[Robots & Rapiers] Announcing Ramshead's new RPG

[Valamir]

Thanks to the folks who pointed out that my setting overview link was pointing to the wrong file.

Its been fixed and should be accessible.

[Sylus Thane]

I would just like to say that with the creation of Gears and Spears, and now Robots and Rapiers, my life is nearer to being complete. Great work Ralph, I'm digging this game a lot.

Sylus

[Valamir]

heh, thanks.

I'd be thrilled if you dig it enough to give it a play test whirl.

I hope to have a sample scenario and some rough char sheets up this next week.

[Valamir]

OK, I threw up another file for your downloading pleasure.

I didn't get the chance to do a complete scenario and sample characters as I'd hoped...but what I DID do is put together a very nearly complete random scenario generator.

What's a random scenario generator you ask?

Well, in Auvernais swashbuckling robots were supposed to go on adventures and missions that would create exciting entertainment for the guests...the guests may be gone, but the buckles are still being swashed.  

Through a series of tables a GM can randomize:
General Type of mission, how the characters get hooked into it (they are programmed to respond to these cues), who they are trying to help, who is the opponent trying to stop them and any secret twists that might make things not what they seem.

Further these scenarios are meant to be pretty linear and so can be neatly diagramed out like a flow chart with each box being a different scene.  Additional tables determine how many boxes and how many branches are in the scenario and divide those boxes into Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Denouement.  Each box can then be randomly assigned a broad category representing the type of challenge the scene poses (a fight, a physical challenge, a mental challenge, or a social challenge).  Armed with all of this info, the GM should be able to plug in a quick linear adventure.

The adventures are designed to be linear because these are the interactive entertainments the robots performed.  Now that they are sparked, the characters will have the opportunity to go off the beaten path and even invent their own adventures (<gasp> actually tell the GM what they'd like to do)...if they manage to pass their Self Awareness saves.


The scenario generator is not quite complete.  There are a couple of mission types I didn't get finished (they're listed, just lacking specific sub tables), and I wanted to include an example of how the whole process works but I didn't get a chance.  Also the locations are just named.  They will all have descriptions at some point and hopefully even some floorplans if I can arrange them to be made inexpensively.

So why am I posting it before its completely polished.  Well, because I'm off on a weeks vacation and while I may be able to pop in now and again, doing any serious work and getting it up on the site would have to wait till I get back.  So rather than go a full week without showing you anything new, I wanted to get up what I had.  Its plenty complete to see what I'm angling for and even complete enough to use, although a couple results would have to be rerolled as they don't lead anywhere yet.

So enjoy, I hope you all will find it as effective a tool as I think it will be.

While I didn't get a chance to write up a complete scenario with pregen characters and sample NPCs for playtesting, those so inclined should be able to create characters using the character creation rules and throw together a quick scenario chock full of swashbuckling cliches from the random generator.  As for NPCs, if you don't feel like making them up they should be pretty easy to wing.  The system is dice pool based so just pick a number of dice of appropriate relationship to the number the PCs have and choose a target number somewhere in the middle and roll (that's the advice I intend to give in the GM's section anyway).

Look forward to your thoughts...

[Valamir]

I'll be back from vacation this weekend and looking to finish up the scenario generator and put together a scenario and some pregenerated characters.  

Anyone have a chance to look it over this past week.  Any comments or suggestions I should look to incorporate?