[Guest Post]Can Logic and Fairness get in the way of Good Game Design?

So how should games be designed to allow logically possible actions of PCs?  In many games, things default to something else like an attribute.  The problem here is that many GMs are bad GM’s that ignore that aspect or are not aware of the rule because it is two sentences long in one section of the book.  Thus, when people play games, many times PCs cannot perform actions because they lack the skill even though common sense says they should be able to.  Consider a game set in contemporary times.  Almost everyone above the age of 18 in a modern society can drive.  Yet, there are dramatic differences in a person’s talent for driving.  Some can barely make it a few blocks without hitting parked cars.  Other people can pull off driving that you see in action films.  This means that if you have a driving skill you will want the ability to measure the differences in ability.  Now, what happens if someone does not have the skill?  Does that mean they cannot drive a car?  Certainly, anyone who has been a passenger in a car will know how to turn it on, turn the steering wheel, and know to press the pedals to move and stop.  Now, could such a person drive to the store without hitting something or getting into a ticket?  Maybe.  However, they certainly could get the pickup truck to move in a field to get away from the zombies. 

In designing SteamCraft I made the decision to make it obvious to players and the GM that PCs at least have a chance to perform logically possible actions.  I had considered just putting in a rule to default to 10% of an attribute’s value.  That raised concerns for me.  It is basically saying that each PC already has some skill in everything.  If that is the case, then isn’t it unfair to make players spend extra points?  Let me explain.  Suppose you have 60 in Agility.  That means the PC has 6 by default in Ranged Weapons even if the PC does not select that skill.  Now suppose the player selects Ranged Weapons at 40.  That would cost 40 points.  However, if he already has a default at 6, isn’t it unfair to make the player spend those 6 points?   Shouldn’t the player spend 34 points instead? 

I also had a concern that in many games I have played, both the players and GM assumes that if you had nothing in a skill, you could not do those actions.  But that is just illogical.  I mean if you live in a time where everyone rides horses, then the PCs will be able to ride a horse.  I needed a way to make it obvious to both the player and the GM they could try almost anything.  I also wanted to make sure that the players are being treated fairly and not having to spend extra points.  Because of that, I had the players record 10% of an attributes value for each associated skill.  Once that was done, then they player could spend more points.  This made it clear to everyone that players had a chance and it resolved the fairness issue I was having. 

However, there were two unintended consequences.  First, some people viewed it as unnecessarily complicated.  The second issue had to do with many people felt having a 5% chance to do something was worthless.  However, the 5% chance is misleading.  The ratings just conveyed general knowledge and basic ability.  It is to enable the person in a runaway train to have the knowledge to pull the brake lever.  It isn’t to allow them to build a train.  The ability also is meant to be used in stressful situations.  Mundane situations gain bonuses.

In retrospect, I wonder if it would have been better for me to be less fair.  I could just put in a default box that players put in 10% of the attribute’s value.  So, under Agility it would say default 6 if the attribute was 60.  However, players would not have 6 in every skill meaning they would need to spend that 6 points.  It is less fair, less logical, but it would speed up character creation and address a perception issue some people have about character creation when they read through it. 

On thinking through this issue it does seem clear that sometimes having better game design means making illogical or unfair decisions in the rules for the sake of better game play.  There seems to be a balancing act that must be done and sometimes you are never exactly sure what way to go, especially if it is a minor issue like a few extra points being able to be spent on skill during character creation.  Is being fair and spending a couple more minutes or character creation better?  Or, would it be better to be less fair, speed things up, and be better received by the players when they read through the rules?

Adventures in Fantasy - What I Have Planned Next

Over at the Original D&D Discussion forums it was pointed out that I may be the only person producing stuff for Adventures in Fantasy. I never gave it much thought before he mentioned it but that's cool; maybe it will inspire some others that own the game to put something out there for interested people. I have produced a few resources so far but I have more that I am working on currently.  Consider this a list of what I have planned in the coming weeks.

Revised Character Record Sheet

I have a functional character sheet available for download right now.  There will be adjustments made to that sheet whenever it is deemed necessary through play experience.  I have an alternate sheet I am working on that includes the variable weapon damage table from the reference sheets.  Other than minor tweaks - something like an AiF logo - I suspect there will only be one big update of the character sheet.

Dragon Record Sheet

It is suggested that all Dragons should be generated before play since each one is unique in a range of 13 characteristics. This is simply a form to record all of the generation results and any other important notes for the Dragons used by the Referee.

