Designing an RPG: Rolling Mechanics

[TheOOB]

I'm starting to work on an RPG system of my own, and I figured along the way I'd post some of my ideas up here for some feedback/advice. I think I'm starting off fairly well, but I'm always starved for input.

I have a setting in mind for the system, and I'll go into that in the future, but for now all that is needed to be known is that the system will be a soft sci-fi swashbuckling age of exploration story. For now though, I'd like to share my ideas for the most important part of any system: the dice mechanics.

For this system, I've decided to keep things simple, limit the game to one type of die, in this case a d6 as the die is common, has a fairly small range, and is easy to roll and add together several of them. The rolling system will combine aspects of standard dice systems(D&D) and dice pool systems(White Wolf, AEG, ect). To put it simply, you roll a certain number of 6 sided dice, very rarely more than 5(and usually only 2 or 3), and add a modifier(rarely more than 6 to 8, rarely more than 3 to 4). The resulting total of dice results + modifier is your roll.

How you'll assemble your die roll is where the system is a bit different than other system. Like many systems, your character will have attributes(broad areas of ability usually due to natural talent or experiance), and skills(more narrow areas of ability due to training or practice). Attributes will determine the number of dice you roll, and skills determine the modifier of the roll. So if your combat attribute is 3, and your melee weapons skill is 4, you would roll 3d6+4.

This would create a system where people with a lot of natural talent(ie high attributes) would have a lot of potential, but not very reliable rolls, whereas people who are well trained(ie high skills), will have very reliable rolls but a lower ceiling on their abilities. Of course characters who have both will have the best of both worlds, but that may come at the price of weaknesses elsewhere.

Perhaps another way I am differing from more common systems is the attributes I am planning on using. Rather then working with specific physical and mental qualities like strength or wisdom, I've decided to make the attributes focused on areas of expertise. I'm trying to make a system with less overlap between abilities, but also where it is easier to be good at a certain area of expertise without an overly huge investment. The attributes I have planned are(names subject to change):

Combat - Attacking and defending in personal combat. Also covers tactics and military and group combat organization

Physical - Including running, jumping, swimming, feats of strength, stealth, ect.

Mental - Including knowledge, perception, science & technology, and willpower

Social - Including persuasion, bluffing, disguising, seduction, ect

Resources - Includes money, contacts, resources, allies, ect.

Power - Your ability to control your inherent psychic powers(not all characters have this attribute).

I am considering reworking combat and physical to make one attribute cover most combat pursuits and strength based abilities, and make the other one cover elements of subterfuge(sneaking, stealth, ect). The idea here is that each attribute contains all the skills necessary for a type of profession, though many people(PCs especially) would need more than one. Resources is an attribute in this system because wealth, class, and status are all important elements in the setting, and having a good name and money can be just as useful as a tool as anything else.

Anyways, thoughts? Opinions?

[Godskook]

I've currently begun playing WoD games(mage and werewolf), and one of the things I really enjoy about the system in my brief experience is what I'm going to call "tangential leveling" and how easy it is to gain minor benefits. Since they use different versions of the rules, I get to see different versions of it too, which led to another really neat feature of W:tA, which is how little it takes to buy things(1xp = 1 dot of brawl, for instance).

So what I'm going to suggest is this:

1.Have multiple ways to spend xp, or possibly have more than one type of 'xp'(W:tA has Renown and XP, for instance, while the video game Final Fantasy Tactics has XP and JP)

2.Ensure that players always have useful things to 'level-up', rather than having 1 lump thing that they can buy, the 'level'.

Perhaps another way I am differing from more common systems is the attributes I am planning on using. Rather then working with specific physical and mental qualities like strength or wisdom, I've decided to make the attributes focused on areas of expertise. I'm trying to make a system with less overlap between abilities, but also where it is easier to be good at a certain area of expertise without an overly huge investment. The attributes I have planned are(names subject to change):

Still a *LOT* of overlap, and non-sensical group inclusion.

[TheOOB]

I'll talk about advancement and creation at another time, but suffice it to say this will not be a class and level based system. Advancement will be done as the majority of RPG system go, which is you gain xp, and different things cost different amount of xp to raise. Class and level is mostly a D&D things, and only works well in systems where combat is the primary focus of the game.

[grimbold]

you may want to check out the starwars d6 rules floating around the internet somewhere
this is also kind of FUDGE like

[TheOOB]

I won't lie and say I'm not using elements from other systems. To be completely honest, this system originally started as "7th Sea, IN SPAAACE!", but has since changed.

I will say that I am actively avoiding systems that are overly similar, mechanically and flavor wise, at least until I am a little further along in development. I want the core of the system to be developed by me, and then perhaps I will refine things by seeing how others systems handled similar issues.

[erikun]

I enjoy taking a look at new or different systems, so let's see what you have so far.

The biggest problem I see is that it will be very difficult to pin down a "Difficulty Class" or "Challange Rating" for different actions. Most systems keep the attributes and skills - when there is even a difference - in the same values so that what is needed for an easy task or a difficult one is predictable. 1d6 may come out to 3+ on a standard roll, but players may become frustrated if they can't hit DC 10 with a 3d6 Martial attribute in the same way that they could with a +10 Swordplay skill.

Speaking of that, you'll want to look (at some point in the future) at the various XP costs of the skills vs attributes. You don't want +10 on a skill to be so cheap compared to 3d6 on the equal attribute, otherwise everyone will simply spend points on the more reliable skill. On the other hand, you don't want to make the attributes so cheap that there isn't much point to buying anything else.

I would recommend listing the attributes in their dice value (3d6) and skills in their bonus (+10). It is much easier for someone to add up their 3d6 martial ability to their +10 swordplay skill, and makes more sense than just saying your character has 3 Martial and 10 Swordplay.


With that out of the way, I'd recommend evaluating your attributes. You want them to be general enough to cover most conceivable situations, but narrow enough to be understandable. I'm not sure if holding onto a lance while riding horseback into combat would best fit Martial (being wartime), Physical (holding the lance), or Social (keeping the animal under control). Some attribute sets I can think of that may work better include Physical-Mental-Social, or Martial-Social-Technical, perhaps with a "Spirit/Spiritual" for a magical attribute. I'm not even sure how a Resources attribute would even be used, outside the Wealth score for d20 Modern (and then, it isn't really an attribute).