Dwayne's Voices

[Epoch]

Hi, everyone.  I'm sick with a cold, and generally unable to focus on anything, so I just figured that I'd sit down and try to write something off-the-wall.

Dwayne's Voices
A competetive roleplaying game for three or more people

One person is the GM, plus or minus any cute special term that you want to think up which means "GM."

All the rest of the players are Dwayne -- or, more accurately, the voices in Dwayne's head.

Each Voice has several things associated with it:  a willpower pool, some skills, and an obsession.  It probably wouldn't hurt for everyone to have a single six-sided die, too.

Willpower

In many ways, this is a Voice's most important stat.  It's going to vary a lot, too.  It's the way a Voice gets control of Dwayne, and it's likely the only way Dwayne's going to accomplish very much (Dwayne is not the world's most competent individuals).

Voices start off with 10 Willpower.

Skills

The different Voices are good at different things.  Each Voice gets two skills.  This is a freeform system, so just write something down, but make it a real skill, a singular ability, like "drives well" or "charimsatic."

When you try something which is even remotely difficult, roll a d6.  If you roll a 3+ and you have a skill in the area, or 6+ and you don't have a skill, you succeed.  Otherwise, you fail.

You can spend Willpower before the roll -- any amount -- to get a +1 per willpower spent.

Optionally, if you want to start out with only 7 Willpower, you can have three skills.

Obsession

This is something that you want to do.  You win the game by obtaining your obsession more than any of the other Voices.

Obsessions should be at least somewhat difficult to obtain -- the GM should make sure of this.  Obsessions come in three values:

1 -- Easy.  This is an obsession like "pigging out on candy."  Not illegal, not expensive (by normal standards), not dangerous.
2 -- Difficult.  This is an obsession like "driving too fast."  Slightly illegal, not expensive, slightly dangerous.
3 -- Near-Impossible.  This is an obsession like "blowing up buildings."  Very illegal, possibly expensive, very dangerous.

You do not have to (and probably shouldn't) tell the other Voices what your obsession is.

Taking control of Dwayne

At various junctures, it will be time to dispute control of Dwayne.  This process is simple -- every Voice does a single, blind bid of Willpower.  The highest bidder spends the Willpower, everyone else gets it back.  The highest bidder is now in control of Dwayne.

If multiple people all bid the same amount of Willpower, they roll off for who controls Dwayne.

Control over Dwayne is disputed at the following times:

Whenever someone has just failed a roll.
Whenever the active Voice has just fulfilled its obsession
At the beginning of the day, or any other time Dwayne wakes up
Whenever Dwayne is hurt
[/list:u]

In all cases, it's perfectly possible for the Voice which was previously controlling Dwayne to continue to control him.

Sleep

Whenever Dwayne has nothing to do for a period of time over 10 minutes (for example, when he gets onto the bus), he may fall asleep.  The GM rolls his die -- on a 4+, Dwayne is out cold.

Whenever Dwayne naps this way, all of the Voices get 1 willpower back.

The Day

A single scenario of Dwayne's Voices begins with Dwayne waking up to another fine day in Minneapolis.  The Voices contest control of Dwayne -- the GM then narrates where Dwayne finds himself when he awakes.

The day continues until all of the Voices have no more Willpower, at which point Dwayne goes to sleep for the night.

Once the Day is over, scoring begins.  For every time each Voice's obsession was completed, the Voice gets a number of points equal to the obsession's value (1, 2, or 3).  This is regardless of whether the Voice in question was in control of Dwayne at the time.

The highest scorer should generally be the GM of the next game of Dwayne's Voices.

If the above totally sucks, it's the fault of my cold.

[Le Joueur]

begins with Dwayne waking up to another fine day in Minneapolis.

Okay, I'll bite.  Why Minneapolis?  Your bio doesn't even mention you being in Minnesota at any given time.

Just curious (Was this based on a television series?  Inside so and so's head?  It's not a bad idea, though.)

Fang Langford (Don't forget to check out where I'm from.)

