[Custom Star Wars RPG]

[Malckuss]

This is only my second time discussing a game here, so please keep that in mind. I will try to adhere to Mr. Edwards rules.

I am doing this project for three reasons.
1| Tired of the SW rules going out of print, or changing to something I hate.
2| I have a game mechanic bouncing around in my brain and I need to do something about that.
3| I want to hone both my game design and technical writing skills for my main project.

The basic game mechanic is fairly simple. You receive your dice from your basic traits, be they attributes or some sort of stance trait. The basic game would use d10s, where as the Unleashed version of the game would use a single d20, and your attributes would give a +1 bonus per die they would normally give. These statistics are rated 1-10 in either version of the game.

The base difficulty for all dice rolls begins at 10. This is both to dissuade extraneous dice rolling and to inform the GM of the kinds of issues dice should be rolled for. Each rank in your skills reduces this difficulty by 1, so if you have a skill rated at 3, you need to roll a 7 or better to succeed. In the basic game, skills would be rated 1-5, in the Unleashed game, they would be rated 1-10.

My biggest current issue is one of nomenclature. I've set up character creation to mimic Atomic Highway in the broad strokes: You pick 1 Species from 20 possible, an Origin (there are 8 to chose from), and then a Sphere (a term used to encompass your realm of experience, you lifestyle, as well as your vocation and calling; there are 20 to choose from). I have labeled my skills Proficiencies, of which there are 30. I'm pretty happy with those elements.

What is driving me crazy is my basic characteristics. I want a system of "stances" which I call Attitudes that reflect the way character behave in and interact with the Star Wars Universe., as well as a system of Attributes for those more comfortable with a more traditional approach.

The link is below, and the section in question is labeled Base Traits. The primary Attitude group is based on the codes of the Jedi & Sith; the second one is based on the series of Attitudes in the Cadwallon RPG. the second set are the attributes I tried to come up with. Somehow none of it really feels up to snuff. Any assistance or suggestions would be helpful.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XQaL26d7ZHU1Okt31uRNppMdcTUXoSbi7nn7RdlA060/edit?hl=en_US

[Malckuss]

Ok, so after getting 0 replies, I 'm going to change this up a bit. These are the Attributes and Attitudes I currently have. I would like your opinion on them.
The first set of Attitudes came from trying to distill the Jedi and Sith codes into a useable framework. The alternate attitudes are based on the ones from the Cadwallon RPG. The Attributes are an alternate system I wanted for those more comfortable with a traditional set up. They are based on the attributes from the Fading Suns RPG. Let me know your thoughts, please.

Attitudes
Passion | Quiescence         
Vigor | Reflection   
Aggression | Serenity         
Freedom | Harmony         

Alternate Attitudes
Aggression
Alacrity
Expedience
Panache
Restraint
Subtlety

Attributes

Body
Agility
Strength
Vitality
Mind
Intellect
Presence
Wits
Spirit
Panache |Reflection
Passion| Harmony
Conviction | Elan

[Callan S.]

Hi. Do the players choose one stance or more from their list that suits their character as they envision them? Or if they are a jedi, they just follow all of the jedi stances you write and play is simply performing the stances (in terms of character) endlessly?

[Malckuss]

Hello, Callan, and thank you for posting.

Everyone has all of the "stances" beginning at one. Some of them are better at different situations. They are self explanatory for the most part, but will have detailed write up in the finalized version. For instance, if you were trying to appeal to someone's sense of mercy, you might use Passion, using your own ardor to touch the Passion in their own heart, or if you were trying to haggle with someone, you could try using Aggression, if you were trying to dominate the deal and get one over on the merchant, or Harmony if you were trying to come to a deal that accommodates you both. Earning Dark or Light alignment bumps comes from your intention in the situation. If you used your Passion to save someone's life, you could still gain a light bump, though it might be more difficult  as in the real world, sometimes acting passionately causes you to over-react, or make a judgement too quickly (this work like compels in Fate with the gm trying to "taint" you actions, the road to hell and all that). Conversely, if you decide to torture someone and make use of your Serenity to detach yourself from your inhuman actions, you are going to earn a Darkside bump.

[Malckuss]

Apologies for the double post.

Ok. I've decided on my Attributes and Attitudes. A poster (The Storyteller) in the Game Development forums over on RPG.Net, and Calan, helped me focus my idea; gave me clarity. Here is what I decided to go with:

Attributes
Mind
Intellect
Presence
Tenacity
Wits
Body
Agility
Reflexes
Strength
Vitality
Spirit
Conviction
Ego
Hope
Passion

Attitudes
Dark | Light
Passion | Quiescence
Vigor | Reflection
Aggression | Serenity
Freedom | Harmony

Now to assign mechanics to Species, Origins, and Spheres, determine how much needs to be added as bonus to fill out a starting character, then I can move on to Advantages, Equipment, and Conflict resolution to vet the rules for basic characters; from there, I can work on Force Abilities. Once I have basic character creation done, I will get the wiki's link up for some peer review.

