EXEMPLAR: 1 part Dune, 1 part Equilibrium.

[Jeph]

So, folk's, it's been a while.

Since I wrote a kung-fu game, I mean.

And now, after giving it a preliminary run-through at RPG.Net, expadning it, and formatting it--and figuring out how the hell I take advantage of my free Mindspring netspace--I give you...

Drumroll, please!

Exemplar!

Like Exalted, Alternity, and Paranoia all rolled into one. My design goals here were simple: action, lots of it. Fast and furious. I've attempted to speed things up by eliminating the stat/skill dichotomy and making combat work just like any other contest with a few minor quirks. And, of course, the only way to advance your character is by blowing things up.

Feedback: Do you think this would run as quickly as I hope it will? I envision 2.5 to 3.5 hour sessions jam packed with action, with a few sprinklings of philosphy, science, and drama inbetween the set pieces. Lots of In Media Res beginnings. Nemesis is something that, I'm hoping, will add a sense of urgency to the game, in a do as much as you can before the inevitable happens way, while at the same time doubling as a sort of deprotagonization insurance. Does it seem to fit this roll? Could it fit it better? Mechanics in general--are they smooth? Is there anything overly clunky that should be just plain nixed? Is it too inelegant to have an option that uses a d6 in an otherwise totally d10 based game (for knocking off the most minor of Unnamed NPCs)? Should Plot Points be better defined, or definded differently?

All comments are appreciated. :^)

Thanks,
--Jeff

[Mike Holmes]

Nice layout.

On page 5 you say "Justicar is a Role-Playing Game..." Was that an old name?

You need a better statement of Initiation. "Whenever a character performs an action to which the outcome is in doubt..." is far too weak. There's always a chance that any intended action will fail. What warrants rolling for. Who decides?

Similarly the use of plot points seems somewhat vague. Have you considered giving them alternate uses? If they're "use em or lose em" in terms of sessions, I don't see people taking many in character creation. Why not have them convertible to Willpower?

I think that in general that the system will be fairly fast. Not lightning quick, but probably fast enough.

On the subject of opposed conflicts, I think that you have a potential problem if I'm reading correctly. That is, it's up to the player to decide on the number of dice rolled. This is nifty, but if the player chooses a very low amount of dice, it can mean that you roll forever, before anyone fails. If that's how rolls in combat work, for instance, then I think you need to at least put in some advice and guidlines, if not actual restrictions. Also, if you know your opponent's level of ability, isn't it possible for a superior opponent in some cases to make his success certain? For example, if I have a 40 to your 35, I can choose 4dice as the amount. This means that I can't fail, but you eventually will (though it may take forever). Doesn't this create breakpoints at the ten point levels?

I think that explosion-based advancement is neat. But then where are the special rules for it? All that combat, and no mention of how to make an explosion happen?

Why the D10 version? Why not just go with d6 only?

Mike

[Jeph]

Thanks for the interest, Mike--you've given me a lot to think about.

Justicar was, indeed, the old name. It used to be just about the Exemplar of the IGAC. But then I thought, hey, doesn't the church arm need a few? And what are the Navigators, just random psychics? And couldn't there be a few non-IGAC psychics? Hence, Exemplar.

Initiation could be rephrased as follows: "Whenever a character performs a significant action for which both failure and success are acceptable..."

Plot Points are basically there for players who don't want to be, in the words of Niel Stephenson, a supreme badass. They let you play a weaker character if you want to without constantly being in the back seat. The idea of making them convertable into Willpower is a good one, though. Not on a one-for-one basis--that would make purchasing Willpower pretty much pointless, aside from increasing your chances to resist certain Techniques--but 2 SP for one WP would be a nice simple conversion rate.

The Opposed Roll Thing is a non-issue in my view. Sure, you could always keep the dice low, but that will only happen if neither side wants to risk anything. I suppose I could add a paragraph about how best to set the dice for the effect you want. And I don't find it a problem that you can set a roll where you will always succeed but your enemy might fail, because the inferior character can always just add a die to the conflict and eliminate the issue, or juggle their Willpower, Techniques, and description to get a few bonuses that that the superior character has overlooked.

Rules for explosions don't seem to be strictly neccessary, aside from maybe an "as frequently and as large as logically possible" clause. If I do put in "when to explode" rules they certainly won't involve chance. It would just be anticlimactic to, as a player, set a few military charges at the heart of a Warpship, and then fail a roll and net get a hugeass fireball.

d10s produce scores with nice round numbers, and are plentiful. Okay, so not as plentiful as d6, but I just sort of associate 10 siders with science fiction. Don't know why, but d10=scifi just seems right on some distant level of thought that I don't completely comprehend.

Thanks again,
--Jeff