[freeroleplay] Re: Thoughts on system design

[Troy Truchon]

On 6/27/06, Troy Truchon <capheind at gmail.com> wrote:
> For my upcoming PBeM I am trying to find ways to do away with the
> traditional game master. But I don't want it to become round robin
> story telling as I've seen it become in many gmless rpgs. In short I
> want it to stay a game I just see no point in one GM handling
> everything thats not a player. Basically several people play a text
> based adventure and I'm stuck playing computer.
>
> One thought I have had is to break up the story into story arcs and
> have a player whos character is not involved GM it. At least untill
> his/her character becomses involved. At any given point the narrative
> could be constructed by several GM's. The problem would be in the
> protocols necessary to coordinate it.
>
> To give a general idea lest picture a steriotypical cyberpunk game.
> The players have been hired to make a hit on a low level executive. In
> the peliminary parts the players break up to do the necessary
> research. Each segment of that story would be GM'ed by someone whos
> character was not directly involved. Then when they actually get there
> the players staying outside are gmed by one of the ones going inside.
> when inside the corporate security interactions may be handled by one
> of the outside players, the computer security by be handled by a
> someone playing a hired gun with no real tech skills, and that techie
> might control the actions of the actual executive provided he wasn't
> in the room. The fun in this system is that even the other GM's have
> to play both their character and a number of NPCs and such in the
> setting. Any thoughts.

I just thought of an incredibly simple mechanic I could use. Basically
we do away with attributes entirely and just make everything skills.
In such a system we wouldn't care how strong you are, only what you
could do with that strength. If needed an action involving raw
attributes could be tested by some combination of the relevant skills.

Whenever you run into a task that needs resolution you roll a number
of D6's equal to the most relevant skills, the result is compared with
a difficulty based on how taxed each of the skills are combined. if
the difficulty is too high for you to possibly achieve you may, at the
GMs discretion, add other relevant skills to the dice pool. However
the GM can up the difficulty if needed. If the task is to low to roll
its an automatic success.

Skills would fall into four groupings; Basic skills are skills that
encompass simple tasks like running, lifting, and so forth (yes
basically attributes, but treated as skills); Professional skills are
skills that encompass an entire profession, they cost more but act as
packages of lesser skills; Techniques are combat related skills and
should cost based on their scope, so a skill in longbows should cost
less than a general skill in archery; finally you have your advanced
skills, these encompass knowledge skills as well as skills that would
otherwise be part of professional packages. An example of the
difference in a professional and advanced skill is the differences
between someone with a "Pilot(4)" and a "piloting(3)" A pilot knows
more than just how to fly a plane, he has done so professionally and
would have a package of skills, contacts, and equipment that came
along with the "pilot" profession, whereas the individual with the
advanced skill "piloting" would just know how to fly the plane.

Each skill could also have some qualities associated with it, in which
case it is simply the highest linked skill you have. Running, rock
climbing, and long jumping would all be considered endurance skills so
your endurance would be the highest of those skills. Skills could be
linked to more than one quality. So essentially your qualities are
virtual instead of actual numbered attributes. They can change with
work. You would also have stats. these are things like height that
don't change unless your surgically altered or something.

As a bit of a flex NPC's could be summed up in a single professional
skill. You don't need a bunch of stats for a donkey, just rate it as
say "pack animal(5)" and all its skills/attributes would come from
that.

So what do you all think?

-- 
Troy J. Truchon
Computer Service Technician