Playtesters Wanted.

[Matthew Webber]

Help! My gaming group got lost in the move! Now I'm halfway across the country and in need of feedback, playtesters and editors for a new diceless, pen&paper RPG called RoShamBo: The RPGing.

The game works on a very simple Rock/Paper/Scissors concept and was designed for quick and easy play.

Act now, and you'll get a PDF of RoShamBo, the RPGing (main rulebook 7pgs including character sheet), and RoShamBo, the Magical! (fantasy supplement, 15pages).

But wait, there's more! Also included is The Silver Cave, an introductory adventure involving a lost prince, strange lights in the sky and Sheep Cultists. (a PG sense of humour is probably required ... I was going for funny, you're milage may vary). 

If you are interested, please contact me at proserunmadrpg@gmail.com, and much thanks in advance.

[Matthew Webber]

Here are some excerpts from the books. I'm working on a webpage where the pdfs can be download.

Sample:
RoShamBo: The RPGing
"Everyone has played Rock-Paper-Scissors. Paper beats Rock; Rock beats Scissors; Scissors beats Paper. This roleplaying game works on the same principlec. In the event of a tie, the character's Skill Number is used to determine the winner. That is pretty much it for basic mechanics."

RoShamBo: The Magical
Thief Kit
"There are those who look down at what you do, but you know there is an art to it, requiring patience, skill and verve. Let them look down at you if they want; at the end of the day, you're the one holding their purse."

Grayish Elves
~Others might think you a little backwards because you dress in leaves and consider squirrel to be a staple. But make no mistake, you are a lord of the forest and you know the hidden lore of the trees: you know which plants cure dysentery and what leaves won't give you a rash; you know which mushrooms are safe to eat and the ones that make you see the little purple pixies ... Whee! The little purple pixies!

RoShamBo: The Silver Cave Adventure.
The Road to Rumbell
"The bees are buzzing, the birds are singing and the day is warm and pleasant as you and your companions walk along a trail left by wagon wheels through a meadow of wildflowers and long grass. It is picturesque ... too picturesque, and you are growing anxious. It has been hours since you have been attacked by outlaws or a random monster, and for that matter, it has been almost a week since you've stayed in some smoky inn where you can talk to a mysterious old man and learn of a lost treasure buried deep in some forgotten dungeon. This doesn't feel right. But on the plus side, you think you might be lost.

You are just beginning to think that it might be time to turn back and find some unsuspecting kobold clan to ambush and slaughter, when you spot a small wooden sign by the side of the road. The sun faded paint reads, 'To Rumbell. Not to far to go for a nice juicy pickle! V miles". There is a faint rotten odour in the air and there is a glint of sunlight off something lying in the meadow nearby. "

[Lance D. Allen]

Would you mind posting something with a little more.. crunch to it? Except for the first sample, none of this tells us anything about your game, at all. All it tells us is that you have an interesting and amusing voice in your writing, which is a definite plus, as it will help keep your books from being a boring read, but it's not useful here.

Rock, Paper, Scissors. Got that. Can you give us an example of how it looks in play? Don't post your rules text here; People who want to read it will email you or download the .pdf when you're ready with it. Just show us how it works. Make us see what's awesome (or quite good, if you're British) about your game.

[Matthew Webber]

Thanks for taking an interest. And for the record, I'm Canadian.

The game, as mentioned, works on the Rock Paper Scissors concept (action A beats action B.  B beats C, C beats A). This is applied to combat where a dodging character won't take damage from an attacking character, but will take damage from one casting a spell, etc. In the event of a tie, (both characters attack, for example) the one with the highest skill for that particular action wins. Skills work the same way.

To avoid cheating, the GM randomly selects what the NPC is going to do and places the card face down on the table. When the player declares what they want the PC to do, the card is flipped over and the winner is determined

Character creation is a simple point buy.

That is pretty much it. The rest of the book is fleshing out petty details such as initiative (there isn't one), damage and experience.

Granted, the system gives any PC a basic one in three chance of automatically succeeding in anything they attempt, but I am going for more of a cinematic (read: quick and easy) game play.

The Magical supplement fleshes out magic rules and gives some races, character kits, spells and critters. The Adventure is an old, half finished idea that I've had in the computer for years that I finished and converted to test if any of this actually works the way I hope it does.

Up next, I'm working on a supplement called 'Zombies Ago-Go!"

[Lance D. Allen]

Here's one question based off your short write-up... If both players are attacking (meaning neither is attempting to defend) then why must only one of them succeed? Why not allow both of them to succeed?

Also, why force the GM to play randomly? The ability to judge your opponent is one of the key factors of rock-paper-scissors. By removing the GM's ability to make decisions, you remove the ability for both combatants to think about the conflict. You're only a small step from forcing both participants to play randomly.

My questions are not meant as suggestions or criticisms. They're honest questions. Why did you make the choices you chose to make in these cases? What is the reason behind them?

By the by, the comment about being British is somewhat of an inside joke. Pay it no mind.

[Matthew Webber]

Please don't misunderstand, I'm not upset or offended by your comments at all. I'm actually quite happy that someone is taking an interest!

And yeah, I'll admit a huge fandom for Terry Pratchett, Tom Holt, Tom Sharpe, Stephen Fry and about a dozen other British comedy writers. 

Now, to address your points:

In the event of a tie, they both suceed if both attacking characters' Skill Points are the same.

I actually left how the GM decides what they are going to play for the NPCs as open as I could. Personally, I found that a random draw works best for when the PCs are battling a random monster or something that doesn't warrant a huge production; or if facing a large group of opponents and the GM doesn't want to spend the time thinking about each individual move for each individual NPC. However, for a Big Bad I would absolutely recommend the GM choose which option they want to play. 

As an added bit of strategy, each character has a Prime skill, which definds what they are (Magic, Combat, Thievery etc). In combat they can't play the same Option/Skill twice unless it is their Prime. So a character who's Prime skill is Attack, can't defend two rounds in a row, or cast two spells in a row, but they can attack as aggressively as they please.

[Lance D. Allen]

Alright, I think I'm starting to get a little of your intent.

Could you write up a play vignette of what a combat or competition between two characters might look like? I'm interested in getting an idea of how this would work out in play. It would help me get a handle on what options are available, and how I might choose between them.

[Matthew Webber]

Right, after throwing up a very cheap, and very temporary website, the full PDFs are available for download here!

http://proserunmad.t35.com/.

The main rulebook is only 8 pages, character sheet and cover pages included. This will give you a better idea of what I am aiming at than a write up!