Idea of the Moment

[Steven Sweeney]

Prelude: yes, I'm very bored.

Premise: you do not play a normal human being. Instead you play (something) which switches from person to person, almost at random. I'm thinking some kind of group consciousness or maybe aliens that sort of have a hive mind...

Anyway. The point of this is this. As a character, you have specific goals you want to accomplish (like, stealing a specific package/person ala Shadowrun, or blowing up up a store known to be collaborators with the enemy ala a game I haven't thought up yet), but you switch from person to person at random.

Here's the mechanic I'm thinking of. GM has a timer. Every time it goes off (say, every 5 minutes) the GM rolls a die. Whichever player is rolled then switches bodies/personalities - the GM draws a tarot card, and tells the player what the new body is.

The player must then accomplish the goal in front of him or her while staying true to the roleplaying feel of the new body.

For example: player is occupying the body of a bike courier, and his mission is to assassinate a specific person at a specific time. As a bike courier, he zips down the sidewalk, cutting people off and flipping them the bird. Just as the target comes into sight, the character transports into a new character. This time it's a housewife 8 blocks away from the target. Most housewives aren't going to go hunting someone with a 12 guage shotgun; they might, however, phone in an anonymous tip to the local police that there is a bomb in a building a few blocks away from the target. Why? The player knows he'll be switching in a little while; in the meantime, the police and bomb squad might cause enough chaos to make the task a little easier later on.

Thoughts? Am I insane?

[ChapinoMuse]

Well, witha bit more structure, lke a preset order of who he'll switch to, and who and their abilities, you could have a P&P Maken X their. Just without the need to kill someone to posses them.

[Steven Sweeney]

Originally posted by ChapinoMuse
Well, witha bit more structure, lke a preset order of who he'll switch to, and who and their abilities, you could have a P&P Maken X their. Just without the need to kill someone to posses them.

I suppose I didn't explain enough. When I mentioned drawing a tarot card, I'd intended to mention that each card was linked to a pre-chosen individual (there's the structure, I think).

As for the rest... what's P&P? Or Maken X for that matter?

Ugh. Don't tell me I've strayed into anime territory or something.

[Mock]

Body-jumping is an intriguing idea, but as stated I think it has some issues.

It sounds like it would be an extremely difficult game to play: it would likely frustrate players no end to be right on their target and then switch away. While it would test their ability to improvise, it would probably end up just irritating them after a while.

The jump from body to body should be controllable--say, for instance, that there is a non-human intelligence at work here. And say one out of every X people happens to possess an implant or a parasite that allows this intelligence to mingle with the person's consciousness.

When the intelligence "jumps," it would jump to someone else in range who possesses the same implant. More powerful entities can jump a longer distance, and have an easier time identifying potential hosts.

If you want to be even more conspiracy-like, the character could prepare the potential hosts, without their knowledge--say there's a mob boss who needs to be taken out. The character "seeds" the boss' favorite restaurant with hosts. So you get a woman who, when the intelligence pops into her body, suddenly finds out she has a gun in her purse that she didn't remember putting there. Or the cook, who, when possessed by the intelligence, starts hurling butcher knives like a circus performer.

To sum up, I think if it's too random, the players will just be frustrated. However, if there's a potential to control it, then it would be fun.

-Mock

[ChapinoMuse]

Maken X, was PSX game that tried to do that sort of thing, and it's iffy if they pulled it off. You played a person with a sword, and when you kill someone the sword can posses that person for the rest of the game or until you find someone else. Tarot cards, I like taro cards. P&P stand for Pencil and Paper, at least Ithink that the acronym often used to refer to LARP. (just realized what he just said)

[Steven Sweeney]

The reason I wanted to make it random is for the challenge; if it's a controllable phenomenon, then it simply makes for super-powerful characters. If it's random, however, it forces the player to plan and plot ahead, setting up plan, back-up plan, contingency plan, and counter-plan.

Maybe it should be some form of psychic schizo... you uncontrollably shift from body to body unless you take your pills.

The way I envision it, it would be a diceless game - basically, if the body you inhabit can reasonably do what you're asking of it, the task succeeds automatically. If it can't, then you're going to have to face the consequences of trying to do something that's too damn tough.

