one families but they descend of two families. It means that each player is a key elements of the world political situation, more of it since the default assumption is that players characters have a common goal and work together too obtain it.

Secondly, about the post of joepub, when I say dunjeon, i just think complexe situation set before the game begins. I think that what I want is to have player to find way's to overcomes complexe situation using the powers and contact they have, and working to achieve it.
I think that's important that player chose what they want to do, especially in a game where they have such powers, but I think that I prefers to follow the gamist agenda. In game situation, even if I like to introduce moral dilemma and hard choice, what I like is making player work there game.
I want them to think what to do, how to do it, who should we talk to, when shall we talk to him and so on. What I really appreciate is when my player find a way to overcome obstacle that surprise me.

Thirdly, I have a question for you, I this game has a said earlier I have 15 families each one with its power, do you think I need to make a long list of power with levels and such, or that a free-form power system a la Mage can do the trick?

P.S. I 'd really appreciate feed back on my social resolution system.