[Playtest Campaign] Brief (&) [Update]-

:: We played. Stuff happened. Didn't happen. Happened differently. and again.
--Player frustration at lack of direction prompted me to introduce a passive guide. I'll have to ramp it up, apparently.
:: Changes on the page have overtaken the incidence of changes in-play, and I am hoping the store-politic-clique stuff calms down soon, so that we can take the game into the 'End Game' phase of property management and task delegation to new and starting characters (generated from the new procedure). I think the situation is too far advanced to be saved, which is a pity. We may not all share a common respect and admiration for each other, but we were all raised to be courteous and civil.


:: Busy writing the revision...
:: Overall reduction in power-level (toned down the Ability Modifiers table, etc.)
:: Playtesting the extremes has helped determine the desired fine-tuned averages. Sometimes, I think the Playtest-nature has conflicted with 'playing it' for its own game-sake. --I have an offer or four for final playtest groups, and hope to complete enough of it for the NTRPGCon player handout.
:: Pandora has been playing a nice mix of stuff so far today.

[Playtest Campaign] 9th, April-

:: Elemental stirrings as a powerful Earth-aligned person sought and won permission of the Governors to raise a temple out around a tiny island off their northern coast. It is decided to host Water, Air, and Fire temples, as well. Tybylt met Lord Shadow for a second time, and received a favour of the entity.

:: Mela, and Darius (now a recipient of Earth-based versions of his Aberrations) head off to the Marnharnnan continent, and the Riverland peninsula, to tend to those suffering what they were informed was a water-borne illness.

:: Tybylt, Ashta (called 'Xholte' by the native islanders of the region), eight native spiritualist, six mixed FCS sharpshooters, and rogue WICE grenadiers (decked-out in Environment Suits) travel to the Shlzm bastion on some undisclosed. Her adherents chant the name, generating psychic energy to boost (her/the ship's) powers.

:: A lot of 'flavour' regarding the nature and scale of the combat, but also confirmation that multiple realities are operating in parallel synchrony, including the old Pathfinder cast of characters. Next session will involve their outside of craft, individual tasks and (likely) combat.

:: I had the PCs receive (1d6+1d4) Locus Points.

:: The demons are Mutant, Cybernetic, Demonic creatures with a decidedly H. R Geiger aesthetic to them. So far they haven't encountered any real noteworthy opponents while in the Sphere.

:: The boon that was granted so as to have Tybylt's Shadow-powers and Ashta's Aelbaan-Psychic powers combined, and embodied in one male and one female child. He has the Shadow of Aether power, which grants limited effect upon the Void powers the enemy are using.
The female is to have Aether-fortified Shadow effects, causing the normally 2D shadows take on a full 3D reality as they are 'filled' with Aether. Again, this will allow the ability to affect the Void magicks with the variety of both Tyb's magick and Ashta's and the Sphere's Psychic abilities.

[RPG] Locus Points: Generation, Use, and Gain-

As I am writing the Ethnicity-specific CharGen pages, I have been thinking about how to go about implementing Locus Points for existing characters (such as those in my Playtest Campaign, or characters ported in from some Other Game).

What is Locus?-

Locus is functionally 'Luck' in a general sense, and from a game-mechanic-perspective, it operates in a way similar to so-called Action Points.

* If stated that a Locus Point (only ever one being used at a time for anything) is going to be expended, the roll that would normally be needed is instead waved and a 'success' is generated. In the case of a Strike Roll, the attack strikes. In the case of a Damage/Effect Roll, the average value is generated (to which modifiers are then added as per normal). In a Skill Roll, 100% is generated. Etc.

* If a roll is made, and Success or Effect is not generated on rolled (+ mods.) merits, a Locus Point may be expended to re-roll, with the better of the two results being used.

* If a Player expends one Locus Point, their PC stops 1-point of bleeding (Condition 3), requiring two concurrent Rounds in which Locus was expended to stop Heavy Bleeding (Condition 2).

* If a PC would go Unconscious (Condition 1), or is already Unconscious, 1 Locus Point may be expended to roll 1d6. If this d6 result is 4+, the PC becomes conscious, although possibly still (Heavy-) Bleeding, and can act at the standard Condition penalty (6 - Condition).

* If a PC is Dying (Condition Zed), the Player may expend 1 Locus Point to keep from slipping further (once the Zed DP have reached 0). For more permissive GMs of That Other Game who use 'negative x = dead', then this would prevent a PC from slipping into the (further) 'negatives'.

:: The above also apply to non-lethal, stunning effects (what UWoM terms Alertness Conditions: Vanguard, Alert, Unfocused, Stunned, In-shock, Unconscious, Comatose), such as results from waylaying, psychic-blasts, etc.

