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MrZJunior
2019-02-27, 07:57 PM
I want to run a Play by Email Game where the players are working for a faction squabbling with other factions over the crown of a crumbling empire. I'm hoping to avoid combat, it's too clunky in PBEM.

To become Emperor you must be acclaimed by the Senate, People, and Army. To get their faction leader closer to that goal the party can repair public works, sponsor games, bribe people, etc. Generally sneaky corrupt sort of things.

I want a very stripped down system with a minimum of stats, probably just a basic skills system.

Skills I was thinking of including are:

Persuasion/diplomacy: talking, negotiating, and schmoozing.

Financial: this can help save your faction money on things. Also includes buying/selling and general trade.

Management/bureaucracy: how well you can run a project/navigate the disintegrating remains of the Imperial bureaucracy. Probably would also include finding things in archives or a library just for simplicity.

Architecture/engineering: if you want to win the people over by repairing the city's aqueducts or rebuilding public buildings you would use this skill.

Protocol/ceremony: governs how well you can run public ceremonies or religious festivals.

Subterfuge: sneaky stuff. Bribes, assassination, and the like.

Knowledge: do you know things, as simple as that.

I'm planning on using D10s in the World of Darkness style. Eight and nine are successes, ten is a success and you roll that die again. If you get no successes and roll at least one one it's a critical failure.

Everyone starts with a pip in each skill and they get twelve bonus pips to distribute as they wish. Each pip in a skill allows you to roll one die for that skill. You can't put more than ten pips in any given skill.

I've never really been a crunch sort of gamer. Does this system seem to work to you? What can make it better without adding too much complication?