This is my first post ever here. I'm very hip to the lingo, so I apologize in advance for my seemingly plebeian ways. I have a game I've been working on for 2 years now. I'm very confident in the system, just not my ability to convey it. I've learned with this project that technical writing isn't my forte, but I'm the only one who can write it out as everything is in my head, at this point.
Simplexity attempts to be a flexible, customizable rule set designed to foster creative, over the top action-oriented gameplay. However, nearly all interaction in this rule set works similarly to combat, so all aspects of the game should have a fast paced, frenetic feel.
    The game is customizable, not just for the type of genre the group is trying to emulate, but can also be tailored to each individual player's tastes and needs for a particular character.
    The basis for all this vaunted flexibility is very simple: a deck of cards.
Each player will need a standard deck of playing cards, the kind used for playing poker or bridge. This does mean that Simplexity isn't really what you would call a pick-up game, but with the popularity of Texas Hold 'em one should have no problem finding the cards and poker chips you will want for your games. More on the poker chips later; for now, lets concentrate on the cards.

    As stated, each player (and the GM) will want their own deck of cards. As the game progresses, each player will be able to customize their decks to fit their characters, and the style of play they prefer. This deck of cards, and the rules tied directly to it, are referred to as Fate.

    In order to understand Fate, you first need to understand the value of each card as it relates to Simplexity.

Standard Playing Card Mechanics is the default task resolution method for Simplexity. There will be at least two other resolution mechanics systems implemented at a later date including Tarot Cards and a dice mechanic for those of you with your heart set on that sort of resolution. For now, let us focus on the cards.

Card Value Lower Power Value
2 2 2
3 3 3
4 4 4
5 5 5
6 6 6
7 7 7
8 8 8
9 9 9
10 10 10
Jack 12 11
Queen 14 12
King 16 13
Ace 18 14
Joker 20 15

        The range of 2-10 is the range of human performance, with 2 being the low end and 10 the high end. The face cards represents supernal efforts, generally supernatural in origin. The GM will determine what values are appropriate for their games.
Now that you have been introduced to the values of the deck, let's talk about Fate. As mentioned before, the customized deck of cards each player uses is referred to as Fate, and there are a number of rules tied directly to this deck. The first one we should consider is Threshold.
        Threshold is determined by the GM at the start of the game; it determines which cards will be included in the player's starting decks, and which will be left out, at least in the games outset. It should be noted that a GM should always have a full deck of cards.
        A game's Threshold determines several game factors. The most prominent was presented in the previous paragraph and in the example below. This Value represents the amount of effort a character can bring to bare on a any given problem.
        This value is also used to determined the amount of points used for character creation. This pool of points are called Concept Points. To determine a character's Concept Points, simply multiply the Threshold by 10.
        For example: Dave decides to run a Simplexity game modeled after a movie he saw recently. He knows that the Face cards represents supernatural traits. The movies characters were extremely capable, but didn't perform  tasks by any supernatural means, at least by Hollywood's standards. After careful consideration, he decides to start the game at a Threshold of 7. This means his players will use the 2,3,4,5,6, and 7 cards with the 8,9,10,Jack,Queen,King,Ace,and Joker cards left out for now. This also means that each player will have 70 Concept Points with which to build their characters.
    The next game factor impacted by Threshold touches on Creativity Mechanics. This is the system of character development, as well as the system used to influence character action. We will go into these mechanics further later; this section will only address the area affected by Threshold, namely Destiny Tokens.
Destiny Tokens are broken down into three categories.
        The first one is Luck, and we suggest tracking Luck with white poker chips. Luck represents  things such as opportune moments, “lucky breaks”, desperation, reaching way down, taping into potential, adroit application of skill, etc. (specific mechanics to come later). Players get a number of Luck Tokens at the start of each game session equivalent to their Threshold (that is current Threshold as opposed to starting, more on this later).
        Karma is the next category, it is a measure of being in tune, bringing balance to a situation, being balanced oneself, being ”in tune” or attuned to a given situation, reaping what you have sewn, etc. Players start each game session with Karma Tokens, which we suggest using red poker chips, equivalent to their Threshold. A piece of paper divided into two sections, or marks on one side of each Token, should be used.
        While Karma is handed out to each player, the Karma allotted to that player is not at that player's disposal; it is given to them to hand out to the other players. During gameplay, if one of your fellow players describes a combat move worthy of the Matrix or a wuxia flick, makes you laugh 'till Mountain Dew spews from your nose, makes you cry like a scolded, beaten, red-headed step-child, or otherwise emotionally sways you or impresses you, toss 'em a Karma Token or two. There are no hard set rules governing this dispensation, just use your own judgement. We suggest pacing yourself, giving out 1-2 points per instance as the pool you start with is all you have to hand out. However, save for the immediate impact on actions, a character may only earn Karma equivalent to their Threshold. Karma influences not only the action that earned it, it can also be spent later in the game session, or can be saved  and put toward improving your character; that's right, boys and girls, they work like experience!
        Destiny is the final category. GMs start every session with an “unlimited” amount of Luck, and a number of Karma and Destiny equivalent to the highest Threshold in the group. We suggest GMs track Destiny with blue poker chips. Destiny is that spark of greatness that gradually reveals itself until it throws back the shadows of uncertainty in a brilliant flash. Destiny works similarly to Karma: it has an immediate impact on the action that garnered it, can be spent later, or accumulated for character advancement. Destiny is more potent than Karma, of course. Again, the rules behind the Tokens will be covered later in the Creativity Mechanics section.

