Define Your Sandbox. Do Not Build A Sand Castle. [Archive]

Jack Spencer

01-08-2002, 11:16 AM

I'm thinking along the lines of ER the RPG, but I may expand the idea to the entire hospitol. Essentially, the players are members of the medical profession. The basic premise is how being a medical professional can change you for the good and for the bad.

Most of the game, like the show is so much soap opera fluff, but Ron Edwards's Relationship Maps idea can help this.

Since I do this sort of thing, I may name the hospitol something like "Mercy General" just to give the players a handle to grab. Everything else is up to the players, what city, the hospitol layout, etc. Naming it just sort of makes it seem more tangible in spite of the fact I give them nothing tangible to go with the name.

The big problem is that the meat of a medical show, especially ER is the medical stuff. I don't know about you, but I know squat about medical stuff. I didn't want to make a game that has a prerequisit of four years of medical school, especially since I'd have to go through it to write the game.

To overcome this, I came up with an idea I call the Crisis Situation. How this works is it allows the players to make up technobabble (medical technobabble in this case) as they go along. The players are dealt cards and they are played much like Uno or Crazy Eights, following suit or number. The suits mean the situation is going good, bad or unchanged. I decided that Hearts mean good and Spades, which looks like a black, inverted heart means bad. (I still have to tinker with this idea, but it seems sound)

Player play cards going around the table. When a card is played, they must say something that reflects the situation. What they say can be anything, including something medically sound or technically correct. That is, it doesn't have to be.

Since the suit reflects the situation, the situation will continue in a certain direction before it changes. A patient can come in stable, and remain stable for a while, but then suddenly crash. A crashing patient can look bad for a while, but then they manage to pull him out of it.

Like I said, this idea still needs work, lots of it, since I need to figure out what to do when a player has a character present and another player does not. That and I may wish to create original cards rather than using standard playing cards.

But I do like this idea since the action keeps moving, although it does require a lot of improvisation from the players. But that can be fun, too.

14thWarrior

01-08-2002, 12:12 PM

But what part of the premise is going to make me want to play this game?

That's an important factor. The premise should convey action or conflict.

Perhaps stating the premise as such, might make it more appealing:

"As a medical professional, you work hard to help people deal with pain, suffering, and adversity, all while trying very hard not to lose your humanity and compassion."

Now that sounds a bit more like something that I'd want to play. :)

bloke

01-08-2002, 04:26 PM

My sandbox involves a city where the token superhero protector has gone awol and his mere mortal support network have stepped up to the plate. The players are these people who have decided to share the role of the masked hero amongst themselves so as to make his presence felt still. They support each other taking it in turns to play the role of the hero.

PS this idea is totally mine!

Martin

ChapinoMuse

01-08-2002, 04:35 PM

How about a Mad Scientist RPg, were the game surrounds yu genes. The Core book, can have a list of genes of that different humans and creatures have, the scientist with his scientific goodies kill off different animals. Their is a probabilty of which of the genes he will find, and he can replace these genes with his humans genes which can modify stats, give him abilities, and roleplaying quirks. The story can revolve around a socirty of scientist who have tournaments of who can engineer them selves into the best warrior, so basicially these tournaments, genes will be in, and techno gear will be out. i think it kinda sounds neat, but I'm to lazy to write up somethingthat comprehensive.

Jared A. Sorensen

01-08-2002, 04:41 PM

Originally posted by bloke
My sandbox involves a city where the token superhero protector has gone awol and his mere mortal support network have stepped up to the plate. The players are these people who have decided to share the role of the masked hero amongst themselves so as to make his presence felt still. They support each other taking it in turns to play the role of the hero.

PS this idea is totally mine!

Martin

Dude. You better do something with it, 'cuz it kicks my ass. And I'm notorious for stealing people's good ideas. :) Seriously, that's really great.

Now what? How would you go about making that into a game? It's got wicked potential.

-- oh yeah, it reminds me a lot of Frank Miller's Dark Knight books, what with the Sons of the Bat and all. Killer!

MetaDude

01-08-2002, 06:35 PM

Many millenia ago, a pyramidal starship of the Ancients crashed. Although their crash did not destory them, their vessel was badly damaged. They would not live long on this world unless they left - or adapted.

Some fled, leaving this world through gates of power that could take one across the very planes of existence.

Others stayed, and their numerous and varied descendants now populate the world. Much of their history has been lost.

Today, the heart of the world is Nexus, the interdimensional port-city of the universe. Many of the Ancients' gates remain open, and Nexus thrives as the "trade center of a thousand worlds."