[Epoch]

Okay, I'll bite.  Why Minneapolis?  Your bio doesn't even mention you being in Minnesota at any given time.

Just curious (Was this based on a television series?  Inside so and so's head?  It's not a bad idea, though.)

Fang Langford (Don't forget to check out where I'm from.)

Absolutely no good reason.

I've never been there.

The game's not consciously based on Herman's Head, which is, I think, the series you're referring to, though I have seen a couple of episodes of it.

[Paganini]

This is great Epoch! I think you should write it up as a full fledged comedy game. There's no reason why it has to be two players and a GM... it could be more!

Please, if you do it, call the game "Everyone is John," and use John as the name of the character instead of Dwayne. It's a long story, but if you want to hear it, email or ICQ this guy and ask him to tell you about "Everyone is John:"

Mark Burlison
ICQ: 14009831
email: burlym@bigfoot.com

Tell him Pag sent you. :)

[Epoch]

This is great Epoch! I think you should write it up as a full fledged comedy game. There's no reason why it has to be two players and a GM... it could be more!

I certainly agree.  That's why it says, "three or more players."  :)

You just can't do it with less, 'cause you need a GM, and you need at least two Voices in Dwayne's head.

Please, if you do it, call the game "Everyone is John," and use John as the name of the character instead of Dwayne. It's a long story, but if you want to hear it, email or ICQ this guy and ask him to tell you about "Everyone is John:"

Mark Burlison
ICQ: 14009831
email: burlym@bigfoot.com

Tell him Pag sent you. :)

I'd feel kinda weird asking some guy I'd never communicated with about a story...

[Paganini]

I'd feel kinda weird asking some guy I'd never communicated with about a story...

Well, it's a wierd story, and we're wierd guys. :) I understand though... just please please please call it Everyone is John, even if you don't ask him! I'm begging you! :)

(Actually, you might not think the story is even that funny, but we still refer to it in casual conversation. :)

[Epoch]

Fair enough.  When I write it up on my webpage, I'll call it Everyone is John.

[Paganini]

Fair enough.  When I write it up on my webpage, I'll call it Everyone is John.

Awesome! You are the man!

[Ron Edwards]

Hey Mike (Epoch),

If you can find it, check out a role-playing game called Khaotic, published in 1994 by Marquee Press. All the characters are ops-agents who are psychically beamed to this other planet, inhabited mainly by hideous mutant cyborg aliens. [The aliens are invading Earth, led by a turncoat human scientist yadda yadda]

Anyway, the fun thing is that the whole "party" ends up in one icky-mutant-monster's head. Most of the game's mechanics are standard how-to-hit, but there are some neat ideas for how to manage who's in charge of the body, and how everyone can cooperate in there, and (conversely) how struggles for control may be initiated and resolved.

Best,
Ron

[Epoch]

Okay, http://wso.williams.edu/~msulliva/campaigns/john">Everyone is John is up.

Ron, I"ll keep my eyes open for Khaotic.

[Paul Czege]

Hey Mike,

I rather liked "Dwayne's Voices" better than "Everyone is John," so I think you need to relay to us the story behind the new title.

Paul

[Epoch]

Hey Mike,

I rather liked "Dwayne's Voices" better than "Everyone is John," so I think you need to relay to us the story behind the new title.

Paul

I, uh, don't know the story.  Ask Paganini.

[Paul Czege]

I, uh, don't know the story.

Oh...I thought the name change was based on you having contacted this Mark Burlison and heard and loved the story.

Paul

[Paganini]

I, uh, don't know the story.

Oh...I thought the name change was based on you having contacted this Mark Burlison and heard and loved the story.

Paul

Don't pay any attention to me, it's his game, he can call it what he wants. :) It's just that Everyone is John is a great inside joke between Mark and the people he knows. I don't think I could do the story justice, which is why I deferred to him.

[Epoch]

Oh...I thought the name change was based on you having contacted this Mark Burlison and heard and loved the story.

Paul

Nope.  I just wasn't personally thrilled by the name "Dwayne's Voices," so I figured hey, might as well make Paganini happy.  :)