a game originally called: adventure in the land of Jan
ssem:
I started writing a specific fantasy novel in a game world of my design back in the early 80s. this failed mostly to my lack of imagination, 90% English fluency (i have no first language) and my complete inability to describe and envision how people would act and react in certain situations. I also discovered, in my own opinion, that there was a lot of 'reality' based inconsistencies. I was trying to create a new reality and have all the events in the that world be consistent with my idea of what should happen and what shouldn't. so in the early 90s I decided to create a role-playing game that was designed purely for the main stories in that world in the hopes that if there was any doubt if something could happen, the rules of the game would decide. little did I know that most game designers had written stories based on their games already.
one of the gamers in a group i was in at that time when i first started creating the game listened to my description of the world and posted an advert of it on the groups forums as ... Adventures in the land of Jan, where an experienced party of heroes can get wiped out by a single rabbit.
twenty years have passed since then without me having anyone to help with the game design or play testing. I've creating a few hundred different game rules and either thrown them away or lost them. a gaming shop opened almost outside my house over a year ago and i tried advertise my game there and up until about October last year i have had less than no success.
a lot has happened since then. I feel more progress has been made in the last 6 months than the last 30 years. still no one has play tested any parts of my game and the rules aren't really existent as such though they are stabilising. I will freely admit to everyone that I rape and steal every possible rule from every game I find. I believe Dave Arneson and Ian? Livingstone are the only game designers to not have copied a single rule from anywhere else. then again I've only seen published games. I cannot comment on indie games that don't get sold in shops.
and I believe it would help the reader understand the rules I have if I state where I got them from. for example I recently used tunnels and trolls combat style ( copied by usagi yojimbo of fuzion games and pendragon of chaosium) to have one number for melee ability and that both opponents roll against each other and the highest roll hits and the other misses.
I found it great to use. a complete change from all the other game combat styles. but it wasn't what I really wanted so I have changed it. what game did I copy this time? every company in which their combat involves rolling a to hit against a target number would claim I copied them. so I will just say D&D (pre AD&D), the first role-playing game with that style. the core of my game rules try very hard to emulate the original D&D rules merged together with the unheard of Torg game by West End Games. together they form a traditional fantasy game with high heroics and cinematics capable of mixing fantasy with technology.
which brings me to my first question: I am looking for rules that grant various combat manoeuvres to any and every fighting style, I think some people call them katas. there are so many games that have manoeuvres for martial arts. but not kenjutsu or western weapon fighting. while I claim to rape all rules, these rules are converted into my system and are frequently completely unrecognisable as the original. I don't copy the rule, rather I decide how the rule can be translated into the game system. these combat manoeuvres can come from anywhere... LARP, RPGS, boardgames, computer games or maybe even a translation of real fighting styles converted onto paper.
Let me know if you have any suggestions or advice. I ask only one rule question to get the ball started. feel free to ask anything about my game or world. there's never anyone around at the gaming shop interested in discussing my game. they are only interested in playing or GM-ing published games
Gregor Hutton:
Hello ssem
Welcome to the Forge!
I think this thread might be in the wrong forum (no worries, if it is a Moderator will move it), as it sounded more like Game Development to me,
Threads in Actual Play have the following rules and those in Game Development have these ones.
Anyway, I'd like to hear more about your game, do you have a document (even a rough or brief one) outlining the rules and procedures of play?
Cheers,
Gregor
edited to fix link format - RE
ssem:
thanks Greg :)
I am completely new here. a veteran game designer and veteran just about anything to do with imagination referred me to this site. technology and the internet are difficult concepts for me and I had to ask friends how to use this site. it seemed that I was to introduce myself and game and wishes in this section before considering moving to the game development section which seemed to be for ready to play games.
at the moment I have very simple rules 'for my benefit' scribbled on various pieces of paper. this early design is mostly for my understanding and some of it would need to be translated for use by 'players'. I did start typing basic rules for understanding and comparison with other games and beginning a new character from scratch. but part of my comparisons involved The Better Universal Role-playing Game System (BURPS) my modification for GURPS and i immediately got side tracked typing the BURPS rules out, a game I hadn't touched in over 10 years, for people to know what i was talking about and how to use it with the GURPS game should they find it to their amusement.
