Working on a System about Cats [Felis]

[Callisto]

Hi there,

this is my very first post on this forum, so I try to keep it short. My mothertongue is german so I apologize for bad english. I'm working on a RPG-system where the characters are cats. I know there is an existing game called "Cat", but i want a different system and setting.
In Felis you play a Cat with nine lifes. An ordinary cat has just one life, but some special ones (the pc's) are chosen by Bastet to fight against evil and protect cat as well as human.
The core element of the system is therefore the body-soul-balance.

In the body-soul-balance you have nine points and after every death you loose a body point and gain a soul point. With the soul points you can use magic tricks, while body points are used for tricks every cat could use, like attacks or hunting.

My main problem is, that I don't have a idea what kind of dice or dice-rolling-system I should use.

For being in need of a deadline to motivate me I even have already an playtest in the future. Its in the end of february but I still have no idea what kind of dice should be rolled against what with which Boni/Mali.

Somebody please help me!

with kind regards,

Callisto

[Callan S.]

Hi, welcome to the forge!

Is there an end game to this game?

Without some sort of endgame in mind ... well, that's probably why you have no idea what dice to roll and roll against what. Without an intended ending, whatever dice you add are just hills and roundabouts - obstacles on the road to nothing. What should be an obstacle on the road to nothing? Given it's nothing, no obstacles? Do you have an end game or goal for the game?

[Callisto]

Nah, the goal... I want the players to do risky things without being afraid of dying. They have nine lifes, after that (so when they loose their last remaining body point) they have half an hour as a ghost to use his talents.
I have two kinds of skills -> Tricks (dependet on the body points) and talents (dependet on the soul points). Everytime the pc dies it should be easier to use talents while tricks should tend to be more difficult.

I don't know if I now answered the question.

Ow, btw there is also a shadowland in which the chosen cat can travel with help of his soul points.

[Catelf]

Oooooh, i just have to comment here:

What are you looking for?
Freeform?
Skills & Traits?
Do you want to make the Game yourself, or would you settle for adapting another one?

Curious Cat

[Callisto]

I make the game myself. At the moment I search for the core dice mechanic. I have tricks(as ordinary skills) and talents(as magic skills), I have background information and (i hope) a good idea to handle that Rebirth-thing.  I even now how I will handle the damage. What I don't know, what dice will inflict the damage and how.

Damage system:
An attack inflicts scratches. The amount of soul points tells you how many of those scratches inflict a wound. The amount of body points tells you how many wounds you can take before dying.

Thinking about it, I'm facing a little problem. But, is it clear how the body-soul-balance should function?

[Callisto]

Damage system:
An attack inflicts scratches. The amount of soul points tells you how many of those scratches inflict a wound. The amount of body points tells you how many wounds you can take before dying.

Thinking about it, I'm facing a little problem.

Maybe I will do it the other way round. Body = amount of scratches that make a wound, Soul = Wounds, before the cat dies

[Callan S.]

Nah, the goal... I want the players to do risky things without being afraid of dying. They have nine lifes, after that (so when they loose their last remaining body point) they have half an hour as a ghost to use his talents.
I have two kinds of skills -> Tricks (dependet on the body points) and talents (dependet on the soul points). Everytime the pc dies it should be easier to use talents while tricks should tend to be more difficult.

I'm kind of thinking your trying to address some sort of gamist 'Hoard your resources, take no risky path, look for the small yet constant and safe profit' gaming approach to play.

Does that sound like what your dealing with?

[chronoplasm]

My main problem is, that I don't have a idea what kind of dice or dice-rolling-system I should use.

Suggestion:
Instead of dice, use an actual cat. Assign point values to different parts of the room/house and effects to different actions that cats do (bathe themselves, roll around with their tummies in the air, poop, sleep). Your actual cat determines conflict resolution by being a cat.

Just kidding.

Do you really need to use dice though? If it's randomness you want, there are many other methods for determining randomness. A lot of people are working with the idea of using cards for task resolution, and I'm working on a system that uses guesswork and deduction similar to boardgames like Battleship, Clue, and Mastermind.
You could also use kharma based mechanics that don't rely on randomness at all. You could allow players do bid points from a pool to resolve actions instead. The mechanics you've described so far sound more like they are based on resource management than randomness.

[Callisto]

Nah, the goal... I want the players to do risky things without being afraid of dying. They have nine lifes, after that (so when they loose their last remaining body point) they have half an hour as a ghost to use his talents.
I have two kinds of skills -> Tricks (dependet on the body points) and talents (dependet on the soul points). Everytime the pc dies it should be easier to use talents while tricks should tend to be more difficult.

