Need some helpI was challenged to make a game and I decided I'd give myself a week, because A. I'm busyB. That's how long my interest lasts usuallyYesterday I came up with the rules, now I need to figure out the setting and the actual content of the game, like enemies and items. Here are the rules• The Gauge: goes from -6 to +6. Reaching either end is game over. Spells change properties and become more powerful the closer you are to the max. You can move towards the closes end to add extra dices and power up spells. • Rolls: Roll d6, 4-5-6 is a success, gain extra dice from bonuses, more successes= better results.• Attack: roll Xd6, one damage per success. Defense: roll Xd6, One less damage per success. Normally can’t roll more than 3d6, but moving towards your closest end let’s you go further.• Players pick two things they are good at and one thing they are bad at. When you do a thing you are good at, roll an extra dice. Can invoke their weakness to move towards the farthest end. If you do, roll one less dice. If you are already at 1 dice, roll 2d6 and pick the lowest.• Players pick a In power and a Yo power. In powers are more powerful when the gauge is in the negative, while Yo powers are more powerful in the positive. You add an extra dice to your action for each two points in the gauge. • Positioning during combat: field is divided in 5 sections. Melee only reaches in the same area. Each turn you can move one space or gain one point to move two spaces. Ranged attacks hit anywhere, but you need to gain one point to use them usuallyIn the next post I'll write down what little fluff i came up with
Setting:Characters are implanted with 陰陽機関 (Onmyoukikan, Duality Engine). When it becomes too imbalanced, calamity strikes. Set in a giant floating continent shaped like a ring 天外輪 Tengairin, Outer Ring. Airships used to move inside the great void in the centerAn empire has developed technology to harness In and Yo, causing inbalance and risking plunging the ring down on the planet below, which is uninhabitable because polluted by In. Yo comes from the Sun, In from the Earth.I will dedicate today and maybe tomorrow to the fluff, then figure out the content on the days I have left. I posted here because I want to hear your opinion and ideas of course
I also need help with building an appendix N of sorts. So far the main mechanical inspirations are Ikaruga and blades in the dark. The setting is mostly Princess Mononoke, Orion by Masamune Shirow, the Kojiki. I think the game is aesthetically close to Tenra bansho zero, but I've never read it, only looked at the art. If you could help expand the list I'd really appreciate it
>>98296496>A. I'm busy>B. That's how long my interest lasts usuallyJust make any slop you want then. Making an RPG is not easy unless you're going to make slop or break your back doing it.
>>98296843Tell me about it. I'm trying to marry senran kagura, kingdom under fire, and dynasty warriors into a tabletop game that tries to have that on top of making army control incredibly "interesting". As in, you don't have control beyond your general. You just give orders and hope your officers actually do them.Also it's in a fantastical prehispanic Mexico.
>>98296843Sure, this is why I decided I'd give myself a week, so I can focus on it instead of half assing it along with my other obligations. It's like a game jam
>>98297125Theres three ways this can go:A)gm has to interpret ordersB)players need to write up "formations" or "sequences" and their troops can only do those, they just choose the timing.C)you incorporate some sort of "communication roll" with tables (major/minor missinterpretations) that tells you how the orders are actually heard.
Sample items:ItemsSniper scope: +1d6 to next ranged attack of you didn’t attack last turnEnergy jammer: blocks your gauge in placeRetardant: Take damage next turnIn/Yo infusion: +2 in that direction Jetpack: move anywhere in the field, once per session Thorns: when you move here, take one damageGrappling hook: move an enemy hereIn/Yo shield: resistance to damage from one polarity but double damage from the other. Perfect key: opens a physical or spiritual barrier, onceOrnamental sword: easier interaction with aristocracyOverdrive unlock: immediately reach your closest polarityTea ceremony: takes one hour, consumes one charge, moves you 1 towards your farthest polarity. You can then attempt to read the tea leaves. Distilled memory: gain +d6 on a skill check, consumable. Can only be used with the corresponding skill. For example, the memory of an ace pilot can only be used to pilot a ship
>>98296496>has no time>has no lasting inspiration, commitment, or discipline Get real. If you want to just be throwing a bunch of d6s open up one of the many TRPGs that operate using entirely them.I'd recommend Index Card RPG. Despite the name, it's cohesive and quite good for this purpose.
>>98296496>Each turn you can move one space or gain one point to move two spaces.>Ranged attacks hit anywhere, but you need to gain one point to use them usuallyThis doesn't make any sense together unless you want it to be broken and people can just move a lot to gain points to then shoot with. Which still doesn't make any sense. How are the gauges even getting into the negative?
>>98297824I'm already thinking of a table for blunders that officer personality can affect. So that you can order the unit of archers to advance up a hill(orders are a bit loose so you can have some control) and shoot, but fail the roll so instead the officer makes them charge into combat.
