atomicpenguin
2013-05-26, 10:40 AM
I'm not sure where I should post this, so I figure this is as good a place as any. Yesterday I had a brainstorm and I need help turning it into a reality. What I want to make is an RPG where, rather than the party-based, cooperative roleplaying and combat that tabletop RPGs typically do, the majority of gameplay is one-on-one, PVP combat in an arena. The gist of it is that I would make an arena that is at least big with several traps and other stuff that I can place in the arena to change things up. I would bring this arena to big gaming events and use a slimmed-down miniature rule set for another RPG system. People can walk up, quickly draw up a character, and put it in a deathmatch. In addition to one-shot spectacle matches, there would be a ladder (the rankings for which would remain static between events so that people can come back at a later event and pick up where they left off) and single-elimination tournaments.
Here's what I need and any help or advice you all can give me would be appreciated: Firstly, I need an arena. The only real requirement here is that it should be as big as an arena ought to be (if anyone can put that in numerical terms, that would be helpful). I would like it to be at least semi-portable or collapsible and would like it to look as nice and authentic as I can, but the important thing is that I have an arena. Other things can be added or cleaned up in Mark II or future renditions.
The other thing I need is the rule set. What I want to do here is use miniatures rules for various roleplaying systems (DnD, Pathfinder, GURPS, etc.). I'll need to choose one (probably Pathfinder) to use for official tournaments, but I'm willing to use any ruleset for one-off matches. I'll eventually want to make my own official rules that better suit the play style, but I'm thinking I should save that for another day. What I do need to figure out, however, is a crowd favor mechanic. Basically, as in real life, you can enter the arena, do the thing, and walk out if you want. However, the arena is a spectacle and there should be benefits to getting the crowd on your side. For example, if a player loses, whether his character is killed and the player needs to draw up a new one or his character is spared and only suffers losses in standings is based on whether a character has built up enough crowd favor. Players gain crowd favor by winning, but can do other things such as hiring a promoter, using a catchphrase, using a unique weapon or style, toying with an opponent, etc. to gain more. I'm not sure if I want crowd favor to make matches easier or harder or not.
Another mechanic I'm still pondering is winning gold in matches and using that gold to buy better equipment, but I'm not sure how to make it work yet.
Here's what I need and any help or advice you all can give me would be appreciated: Firstly, I need an arena. The only real requirement here is that it should be as big as an arena ought to be (if anyone can put that in numerical terms, that would be helpful). I would like it to be at least semi-portable or collapsible and would like it to look as nice and authentic as I can, but the important thing is that I have an arena. Other things can be added or cleaned up in Mark II or future renditions.
The other thing I need is the rule set. What I want to do here is use miniatures rules for various roleplaying systems (DnD, Pathfinder, GURPS, etc.). I'll need to choose one (probably Pathfinder) to use for official tournaments, but I'm willing to use any ruleset for one-off matches. I'll eventually want to make my own official rules that better suit the play style, but I'm thinking I should save that for another day. What I do need to figure out, however, is a crowd favor mechanic. Basically, as in real life, you can enter the arena, do the thing, and walk out if you want. However, the arena is a spectacle and there should be benefits to getting the crowd on your side. For example, if a player loses, whether his character is killed and the player needs to draw up a new one or his character is spared and only suffers losses in standings is based on whether a character has built up enough crowd favor. Players gain crowd favor by winning, but can do other things such as hiring a promoter, using a catchphrase, using a unique weapon or style, toying with an opponent, etc. to gain more. I'm not sure if I want crowd favor to make matches easier or harder or not.
Another mechanic I'm still pondering is winning gold in matches and using that gold to buy better equipment, but I'm not sure how to make it work yet.