Entry - Verge

[Peril Planet]

Allright, it has taken me far too long to get this thread started, but here it is. I am really happy with the way Verge turned out, in regards to it creating an evocative setting for adventure and a not-too-horrible set of mechanics for action resoultion.

I took for inspiration the topic of 'fantasypunk'. For me cyberpunk (and therefore fantasypunk) is about urban environments and stories. I wanted to ensure that while it was a fantasy game it remained an urban setting, so trapped the characters in the city. I am really happy with the bones of the setting. Over the last couple of weeks I have had a few other ideas to turn the fantasy "dial" all the way up to eleven. One I really like is making the noble rulers the caretakers for sorcerers / vampires / demons that initially defended the city. These defenders are incorporeal / asleep / trapped but continue to defend the city while the nobles rule in their name (or so they claim). I can see stories where noble houses try to interfere with their patrons, or even what if a noble house loses their patron.

I am very happy with the character generation - I think you can create some interesting characters, and you have a fair bit of control without it being totally freeform. Character gen was certainly inspired by FATE's aspects as well as my own game, Space Rat. The agenda idea was inspired by Cold War - I wanted players to invest themselves into a plot or two (adding depth to the city), but I don't think I did this as successfully as Cold War does.

The resolution mechanics are alright. I think they need some serious playtesting and good explanations, but do allow players a fair bit of control over the story. My main concern is how long it takes to narrate actions. I am not sure whether I am expecting dice rolls to be used to resolve specific actions (like most games - climb a wall, shoot at an enemy) or an entire scene (like "With Great Power" and "Prime Time Adventures") and that will have a bearing on whether the mechanic will slow the game down too much.

Overall, I am very happy with Verge and have recieved a lot of positive comments so far - so thanks to those people. I would love to hear more comments! I have a few ideas about character development / experience and will share them in the not too distant future.

- Nathan

[Peril Planet]

Oh yeah, for ease, you can get a copy of the game from .

[tygertyger]

This was the first game for this challenge that I read, and I can only say one thing... wow! This is the prettiest 24-hour rpg that I've ever seen, even w/o art. I have got to get Adobe InDesign!

As to the technical evaluation, the setting is definitely the strong point of Verge. Steampunk Fantasy is something I'd certainly be willing to try, and this setting makes it very appealing. The layout is quite professional-looking (though 2-column format is not friendly for reading on a screen; that standard evolved for print books), and the page borders are absolutely gorgeous. The game mechanics are a bit sparse, but that's typical for 24-hour projects. The only thing that Verge is missing is art (again, typical for 24-hour rpgs). I'm not prepared to declare a winner in this race yet, but if Verge isn't in the finals I will be sorely disappointed.

[Peril Planet]

Thanks for the kind words Tygertyger. I really am happy with the setting, and have a bunch of other stuff that I would like to include. I actually have a lexicon of slang that I wrote as I typed the game (everytime I made reference to something like "are they wood or are they steel", and that kind of thing I would make a note), but never found an opportunity to put in and had forgotten about it in the final hours of the project.

The system is intentially light, but perhaps not as light as people might think. The important point to remember is that it is a game about stories in the style of cyberpunk, not mechanics that simulate those stories. That is why the character generation section is the longest "rules" section and concetrates on descriptive qualities (concept, edges, agenda) over other elements like lots of skills or equipment. Science fiction is about characters more than anything else, as are RPG's so that is where I started.

Having said all that, however, the resolution system isn't all that I want it to be. It is designed to give players as much control as the GM, but it needs more structure. I can see someone staring blankly at their three successes and not knowing what to describe. Also, to be honest, I am not the biggest fan of "opposed rolls" systems - I prefer the target number style mechanics. In the hands of a quick-thinking group of players, the system might offer lots of opportunities for cool action, exciting description and general fun. I am also happy with the "combat" system - the structure presented there might need to be ported over and reflected in other resolution mechanics.

GETTING BETTER
Here is the experience system I have been considering;

At the end of a mission / adventure each player nominates a cool, exciting or important situation their character was involved in. They can create a new 1 point edge based on this situation, or if they already have an edge related to the event it can be increased by 1 instead. Determine whether the new edge is a secret or reputation. Any existing secret edges should also be changed to reputations if they have been "revealed" to the world at large, or a note can be made if a certain group know about the edge.

Slowly characters will build up quite a variety of edges. I like this idea over increasing stats. It goes back to creating depth of character. It also creates little reminders of the cool exploits they have been involved in.

- Nathan

[tygertyger]

[tadk]

[Peril Planet]

I have an account for selling my "commercial" games (okay, game -Space Rat: the Jack Cosmos Adventure Game!). Getting an account is pretty easy - there is a link somewhere on the left sidebar of the RPGnow site. It used to cost to sign up for such an account but these days it is free and they just take a bigger percentage of each sale. Of course, any percentage of $0 is still $0 so it costs you nothing to sell a free game! They don't like you having too many free items if you don't sell stuff, though.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask or email me. You can find contact details and more about my games at my website

I hope that has helped.

- Nathan

[Maeglin Dubh]

I purposefully didn't look at any other entries until mine was in, to avoid polluting my brainstorming....

This is awesome, just visually. I haven't even inspected the mechanics fully.

I need to figure out how to make things like -this- before the next contest rolls around. Mine is the bastard product of Microsoft Word translated into PDF form...

[Rob Lang]

Of course, you don't need to wait for the next contents, Maeglin! You can also just take your RPG and improve it now that your submission is in. I've been tweaking Icar for 19 years, there's no need for you to stop here.