My game Resolution system

[poireau]

Well i've pated here my game's Power 16, and I'm still thinking about it.

I'm currently working on the seting more than the system. Nontheless, after reading a couple of classical Plays I've been thinking, that's the main thing I want to do with my game : A few key scene with a lot of meaning that chalenge and change the Character.

So I theorized this, in a game, you can alow quite as much cut scene as in a play, you need a sytem for  these cut scene.

The main idea is : cut scene = low tension = use a non random systeme,
My idea is give a time between scene,:- listen to the players ideas,
                                                       - set difficulties (here I see alot of work to make a good difficulties table). The idea is to set a target number, let say 20. This is how much point you need to achieve you re goal.
                                                       - Then based on your re level, you got an amount of point to spend by time periode.

Exemple : A two year cut, You want to build a bridge, Difficulty 40. You've got all you need to build a bridge, you re a good brigde builder, you can spend 2 point a month. You need 20 months you've got 4 months free.

Do you think it's needed and it brings anythig to the game ?

[poireau]

Here is my game Power 19 http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=25957.0

It's a political and intrigue game in a world where super heroes like being appear and create Dynsties. I think I'll call it X-Dynasties, it's just to much vanilla in one name.

[Kynn]

poireau, what sort of feedback or comments would you like on X-Dynasties?

[poireau]

beware long post

Well, a couple of things, first thing: do you like the main idea ? (young people with powers to change the world trying to find what to do with it.... With powerful families pushing and pulling to shape there desires)

                                   second thing : Is it the way to go ? Do you think it's doable (and a good idea) to ask the player not only to create there PC but also, as a group, create the story of it's parents encounter and love life. To ask them to craft the shape of the world in which they play by deciding the main events in the life of godlike being.

                                   third thing : If you think it's the way to go, do you think I use the right mean of transportation ? To explain a bit, when I have started imagining this game I thought about the 15 families I wanted to create and there founders. Then I thought, I want to make dramatic families stories with traitors, vengeance, lust, love and all that kind of craps. So I though, I must go for the 3RD gen, it will help create more story potential will be cooler. To spice up a bit and thanks to an Alan Moore idea he never finished, I added the fact that the player are heirs of two families.

Here I started to think, how to make it work ? So I developed it like that : go from 1989 to around 2015 writing some short stories about the world and how it passed from mundane to ruled by super dynasties. I choose to stop the stories when the 2nd gen are young adult. I do this to give the player a coherent view on each of the character and at the same time  leave a lot of open possibilities for the player to shape the background of there PC. (the idea is to play around 2035-40)


                                   forth thing : System wise is it good shit ? I was thinking about a very simple system. Each scene, (or each day in game time it's one of the problem I had to discuss with friends) each player is given an amount of ships for each of is character, powers and abilities and may be other counter like health. When a player want to use an abilities or a power he give the ships to the GM. Like in the wod system there is three type of abilities, mainly social, physical and knowledge.

       Physical : The easy way, GM difficulties = number of ship to use to overcome problem might use power when logical.
       
        Knowledge : A bit harder, Use a chip to get a piece of information. You're PC is a scientist, He sees a device, You want to know more about it.
PC : "I give one science ship to know what this thing is."
GM :"Okay it's a transmitter."
PC give one more ship : "What does it transmit?"
GM:"It's a protonic transmitter."
PC:"One ship to know how it works."
GM:"It's like a wifi only faster and with a lot more range."
PC "I got my computer, I use a informatics ship to try to intercept it."
GM :"You got a signal. It's cripted."
PC "I give one ship, what code it is?"
GM "A military one...."
an so on

      Social : the hard one. Use a ship to get RP help. The main Idea in this game is the player do all the work, the PC is only here to help. If the player know what's it about, so bee it. If the player is a geologist and the story about geology (I can't think of an example here) good for him. If not, he can use geology ship to get information.
For social skills it's the same idea, you can go the hard way an try to talk it out with the GM, or go the easy way with the ships.
Let's explain, the social skill will all be set. You'll have a number of ship for each scene, each of these ship will be a RP bypass. You want to know how the NPC feels, use empathy ship. You want the npc not to know you're lying, use a manipulation ship etc...

Example Fernando Lorca, grand son of the Brazilian plant controlling mafiosi family and Ares grand son of Poseidon the master of water and sees are going to an appointment in a mob bar with a russian drogue dealer and smuggler
They enter the bar, Fernando use give one streetwise ship to get in without attracting attention and by the rules.
They go to the back of the bar in a small room.
They both give one socialize ship to ease the mood and start the talk calmly.
The Russian "I'm sorry misters, but my stock got caught by FBI, can't pay know."
Ares Player give one ship of intimidation to give a bad look to the mob.
Fernando, give one ship of  empathy to see if the Russian honest.
The Russian is good, Fernando not quite sure. He gives one more ship to the GM. The Russian is lying to them.
Fernando player is not happy but want to know more before acting. He say to Ares"Well is been a regular client, we don't want to loose the potential sells, may be we can talk about a little more time for the payment." The PC say, "I don't want him to know, to be sure I give you three ships."
Ares Player put a little more pressure on him by giving the GM one more intimidation ship.

One more thing about the ship, I want to use them as a time saving device, it's much quicker to give one ship than to roll a dice. Another thing is that it enable fluid transition between RP and resolution.

            Fifth and last thing: Do you think the off scene resolution system I presented on this thread first post is a good idea?
Here the idea is to say, you've got to type of action, scene actions, things that deserve to be put on the spot light, you use the forth question system. (you start the scene by haloing a number of ship depending of the importance of it)
And cut off scene, action that only need to be resolved but wont have a big impact on the story. You use this system to have a good idea of the time consumed for the task.