Author Topic: TWG RPG  (Read 12701 times)

EUOL

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TWG RPG
« on: November 15, 2002, 07:03:12 AM »
Okay, folks, as a "Wecome Me Back" present, Morag and I are working on a free RPG (paper based) to start doing updates for on the TWG.  That's right, we're going to write an RPG--or attempt it, at least.  So, here's my question for you all:  What do you want to see?  It's going to be fantasy, but New Fantasy (IE, Robert Jordan as opposed to Terry Brooks--fantasy buffs will know the difference.)

Let me know what kind of things you think should be part of a good RPG, and what we certainly shouldn't include.
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Lord_of_Me

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Re: TWG RPG
« Reply #1 on: November 15, 2002, 01:11:30 PM »
is this for the game thing or is it completely seperate?

Entsuropi

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Re: TWG RPG
« Reply #2 on: November 15, 2002, 01:23:05 PM »
dont make it high fantasy. DnD does that too well. try a mixture - pulp horror maybe. i dunno. just make it at least marginally original.
If you're ever in an argument and Entropy winds up looking staid and temperate in comparison, it might be time to cut your losses and start a new thread about something else :)

Fellfrosch

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Re: TWG RPG
« Reply #3 on: November 15, 2002, 02:08:22 PM »
I think you should have carnivorous mollusks and homing crabs.
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Lord_of_Me

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Re: TWG RPG
« Reply #4 on: November 15, 2002, 04:16:34 PM »
i approve of anything with elves and trees, no dwarves though

Fellfrosch

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Re: TWG RPG
« Reply #5 on: November 15, 2002, 05:10:07 PM »
No elves, dwarves, but maybe trees.

Elves--and I mean no offense to certain members of our forum--are a tired, hackneyed, pointless crutch that truly imaginative writers should not have to use.
"Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die." --Mel Brooks

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EUOL

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Re: TWG RPG
« Reply #6 on: November 15, 2002, 08:04:24 PM »
Hah.

To Entropy:  When I said 'New Fantasy' I meant to imply that we're after something less traditional.  It will still be High Fantasy in the epic sense, but it will not include any races, magic systems, or worlds that you have seen before.  

To Isimir:  Fellfrosh overdid it.  What he should have said is, "Elves are fine in a pulpy medium, such as games.  They're an important part of the genre; we have grown up with them, and enjoy emulating what we have seen.  However, in a truly original work, it's often better to work with one's own races and creations.  That's what Tolkein did.  Rather than just copying him, a better work will come when one learns from him."

Therefore, there probably won't be any elves or dwarves in this RPG.  

What I was asking all of you for were suggestions on game mechanics and such.  What kinds of things do you like in RPG's?  What do you hate?  I know that some people really dislike the concept of DnD hit points.  Others don't like Armor Class.  What is the opinon of the masses here?

--Oh, and this will be completly different from the forum game.  Maybe if the paper-RPG takes off, we can decide to build the game around it.  However, for now, they're separate.
« Last Edit: November 15, 2002, 08:05:08 PM by EUOL »
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Entsuropi

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Re: TWG RPG
« Reply #7 on: November 16, 2002, 08:54:58 AM »
yeah, i know about new fantasy - most of my books are new fantasy. ive either got or read all of the wheel of time books. so yeah.

hitpoints..... i dunno. the problem is that if you make it realistic, its pure skill that prevents causalties - not even the most hardened veteran can long survive a sword in the chest. a veteran might, however, prevent from being hit, or hit badly. Have high AC for characters, low hp, and make the ac deduct damage to a minimum.

maybe :
char 1 rolls to hit. (d20 for now. easier)
char 2 counter rolls (only a certain number per turn : linked to your skill with weapon and so on. abilites dictate dice used - if a weedy char, D3, if a power monger demon king, D100. you get the idea.)
the difference dictates the power of hit - if char 1 successful, thats damage (whatever... work that part out later) if char 2, then nagative modifiers applied to char 1 (eg : shaken, sword dropped, stumbled). the difference in scores, possibly modified by skill (tho i like to think that maybe skills could have effect somewhere else... allowing you to pull of certain moves, activating dice used etc) shows the damage given. THerefore, if a powerful char lashes out at a crap one, its gonna go thru relatively easily (depending on sheer luck of course) but if weedy lashes back, its not gonna get thru, so no hit. no real need for monsterous numbers of hitpoints for powerful characters.
If you're ever in an argument and Entropy winds up looking staid and temperate in comparison, it might be time to cut your losses and start a new thread about something else :)

Fellfrosch

EUOL

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Re: TWG RPG
« Reply #8 on: November 16, 2002, 05:02:43 PM »
Hum.  That's a very interesting suggestion.  We were thinking about low-hp characters ourselves, and using some sort of fate system to help out the PC's.  I like your idea of different people using different dice--I'll have to think about that some more.  Thanks.
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Fellfrosch

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Re: TWG RPG
« Reply #9 on: November 17, 2002, 01:43:39 AM »
Yeah, I should have said what EUOL said, but I knew he'd say it for me so I decided to have some insurrectionist fun at the expense of my favorite genre. Arrr!
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Slant

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Re: TWG RPG
« Reply #10 on: November 21, 2002, 02:55:56 AM »
I agree with the damage system; the more skilled the character is with a weapon, the more damage he can inflict with it.  I never understood why a first level mage and a twentieth level fighter both did the exact same damage with a dagger in AD&D.  Some other things I would include:

RACES: Make all the races brand new.  No elves, dwarves OR HUMANS.  And no anthropomorphic derivatives.  IE: no cat-people, wolf-people, etc.

BALANCE: Make sure that the characters who can work magic don't become all-powerful and dwarf the other players.  All characters should be roughly equal on a level-per-level basis.

COMBAT: It should be fast and furious.  one die roll determines if you hit, how well you hit, and what bonuses if any you get.  Thirty seconds of game-time combat should only last two minutes or so, not four hours.

GENRE: There's nothing wrong with doing fantasy, just remember that 'fantasy' entails a whole lot more than just sword-&-sorcery.  You can do fantasy set in space, or even in a more gothic setting similar to a Cthulian storyline.  You can even mix genres and do something like "Vampiric Demon Hunters in the Victorian Age of the 31st Century."
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Fellfrosch

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Re: TWG RPG
« Reply #11 on: November 21, 2002, 02:59:02 PM »
I'd be leery of any game that doesn't include humans; most that I've seen are too esoteric to get into, simply because there's no common basis to wrap your mind around. In some cases it can work if the world has humans in it but you can't play as one--After the Bomb is a good example. I support innovation, but not the point that the players get disconnected from the world of the game.
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Spriggan

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Re: TWG RPG
« Reply #12 on: November 21, 2002, 03:02:52 PM »
EUOL's got some intresting concepts he explained to me last week and I hope he posts somemore of them soon.  Like the leveling system we were talking about.  Were you don't just level up a character but a spirt essence that is you the player so that all your new chacaters have a slight bouns when you make them.
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Slant

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Re: TWG RPG
« Reply #13 on: January 16, 2003, 08:33:23 PM »
So, any new word on development of the game?
"If you're going to shoot, then shoot; don't talk!"  -Tuco: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

Nicadymus

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Re: TWG RPG
« Reply #14 on: January 21, 2003, 04:36:26 PM »
I am curious about this whole thing.  Let us know ASAP.
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