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In First Thoughts

6/11/2009 Tyler.Tinsley: player backgrounds
I have been thinking about what kind of background leads people to play and more importantly create indie RPGs? I hear most people talk about how they grew up playing…
In First Thoughts
Participants: Tyler.Tinsley, Warrior Monk, MacLeod, Vordark.

6/11/2009 Fatespinner: Finding a good mechanic
Hi all, I have been reading a lot of rpg mechanics lately and tried to think about a good mechanic, but I can't decide what might fullfill what I want.…
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Participants: Fatespinner, Vulpinoid, Adam Dray.

6/6/2009 Tyler.Tinsley: I need help with a dice math problem
hi, I'm new here and also fairly new to developing RPGs, I hear good things about this community so I will try to contribute as much as I ask from…
In First Thoughts
Participants: Tyler.Tinsley, chance.thirteen, Jasper Flick, Ron Edwards, wincz, Guy Srinivasan, evilphd7, Wordman, chaviro.

6/5/2009 twztdwndpipe: Gun and Firearm mechanics
Anyone Know any usefull ones? Somebody come up with any good ones? Nice methods? I was curious also if anyone had Firearm mechanics that worked in reality. Like, if you…
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Participants: twztdwndpipe, mjbauer, contracycle, Marshall Burns, chance.thirteen, Noon, trick, Creatures of Destiny.

6/3/2009 crasmer: combat=gamist <---> adventuring=narrative
Hey all! First of all: My experience in pen & paper role playing games is somewhat limited im afraid. I love them, but was sucked into the D&D vortex early…
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Participants: crasmer, Abkajud, Noclue, Luke, davidberg, Guy Srinivasan.

6/2/2009 MikeF: Victoria detectives and dice bidding
I have in mind a 19th century consulting detective game – players stalk the mist-shrouded streets of London with naught but a violin and a sturdy friend (with an even…
In First Thoughts
Participants: MikeF, Adam Dray.

6/2/2009 Warrior Monk: Another Magic System
Ok, this is meant to simulate an unstable magic power even for experienced characters. System uses 2d6 and adds a modifier which varies from 1-4 depending on the "soul" stat…
In First Thoughts
Participants: Warrior Monk, dindenver, Adam Dray.

6/2/2009 Brimshack: A System of Magic
Okay, so let's look at a system for spell-casting in Worlds of Hurt. This is a high fantasy RPG, and I am just going to outline the magic system, partly…
In First Thoughts
Participants: Brimshack, Lance D. Allen, Wordman, Guy Srinivasan, Ashirgo, trick, dindenver, MacLeod.

6/1/2009 noahtrammell: Considering a New Idea
  OK, well, I'm considering writing a short RPG in which dreams have begun to translate themselves into physical manifestations.  I'm thinking about using a PDQ-style system to allow players…
In First Thoughts
Participants: noahtrammell, Charlie Gilb, Warrior Monk, Abkajud, MacLeod, Noclue.

5/29/2009 Abkajud: A Dwarf Fortress tabletop RPG (long)
So, a couple of months ago I became obsessed with the Dwarf Fortress strategy/world-building game for a few weeks, and part of my obsession involved the very basics of an…
In First Thoughts
Participants: Abkajud, JoyWriter, Noon, AJ_Flowers, DWeird, lachek.

5/28/2009 Charlie Gilb: [The Waste] A first look at my resolution system
Hello, I am a rather neophyte game designer, and am working on a game with the working title "The Waste". The Waste is a post-apocalyptic, party-based (though solo play is…
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Participants: Charlie Gilb, MacLeod, Abkajud, Omar_Ramirez, dindenver.

5/28/2009 MikeF: Two narrative systems
Based partly on the storytelling mechanism of 1001 Nights, and partly inspired by Shadows, I've come up with a little narrative, diceless mechanic: Each player takes it in turn to…
In First Thoughts
Participants: MikeF, AJ_Flowers, Abkajud, dindenver, Adam Dray.

5/28/2009 David C: Revisiting an old mechanic
I'm on the umpteenth revision of my game, and I'm trying now to put it into a complete format to share with people.  But as I go over everything, I…
In First Thoughts
Participants: David C, Eero Tuovinen, davidberg, Abkajud.

5/27/2009 Warrior Monk: Playing without knowing the rules?
I'm aware we all learn to play any game by watcing people playing and reading the rules. Then most of the mystery and fun of an RPG resides in getting…
In First Thoughts
Participants: Warrior Monk, Abkajud, Wordman, Vulpinoid, davidberg, Tyler.Tinsley, trick, Ashirgo, Jasper Flick.