I did spent half a week after that designing as much of my game, which I adventurously call Bunnies & Beasties, without any breaks or sleep for the game-convention at the game shop held on February 19th. In that 12 hour game I GMed players could design modern and futuristic characters as well as supers and typically all kinds of fantasy classes. I needed no special rules for modern and futuristic except a list of weapons. I was able to convert most of the powers from Champions the super heroic game by I.C.E. but I didn't have time to create rules for fantasy classes and their skill options. The game world I used on the day was Torg's earth. I am very loath to GM or create adventures in the world the game is meant to be designed for until I am ready and there are players/testers ready and willing to go through it fully and officially. The one time i was able to get a group of players to start the world's campaign for the books I had to stop it almost immediately due to what I consider extreme player error's.
To describe how the game rules affect game play...if you could ever find a copy or source explaining the Torg universe. that would help... I would at this genesis phase call the similar to basic dungeons and dragons for character design and choices of races classes and equipment. but I strive to have game play cinematic with many feats of heroism as found in Torg games. The game uses 2D10 for everything involving 'chance'. skill rolls, combat and damage, 'saving throws'. the majority of character abilities will be a simple (to complex) formula of stat bonus + skill rank added to 2D10 whenever they get used.
let me start converting paper to word document today. I probably wont finish so it could be sometime next week where i can move the word document to a google doc to send a link of some rules I've decided on so far.
and I may be known as Jan by all here as well as by all in the role-playing field globally.
dreamborn:
Ssem, wrote “I started writing a specific fantasy novel in a game world of my design back in the early 80s. this failed mostly to my lack of imagination”
Dreamborn, “It didn’t fail it was just put on the back-burner! If it is a good idea for you its time will come.”
Ssem, “one of the gamers in a group i was in at that time when i first started creating the game listened to my description of the world and posted an advert of it on the groups forums as ... Adventures in the land of Jan, where an experienced party of heroes can get wiped out by a single rabbit.”
Dreamborn, “Don’t take it too hard. In my experience the online community can be very harsh, or supportive. If you are behind it try to make it happen.”
Ssem, “twenty years have passed since then without me having anyone to help with the game design or play testing. I've creating a few hundred different game rules and either thrown them away or lost them. a gaming shop opened almost outside my house over a year ago and i tried advertise my game there and up until about October last year i have had less than no success.”
Dreamborn, “Yes I have experienced a similar situation also. I wouldn’t try to advertise your game solely at a brick and mortar store. The internet is potentially your vehicle to advertise. Also I would recommend volunteering to run your game at the local shop if they have that option.”
Ssem, “I will freely admit to everyone that I rape and steal every possible rule from every game I find.”
Dreamborn, “Be sure to give credit if your take it verbatim, otherwise it is plagiarism/copyright issues. Also, remember what can and can not be patented. It is the application/method used that is key. You cant patent algorithms or a formula, you can only patent the enabling application as described in the claims. Just make sure you don’t violate copyright/plagiarism issues.”
Ssem, “am looking for rules that grant various combat maneuvers to any and every fighting style, I think some people call them katas.”
Dreamborn, “Every marital art has them, even western styles. Look at De Silver’s Paradoxs of Defense, written in 1600 AD. The key here they are unique to the system. Musashi, (arguably greatest swordsman ever) eventually came to the conclusion the best system is the system with no katas. That is the way I have done it in my gaming system.”
Good luck and welcome
Kent Krumvieda
www.dreamborn.com
Gregor Hutton:
Thanks Jan
Yes, I'm familiar with TORG and other "MasterBook" games (I was looking through my boxed set of Shatterzone the other night) so I know where you are coming from.
Putting your ideas down in a Word/Google doc is a good idea. It gives a foundation that you and everyone else can refer to.
It's probably best to leave discussions of the system and what you want out of it until we have the Google doc. And take as much time as you need to get the doc together, there is no rush.
All the best,
Gregor
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