PBBRPG: The Role-Playing Game of Lego Adventure

[Jeph]

So, last night I was fiddling around with my legoes, mostly trying to make appropriate minis for a couple of DnD characters in a game in which I play. Result: Pretty badass looking minifigs (uh, yeah...for those who don't know, a minifig is one of those plastic lego dudes). So I got to thinking: Why not make a game that revolves completely around badass looking minifigs?

Of course, it would have to go the route of Brikwars, as Lego actually does have a tendancy to crack down on those who use their brand name. Hence "pbb": Plastic Building Block.

I want the game to be a pretty traditional dungeon crawl...with Legoes! What I've got so far.

CHARACTERS
step I. The first step in creating your character is to build a minifig around a theme. For instance, I might get the all-green legs, mostly green torso with herb bags around the belt, a brown cape and beard under a mustached head, and then add a crossbow and staff tipped with a jewel: A druid! Try to pick expressive faces, some sort of headgear, a cape, quiver, breastplate, or backpack, and put something in each hand.
step II. Your character has five Skills: Combat (everything to do with fighting), Thievery (sneaking around and sleight of hand), Wilderness (herbal cures, woodland survival, tending to and riding animals), Social (everything social), and Lore (knowledge of all trades and topics). Divide ten dice amongst your skills, putting 1 to 3 dice in each. Mount your minifig on an appropriately colored 4x4 plate.
step III. Your character also has three pools of pips: Hero Points, Wound Points, and Spell Points. Divide 5 pips among these pools, putting 0- in each. Then add pips to your Wounds pool equal to double your Combat Skill dice. Wound Pips are represented by yellow 1x1 circular plates, Spell Pips by blue or green, and Hero Pips by red. Stack appropriate numbers of pips on your character's plate.
step IV. Pick a primary weapon for your character, and then two other pieces of equipment that they carry. Then divide 5 points among these items. A point in an item can add one dot (not die) to an appropriate Skill when used, one pip to an appropriate pool when worn, or one to a weapon's damage rating (your primary weapon starts with a damage rating of 1, all others with a damage rating of 0). You may not add more than 3 points to any single item.
step V. Now you just need to finish up. Mark down that your character has a Movement rate of their total number of dice in Combat, Theivery, and Wilderness. Also, if your character has any pips in their Spell Points Pool, they know one Spell for each die that they have in their Lore Skill.

TASK RESOLUTION
Pretty simple. The GM comes up with a Target Number (TN 4 for difficult tasks, 8 for strenuous, 12 for heroic, 16 legendary, 20 practically impossible), and the player rolls their appropriate Skill Dice and totals them up. 6s explode. If they are using an item that has dots in it, add those dots to the total. Compare to TN. For opposed tasks, an opponant's result replaces the TN.

I've got notes on combat and magic, but no time to type them up at the moment. Finish and requests for comments later...

--Jeff

[Mike Holmes]

I'd make even more of chargen based around color selection and whatnot. So if I choose a green torso, I get X of this stat, and Y of this. Added to A of this and B of that for the legs I select. Etc. Would something like that be possible? Such that assembling the parts would result in a complete or nearly complete character once he was "interpereted"?

Mike

[Jeph]

*Note on Hero Points: A character recieves their starting Hero Points at the beginning of each game session. The GM may reward characters with an extra Hero Point or two for good play. Unused Hero Points do not "roll over" at the end of a game session.

KILLING THINGS
Rounds. Combat is divided into rounds, which, like the normal Lego scale and human size, doesn't actually correspond to real time. In a round, each character may move and initiate one or more dice actions, or actions requiring a roll of the dice. They may respond to any number of attacks or other threats without any additional penalty. Characters with more Combat dice take their actions first. If there ever is a tie, compare Combat pips, then Thievery dice, then Theivery pips, to see who acts first. Movement is measured in 4x4 squres. Each round, characters may do one of the following:
• Run flat out, moving the character's Movement rate +2d6 squares.
• Move the character's Movement rate in squares and take a single dice action at no penalty.
• Move one square any any take number of dice actions. For each dice action taken past the first, all rolls that the character takes in the round suffer a -2 penalty.
• Move one square and either cast a spell or regain 1d6 spent Spell Points.
Close Combat Weapons. Close combat weapons, such as swords, knives, and axes, can be used to attack opponants in an adjacent or diagonally adjacent square. Roll your Combat Skill and add any dots in your weapon against the target's Combat Skill. If they are holding a close combat weapon, they also add in that weapon's dots to their roll. If you win the contest, the target loses Wound Points equal to your weapon's Damage Rating. If a character wishes, they can throw a close combat weapon, using it to attack a number of squares away equal to (6 minus the weapon's Damage Rating).
Missile Weapons. Missile Weapons, such as bows and crossbows, may be used to attack opponants up to (10 plus 2 times the weapon's Damage Rating) squares away. They may be used to attack just like a close combat weapon. However, the target may not add dots from a held weapon to their defense roll. Dots from shields, armor, and helms still apply.
Injury. When a character has been reduced to 0 points in their Wound Points Pool, they are on their last legs, and may either cast a spell, move 2 squares, or perform a single dice action in a turn, but no more. After this, they start gaining black 1x1 circular plate Mortality Pips. When a character has 1-4 Mortality Pips, they are unconcious. When they have amassed 5 Mortality Pips, they have died. A day of rest is enough to either remove all Morality Pips for a character or let them recover 1d6 lost Wound Points.