This is the core of my game. I would ask that you give me an honest assessment of how I have conveyed the rules. I can easily and quickly explain them in person, but I feel something gets lost when I write it out. I realize I am asking you to discern the shape of an elephant with a blindfold on, so I understand if this makes a few people angry. Just tell me if you think you understand my explanation or not. Any suggestions to clarify or simplify would be helpfull as well. Thanks in advance.

Card              Value            Lower Power Value
2                      2                            2
3                      3                            3
4                      4                            4
5                      5                            5
6                      6                            6
7                      7                            7
8                      8                            8
9                      9                            9
10                  10                          10
Jack                12                          11
Queen            14                          12
King                16                          13
Ace                18                          14
Joker              20                          15

My apologies the table from above fell apart...I didn't realize that would happen when I cut and pasted it. Sorry.

Welcome to the Forge, Malckuss! (and do you have a real name we can call you by?)

Your description is, yes, a little confusing.  I'd boil it down to two things: lack of format, and lack of examples.

Format -- you have the first part of formatting down in that you've got it in a sensible order.  What you're lacking are headers or any other way that lets the reader break up the information into managable chunks.  I think if you add in some headers and then check to make sure what you've got under each header belongs under that header, it will get a lot easier to read.

Examples -- pretty straightforward, all of this could be a lot more sensible if it was accompanied with some concrete examples using "real" people and "real" characters.  I use scarequotes because the people and characters are of course fictional, but giving them names an a sliver of personality makes them lots more tangible and understandable.

Lastly, you've laid out the pieces but you haven't mentioned how they work together.  Is that intentional (it can be a worthwhile way to explain a system)?

I'll second what Joshua said about not saying how the pieces fit together.  I look at your writeup and I wonder (a) what you do mechanically with the resources, (b) how you arbitrate things in the shared imaginary space and (c) how (a) and (b) fit together.

So, (a):  Do I draw cards from the deck and hold them in my hand?  Or put them face up on the table?  If I earn 20 Karma tokens do I win?  Can I use a Luck token rather than a Karma token?  What would I use either of them for?

(b) If I want to tell a story of Jack jumping over a pit, and Bob wants to tell a story of Jack falling into the pit and breaking his leg, how do we decide which story we tell?  Does it matter if Bob is the GM or not?

(c) If I have a ten card (the utmost human effort), does that mean I can use it to automatically break any olympic record?  How about if I have an Ace?

Hi!
  I like this idea. I think examples are super necesary. Especially since you are shooting for a generic system. Off the cuff, it seems like the luck/karma values are a little high, but without more mechanics, that is just a guess.
  I think you should try explaining the concept you are on, instead of trying to link it to other concepts. For instance, the connections are obvious from the way it is written now, but what they mean and how they work is not. And you explained some values, but not what they really mean or how they are used.
  Don't get me wrong, especially considering you admitted writing is not your forte, you have a good start here, but you need to slow down and focus on describing the current topic and wait to link and explain others til you get to them...
  Good luck!

Aw, crud. Well, the fault is mine and is two-fold.
1) I cut and pasted the above from the document and didn't actually check to see if the dang thing stayed in the same layout and
2) I didn't past in the whole thing because I was worried it would be too long. Let us try this again, then.

Straight from the first draft, then:

Simplexity
by Brandon Perkins

Introduction

Simplexity attempts to be a flexible, customizable rule set designed to foster creative, over the top action-oriented gameplay. However, nearly all interaction in this rule set works similarly to combat, so all aspects of the game should have a fast paced, frenetic feel.
   
The game is customizable, not just for the type of genre the group is trying to emulate, but can also be tailored to each individual player's tastes and needs for a particular character.
   
The basis for all this vaunted flexibility is very simple: a deck of cards.

Glossary of Terms

• Card Dynamics - Simplexity utilizes cards for task resolution instead of the dice used in most RPGs. The types of cards are irrelevant as to whether or not you are using a bridge deck, poker deck, canasta…ECT. That being said, if and when you start making use of multiple decks for your character, you will most likely want to use the same type of cards for consistency, especially since the decks mentioned have differing sizes. Simplexity uses all the cards in the deck, 2-Joker with aces high.

• Target Number (TN) – The value you have to meet or exceed in an action check in order to succeed at your task; of course the more you exceed this number by, the more successful the action. Certain factors can mitigate this difficulty.

• Complex Target Number - Monolithic target number that is broken down into Staged Target Numbers that are used to resolve complex actions such as building a device, laying out a plan, or climbing a mountain.

