AirwaveRanger
2014-12-12, 03:14 AM
Greetings, everyone! I'm here to share and get feedback on my project of passion. Straight to VHS is an RPG built on the theme of B movies. Playtesting with friends and family has been extremely fun, encouraging and educational. But what I'm really hoping is that some folks here are looking to try out Straight to VHS and give me some tough feedback.
So, here's an excerpt from the first page explaining what the game is all about.
What is Straight to VHS?
A werewolf stalks the streets...but not for much longer, not if former prostitute turned nun Gloria Vendetta has anything to say about it. Never mind her cybernetically enhanced buddy in the precinct who suspects the werewolf is being protected by Yakuza. If only former heavyweight champion Tucker Smash could regain his memories. He was the only one who knew the antidote to lycanism, and now the plague is spreading...
You and your friends can now indulge in your own bitchin’ story with Straight to VHS, an easy-to-learn and fast-paced tabletop RPG inspired by bad movies. You’ll create a character by mixing and matching Tropes and Perks inspired by countless awful movies. Do you wanna be a voodoo master with bionic legs, or maybe a streetwise preacher? Straight to VHS will let you! The Director (or “game master”) will narrate the action and provide challenges and something resembling a plot for the characters to smash and seduce their way through. Players also get opportunities to tweak the Director’s script for their gain and amusement. Straight to VHS is a work in progress, but is already sure-fire fun!
So, mechanically-speaking, here are the defining features of the game:
- Mix and match character creation that makes it pretty difficult to make a dull character. Also, custom creations are encouraged.
- A "Script Change" mechanic that gives players the chance to mess with the scene narration.
- A system that encourages roleplay that supports the spirit of bad movies (Epic Dice awarded by the Director, One Liners, Dramatic Effects).
- The only dice are d20. Slick!
- Combat lies between "narrativist" and "simulationist" and lends itself to big cinematic moments (especially when aided by the Dramatic Effect mechanic).
- Overall a pretty newbie-friendly game. I wanted it to have straightforward mechanics that give the player some direction, without being too burdensome. Easy to learn, but not "too rules-light".
- Lends itself well to one-offs and short campaigns. Long campaigns are certainly an option though.
Read it (and download it!) here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Qiq_vhT3DoX3psTXVBUkdvdEE/view
I'd love to have any feedback anyone has about the document, but I'm especially hoping for feedback after actual play. You'll even find a link to a playtest feedback survey (https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/S75NJR6) on the last page before the character sheet.
Anyway, I hope someone out there has fun with it! Ultimately, I plan to continue making adjustments based on playtesting, finish up a to-do list (which includes a plot-creation tool) and look into the idea of trying to sell a modest number of PDFs of a fully fleshed-out and balanced version of the game. What? Crazier things have happened! :)
UPDATE: The game is progressing well, and there's even a growing community at http://www.reddit.com/r/StraighttoVHS
So, here's an excerpt from the first page explaining what the game is all about.
What is Straight to VHS?
A werewolf stalks the streets...but not for much longer, not if former prostitute turned nun Gloria Vendetta has anything to say about it. Never mind her cybernetically enhanced buddy in the precinct who suspects the werewolf is being protected by Yakuza. If only former heavyweight champion Tucker Smash could regain his memories. He was the only one who knew the antidote to lycanism, and now the plague is spreading...
You and your friends can now indulge in your own bitchin’ story with Straight to VHS, an easy-to-learn and fast-paced tabletop RPG inspired by bad movies. You’ll create a character by mixing and matching Tropes and Perks inspired by countless awful movies. Do you wanna be a voodoo master with bionic legs, or maybe a streetwise preacher? Straight to VHS will let you! The Director (or “game master”) will narrate the action and provide challenges and something resembling a plot for the characters to smash and seduce their way through. Players also get opportunities to tweak the Director’s script for their gain and amusement. Straight to VHS is a work in progress, but is already sure-fire fun!
So, mechanically-speaking, here are the defining features of the game:
- Mix and match character creation that makes it pretty difficult to make a dull character. Also, custom creations are encouraged.
- A "Script Change" mechanic that gives players the chance to mess with the scene narration.
- A system that encourages roleplay that supports the spirit of bad movies (Epic Dice awarded by the Director, One Liners, Dramatic Effects).
- The only dice are d20. Slick!
- Combat lies between "narrativist" and "simulationist" and lends itself to big cinematic moments (especially when aided by the Dramatic Effect mechanic).
- Overall a pretty newbie-friendly game. I wanted it to have straightforward mechanics that give the player some direction, without being too burdensome. Easy to learn, but not "too rules-light".
- Lends itself well to one-offs and short campaigns. Long campaigns are certainly an option though.
Read it (and download it!) here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Qiq_vhT3DoX3psTXVBUkdvdEE/view
I'd love to have any feedback anyone has about the document, but I'm especially hoping for feedback after actual play. You'll even find a link to a playtest feedback survey (https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/S75NJR6) on the last page before the character sheet.
Anyway, I hope someone out there has fun with it! Ultimately, I plan to continue making adjustments based on playtesting, finish up a to-do list (which includes a plot-creation tool) and look into the idea of trying to sell a modest number of PDFs of a fully fleshed-out and balanced version of the game. What? Crazier things have happened! :)
UPDATE: The game is progressing well, and there's even a growing community at http://www.reddit.com/r/StraighttoVHS