Survival Games

[Onix]

I had thoughts of an investment or bid system but ran into the problem that in larger environmental challenges the characters would have to have a lot of points. I also didn't want to have to introduce a new point system for the characters. There could be a solution to that but it didn't seem evident to me. The thing that bugged me was that, even if successful they characters will have reduced their pool of points for the next challenge. Even if you're okay with that, how does that fatigue effect the rest of their performance? I wanted something that tied into the rest of a system cleanly so you didn't just ford the Amazon river and then carried on with the rest of the game like nothing happened.

Those were the concerns I had. Just thoughts that might be useful.

[J.K.Mosher]

For larger challenges (ie ones that would take more then 1 day) I'm of the mind that they should
be broken up into smaller "scenes", with an over all kind of degrees of success towards the whole.

IE: If they say ford the Amazon River on an overall attempt to get out of the jungle and to
safety, depending on how well they did the river crossing they could be in worse or better shape
for the next "scene" like scavenging at an abandoned "plantation".
If they barely made it, the heavy loss of points would hamper further efforts until they got some rest.
If they succeeded amazingly maybe the "high" of success could give some bonus points towards the next "event"

I thing in the ideal setup there would be a couple layers, like in a movie or play. The overall Theme or Arc
broken into more manageable scenes/tasks.

Part of what I'm looking at includes the replenishment of certain point pools (ie Physical/mental & Time) when
the party rests/sets up camp.

But you are right working a "bid" system to make sense, and flow as easily as a dice based system is the
challenge. It has to be static and flexible. Like Time Pool would reset each day. Physical/mental would regain
depending on how well the party can rest (ie enough food, water, good shelter, and warmth) to replenish individual
statics abilities. Resources could go up and down as items are used, recovered, lost, and found.

So it is complicated, and the "risk vs reward" has to be there.
Once I have a better example of what I'm thinking I'll post it. (ie a partial play tested scene) showing
the pools I have in mind, and how the Scenario Leader can set the stage for an "event."

Thanks for the advice.

[vulpinoid]

Just a thought...

Think of the movie 127 hours (I haven't actually seen it, so I'm going on hear-say...)

If you want a survival game to become more than just a series of die rolls against the environment, you could always incorporate a few flashback scenes explaining why the characters are in this survival situation.

Perhaps every time a roll is failed, it has a chance of causing morale loss. The character has to face a bad event from their past (maybe something that specifically led them to their current situation), they have to succeed in this flashback scene to maintain their morale. A low morale then makes further rolls harder to succeed, and the story gets more fully rounded out.

Or instead of a flashback scene, if there's multiple characters a failed survival roll might cause an argument and highlight the differences between them. This is the sort of thing that usually makes up the drama in survival stories.

[Onix]

Interesting, I think my brain broke when I tried to figure out how to implement that. That would be an interesting feel to a game, maybe something that JK could implement. I was looking more at the environment issue as being just an element in a game like defeating a monster is an element in a game.

[vulpinoid]

Your brain broke....but did it make sense once you picked up your brains pieces and put them back together?

[J.K.Mosher]

Never seen 127 hours either, though I have heard about it,
and I do watch on occasion "I Survived . .. " (think that's what it's called on Animal Planet),
and I have also watched Open Water/Open Water 2.

They do use that flash back element. Close in style to what the
"Harrowing" of Wraiths in Oblivion who lose all thier corpus.

I like the idea, and it makes sense, give the players a more emotional
attatchment to the events surrounding and leading up to the current situation.

And if you watch Les (Surviorman) and Bear (Man vs Wild) the biggest item they
keep plugging besides Water/Food/Shelter/Fire . . . is morale or spirit.

Defeinately have to think on this and how to make it fit in without making it
too complicated to implement. Another great idea . . . Thanks

[J.K.Mosher]

Here's a question . . .
Kepping in mind we're speaking about specificly Survival Games . . .

What would you think/feel would be a good damage mechanic?
I'm leaning towards a set number of injury points per location, basically because
in most survival situations ANY injury complicates the situation. What is hampering me
is more "Okay they can get hurt . . . Now how do they recover/heal this damage?"

I'm looking towards injuries as a complication brought on by bad choices/bad luck,
adding to how difficult it is to over come an "event" yet I don't feel it would be "fair/balanced"
that once injured a character woudl always be injured.

I guess I'm pushing for a more "realistic" approach and not just a HP/Stamina/LP total to
chop down until dead.

Thoughts?

[Onix]

I'm really into the fatigue mechanic. Instead of damage right away, the char's stamina and strength (maybe even mental attributes) are weakened. Damage comes after they've worn out.

[trodgers]

Have any of you seen The Colony, a television series that has had two seasons (at least) in the US? A group of people are put into a situation with limited resources and isolated...they have to find shelter, protection (from roving bands of raiders), food, water, and try to escape in the end (e.g., by boat, vehicle, or by telecommunication).

One season was set in an abandoned factory.
One season was set in a hurricane-ravaged portion of Louisiana in the US.

It's fascinating because unlike the people from Man vs. Wilde, Survivorman, Dual Surival, etc., these are real, everyday people.

[J.K.Mosher]

Yeah I actually caught a few episodes of that on Discovery a couple years ago.
That was an interesting little show.

Yeah that was right, average people, some might have had some survival skills,
but most are just doing what they can how they can.

Thanks Trodgers . . . good point to remember most character will have little to
know survival skills/knowleegde . . . will have to keep that in mind.