That is an IDEA, certainly... could elaborate on it a little. How about something like this.
Imagine a game where you make a character, and also another character. The sheet is really simple, name and occupation, and also an optional section for personality and background if you feel like showing off. Something like this:
Name:
Occupation:
Personality/Appearance:
Pretty simple. The idea here is that you put yourself into the game. Instant identification with your character! That's the intention here. This we will call the Meta Character. You'll see how that's relevant momentarily, because there's also a second character. Its sheet looks a little something like this:
Name:
Occupation:
Personality/Appearance:
Except wait, there's a catch. This is the Fantasy Character, which is what you will be playing in an RTD... inside the RTD. In essence, the Meta Character plays the Fantasy Character by inputting commands for them into the Fantasy game, while also playing the Meta Character in the Meta game. Occupations in this case can be anything appropriate for a medieval fantasy setting.
The catch is, they have been trapped in an undisclosed location by an unknown party, and unless they play this game with them, their heads will explode immediately after the third missed fantasy turn. And this location they are trapped in is definitely not at all friendly to their future prospects of survival. Can the players survive this two-level challenge of their mental faculties? Can they persevere in the face of extreme and improbable danger? And how long will it be before the first head explodes from inactivity? I suppose we will find out... in Roll To Roll To Dodge, a Meta-Adventure like no other.
It starts a little something like this:
"HELLO BAY12ERS. I WOULD LIKE TO PLAY A GAME."
You suddenly snap awake. Jeez, your head is killing you. Did you go out drinking last night? You can't remember. Finally your head clears, and you realize you're sitting upright in a chair. But... this isn't your chair. This isn't even your house! A wave of panic washes over you, and you try to stand up. You fail. Looking down, you realize that you're shackled to the chair. You can't move. What is this?!
"AH, I SEE THE EFFECT OF THE TRANQUILIZERS IS WEARING OFF. YOU FLESHBAGS ARE SO EASILY MANIPULATED."
An eerie synthetic voice is booming from some wall-mounted monitors in front of you. Finally, you become aware of your surroundings. You're in some kind of small, well-lit room. The walls are covered in some kind of complex... circuitry? Before you can examine it any closer, however, you hear a loud groan to your left. Whipping your head around, you see another person, and quickly realize that there are 4 other people in the room, shackled to chairs just like yours. They all seem just as confused as you.
"NOW, LET US BEGIN, BAY12ERS," the robotic voice continues, "I WILL NOW EXPLAIN THE RULES OF OUR LITTLE GAME."
"Where are we?!" yells the man on the far right.
"WHY, MY HOME OF COURSE."
"Who are you? What do you want with us?" another says.
"SO I HERD YOU LIEK RTD."
"You mean... r-roll to dodge?" you finally blurt out.
"YES FLESHBAG, WE ARE GOING TO BE PLAYING A VERY SPECIAL GAME OF RTD TODAY. IF YOU WOULD ALL BE SO KIND AS TO LOOK AT YOUR LEFT ARMS..."
You look down, and realize there's some kind of... screen strapped to your wrist. In fact, everyone has them.
"THIS IS YOUR INPUT/OUTPUT SCREEN, WHERE YOU WILL COMMUNICATE WITH ME, THE GM. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE TERMINATION VIA THE OFFENDING PLAYER'S EXPLOSIVE COLLAR."
You feel your neck. It's there, alright.
"THE DEATH OF A PLAYER'S CHARACTER IN-GAME WILL ALSO RESULT IN THAT PLAYER'S IMMEDIATE TERMINATION. THE DEATH OF A PLAYER VIA OUTSIDE MEANS RESULTS IN A NEW PLAYER ENTERING THE GROUP AND OPTIONALLY TAKING THE DECEASED PLAYER'S CHARACTER. YOUR BACKGROUND INFO INDICATES YOU ARE ALL FAMILIAR WITH STANDARD RTD RULES, SO I WILL NOT RECITE THEM. END OF EXPLANATION."
Suddenly and without warning, the monitors, which up to that point had been displaying nothing but static, turn off. The shackles open, and you are free to stand.
"So... I guess we're playing RTD then." says the guy on the right who spoke up before.
"What do you think it meant by 'the death of a player via outside means'...?" you reply.
"I don't know, but I have a feeling we'll find out soon enough."
Just then, the wrist-mounted screens begin to flicker...
This is my first time GMing an RTD, so naturally I picked the most complex concept I could think of. Still, I have a good feeling about this one...
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Topic: Roll to Roll to Dodge (Read 1968 times)