MAGIC
When characters cast a spell, they expend points from their Spell Points Pool. A character may take a turn to do nothing else but move one square and recover 1d6 spent Spell Points. In a turn in which a character neither casts a spell nor focusses their spell energy, they recover 1 spent Spell Point. The possible spells are listed below. When a spell calls for a Lore roll, add any dots in a magic wand, staff, or similar item. Characters are encouraged to use spells creatively, such as using Blast to light a fire.
Blast. base cost 1, +1 per extra point of damage, +1 per two extra squares of diamter Make a Lore roll. Everything within a 1 square radius circle centered up to 16 squares away must make a Combat roll with your result as the TN. Those that fail take 1 point of damage. You may spend extra Spell Points to deal extra damage or increase the radius of effect.
Healing. base cost 1, +2 per additional point of healing Touch a target. If that target has any Mortality Pips, remove all Morality Pips from them. If they have no Mortality Pips but have lost Wound Points, they recover 1 Wound Point. You may spend extra Spell Points to increase the number of Wound Points healed. If the target is afflicted by a disease or poison, you may try to cure it instead of healing Wound Points. Make a Lore Skill roll against a TN set by the GM so successfully cure the poison or disease.
Teleport. base cost 1, +1 per passenger, +1 per range increase You instantly relocate yourself up to 32 squares away. If you spend one extra Spell Point in range, you may move up to 160 squares. If you pay 2 extra Spell Points on range, you may move any distance. If you wish to take passengers, they must all be within 1 square of you, and you must pay 1 additional Spell Point per passenger. If you are attempting to go to a place that you have never been before, can not see, or do not have an exact relative distance to, you must make a Lore roll (TN 12) or have the spell fail, causing you and all passengers to lose 1 Wound Point and no transfer in location to take place.
Charm. base cost 1, +1 to double targets, +1 per severity increase Make a Lore Skill roll. A single target within 8 squares away must succeed at a Social Skill or Lore Skill roll with your result as the TN or obey a command that you give to the best of their ability. They gain a +4 bonus on the roll if the command would put them or their friends in danger, and automatically succeed if it would result in their own death. You may spend extra Spell Points to increase the number of targets exponentially. If you spend one extra Spell Point on effect, the targets become good friends for one day. If you spend two extra Spell Points on effect, they become loyal servants for that duration instead.
Conjur. base cost 1, +1 per 3 extra 4x2 blocks, +3 to create biotic matter, +2 for refined items, +1 to destroy You conjur a single 4x2 block of abiotic matter such as stone or water that appears within 4 squares of yourself. You may spend extra Spell Points to create more matter or to create living or once-living matter. You may also spend 2 extra spell points to create actual items rather than just blocks, such as weapons or armor. Created wepaons have a Damage Rating of 2, and created armors add 1 point to a character's Combat Skill for the purposes of defending. Refined items disappear after 1d6+1 rounds, while chunks of matter are permanant. If a character wishes, they instead may pay an extra Spell Point and destroy an amount of non-living, unnattended matter equal to what they could have created.
Scry. base cost target's Lore Skill dice plus 2, or 3 for a location You are able to see what a single target is doing, as well as everything within 5 squres of them. If you wish, you may instead view a cube 4 squares on a side. The scrying lasts for as long as you like, but you do not regain Spell Points while you scry, and lose one additional Spell Point at the end of each hour spent scrying the same target or location. You may only scry locations that you have been to before.
Enhance. base cost 4 per die You may turn your Spell Points into dice in any of the five Skills. These dice may be added to the skill of either yourself or a single touched ally. This enhancement lasts for as long as you like, but while it is in effect, you may not regain the Spell Points used to fuel it.
Invisiblity. base cost 3, +1 per -2 TN, +1 per additional subject You turn a single touched subject or yourself invisible. This invisibility will last eternally as long as the target never takes any strenuous actions. Whenever the target decides take a dice action, they must make a Thievery Skill roll against TN 16 or become visible again. You may spend extra Spell Points to affect extra subjects or to reduce the TN. You may not reduce the TN below 8.