Dragon Hoard Record Sheet

As each Dragon is unique, so is their hoard.  If there is not enough room for the hoard on the Dragon Record Sheet then I am going to do a separate hoard sheet.

House Rules

I am gathering notes for some proposed house rules as I make my way through the rules again.  I am hoping for a short list that would be easy to maintain.  I am shooting for something similar to "The Perrin Conventions" that was used by some groups for early D&D.

New Game

I have not ruled out the possibility of making a new game that is clearly inspired and influenced by AiF.  This new game would be designed in a similar fashion as comparing T&T to D&D.  Honestly, I feel the same way that Ken St. Andre did when he was reading the early D&D rules.  There is a lot of like about AiF but there is also a lot that makes me scratch my head.  Who knows?  Maybe I will...

Old Toldara Map

 

I was setting up my old desktop PC for my children to use during summer break and I ran across some old documents.  One of them was the old map for my Toldara campaign. The map below is for just one of the continents. Alex has a different map for another continent; I will let him post his up on his own blog at some point.  My map is below.

 

This is just a rough idea and it is far from final.  I am not too crazy about my world map skills but I thought I would post it up and see if anyone had any thoughts on how to pretty it up or any other suggestions or feedback. 

 

Map link: Old Toldara

Card Based RPG Systems

Note: I am making one quick addendum to the once a week post comment I made.  I have tried waiting and I just do not think that is going to work.  I think it will be once a week minimum plus whenever the mood strikes.  I really enjoy the act of blogging and I do not think I want to impose a strict once a week only mandate.  

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

 

 

Shortly after it was released, I received the Dragonlance: Fifth Age Dramatic Adventure Game as a gift.  I was really interested in the idea of a role-playing game that used cards instead of dice during game play.  I thought the cards were pretty slick and I enjoyed messing around with them.  I really enjoy the bits of information on the history and timeline of Krynn included in the game.  I did pick up 2 or 3 of the boxed supplements for the game but that was about it.  I only played it once while I was stationed in Korea and it just did not click with that particular group of people.  I kept the game for several years but I eventually unloaded it in one of my game purges over the years.  I never did pick up the related Marvel Super Heroes game but I hear that it was pretty neat.

 

 

Everway was another game that ditched the dice to use cards for game play and it was published a year earlier than the Dragonlance game.  I never did buy this game or even get a chance to look through the contents of the box; the only thing I saw was some of the card images.  I remember being intrigued by the ads and the look of some of the cards included in the game.  I only saw Everway a few times at the game stores I go to and never did get around to buying the game.  I have noticed that some of the online used game retailers have it available.  I may have to purchase this game to check it out some time for no other reason than to satisfy my curiosity. 

 

 

I am far from an expert on card-based role-playing games.  I know there has got to be more games - whether professional or amateur press - using cards instead of dice during game play than the two I mentioned above.  I have heard that Deadlands and Castle Falkenstein both use cards but I have not played either one.  Does anybody reading this know?  Do you have any thoughts on the games?  I guess I am just a little surprised that there are not more card-based role-playing games out there.  It seems like you could do some neat stuff with the cards - even a traditional deck - like pairs, trump, off suit penalties, and the list could go on.  I have been thinking along these lines lately and I may have to post up some ideas at some point...  

 

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to the Dungeon Supplement I: Toldara (working outline)

Toldara is the name of my campaign world for fantasy role playing games.  Much of it is not set it rigid stone and much of it exists only in notes.  Toldara is sort of an amalgamation of all of my play experiences from the early 80s until today mixed in with ideas from my cousin Alex.  He is handling the crunchier version of the setting - the Pathfinder rules - and I am working on a version using lighter rules such as the Back to the Dungeon RPG; more information about the game can be found at the Back to the Dungeon blog.  In my efforts, I have come up with the following outline to guide my work.

 

1.  Introduction (completed)

 

----------For Players----------------

 

2.  New Attribute Generation Methods (completed)

3.  Races (80%)

• Information about the core races; modifications, exclusions, etc.
• New races native to Toldara.

4. Classes (50%)

•  New classes
• Class variants (not sure)

5.  Optional Skill System (draft only - may be dropped)
6.  Character Backgrounds (80%)

• Ideas for players that like to develop the background of their characters.