But there are things older than the Ancients...

The servants of Chaos are hideous creatures, often horned or winged. Most are gifted with strange powers, and some few can be summoned and bound into service. This is dangerous, since these "demons" are of alien mind, and seem to revel in destruction.

The minions of Law are mechanical beings of advanced technology. They too, have strange abilities, and can be pressed into service. This also is dangerous, for these being will demand that services be paid for...

Recently, it has become known that the servants of Chaos and the Minions of Law are intent on possession of the universe - Chaos wants a playground, while Law wishes to "bring order. Neither is a good thing... Welcome to Nexus, stranger!

Ryan Paddy

01-08-2002, 09:51 PM

Here's a sandbox that I've been meaning to develop:

In the not-too-distant future, ordinary folks with terminal illnesses are cryopacked until a cure becomes available.

When they awake, they are in the extremely distant future. On the bright side, their illnesses can possibly be cured. On the down side they are:
- stolen/sold as slaves/food to planets/spacestations inhabited by aliens/strangely evolved human colonists
- awakened by emergency systems because the heat death of the universe is imminent
- [insert nasty idea here]

Get the players to make up some "ordinary person" modern characters. Tell them about their illnesses and the cryo. Then tell them they are waking up and scare the poo out of them with an unmanageable world in which they are in a constant scramble for survival with no basis to understand their surroundings.

Probably only good for a one-off. Characters that die might be difficult to replace. Warning: once the thrill of evading ever-impending doom wears off this concept may wear thin.

Ryan

Forum Administrator

01-08-2002, 10:33 PM

I clicked on the Mix-O-Tronic and after inputting several calculations of the cranial circumference of baboons, it spit out:

{asylum/lawyers/legend}

Which, to my mind, can only mean one thing.

The old gods are in big, big trouble. They came back to kick some proverbial bootie, only to find themselves locked away in Shady Acres Home for the Perpetually Disturbed. Y'see, they still had their immense, god-like powers, but it turned out that the real diminishment is that these amazing powers on worked when people believed they worked. You can see the end result.

Play as the gods, trying to convince the other inmates of Shady Acres that you really are Thor, God of Thunder, or Bast, Queen of Cats. The more inmates you convert, the further your power expand, but with the added problem that they work the way the crazy people believe they work. Uh oh.

Or play as the doctors, nurses, court appointed attorneys (see, lawyers!) and surly orderlies who are trying to unravel the mystery of their new charges when all the spooky stuff starts happening.

Oh, and if you start to believe, it only gets freakier!

{end transmission}

leviathan

01-09-2002, 03:30 AM

My idea is like this.

Mankind has sought to create his dreams for so long... but what if people could create their dreams from will alone? There is a place that one could do this, create thing just by willing them. It was a visionary's dream. But to get there takes great sacrafice. Many have died trying to get there and only few have suceeded. After many attempt in failure, an effort was made to bring that place to mortals. Combine it with the world they lived in.

And you know what? It failed. Things came to an end. People had to desert their lives start over. Kingdoms and thousand-year dynasties came crashing down under the stress of the aftermath. But as they get situated, those who still remember their dreams of living in their dreams dig in the rubble, looking for clues of how to get to where they believe they belong.

Heh.. I know it's vague and bleak. Shoot me. (;

~~~
Kuma: "Play as the gods, trying to convince the other inmates of Shady Acres that you really are Thor, God of Thunder, or Bast, Queen of Cats. The more inmates you convert, the further your power expand, but with the added problem that they work the way the crazy people believe they work. Uh oh. "

Oh man.. That's got to be FUN! You'd better do something with that, or I will give you a lobotomy or something. (;
~~~
Bloke: "My sandbox involves a city where the token superhero protector has gone awol and his mere mortal support network have stepped up to the plate. The players are these people who have decided to share the role of the masked hero amongst themselves so as to make his presence felt still. They support each other taking it in turns to play the role of the hero."

