Opinions requested on indie RPG/skirmish
bosky:
Okay some more specific feedback now that I could browse through the rules.
So some notes I jotted down while reading through. Don't feel obligated to use any of them, and some may be rooted in my ignorance of how the game actually plays.
- Instead of putting a fake copyright (unless you actually did apply for copyright for an alpha version of your game :) ) I'd recommend using the Creative Commons license. You can pick one that suits you, but probably a version that doesn't allow commercial works will prevent any "ripoffs" better than just putting a copyright symbol.
- I really like the idea of Noise on a per Movement basis. What about Noise for weapons? That might add some incentive to get up close and personal with a melee weapon compared to shooting a rifle. Plus then silencers could actually do something.
- Using "Fitness Points" instead of action points is cool. My concern is with the amounts you are charging for various actions. It looks like the maximum a character could start with would be 10 Fitness (if they had 20 Physical). That would mean they could move 20" or attack in melee 10 times? That would make for some long melees. Maybe changing melee weapons to use Fitness on a per-weapon basis would be better, since heavier weapons would take more energy (ie: swinging a sledgehammer compared to stabbing with a shiv).
- I think M/S/A is a unique idea, but I'd vote to change it to Minor, Medium, and Major. To me it's hard to know/remember if Severe is more dangerous than Acute wounds. Also do the wounds relate to each other in some way? Like 2 Minor Wounds = 1 Severe Wound?
- Constitution looks like it's purely mental fortitude? Maybe naming it "Composure" would be better? Or Sanity like the old Cthulhu games, haha.
- I dig having the weapon cards, especially if you put a picture of each gun on it plus some generic wikipedia copy-paste. I think that'd really help characters feel attached to their equipment instead of being confused "What was the difference between the M14 and M16?" And it gives players something concrete when they get an item, instead of just "Okay now fill in these stats on your sheet that I dictate to you". I imagine you'll have enough empty space to really do a nice layout on there.
- Just personal preference, but I'd aim to make the ranged weapon categories more realistic. It looks like you went for the generic "video game" categories of Pistol, Submachine Gun, but then split Rifle into three choices with Bolt-Action, Assault Rifle, and Automatic Rifle? I have trouble seeing the difference between Assault Rifle and Automatic Rifle, let alone Machine Gun. What about just going by their mode of fire? Bolt-action, lever-action, semi-automatic, burst fire, fully automatic?
- I think this might just be a typo, but do Melee weapons have a Quality while ranged weapons don't? It was in the description for melee weapons but not the statline, so I wasn't sure.
- I'm not sure what the exact "Strengths" of each Armor will be, but right now it seems like a person is basically invincible against whatever Strength the Armor has? So if they have Armor vs Blunt they don't take any damage and the armor doesn't lose any durability. I think having it at least lose durability would make sense, since otherwise you might end up in awkward situations where enemies or even players can't hurt the opponent.
- Looks like you're tracking individual ammo? That can make for some annoying book keeping, but it's tough to avoid in post apocalyptic games where supplies are short.
- What about having Reliability for guns, instead of just a blanket "roll of 00 means jam". What about Reliability 0-10 which would mean the gun jams on a roll of 0-10 instead. This would allow for bigger differences between the weapons. For example the classic AK 47 vs AR 15 argument often says the AK 47 is more reliable, but right now there is no accounting for that in the game. It would also allow players to find "Rusted" versions that are less Reliable, but maybe stronger than what they currently have so it becomes a trade off.
- For fleshing out the Ability List I find deciding on a factor and applying it across all the stats is useful for filling up the list. For example have a +1 Ability and make one for Social, Logical, etc. Then have an Ability that improves each aspect of melee weapons and ranged weapons, so one for +Range, +Accuracy, etc.
- For the weapon skill levels (like Level 2 Pistol) I think it'd be insanely hard to track all the prerequisites for those, similarly for the Ranged Progressive Skills. I mean if a person wants to focus on Steady Breathing and Target Tracking they're going to have to write that count down somewhere, and remember to update it mid-combat.
Anyways looks cool! I'll be interested to see how the game develops, as I think you have a pretty solid foundation and lots of motivation.
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