Houses of the Blooded Character Creation

[John Wick]

Hey guys.

Over at my LJ,, I'm putting up the character creation rules for Houses of the Blooded, one step per day. By the end of the wthe week, you'll have a complete character. Feedback is welcome, of course.

Enjoy!

http://wickedthought.livejournal.com/612127.html

[Troy_Costisick]

Heya John,

I have a question for ya.  Regarding risks you write:

Target Number
To determine a character's success or failure, the GM uses a target number: a value set between 5 and 50 (sometimes higher). If the player's roll is equal to or greater than the target number (TN), his character succeeds. If his roll is lower than the TN, his character fails.

What is the effect of failure in your game?  I'm particularly interested in this.  Does the character simply fail to achieve his goal?  Is there a consiquence for failure?  I'm interested because when I design a game I look at failure as an opportunity for something else to happen.  So what happens in your game when a player isn't able to hit the TN with his rolls?

Peace,

-Troy

[contracycle]

Firstly, bravo on your stated goals, and I sincerely hope that that you succeed in achieving them.  I could not agree more with your sentiments.

I wonder if you might want to explore clothing too?  This is often an expression of class, and can convey specific identity, so it unites some of the effects of name and some of the effects of class proper and some of the effects of economics.

System questions:
Are you distinguishing between "risk" and "task"?  Task carries implications of initiation, purposefulness; risk is something that can just happen to you.  Do you intend anything unusual in terms of taking actions and so forth, determining when and what to roll for?

What happens if, in a contested risk, the losing player has wagered dice, and has beaten their own TN; are there any consequences to pushing a winning effect rank into negative values?  It strikes me that this offers the potential of a third outcome.

[John Wick]

Heya John,

What is the effect of failure in your game?  I'm particularly interested in this.  Does the character simply fail to achieve his goal?  Is there a consiquence for failure?  I'm interested because when I design a game I look at failure as an opportunity for something else to happen.  So what happens in your game when a player isn't able to hit the TN with his rolls?

I've always believed that failure is enough of a penalty without additional consequence.

[John Wick]

I wonder if you might want to explore clothing too?  This is often an expression of class, and can convey specific identity, so it unites some of the effects of name and some of the effects of class proper and some of the effects of economics.

System questions:
Are you distinguishing between "risk" and "task"?  Task carries implications of initiation, purposefulness; risk is something that can just happen to you.  Do you intend anything unusual in terms of taking actions and so forth, determining when and what to roll for?

What happens if, in a contested risk, the losing player has wagered dice, and has beaten their own TN; are there any consequences to pushing a winning effect rank into negative values?  It strikes me that this offers the potential of a third outcome.

Yes, clothing is going to be important.

There's only one reason to roll dice: if the outcome of aan action is in question. That makes it a "risk" rather than an action.

Pushing into negative values sounds like too much math for my meager mind.

[Troy_Costisick]

Heya John,

On contested risks you write:

Sometimes you have to roll dice against another character. This is a contested risk. The GM determines the TN for both characters and they roll. The player who rolls higher wins the contest.

So does that mean who ever rolls highest regardless of the TN wins?  I may be reading that last sentence too literally, but what happens if both players do fail to make the TN?  In that case, does victory go to the highest roller?

Peace,

-Troy

[John Wick]

Heya John,

On contested risks you write:

Sometimes you have to roll dice against another character. This is a contested risk. The GM determines the TN for both characters and they roll. The player who rolls higher wins the contest.

So does that mean who ever rolls highest regardless of the TN wins?  I may be reading that last sentence too literally, but what happens if both players do fail to make the TN?  In that case, does victory go to the highest roller?

If both players fail, both characters fail l.