The Forge Archives

This was inspired by Self Serving Eunuchs Go Hiking.

I really love the basic concept, and after reading, begin work on a similarly themed game.  

What i don't currently have:

1. A setting, something quirky and amusing, i don't want to rip Mearls off completely.
2. Critique from an outside source.  I need you guys to find the gaping holes in the design that i have missed.
3. Is this even understandable?

What i do currently have (subject to change):

Driving Forces:
1. Balancing inter-character conflict with nessecary cooperation.
2. An undertone of absurd situations and events.

Structure:
One Overseer (GM) and at least two players.
The Overseer serves as one of the primary sources of story propulsion and is there primarily to get the players involved in the aforementioned absurd events.

Each player controls a single Player Character and all PCs are members of a single party.  I'm trying to decide if NPCs will be allowed in the PC party or not, suggestions are welcome.

Pleasing the Powers that Be
The Powers that Be are the one(s) who send you on these crazy missions.  You want to curry favor with the Powers that Be so that one day you might number yourself among them.

Before your Party leaves on a mission each player writes down two actions, events, or situations that might arise (however unlikely or absurd) during the mission on two seperate slips of paper.  All the players put their slips into a hat.  Determine who will draw first (either randomly or by consensus) and that player draws one slip from the hat, then the player to the left draws a slip and so on.  Once everyone has drawn one slip the hat is handed to the Overseer.  The Overseer records the remaining slips in secret, these are things that will bore or aggravate the Powers That Be.  Do not do these things.  All players make note of the slip they drew and then give these to the Overseer as well.  The Overseer records these in secret as well, these are things that will amuse or please the Powers That Be.  Make sure these things happen.

Each time a character does something or causes a situation that the Powers That Be like or dislike the Overseer secretly writes this down.  The Overseer does not inform the players when they do things that the Powers That Be notice.

At the end of a mission tally up the total number of times you pleased the Powers That Be, you gain an equal amount of Favor.  Add up the number of times that you displeased the Powers That Be, you gain an equal amount of Disfavor.  If you can come up with better terms than Favor and Disfavor, i would appreciate it.

Debriefing:
After the mission is accomplished and the Party returns to the Powers That Be the Debriefing begins.  It is at this point that each character tries to convince the Powers That Be that he was wholly responsible for the success of the mission.  This is done through bidding reminding the Powers That Be of what a good little lacky you are.

Once the Debriefing begins each character gives a quick sketch of their version of the events.  Then each player writes down a secret bid for approval.  This bid is the amount of Favor you will lose, Disfavor you will gain, or both.  All bids will be turned in to the Overseer.  Whether you win the bid or not, you still lose the Favor/gain the Disfavor that you bid.  Note: You may not bid more Favor than you currently have and you may not bid more Disfavor than you currently have.

The Overseer adds Favor lost and Disfavor accrued for each bid (Lose Favor 3 + Gain Disfavor 4 is a bid of 7).  The highest bidder wins.  If there is a tie for highest bidder then everyone who tied enters a second round of bidding.  If there is still a tie and all participants have spent the maximum Favor and Disfavor allowed, then no one gets credit for the mission.

Whoever has the highest bid wins the Debriefing and is permitted to embelish their version of events, which is accepted by the Powers That Be.  The winner of the Debriefing gains one level.  The highest level loser of the Debriefing loses one level (to a minimum of one).  If there is a tie for highest level loser, each character tied loses one level (to a minimum of one).

Further Advancement:
Once the Debriefing is over, all characters must spend all of their Favor and Disfavor.  A point of Favor may be spent to eliminate a point of Disfavor.  A point of Favor may be spent to raise an Aptitude by one point (with no maximum).  A point of Disfavor must be spent lowering an Aptitude by one point.  An Aptitude may become negative due to Disfavor, but it can never have a negative value greater than a character's level (i.e. a Level 2 character can not have a single Aptitude lower than -2, a Level 5 character can not have a single Aptitude lower than -5).  All Favor and Disfavor must be spent before you continue.