---------For GMs---------------------

7.  Monsters (draft)
8.  Magic Items (draft)
9.  World Information (draft)

Progress so far.  More later...

 

Escape From Camp Blood (playtesting components)

I have been searching through the internet for mail order supplies that may help when I get to the point of creating a prototype of the game board and pieces.  The game board can be found simulated  by using a large piece of poster board until the details get worked out.  At that point, there are various sizes of blank folding boards that can be used for the game board.  As you can see, the game board is not an issue at all.  The poster board is a cheap alternative to use during playtesting until a final design is determined. 

 

With the biggest obstacle out of the way, I turned to the rest of the components.  Along with the poster board - could be purchased at Dollar General - I could use the small index cards for the item and event cards used during the game.  I could even cut each card in half and that could serve as two cards.  For less than $5 I could have a big chunk of the playtest materials ready.  Granted, there would not be any fancy art or anything at this point BUT that should not be an issue since all of this is for purely playtesting use.

 

The final hurdle to the components is some sort of counters, tokens, etc. to serve as representations of the various campers and the slasher they are avoiding.  I thought about using pawns - and I might for the initial playtesting - but I really associate them with chess and other games instead of a game about eighties slasher films.  Then I stumbled upon these little figures called meeples and thought that they would work perfectly. 

 

 

I found these things at Meeple Source and they have a wide variety of board gaming supplies that I could use.  There are all sorts of game boards (just like I need), counters, various tokens, monster meeples, people meeples, giant meeples, and all sorts of other things.  Other examples are pictured below.

 

Now that I have satisfied my curiosity about gathering game pieces that will look reasonably well done for a reasonable price it is time to get back to brainstorming.  More later...

Escape From Camp Blood (another look)

Eric Baker, you asked for it and now you have it!  If you're interested in co-authoring this game with me then start brainstorming...

-------------------------------------------

My original post about Escape From Camp Blood was posted on May 21, 2012.  It has been almost a year and I have posted nothing else about it.  This post is the first in a series in an effort to move from concept to complete game.

 

Concept: The players are campers at a newly re-opened camp that was shut down due to some grisly murders that took place at the camp a few summers ago.  The killer was never found and it was assumed he drowned and the body was never found.  The murders begin again on the first night of the camp being open again.

 

It would be cool to include a back story for the original killings - why did the murderer go on a rampage, how many people were killed, who escaped, etc.  Also include some rumors about the return of the killer or what happened after the camp was closed.

 

Goal: The players are simply trying to survive the return of the killer and make it out of camp alive.  

 

There could be other goals also - stopping the killer by subduing him or killing him.  If all of the players are killed then alternate victory conditions could exist for the player to gather the most knowledge about the killer, pick up the most items, or last the longest, etc.  It will be up to the players to work together or go solo.  I am not sure if the killer should be controlled by one of the players or by some random method in the rulebook.

 

Components: The pieces needed to play this game would include the following.

• Game Board: Of course, the game board will be the playing area of the game.  This board will depict a typical camp scene with a road leading out, some cabins, a dining cabin, a maintenance shed, a baseball field, a river or like, some canoes, and a wooded area.
• Camper Tokens: There will be several tokens representing the different kinds of campers at the camp - jock, tough guy, cowboy, techie, punk, cheerleader, beauty queen, cheerleader, camp staff, etc.
• Killer Token: Represents the killer and does not start out in play.
• Cards: To increase replay value there will be a list of random events (plot twists?) and item cards that will have an impact on the game at random times or when they are discovered.  

 

It might be a good idea to have the game board be split up into several pieces that can be assembled in various ways so each setup and play experience will be unique.  Each one of the campers should have a special ability or something that sets them apart from the other campers; something that will serve as an advantage to that character. The killer will also have a list of special abilities that can randomly be determined by a die roll or something similar. The plot twist cards will represent events that can alter the game - cops showing up, bounty hunter, two killers, a fake killer, wake up it's a dream, etc.  The item cards will represent stuff that can give the players a further advantage such as weapons, cell phone, gun, etc. 

 

Expansion Material: Just as every good - or bad, to tell the truth - 80s slasher had sequels after the success of the initial film this game could have expansion material set up as sequels to the original game and story.  All of the stuff in the expansion sets could be related to the theme of the expansion.  It could be used by itself or mixed in with the original set.  Some possibilities include:

• An expansion giving more detail and play options in the forested areas.  Maybe there is a cabin out there with the Necronomicon inside...
• An expansion could have the camp grounds open one more time with beefed up security and new playing pieces related to it - camp security guard token, new weapons, new campers, etc.
• An expansion turning the setup around by having multiple slashers going around the board trying to get the most kills.
• An expansion that details the lair or hideout of the slasher and the players have been captured and must get out.