The Referee is encouraged to allow other significant (i.e., non-trivial) uses for the expenditure of a Locus Point, that I have not detailed, and will not detail in the rules.
--This becomes a Player-Referee dynamic mechanism that allows a bit more interaction in the gameplay apart from binary success/failure die-rolls.

(Re)gaining Locus Points-

:: As these points do not 're-set' at the start of a session/section/chapter, I suggest adding one LP each advancement, and in the event of significant and especially clever gameplay, or deeply moving roleplay, such as putting Duty above one's own life, etc.

* For new PCs, the Player rolls 3d6 seven times, placing six of the scores as desired into the six Abilities, and using the seventh score as the Locus Point total.
--This allows strategic choice in the case of (otherwise 'good'-) scores that wouldn't provide an additional bonus to be placed instead in Locus, with the lower score in a bonus-step (13 on a 13-15 score bonus scheme, for instance) placed in an Ability.

* For extant characters imported from Other Games, to simulate the likelihood of the Locus score being the 'discard', it would instead be generated with a 2d6+1d4 roll.

:: With many uses for (and few methods of re-gaining) Locus Points, I see this mechanism as a little nudge in the PCs favour in what would otherwise be a very deadly game (system).


Thoughts, concerns, objections, derisions?

[In Memoriam] David Arneson: Father of RPGs

[noodle] My 0-level Castle 'adventure'-

Having slept for only four hours, I then readied for a 10-hour work-shift.
--Who cares, right?

Except that today's post was at Coral Castle.

They sell tiny dioramas, but I didn't feel like spending the money.
--Instead, I have the 'map' of the place, and may scan-and-post.

Brain is a bit fried, but a Sharpe's adventure is about to show on Masterpiece Classics.

Later,

[RPG] Update: 2nd, April-

:: It has been an interesting and trying week, and the LGS co-owner has been kind enough to give me a break this week, as it would have been just Tyb's player and him at the game; my sweetie working this evening.

* Armed with various graphic representations of the probabilities of the 2d12 task-resolution mechanism, I've re-tooled the Referee's Spectral Index. I am eager to reveal it, but will hold off doing so.
--I think it will dramatically reduce the Referee's in-game work-load, as well as open-up the intuitive floodgates on rulings. But only for those who are willing to use it in that fashion. Fortunately, the system hasn't become dependent upon its use, and therefore cannot be sunk by its non-use.

* Having recently played in both B/X and Pathfinder games, I am very glad to have reduced the fiddly-bits of the skills to the ten categories, as a long list of discrete skills has proven, in my opinion, to be unnecessary, impractical to operate (find, maintain, etc.), and does nothing but simply add a bonus to an Ability Score check.
--My solution has been to list examples within each of the ten Skill Areas, and even to include Concentrations, but not to track the improvement of individual bits within them. A 'clever' descriptive mechanism facilitates the latter feature.
---As a character advances in Magnitude, the Player simply notes which Areas will receive their increase, and the entire batch improves, with Concentrations keeping their head-start in pace.

* A recent discussion on Dragonsfoot regarding the discrepancy between melee/muscle-powered ranged and Ancient tech weapons in most (all?) editions Gamma World reaffirms my decision to up the former categories weapon damages by a factor of 3, while still retaining the lethality of the Ancient tech.
--This isn't a CR-balanced sort of world, but with but a simple equation, a Referee can set damage output 'on the fly', so that TPKs are unlikely to occur for all but the unluckiest or most foolish of parties.

* I think that the Referee's Manual will be the most enjoyable portion to write of the proposed three, as very little of it will be mechanical in nature, and most of it will simply be one (of various) Referees talking to the reader in practical (and sometimes rather esoteric) terms about the art, business, and sciences of the Refereeing trade.
--The rest of the details are still under the hat...

* I'm hoping to have a small pre-production booklet ready in time for the North Texas RPG Convention in early June, covering the 'fall-off-a-log-simple' Character Generation, Equipping, and Combat sections, to be handed out along with the PreGens and SitRep handout, but no promises. ;)

[RPG] Abstract Combat Example: Lammasu v. Hill Giant-

Lammasu v. Hill Giant-

I'm going to run this without the Condition Penalties, merely tracking the cumulative DP loss.
--In a future post I'll throw in the bells and whistles.

Lammasu 7+7 = 9
Hill Giant 8 + 1-2 = 8

The Lammasu has already depleted its combat-capable spells for the day, and the Hill Giant's five Dire Wolves have been slain prior to this fight.

