Topic: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
Started by: Madkitten
Started on: 8/17/2006
Board: Endeavor
On 8/17/2006 at 8:35pm, Madkitten wrote:
Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
Forked from the following thread: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=20302.0
Send YOUR contribution to this E-mail Address: CompactRPG@sverige.nu
Last submission date: August the 28th.
The rules for the endeavor are as follows:
* The game are to be maximally 2 A4 pages long, and a character sheet is to be provided within these two pages.
* The text are not to be less than 8p Arial in size.
* The marginal should be at least 5 mm.
* Illustrations are allowed.
* Basic roleplaying concepts can be assumed to be known (what a GM/ST is, how attributes work and so on).
* A working system should be enclosed in the two pages, no freeforming.
* Lists stating equipment, abilities and the like is not necessary, unless they are part of the system.
* The system used should not be a rip off of an existing system, it can however share similarities.
* Previous submissions cannot be used in future Compact RPG Challenges.
* Games submitted will be put into a short compendium by myself, and should therefor be submitted in a pdf format with the knowledge and consent that it will be published. The submissions should be sent to me, my email will be published close to the submission deadline.
* The game should have a name, the name of the writer/writers and a short abstract of a maximum of 50 words
* Every endeavor will get a theme that should be tried to followed.
In closing, the games will be voted on by the forum-participants here on the forum, within the following categories:
* Best game all over.
* Best concept.
* Best system.
* Most innovative design/idea.
* Best theme.
Other considerations, small and larger:
* Accusations of cheating should be sent to me in private.
* There might be prices, but don't count on it.
* Questions should be directed into this thread.
So, the theme for this endeavor is: Technological Horror.
Goals (what gives points):
Best concept: The game that has the most interesting backstory-concept.
Best system: The game with the best system.
Most innovative design/idea: The game who have the newest ideas, not necessary the best game but certainly the most original.
Best theme: The game who follow the theme in the best fashion.
Best game all over: Best game all categories.
Best visual layout: Guess...
Forge Reference Links:
Topic 20302
On 8/17/2006 at 8:36pm, Madkitten wrote:
Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
My Email is up again BTW.
On 8/21/2006 at 6:50pm, Kesher wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
Tony--
So, it looks like you're saying that all of us who participated in the contest are going to be voting; that's fine, but I then have a couple of questions:
1. I assume we shouldn't vote for our own game? :)
2. Are you just going to go with a one-vote-per-category for each participant in terms of totals, or will there be some sort of continuum of points (i.e., 1-5) in each category?
Everyone else--
I'm interested in why people chose the resolution systems they did; I haven't read every game yet, but it seems like a larger percentage than you would (or I would, anyway) suspect used cards. Why? Did you choose cards because it somehow fit the theme, or was it because you felt it was easier to use for resolution in the small amount of space you had to work with, or was it for some other reason entirely? And how about other systems used?
For example, I used d10s first because they had the too-perfect-to-resist quality of generating ones and zeroes, which totally fit the theme as developed in <a href="http://rpgtalk.net/kesher/weblog/">ASSEMBLER. Also, I used pools of dice in particular because I wanted to have the tension of bidding using pools of dice, which (hopefully) reinforces the tension inherent in the Setting.
Aaron
On 8/21/2006 at 7:04pm, Madkitten wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
Kesher wrote:
Tony--
So, it looks like you're saying that all of us who participated in the contest are going to be voting; that's fine, but I then have a couple of questions:
1. I assume we shouldn't vote for our own game? :)
2. Are you just going to go with a one-vote-per-category for each participant in terms of totals, or will there be some sort of continuum of points (i.e., 1-5) in each category?
1. I believe that would constitute bad form, so, no, pleas refrain from doing that :-)
2. three votes per category, you may not put more than two on one single entry per category.
On 8/24/2006 at 6:59pm, WRPIgeek wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
Kesher wrote:
Everyone else--
I'm interested in why people chose the resolution systems they did; I haven't read every game yet, but it seems like a larger percentage than you would (or I would, anyway) suspect used cards. Why? Did you choose cards because it somehow fit the theme, or was it because you felt it was easier to use for resolution in the small amount of space you had to work with, or was it for some other reason entirely? And how about other systems used?
