A generic RPG system designed for online forums

Started by Queshire, January 16, 2012, 04:23:39 PM

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Queshire

Yo' I'm still pretty new at this so sorry if I screw up.

As the name suggests, I'm designing a generic RPG system for use in an online forum and I would like an advice offered.

It's still pretty much in Alpha phase but here's what I have so far;

BASIC MECHANICS

1) The basic game resolution mechanic comes from betting/spending points, if you want to do something you have to reach a target number, you have attributes and skills with static values which help get you part of the way, but you have to spend points to get the rest of the way. True, this means that the characters can accomplish whatever they try but doing so risks running out of points later on. This is kind of based off Nobelis' system, though the scale would be different.

2) You regain points for good role playing or making stuff difficult for yourself.

3) There's degrees of success, if you match the target number you just do it, no fuss about it, if you exceed the target number by a certain amount you can do it particularly well, if you get close to the target number but don't meet you might accomplish it but have some downside to it. In fact that might be the best option as you effectively get a discount on points and the downside might give you the chance to regain points.

GENERAL AND SPECIALIZED ATTRIBUTES/SKILLS

I originally thought of this for just skills, I'm not 100% sure I want it for attributes, but the more I think about the more I'm liking it,

Basically you have general skills like Athletics, Guns, or Martial Arts, these skills can be used for anything they cover, you can put a certain amount of points in a general skill, I'm still working on scale, but for example we'll go with 3, after that you have to put points in one or more specialized skills, which, as the name suggests, are specialized versions of the General skills. After increasing specialized skills a certain amount you can increase the General Skill by one, before you have to increase the specialized skill more.

For example; Bob puts 3 points in Guns, he then has to put, for example, 3 points in a specialization (Guns: Dual Pistols) before he can increase Guns to 4, and then he has to put more points in one or more specializations, say, 4 this time, before he can increase the general skill again, 
so it'd be; Guns 3 > Guns 3, Guns: Dual Pistols 3 > Guns 4, Guns: Dual Pistols 3 > Guns 4, Guns: Dual Pistols 7 > Guns 5, Guns: Dual Pistols 7.

Certain specializations might fit under multiple general skills, like Gun Fu might be both Guns and Martial Arts, but they cost more, I'm not sure whether to have a double cost so there's no mechanical benefit, or 1.5, (rounded either up or down) or maybe have it cost normally but only count half for unlocking the next rank in the general skills.

I'm thinking of having the same mechanic for Attributes, if so the general attributes would be VERY general, probably only Physical, Mental, Social, and may-be Fate, while the specializations would more classical attributes like Strength or Dexterity, if I don't do this, then I'd just get rid of the general attributes and have the specialized attributes. One benefit of this would be that certain attributes which only fit in certain settings like Sanity, Rank, Magic, or Ki, can be added in as specializations without needing to adjust the character creation points.

Skill specializations on general can be whatever the character wants, while attribute specializations should be defined by the GM.

Each of the General Attribute would have it's own point pool, while I'm thinking that skills should have just one large point pool to cover all of them.
TRAITS:
All traits can be good or bad, when they help your character, they give a bonus to achieving the target number, when they hinder they give a penalty while giving you points to whichever pool seems appropriate.

Inherent:
I'm still thinking about how to do this, but these would be abilities / powers that you get, not for what you do but from who you are, and angel might half Flight, Holy, Immortal, and maybe Spirit, while a robot would have Non-organic, Immortal, Repairable, Weak to Water. This would be based off Nobelis' Gifts section.

Bonds: (I use the term from Nobelis for lack of a better option, I don't really like it though) These are things that matter to your character, whether positively or negatively, however you can choose whether they affect you or not, though going dramatically against them often results in a penalty for your character, most often a temporary bond-level wound.

Afflictions: (again, I use the Nobelis term, but I don't like it)
These are similar to bonds, though stronger, whenever they CAN affect you they do, and ignoring / going against them causes a stronger penalty, either a permanent bond-level wound or temporary Affliction-level wound.

Wound: Wounds work the same way as bonds or afflictions, in fact the only difference is that wounds are often the result of someone else's actions and, generally, your character DOES NOT WANT THEM. Wounds too can be both positive or negative, though primarily negative, they can be either temporary or permanent, though in this case temporary means it will heal with time while permanent means you'll have to do something special or unusual to cure it. If you actually want to keep a wound, it ceases to be a wound and becomes a regular bond/affliction and thus requires a certain amount of character points to be spent on it.

Signature Equipment: most normal equipment is just that, normal and not worth mentioning, however certain special equipment can be a trait, if you constantly have it, it's particularly notorious, or is intelligent it can be an affliction, otherwise it's generally a bond.

OTHER IDEAS:
Some other mechanics I've come up with but I'm still not sure about are Fatigue and Will.
Fatigue is a temporary affliction-level wound that you choose to take, it causes a penalty on all your actions equal to the fatigue level, I'm still working on the mechanics, it'll either give you a big boost in points that you can distribute as you like, but doesn't let you regain points from it normally, or it gives you a small immediate boost in points and lets you regain points from it normally, frankly I'm pulling towards option 1, the fatigue penalty is culmative if you use it over and over again.

Will is a separate point pool but works differently then others, it represents herulclean efforts, instead of adding points, it automatically boosts you up to the next success threshold level, if you use it once you gain a wound, if you use it again without resting for a certain amount of time you gain a serious wound, three times you loose a point of one of your specialized attributes, four times you loose a point in one of your general attributes, five, you die.

QUESTIONS:
So after saying all that, here's what I'd like your advice on, besides general "is this not completely horrible,"

1) From a game perspective how I have the general / specific mechanic set up makes sense, but in real life doesn't it go specific > general instead of general > specific?
2) Would the mechanics as suggested make the characters over powered? The system this is mainly based off, Nobelis, deals with character that are basically gods.
3) Does this make sense? Is it easy to understand?
4) Should I go with the general / specific system with attributes or just have specific attributes?
5) What do you think of the fatigue / will system? I -literally- just thought of them as I typed this, and I'm afraid they're too easy to abuse.
6) What should I call bonds / afflictions instead of bonds / afflictions? I really don't like those names, they make bonds seem good and afflictions bad, but they can be either just as easily.
7) Any other advice / suggestions you can offer? This is my first game so I'm eager to get any help I can.