Other Thoughts: A few ideas about the continued development of this game.

 

I know the control of the killer can be done in a traditional manner by having one of the players control the killer or by having some random method of controlling the killer outlined in the rule book.  I want to do something different.  I want to come up with a system where each player always controls their camper but the control of the killer rotates around the table.  This is one way to simulate the random focus of the slasher in some of these movies.  I can remember the killer changing his attention from one person to another at times.  It is just an interesting thought I had.  

 

I know there are some differences between the 80s slashers and the more modern slasher movies.  This could actually be the focus of one of the expansion sets. 

 

This post is a much better explanation of the game concept I had in mind.  I will develop each one of these ideas in greater detail in future posts.  More later...  

 

 



[USR] [OUTBREAK RPG] Progress So Far...

I just had some thoughts about the OUTBREAK RPG running through my head so I thought I would post them.  I find that it is often a good idea to clear the thoughts so I can move on to other things.  Without further delay, here is where various parts of the design stand in regards to completion.

 

Rules

I really like the fact that USR is so rules light and should prove to be pretty accommodating to customization.  The two areas that I am focused on are the Attribute Dice and Specialisms.  Once those two sections are completed it should be easier to move on to other sections. 

 

World Fiction

I have started writing several of the fiction pieces that will be scattered throughout the book.  I hope for these fiction pieces to help set the tone and reveal a little bit of the campaign world at the same time.  All of the following pieces have been given a preliminary plot and structure; of course, all is subject to change.

 

News broadcast: I plan on opening the book with a transcript of a news report from a local TV station.  They think it is all a prank gone wrong that resulted in deaths.  During an update later in the news, one of the dead rise and attacks. The news anchors back at the station along with the viewers at home are left wondering what the hell is going on.  This could work well in a movie or television show but I am not sure how well this will work in the written medium.

 

Lab reports: The section on the virus and infected will have a few lab reports that detail the failure of the early designs and then the breakthrough that led to success. 

 

Various:  I also have some personal diary entries and general fiction that I am going to insert at certain points in the rulebook.  As time goes by there may be even more fiction added.

 

In all fairness, I can write a bit but I make no claims of greatness; simply put, I am not a professional writer nor do I claim to be...lol.  If the fiction just does not cut it, then I will most likely drop it.  My plan is to post some of the pieces when they are nearing completion so I can get feedback.  Of course, at that point if anyone is willing to collaborate on the fiction or anything else then I am always open to that.

 

Groups & Factions



There will be several groups for the players to interact with - peacefully or not -  in the campaign world.  Some of the groups will be old while some of them will be new and formed in reaction to the reality of the campaign world.  Some of the groups are detailed below.

 

U.S. Military: The military will still be a strong force but will not necessarily be united.  The forces will be scattered among several strongholds throughout the continent.

 

Militias:  These groups will be formed in reaction to the world as it is now.  Some of them will be helpful to PCs while others will be neutral or even violent.  These militias will most commonly  be made up of former military personnel combined with other citizens. 

 

Gangs:  Some of the gangs will have put aside their differences in this world.  They will change their names along with their ways.  There will still be plenty of  gangs that hold on to their old prejudices and will be enemies.  This will show that humans can be just as dangerous as the infected.

 

CED - Church of the End Days: This is a new movement that will take place among survivors.  Members of this church do not believe any of the scientific rumors but believe that they are living in the biblical end of days. 

 

 

The biggest contribution to the game by these groups and factions will be emphasizing that strength is in numbers and the world is much too dangerous to attempt to go solo.

-------------------------------------------------------

 

I just needed to get all of this out of my head so I could move on to other areas.  Hopefully, progress keeps going steady.              

 

[USR] OUTBREAK RPG - Ideas & an Outline

This post contains my initial ideas about the design and layout of the OUTBREAK RPG.  Of course, all of this stuff is subject to change.

 

Introduction

The rules will open with a transcript from a news report or a 911 call from a hysterical citizen screaming about zombies.  The news anchor/operator will be skeptical but by the end of the conversation it will be clear that something is not right.  This should continue on in other sections or at random spots in the book with a lab report, a police report, a journal entry or whatever else seems appropriate.