I second Jared! You'd better do something with that or I will. (; Though Jared or anyone on this board would be much more capable of doing something with this than I would. That's for sure. (;
~~~

Okay... that's enough from me. (:

~Lev~

bloke

01-09-2002, 06:39 AM

[Originally posted by Jared A. Sorensen

Dude. You better do something with it, 'cuz it kicks my ass. And I'm notorious for stealing people's good ideas. :) Seriously, that's really great.

Now what? How would you go about making that into a game? It's got wicked potential.

-- oh yeah, it reminds me a lot of Frank Miller's Dark Knight books, what with the Sons of the Bat and all. Killer!

heh! Seriously, dont! It took me ages to come up with this and i need the money!

The idea is heavily based on the Dark Knight stuff, especially the recent one with its super-conspiratorial overtones, along with the Invisibles and Planetary (which has written all my Adventure! scenarios for the next ten yeras!). Originally it was intended to be set in a pulp/ww2 kind of millieu but using the modern day makes it easier as im lazy.

Essentially the characters are normal (ie not superhuman) but have to pretend to be superpwoered with the back up of their former support league (ie the sons of the bat), some of whom are in conflict with each other as to how to proceed without their erstwhile leader.

Character creation would be based around the group creating the actual hero himself according to what archetype they see him as (ie batman or superman or green lantern for isntance) and then using his stats spread amongst themselves to reflect the necessary teamwork. However only one person can ever be the hero at a time, since it would break the illusion to do otherwise.

I hereby claim copyright on this idea right no 1:30pm, 09/january/2002. My legal team consists of Brainiac, Harvey Dent, Montgomery Burns, Senator Palpatine and the entire cast of LA Law - so be warned!

However i am open to (stealing) very cool suggestions.

Martin

Jared A. Sorensen

01-09-2002, 07:19 AM

Originally posted by Kuma
Play as the gods, trying to convince the other inmates of Shady Acres that you really are Thor, God of Thunder, or Bast, Queen of Cats. The more inmates you convert, the further your power expand, but with the added problem that they work the way the crazy people believe they work. Uh oh.

Or play as the doctors, nurses, court appointed attorneys (see, lawyers!) and surly orderlies who are trying to unravel the mystery of their new charges when all the spooky stuff starts happening.

Normally, I dislike any game idea where "swirly" concepts such as dreams, gods and the like are used.

However, I really like this. It's concrete. And sounds fun, either as an all out comedy game or (even better) a surreal hospital drama.

(oooh! oooh! quick-name: GOD COMPLEX)

Although if I were doing this, I would not have the PCs be nurses, lawyers, etc.* Just concentrate on that one part of the game...it's a good one!

* This could work in a LARP environment, I think.

Mock

01-09-2002, 08:34 AM

I'm loving the superhero idea--pure genius. If I may, do the people actually somehow get the real hero's powers, or (I'd prefer it this way, actually) do they have to come up with clever ways to look like they have those powers?

For instance, suppose the group's hero is, say, Superman, and he needs to confront a group of robbers. Perhaps the group could arrange to make it look like he punches through a wall, or throws a car (using strategically placed cables and such), to intimidate the bad guys. It would be like figuring out how to stage a special effect--very cool.

Now, for my sandbox:

The main concepts:
1. It is possible to shift a person's sentience (permanently, mind you) into a small device called a "Brainbox."
2. Brainboxes can be mated with machinery, allowing a human intelligence to control a machine.
3. This has obvious military implications, which are soon turned into realities. Earth, as inventor of the device, enjoys a period of prosperity before the technology is distributed to the galaxy at large.
4. Eventually, though, the brainbox tech does become widely known. Soon, every two-bit government owns a horde of brainboxed soldiers, and brainboxes are being sold on a black market.
5. Human soldiers are highly coveted, since their experience sometimes stretches back hundreds of years.
6. The brainboxed aren't all taking this sitting down--some are tired of it all, some are rebels against their "owners," some seek to liberate all other brainboxed folk, etc.

"Two hundred years of warfare ought to be enough for anyone, and you keep telling yourself that you're gonna get out, but you can't deny the thrill you still get when the techs load your 'box into a Mark V combat chassis. Maybe just one more campaign..."

-Mock

bloke

01-09-2002, 09:07 AM

Originally posted by Mock
I'm loving the superhero idea--pure genius. If I may, do the people actually somehow get the real hero's powers, or (I'd prefer it this way, actually) do they have to come up with clever ways to look like they have those powers?

For instance, suppose the group's hero is, say, Superman, and he needs to confront a group of robbers. Perhaps the group could arrange to make it look like he punches through a wall, or throws a car (using strategically placed cables and such), to intimidate the bad guys. It would be like figuring out how to stage a special effect--very cool.

The characters are entirely 'mortal', ie they do not get the hero's powers, although they have access to 'the batcave' and all his goodies - provided they know how to use them.