>>98304528Gain points, as in,ove towards the closest polarity
>>98296496The game loss condition being both ends of a spectrum is hard for me to grasp; since one power benefits from one side, and another from the opposite, would it be more simple, but still functional, to have players pick just one or the other, and have the power increase as they get closer to 0(death)? I know that clashes with the conceit of the setting, but it still feels very battle shonen, with things like Reiki vs Yoki.The attacker vs defender rolls is very close to a system I’m trying for a spaceship game, althought I’m using the sum total of the one roll vs. another. What I’ve found that stumps me is that the dice rolls can result in lengthy stalemates that are suddenly ended by a very extreme success from the attacker and a terrible roll from the defender. In testing, it felt less like one character was stronger, but more like strategy and stats were irrelevent and unpredictable. The next thing I’m planning to try is to have the defender’s value be fixed, and the attacker rolls to beat it, ie>Defender has a defense of 2>Attacker has an attack of 4>Attacker rolls 4 dice>3 of those are a success,>3-2=1 so the defender takes one damageAgain, I haven’t tested this yet either. I’m also considering using a success/fail system, but making only 1 or 2 a fail, so enlarging the dice pool has a more immediate and obvious step up in power.>>98297125For one thing, I love the flavour. Does SK mean titty monsters, or just signature ninpo? Anyway, for the commander and battalion concept, you could pull a Fire Emblem and have each board piece represent the commander, and their throng of foot soldiers are just nebulously implied to be in their space. You can have the commander take a battalion move like the Gambit moves in 3H, and THOSE have a chance of failure, or the battalion could flee, robbing that character of their abilities and giving them some penalty like lowered defences.
>>98306874Same guy, hit the character limit.Maybe the polarity/health/Duality Engine guage could be trimmed down to 0=Death, but, the different In/Yo powers still move the number up or down. More impactful/powerful abilities move you towards disaster, less powerful skills essentially heal you as a bonus effect. That keeps risk management a core mechanic, which is, I think, what you had in mind(?). Players can try to stay safe by keeping their gauge high, but if the opponent takes big risks they can shift the gamestate in their favour more rapidly. Health as a consumable resource, where you still get a consolation prize if you use your turn to heal yourself.I also own that maybe I’m just not paying good enough attention or that I’m missing the point. It’s 2AM and I should not be awake.I like it, I just think I need a “for dummies” rulebook to study.
>>98296496>>98296502Patrician taste, anon. Orion was probably the best thing that Masamune Shirow ever did at his peak, and it's a shame that it wasn't more successful. One of the best mixes of fantasy and sci-fi ever done with a genuine asian flavor.Also a great setting for an TTRPG, but maybe hampered by not being accessible. It's just too far away for the usual Tolkienesque/western tropes.But I think it was too culturally
>>98306904Ignore the last line, here's another pic
>>98306874Basically, the enemy attacks also move your gauge towards a direction, so you need to manage your gauge well. The enemy wincon is making you go into overdrive basically, since there's no health bar.
>>98306874The SK comes in part for all the characters being women and the implementation of musou skills, which I want to implement as a sort of rubber banding tool. Because getting beat in combat and that rewarding your enemy with mana for a super move they can then spend on another super move is just kinda crap. I also wanted a state of undress from getting beat in combat as a health meter, but that doesn't translate well to tabletop, too much bookkeeping and would require about four figures per character so it had to go away.I also really like the leader and 4 followers thing.
I was thinking about sample powers and came up with this:Yo: Wild growth: entanglement: makes opponents immobile. Berserk: +1 move, +1 dice on attack, move towards Yo every turn Hypercharge: give an ally movement+1 for two turnsImpact driver: move up to 2, deal 1 damage to one enemy in the area you land onAsura punch: Can’t move or attack for a turn. Your next attack rolls 2 extra dice. In:Summon spirits: attacks everything in the area, can be movedScan: Deal one damage, learn one info about the opponent Puppet: move someone one space, save against enemiesInfection: deal one In damage to an enemy. When it dies, it explodes, dealing 1 damage to all enemies in the area. Stackable Corpse explosion: all dead enemies explode, dealing 1 damage to all characters in that area. Stackable I need as many powers as possible, so please let me know if you have ideas.
Today I'll try to figure out spaceship combat, but I don't have any ideas rn
>>98310463Beware of feature creep. Do you have enough powers and rules to build first level-characters and run a testplay skirmish? That test run will teach you things about your game you might not have realized at the planning stage. It’ll also probably inspire you with new ideas so it doubles as brainstorming.
Hey, OP. Your open and unfettered enthusiasm is genuinely touching. It’s the exact kind of attitude that a person needs to really accomplish something.You’re doing good. I just wanted to say that, and I think you deserve to hear it.