 

Included in the introduction will be a subsection on What You Need that will cover the same list in USR and also point people to the USR core.  I am making a supplement to the rules, not replacing them.

 

Character Creation

Players will be free to create a character that is appropriate for the modern world in a zombie apocalypse.  There will be examples of how to assign the Attribute Dice and Specialisms to come up cops, teachers, scientists, detectives, military personnel, and other character types.  There might even be the option to play a character somewhat similar to project Alice from the Resident Evil movies.

 

The Campaign

This section will cover various aspects of the game world.  This section will include a short history and background of the game world, information on weapons, equipment, encounters, the virus, and other information as well.   

 

Weapons & Equipment

A list of weapons and equipment stats will need to be provided.  Of course, the characters will also be scavenging for weapons, ammo, and fuel in many situations so there should be some scavenging tables.

 

Encounters

Not only will the characters have to contend with monsters brought to life but also other survivors.  Some of these other survivors may not be "good guys" so that could lead to conflicts. 

 

Bio-Weapons

This section will give details about the monstrosities the characters will encounter during the game.  What the general populace believes to be zombies are actually the result of an experiment by a weapons manufacturer.  There will be various types of bio-weapons with zombies being the most basic type. 

 

The Virus

This section will explain about the development of the virus and what specifically led to the outbreak.  At this point, I am thinking that there were several weapons manufacturers in a heated competition for government funds.  One of them got a significant advantage which led to one of the others looking for revenge.  It took years but they were able to get an insider into the leading manufacturer and sabotaged one of their plants - instant zombie epidemic.

 

This section will also explain how the virus is spread, how long it takes for the infected to turn, and the probability of a positive outcome from being infected.

 

The Antidote

Is there one?  The rumors of such a substance will definitely be the motivation behind some game sessions.

 

Organizations

There will be several organizations at work behind the scenes in this campaign.  This section will detail the creators of the virus, opposing organizations, militia groups, safe havens, etc.

 

Adventure

The plan here is to have several adventures in this section that will start a campaign shortly after the initial outbreak and progress up to the epidemic over several sessions.  The characters can learn rumors in some of these sessions and may hear about safe zones that they may attempt to reach, antidotes, or some other information that will serve to spark further adventure.

 

--------------------------------------------------------

 

That seems like a good start for now.  I am sure that I forgot something somewhere but I will get more detailed in the coming posts...

 

(Mobile Post) Why Not Narnia?

I get this thought in my head from time to time so I thought I would do a post about it.  There have been 3 professionally produced RPGs based on Lord of the Rings and many fan made homebrew games using some form of D&D or some homebrew system; there are also many forum games based on Lord of the Rings.  I would think a Narnia rpg would have been professionally produced by now, but there has not been one.  I have searched several times for a fan made Narnia system but all I have found are some D20 conversion notes.  I have found several forum based Narnia games available.

I was just curious if anybody had any thoughts about the absence of an rpg based on The Chronicles of Narnia?  Given the popularity of the books and the recent movies, I would think that at least a fan made game would be available.



Sent from my HTC Inspire™ 4G on AT&T

(Mobile Post) Escape From Camp Blood

This is an old idea of mine. I never put anything on paper but it would have qualified for an entry in an old gaming notebook.  I have been a fan of the Friday the 13th films since the 1980's and always wanted to do something to show my appreciation.  One idea that keeps coming back to me is a board game that plays out like the basic plot of the films - a group of teenagers are staying at the camp grounds and must keep away from Jason so they can survive the night.  A few thoughts about the game are presented below:

The goal of the game is to avoid the killer and escape the camp.

The game board will depict some cabins, a lake or river, baseball field, and a large wooded area.

Each player will control one token representing a different type of teenager - jock, punk, prep, country guy, etc. Each one can do something special such as hotwire a car, etc.

The killer will either be controlled by another player or by some random method in the rulebook.  Of course, the killer has specials such as stealth, etc.

There will be random item and event cards to increase replay value.

Just some random ideas I needed to get out of my headed. More later...



Sent from my HTC Inspire™ 4G on AT&T

When Is Enough, Enough?