Consequently and perhaps conspicuously, they are not afftcted by Kryptonite etc.

Martin

Harlequin Jones

01-09-2002, 01:47 PM

Bloke's idea reminds me of a campaign I once began (but never played more than one session, sadly).

The idea is similar to that of a vampire hunting game - that mere mortals are having to seek and destroy something that is far more powerful than they are, using only everyday tools and weapons.

My twist on it was to have the hunters going after superpowered mutants (like the X-Men).

Characters could be agents of a government agency dedicated to tracking down and capturing evil mutants, or members of a secret organization that wants to experiment on mutants, or agents of a fascist state or xenophobic cabal that wants all mutants dead.

Characters would be mainly military or police types, with lots of combat training. Other characters might be scientists who specialize in mutant biology and tracking.

This seems like it would be a lot of fun to GM. Players would be terrified of their opponents, because they will never run into anyone weaker than they are. Sure, they might be able to beat a Cyclops, after he takes off a couple of their heads with his death ray - but what would they do against a Jean Grey? Or a Colossus?

<smirk>
HJ

Matt M

01-10-2002, 08:57 AM

Normally, I dislike any game idea where "swirly" concepts such as dreams, gods and the like are used.

Just curious, but why?

Matt

(Who likes gods, which is why Lost Gods (http://www.realms.org.uk/lostgods) came about)

NPC

01-10-2002, 10:08 AM

Hmm... OK, here's one:

The players are inhabitants of a vast subterranean prison complex. Death penalty is forbidden, so all the worst criminals and maniacs are simply sent here, for life: there's no way out, and once you're put in you stay in. No chance of parole or pardon. It's final.

Each PC is a lifer in this limbo. Murderers, rapists, dangerous madmen, political prisoners - anyone not wanted in the outside world.

So what we have is a huge system of tunnels and caverns, filled with the worst monsters and outcasts the humankind has produced over centuries. The only law is that of strength. Survival is the keyword, although a long, epic campaign might culminate in the possibility of escape (which would be a feat comparable to transcending humanity...)

Grim, macabre even... but interesting. I think I'll do something with this.

Jared A. Sorensen

01-10-2002, 10:26 AM

Originally posted by Matt M

Just curious, but why?

Matt

(Who likes gods, which is why Lost Gods (http://www.realms.org.uk/lostgods) came about)

I like concrete stuff in a game. Games about other dimensions, gods, magical crap and the like just don't interest me. I think they're boring and over-used and...I just don't like 'em. Many of the games I've seen in this area use the ephemeral setting as a shortcut so that they can get away with more. Dream-world games, for example, or any game where reality is a multi-layered thing where "you can be anyone, anywhere!" -- gah. Concentrate on one thing and do it *well.* That's all I ask.

Just Me

01-10-2002, 02:23 PM

I need to stop reading these threads. Too many good ideas keep getting in the way of getting "real" work done.

Mock

01-10-2002, 02:42 PM

Originally posted by Just Me
I need to stop reading these threads. Too many good ideas keep getting in the way of getting "real" work done.

I do not understand this strange phrase "real work." My life is divided into three parts:

12 midnight to 6 am: unconsciousness during which I do not move

6 am to 5 pm: unconsciousness during which I move about

5 pm to 12 midnight: homework and preparing for another nightly period of unconsciousness.

Does real work occur during any of these times? ;)

Mock

01-10-2002, 02:48 PM

Originally posted by NPC

So what we have is a huge system of tunnels and caverns, filled with the worst monsters and outcasts the humankind has produced over centuries. The only law is that of strength. Survival is the keyword, although a long, epic campaign might culminate in the possibility of escape (which would be a feat comparable to transcending humanity...)

Grim, macabre even... but interesting. I think I'll do something with this.

I like it. What is the role of the character? Would you encourage characters to play the less depraved criminals, or give them free reign (while I wouldn't have much problem with a character who is a convicted murderer, I would have to say that I wouldn't be comfortable having a player who designed a former child molester-cannibal character). And in the case that the goal is raw survival, would you allow or encourage inter-party conflict?

Ya know, it sounds like a game of "Survivor!" that I'd actually watch!

-Mock

blackguard

01-10-2002, 04:47 PM

Attrition

While in orbit around a distant sun, an exploration ship experiences a mortal failure to its drive system, causing the ship's orbit to slowly decay. Those on board must use their skills to salvage what can be salvaged from the doomed ship, though time is their enemy and they will not be able to offload all the cargo and so must choose what goes and what stays.

Characters are the crew of the ship, each with a different set of skills, and they must not only make it off the ship before its demise, but they must choose the technology they salvage with an eye to survival and propagation of the species. The goal is to have children and to educate them well enough that when the parents are dead and buried, the next ship coming into the system* will be able to pick them up and assimilate them back into the society.