Aptitudes:
There are 12 Aptitudes.  Six mundane and six magical.  They are:
-Crime
-Combat
-Athletics
-Social Manipulation
-Outdoorsmanship (i don't even know if that's a word)
-Stealth

-Elemental Magic
-Summoning Magic
-Illusionary Magic
-Control Magic
-Force/Energy Magic
-Transmutation Magic

Task Resolution
Task resolution in Powers That Be uses a pool of d6s.  To determine whether the outcome you desire occurs:
1. Declare what your character intends to do and decide what Aptitude is appropriate for such an action.
2. Roll a number of d6s equal to your characters Level + the relevant Aptitude.
3. Count the number of 4's, 5's, and 6's you roll.  This is the number of Successes you have.
4. Compare the number of Successes to an Opposed Value.  If the number of Successes exceeds the opposed value you have achieved the desired outcome and get to narrate the results.

Opposed Values are determined in one of two ways:
1. The Opposed Value is equal to the number of Successes rolled by your opposition.
2. The Overseer may assign an appropriate number to save time (this will generally be about half the number of dice the opposition could have rolled).

Ally Assisted Actions:
Whenever you attempt to do something you may ask for Allies, or they may volunteer themselves.  Once you have declared your Intent the player to your left also declares intent.  His options are:
1. Support you.  They declare their supporting action and roll Level + appropriate Aptitude adding the number of successes to your total.
2. Oppose you.  They declare their opposing action and roll Level + appropriate Aptitude adding their successes to the Opposition Value.
3. Stay out of it altogether.

Once you declare support, opposition, or neutrality you can not reconsider, you are stuck with the decision.  No one rolls any dice until everyone has declared intent.  If you are supporting a non-winning side (even if you were not the instigator of the action) you will Suffer the Consequences.

Consequences:
Any time your character participates in an action and does not succeed he will Suffer the Consequences.  This includes situations in which you (and your allies, if you have any) have total successes equal to the Opposition Value.  If such a tie occurs then everyone involved, on both sides, Suffers the Consequences.  Each time you Suffer the Consequences on a given mission make a note.

Once you have Suffered Consequences equal to your current character Level times three (3 for a Level 1 character, 15 for a Level 5 character, etc.) your character dies, often in an absurd or spectacular way which you get to narrate.

Death:
So your character was unfortunately killed in a freak cooking accident?  A miscast fireball incenerated him?  Don't worry, the Powers That Be will bring you back once the after the Debriefing.  You keep any Favor or Disfavor you may have earned up to the point of death (sometimes your death may even earn you Favor or Disfavor), but since you will not be revived until after the Debriefing you will not get a chance to bid for Advancement.  You will however still be required to spend all your Favor and Disfavor.

Since your character is dead he can't really directly influence the success of the mission.  You as a player may still make suggestions, laugh at the failure of others, and in all other ways kibitz provided that you do not disrupt the rest of the players.  You may also wander off to get a drink, or pass out on the sofa.

If all the characters die the mission is a wash and no one gets to bid for Advancement, though you are all revived and will probably get a new mission.





That's what i've got so far.  I think it's pretty dang cool.  I haven't playtested any of this, and as i said i welcome any suggestions.

Thomas

It was pointed out to me that since i have magical Aptitudes i seem to be preferring a fantasy setting.  I don't really care, i will gladly change/adapt Aptitudes to fit if i get a cool idea for a setting.  Please, if you have one let me know...

Thomas

This reminds me of a narrative version of Clue.  Since a character knows at least one thing the Powers that Be like, they will probably try to do that thing as often as they can.  So, if a player keeps doing something, then the other players will probably try to do that same thing, as they'll assume it's a way to get Favor points.  This is funny, as a player could have his character repeatedly do something absurd that is totally NOT what they got from the hat, just to mess over the other players and laugh at them in secret.  That's very funny to me.

Also, players could connive to trade secrets and potentially lie to each other.  This strikes me as being a decent psychological game.

Exactly, it's driven by inter-player conflict (well, in theory anyway).  Also remember that anyone who dies doesn't get to bid during the Debriefing.  If you manage to kill everyone else then you are the only bidder and can win with a bid of 1.  Since you may declare support for either side of a conflict, you can ensure the failure of your team mates which will weaken them.  However, if you grow too powerful, you can rely on the rest of the team to gang up on you...  I really like the concept...  I'm going to playtest as soon as i can get some people together...

Thomas