• Staged Target Number - This is a certain percentage of the Complex Target Number, above. It is the equivalent of one action. Most Complex Actions will take about four Staged Actions to complete. If this Number is not reached, you have made no real progress for that round; if the Staged Target Number is failed by more then half, you have seriously screwed up and must start over from the beginning of that particular Staged Action. At the GM’s discretion, truly disastrous results could lead to starting the entire Complex Action over; this should be reserved for truly onerous or deadly situations.

• Action Result (AR) - This is total value derived from the hand you play to resolve any task. You add your Prime Attribute to the most relevant skill being used to form your Hand; you may then play as many cards as your rating in the skill allows (the value of the skill). You must play either a Run (3, 4, 5) or a Set (three 4s for example) in order to play more than one card. You then add up the card values to get the AR. An Action Result can be modified by Techniques, Creativity Mechanics, Luck Tokens, Fate, and other factors that will be explained else ware.

• Destiny Tokens - These are represented by poker chips. Here is how they break down: Luck is represented by white poker chips; everybody starts with a set amount of these. Karma is represented by red poker chips; these can be used as a Luck Token and the total you earn are kept track of to improve your character. While you will start with a supply of these, they are spent on fellow gamers at your discretion; this will be explained in the Creativity Mechanics section. Destiny is represented by blue poker chips, also used to improve your character, and is worth two Karma or four Luck. Only the GM starts with these. The way to gain Destiny Tokens is through good role-playing, a funny comment, or an action that makes every one say "Wow". Wow me, wine me, dine me, and you get some chips.

• Standard Deck - This is a set of fifty-two cards with suits of Clubs, Spades, Hearts and Diamonds. Poker was a game that was played by cowboys of the old west in saloons, just before a good bar-fight broke out and destroyed the tedium. Yee-Haw!

• Hand of Fate – “This is the Hand that Fate dealt you.” Cards from the Hand of Fate can be used to augment any use of cards. The Cards drawn for the Hand of Fate are taken from the cards left over after the game’s Threshold has been determined.

• Fate - This is the most important area of the game. Your Fate determines your character’s potential, tracks character development, determines interaction with Creativity Mechanics, determines the factors of the Hand of Fate, and can be utilized in a mechanic that represents Reincarnation in a game setting, so when character death occurs, the player isn’t set back to square one.

• Technique - A direct, specific, often unique application of a Skill. These are extra special things you can do with a Special Trait or Skill, which goes above and beyond what is “normally possible”. Techniques are things you have practiced so many times you could do them with your eyes closed and your hands tied behind your back. Examples are the slick salesman with the killer sales pitch you can't say no to, the irresistible seductress who seems to know all the right things to say and ways to move, or the swordsman whom has trained until he can react to an unseen opponent . (Yes, we know that the swordsman couldn’t perform his with his hands tied behind his back, but you know what we mean. Wait…or could he? Hmmmm…)

• Special Traits - These are specific to your character.  Unlike Skills these are abilities that only you or maybe a few people have. Special Traits are kind of like powers; something you were born with, or were imbued with, received in some sort of accident, or may be a gift from a higher life form, or something you were taught or you learned on your own.  Ultimately it is really up to you how you came by it, but make sure that your abilities make sense, work in regards to your character,  fit within the campaign, and are balanced because the GM is going to say no if you don't. In fact, you should get your GM to help with designing these abilities or pick from the list in the book.

• Aspect – These are additional functions purchased for Special Traits, beyond the default function.

• Facets - These are things associated with your Skills, Special Traits, or Techniques that you are absolutely permitted to use them for. They determine exactly what you know how to do with that ability.  Examples would be Small Arms in the Combat Skill or  Brain Surgery for the Medical Skill.

• Prime Attribute - A quality or characteristic inherent in or ascribed to someone or something. These are the main statistics that give your character power to move (Physical), to think (Mental), to interact with the outside world (Social), and to understand the cosmos and your place in it (Spiritual).

• Sub Attribute - These are used to create more diversity in your character, representing the strength of an  attribute (Power), your facility to take precise action with it (Focus), to react quickly with it (Speed), and to withstand outside influences on it (Resistance). These are completely optional; if one player wishes to use them and another doesn’t, the GM doesn’t have to decide whether to make use of them or not. In fact, the GM has no control over your use of these traits.

Standard Playing Card Mechanics

    Each player will need a standard deck of playing cards, the kind used for playing poker or bridge. This does mean that Simplexity isn't really what you would call a pick-up game, but with the popularity of Texas Hold 'em one should have no problem finding the cards and poker chips you will want for your games. More on the poker chips later; for now, lets concentrate on the cards.

    As stated, each player (and the GM) will want their own deck of cards. As the game progresses, each player will be able to customize their decks to fit their characters, and the style of play they prefer. This deck of cards, and the rules tied directly to it, are referred to as Fate.

    In order to understand Fate, you first need to understand the value of each card as it relates to Simplexity.

Standard Playing Card Mechanics is the default task resolution method for Simplexity. There will be at least two other resolution mechanics systems implemented at a later date including Tarot Cards and a dice mechanic for those of you with your heart set on that sort of resolution. For now, let us focus on the cards.

