Fyermind
2013-09-02, 05:07 PM
I've been playing around with designing an RPG because you know, too much time. I'm trying to figure out what a good RPG has in it. Really, I am looking at the correlations between rules and encouraged play styles. I'd like some experienced minds to weigh in on this.
What play styles should be encouraged? What play styles should be discouraged? How might the rules and set-up of a game work towards these ends?
Basic layout of the design idea in spoiler.
Four types of things describe characters: Attributes (Physical and mental), Abilities (Direct and synergy), Knowledges, and equipment.
Physical Attributes: Strength, Agility, Endurance
Mental Attributes: Awareness, Memory, Quickness
Direct abilities are in groups called trees. All abilities give you new things you can do. Power creep is kept low, and abilities are fairly specialized in when and how they work. Each tree has a uniting theme such as Plants, Fire, Frenzy, Precision, Stealth, or Healing.
Having abilities from more than one tree allows synergies. Synergies are like direct abilities, but they do not count against your direct abilities you obtain. They represent using multiple strengths together and produce interesting combination effects.
Knowledges refer to information and skills a character has. Knowledges have abilities any character can use whether or not that have points invested in the relevant knowledge, but have varying levels of success or failure. Knowledges include things like lying and manipulation, understanding mechanical devices, math, natural history, chemistry, etc.
A character would select primary and secondary trees and would treat all other trees as tertiary. They would gain new abilities each level but would have caps for how much they could invest in any tertiary or secondary tree, and caps for how deep they could invest in their primary tree. Any direct ability could be used as a prerequisite for only 1 synergy ability. Independently, characters would gain points to invest into their knowledges.
I have things set up like this because I want all characters to be roughly equivalent in how versatile and powerful they are, but with different specializations and strengths. I want many abilities to be available to anyone but be much easier for people who invest in them (knowledges) and want to encourage "multiclassing" and combinations of diverse skills.
Do you think that my layout for a system could encourage that?
I haven't given much thought to equipment yet. How should equipment work? I was considering having magical equipment having prerequisites to be used effectively. Would this help with wealth issues?
What play styles should be encouraged? What play styles should be discouraged? How might the rules and set-up of a game work towards these ends?
Basic layout of the design idea in spoiler.
Four types of things describe characters: Attributes (Physical and mental), Abilities (Direct and synergy), Knowledges, and equipment.
Physical Attributes: Strength, Agility, Endurance
Mental Attributes: Awareness, Memory, Quickness
Direct abilities are in groups called trees. All abilities give you new things you can do. Power creep is kept low, and abilities are fairly specialized in when and how they work. Each tree has a uniting theme such as Plants, Fire, Frenzy, Precision, Stealth, or Healing.
Having abilities from more than one tree allows synergies. Synergies are like direct abilities, but they do not count against your direct abilities you obtain. They represent using multiple strengths together and produce interesting combination effects.
Knowledges refer to information and skills a character has. Knowledges have abilities any character can use whether or not that have points invested in the relevant knowledge, but have varying levels of success or failure. Knowledges include things like lying and manipulation, understanding mechanical devices, math, natural history, chemistry, etc.
A character would select primary and secondary trees and would treat all other trees as tertiary. They would gain new abilities each level but would have caps for how much they could invest in any tertiary or secondary tree, and caps for how deep they could invest in their primary tree. Any direct ability could be used as a prerequisite for only 1 synergy ability. Independently, characters would gain points to invest into their knowledges.
I have things set up like this because I want all characters to be roughly equivalent in how versatile and powerful they are, but with different specializations and strengths. I want many abilities to be available to anyone but be much easier for people who invest in them (knowledges) and want to encourage "multiclassing" and combinations of diverse skills.
Do you think that my layout for a system could encourage that?
I haven't given much thought to equipment yet. How should equipment work? I was considering having magical equipment having prerequisites to be used effectively. Would this help with wealth issues?