I'm kind of thinking your trying to address some sort of gamist 'Hoard your resources, take no risky path, look for the small yet constant and safe profit' gaming approach to play.

Does that sound like what your dealing with?

Noo! The idea is, that you can easily use the risky path, cause you will be reborn again. It's like "Come on, kill me, I come again"

I want some sort of randomness. it doesn't have to be much, but I want that in it. I admit also I never played with cards.

News on the damaging front:
body points = how many scratches inflicts a wound, but the wounds are dependent on the size class of the protaganist. So cats always can get 2 wounds, mice 1, big dogs 3 and humans 5.

When I first started thinking about this, I had also astral energy dependent on the soul points in mind. But now I think, it would be too much resource handling. I want a fast and easy system. I even have no attributes (just the body-soul-balance for this) for this reason.

btw: i like the cat idea "Oh yea, Kitty is asleep, all talents will function now!"

[chronoplasm]

I want some sort of randomness. it doesn't have to be much, but I want that in it. I admit also I never played with cards.

A random element would play into the risk element you're talking about.
There's all sorts of other random methods you could use as well, besides dice or cards.
You can flip coins.
You can draw straws.
You can spin a wheel.
You can draw slips of paper with words on them out of a hat.
You can draw small items out of a bag.
It might be a little gimmicky, but it might be interesting to integrate little cat toys (like squeeking mice, bells, plastic lizards, bits of string or yarn) into the game somehow. Some people (self included) really enjoy using props in games (miniature figurines, boffer swords), but on the other hand some people aren't.

[Catelf]

You can draw small items out of a bag.
It might be a little gimmicky, but it might be interesting to integrate little cat toys (like squeeking mice, bells, plastic lizards, bits of string or yarn) into the game somehow. Some people (self included) really enjoy using props in games (miniature figurines, boffer swords), but on the other hand some people aren't.

Really, i personally think the "Drawing items from a bag" may suit it best ... or possibly using cards.

Cat

[JLFergus]

Do you envision this as a GM-ed system, or GM-less?
Leaning more toward Tactical play, or narrative play?

If you're looking at a GM-ed, tactical system, a dice pool system might work best, with the number of body soul points somehow determining the size of the pool, and the size of the dice themselves. 

For a more GM-Less, narrative style, consider allowing the other players to infuse complications into your turn.  I think Polaris has a great system for this:  During your narration, other players can add key phrases to try to take narrative control, such as "but only if", which you would then accept, add a "but only if" to theirs, or spend a "you ask far too much" key phrase (of which you have a limited number) to make them revise.  There are other types of narrative actions there, but that's the idea, and it might work really well for you.  I don't know how old this link is, but it might be worth it for you to check out...

[Callisto]

I want dice. I want something new, but I don't need to be that groundbreaking with the random element.

Do you envision this as a GM-ed system, or GM-less?

I want a GM, but more as a "First amongst equal", so he has not the absolute power like it is in the more classic games

Leaning more toward Tactical play, or narrative play?

More narrative then tactical but I think I have to provide some tactical elements, and cooperative techniques cause the cats have to fight againt bigger opponents together

If you're looking at a GM-ed, tactical system, a dice pool system might work best, with the number of body soul points somehow determining the size of the pool, and the size of the dice themselves. 

For a more GM-Less, narrative style, consider allowing the other players to infuse complications into your turn.  I think Polaris has a great system for this:  During your narration, other players can add key phrases to try to take narrative control, such as "but only if", which you would then accept, add a "but only if" to theirs, or spend a "you ask far too much" key phrase (of which you have a limited number) to make them revise.  There are other types of narrative actions there, but that's the idea, and it might work really well for you.  I don't know how old this link is, but it might be worth it for you to check out...

I have to let that settle into my mind. I think you're right, particularly with what you explained about Polaris.


Thank you all very much. Unfortunately I'm living in the Central European Time Zone, so my answer are coming a bit late. I'm sorry about that.

[Callan S.]

Noo!

I'm kind of thinking your trying to address some sort of gamist 'Hoard your resources, take no risky path, look for the small yet constant and safe profit' gaming approach to play.

No, I mean your trying to avoid the gamist thing from above (that's what I meant by 'address' and 'deal with')? Is that right?

[Catelf]

Yet another case of typical misunderstanding, in this case about what "address" means in that case. (I misunerstood it too, but i understand now.)
Let's get back to the issue, ok?

So, Dice it is.
Since it really don't have to be groundbreaking, why not simply snatch it from virtually any other Game?