Power 19: One Roll Narrative Role Playing System (Long)

[CSBone]

Lordy, lordy I've been gone a long time!

Based on the comments of people on this forum I realise that what I was working for Space Ranger was just not going to work so I took the process back to the beginning and it's taken me almost a year to finally get back to a point that I'm ready to have y'all hammer away at a game. I think this one is much more solid than my first attempt and I have the comments from people from here to thank for it.

What this post is going to be is a draft of the Power19 for the One Roll Narrative Role Playing System. You will notice that there are questions I couldn't answer. With your help I hope to get them answered.

As a side note, I don't have an ego about this project. I'm looking for constructive criticism and if you can do it faster by being harsh please do.

I want the initial minibook of rules and character sheets to be ready for kicking out by the end of summer.  With your help I think I can do it.

Hammer away!

Thanks in advance.

C. S. Bone

Power 19: One Roll Narrative Role Playing System

1. What is your game about?
One Roll is a Role Playing System designed to facilitate you to re-imagine ANY story and ANY world in those stories and to then play your own character with or instead of the protagonist in a story.

2. What do the characters do?
The Characters live and adventure with or in place of the protagonists of the story.

3. What do the players (including the GM if there is one) do?
Players (not the Characters) are the base unit of interaction in the game. Players have the functional tools (Dice) and facilitate the interaction between the Characters and world (which is actually a Character in and of itself).

4. How does your setting (or lack thereof) reinforce what your game is about?
Setting is defined by the story you choose to tell. The basic game system does not have a setting because this gaming system can handle ANY setting and my initial publishing goal is a mini-book which wont have enough room for much other than the rules.

5. How does the Character Creation of your game reinforce what your game is about?
Not sure how to answer this. Characters will be created by Naming Traits based on the Character's background. Traits could be Physical, Mental, Spiritual or Social but they could also be equipment, tools, weapons,  perks or special abilities. Anything is possible based on the paradigm of the story you are trying to tell.

6. What types of behaviors/styles of play does your game reward (and punish if necessary)?
Not sure how to answer this...yet.

7. How are behaviors and styles of play rewarded or punished in your game?
Not sure how to answer this...yet.

8. How are the responsibilities of narration and credibility divided in your game?
The Players aad GM share the responsibility of narration. The GM is not in command. The GM is just the Player in charge of creating and manipulating the world the other Players play in by both narrating the world and by creating the target numbers that govern Non-Player Characters. The Players narrate their own success and/or failures based on the roll of the dice. This means that the Player Character can be as competent or incompetent as the Player want them to be.

9. What does your game do to command the players' attention, engagement, and participation? (i.e. What does the game do to make them care?)
Not sure how to answer this...yet. I think the task resolution system does this as a natural function of it's design.

10. What are the resolution mechanics of your game like?
Players start with a Pool of dice. During Character Creation the Player either Names a Trait for a Character or Characters and pulls the dice into the Trait, or leaves the dice in the main pool. Characters can have as many Traits Named as they have dice in their Pool if they want to...but it is advantageous to keep a certain amount in reserve.

When the Player has to resolve a Conflict the Player gets one die free and another free die for any Trait that is named. After that if they want a better chance they can spend more dice, either from a Trait (cost one die per add) or from the pool (cost 2 dice per add) up to a max of 5 dice. T

he Player then rolls their dice. They take the value of their free die (right now designated as the Character's Trouble) and add the highest value of the rest of the die. They compare that number against the Target Number based on the difficulty of the Task or the toughness of the NPC.

If the Player number is higher then the Target Number then the Target Number (or if the Task or NPC is really tough, the Tasks or NPC can have their own Pool) is reduced by that amount. When the Target Number is reduced to zero the Task is resolved or the NPC is incapacitated (NPC may be designated as killed but that is not necessary).

If the Player Number is lower then the Player looses a number of dice from their Pool (at 2 for one) or from a Trait (1 for 1). Traits reduced below 1 die loose the free Trait die. When the whole Pool is gone and all of the Character's relevant Traits are reduced to zero dice (or the Player decides they want to save their die for future interaction)  the Character is incapacitated. This does not mean dead, only a Player can decide if their Character dies. Incapacitated means the Character can no longer continue on in the present Task and the GM can Narrate what happens next.

Things I have not resolved is:

• How big should the initial Pool be?
• How does the Pool refresh?
11. How do the resolution mechanics reinforce what your game is about?
Not sure how to answer this...yet. I've considered part of the Pool and Trait refresh to be based on either winning or losing at a Task but I'm not sure yet if this would work.

