So I was watching my brother playing Red Orchestra 2, a game set on the Eastern Front during WW2. The battles in it are incredibly lethal and the average player's lifetime is around thirty seconds in the heat of it. So I thought... I wonder how you could make an RTD like that, yet not have it be incredibly annoying? Well, here's my stab at it.
You are fighting in a city during a revolution. There are six players, who are separated into groups of three. One is rebels, one is government. They then roll a d3 for rank. One is private, two is corporal, three is sergeant. The higher the rank, the more people you can order around. Then you choose your speciality: healing (+1 to healing people), sneaking (+1 to sneaking around), or robusting (+1 to fighting). Characters in this RTD would die a lot, so these are blanket things for your characters: if you choose to be sneaky, you will always get sneaky characters. However, the rank is rerolled between characters. Players also start out with one AK47 and a radio, no matter what side they are on.
The thing about the RTD is that it is is highly lethal. Like an actual war, death is around every corner and you will get screwed over. Don't get attached to your characters until they've proven themselves able to survive, and even then don't be afraid of them dying. There are three core mechanics that apply to various actions.
Healing is making sure your friends don't die. Characters start out with only three health points, and when they run out of them they enter "critical state". They are still alive and thinking, but they have to roll every turn to not die. If they get anything other then a success, they die. Healing brings them out of critical condition and may add a health point.
Healing People
1: You screw up badly. They lose a health point.
2: No change.
3: No change, but you get +1 on your next healing roll to them.
4: One health point restored!
5: Two health points restored!
6: You cause them to enter a martial trance: while in martial trance, they are fully restored to health and get +1 to fighting, but in five turns they will collapse into a critical state from the shock.
Bringing People out of Critical States
1: You screw up badly. They die horribly and in pain.
2: No change.
3: They get a +1 to not dying.
4: They are brought out of critical condition.
5: They are brought out of critical condition and given one health point extra.
6: You cause them to enter a martial trance: while in martial trance, they are fully restored to health and get +1 to fighting, but in five turns they will collapse into a critical state from the shock.
Sneaking is making sure you don't get shot at. This includes taking cover and sneaking. Taking cover gives increasing modifiers against getting shot at while sneaking allows you to move without risking getting shot.
Taking cover
1: You accidentally expose yourself to the enemy. They get a +1 for shooting at you until you find cover.
2: You can't find cover.
3: You find cover that gives -1 to enemy fire, but is destroyed after one shot by the enemy.
4: You find cover that's stable. It gives -1 to enemy fire for as long as you remain in it.
5: You find cover that hides you entirely. The enemy can't get you from here until they launch a direct assault or toss a grenade in.
6: You find cover that hides you entirely, but means you can't see what's happening. The enemy can't get at you, but their rolls are hidden from you.
Sneaking
While sneaking, you are rolling to prevent the enemy's awareness of you rising. The enemy's awareness of you is measured in a meter with three points: Unseen means they are unaware of your presence. Suspicious means they are aware someone is around, but not sure where. Aware means they know your exact position and are ready to fight you. Fighting someone with a gun will drop the meter by one.
1: You accidentally expose yourself completely. Enemies are now Aware automatically.
2: You leave evidence of yourself. Enemies go up one.
3: Nothing happened. The enemy's awareness doesn't change.
4: You stay quiet, and they think you're no longer around. Enemies go down one.
5: They become convinced you have left. Enemies are now Unseen automatically.
6: You managed to avoid them for now, but they are aware of your presence. The enemy's status is now Unseen, but you will get a -1 to your next roll.
Robusting is making sure the enemy get shot at. This is mostly fighting as you might guess if you're a fan of SS13, but it also includes construction.
Fighting
For players...
1: The gun jammed. Oh dear. While you desperately try to unjam it, the enemy gets a +1 on their next roll.
2: You missed.
3: You injure an enemy. They get a -1 to all rolls.
4: You kill an enemy.
5: You kill a lot of enemies. The number of enemies present is rolled for (As in, six enemies = d6). The result is amount of enemies killed.
6: Friendly fire. You cause one health point of damage to the nearest friendly.
For enemies....
1: Direct hit. You lose two health points.
2: Indirect hit. You lose one health points.
3: Fleshwound. You get a -1 for the next turn.
4: Miss. Nothing happens.
5: (un)Friendly fire. The enemy kills their nearest friend (If none are present, they shoot themselves).
6: Misses you. The nearest friendly gets shot instead for one health point.
Construction
While constructing, you are slowly adding more to a meter. When the meter reaches it's highest number, the construction is complete. Small objects have a maximum number of four, medium objects have a maximum number of six, and large objects have a maximum number of eight.
1: You break something by accident. The meter drops by one.
2: Nothing changes. The meter stays the same.
3: A minor addition. The meter goes up by one.
4: A nice addition. The meter goes up by two.
5: A major addition. The meter goes up by three.
6: You cobble it together. The object is completed, but every turn must roll. If it is not a success, the object breaks and is useless.
Though, what happens if your characters manage to survive? Well, they gain a name, and abilities.
At the start, your characters don't have names. When characters speak their name, they just state their rank. However, as time goes on and they actually prove themselves capable of surviving, they gain a name slowly but surely. The GM gives them names when they do something cool like accomplish an objective or save a friend from certain death.
First, they get a rather embarrassing/plain nickname like "Medic" or "Squinty" chosen by the GM depending on the player's actions. Then, they get a first name that the player chooses. Then, a second name that is also chosen by the player. Then they get a nickname from their friends that is rather cool, like "Ironsights" or "Razor" that is chosen by the GM. Then finally, a nickname that is incredibly intimidating like "The Baron" or "The White Death".
With each name, they can choose from a list specifically made for their character by the GM for abilities such as "ask for air support" or "enhance a weapon for 3 turns", or new equipment like a machine gun or grenades. However, you are still vulnerable, so be careful!
What do you guys think? Think it has potential?
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Topic: Roller's Block (RTD Brainstorming Thread) (HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY) (Derm is 5k) (Read 745201 times)