In my post from yesterday I was curious about how much info should be included in a campaign document.  I made the post from my cell phone so it was really short and to the point.  I got a reply from Eldrad that instructed me to "just tell a good story".  I completely agree with this and think that is exactly what the goal should always be in a role playing campaign.  What I was actually looking for was just a little bit different.  What I would like is feedback about the following questions:

As a player, how much information about a campaign setting do you feel is the "right" amount for proper play and at what point does it become information overload?

As a game master, how much information about a campaign setting do you feel is the "proper" amount for getting the players into the game and at what point does it just become pointless details?

I am asking because I really want to start delving into the details of my campaign world but I am torn on what to include and what to leave out.  For instance, when it comes to religion in the campaign do people prefer just a simple list of gods with a few blurbs of information or do they want that information plus a breakdown of followers by race, area, worship centers, artifacts, etc.?  

Any and all opinions would be highly appreciated!

Dungeon Grind

 As gamers, we have all been faced with a playing session where one or more of the participants can not attend due to something unexpected.  It could happen for any number of reasons.  In some of these situations, there are other options that will allow the game to continue - DM can control the character, another player can control the character, the character could sit out for a session, or the remainder of the group could pull out a board game or something else.  Under any of these circumstances, game night can continue on.

There are also other times that an absence or two can have a tremendous impact on a game session so it would be best to just cancel.  Maybe the campaign is at an important crossroads?  Maybe several players have to cancel for the night?  Regardless of the reason, game night is officially cancelled and you are left with some new free time for recreation.  Sure, you could pull out a video game or a movie but that is not going to satisfy the itch.  You are really in the mood for some fantasy gaming, so what do you do in this situation?

My solution for this problem is a proposed game I call Dungeon Grind.  Admittedly, the experience will be different from playing a role playing game with a group of people and closer to something like a rogue-like game.  Although the experience will be limited in scope, it will still offer the basics of the role playing experience. 

The Concept Explained





The game rules will allow a single player to take a party of characters on an adventure through a dungeon, maze, etc.  Creating the party of adventurers is the first step in playing.  The player will have 4 slots in the party to fill with warriors, mages, priests, thieves, etc.  It is entirely up to the player how the party is made up.  Something similar to the characters produced in Searchers of the Unknown would be ideal; in fact, SoTU will serve as a great blueprint for many of the features of Dungeon Grind.  After the characters are created the party is ready for adventure. 

The player now sits down with dice, pencil, graph paper, party sheet, and rules to play the game.  The party always starts at room one on level one of the dungeon.  Using charts and tables in the rules as a guide, the player will generate the rooms and corridors of the dungeon.  The rules will also help determine monsters, treasures, and stairs down.  As the game progresses, the map gets drawn out on the graph paper.  You can keep playing and keep going further down in the dungeon for as long as you are alive or until you get bored.  If you got tired of drawing the dungeon as you go, you could swap a dungeon with another player and play through theirs.  A site that shares all of these dungeons could also be set up; people could download and play them. 

-----------------------------------------

I do not know if I would ever get around to doing anything with this but I might someday.  The idea just came into my head and I needed to get it out.  There is the basic idea. 

2D6 or 2Dx?

I have come up with an idea about how to eliminate the Action Result Table (ART) from the game.  I am somewhat fond of the ART but I am also fond of this idea.  I can not take full credit for this idea because I came up with it after reading the latest post over at Back to the Dungeon! about a D6 - D6 resolution mechanic.  I liked the basic idea but put my own twist to it; details below.

Most of the ideas I have brainstormed for a 2D6 chart based game system will still work with these changes; it should only require minimal tweaking.  How about a 2D6 task resolution system with one positive die and one negative die?  You roll the two dice together, subtract the negative from the positive, add in any modifiers from attributes/skills/etc., and get a total.  If the final result is 1 or above, the attempted action is a success.  If it is 0 or below, the attempted action fails.  That would be for any standard difficulty tasks under the ART.  Do you want to simulate a Hard difficulty task?  The negative die is now a D8 and you roll with a positive D6.  Do you want to simulate a Very Hard difficulty task?  The negative die is now a D10 and you roll with a positive D6.  The necessity of the ART is now eliminated.

It seems pretty easy and elegant to use to me.  Of course, that is just a first impression with no play testing whatsoever.  Any suggestions?  What would you do - keep the ART or switch to 2Dx?  

2D6: Talents

Talents in the 2D6 system are the equivalent of skills in other games.  Each talent will be associated with a corresponding attribute.  A proposed grouping is listed below.