Card Value Lower Power Value
2     2                 2
3     3                 3
4     4                 4
5     5                 5
6     6                 6
7     7                 7
8     8                 8
9     9                 9
10     10               10
Jack   12               11
Queen 14             12
King   16               13
Ace   18               14
Joker   20               15

    The range of 2-10 is the range of human performance, with 2 being the low end and 10 the high end. The face cards represents supernal efforts, generally supernatural in origin. The GM will determine what values are appropriate for their games.

Fate

Now that you have been introduced to the values of the deck, let's talk about Fate. As mentioned before, the customized deck of cards each player uses is referred to as Fate, and there are a number of rules tied directly to this deck. The first one we should consider is Threshold.

    Threshold is determined by the GM at the start of the game; it determines which cards will be included in the player's starting decks, and which will be left out, at least in the games outset. It should be noted that a GM should always have a full deck of cards.

    A game's Threshold determines several game factors. The most prominent was presented in the previous paragraph and in the example below. This Value represents the amount of effort a character can bring to bare on a any given problem.

    This value is also used to determined the amount of points used for character creation. This pool of points are called Concept Points. To determine a character's Concept Points, simply multiply the Threshold by 10.

    For example: Dave decides to run a Simplexity game modeled after a movie he saw recently. He knows that the Face cards represents supernatural traits. The movies characters were extremely capable, but didn't perform  tasks by any supernatural means, at least by Hollywood's standards. After careful consideration, he decides to start the game at a Threshold of 7. This means his players will use the 2,3,4,5,6, and 7 cards with the 8,9,10,Jack,Queen,King,Ace,and Joker cards left out for now. This also means that each player will have 70 Concept Points with which to build their characters.

    The next game factor impacted by Threshold touches on Creativity Mechanics. This is the system of character development, as well as the system used to influence character action. We will go into these mechanics further later; this section will only address the area affected by Threshold, namely Destiny Tokens.

                Destiny Tokens are broken down into three categories.

The first one is Luck, and we suggest tracking Luck with white poker chips. Luck represents  things such as opportune moments, “lucky breaks”, desperation, reaching way down, taping into potential, adroit application of skill, etc. (specific mechanics to come later). Players get a number of Luck Tokens at the start of each game session equivalent to their Threshold (that is current Threshold as opposed to starting, as you can buy up your Threshold).

    Karma is the next category, it is a measure of being in tune, bringing balance to a situation, being balanced oneself, being ”in tune” or attuned to a given situation, reaping what you have sewn, etc. Players start each game session with Karma Tokens, which we suggest using red poker chips, equivalent to their Threshold. A piece of paper divided into two sections, or marks on one side of each Token, should be used.

    While Karma is handed out to each player, the Karma allotted to that player is not at that player's disposal; it is given to them to hand out to the other players. During gameplay, if one of your fellow players describes a combat move worthy of the Matrix or a wuxia flick, makes you laugh 'till Mountain Dew spews from your nose, makes you cry like a scolded, beaten, red-headed step-child, or otherwise emotionally sways you or impresses you, toss 'em a Karma Token or two. There are no hard set rules governing this dispensation, just use your own judgement. We suggest pacing yourself, giving out 1-2 points per instance as the pool you start with is all you have to hand out. However, save for the immediate impact on actions, a character may only earn Karma equivalent to their Threshold. Karma influences not only the action that earned it, it can also be spent later in the game session, or can be saved  and put toward improving your character; that's right, boys and girls, they work like experience!

    Destiny is the final category. GMs start every session with an “unlimited” amount of Luck, and a number of Karma and Destiny equivalent to the highest Threshold in the group. We suggest GMs track Destiny with blue poker chips. Destiny is that spark of greatness that gradually reveals itself until it throws back the shadows of uncertainty in a brilliant flash. Destiny works similarly to Karma: it has an immediate impact on the action that garnered it, can be spent later, or accumulated for character advancement. Destiny is more potent than Karma, of course. Again, the rules behind the Tokens will be covered later in the Creativity Mechanics section.

I swear on all my dice I fixed that gorram table twice! *sigh* Bygones. Here is the rest of the rules I have.

Character Creation
Now we will move on to the character pertinent information, covering character traits and creation.

The first concept to discuss are Archetypes. Unlike other games were the Archetypes are defined and categorized for you, you and the GM are free to define Archetypes for your own uses. Nearly any characteristic that defines what or who you are can be an Archetype. Some of the kinds of things an Archetype can define are things like Race (Elves, Dwarves, “Aliens”, Half-blooded of something else, etc.), Occupation (Ranger, Police Officer, Paladin, Pilot, etc), Calling (Priest, Slayer, Prophet), or anything else that defines who or what you are. It should also be noted that Archetypes may be utilized, or ignored if the player prefers; it is fine to have a character with no Archetype, but if you don't use them, you will need to use Skills.

Generally, you will not have more than two Archetypes, but Simplexity allows for up to four Archetypes in a framework we call a Cascade.

