[Can't? Won't] Resolutions, Complications, Hiccups, Faliures and Traits

[Simon Marks]

Ok, so you guys have all inspired me (Yay you!) and over on my blog I have posted up an example of play

I thought about reposting it here, but then what would the point of posting onto a blog be?

The point of the system is for it to be fast(ish) paced, scene based with explicit scene framing rules and - more importantly - exploration of character.

It is taking people and finding out what their flaws are, what makes them human. What stops them.

Anyhow, looking over it the basic mechanics are Fortune at the Beginning, with a GM resource limited and an expand trait system.

It's just - does it work?

To resolve a challenge, it is addressed using a realm (Social, Physical, Mental, Emotional)
If no applicable trait, then the default is d2 (coins)
Every 1 is a complication.
Every number under the difficulty (1-13) is a success.

So, for every complication you gain an additional Trait.
Every trait is a reason you might fail, which get more and more specific.
(Examples, Shy or Cannot debate with Marcus)
The complication Trait is one dice up.
(Joe rolls a complication on d8 check - he gets a d10 complication)
Complications are then narrated into the scene.

However, if you get more successes that failures you succeed overall - if you get *any* faliures then these are 'hiccups' - points in which the can't/won't is shown but doesn't drag you down. These Hiccups return as ... something - not sure what yet.

If you get more faliures than successes then you have failed.

You can't gain more than 2 'levels' of complications in one go.

Right thats the basics, this is how I see it working

Joe : Esmund runs down as quietly as he can, and tries to climb into the hay wagon.

Rob : But can you do it.

Joe : I have nothing here, so I'll start with Physical Realm, which is 6.

[Joe rolls 6d2 1,1,2,2,2,2] 2 complications.

Rob : Dexterity and Vision then.

Joe : Ok [rolls 6d4 - 1,1,2,2,3,4,4,4] two more complications.

Rob : Clumsy and poor night vision.

[Joe writes Physical 6 - Dexterity d4 - Clumsy d6 and Physical 6 - Vison d4 - Poor night vision d6]

Ummm...

But the problem here is... what do I do with these traits now? They seem to spawn nicely (on a d2 you will almost certainly succeed - without any hiccups, but have 50/50 chance of new traits that you then roll again) but will they spawn too fast?
Will we end up with people find more and more reason to come up with new traits so they can keep rolling d2?
What should I do with Hiccups (I'm thinking of making the a resource)

And, do you even want to play a game which just adds flaws and imperfections to a character?

I'm thinking of an Endgame with a final scene where you must overcome you worst traits to prevail.

Anyhow, comments please on my (first) attempt at starting an RPG...

[Adam Dray]

Very good start, Simon. I don't think I've seen a game system that uses both cards and dice before, and the example of play gets me thinking about design possibilities. Coolness.

Help me understand some things.

So the cards are for the GM only? and they're used to generate target numbers for challenges?

What are the "explicit scene framing rules" you have planned?

How are the realm (attribute) scores generated?

With the "every 1 is a complication" rule bumping against the "every number under the difficulty is a success" rule, is it true that a player wants to roll low but not too low? and is it true that a high difficulty number makes for an easy task? Why not say leave the complication rule but say that you need to roll over the difficulty to succeed. That way, a 1 fails, and a 10 is a very hard task. I think that's more intuitive.

Are you familiar with the Storyteller Dice Problem? Essentially, the more dice you roll, the more likely you'll botch. You have a similar problem here, I think, except your "botches" are complications. Maybe that's a suitable "reward" for players with high realm scores, maybe not. ;)

"On a d2 you will almost certainly succeed..." Why do you say this? Don't you pretty much have a 50-50 chance to succeed?

And, do you even want to play a game which just adds flaws and imperfections to a character?

I'm intrigued, I must say. Do they ever go away? This seems like character generation during play, which is a neat goal. Maybe a longer example of play will draw out how the game progresses. It's probably time to firm up some of these rules and give it a playtest!

[xenopulse]

Hi Simon,

It took some thinking about it, but I think I understand your design now. I like the on-the-fly character creation part of it, and it definitely shows some promise.

I do think your biggest problem here is that characters get less and less capable. I think that might turn many players off. This is the only design I know where the whiff factor will get larger over time :)

Also, you might run into confusion when you have two separate branches of traits that could apply, since they can't be combined.

It seems to me that a good way to handle it would be to have flaws actually help achieve the specific task, but lead to more hiccups. That way, people would be glad to get traits, but they'd also make their characters' lives more complicated. Personally, I like to insert complications instead of failure, because it keeps the game going and makes it more interesting at the same time.

In addition, having to make two rolls consecutively was the most confusing aspect of the design for me.

So I think you have some good ideas here, and you're aware of the problematic aspects, so you know what to ponder next :)

[Adam Dray]

What if the complications applied to the plot goal instead of the character?

[Simon Marks]

Very good start, Simon. I don't think I've seen a game system that uses both cards and dice before, and the example of play gets me thinking about design possibilities. Coolness.

Heh, my boundless enthusiasm means I've presented a system thats not very well thought out. But then again I often design in public for some reason

Help me understand some things.

So the cards are for the GM only? and they're used to generate target numbers for challenges?

What are the "explicit scene framing rules" you have planned?

How are the realm (attribute) scores generated?

The ideas behind these are horribly ill defined in my own head, but these are my leanings.

Each scene is formed as opposition between one (or more) Protagonists and one (or more?) Antagonists. The Antagonists get the cards.

The realm scores are what the player is interested in talking about.
The higher the score, the more complications and hiccups you have - but currently (I think) no greater chance of faliure. At least, thats the aim.

With the "every 1 is a complication" rule bumping against the "every number under the difficulty is a success" rule, is it true that a player wants to roll low but not too low? and is it true that a high difficulty number makes for an easy task? Why not say leave the complication rule but say that you need to roll over the difficulty to succeed. That way, a 1 fails, and a 10 is a very hard task. I think that's more intuitive.

Are you familiar with the Storyteller Dice Problem? Essentially, the more dice you roll, the more likely you'll botch. You have a similar problem here, I think, except your "botches" are complications. Maybe that's a suitable "reward" for players with high realm scores, maybe not. ;)

"On a d2 you will almost certainly succeed..." Why do you say this? Don't you pretty much have a 50-50 chance to succeed?

And, do you even want to play a game which just adds flaws and imperfections to a character?

I'm intrigued, I must say. Do they ever go away? This seems like character generation during play, which is a neat goal. Maybe a longer example of play will draw out how the game progresses. It's probably time to firm up some of these rules and give it a playtest!

Maybe I wasn't explicit enough.
The moment an Antagonist has laid down a card, things have gone wrong. The Protagonist has stumbled.
The question is "Has he fallen" and why.
A Complication is a reason - but it's not a faliure in itself.
I think it may need a rename to something like 'Flaw exposed'

What I am thinking is that there is a 'endgame' when the Protagonists reach their end goals. In this end game a High Trait (d12's) and lots of accumulated hiccups are needed,
Basically the system rewards exploration of your characters flaws.

At the moment, definetly some things to think on.

At the moment what I think I am missing is;
A way of Protagonists to interact.
Traits being defined better.
Defining the creation of traits limited to one additional level (Onyl 1 set of complications)
Traits being useful in some way.

Thanks all!