Steam: A game of beautiful logic.

[mooeythecow]

I'm new here but heres an idea I'm working on

My original post at RPG.net

I've always been a logical ordered person, and I know that doesn't help for making an RPG but I thought I'd post my ideas so far... I haven't got a dice system down yet (wanna do something with d10's but its a wip) Oh by the way my current title:

Steam: A game of beautiful logic.

Background:

The setting is very far into the future but is set in 1900's to 1950's technology. With the advent of magic portions of technology stopped advancing till it stopped altogether. The style of architecture is very 1930's the style is art deco and represents burgeoning industrialism and a sense of encroaching menace to an otherwise simple (if unhappy) sort of life. Humanity has colonized every frontier, from deep beneath the sea, to the outer reaches of the solar system, we have countered human aging, and no one truly dies any more. (think bioshock/impossible creatures)



Characters:

Intelligist: Uses technology to achieve his goals, from genetic manipulation (including others, minions, and self), to plain old steam tech (including magic infusion, cybernetics, and generic (which has more subclasses)), to software (including mind infusion, AI use, and holo-projections), and to specialist of nothing, master of all. Main skills include logic, intuition, memory, and creativity.

Charismitist: Uses their force of personality to manipulate the happenings around them, From power (i.e. fear, leader of minions, hordes, and all kinds of henchmen, negatives to enemies), to socialization (such as the aristocracy and personal manipulation), to leadership (i.e. inspiration, leader followers, frenzied mobs, and all kinds of allies). Main skills include manipulation, intimidation, inspiration, and presence.

Willworker: Uses the magical energy (stored in crystals) found in the world to force their will on reality from enchantment, to force, to undeath, to lifeforce, and to many others. They use rituals (uses patterns of crystals), break point casting (destroys crystals), and normal casting (uses energy from the crystals) from most powerful to least. Skills include willpower, intuition, power, and patterns.

Fighter: Uses a combo system to perform special actions with their weapons of choice. From melee fighters (whether sword, club, hands or other close combat weapon) to ranged fighters (pistols, shotguns, rifles, repeating guns, and other weapons), to all weapons. Instead of the normal full action they may do a combo action instead. Skills include. Weapon Proficiency (ranged and melee and hand to hand, as well as more specific weapons) reflexes, perception, constitution, and strength.

Development: A character develops by spending experience; when the game starts the character will have a set amount of xp. There are ways of progressing (kind of like dark heresy but different) you can choose to take one path or dabble. The proceeding four were the archetypes.


Also to note crafting and making your own 'things' (whether societies, spells, objects, or moves) is all part of the game and where the beautiful logic comes into play i.e. an Intelligist could make a flying train (it fits the style, the train engine provides power) and put a mobile lab (only works while its landed) on the back to use as a mobile base of operations (ala impossible creatures). a Willworker could make a ritual circle to create a vertical wave of force to hit a building and make it explode in all directions but the way the force came, but it would destroy the crystals used in the ritual. A Charismitist could have an assassin squad (which he gets to RP as a group). And a fighter could jump through the air and kick some one in the face extra hard cause he jumped first.



And my second post in response:


Thank you for your input, one reason I did this is to stimulate my thought.

For example genetic engineering uses a very high level of technology, something that is incongruent with the average level of technology being steam age.

Thats why it's far into the future, if you look at Bioshock or impossible creatures they are both based off of this time period, they just figured it out faster then we did (and a touch of magic probably helped), and still slowly got to the point of genetics and advanced electronics (holographics) we did with keeping the same basic level of technology.

When we do genetic we understand the most very basic concepts, in this world they understand the broad concepts and use previously unknown creatures to modify genetic structures. When they create creatures they use steam or magic for power and push it through growth chambers with seeds of genetics and nutrients, knowing relatively little about how it actually makes a living creature.

Same thing with your classes. I'm not a class-liker anyway, but here the classes are not only cumbersome (as they always are), they do nothing to increase the flavour of the setting. Which is a problem, as the only thing I do understand are the visuals of the setting.

The classes are more of archetypes not like D&D with pre-defined classes, these are more loose guidelines  for organizing skills, abilities, ect. a player could be part of every archetype at once with no negatives besides being spread out. A player spends XP to pick what abilities/skills they want to buy, not to level up.

What's the driving force behind the setting? What makes it different from "normal" 1930s adventure? What effect does immortality have on humans? Stuff like that needs to be addressed first, IMHO, before you set down rules elements of the setting (classes and abilities).

Well first it's not a "normal" 1930's adventure, space travel is akin to a blimp flight (which is akin to a road trip) there are under water cities, there are space stations and partially terraformed planets and moons (mars is fully terraformed) they can push the boundaries of space and go to distant colonies.  It's different in the fact that not only is there advanced technology and magic, but there are more places to explore.

Immortality is only for the rich but the ghosts of the dead are always around to be revived.  Immortality has a heavy price genetics can slow the body's aging and grow new ones and even the brain can be replaced, or they can use cybernetics and keep only the brain. But slowly the spirit wishes to be free and they tend to eventually kill themselves, even though the ghosts hang around they won't want to be revived for a long time. For the masses immortality is a dream but as they live longer and longer and there are more and more of them they spread into space where currently it is becoming crowded so colonies and faster then light travel are being developed.

What is your Character, or for me, my group of friends doing?

The main drive is that of most humans to become more powerful, more famous, more rich, (i.e. character advancement) but others could be exploration (theres a lot of space out there.) Winning a conflict (there are gangs, nations, mafias, and all kinds of organizations.) Personal quests (find and resurrect a family member, make a great city.) The quest will be very open but I plan on including a good deal of ideas for player groups. Horror is another type of campaign, this is an example I really like:

The characters are part of a colony ship and are almost out of supplies so when they find a planet in the middle of no where, with no star, they are forced to land. Because there is no star the planet is cold, and dark. But the planet is extremely volcanic and heats the planet while throwing up clouds to keep the heat in. But there are creatures in the dark that threaten the group and the colonists. With limited supplies survival and discovery become dominant themes.

Just one example... there are plenty of things back to do in our solar system.


So any thoughts?

[Velcanthus]

Characters:
Intelligist:
Charismitist:
Willworker:
Fighter:

You don't seem to have anyone that specifically does sneakery. Not that such a group has to be there, but I was wondering if you did that on purpose.

[mooeythecow]

Well those are more of archetypes, an itelligist can make stealth tech/genes and use holographics. A willworker can create steam/fog and turn invisible/transparent. A charismitist can be sneaky through disguises. And a fighter can be as sneaky as any with a sniper rifle or dark clothing and acrobats. The archetypes are more of a way to organize skills and abilities any one can be part of any number of archetypes with no negatives except of being spread out.

A fighter could use magic or technology to make him self hard to see, and could use fighting for combat and avoidance measures to maximize his bonus hiding.