When you take an Archetype, whether one or several, you define one as your Primary Archetype. This is the aspect of your character that is the most important to yourself, the most intrinsic part, that if taken away would invalidate his or her existence. No other Archetype may have more points sunk into them than the Primary Archetype, and in fact, any Secondary Archetype purchased must be at least 1 Rank lower than the Primary, and so on and so forth. So, if making an Elven Battledancer, you would ask yourself, which is more important/defining to this character? Is the fact he is a graceful, dangerous, lithe, athletic, death-dealer more important to him, or is family, grace, etiquette, immortality and culture more important? For our continuing example, lets proceed with Battledancer as our Primary Archetype.  So, if we rate our Battledancer at 3, our Secondary Archetype of Elf cannot exceed a 2. If we were to Purchase a Tertiary Archetype pertaining to magic, it cannot exceed a Rank of 1. Before we purchase the utmost limit, a Tertiary Archetype, we would need to raise the Rank of each Archetype by 1 so we could have our last archetype at 1.

Archetypes are rated in a series of Ranks, 1-4. Each Rank allows a Facet (discussed later) to be purchased that is pertinent to the concept of the Archetype; GMs and Players should work together to determine what is pertinent. Each Rank will also act as an equivalent number of Ranks in a Skill, but only as pertains to actions covered by its Facets. Anything else must be purchased as a Skill. Archetypes cost 2 Concept Points / Rank at Character Generation. Additional Facets may be purchased at a cost of 1 CP/Facet.

The next layer is Traits, broken down into Primary Attributes, and Secondary Attributes.

Primary Attributes are categorized as follows: Physical, Social, Mental, and Spiritual.

Physical - Covers all things you can do physically. Examples; lifting, running, or even pummeling someone.

Mental - Covers all aspect of the mind, including deductive reasoning, speed of thought, memory, and serves as the basis of psychic powers

Social - Covers your charisma, looks or appearance, sex appeal, force of personality, and capacity to read emotions.

Spiritual - Covers willpower, your sense of the higher self, your life force, your passions, that intangible, and the immeasurable spark that makes up what some would call "the soul"

Primary Attributes form the base of all the hands of cards you will need to play the game. Most of the time you will be adding your relevant Primary Attribute to a relevant Skill or Archetype to figure the number of cards in your hand. Primary Attributes are rated in Ranks of 1-4. Primary Attributes cost 2 Concept Points / Rank at Character Creation.

Optionally, these Prime Attributes can be reinforced and focused by these Secondary Attributes. Each Secondary Attribute functions in a different manner, as defined. Secondary Attributes are rated in Ranks 1-4. Secondary Attributes cost 1 Concept Point/ Rank at Character Creation.

Power - This is the driving force (or force majuer) behind each stat. Each Rank of Power adds to the Action Result of an attack/contested situation after all resistances have been factored.

Focus - This represents the ability to apply one of the four Prime Attribute to a given task, it is the ability to handle a situation with finesse rather than brute force or to apply brute force with precession. Each Rank of Focus allows the player to exchange a card for the relevant hand from their deck.

Speed - This represents precisely what it is - your character's ability to function quickly, or under pressure, without sacrificing the ability to function with competence. Each Rank of Speed allows a player to redraw extra cards into their hand between exchanges.

Resistance - This represents how well you are able to endure other forces acting upon or trying to influence you in a given situation. Each Rank of Resistance is subtracted from the Action Result of each relevant attack affecting the character.

Here is where the beauty of the system starts to to show itself. As with the Archetypes, if you don't wish to mess with the Secondary Attributes, you don't have to, and if you do, you don't have to fight with the rest of the group to do so. Each character is built to the individual player's specifications, the way you want to to play the game, not dictated by the group. So, you can have one player playing at the most basic level (Fate, Archetype, and Primary Attributes) one with slightly more to their character,(the aforementioned plus a few Skills), and one with all the pieces in place in the same group without causing a breakdown in the system! You play your way. Customization of characters was one of the primary design principles of Simplexity.

Now we will discuss the Skills of the game. As with the rest of the game, we tried to keep the skill selection extremely simple, yet able to accommodate any style of gameplay. There are only twelve skills in Simplexity, yet they can be expanded and focused by Facets. Skills are organized in Ranks from 1-4. A player makes his hand generally from a Prime Attribute & Archetype/Skill combination, and is able to play a number of cards equivalent to their Ranks in the applicable Archetype or Skill. Players also select one Facet for their Skills per Rank. Note that some Facets may be available to several or different Skills as subject to GM needs, or GM/Player cooperation. Some of these will be presented in the examples. Skills cost 2 Concept Points/Rank, and may purchase additional Facets at a cost of 1 per Facet.

• Arts- Imagination focused through a medium, be it the human body, canvas, an instrument, or something less traditional. Nearly anything that is referred to as the Arts is covered by this skill, with the notable exceptions of the Martial Arts, covered by Combat. Possible Facets: Dance, Cooking, Painting, Singing, Ballet, Pianist, Photography, Guitarist, Drummer, Electronic Media, Light, Sculpture, Writing, etc.

