Concept Little Green %@$^@%^$

[Certified]

A fan of bad 80's movies today I had an idea for a beer and pretzels game. The concept is simple your character is an average person in an average town in an average world until something changes. (Your dad brings home a pet from Chinatown, you and your friend read the lyrics of a heavy metal album backwards, tiny furry convicts from space crash land near the farm, I think you know where this is going.)

The game uses a streamlined version of the Open Action System designed for Fractured Kingdom with the 10 Characteristic Trees and 3 possible Traits for each Characteristic. Players select if they are either the physical or brainy type then rank the corresponding Attributes 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 for primaries or 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 for secondary Attributes 10 being the best 1 being the worst. The player selects 4 primary and 4 secondary Traits. Primary Traits have a value of 5, secondary Traits have a value of 1. Finally the player selects 5 Boons for the character. These are special abilities unique to the character. The player may then select any optional Disadvantages for Free points to assign anywhere. Once this is done the character is ready to begin play.

With GM permission characters will be able to select supernatural powers if they want, like the high school student who's 2/3rds vampire and still a virgin or little girl that can start fires with her mind, but this impacts their Traits. (The player uses a Trait selection for the "Supernatural" Trait to access these Boons and must take a corresponding Disadvantage.) While there will likely be a highly abbreviated list of Boons it's recommended that characters do not overlap.

Conflict resolution uses an Attribute + supporting Traits if any + 2d6 (or 3 if there is a supporting Trait) roll high.
Players have access to Plot points that allow them to insert plot points into the story or the results of a roll.

Right now I'm thinking the core material would consist of common sample characters like The Cheerleader, The Jock, The Comic Book Guy, The Professor or The Janitor; several possible settings, high school, college, small town USA, the mall and possible antagonists, little demonlngs, the cute menace, and of course zombies and vampires and story ideas. The story concepts will mostly be quick to resolve o, if they're not will become too big to handle in short order. Of course the players are the only ones that can save the day.

So Power 19:

1.) What is your game about? Recreating the 80's horror(comedy) genre.

2.) What do the characters do? Survive the night or event.

3.) What do the players (including the GM if there is one) do? The players and GM direct the story. Players should be able to directly influence the narrative.

4.) How does your setting (or lack thereof) reinforce what your game is about? Game elements are inspired by movies of the era and cover memorable characters/creatures.

5.) How does the Character Creation of your game reinforce what your game is about? Character creation is designed to be fast and drop the players right into the story.

6.) What types of behaviors/styles of play does your game reward (and punish if necessary)? Narrative elements reward creative play.

7.) How are behaviors and styles of play rewarded or punished in your game? Strong roleplay rewards players with additional plot points to directly influence the story.

8.) How are the responsibilities of narration and credibility divided in your game? There is no credibility there was no accounting for one's actions in the 80's. GMs arbitrate rules and move the story along. Players are able to influence game play and can alter the course of the story.   

9.) What does your game do to command the players' attention, engagement, and participation? (i.e. What does the game do to make them care?) Fast play rules allow the game to move forward quickly. Plot points encourage players to interact with the world and other characters.

10.) What are the resolution mechanics of your game like? Base Value + Die roll versus target or resisted roll.

11.) How do the resolution mechanics reinforce what your game is about? Resolution is designed to be quick to prevent the story from bogging down.

12.) Do characters in your game advance? If so, how? Because the game is designed to be for one shots there are no real advancement mechanics. Although, there are basic rules for a training/preparation montage or research scene. Debatable there will be critical success/failure advancement as well.   

13.) How does the character advancement (or lack thereof) reinforce what your game is about? Because the game is designed for a single night of gaming there is no real need for long term advancement.

14.) What sort of product or effect do you want your game to produce in or for the players? Lots of laughs and the occasional eww!

15.) What areas of your game receive extra attention and color? Why? Threats, really the monsters are the stars of the show.

16.) Which part of your game are you most excited about or interested in? Why? The concept just makes me smile. I'm debating writing a corresponding drinking game based on genre conventions to pair with game play.

17.) Where does your game take the players that other games can't, don't, or won't? Down memory lane maybe?

18.) What are your publishing goals for your game? Right now I'm thinking basic online release.

19.) Who is your target audience? Fans of bad horror flicks.

So that's basically it, thoughts?

[Hasimir0]

I don't know the FK rule-system but judging from the sample characters on their webside a BIG question arises in my mind...

...considering you want a "beer&pretzel" game about movies ...

WHY in the seven smurf hells are there things on the character sheet like Strength, Dexterity, Constitution etc?
WHY use such a broad skill list? (why use a skill list at all, I might add)

My personal suggestion is to go check (aka PLAY) some game that actually function to "produce a X kind of story" and are as pick-up as possible.
A few names from the top of my head:
- Prime Time Adventures = TV series
- Geiger Counter (it's free) = B-Movies of horros/splatter genre
- Hell For Leather (it's free) = B-Movies of action/splatter genre
- FIASCO = Cohen Brothers kind of movies

Seriously, PLAY these games, they will give you a much broader and diversified perspective about what possibilities you have to build the game you like, the way you like.

Also, I don't thing you understood what "credibility" means in the question number 8.
It is about PLAYER credibility.
You konw... when a Player says "my character jumps from the window into the pool beneath" and everyone look at him like he's crazy untill the GM nods and says "yes ... what do you guys do seeing that?".
The Player in this example has NO credibility on his own, it is the GM that decides which assertions are "true" in the game, which are not, which may be but first require a die-roll, etc.