Of course, the characters do not know that they are on a mission for survival and so cannot cherry pick the crew's occupations. Nevertheless, the ship is an exploration ship and a nice slice of skills is likely present, as is a bunch of emergency supplies just for such an event. Of course, not all of it will get off the ship...

Success will be the birth of viable children coupled with a passing on of some of the parent's knowledge by X date. To succeed, it will be necessary to discover the new world and to find native technologies that will replace dwindling Terra-based technology.

The planet is hospitable, but dangerous, and so injury, disease and death are omnipresent concerns.

*Earth is many light years away and drive technology is pretty mediocre

MetaDude

01-10-2002, 06:01 PM

Originally posted by blackguard
Characters are the crew of the ship, each with a different set of skills, and they must not only make it off the ship before its demise...

In the event of a PC's death, another crewmember could be used as a replacement. I'd have all the crew identified beforehand, so the loss of a PC would still be detrimental to the ship as a whole. For example, when the chief engineer dies, it's a given that his replacement will be less qualified for the job.

ChapinoMuse

01-10-2002, 06:36 PM

IC, plan ahead, that takes a lot of work. Do you use have bunch of chrachtersheets with ou when you do this or do you use preadsheet or lines paper?

Marius B

01-10-2002, 07:25 PM

"Wander through labyrinthine catacombs with your adventuring buddies! Meet strange and exotic creatures and kill them and steal their belongings! Protect the World from evil! Get killed and come cack from the dead in the time it takes you to go down to the corner shop for more snacks!"

Okay, there's my blurb right there. I'm not sure if the C&C title has been used before, though.

The basic idea is a bit of a spoof of an adventure game. This may have been done before but, that won't stop the likes of me!

Characters in teh game should have a fairly blasé attitude towards life and death. This is accomplished mechanically by these two elements:

1: There is always the possibility of getting killed outright by one blow if you're unlucky. The action resolution system makes some very extreme and very unpredictable results possible.

2: In addition to their Hit Points, all characters have a pool of Life Points. If you get killed, you lose a Life Point. If you don't have any Life Points to lose, you have indeed been killed. Otherwise, your character returns the next session. If the player comes up with an entertaining story about how he miraculously escaped death, he gets a 50% rebate on the XP cost of buying a new Life Point. If the player wants to come back in the same session, he can but first he should go down to the nearest open store and buy cola and chips or at least go to the kitchen and fix coffee or tea. And if you come back in the same session, you *must* come up with some wildly implausible tale of how you managed to escape your death.

Cheers,
Marius.

Forum Administrator

01-10-2002, 07:47 PM

Originally posted by ChapinoMuse
IC, plan ahead, that takes a lot of work. Do you use have bunch of chrachtersheets with ou when you do this or do you use preadsheet or lines paper?

Dude - you have an unhealthy fixation with character sheets.

And to further answer the question, I agree with Metadude - the characters should be determined ahead of time, and the players should not be people like the captain, or the head engineer. Keeping those people *alive* would be part of the beginning of the game, but the characters themselves should only have just enough skill to be important.

Jack Spencer

01-10-2002, 09:04 PM

I'll go you one better.

Back in the 80's a fantasy role-playing system was published. Many people have been playing it ever since. Unfortunately, because of this the barriers between this world and the fantasy world has worn thin. The fantasy world is starting to bleed into the real world.

OK, there's the obligatory villian(s) and the player's efforts to set things right, but the meat of it should be how the characters are handled. You have two sets of stat, one for the player, one for the character. Naturally, the character is better suited to deal with most of the problems at hand (and some has right nice abilities & powers) but every time they do things as the character, not the player, they start to become the character until they completely lose themselves to the fantasy. Sort of like Humanity in Vampire or Sorcerer.

Andrew Martin

01-10-2002, 11:06 PM

Originally posted by Jack Spencer Jr
I'll go you one better.

Back in the 80's a fantasy role-playing system was published. Many people have been playing it ever since. Unfortunately, because of this the barriers between this world and the fantasy world has worn thin. The fantasy world is starting to bleed into the real world.

OK, there's the obligatory villian(s) and the player's efforts to set things right, but the meat of it should be how the characters are handled. You have two sets of stat, one for the player, one for the character. Naturally, the character is better suited to deal with most of the problems at hand (and some has right nice abilities & powers) but every time they do things as the character, not the player, they start to become the character until they completely lose themselves to the fantasy. Sort of like Humanity in Vampire or Sorcerer.