12. Do characters in your game advance? If so, how?
As Players better define their Characters the Characters will get better and more efficient and the narration will get tighter. I'm not sure if I should add a mechanic to allow the Player to advance by getting more dice. Depends on the decisions made about how big the Pool is and how the Pool refreshes.

13. How does the character advancement (or lack thereof) reinforce what your game is about?
Not sure how to answer this...yet.

14. What sort of product or effect do you want your game to produce in or for the players?
I want the Players to have fun imagining being the Protagonists in the worlds they are exploring.

15. What areas of your game receive extra attention and color? Why?
Not sure how to answer this. This game is all about the color. The color defines the Target Numbers and the feel. The Target number for a character trying to shoot a starfigher with a blaster is going to be higher than the same character trying to do the same thing with another starfigher...assuming the starfighters are similar and the circumstances say this should be the case. Like I said, everything is about the color.

16. Which part of your game are you most excited about or interested in? Why?
I am most excited by the fact that this system will finally let me play ANYTHING. The boundaries are my imagination. ANd the rules will help not hinder that process.

17. Where does your game take the players that other games can't, don't, or won't?
Most role-playing games I've played cripple the Player's interactions and choices with rules. I don't think mine will. The fact that the Charactewr is devorced from the Player gives latitude that just isn't possile in other ganmes I have played.

18. What are your publishing goals for your game?
My initial publishing goal is create a mini-book format that can be given away as a .pdf or built as an Ashcan (love that term...I think I might understand it) for a nominal (break even) price. The character sheet should fit on a trifold 3 x 5 card. I intend to print the initial rules to be assembled by me.

I intend to write a couple of game worlds along with it that would be presented as a novella length piece of fiction (may be a graphic novel format) that is written with a comprehensive glossary that will give the Players the governing paradigm for determining their character's Traits and Tools. THe fiction will have a narrative breakout in the denouement that encourages Players to create their own adventures in the same universe.

19. Who is your target audience?
The mainstream readers of science fiction and fantasy that want to PLAY the in the worlds they are reading about.  This may mean that my first couple of worlds will be pointed at the young teen crowd. I suspect I may be "raising" my own audience.

[northerain]

Hey Bone
Do you think you can post a small general description of the system, to get a better idea of how it works?

[Anders Larsen]

Hi

I think I can see what you are trying to do here. You want to make an "general" game and to do this you try to make the rules as simple and neutral as possible. I have some problem with this approach.

Before a rpg can properly start, there have to be a interesting situation that the characters can engage in. In this "general" approach you have your game does really not provide any situation. I know that traditionally it have not been the game, but the GM who should create the situations, but this is really not a robust solution; it depends very much on the GM. It is much better if this is build into the rules. I can see that you want to make some campaign worlds later, this could solve some of the problems, but not all.

An other problem is that "any story" is really not possible. There are some type of stories that need support from the rules to work consistently. If you then make support for these special types of stories, it will the get in the way of other types of stories. The thing is, you have to choose what kind of stories this game will focus on.

I actually think that you have a certain type of stories in mind with this game. I think you are going for the adventuring and exploring style of game. So focus on this, and try to add some rules that support it.

So, I have some question for you:

* What kind of situations will the characters face in this game?

* Which approaches can the characters (or players) use to solve these situations?

* And one last (slightly unrelated) question: Are you using task resolution or conflict resolution?

- Anders

[CSBone]

Hey guys!

Sorry it took so long to get back to you. One new son (8 weeks old), one two year old son, a 55 hour a week job and leaving enough time for my wife is going to make my responses come a little slow.


northerain,

See #10 above. I'm adding to that the following:

Character Creation

10 Words
This is an introduction to the character and includes the name of the chartacter and a short declaration of who or what that person is with their occupation and history. No matter how long a name or title is it is considered 1 word. Also any adjectives do not count toward the total.

100 Words
A Character's 100 Words is a 50-100 word paragraph describing character. It should include things the Character is passionate about. At the very least it should include a Physical Description (What do they look like? How do they come across?), Unusual Skills or Attributes (What is the character good at? Listing the obvious is okay, but try to take it a step further), Values and Motivations (What drives the character to act? What types of things does he or she consider important? What do they like? What do they hate?), How the character interacts with others (What attitude does the character have towards other people? What face does he or she present to the rest of the world? Who do they know? Who is important to them?), Useful knowledge (What types of things does this character know? What is the character good at? What are they perhaps not so good at?) and Distinguishing Features (What stands out the most about this character? This can be a major, dramatic feature, or a minor one. There is something unusual or unique about everyone. ).