(MIGHT)

Climbing

(PROWESS)

Acrobatics

Riding

(KNOWLEDGE)

Literacy
Lore
Streetwise

Survival

(WILL)

Leadership

(There will also be other talents that are related to the role of the character.)

(Melee)
Berserker Rage
Two Weapon Fighting

(Ranged)
Double Shot
Quick Shot

(Magic)
Fast Casting


Again, this is just a placeholder for a list of ideas.  There will be more added during the design process.  More later...

2D6: Boons & Banes (partial list)

Just as a point of reference, here is some ideas for some of the individual boons and banes.

Boons

Ambidexterity

Charismatic

Fearless

Lucky

Photographic Memory

Strong

Very Strong

Banes

Clumsy

Forgetful

Hatred

Phobia

Unattractive

Unlucky

Weak

Very Weak

Just a short list to get the creative process moving.  I will add to this list and keep refining it through the design process. More later...

2D6: Boons & Banes

Okay, I am still working on a makeshift list of talents.  It is coming along but not quickly.  In the meantime, I will present a little bit of information about another area of the rules: boons and banes.  Many other games have rules corresponding to boons and banes but they just call them something different; advantages, disadvantages, edges, and flaws are just a few examples.  

Boons (aka advantages and edges)

Put simply, a boon affects a character or the situation in a positive manner.  They differ from talents by the fact that they represent something other than just training or skills.  Some examples might include security clearance, lucky, and fearless.  One of the mechanics involved will be rolling a 3D6 for any task related to the boon and the player picks which two dice to use for the task.  A second idea for a mechanic involves rolling the normal 2D6 but only picking one die for the total while assuming a 6 was rolled on the other die; this would be for a minor boon.  A major boon would use the assumption of a 6 on on die while rolling 3D6 and the player chooses which of the dice to use for the total.  All fo these methods give a chance for a higher roll and that is what a boon is good for.

Banes (aka disadvantages, flaws, and hindrances)

In a nutshell, banes are the opposite of boons and affect the character or situation in a negative or adverse manner.  Some examples might include phobia or unlucky.  Of course, they would work in the opposite manner of a boon and some would come in two levels - minor and major.  A minor bane would work with the assumption of an already rolled 1 and the player rolls 2D6 and keeps the lowest roll.  A major bane would work the same except involve rolling 3D6  while keeping the lowest result.

There are the basic ideas for how boons and banes might work.  Of course, it is all subject to change because it is just the rough draft.  More later...

2D6: Class, Role, etc.

After a player selects the race of their character and generates the attribute ratings, the next step in the character creation process is the selection of character class or role.  In my 2D6 system, this class or role will basically be a bundled together group of talents and a few other options that help to mold the character into a more focused direction.

I am attempting to detail the classes or roles in a manner that does not straight jacket the character into being useful in only limited situations.  Yes, I want the characters to be "better" or "best" in certain situations BUT I also want there to be situations where other classes would better handle the situation so the team aspect is encouraged.  

My initial impression on how the class or role information will be formatted is detailed below.

Name: The name of the class or role followed by a few sentences explaining the functions of that class.

Talents: The bundle of talents that will be the core building blocks of that class or role.

Other: A short list of special abilities, bonuses, and penalties related to characters playing this class or role.  This will include stuff like clerical healing, the ability to detect evil, or other similar abilities.  (This should be where the difficulty columns of the Action Result Table get the most use.  For instance, on a successful roll in the Hard column against knowledge, a mage can decipher a magic scroll.)

I would like a healthy amount of variation among the classes or roles so the players will have plenty of options to choose from.  A few ideas for the list of classes or roles are listed below:

Barbarian: a warrior of the wild that is prone to fly into an uncontrollable rage during combat.

Bard: a traveling minstrel type character desiring fame and fortune.

Cleric: a warrior-priest.

Druid: a nature priest.

Elementalist: a mage that uses the forces of the elements to aid him.

Knight: a noble warrior.

Mage: a worker of arcane magic.

Monk: a spiritual warrior that commonly groups together in a monastery.

Paladin: a holy warrior.

Ranger: a warrior of the woods; typically prefers bows.

Thief: an adventurer typically from the "wrong side of the tracks".

Warrior: a typical sword for hire.

Witch: a misunderstood magic user that is often thought to be evil.