Sounds interesting. What happens from the point of view of the fantasy characters? What are they seeing?

bloke

01-11-2002, 05:53 AM

i think the problem, judging by the number of highly ephemeral ideas that have appeared, that a lot of these ideas just wouldnt translate into a game. Rpg's inherently need to be simple (not in terms of rules) yet wide in scope; clever premises are great and all, but the so often dont work. I guess this is why D&D is still so popular.

Martin

Mock

01-11-2002, 07:01 AM

Originally posted by bloke
i think the problem, judging by the number of highly ephemeral ideas that have appeared, that a lot of these ideas just wouldnt translate into a game. Rpg's inherently need to be simple (not in terms of rules) yet wide in scope; clever premises are great and all, but the so often dont work. I guess this is why D&D is still so popular.

Martin

It's a good point. Many premises make better novels than games. The role of the character should not be too narrowly defined, or the game locks into the same role.

I personally think D&D is too broad in scope, but that's just me--obviously, a massive community of gamers enjoys D&D just fine, so they've done something right.

I'd like to think the setting I posted wouldn't unduly constrict the player, but it might be better as a smaller part of a larger game--a little sandcastle in the big sandbox.

-Chris

blackguard

01-11-2002, 10:55 AM

Metadude,

I agree that there must be redundancy for an exploration ship that take years to reach its destination, but I don't want too much so that the number of people becomes unmanageable. What about if the PCs actually play the heads of a department and not only role-play their character, but manage the resources of the department?

I can see that a planet side inventory and head count might show that Medical has tons of supplies but that engineering left its plastics molding machine aship and that security lost a few souls in the last flight from the ship...

BTW, thanks for the brain fodder.

Andrew Martin

01-11-2002, 01:34 PM

Re: Attrition

Have you read Robert Reid's book, Marrow? It describes a some what similar problem. The lost characters are all immortal, except for gross injury like being attacked by a monster, or falling into lava, so they are able to stay around and guide their community and then civilisation to be able to build a return path back to their home.

Jack Spencer

01-11-2002, 08:45 PM

Originally posted by Andrew Martin

Sounds interesting. What happens from the point of view of the fantasy characters? What are they seeing?

Well, this is an idea I haven't given much thought to so it's been on the very back burner, but...

As I saw it, I thought that the character would be super-imposed over the player as a kind of ghost. Not everyone can see this. Mostly only other players and the fantasy people see the fantasy character. It boils down to a mental shift, and maybe when a player goes into character mode, the player becomes the ghost and such.

As I've said, this is an idea I've got way in the back, but I couldn't resist posting here.

Matt M

01-12-2002, 04:17 PM

Originally posted by Jared A. Sorensen

I like concrete stuff in a game. Games about other dimensions, gods, magical crap and the like just don't interest me. I think they're boring and over-used and...I just don't like 'em. Many of the games I've seen in this area use the ephemeral setting as a shortcut so that they can get away with more. Dream-world games, for example, or any game where reality is a multi-layered thing where "you can be anyone, anywhere!" -- gah. Concentrate on one thing and do it *well.* That's all I ask.

Thanks for the clarification, brings us back to the "focus on your premise" issue.

You're right about many of those games getting lost in the "you can be anything!" schtick. Makes me wonder though, if you could do a "non fuzzy" dreamworld game. Hmm.

Matt

Menchi

01-12-2002, 06:05 PM

How is this for a premise:

The characters dreams shape their world. One Dreamer seeks to dominate the precarious balance of the Realm by shaping all dreams to match his/hers.

a) Characters have a defined "paradigm" that applies to them. These can be as simple as "sci-fi" or as complex as various mixed genres.

b) The world is made up from a bizarre mix of dreams - players create the world along with the characters in an "initial dream" session. Maybe have a base world setting that the players then build up using "Dream points" (Basically representing the level of control they have.)

c) Dream score effects positive changes, Nightmare score effects destructive changes.

d) Aim towards co-operative play. Players work together. Maybe have hidden subconsious rolls that can cause wild random changes...

Thoughts? (I'm beginning to think I might actually use this idea...) :)

Conan

NPC

01-12-2002, 11:49 PM

"Nuclear War seems so pathetic now. The destruction I've seen this city take. While not obliterated, the scars are much worse. Three days. It seems like it's been years, decades . . forever. Three days ago something happened. Something strange and unusual. Now humanity is lost to these creatures. Creatures with no soul, or no compation. Hatred seethes in their eyes. It is a deepness that makes humanity's technological finest look like toys. A plaything to be shot at a target, then disgarded. Three days ago and a majority of this city still smokes and smolders. What ever's left is occupied, like this apartment building, by survivors . . . and them. As I sit here and watch the sun set it almost seems serene; until I see one of those things with its wicked-sharp wings and it's long bony tail swoop down into a department store. The sun is setting and it's getting darker. They enjoy that . . the darkness. Three days ago, the sun was setting then as well. It doesn't matter how long they've been here in secret. What they may be is not my concern. Right now I step inside, close the doors and pull the curtains down. I grab the emergency ax I pulled from the stairwell and heft it gently. Tonight the horror begins again . . ." 