Assign Dice

Beginning Characters: 25 Dice
Competent Characters: 50 Dice

Assign at least one to every thing important mentioned above.
Assign at least one to every important piece of equipment the character uses.
Assign half of what is left to "boost" the ones that are most important to your character.
Leave at least a quarter in reserve.

Character is ready to play.

Player Advancement

Dice refresh at the beginning of any session unless there is some reason in the story why they wouldn't. Dice can be reassigned at the beginning of any session.

Players add one die to their total for every 2 weeks they play until they reach 50 dice. Once the y reach 50 dice they add one die to their total for every 4 weeks of play until they reach 100 dice. Players can never have more than 100 dice.

Anders

Before a rpg can properly start, there have to be a interesting situation that the characters can engage in. In this "general" approach you have your game does really not provide any situation.

I've been told this before...fair enough!

I've always been facinated by how people react when put in situations beyond their understanding. I role-play to explore what I might do in those situations. One setting I want to explore is a Post Apocalypse High Tech High Magic Setting.

On December 26, 2011 the electrical constants changed. Not enough to stop the low level electrical activity that makes life possible but quite enough to stop all modern technology and bring civilization to a grinding halt.

If that was not bad enough, fate had one more surprise. It turns out that every story ever told of fairies and daemons, goblins and dragons, werewolves and vampires and all of those things that went bump in the night ...were 100% true. Whatever change in the constant had caused electricity to fail had also brought them back from wherever they had gone.

Some, it turned out, were us, encoded deep in our genes. Some had been there all along, living right next to us in society, just a single step away, not touching but not gone. Some, however, were from a darker place. Monsters.

One moment humanity was celebrating the holidays. The next moment we were fighting for our lives.

I know that traditionally it have not been the game, but the GM who should create the situations, but this is really not a robust solution; it depends very much on the GM. It is much better if this is build into the rules.

I've heard a lot of people say this is the way to go but I am unconvinced that the a game built to that paradygm is more robust. Replayability becomes an issue I would think. Any suggestions about how I might build the "situations" into the rules?

An other problem is that "any story" is really not possible. There are some type of stories that need support from the rules to work consistently. If you then make support for these special types of stories, it will the get in the way of other types of stories. The thing is, you have to choose what kind of stories this game will focus on.

Having done some intial playtesting I am finding you are right that not every kind of story can be done with this system. Horror is tough. So I have to say you have a good point.

I actually think that you have a certain type of stories in mind with this game. I think you are going for the adventuring and exploring style of game. So focus on this, and try to add some rules that support it.

You are definately right. So...what kind of support am I looking for...other than a campaign setting with "color" and "fluff" to bring the world alive?

Are you using task resolution or conflict resolution?

Conflict resolution. I intend to create a turn structure but it's going to be a bit coarse. Mainly a way to keep one Player from hogging the spotlight.

Gotta go. Your other two questions will require a bit more though to answer fairly. I'll answer them in another post.

C.S.Bone

[CSBone]

I realized after I posted my Post Apocalypse High Tech High Magic campaign setting idea, that it is a "Heartbreaker".

So I'm going to develop it as such...behind closed doors and wash my hands afterwards...

What I'm really looking for, however, is a campaign setting to give something to test my system with. Since I've been taking anti-histamines it doesn't surprise me that I couldn't do just one so here are the three concepts I'm going to develop.

Barsoom: Read Edgar Rice Burroughs ...then reimagine it without John Carter with Bruce Tim as the artist and a modern vibe.

Bithia: Neolithic high fantasy with animals that are people...and animals as well. Think American Indian and Australian Aborigine mythology mixed with Disney's Atlantis drawn by Dreamworks.

"High" School: Mix Tom Swift, Harry Potter and Tales of the Jedi with the Legion of Superheros cartoon. High school meets Star Fleet Academy drawn by Ben Caldwell.

I'm going to start a thread with each of them and see where they take the One Roll System.

It may take me a bit to pump them out so if you have a preference of which one you want to see first shout it out.

My goal is not really to develop the settings beyond that necessary to hammer out the system. If I get them far enough along that they start taking on a life of their own, great! If not, no big deal.

To me making a system that can handle playing in these worlds is the key.

C.S. Bone