• Athletics- The principles or system of training and practice for activities, such as sports, exercises, and games. Possible Facets: Climbing, Running, Endurance Sports, Escape Artistry, Jumping, Skiing, Weight Lifting, Acrobatics, Gymnastics, Tumbling, etc.

• Awareness- The literal meaning is vigilant; watchful. But this is so much more, there are many different types of awareness, you notice things quickly, be it a fighting style or "Oh no, that kid is going to get greased by that semi!" to even quick wit "Genera Custer, I see Red people!” seeing ghosts and auras also are awareness. Possible Facets: Assessment, Situational Awareness, Spatial Awareness, Danger Assessment, Focused, Scrutiny, Sight, Sound, Taste, Tactile, Olfactory, Observation, Empathy, etc.

• Combat- Kicking ass, taking names. Opening a can of Woop-ass. Katsujinkin/Satsujinkin Gun Katas.  Dropping bombs. Peace through Force Majuer. This skill covers all forms of combat, from personal to intergalactic. It also covers things like strategy and tactics. Possible Facets: Axes, Boxing, Clubs, Grappling, Garrotes, National Weapons, Small Arms, Rifles, Assault Rifles, Martial Arts (specify by style, or just default), Boomerangs, Demolitions, Spears, Swords, Knives, Archery, Marksmanship, Heavy Arms, Artillery & Fixed Weaponry, Turret Weaponry, Vehicle Weaponry (by Vehicle), Whips, Personal Tactics, Squad Tactics, siege Warfare, etc.

• Gadgeteering- The skill of building, utilizing, and servicing, innovating, and advancing technology. This skill is limited by genre, and campaign. Plasma Ejectors would be right out in a historical campaign set during the Revolutionary War, but with some work, ingenuity, and a bit of GM favor, you might develop self-contained munitions a century early. Possible Facets:  Repair, Blacksmithing, Construction, Gun smithing, Machinist, Computers, Computer Technician, Majitechnician, Mechanic, Electrician, Programmer, Building Cyberware, Weapon Systems, etc.

• Interaction- Any of the fundamental ways in which people can influence each other, be it subtle coercion to bold threats. Possible Facets: Antagonism, Keeping Cool, Seduction, Etiquette, Persuasion, Intimidation, Manipulation, Charismatic, Good Listener, Journalism,  Leadership/Command, Awkward Silence, Blackmail, Politics &
Bureaucracy, Rumor & Innuendo, Teaching, etc

• Medical- Diagnosing, treating, and healing, the body and mind. Also covers replicating parts for or replacing parts of, the body, as well as the sciences of the physical body. Possible Facets: First Aid, Paramedics, General Practice, Specialist, Forensics, Psychology, Pathology, Sociology, Biology, Veterinary Medicine, Psychiatry, Biochemistry, Installing Cyberware, Biotechnology, Zoology, Zenobiology, etc

• Metaphysical- The act or process of interaction through psychic or spiritual means, as well as the study of the cosmos and that which exits beyond the pale. Possible Facets: By Special Traits, Intuition, Meditation, Mesmerism, Trance, Qabbalaism, Tantra, Ghosts, Knowledge of the Occult, Myth & Legend, By Culture, By Mystic Tradition, Magic, Psionics,Prayer, etc

• Navigation- Plotting a course from point A to point B and the operation of vehicles or mounts to get there. This also covers knowledge of geography, shortcuts, navigational hazards, where to get assistance, etc Possible Facets: Cartography, using GPS, Astrogation, Astrological Navigation, Boating & Sailing, Horsemanship, Motorcycles, Tanks, Fighter craft, Helicopter, Cars, OTR Trucks, Oceanic Navigation, Atlas, Stunt driving, Offensive/Defensive Driving Techniques, etc
• Scholarship- This relates to academic schools of thought, reading, writing, mathematics, and grammar. This is the most comprehensive skill, covering any kind of knowledge or the application thereof. Possible Facets: Aeronautics,  Archeology, Anthropology, Architecture, History, Languages( both written and spoken), Basic Mathematics, Advanced Mathematics,  Astronomy, Chemistry, Criminology, Finance, Genetics, Genealogy, Geology, Heraldry, Law, Law Enforcement, Any Science, Research, Oceanography, Physics, Radiology, Robotics & Bionics, Cataloguing, Academia, Trivia, Knowledge associated with other skills, etc

• Subterfuge- This is a deceptive stratagem, either to elude or dupe an opponent or to protect yourself by means of hiding or misleading, as well as countering the use of these skills. Spying, lying, and hiding, black ops, et al. Possible Facets:  Assassination Techniques & Scenarios, Cryptography, Espionage, Black Ops, Legerdemain (sleight of hand), Lock picking, Resisting Interrogation, Stealth, Surveillance, Shadowing & losing a Tail, Covert Ops, Trap finding & Evading, Undercover Ops, Counter terrorism, etc

• Survival- This is your ability to be cool under pressure, live through all your hardships and come out on top; Nietzsche said 'What does not kill you will make you stronger.' This is the very essence of our survival. Specifically, this is the ability to endure hardship, live off the land, set up and conceal shelter. Possible Facets:  Animal Handling/Training, Hunting, Foraging Trapping, Tracking & Counter tracking, Camouflage, Enduring the Elements, etc

That is almost everything I have so far. I hope this helps. I ment to say in my first post that I am NOT savvy to the Forge lingo, not to accidentally imply otherwise. My name is Brandon Perkins, my company is Cardiac Press, and Simplexity will be our first product. I will try to figure a way to post a copy of the character sheet as that should help understand some of these concepts, but they shouldn't be unclear by themselves, in my opinion.