5/26/2009 mjbauer: Simple Narrative Conflict or Task Resolution System
I was listening to Paul Tevis's interview with Joshua Bishop Roby on Have Games will Travel episode #90 and they talked a bit about narrative games and it inspired a…
In First Thoughts
Participants: mjbauer, ShallowThoughts, JoyWriter, jp_miller, Vulpinoid, Abkajud, Selene Tan.

5/26/2009 SteveMND: Is there a "Power 19" equivalent for Game Mechanics?
I have seen numerous references to the Power 19, which as I understand is a checklist to help you define and expand your game development.  However, most of it appears…
In First Thoughts
Participants: SteveMND, Warrior Monk, Abkajud, Luke, Wordman, otspiii, Selene Tan.

5/25/2009 dindenver: [SteamPunk Crescendo] Multi-player conflict idea
Hi!   OK, so I have the 1 vs 1 conflict rules set and tested. Its a tweak on Otherkind. It works the way I want it to and the…
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Participants: dindenver, brianbloodaxe, davidberg.

5/25/2009 mjbauer: Realism Mechanic?
I'm thinking about including some kind of realism reward in my game. If a player decides to inject some basic reality (running out of ammo, tripping, "whiffing", etc.) then they…
In First Thoughts
Participants: mjbauer, jp_miller, David C, Warrior Monk, JoyWriter, Noon, davidberg.

5/24/2009 Seamus: Vehicle Rules
This is the first time I have really posted a rule here. Sorry if I didn't post the correct way: Working on some vehicle rules for a modern skill based…
In First Thoughts
Participants: Seamus, Warrior Monk, Devenger.

5/24/2009 Tequila Sunrise: Refugee from D&D Land
Hi everyone, first post here! I’ve been playing D&D since I was about ten years old. I like it, but it’s not quite the game I want to GM, and…
In First Thoughts
Participants: Tequila Sunrise, MacLeod, David C, whiteknife, Welkerfan, AJ_Flowers, mjbauer, Dr. Velocity, Adam Dray.

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In First Thoughts

6/13/2009 MacLeod: [Setting] Over-the-Top Power Sources
I am putting together the elements for a setting design to be totally gonzo... Imagine World of Synnibar combined with Rifts with the power levels cranked up to 11. The…
In First Thoughts
Participants: MacLeod, Vulpinoid, Ashirgo, Abkajud, Vordark, whiteknife, Imizaru.

6/13/2009 Imizaru: Griflock
I am new to this site. Please forgive me if this is too long. I have been working on this in the back of my mind for quite some time…
In First Thoughts
Participants: Imizaru, MacLeod, Abkajud, mjbauer, JoyWriter, M. Burrell, Simon C, Luke.

6/17/2009 ModusVivendi: Modus Vivendi
Hello my name is Lucas and this is my first shot at these boards. I have been working on my game system off and on for the past few years…
In First Thoughts
Participants: ModusVivendi, trick, Adam Dray, RabbitHoleGames, Vulpinoid, Bill_White, Simon C.

6/17/2009 M. Burrell: Tragedy, A game of glory and death.
Sirs, It recently struck me that the games I've been playing haven't been half as suited to character-driven plot as I would like them to be. I concluded that what…
In First Thoughts
Participants: M. Burrell, Marshall Burns, noahtrammell, JoyWriter, Patrice, Ron Edwards, trick.

6/18/2009 ShallowThoughts: New Character Growth Mechanic - Chits and the Void
Hi all, as a couple of you out there might remember, I've been struggling with a reward mechanic for a game I'm building. For everyone else, the original post is…
In First Thoughts
Participants: ShallowThoughts, mjbauer, Charlie Gilb, Selene Tan, JoyWriter.

6/19/2009 bobert: A very simple dice question... I think...
I can build a galaxy in my head with a working history across several planets... but I cannot find a formula that explains whether or not rolling one 12 sided…
In First Thoughts
Participants: bobert, M. Burrell, Vordark, MacLeod, Wordman, Jasper Flick, dindenver, Vulpinoid.

6/19/2009 bobert: How do you feel about death?
Hello Forum, I am looking for some feeback on a large mechanic in a game I am working on that I feel might come off as offputting for older pen…
In First Thoughts
Participants: bobert, M. Burrell, Vordark, Noon, dindenver, flossy, chronoplasm, HenryT, JoyWriter, David C, ShallowThoughts, Ron Edwards.

