QuIRC - GMless Timestamp IRC Roleplaying

[Lxndr]

The resolution mechanic that I've been toying with for weeks, using the IRC timestamp for conflict resolution, finally bubbled up last night when I should have been sleeping.  The following is the result.  I honestly don't plan on "publishing" this beyond "putting it up on a website for anyone to use if they want to" but I'd at least like others to look it over and let me know:

* What's missing?
* What doesn't work?
* What you like?

and anything else you might be able to give me.

Thus I give you:

QuIRC:  Timeclock-based GMless IRC Gaming

(NOTE:  Parts of this game were inspired by Shadows, Unsung, Universalis, and the Reverse RPG.  Others were inspired by IRC-based conversations, mostly with anonymouse but also with others in #indierpgs and also, oddly enough, in #rpgnet.  The rest just came out of the Lxndr Idea Pipeline, which is fed by a vast underground reservoir of subliminal memories and subconscious churning.)

QuIRC is pretty much made for IRC play - playing in any other medium would not work nearly as well, if at all, I believe.  QuIRC requires that every player uses timestamps showing both minutes and seconds.  The hour value is not used.  Synchronizing timeclocks prior to gamestart is recommended to avoid confusion.  Disputes are decided upon via vote.

Players have a single primary character, who is named, and a certain number of points.  Every player starts the game with one point, and gets another point every time the clock starts a new hour.  Players may narrate anything they so choose, as long as no points are spent, and they do not interfere with another person's character.

Whenever something is in dispute or requires a conflict with a PC, any player may give a point to the player whose primary character is involved or otherwise affected.  The timestamp on this message determines the task resolution, as follows:

DESTINY: Minute Ones Digit + Seconds Tens Digit
NEMESIS: Minutes Tens Digit + Seconds Ones Digit

Both of these produce a value between zero and fourteen, and change over time. Resolution is as follows:

* If the DESTINY value beats the NEMESIS value, a positive result occurs, narrated by the person who spent the original point.

* If the NEMESIS value beats the DESTINY value, a negative result occurs, narrated by the player whose PC is affected.

* If the values are equal, the conflict is stymied and play goes on unimpeded.  The conflict is not inserted into the play.

Whether the result positive or negative, as long as the conflict is inserted into play, the person who gave out a chip earns another one.  This is the only method to earn additional chips apart from simply waiting through time.

Before a particular conflict is resolved as above, any player may spend a point to double either the DESTINY or the NEMESIS value.  This can be done multiple times if necessary, but the multipliers are additive (in other words, the 2nd time would be triple the original score, the third would be quadruple the original score, etc).  Yes, doubling a zero is still a zero.

[Lxndr]

Okay, I've futzed a bit, after being reminded of the game baccarat and how it could be useful here.  Changes to the above mechanic that, I think, really help make it work:

1.  DESTINY and NEMESIS are calculated differently:

DESTINY = Sum of minutes ones digit and seconds ones digit.
NEMESIS = Sum of minutes tens digit and seconds tens digit.

2.  For determining outcome, compare ONLY the ones digit of the result.  5+5=0, 9+9=8.

Between these two, I think that it covers the ranges I want better, allowing the DESTINY to vary wildly while NEMESIS more consistently becomes stronger as the hour marches on, until both reach a fever pitch and expend themselves (returning to 0/0).

3.  One spends a point to double any ONE number in the original.  So you don't double DESTINY, you double the ones digit of the minutes, which in turn would change DESTINY.

4.  Whenever someone gives a chip to someone else, and their idea is inserted into play, they take the "GM" reins until someone gives them a chip (and takes the reins themselves).  Everyone is always responsible for their own character.  This changes resolution slightly:

Whenever something is in dispute or requires a conflict, any player may give a point to the player currently narrating.  The timestamp on this message determines the resolution of the conflict.

* If the DESTINY value beats the NEMESIS value, a positive result occurs, narrated by the new GM.

* If the NEMESIS value beats the DESTINY value, a negative result occurs, narrated by the old GM.

* IF they equal, anything can happen, narrated by the old GM.  The GM-hat is not passed on.

I'm going to clean this up and post it on my webpage, but I'd still like input on, well, anything.

[Lxndr]

http://www.twistedconfessions.com/twists/quirc.php

The QuIRC game can now be found there, cleaned up.  A copy is below.  This is likely the last tweak to the rules until I actually have a chance to playtest them (or alternatively, someone wanders in and points out some egregious error I've missed).

QuIRC RPG - Quick IRC Roleplaying Game

Before any game of QuIRC, and whenever a discrepancy is noted, all involved players should synchronize their timeclocks. In addition, their IRC program should be displaying timestamps including both minutes and seconds, as both are necessary for conflict resolution. If a dispute arises over time divergence, the player who instigated the conflict has precedence.

QuIRC is a game designed for play without a Game Master - if you don't know what that is, don't worry, since you won't need one. Every player has a single character who is their protagonist, the ostensible focus of their play. This character is entirely without statistics - just a name. Players should all be on the same page regarding their game, since their agreement is the only thing keeping QuIRC from becoming a surrealist post-modern dada story.

