I think this has rested long enough.
With plenty of time to think about it, I've realized that shoehorning this game into the Mushroom Kingdom Wars system was a bit... clunky. Not only because of the slapped-together implementation, but also because of Homestuck itself. Here's a few of the reasons why:
1. Homestuck has a narrative focus.Requiring results for every tiny action and breaking up advancement into microscopic bites of RPG mechanics very slowly handed to the player does not make for a good narrative game.
2. Transitional updates and constant skill checks are unnecessary.I'll admit, this was more me then the system. But I shouldn't be wasting everyone's time like this. No more slowly watching progress bars.
3. Homestuck is player-driven and based around personal growth.Rather than just making up skills and handing them to the player on the fly, I would rather see the players have their characters grow in the way they wish. They shouldn't be bound by a strict RPG system, especially one in which they didn't choose their stats or skills.
THEREFORE: I propose, for the very last time, that we change to an open, free, narrative-based RPG system called
FATE. It's not actually necessary to read everything in there (as I'll still be rolling the dice). However, I will requiring something from each of you to start:
Pick three skills your character would be AVERAGE at. Examples: farming, athletics, hacking, chemistry...
Pick two skills your character would be FAIR at. This means even better than Average, so you might want to put whatever weapon skill you have here. Examples: painting, blades, intuition...
Pick two ASPECTS or defining traits of your character. Alternately, pick ONE aspect that really stands out about them. Aspects are a bit harder to explain. They're anything that really stands out about your character versus the crowd. They can be physical traits ("Could Even Lift an Ox," "Blood-red Arm Insignia"), descriptions ("Crafty Trickster!" "Wouldn't ever let you down"), connections to other characters or things ("Alison's caretaker," "What hidden artifact?"), or other things like job descriptions and catch phrases.
The more flavorful an aspect is, the more sway you ultimately have over the plot. They can be exclusively good ("Trained blades specialist"), exclusively bad ("Poor, frail nerd"), or both ("Too many swords!") An exclusively good aspect can only cost Fate Points (explained later), an exclusively bad one can be used to gain them for other reasons, and a good/bad one can be both. Descriptions of some common FATE game mechanics and how they'll be implemented lie below, but if I get this from all five (six?) players, I can start back as soon as possible.
Whenever a chance of meaningful failure is present, roll 4DF (Fudge die). The result will be between -4 and +4. Add this number to the appropriate skill and compare to the difficulty of the action.
For example: let's say you had Average (+0) in Herbalism and were trying to determine an herb's origin. The herb is fairly rare and odorless, so it would be +1 (Fair) difficulty. You roll +, -, =, +. Two plusses (+2) minus one minus (-1) plus one "zero" (+-0) total to +1. Since the outcome (Average herbalism +1 = Fair herbalism) is equal or higher to the result, you succeed and the result is identified!
All skills not specific start at Mediocre (-1). However, other skills range from Average all the way to Superb. There are limits on what skills you can raise to what levels (see the "skill pyramid" in the SRD), but other than that, there's no set list of skills, and as long as you don't make them too vague, they can be used in an appropriate action.
Note that two skills may be used for the same action. Running AND Climbing may be used to escape a powerful foe, depending on the terrain. Use common sense!
Aspects and Fate Points are the real "meat" of the FATE system, and what makes it perfect for Homestuck. Nearly everything has at least one Aspect, and at the start of a certain period of gameplay (what might constitute a session in a real tabletop), every player gains two Fate Points. Fate Points can be SPENT at any time to:
-Gain narrative control. This would be something like managing to find a very convenient item or show up at just the right moment. In Homestuck, the uses could be much broader, depending on the player's creativity.
-Gain +1 on ANY roll. This is not limited by Aspects or skills.
-TAG an Aspect. This basically means that, if you make a roll that's relevant to one of your Aspects (or can explain why it is), you can spend a Fate Point to TAG that aspect and do one of two things:
--Reroll the dice entirely.
--Gain +2 on the roll (note this is DIFFERENT than in the SRD).
Obviously, if you've gotten a roll of -4, you're going to want to do that former. There's other uses of Fate Points and Aspects (including compels), but we'll get to those as they come.
Right now, Fate Points and Aspects should refresh either when the player gets a decent chance to rest or when a major accomplishment has been met (winning a tough battle, finding an artifact, finishing a sidequest...) Fate Points may also be individually restored by doing awesome things (roleplaying awesomely, making fanart/fanmusic, any other thing I really love!)
For advancement, alchemy and other things, right now I'm going to keep it as loose as possible. We're not going to be using the Phase system but rather doling out small bonuses over time that the players can distribute as they wish.
Author
Topic: SUBURB: Act One - A Game of Duality (Read 71858 times)