The opening lines to a somewhat linear premise. The potential, I beleive, is not only survival, but recreation. The creatures the man talks about are somehwta demonic. Not only that, but plagues, such as walking dead, also begin to inherit the Earth. No it is a quest not only for survival, but peace. Do all of these creatures wish pure destruction? Are they indeed demons? or aliens perhaps. Are they lost? Or is the destruction as melicious as it seems. Is their a sentiance among them . . . or is this an Apocalypse of the worse kind . . . Desolation.

Welcome to the world of the Setting Sun.

Jared A. Sorensen

01-13-2002, 08:32 AM

Matt M

01-13-2002, 12:03 PM

The problem is possibly that real dreams often seem to lurch from one weird, unconscious preoccupation to another. But then dreams as shown in literature and TV are never like real dreams, and they often influence RPGs more.

You could do quite an interesting game based on all play going on during the day, with the PCs trying to comrehend the symbology/prophetic content of their dreams. That way you tie the fuzzy nature of dreams to something more solid.

Maybe each player coming up with a dream their character had before play, and the GM working elements of them in during the session. Maybe some player authoring stuff. Needs to be finetuned to something more than "you can dream things that come true, deal" though.

Hey ho, will add it to my pile of weird but incomplete ideas.

Matt

Bill_White

01-13-2002, 12:26 PM

It is the distant future. Humanity has spread out from its homeworld across much of the galaxy, terraforming and colonizing distant planets by means of slower-than-light generation ships known as arks. The star systems at the Core of human space are linked by the Beam, a powerful system of lasers that propel interstellar lightsails along complex and wandering paths. The worlds of the Periphery are more isolated, and the arrival of an interstellar ramship or starflyer at a provincial planet is a rare and notable event.

On the far-flung worlds colonized by human beings, many strange new societies have arisen, for a number of reasons. The colonists may have genetically modified themselves to suit their new environment. Their environment may have necessitated new cultural and social arrangements. They may have brought with them some unusual philosophy which they sought to practice in a setting far from the constraints of their place of origin. Over time, these isolated worlds have become home to a people quite alien to the mainstream of human culture at the Core.

The worlds of the Core are ruled by Networks, highly diffuse but powerful organizations combining the functions of government, corporation, and church. The Networks fluctuate in their composition and structure, allying temporarily to carry out particular projects or fulfill specific functions. Important networks include (a) the Interstellar Authority, which controls the Beam stations that propel the laser-sail Starflyer clippers between the stars, (b) the Terraformation Syndicals, which manages long-term planetary engineering projects, and (c) the Cliological Association, which is attempting to develop a quantitative science of history.

Role of the Player-Characters

The player-characters (PCs) are Starflyers: long-lived interstellar travelers who fulfill a variety of different roles within Human Space. They are by turns and at once scouts, diplomats, spies, merchants, and soldiers, participating in the struggles among the Networks to extend their influence across the worlds of Human Space. They explore new planets, make contact with isolated colonies, uncover the doings of rival Networks, trade for information and resources, and fight against the forces of enemy Networks. They are opposed by other voyagers and by renegades, and they face danger as they encounter new worlds and new civilizations far from home.

The First Adventure

For the first adventure, the PCs will all be part of the crew of the starflyer ramship Ulysses, part of the Trinity Victrix Network. Their mission is to investigate the radio emissions emanating from a star system on the Periphery — most likely the efforts of a lost colony or relic ark.

Bill White

Bill_White

01-13-2002, 01:18 PM

The Starflyers post above is the premise for the game. The inspirations for the campaign should be pretty obvious: Vernor Vinge's Deepness in the Sky, Joan Vinge's Outcasts of Heaven Belt, Poul Anderson's Tau Zero: any sf that takes the c barrier seriously. Now I'm obligated to provide some rules for the thing.

In my original notes, I have the beginnings of a fairly traditional RPG: six attributes (Strength (STR), Dexterity (DEX), Body (BDY), Intelligence (INT), Perception (PER), Willpower (WIL), and Presence (PRE)), rules for character species, culture, and training (all of which affect skills and other abilities), yadda yadda yadda. Were I to try to run this game, I'd forego reinventing the wheel and just concentrate on designing the campaign. As it stands, I'd probably go with Hero System Rules, especially if the new 5th edition was out. I'd consider ripping off a Traveller d20 were it published, or even the SW d20 that's already out. A solid third choice would be a modified BRP.