Points are the currency of QuIRC. Every player starts with one point, and every time the clock changes hours, every player earns another point. These points are spent and traded to instigate and resolve conflicts, as well as determining who is currently wearing the narrator hat. More about points below. It is a good idea to track the current number of points you have by adding a number after your IRC nickname.

One player must start as the narrator - decide this amongst yourselves. The narrator may set any scene they want, involving as many of the other player's characters, but not their own. The players play the parts of their characters, reacting to what is happening, while the narrator plays the part of any supporting characters, as well as the props and scenery. He can make anything he wants happen, subject to the constraints below.

Whenever something is in dispute, or a player has an idea he wants to add to the conflict, any player may give one of their points to the current narrator and say what he wants to happen. To be absolutely clear, this reduces the point total of the player, and increases the point total of the narrator. The timestamp on the message determines how this situation is resolved.

There are two values that must be calculated. The first is Destiny and the second is Nemesis. Destiny is the sum of the ones digits of both the minutes and the seconds, and Nemesis is the sum of the tens digits. For the purposes of QuIRC, only the ones digit matters.

[*]If the ones digit of Destiny is greater than the ones digit of Nemesis, then the player who gave away a chip becomes the new narrator, and gets to narrate the result of the conflict any way he desires.
If the ones digit of Nemesis is greater than that of Destiny, then the old narrator gets to narrate the result of the conflict in a way that thwarts the desires of the new narrator, and then hands over the reins to the player who spent the chip.
[*]If they equal, the old narrator remains narrator and can continue to narrate any way he desires. He must be allowed to type for at least a full minute before the next challenge.
[*]If the player who gave a chip to the narrator manages to get the reins, he now has power as narrator, and the current narrator reverts to simply playing just his own character. In addition, the new narrator earns a chip, adding it to his point total. If the narration doesn't change, the player who gave up a chip earns nothing. In general, a switch of narrator should probably soon be followed by a change in scene, but this is only a guideline, not a hard and fast rule. Also keep to the general rule of leaving your character out of the narration when it's your turn, to keep scenes fresh.[/list:u]
Before a conflict is resolved, any player may spend a point to influence either the Destiny or Nemesis values. For each point spent, they can choose to double either Destiny or Nemesis - remembering that only the ones digit is counted in the final conflict. Multiple multiples add together - so the 2nd point spent would triple the original score, rather than quadruple it. None of this point spending allows further changes of the narrator, just the outcome of the narration.

Generally speaking, each hour of play should be roughly equivalent to a television episode. Stories can span multiple episodes in a single session of play, but care should be taken to set up either a minor ending and/or a to-be-continued right near the end of each hour. This takes best advantage of the Nemesis/Destiny interaction - Nemesis steadily increases as the "episode" goes on while Destiny has peaks and valleys, until finally they both reach a fever pitch, and expend themselves.

[Lxndr]

Following a playtest last night, and a dream afterwards, QuIRC has been changed again, significantly and draconially.  Gameplay originally resulted in our deciding the following things:

* There needs to be a shorter challenge statement, instead of having to type out one's entire Intent.
* It needed to be "gamier" (not much detail on how, but I think I did that)
* There should be ways to give up the "narrator" spot, and/or win a challenge without getting the narrator spot
* Timeclocks can never be perfectly synched on IRC, not with netlag.

I realized some other things later:

* The "rotating GM" bit was too much - nobody should be wearing the narrator hat AT ALL.  Instead, I went to "cut scene" type narration.  It also gives points another reason to be spent - scene changes.
* Probably the best way to handle influences/challenges to Nemesis and Destiny to date.
* The challenger shouldn't always get a point if he challenges, just sometimes.

I'm especially interested in hearing thoughts from Chris Edwards and AgentFresh, my two playtesters.  Thank you both for trying out my game.  :)

QuIRC RPG - Quick IRC Roleplaying

Before any game of QuIRC, all players should set their chat program to timestamp each message with the time, including seconds.  Clocks should be reasonably synchronized, but internet lag and other factors may make this impossible.  If a dispute arises over time, the challenged player is the one who makes the final call.

Every player has a single character, who is their protagonist.  Ostensibly, this protagonist is the focus of their play.  This character has no statistics - just a name.  Any other information about the character is subject to interpretation.  Players should all be on the same page regarding the setting and tone of their game - without this agreement, QuIRC could quickly become a surrealist post-modern dada story.

Points are the currency of QuIRC, the method by which challenges are resolved.  Every player starts with one point, and every time the clock changes hours, they earn another point.  More ways to earn points are discussed below.  Points are spent and traded to instigate and resolve conflicts, as well as end and begin scenes.  It is a good idea to track the current number of points you have by adding a number after your IRC nickname.

One player must start the first scene - decide this amongst yourselves.  The narrator has five minutes or five posts, whichever comes first, to set the scene as he desires, including describing the actions and situation of the other protagonists.  After that point, all players may describe anything happening, except actions taken by the other protagonists.

