Game Design

Okay, all you water-cooled gaming geniuses... Here's X amount of time, tech. and money -- design a game. What genre? How complex? What style of play? What would be your "dream game?" Just in general, please...we don't need 40+ page posts per person... ------------------ Jared A. Sorensen memento-mori.com

Something that could cover all genres easily without conflict or contradicting itself rules-wise and without having to revise the rules for each genre. Point-based character creation system and no levels.

I've been working on a system that I think does this. I was trying to decide exactly what makes a superhero system different from one more aimed at "hard realism." I decided there are two things. First, the more cinematic systems have tougher characters. Second, they rely on having specific skills less than having higher attributes. For example, in a cyberpunk game, it's extremely important that you have the skill to do something or you're never gonna do it. However, in high fantasy, a really smart character will be able to do almost anything they set their mind to and a really strong/fast character will be able to fight well even if they aren't trained in a given weapon. I don't think it's possible for a single, hard-coded system to model both sides. So, in the system I'm doing, I wrote it to handle three different campaign types. To switch between them, you simply change the type of die used (from d8 to d10 to d20). The rules themselves don't change at all. By increasing the die size, attributes become more important in relation to skills and characters become tougher. ------------------ Aaron Powell Editor - The Gaming Outpost

Tragic epic space opera setting based on Southeast Asian history, specifically, the dying days of the Malay empires of the Nusantara (now Indonesia and Malaysia) in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. It was a time of tremendous upheaval, when Indian and Chinese trading power in the region diminshed, and the Portuguese and the ruthless Veerinigde Oostendiche Compagnie (Dutch East Indies Company, which I believe to be the real-life inspiration for the Harkonnens in Dune) swept in with their overwhelming technology like invading alien overlords (which is what they'll be in this game). The old ways end, traditional magicks fail. New religions are forced upon the region. Trading empires collapse. The old foreign powers pull out of the region, leaving a few of their own stranded in occupied territory. Once-proud kings and princes are exiled, forced to wander the land as mercenaries and privateers. The ethnically diverse people of the region are forced to throw their lot in with the locals as the long night falls on the Spice Islands. Except with spaceships, ray guns, and maybe mecha. Yeah, space opera's been done before, but it's always had a Western basis (Fading Suns = Dark Ages), and the few times it's had an Eastern basis it's been either Japanese (bits of Star Wars) or Chinese (or in the case of Dune, Middle Eastern). This is something different. This is the tail end of the Malay trading empire era and the genesis of Western colonialism in Asia. This is the juicy stuff. Toss in some folklore and myth from Sejarah Melayu (which, admittedly, only covers 15th century Malacca history) and you've got all the flavor you could ask for. System? Enough crunchy numbers and statistics to appease the wargamer side of the player, but with enough Silhouette-style abstraction (and the option to ignore the most of the numbers) to keep things smooth enough for the role-playing to keep center stage. Any comments?

Science fiction horror. Take Call of Cthulhu, add about 1000 years, stir in a facist dictatorship, sprinkle liberally with organic v. mechanic, free will v. duty themes, garnish with genetic encoding of social stratification, top with cybernetically installed racism, let simmer for a year. I'm actually working on this game right now, in between breaks from the Adept's Guide to Mundane Reality, The Weekly Obfuscator, etc.

Gotta go with scifi horror here too. I am thinking about a campaign I am gonna run with a cool scifi horror plot - but I just am trying to figure out which system I plan on using - a homebrew or something like Alternity, Star Wars (heh.. with some tinkering), maybe DJ (ughh), or whatever else..... Gotta have something with a cinematic feel and something that runs smooth..... If you have any suggestions of anything free out there, let me know. But back to the topic, scifi horror - cinematic rules - fast with chances for big failures and big successes, combined with a player guide that really keeps the player's in the dark so they have no idea what to expect - with good plots and resources for the GM to come up with some cool horror sessions - all the while keeping the GM in the dark.. heh.. I dislike horror games where you know what you are really fighting - sortah like they tell you up front what is wrong then expect you to be scared.. sheesh... Setting: The Fear of the Unknown : Timeframe: Just as Human Exploration into space has begun to thrive, but while there are many things still unsure about space and what lies beyond. It would be like humanity preparing to step, blindfolded off a cliff, not sure if there is a ledge below or if there is nothing.... Good horror stuff. Nathan nhill@sunnet.net ------------------ ------------------------ "I come in peace." "Are those oreos?" Nathan Hill ------------------------

Obscurity, the Roleplaying Game. I dont think anyone would ever play it. It would be based on dreams, conflicting realities, maybe time travel... Or possibly even Amber-like possibility selection. I think I would try and chop the concept of math out of the game first and foremost. Character generation would be done by drawing cards from a deck to form a hand, that hand would equal so many 'great' stats, so many 'average' stats and so many 'below average' etc. Same with skills. I think I'd even allow characters to trade cards or bid. I was thinking the powers- especially the dimensional travel power- would all work by timed original Haiku, judged by the rest of the group. Between games it would encourage things like writing and drawing: You bring a finished sketch or drawing of a place to the game, andfrom that point on your character gains the ability to dimensionwalk to that place. Cant draw? write a paragraph. Poetry, same thing. It would be the kind of game where, just as the players were leaving town theyd run across a group of carpenters and workers taking down all the fake buildings they were just walking around in.

First of all, this topic doesn't fit in this forum, IMHO. I'd go with a Battle Angel Alita RPG. (Assuming infinite money so I could buy the license. I'd stick with dice as opposed to cards, and I'd probably go point-based, so that character A could be quantifiably more or less powerful than character B. It would, by necessity, include some exquisite martial arts rules, as well as extensive cyber/biotech rules and a fairly simple combat system. (It's cinematic - it has to be to fit the manga properly.) Free Trader EDG going to plot... ------------------ EDG, Reviewer for the Outpost edg@gamingoutpost.com "You swallowed the death crystal?"

I've already got the engine, I just need to get serious about the setting. Soon as GO gets its web hosting thing automated, I should be moving all my world creation stuff over here, for now you can catch it at: http://users.funtv.com/~mythusmage Another blantant plug from, The Mythus Mage ------------------ It's not how you swing the sword, it's when.

"Critical Hit: Inflammatory topics, radical thinking and full-contact debate on role playing game criticism, design, marketing and development." Anyway... A couple of years ago I started on my own "dream game." Like Doc Fortune's Obscurity, I doubt anyone would wanna play it -- probably why I've done hardly anything with the idea for the last 2 years. Blah blah -- check it out at www.memento-mori.com/eight and let me know what you think (ie: would you play something with this theme or is it too messed up?). BTW, love the Malaysian Space Opera thing -- but it does strike me as being very Dune-ish (not that that's a bad thing...)

I've already looked at "Eight" and it strikes me as good (not as good as the proposal of Schism, but still it's good), so I think you should run with it later, eh? Now get back to work on SCHISM! ------------------ Graveyard Greg--a Deadlands Fanboy