>>98310809>>98310524>>98306904Thank you for your support, it's really appreciated. I'll run a sample fight and report back. >>98304068I get what you mean and I'll look into index card, but I think it's unfair to say that just because you don't have talent for something, you shouldn't even try. If I fail, so be it. It wouldn't be the first time, it won't be the last, and I'm having fun thinking about this anyway
>>98296496>Halp me maek gaemno>I already built the rulesHoly shit, someone who does their homework before coming here. I'll comment on your stuff as I read it.I like the system so far, I'll give you an nugget from mine that may or may not fit. Between the things you can channel In or Yo to achieve you could use power dice and precision dice. In my game you are supposed to mix and match, and level, up to 3 classes, as well as one race; there are power classes and precision classes, in the sense that, if you get a power melee class (like a berserker) you can use action points to add one smaller dice to your roll (a power dice) that you add the results to your normal dice (e.g.: roll 1d12 and a 1d6 power dice instead of just the usual 1d12), while precision classes let you add a precision dice to the roll that works like advantage (roll 2d12 and pick highest instead of rolling just 1d12). I think maybe In powers could give you power dice and Yo powers precision.I don't know if it's useful for you, but I recently made a little game for a jam and used a lot of references from Fengshen Yanyi (because i love the manga retelling, Houshin Engi), an old chinese fantasy book about an immortal war that gave rise to the pantheon that Sun Wukong would later fight. While chinese, there is some aesthetic identity in common with the references you see to want for your game (though I haven't read the kojiki or orion, but the pics are cool so i may read it later), at least as far as powers may go. I uploaded a few of the reference pdfs for you here: https://limewire.com/d/5b4WB#Dvif2unmkwFor your Appendix N, a few suggestions (though YMMV):>Hi no Tori: Houou-hen/Yamato-hen>Houshin Engi (manga)>Makai Tenshou>Tokyo Ravens (modern setting but has some good elements)>Sengoku Youko (manga)>Karakuri no Kimi>Shuten Douji (OVA)The most important thing is to put out something, as shitty as it is, and playtest it. If you playtest, interest beyond the first week will come.
Some sample characters in the remote possibility that someone wants to test the system by themselves Smoking Hot Pilot+Ace pilot+Veteran -AddictionYo: Burning Hand: melee attack at +1d6, at 2+ successes the target catches fire and takes 1 Yo damage every turn until the fire is put out.In: Smoke Bomb. Fill an area with smoke. Ranged attack from and against characters in that area have -1d6Temporal Swordmaster+Sword Mastery+Etiquette-PridefulYo: Split the Second: Melee Attack at +1d6, but deal no damage. Next turn, deal successes+1 Yo damage.In: Precognition: Until next turn, all defense rolls are made at +1d6 Asura Monk +Knowledge of the Sutra+Healing Alchemy-Prone to angerYo: Asura Stance: +1 move, +1d6 on attack, -1d6 on defense rollsIn: Holy Verse: make a roll. For each success, move an ally towards the center. Can be boosted like normal rollsRebellion Mechanist+Quick thinking +Good with machines-NaïveYo: Boost: Move anywhere on the field, then attack one enemy in melee rangeIn: Scan: Deal one damage, learn one info about the opponent Musical Icon+Popular+Born entertainer-ShelteredYo: Song of Thunder: Choose a zone and roll at +1d6. For each success, a character in that zone can’t attack on their next turn. In: Song of Wind: move someone one space, roll if you choose an enemy.>>98313652Thank you, I'm looking into those now
>>98307729>>98319971Do you plan on adding abilities like:>illusions>phasing out of realities/through portals/reality marbles>attacks that you have to hit twice or thrice without damage to instakill>coinflip hail mary techniques that either fuck shit up for them or for youmimic from final fantasy (use the last technique used by anyone) can be fun>since we're talking ff, ffd6 has a lot of fun stuff like geomancy, blue magic, roulettes>wuxia/gunz the duel movementLook up some Kyoukaisenjou no Horizon characters too, there was some nifty stuff there, like silver chains a chick could control like tentacles, or Honda Tadakatsu's own spear except it automatically cut anything reflected on its tip.
>>98297125>trying to marry senran kagura, kingdom under fire, and dynasty warriors>Also it's in a fantastical prehispanic Mexico.I'm listening
>>98320392The idea is that the system is designed to be played at my table only and is tailored towards my players and me. They will make their own powers and we'll work together to figure out the mechanics, so all the things you and I have come up with will be used as samples. That said, I really like the mimic idea. I haven't been able to test yet but the mindset I'm going in with is to let stuff be broken and let everyone have bullshit powers to face against equally bullshit enemies rather than try to keep everything balanced
you just made a laser vs feeings hack
>>98321117I didn't know it was a thing but I can see that, I don't mind though
>>98321088>let stuff be brokenBest mindset for this kind of thing. Mimic kinda balances itself by limiting what the user can do to exactly what other characters would be able to do, it's more quirky than it is anything else, and frankly can get cumbersome to use if the enemies know what they're doing, but two particularly cooperative players can also abuse it in fun ways.