6/19/2009 the cat: Ultimate shonen showdown! *
*actual game name pending Hello, I go by The Cat here and at RPG.net. I am working on a game that can emulate battles in shonen anime. Even if my…
In First Thoughts
Participants: the cat, M. Burrell, trick.

6/22/2009 Pussycat669: Survival mechanisms... concepts?
Hi y’all, I hope it’s ok to post ideas about cRPGs in here as well. Apologies if that’s not the case. What I’m specifically looking for are conceptual errors in…
In First Thoughts
Participants: Pussycat669, chance.thirteen, AJ_Flowers, flossy.

6/22/2009 Zzarchov: Choosing between two different Social Conflict Mechanics
So, Im looking for opinions from anyone who likes mechanics involved in resolving social conflicts (debates, arguments etc). If you prefer to purely talk it out, thats fine, just not…
In First Thoughts
Participants: Zzarchov, M. Burrell, chance.thirteen.

6/23/2009 chronoplasm: Random Musings: Overthrow the Dungeon Master!
Player: "OK, so what number do I have to roll?" DM: "Don't ask me how high you have to roll; just roll the dice and I'll tell you whether you…
In First Thoughts
Participants: chronoplasm, Abkajud, whiteknife.

6/24/2009 Tyler.Tinsley: writing exercise, practice?
Any of you writers out there have any tips about getting better at writing? Like methods of practice or something? good books? I think my concepts are strong but my…
In First Thoughts
Participants: Tyler.Tinsley, Eero Tuovinen, Adam Dray, Warrior Monk, Grimgor, trick, ShallowThoughts, JoyWriter.

6/24/2009 henricius: Bet with markers.
I have some ideas on a little conflict system. Right now i am using skills between 1 and 12 and two D6 dice that are added together. In a fight…
In First Thoughts
Participants: henricius, David Artman, trick, mjbauer, JoyWriter.

6/24/2009 Ben Lehman: Thoughts on Psychological Survival Horror
I want to write a game that occupies a space I think of in my head as Psychological Survival Horror: basically things which are like Silent Hill, or Braid. Basically,…
In First Thoughts
Participants: Ben Lehman, Elizabeth, greyorm, Rafu, Charlie Gilb, jburneko, chronoplasm, sirogit, noahtrammell.

6/24/2009 Klaus Graziade: How You Use It...
Dear Forge, Well, I've been sitting on several ideas for a while, and I'd love some input on a particular idea that's been giving me trouble.  In my current project,…
In First Thoughts
Participants: Klaus Graziade, Adam Dray, David Artman, Ron Edwards, JoyWriter, Luke.

6/25/2009 Vulpinoid: [Rajah Spiny Rat] Revelation of a newly finished game contest entry...
A few months ago, an idea was proposed over on Story Games for a "Random RPG Cover" contest. Each contestant was given three titles, three pictures, and three quotes from…
In First Thoughts
Participants: Vulpinoid, Patrice, JoyWriter, Bret Gillan.

6/26/2009 robotsunshine: Hide 'n Seek
I'm planning a short book on live-action games. Not necessarily LARP, but games you have to go out and about to play, and games that utilize mechanics in such a…
In First Thoughts
Participants: robotsunshine.

6/26/2009 Abkajud: Hitting a wall with my Greek adventure design
[cross-posted at story-games.com] Hey, gang, I'm working on a mechanic for my Greek adventure game, The Hellenes. I've been tinkering with it quite a bit, trying to achieve Story Now,…
In First Thoughts
Participants: Abkajud, chronoplasm, JoyWriter, jasonm, Jonathan Walton, Darcy Burgess.

6/26/2009 chronoplasm: The D&D Edition Wars in my Game's Setting
I'm thinking of making fun of the edition wars in my games default setting. There used to be an ancient and wondrous empire called Tee'essar, but after it fell into…
In First Thoughts
Participants: chronoplasm, David C, Adam Dray, ShallowThoughts, whiteknife.

6/26/2009 M. Burrell: Content and Conflict Generation for Instant Narrative
One frustrating experience I've had as both game-master and player is the length and style of set-up that certain 'classic' RPGs require. Players must generate characters (often insulated from the…
In First Thoughts
Participants: M. Burrell, Adam Dray, whiteknife.

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