By the way, I will eventually be looking for some assistance with art and layout to distribute this as a free, yet decent looking (and reading)pdf. Oh, and character sheet ninja would be nice to have on board, too.

[Malckuss]

Ok, a fellow poster, Tyroanvar, cruelly pointed out some flaws in my approach (joking; he was quite polite) over at the Game Design forums on RPG.Net, and this is the result after a review, I now have a set of matching Attributes and Attitudes. Gimme your thoughts.

Attitudes
Dark | Light
Passion | Quiescence
Vigor | Reflection
Aggression | Serenity
Freedom | Harmony

Attributes
Dark | Light
Presence | Wits
Reflexes | Intellect
Strength | Agility
Tenacity| Conviction[/i]

[mark2v]

This setting / flavor is kind of hard for me, as I know very little about the Star wars universe. Please hangwith me when I say some things stupid.

My observation is this: I would love to play a game that uses Attitudes in the way you describe. I would like to have a character who's Serenity is such that I can calmly move through danger and attain a goal. It is very fresh and in my eyes unique.

My question is this: How to the attributes figure in? How can you use your atributes to push the story / action / what ever you goal of play is.

[voidgere]

I just saw this post today and was quite intrigued by the system you have created.  I do have one caveat.  I do not think attributes should paint one as dark or light.  Attributes should be neutral in this regard.  Using your wits as opposed to your presense should not make you any more dark or light.  The choice to use one or the other should come down to what is applicable to the situation.  Other than that, I really want to see where this is going.

And, I love making character sheets.  So if you need one made shoot me a PM.

[Malckuss]

Apologies, gentlemen, for not replying sooner; I hadn't checked these forums in a few days.

@ Mark2V - I have only included Attributes for folks who want a more traditional rpg set up. I mostly hope people will want to use the Attitudes. I hope that in play, Attitudes will drive play forward by by motivating players to choose a response through an Attitude that is appropriate both to their character and the situation. Are you acting aggressively? Roll Aggression. Are you trying to achieve the best solution for all involved? Roll Harmony.

I'm afraid that most people will default back to Attributes in pursuit of "blast and blade" play. Not that Star Wars isn't space opera, but I think people sometimes forget that pathos and relationships form the basis of drama, and that star wars is dramatic, as well as full of action.

@ Voidgere - The attributes are set up the way they are as a direct analog to the Attitudes to a) make them more easily interchangeable, and b) give people an idea of the kinds of things the Attitudes can be used for. Attitudes are similar to the emotional handles in A Dirty World by Greg Stolze. They represent more than just emotional frame, but also the tasks those emotions support and fuel.

Each of the Attitudes are divided up into opposed pairs, with your rating in one constraining your rating in the other. Neither of the pair are specifically Light or Dark, but have a tendency to influence those behaviors; more specifically, you must take care when exercising the aligned Attitudes as your actions with them in the appropriate circumstances can net you an alignment shift toward the light or dark, depending on which attitude you were using. These work like a compel in Fate, with the GM tempting you one way or another with extra Force points, Destiny points, or experience.

The Dark and Light separation is not cut and dry; they are tendencies.

Passion | Quiescence (a stand in for Peace, as it sums the concept and the Jedi tenant better) is a much more emotional concept, where as Vigor | Reflection is a very action oriented concept - Vigor embodies the Sith code tenants of Strength and power, as well as energy and activity, sometimes without thought. Reflection is the Knowledge analog; it is action taken after thought and meditation on the matter; it is slow and reasoned to vigor's knee jerk reactionary measures. Passion and Quiescence are states of mind, how you deal with a situation emotionally. Passion is what you feel from a lover's first kiss, or when seeing someone helpless in peril, or seeing an injustice going unanswered. Passion moves you to act, when the small voice in the back of your head recommends caution, or to ignore the situation because it is none of your business. Quiescence is being able to go with the flow, an ability to quieten you emotional turmoil so that if you choose to act, you don't overreact, or act in a moment that is detrimental to you or your cause. There will be a full write up on each one in the rules document.

[Ar Kayon]

Following up on voidgere's suggestion, what if one's propensities made it easier or harder to develop sith/jedi abilities?  For example, because I am serene or reflective, I am better able to grasp the philosophies and training modalities of the Jedi.

[Vulpinoid]

I liked the Cadwallon system of stances and I've been looking to apply something similar to a few games that I've been putting together. It's a shame that Rackham went downhill so quickly after releasing their RPG.

I'd like to see where you end up taking this.

[Malckuss]

I'm close to wanting some peer review; My crew and I ran a game last night. After 10 minutes with the rules, one of my friends slammed out statistics for the Verpine, so now there are 21 species in the game. I need to finish rounding out the Origins and Spheres, and stat out some basic gear first. You won't be able to make a force user yet, but you will be able to make just about anything else. I'm hoping to have it ready in two weeks, but if it takes longer, oh well. If it's done sooner, cool, and I'll post the link asap.