FIRST SEQUENCE-

The Lammasu rolls his 9 Fight Dice: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 | 2 | 4, 4 | 6
The Hill Giant rolls his 8 Fight Dice: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4, 4 | 5, 5 | 6

Their highest Result Totals are:
* Lammasu: (4 + 4) 8
* Hill Giant: (5 + 5) 10
--The Lamassu loses by 2 points and this still places it in Condition 6: Fit

Their next highest Result Totals:
* Lammasu: 6
* Hill Giant: (4 + 4) 8
--The Lamassu again loses by 2 points, and this is still C6: Fit

Next Highest RTs:
* Lammasu: (1, 1, 1, 1, 1) 5
* Hill Giant: 6
--The Lammasu loses by 1. We'll say, just for variety, that this is enough to from him to C5: Able

Next RTs:
* Lammasu: 2
* Hill Giant: 3
--Lammasu loses by 1 point, still C5: Able

Next RTs:
* Lammasu: 0
* Hill Giant: 2
--Lammasu loses by 2 points again, knocking him down to C4: Pained

SECOND SEQUENCE-

Both opponents are still up in the fight, and so both refresh their FD pools.

The Lammasu decides to pull 1FD from his pool to keep in Contingency to block an unchallenged Effect.
--The Hill Giant taunts the lawful creature and sees no need to hedge his bets, going all-in.

The Lammasu rolls his 8 Fight Dice: 2, 2, 2 | 5 | 6, 6, 6, 6
The Hill Giant rolls his 8 Fight Dice: 1 | 2 | 3, 3 | 4, 4 | 5, 5

This Sequence's Highest RTs:
* Lammasu: (6, 6, 6, 6) 24
* Hill Giant: (5, 5) 10
--The Hill Giant is surprised by the ferocious paw attacks his bloodied foe has delivered, losing by 14 points, dropping him directly to Condition 2: Heavy Bleeding

Next Highest RTs:
* Lammasu: (2, 2, 2) 6
* Hill Giant: (4, 4) 8
--This would normally be a loss by the Lammasu of 2 DPs, but he expends his one Contingency Die to entirely negate the 2 points, suffering no damage this exchange.

Next Highest RTs:
* Lammasu: 5
* Hill Giant: (3, 3) 6
--The already injured, but still very capable Lammasu takes another DP difference, still Pained.

Next Highest RTs:
* Lammasu: 0
* Hill Giant: 2
--The Lammasu drops to Bleeding

Next Highest:
* Lammasu: 0
* Hill Giant: 1
--Lammasu still Bleeding

SEQUENCE THREE-

Keenly aware of how things could go wrong again, as well as how close to death his foe is, the Lammasu makes the daring decision to put 2FD in Contingency.
--The Hill Giant amazingly rolls well enough to realise how close he is to losing, and saves 1FD in Contingency.

The Lammasu rolls his 7 Fight Dice: 1, 1 | 2, 2 | 4 | 5 | 6
The Hill Giant rolls his 7 Fight Dice: 2 | 3 | 4, 4, 4 | 5 | 6

This Sequence's Highest RTs:
* Lammasu: 6
* Hill Giant: 12
--The Lammasu cashes-in one Contingency Die to negate the 6 DP difference he would have suffered.

Next Highest:
* Lammasu: 5
* Hill Giant: 6
--The Lammasu decides to risk the 1 DP difference, and drops to Heavy Bleeding.

Next Highest RTs:
* Lammasu: 4
* Hill Giant: 5
--The Lammasu sucks up the 1 DP difference, still Heavy Bleeding

Next RTs:
* Lammasu: (2, 2) 4
* Hill Giant: 3
--The Hill Giant rolls to see if he is smart enough to use his Contingency Die and fails to use it, suffering 1 DP and on the cusp of Unconsciousness.

Next RTs:
* Lammasu: (1, 1) 2
* Hill Giant: 2
= 0 Draw

SEQUENCE FOUR-

The Lammasu holds 1FD in Contingency.
--The Hill Giant goes all-in.

The Lammasu rolls his 8 Fight Dice: 1 | 2 | 4, 4 | 5, 5 | 6, 6
The Hill Giant rolls his 8 Fight Dice: 2, 2 | 3 | 4, 4 | 6, 6, 6

Sequence Highest RTs:
* Lammasu: 12
* Hill Giant: 18
--The Lammasu uses his 1 Contingency Die to negate the 6 DP difference.

Next:
* Lammasu: (5, 5) 10
* Hill Giant: (4, 4) 8
--The Hill Giant loses by 2 DP, going Unconscious. With No Contingency Dice, he cannot effect wakefullness and is helpless.

Next:
* The extremely Lawful Lammasu does not dispatch his foe, but does use his remaining heal spells to heal himself, and moves off just far enough and waits the rest of the day and night for the hyenas, jackals, and vultures to finish-off his opponent before flying away to nurse his remaining injuries, thanking the forces of Law for his victory.