I used a choose-your-own-quality system, where you pick a certain number of traits you share with fictional characters. I did that because it a: took up relatively little space, and b: was easy to link into the feel of the game. The traits are used in a bidding war against the GM's pool of plot chips. I realized later that game sessions can end up skewed heavily towards the players or GM after the first contest. Not necessarily a bad thing, just a thing. I think cards would probably have been more limiting than I wanted for this particular game.
--Colin
On 8/24/2006 at 8:32pm, Filip Luszczyk wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
So, I probably wouldn't enter the challenge if I didn't get the idea of using some electronic device for resolution in a Technological Horror game. After dropping the concept of microwave oven based game (^^) I thought about stopwatches, and an idea of making narration time a precisely counted resource sparked in my head. The rest, the whole parasite background, "railroady" tug of war between players and GM, tokens, and all, came to my mind rather naturally after I got that basic idea (definitely, the whole premise and theme are derived from system here, not the other way - the game could easily work for werewolfs or demon possesions as well). Most of the system itself formed in few moments, when the tokens economy idea arised after the issue of possible narrating getting rid of the parasite as a first thing to do was discovered. And basically, since it's a narration rights game, not much else was needed in the system.
The only thing I regret now is limiting player's narration rights when it comes to introducing new stuff into the story. I did it as a last system change, to increase interaction at the table by giving players reason not to narrate too long at a time. Now there is a risk, though, that the GM dominates the game too much.
On 8/25/2006 at 10:50am, Ken wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
Kesher wrote:
Everyone else--
I'm interested in why people chose the resolution systems they did;
Sync
When I considered the theme of the challenge, I was definitely thinking along the lines of horror movies and pscychological thrillers. The characters that dominate these stories aren't really all that different from each other in terms of ability, so I didn't see the need for a drawn out characteristic system when just one trait (Action Level) would do. While the characters can certainly be different on the surface from each other, they pretty much all have the same effect in the game, though maybe through different means. I also like linking health to AL, so that characters became less effective as they sustained damage; makes sense to me.
As for as the 2d6 aspect; it was easy to figure out, both for me and potential players, though not horribly innovative. I had briefly brainstormed alternate modes of task resolution, but felt that if nothing came readily to mind, then I'd be forcing it to work just to be different. Overall, the game seems user friendly and easy to pick up, which I think is a must for something that only has two pages of rules (and story content, and art, and indents, and margins, and a title, etc.). I probably would have never stripped it down so much on my own. Now that being said, I've already got a bunch of add-on rules to add a bit more diversity (though not much) to the characters, and have branched off into different genres for future products.
Ken
On 8/25/2006 at 2:13pm, Thunder_God wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
Filip wrote:
The only thing I regret now is limiting player's narration rights when it comes to introducing new stuff into the story. I did it as a last system change, to increase interaction at the table by giving players reason not to narrate too long at a time. Now there is a risk, though, that the GM dominates the game too much.
It is still not the 28th, you can still fix it.
On 8/25/2006 at 5:56pm, Filip Luszczyk wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
Guy:
But it's already after 15th, so I don't want to. The game was originally supposed to be ready til 15th, so if something's not right now, let it be so.
Also, the risk doesn't mean certainty, and the rule can just as well give the expected results, depending on group involved. If I ever write expanded version of the game, and that's possible, this will be one of the first issues to address.
Ken:
I'm curious, why did you decide to actually describe Them? The second page kind of completely changed my impression of the theme of your game.
On 8/26/2006 at 3:02am, Ken wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
Filip wrote:
Ken:
I'm curious, why did you decide to actually describe Them? The second page kind of completely changed my impression of the theme of your game.
From the very beginning, I had a pretty solid idea for Them (appearance, abilities, etc.) as an integral part of the game. Monsters in a horror game seems like a natural choice to me. I also wanted pockets of action and conflict, as well as suspense and paranoia, so They had to have a physical form to fight (at some level).
What your thoughts were about the theme of the game before you read page two?
Thanks,
Ken
On 8/26/2006 at 7:17pm, Filip Luszczyk wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
What your thoughts were about the theme of the game before you read page two?
On the first page it was kind of like "Woah, creepy!".
On the second page it was more like "Woah, ghostbusters."
I'm not sure which of these fits your idea of this game better.