CREATURES
Creatures, unlike the player characters and major human NPCs, are just defined by 4 traits: Combat Skill, Damage Rating, Wound Points, and Movement Rate. They are considered to have 1 die in all the other Skills, except for Social Skill, in which they have zero dice. The Movement Rate and Speed of a creature are not based off of their Skills, like they are for human characters. Some sample creatures are given below.
Brown Horse. Combat Skill 1, Damage Rating 2, Wound Points 4, Speed 10.
Black Horse. Combat Skill 2, Damage Rating 3, Wound Points 5, Speed 11.
White Horse. Combat Skill 1, Damage Rating 2, Wound Points 4, Speed 13.
Dragon. Combat Skill 4, Damage Rating 4, Wound Points 16, Speed 12 and flying. Dragons may attack with their firey breath up to 4 squares away.
Shark. Combat Skill 2, Damage Rating 3, Wound Points 2, Speed 8 but only in water.
Squid. Combat Skill 2, Damage Rating 1, Wound Points 4, Speed 2 but only in water. Squid may make 2 free attacks per turn with no extra penalty. They may also jet an ink cloud that makes vision impossible in a cube 4 squares on a side.
Rock Monster. Combat Skill 3, Damage Rating 3, Wound Points 16, Speed 4. Whenever a Rock Monster loses Wound Points, it loses 1 fewer points than an ordinary character would.
Skeleton. Combat Skill 2, Damage Rating 1, Wound Points 1, Speed 6. Skeletons are destroyed as soon as they reach 0 Wound Points.

ADVANCEMENT
Experience. Whenever characters defeat a challenge, they each gain Experience Points. They gain 1 experience Point for a relatively low challenge, 2 for an adequate challenge, and 3-4 for an almost overwhelming challenge. Characters may trade in Experience Points to increase a Skill by 1 die at a cost of 10 times the new number of dice in the skill. They may also buy more Hero Points or Spell Points at a cost of 10 plus the number of points already in the pool. The only way to increase Wound Points is through buying more dice in the Combat Skill, as the only way to get more spells is by buying more dice in the Lore Skill.
Equipment. Characters get better equipment by killing things and taking their stuff.



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RIGHT. Questions.
• I want this to be a gamist dungeon hack with legoes. Does it have enough character options to introduce an element of strategy? What about combot options? Spells?
• I want the actual figure to be a large factor in character creation. Is it already big enough, or should it be larger? Should I change the Skill Dice to be somehow based directly off of the minifig?
• Miscellaneous suggestions to gear it more towards a miniatures battle system with role-playing elements?

Thanks,
--Jeff

[Jeph]

I'd make even more of chargen based around color selection and whatnot. So if I choose a green torso, I get X of this stat, and Y of this. Added to A of this and B of that for the legs I select. Etc. Would something like that be possible? Such that assembling the parts would result in a complete or nearly complete character once he was "interpereted"?

Mike

Mike gets a Read Jeff's Mind point.

The problem is, I don't want to turn this into a huge list of charts of pieces and colors, as I don't have nearly every piece to stat out. Also, I don't want certain things to steriotype a character's function--if a red tordso means that the character has +1 Combat Skill dice, where do I get my Red Wizards? Also, that could result in some pretty icky color schemes as players manipulate their stats through their fig.

I'm having trouble thinking of something other than "give the minifig the stats that it looks like it has." Suggestions?

[roleplyr4ever]

okay, I have an idea. I dont play with lego's, but maybe this will work.

Pick out all the gear that would represent the genre you are playing. Lets use Fantasy for instance. You could have 4 sets of clothing and gear. Wizard,Fighter,Theif and Ranger could be the four. The player pics a class. A fire wizard would be under the wizard category. Then, due to his "class" he would get so many wizard points, so many Fighter points, and so on, to purchase gear from the other "sets". So, a wizard could have 6 points in wizard, 2 points in fighter, 2 points in theif, and 4 points in Ranger. That would mean he could pick that number of gear pieces to put on his minifig. You could also carry a character sheet that had all the +'s and -'s of his traits/stats. All gear would also have stats that would help/and or hender the character.

[Matt Machell]

Hey Jeph,

just a passing observation you might be interested in, but have you seen the new Oriental Adventure pulp style lego? The larger sets come with a built-in board/adventure game that uses the figures.