As an asside, anyone who would like a copy of the character sheet, email me at malckuss@yahoo.com and specify background or no background and I will send it to you. Thanks for your help.

Okay, this is probably in there, but I can't find it:  What are Luck tokens used for?

You didn't miss the mechanics of the tokens, as they aren't in the current document. They are part of the section I am currently working on and small things change nearly every day. However, these things haven't: Luck tokens are there for players to be able to give themselves a little extra push. They have several effects, as I will describe with examples. The first effect is designed to compensate for a bad hand; say the player is making an Awareness hand, and has a Mental of three and an Awareness skill of three. In my system that is very competent. Lets say further for this example, that they have a Threshold of 9, which means they have cards 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9, four of each, with the rest left out. This means they can bring some series effort to bear on any given situation. But lets say they draw for this hand of 6 a 2,2,2,3,5,6, & a 9. With a skill of three he can chain together three of those cards.(the following isn't in the above rules I just realized, please don't smite me) In order to do this though, the cards need to form a straight or a set. So our imaginary player could try to chain the three 2's for a total of 6. If he had a 4 he could try to chain a 2,3, and a 4, or the 4, the 5, and the 6, but he has no 4. But, by spending a Luck Token, our player could substitute any number between 2 and 9( his/her Threshold) for one of his lesser cards. So, depending on how he want to accomplish it, the player could spend that token and burn a 2 to get a 4, and could form a straight with the 4,5, and 6, for a total 15, or if the TN was slightly higher or he wanted a better Action Result he could burn any of the smaller cards for another 9 and have an 18. The player could also play a Luck token to draw, play, and redraw an extra card this exchange (round, essentially), so the same player would have had 7 cards in their hand, could have laid out 4 cards if they could form a set or straight, and instead of the one card redraw after each exchange, would have redrawn two. Luck Tokens have one final use, and that is to allow one card to be returned to the deck from the discard pile. I'll explain the importance of that later; gotta get my friend to work right now.

Malckuss wrote: So, depending on how he want to accomplish it, the player could spend that token and burn a 2 to get a 4, and could form a straight with the 4,5, and 6, for a total 15, or if the TN was slightly higher or he wanted a better Action Result he could burn any of the smaller cards for another 9 and have an 18.

It would depend on the cards the player had in his hand. In the example I gave, it would be more in their favor to trade in a low-value card with the expenditure of a Luck Token into a second 9 for a pair, but with the right cards and skill level, having the cards to back up a straight could occasionally be more advantageous that just having a really high card. Lets say for the folowing example that instead of a 9 the players last card had been a 7; so the player has in hand 2,2,2,3,5,6 and a 7. Having a 9 in place of a lower card would do no good here. the player could form a hand from the 5, 6, & 7 for a total of 18, same as if they had a pair of 9's. However, the player could, if they wished and had the tokens on hand (remember, you have a number of Luck at the start of a game equal to your Threshold, so 9 in this case) could 1) spend a Luck token and a 2 for a 4. 2) Spend an additional token to draw, play, and redraw an additional card. For our example, we shall say they got another 6. But they don't have to play the card they drew; the player could, instead, choose to play that 4 for a straight involving the 4, 5, 6, & 7 for an Action Result of 22. In fact, in this situation, if they had the skill level, or other factors that affect card expenditures (stuff I'm still working on) they could theoretically chain the 2,3,4,5,6,& 7 for an Action Result of 27. This is also dependent of the Target Number they are facing for the task, as the higher it is the higher they nee the AR to be, but because you always get more bang for your buck( the more you surpass the TN the more of an effect you can achieve), the higher the better. I will try to post the current difficulty chart and explain conflict resolution the next time I post.

Malckuss wrote: The types of cards are irrelevant as to whether or not you are using a bridge deck, poker deck, canasta…ECT.

*slaps forehead* D'OH!
Thanks for pointing that out...I feel very un-tellegent, right now. That deffinitely would have caused some confusion. *runs off to edit rules*

Malckuss wrote:
It would depend on the cards the player had in his hand. In the example I gave, it would be more in their favor to trade in a low-value card with the expenditure of a Luck Token into a second 9 for a pair, but with the right cards and skill level, having the cards to back up a straight could occasionally be more advantageous that just having a really high card.