On 8/27/2006 at 12:28am, Ken wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
Filip wrote:
On the first page it was kind of like "Woah, creepy!".
On the second page it was more like "Woah, ghostbusters."
I'm not sure which of these fits your idea of this game better.
Actually, either will do. Thanks alot for reading it, and your thoughts.
Best
On 8/29/2006 at 3:48pm, WRPIgeek wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
Hey Tony - How does it look? How many submissions did you get? Can you post links so we can do some reading and voting?
On 8/29/2006 at 5:41pm, btrc wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
I've been trying to get my revised entry in, but I keep getting a "mailbox full" bounce message when sending to CompactRPG@sverige.nu. Makes it hard to meet a deadline when you can't cram it in the mail slot. In any case, my revised game (Ebon v1.01) can be downloaded at:
http://www.btrc.net/pub/ebonv101.pdf
Greg Porter
On 8/29/2006 at 7:47pm, Madkitten wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
OK, the challenge deadline is officially meet, and during the next couple of days Im going to put the compilation together.
I will post a link to the compendium once done, in a new thread, and then the voting starts.
Take care all.
On 9/29/2006 at 3:06pm, WRPIgeek wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
So, uh... this whole thing sort of died, huh.
Oh well. :(
On 9/29/2006 at 3:37pm, Filip Luszczyk wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
So it seems. I PM-ed Tony a week ago about that, but I didn't receive any answer.
On 9/29/2006 at 3:53pm, dpetroski wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
<sigh>
There's some really cool submissions...it'd be a shame for this to just get dropped. Besides...I really liked our game. I'd like to see what others thought. It'd be great to have some closure on this. Thoughts anyone? I don't suppose anyone would be interested in "helping" Tony coordinate the voting?
On 9/29/2006 at 4:08pm, Kesher wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
Even without voting, I think it'd be great to actually compile all of the submissions into a single, free pdf (I say this not knowing how to do that...) I'll shortly have space on a server to store it, if someone can knit them all together.
Aaron
On 9/29/2006 at 6:17pm, iago wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
I'd be game to at least assemble the combined PDF. I'm proud of my entry.
On 9/30/2006 at 10:27pm, Ken wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
I'm a little lost with actually making a website, but I have been using Yahoo Groups. I can make a group with links to the various pdfs, and set up a series of polls (one for each category of the competition). If this sounds interesting, let me know, and we can hammer out the details. Been looking forward to this for a long time, and had to put some of my life on hold to meet the competition deadline (the first one, not the second one). Anyway, I'd like to see this happen, and would be happy to help facilitate that.
Just let me know,
On 10/2/2006 at 2:21pm, WRPIgeek wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
Go Ken and Iago! Sounds good to me on both accounts.
On 10/2/2006 at 3:47pm, iago wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
To do it, I'll need everyone who competed to send me links to their PDFs (or the PDFs themselves) at iago AT iago DOT net. The subject line should make it clear why you're sending it, i.e., "Compact RPG Compliation Submission" or the like. I'm on vacation starting Friday, so this may be something that will actually get compiled/provided in two-three weeks total.
On 10/2/2006 at 11:46pm, Ken wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
OK.
For the sake of following through, lets do this. I will need everyone who wants to participate to email me the link to their PDF by Friday: smacklord2001@yahoo.com. I will be winging this; I'm not exactly sure how this is going to work, but I think I've got a good idea. Anyway, it should be close enough and give us all a chance to showcase our work. Voters and visitors will need to set up a yahoo groups account to get to the page. I will have all the details on the main page.
Send me the game name, and a brief discription of your entry. I'll also want your proper name and anything else you want to include (company name, etc.).
Get those entries in,
On 10/3/2006 at 11:23am, Ken wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
Hey Everybody,
Just one quick point of clarification: since I didn't initiate this challenge, I don't feel compfortable just swiping links already posted to this group. So, only newly submitted games are going to be included in the challenge. I'm already working on the listing, and posting new links as they come in. I'd like to have most of it by this weekend, because setting up the polls will be a chore. Anyway, I'm happy to help get this thing going, and very excited to cast my votes (there is some great stuff out there).
Take care,
On 10/4/2006 at 9:51am, Filip Luszczyk wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
I've just sent you my entry, but if there are any problems with the mail, let me now.