Basically, to design a character, players would pick a species (standard human, upraised chimp, heavy worlder, spacer, etc.), a culture (Inner System, Belter, Outworlder, etc.), and maybe a home Network. This would help specify PC special abilities, knowledge, and skill emphases, although I would expect PCs to have technology that would pretty much enable to have any skill they needed.

The fun would come in exploring the unknown, I think. The only special rules that would be required, I think, would be some sort of Reality Check system, allowing players to raise objections about the underlying science of particular plot points and the referee to either modify the plot point or reject the complaint. Something to think about, anyway.

Bill White

Heraldic

01-13-2002, 09:39 PM

Originally posted by Matt M

Thanks for the clarification, brings us back to the "focus on your premise" issue.

You're right about many of those games getting lost in the "you can be anything!" schtick. Makes me wonder though, if you could do a "non fuzzy" dreamworld game. Hmm.

Matt

The idea that I've had is not necessarily something to simulate a dream world, but I think this counts because the players would be dealing with imagination and desires made flesh.

The setting is called Man, Myth, & Machine and it's something I've been puttering around with for a while. The premise is that an accident of cosmic proportions grants the deepest desire of every person on Earth. This "wish war" makes billions of people vanish from the face of the planet, and many of those that have been left behind have been changed in some way. Magic now exists, some technology only dreamed of comes to pass, governments on the national level have vanished, new races of demi-men have arisen.. and there is oh-so-much more.

The problem with a setting like this? It's too damned big. There's no real focus. My answer was to take a small slice of this enormous pie and concentrate on that. When I finally write up the final version of it, it will concentrate on a conflict between Magic and Technology.

Anyone interested can check out the alpha preview of M3 as http://heraldicgame.com/freebies.html.

Evan Waters

01-20-2002, 08:10 AM

I'll just share what I'm working on, apologies if it doesn't fit the general concept of the thread.

It's THE AVENGERS RPG. No careful name changes or copyright dodges, just a blatant steal from the 60's TV series, 70's follow-up, and maligned feature film. The PCs are agents for the Ministry, Britain's highest-level intelligence/counterintelligence organization, and they go around the UK foiling the plots of diabolical masterminds. I wanted to try my hand at game design and didn't feel any existing espionage game quite fit the show's unique brand of surrealist adventure.

The system is pretty straightforward- to do something you add up your attribute and skill, roll 2d6, and try to beat a difficulty or an opposing roll.

Some premise-reflecting concepts: PCs cannot die- or at least the system heavily discourages it. The maximum amount of damage anyone can take puts them at "Death's Door", which means they will die pretty soon, but the PCs all know how to contact a special government hospital which can save them at the cost of putting them out of action for the remainder of the adventure. If a PC falls off a cliff, the GM is encouraged to give them a branch or bough to break their fall so they're merely heavily wounded and/or have to climb all the way back up. PCs can try just about anything- some skills are marked "Expert", which means you're penalized if you attempt them without any ranks, but you can still try. The combat rules are basically opposed rolls, with optional maneuvers characters can try at penalties to their attack roll. There's also a system for chases and races- this could be a bit too elaborate, so I'm reminding GMs that they can also solve such situations with opposed rolls if they wish to hurry things up. Players choose their characters' social class and reputation "Tag" ("brilliant scientist", "eccentric socialite"), both of which have effects that are sometimes good ("well of course I'll let you have a look at my sonic modulator") and sometimes bad ("we need this person's expertise to complete our mind control device- kidnap her immediately!").

The default power level for characters puts them at a level where they'll have a weak stat or two, but the GM section has optional rules for having them create characters as nearly-perfect as John Steed, Emma Peel, Cathy Gale, etc. (none of whom seemed to ever demonstrate any quantifiable flaws or weaknesses.) Just a matter of adjusting the points you get for attributes and skills, so nearly all the characters can be put on a relative scale the GM can eyeball to see if some encounters might be too tough or too easy. (The exceptions to the scale are "Aberrations", especially bizarre characters like Cybernauts, alien plants, homicidal kittycats, etc.)

The setting material isn't exactly known for consistency but I've been hammering out a continuity while glossing over any conflicts. (I'm making the movie part of the game world because I like it, so there. :p ) If the game works at all I'd imagine it being mostly useful for one-offs, short runs, episodic campaigns in between sessions of more "serious" RPing. However, gamers have a way of putting games and systems to uses unlike any the creator anticipated, so who knows.