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.