You are correct, sir. The only ways I could imagine someone not going for the best Action Result possible is if A) they were trying not to reveal exactly how competent they were to an outside observer B) They were attempting to subdue and opponent rather than take them out C) they were exceedingly low on Luck and thought they might not be able to earn any back anytime soon and were being judicious on the use of their last Token. I'm off for work now; I'll post the stuff I promised and answer some of your earlier questions, Tony, when I get in tomorrow morning. What do you all think so far?

I think you're closing in on having the rules conveyed, if still in somewhat rambling fashion.  The new drafts (with headers) are also definitely easier on the eyes.  Shallow of me, I know, but when presenting things it's great to have a pretty face.

TonyLB wrote:
I'll second what Joshua said about not saying how the pieces fit together.  I look at your writeup and I wonder (a) what you do mechanically with the resources, (b) how you arbitrate things in the shared imaginary space and (c) how (a) and (b) fit together.

So, (a):  Do I draw cards from the deck and hold them in my hand?  Or put them face up on the table?  If I earn 20 Karma tokens do I win?  Can I use a Luck token rather than a Karma token?  What would I use either of them for?

Well, as I hope I have conveyed, you do draw cards from the deck to form a hand, using the appropriate Prime Attribute + Archetype or Skill. You may then play a number of cards up to your skill ranks as long they are a straight (numerical order, eg 2,3,4,etc) or a set (two of a kind, three of a kind, 2,2,2, or4,4,, ect..)
I have explained Luck earlier. Karma has several functions as well. It makes an attempt at an action it is earned on easier, first off. Say you are playing the saucy redhead mentioned in the rough draft. If you describe the attempt to seduce someone with enough verve, or entertainingly enough, some of the other players may give you a Karma Token or two. Each Karma Token earned reduces the difficulty of the action attempted by 1 level, or may be substituted for a Luck Token. Only one Karma may be used as a Luck Token. The reason for this should be apparent, as too many Luck Tokens would make the action incredibly easy. Karma still will make attempted actions much easier. Each Token earned is then recorded on the character sheet for later use, remembering that you cannot earn more Karma in a game session than your Threshold.. Here is where one of my conundrums kick in: I like the idea of burning Karma for effect, and I want to use them for character advancement. What I would like to do is have the burned effect take place when the player spends the point to advance their character, sort of allocating the point in game, directing the characters growth in a more "realistic" manner than the whim of which power or skill they want now. If they blow the point for an in game boost, that is were the points is allocated for further development. This would also simulate that staple of fiction and film of the character figuring out last second how to fly the out of control plan by life-threatened trail and error, as well as that eureka! factor that newly acquired skill sometimes has.

(b) If I want to tell a story of Jack jumping over a pit, and Bob wants to tell a story of Jack falling into the pit and breaking his leg, how do we decide which story we tell?  Does it matter if Bob is the GM or not?


One of the things I am trying to accomplish in Simplexity is the idea of Total Control of one's own destiny, or in a less grandiose fashion; the player has almost total control over what happens to their character, and the GM has nearly total control over their plot. Bob could tell the story of Jack falling into the pit, but whether Jack actually breaks his leg or not is up to Jack, and the rules. If Jack were to take more than half of his cards in damage (more on this in a bit) and he thought the story might be made better for it, he might well decide that Jack breaks his leg. However, if Bob is dead set on that busted leg, he should offer a bribe, say a Destiny Token, which doubles all card values when burned, as a fair trade. Obviously, Jack can't use this token to mitigate that fall, or his wound, but could use it on getting himself out, or trying to mend his wound.

(c) If I have a ten card (the utmost human effort), does that mean I can use it to automatically break any Olympic record?  How about if I have an Ace?

I don't suppose anyone has any thoughts on the system as It is currently presented? I would dearly love some feedback.

Oh, sure!  You said you were looking for advice on the way it was presented, and I suspect we were all trying to respect that focus.  Let me point out the thing that leaps out at me:

Malckuss wrote: One of the things I am trying to accomplish in Simplexity is the idea of Total Control of one's own destiny, or in a less grandiose fashion; the player has almost total control over what happens to their character, and the GM has nearly total control over their plot.

Hmm. You make valid points. Actually, though this is my first attempt to coalate everything and beat it into something resembling an RPG, I have actually had several occasions to playtest it; the situation you speak of has never come up, but then I am the kind of GM that 1) wants my players to have fun, and I drive the game to that end 2) See the expeirence as a co-op story, me with my plot and the players reacting aas the feel the should 3) I try as a GM, to think of what would be fun for me as a player, and handle any given situation in that manner.
My system actually allows the other players to reward each other, based on factors of creativity and give and take. The GM has the biggest reward to hand out, though, and has the most resources to do so. as for the whole "reasonabel challenge" vs "go for the throat" I would personnally like to see it go something like this:
As long as the players are all having fun and the gm is too, reasonable challenges work best. I would save the horendous stuff for players causing problems by either wrecking the fun everyone else is having, or by trying to go somewhere with the story you absolutely don't want to go.

That being said. how would you handle That situation? And secondarily, how would you present these thoughts in a manner that they come across clearly and concisely