That is just a basic list showing the general idea; not much detail yet and I am sure that much of it will eventually change.  I just needed to get it out there.  Besides, I still have a list of talents to complete.  More later...

2D6: Decisions and (some) Details

The last few days of work have been pretty demanding of my spare time but I am back at work on my 2D6 based game system.  First of all, I do appreciate the comments and suggestions made by all that did so; even if they went in directions that different from mine.  The responses ensured that I looked at differing views and design intentions instead of just simply deciding on something out of thin air.  If I do not wind up using your idea in my design do not take that as a slight on your part; it boiled down to a difference of opinion or point of view and not a judgment on quality or usefulness.  Feel free to continue with suggestions in the future - suggestions are always helpful to me - or, even better, take your ideas and start making your own game; I would love to give some input!  The information below contains the basic ideas I have decided to use for this design.

Narrow Focus

I believe there was some initial talk on my part of just trying to start with a system and then fine tune it to each genre.  That plan has changed.  The focus of the game will now be on the fantasy genre.  I feel that by limiting the focus to just one genre that it would be easier to complete.  I may move on to other genres in the future.

Task Resolution

The 2D6 fantasy game will use a single, unified Action Result Table to determine the outcome of all actions in the game; regardless if the attempted action is striking with a sword, searching for a trap, deciphering a code, etc.  I know many games have different mechanics for different actions in their rules - some of my favorites are guilty of this - but I am getting to the age that I would rather play than worry about cross referencing this rule on page 48 with that rule on page 210 while keeping in mind that I need to remember the optional method detailed on page 58.  You get the idea.  I hope to have clear, concise rules that do not need to referenced every time a player has his character perform an action in the game.  One of the ways I will accomplish this is by putting the ART on the character sheet.

Attributes

Each character will be defined in the most basic physical and mental sense by the use of a short list of attributes.  I have went back and forth on the number of attributes to include in the game.  I am still not 100% sure but after reading some of the previous comments I have figured out that it would probably serve me best to come up with a make shift list of attributes and see how the talent list interacts with them.  Once that is determined, I can adjust the number or definitions of the attributes to suit the game.  At this moment, I am trying out 4 attributes:

Might [M]: a measure of the character's physical strength, constitution, and overall health.

Prowess [P]: a measure of the character's balance, coordination, and reflexes.

Knowledge [K]: a measure of a character's ability to store, understand, and use information.  

Will [W]: a measure of a character's mental toughness and ability to fight off stress.

The attributes will be rated on a simple scale that is easy to follow.  Negative numbers (-1,-2, etc.) are considered below average, zero (0) is considered average, and positive numbers (+1, +2, etc.) are considered above average.

I have tried several different methods for attribute generation ranging from point distribution, archetype selection, to random rolls.  I wanted race to play a role in the determination of attribute ratings but I did not want to do the typical modifier to a roll.  Instead, I came up with a chart of weighted rolls that will tend to create characters matching the typical adventurers of that race; at least, I hope that is what the following chart does.

              Might 

If your roll is a...	Dwarf	Elf	Human
2	-1	-2	-2
3	-1	-2	-1
4	0	-1	-1
5	0	-1	-1
6	0	-1	0
7	+1	-1	0
8	+1	-1	0
9	+1	0	+1
10	+2	0	+1
11	+2	0	+1
12	+2	+1	+2

This table is just an example and not the finished results but you get the idea.  Of course, I just realized that the chart is not set up to have the middle range of rolls be the most common results.  I *think* that would make a difference BUT I am no mathematician so I really do not know if it matters or not.

Talents

Talents will be the skills of this game system.  They will get a rating similar to attributes and work in much the same fashion. I am working on the talents now.

Boons

Boons are advantageous abilities that will also serve to help further individualize and customize your character.  Normally, a character with a Might +1 is basically equally as strong and tough.  A boon of Strong makes him physically stronger.  I have two ways I am evaluating to simulate this.  First, the boon could be slightly strong (+1) or very strong (+2).  You would simply apply this bonus on top of Might when you are doing a task that is related to strength.  Second, the other option I am looking at just gives you a bonus D6 to roll.  I am not sure if you get to pick the 2 rolls you want to keep OR assume a 6 is there and you get to roll 2D6 and use the highest.  

Final Thoughts

That is it for now.  It seems to be coming together a little bit now.  I will continue working on the talents list to see where I stand on the attributes.  If anyone has any input, feel free to share.