Huh. I'm going to have to look at this tomorrow, after I've gotten some sleep.

[14thWarrior]

If it's random, however, it forces the player to plan and plot ahead, setting up plan, back-up plan, contingency plan, and counter-plan.
Kinda difficult to make however many desired contingency plans when you have no clue where you're going to end up, both in the sense of a host body, and geographically.

You may wish to rethink the random part. Perhaps a few seconds before the jump, the character (or perhaps symbiote or even parasite?) could be presented with a choice of potential hosts from which he must choose an appropriate one and attempt to successfully jump to it. If he's unable to exert the proper force of will, he goes into one of the less appropriate hosts.

Think on that for a bit; you'll think of something workable. :)

[Alexis Machine]

You could always use the Messiah PC game as a guide too. In that gaem you could jump into who ever you wanted...but they had to be "unaware" of your pressence at the time...ie instead of just transfering from one person to another you have a small-fragile "not-in-a-host" body. While in this body you had to be stealthy to get the host you wanted.

There are all sorts of intresting complications you can do with this game too...What if you are seen invading a host by someone else? When you invade a host can you act just like them or would "being" the hsot be part of the challenge (ie not do things to arrouse susspicion)?

IMO I think what your working on is a very cool RPG idea...I'd like to see where you take it.

Alexis Machine

[leviathan]

Well, you could have a method of controlling it.. a stat that says, "I can control this somewhat.. but it's still difficult at times." When someone fails that stat check when the timer goes off, they change randomly. The better they get at it, the more they can can control it. They can switch personalities and forms at will, kinda like shapeshifting except the character will never be completely proficiant... just able to control it half of the time.

After a while, the random switching would get annoying. But as that process starts to occur, the character will get better at shifting personalities/forms. It'll come in handy on many occasions and that should balance the annoyance factor. :P

Now <i>there's</i> your structure. (;

~Lev~

[Andrew Martin]

Sounds like the Agents in The Matrix, when they transfer into a new host, but the Agents turn the host into their bodies.

[MetaDude]

I shall refrain from suggesting that the players could control the change, or (somehow) plant objects on persons who aren't possessed to make things easier on the off chance they may be possessed later. I know what you're sayin', and here's my take.

Kewl idea, overall. I'd just look at the clock and decide whether it's time to roll for change. I'd also roll for change anytime a player was doing something critical. That would keep things cinematic, because players would worry about changing when their PCs would - during critical moments where switching is the last thing you need.

Bob: "I'm gonna get the target in my sights, and spend a couple extra rounds aiming."

Ref: "Ok, Bob. You've got him lined up, and I'll give you +2 for aiming. But first-"

Bob: "No! Not now!"

Ref: "I hate to do this to you, but... (rolling) John switches!"

Bob: "Whew! I'm firing NOW!"

John: "Aw cripe! What am I this time?"

Gawds, it sounds like it could be a real blast!

[Deathlok]

That's what this idea is. I think what some folks are hung up on is the idea that the player has no control over the body he jumps into. That's part of the fun, because the GM has control over this: I draw the card for X, or whatever, but it's the GM who comes up with a way for X to be in a situation where I can accomplish something. (if that makes any sense) The housewife example captures this perfectly, I think. And think about the amount of fiat that goes into just making sure the new body is in the same part of the globe... saying that your new cop-host happens to be responding to the call made by your former housewife-body is the GM making sure the cards you draw are giving you dramatic, appropriate developments.

Josh Morrow

[Tim Gray]

Can't remember the title, but there's a movie with Denzel Washington as a cop fighting a demon which moves from one host to another through touch. Doesn't have a particularly happy ending either! Might be useful inspiration.

[Boba Fett]

Cool idea, but there should be a degree of control; how about the players having a certain amount of "Body-changing points"? This way, they control their switching, but when the points are spent they must be careful, as they might be trapped in a body or switching between random bodies. Points must be regenerated somehow in this case.

[Steven Sweeney]

I decided I like the idea enough to try to do something with it... I'm trying to write it now, and if I finish it I'll... I dunno. I'll think of something, I hope.

[Harmony Kendall]

Yes, you're insane. I like it :p