I'd also suggest reconsideration of voting method. The one proposed by Tony:
2. three votes per category, you may not put more than two on one single entry per category.
somehow seems rather strange to me. Shouldn't voting for only one entry in each category, or giving one entry 3 points, another 2 points and 1 point to the third game work better?
On 10/4/2006 at 10:19am, Ken wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
Hey everybody,
Very excited about getting this going. I will have more details on the format and voting later; right now I want to concentrate on ENTRIES. I IMed everyone who submitted an entry before to send me a link. I'm getting the impression now that my email is not working for everyone, so here are some alternative:
a) email me at smacklord2001@yahoo.com
b) IM me through the Forge
c) reply through this forum with the link to your entry
I'm not sure why my email is giving some of you trouble, but we'll adapt, move on, and get it done.
PS. Dave and Filip, since you guys have corresponded with me with interest in the contest, I've included your submissions alreday (if that is not cool, let me know).
Thanks all,
On 10/4/2006 at 10:30am, Ken wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
Filip wrote:
I'd also suggest reconsideration of voting method. The one proposed by Tony:2. three votes per category, you may not put more than two on one single entry per category.
somehow seems rather strange to me. Shouldn't voting for only one entry in each category, or giving one entry 3 points, another 2 points and 1 point to the third game work better?
The system that we'll be using to vote will probably work better with the ONE VOTE PER PERSON PER CATEGORY method. While I like you staggered one-to-three system better, I don't want to commit to it, only to find out the system won't support it. Basically, there will be mulitple polls; one for each of the categories, with muliple choice answers (one selection for each game entered). I'll run the polls for a week or two, and then post the scores.
If anyone else has suggestions or insight, feel free to share,
Thanks,
On 10/5/2006 at 12:43pm, Filip Luszczyk wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
PS. Dave and Filip, since you guys have corresponded with me with interest in the contest, I've included your submissions alreday (if that is not cool, let me know).
That's perfectly cool with me, especially that I've just discovered that I had some problems with your e-mail.
On 10/5/2006 at 10:31pm, Ken wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
Filip wrote:
[
That's perfectly cool with me, especially that I've just discovered that I had some problems with your e-mail.
Yeah, I sent out a lot of messages with the wrong email. The proper address is smacklord2001@yahoo.com. If anyone else has trouble getting me their link, just use this one.
Thanks,
On 10/5/2006 at 10:35pm, iago wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
I'm going out of town for a week come tomorrow or Saturday. Ken, if you need help assembling things once I'm back, holler!
On 10/5/2006 at 11:59pm, Ken wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
iago wrote:
I'm going out of town for a week come tomorrow or Saturday. Ken, if you need help assembling things once I'm back, holler!
Enjoy your vacation. Everything will be cool for the contest, I'll just need the compelation PDF once everything is over. I may start the voting next week, but I'll run it for two weeks, so you have time to pipe in when you get back.
Thanks,
On 10/6/2006 at 4:18am, dpetroski wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
Ken wrote:
PS. Dave and Filip, since you guys have corresponded with me with interest in the contest, I've included your submissions alreday (if that is not cool, let me know).
Ken,
No problem here. Thanks so much for taking this on!
Dave
On 10/9/2006 at 10:51am, Ken wrote:
RE: Re: Compact RPG Challenge REVISED
Hey,
I'm about to get the polls underway and wanted to make one last call for submissions. If you submitted your game to Tony and didn't specifically give me permission to add your game to the competition it WILL NOT be included in this contest. So far, we have 12 entries, and there are only a few games out there from the first contest thread that haven't been resubmitted. I'll leave the door open for entries for the rest of the day and hope to start the polls tomorrow night.
Here are the entries so far: Assembler, Beat the Clock, Corrosion, Ebon, Joy Division, Mechanical Primum Mobile ad infinitum, Metaficiton, Satanic Mills, Sync, Technolust, The Parasite Project, The Wisdom of Solomon.
Just to clarify, I only need persimission to use the links that you posted on the Forge; I don't need downloadable files. You can contact me through this thread, by sending me a message through the Forge, or my email: smacklord2001@yahoo.com.
I'm really thrilled to be doing this. We all worked so hard and created some really cool and profession material.
Take care,
Ken