-Matt

[lumpley]

I've been thinking about this one for a while too, also with no solution beyond "give it the stats it looks like it has."  (If you feel like it, see my game Mechaton for my particular take.)

But I'm following this thread with positive avidity.

-Vincent

[Mike Holmes]

I'd actually advocate listing every component in some fashion. But you might be able to categorize for simplicity. For example, maybe you could just go by colors or some other simple criteria. I think just by going to the store to look at sets of PBBs that one could come up with good ideas about that.

Then what you do is cross-reference. So yes, if I select wizard, and a green torso, that has X effect. So it would be a combination of player selection and piece selection. Multiplying the potential character types quickly into the realm where they would seem unique.

Yep, I'd put it all on charts. Which I'd then program into an easy to use lookup app; I'll program it if you make the charts (use a spreadsheet for ease, please). That would be a blast, IMO.

Mike

[Jeph]

I'd actually advocate listing every component in some fashion. But you might be able to categorize for simplicity. For example, maybe you could just go by colors or some other simple criteria. I think just by going to the store to look at sets of PBBs that one could come up with good ideas about that.

Then what you do is cross-reference. So yes, if I select wizard, and a green torso, that has X effect. So it would be a combination of player selection and piece selection. Multiplying the potential character types quickly into the realm where they would seem unique.

Yep, I'd put it all on charts. Which I'd then program into an easy to use lookup app; I'll program it if you make the charts (use a spreadsheet for ease, please). That would be a blast, IMO.

Mike

One of the major problems of going by color is that there is such a variety of designs on each color torso. For instance, it would be logical to have Green give +1D Wilderness...

...but what about Space Police torsos? Those were green, but have absolutely nothing to do with wilderness.

There is another way I could to it, again taking from Mike Rayhawk's Brikwars. I could simply have generic terms that could cover a range of items--"dagger" "shorts sword" silver sword" "bow" "crossbow"--and assign statistics and point cost to each. However, that limits the equipment that a starting character could select, which I'm not keen on: creating a cool looking minifig should take precedence over everything else.

Hmm.

(And Vincent, I have indeed looked at Mechaton, even played a few games. But only small sclae ones--I lack propper pieces to make more than 6-7 droids without deconstructing some of my cooler models.)

--Jeff

[Mike Holmes]

Gah. Why is it that whenever I propose an idea with an example, that people assume that I think the example is what they should do. If you read above my point is that there may be some way of categorizing. I'm not familiar enough with PBBs to say for sure, which is why I'm leaving it to you to do the categorization.

If, in fact, there are no commonalities besides color, then I do suggest listing every piece available. I'll bet that somewhere on the internet there's a comprehensive list. If you don't want to do all the gruntwork yourself, then farm out statting some of the stuff. Make a consistent scale, and it'll be easy to do. You can even have a point based system to build balanced parts or somesuch.

Mike

[Grex]

Hey Jeph,

I like your Lego idea; it looks like a lot of fun. Especially if you're a family man, what with the resources (Legos) being readily available... ;^)

• Miscellaneous suggestions to gear it more towards a miniatures battle system with role-playing elements?

You could do a lot worse that checking out Evil Stevie's Pirate Game at http://www.io.com/~sj/PirateGame.html for inspiration.

This is a game, involving elements of both roleplaying and tactical combat, in which grown men and women sit on the floor and push toy pirate ships around, going "Arrrr!"

What is it with game designers and Legos? :^)

Best regards,
Grex

[roleplyr4ever]

No offense, and sorry for the language, but this is Bullshit! I am serious! You say you want cool minifigs above the fact that they could be walking char.sheets, SO~ make a character sheet with all his crap on it!. Make the cool fig. When something should be on him like  you get 20 gear points, if your a fighter you can spend 6 of those toward weapons. Then, how much you spend gives you the stats for the game. It just makes no sense why you would want cool minifigs, AND stats on them. You just cant have it your way. It aint buger king, and it sure in the hell aint a holiday in.

Just my 2 cents. Luv ya all!

[Mike Holmes]

I'm afraid that I, for one, don't understand your point. Who are you talking to? What are you objecting to? How is your method a fix?

Mike

[Jeph]

No offense, and sorry for the language, but this is Bullshit!!

Sorry, but I truly am offended. No matter how many disclaimers, my feelings are injured when someone calls my work "bullshit." Could you have used any less offensive term? If you request forgiveness, I grant it freely, but please try to be a bit less confrontational in the future.

However, adressing the rest of your post, I am struck similarly to Mike: ie, a blank expression and the word, "what?" Please clarify; I can't fix something if the problem isn't isolated.

Thanks,
--Jeff