To change a scene, a player must spend a point.  That player then gets the same five minutes or five posts to narrate the closing of the scene, and the start of the next.

If something happens that a player wishes to challenge, including a scene change or actions of other protagonists, a player has sixty seconds to challenge it.  If the challenge comes even 61 seconds later, it's too late.  A simple codeword should be decided upon beforehand, recognizeable by all players - "Bam!" being an effective one.  Challenges can be a case of "No, I don't want that," or simply "I have a better idea."  The challenger must give one of his points to the player he is challenging - and if the challenger changes his mind, that point remains lost.  If two Bams occur simultaneously, and neither is willing to concede, the players vote on whose challenge actually happens.

The timestamp on the codeword is used for the resolution of the challenge.  There are two values that must be calculated.  The first, Destiny, is calculated by taking the sum of the ones digits of both the minutes and the seconds.  The second, Nemesis, is the sum of the tens digits.  For example, a timestamp of 12:31:42 would give us a Destiny of 1+2=3, and a Nemesis of 3+4=7.  As in the card game baccarat, only the last digit counts - a timestamp of 6:54:49 would yield a Nemesis of 5+4=9, and a Destiny of 4+9=13 = 3.  The hour number is never used.

[*]If Destiny is greater than Nemesis, then the challenger wins.  He has five minutes or five posts to narrate anything he desires, without challenge.
[*]If Nemesis is greater than or equal to Destiny, the challenged wins.  He has five minutes or five posts to narrate anything he desires, without challenge.  If Nemesis is actually greater than Destiny, the challenger earns another point.[/list:u]
Points can be used to influence the result of any challenge - only after a full minute has a challenge passed without any attempt at influence, is it resolved.  Any player, not just the original two, may spend a point.  He must declare either "minutes" or "seconds" when spending this point.  The tens and ones digits of that person's timestamp, either minutes or seconds, are added to the Destiny and Nemesis values.  So if we currently had a Destiny of 3 and a Nemesis of 7, and someone posted "minutes" at 12:31:59, then Nemesis would become 7+3 = 10, or zero, and Destiny would become 3+1=4.  This can be done as many times as desired, until everyone is satisfied.

Generally speaking, each hour of play should be roughly equivalent to a television episode.  Stories can span multiple episodes in a single session of play, but care should be taken to set up either a minor ending and/or a to-be-continued right near the end of each hour.  This takes best advantage of the Nemesis/Destiny interaction - Nemesis steadily increases as the "episode" goes on while Destiny has peaks and valleys, until finally they both reach a fever pitch, and expend themselves.

[C. Edwards]

Hey Lx,

Most of the changes seem to be for the better. I do have a couple concerns:

1) 60 seconds seems like a lot of time to allow the players to decide if they want to challenge. It could bog down play and will cause lots of "ignore last post" in the narration window. I'd personally lower it to 15 seconds, but even 30 would be a big improvement.

2) The timestamp of the challenged player when the challenger types "BAM!" (or whatever) should be used for resolution, period.

One more thing. The sentence below could be misleading. I'd delete it or add the "point per hour" rule to it.

The hour number is never used.

We'd have to play again for me to give any more useful feedback. Bwahahahah!

-Chris

[Lxndr]

1.  I know a lot of people type slow, and/or can be distracted by other windows, so I wanted to give them ample opportunity.  In our NEXT playtest, we'll see whether or not it turns out to be too long.

2.  You're right, I'll make that more clear.

3.  Again, you're right.  I've removed that sentence.

:D

What do you think about me removing the "narrator hat" entirely?

[C. Edwards]

What do you think about me removing the "narrator hat" entirely?

I approve. The "hat" seemed constraining during the playtest and I'm happy to be rid of it. The change should result in increased participation and point spending.

Have you thought about adding in simple rules to allow players to solidify aspects of the Social Contract? I'm thinking something similar to Universalis, a player can spend a point and say "No zombies" and that becomes an unbreachable boundary during play.

-Chris

[Lxndr]

My hat of narration duties knows no limit.

I've thought about something like that - more like how Topos was set up to do it than Universalis.  Positive reinforcement:  every Topos set up would cost the player who created it a point, but would allow that player to give points to OTHER PLAYERS who stayed within those guidelines.

But...  doing something like that kind of goes against the grain of my "everything can be done without notes" design goal for this game.  Timestamps, points-in-nicknames, so far 100% of the game can be done without consulting anything, once you know the rules.  Creating a list of Tenets/Topoi/Boundaries would... I don't know... detract from QuIRC's simplicity.  (Same reason I decided to eschew character attributes, actually - though I think I managed to make the game more gamey nonetheless).

[MachMoth]

It's nice to see you finally get all of that out of your head and down on something.  I would have liked to give it a whirl, but such is the life of a week and half in the dark.  Then again, my client still doesn't timestamp :P

[Lxndr]

Well, I hope it's not the last time QuIRC is going to come up on IRC.  I want to playtest my revisions.  But I'm sure your client can be made to timestamp.  Really.