In the next ten years altered reality, rather than virtual reality, will become the technological wonder of the age - every person interacting with dozens of different layers and elements of digital and physical worlds simultaneously, in constant contact, in constant contrast. By 2030 the future holds something even more involving - physrep implants. These bundles of fibres are grafted onto every muscle in the human body, and bonded with every nerve. The process takes weeks, and at first, is extremely expensive. What it allows is simple - total integration. You do not simply see and hear the alternate worlds and shells that exist all around you, you feel them too, swim in them, they are as real as reality. Five years after their first release the surgery is commonplace. Five years after that it is compulsory (either socially or politically) across the whole of the world. The companies who produce the equipment, write the software, and run the systems have control of the population of the world, not simply in terms of marketing, but potentially in terms of what you see, feel, are.
In a playground where everyone can sense whatever they like, what do people do? They work, and talk, and love, and eat, and everything they always have. And they play.
Games. Gaming is no longer the province of a screen, but part of who you are. What games you play are as important as your political beliefs - in many places, more many people, they are your political beliefs. Which company you support, which game you run, which subscription you buy - how you choose the world to look, which world view you buy into, defines you. For most people games are safe - there are solid features that replicate the excitement without pain, without actual risk, without the possibility of death.
But for some people, that's not enough. For some people, they don't have a choice - the companies impose no safety limits on them. They strip them of the comfort of "it's just a game", and abandon them to a world where everyone else thinks it's simply fun. Why would they do this? Because some people, as today, don't want to be limited by the restriction of software, but open it up, take it apart, and rebuild it. They companies can't stop them accessing the data, so they force the data upon them. If they can't put a stop to it, they'll make it all too much.
As these indviduals, these hackers, wander from place to place, desperate to survive, they wander through different zones of game - these are the areas that companies have set up to enforce their vision on the people nearby. Countries are forming in a medium where the idea of a country is bizarre, and the corporations are at the heart of this new development. Some hackers find a game they can live with, and stay there and survive the best they can. Some even become rich, powerful, influential. Most are killed indiscriminately, cut down by a teenager who thinks he's killing an orc, an old lady who sees him as a target to hit with her car. Only by banding together, and fighting with all their might, can they hope to overcome the system that traps them within their lives, and be freed. They are integrated, uncomprising, and threatened by fun.
CPR Late Entry - Physrep
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CPR Late Entry - Physrep
by Nifara » Fri Mar 12, 2010 4:19 am
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Nifara - Tamarin
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Re: CPR Late Entry - Physrep
by madunkieg » Fri Mar 12, 2010 6:49 am
A very nice start. It contains two of the key elements of cyberpunk, the acknowledgement that the context of technological development matters, and the recognition that cyberpunks live that process as a part of consumer society as well as against it. This is the core of the cyberpunk genre that Sterling and others wrote about in their manifestos. Seeing these ideas in this contest, it doesn't feel like we're updating cyberpunk so much as we're building the first cyberpunk rpgs ever, that what was published before was some other genre entirely.
And don't think you're late. 10 days can produce a 30 page game (I've done it), so you've got lots of time. Looking forwards to more.
And don't think you're late. 10 days can produce a 30 page game (I've done it), so you've got lots of time. Looking forwards to more.
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madunkieg - Macaque
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Re: CPR Late Entry - Physrep
by Nifara » Fri Mar 12, 2010 1:10 pm
Copied across with alterations and additions from General where I put it up earlier:
A character has three attributes (Physique, Acumen, and Anima), and there are some skills: Hacking, Modding, Surfing, Athletics, Combat, Stealth, Charm, Intimidation, and Deception. You get nine points to put in attributes, and six to put in skills, which can have as many points in as you like each.
Each player starts with 20 action chips (poker chips) at the start of an adventure. Each NPC has a certain number of chips depending on their power-level, as do obstacles (locked doors, etc) which can be described on the fly if you like. NPCs also have attributes, etc.
When an obstacle is encountered or a scene with an NPC plays out the player explains what they want their character to be doing ("I open the door"), and, for the most part, that's fine. When a circumstance comes up where an obstacle should impede them, however, the chips come into play.
The player says "I open the door", and the GM (throwing in one of the door's chips) says "It's locked". The player, wanting to get past, throws a chip of his own into the middle of the table and says "I hookup a dataline to the security panel and open the door". The GM at this point can continue to raise the action using the door's chips, or let the character pass. On obstacles, all the chips should really be used unless the GM doesn't want to for some good thematic/plot-based reason (it's a good idea for the GM to conceal how many chips each obstacle has).
Attributes and skills add an extra dimension - every time you make a number of bids equal to your relevant attribute, the number of chips each bid costs doubles (attribute of 3 - after 3 bids for an action, it costs 2 chips, then after 6, four chips, etc), and skill points give you a number of free raises equal to their rank.
Once you're out of chips, or don't have enough to raise, you're screwed - unless you gamble something else. If you're in combat, or in other direct danger, you usually gamble attribute points. These points are lost until the next adventure begins. Out of combat, you can gamble circumstances - you might raise the alarms going off, or an armed patrol arriving. If the GM thinks it's suitable, that's your bet, and even if you win those things will happen.
A character reduced to zero in an attribute is removed from play (though may be rescued by others - they fall unconscious, are badly wounded, brain turned to mush, etc).
A player regains chips by succeeding in tasks. At the beginning of a new adventure you reset your number of chips to twenty, by spending any you have left over to increase your attributes and skills. Five chips buys you a point in an attribute, whilst ten buys you a skill point. GMs are free to dock points due to sessions missed, or playing against type to purposefully earn experience. You get a chip back during an adventure when you achieve a minor goal (getting the keycard for the base, etc), and three when you achieve a major goal (blowing up the base). Defeating an opponent is usually a minor goal.
Example:
Paul Chen is trying to break into a Westbell Corp building so he can sabotage a new expansion pack they're releasing in the next month. His hope is to get in, change some code, and get out without being noticed. He finds out there's a delivery entrance round the back of the building, and tries the door. He's expecting it to be locked, but then Chen has Hacking 2 and Acumen of 3, so he's a pretty skilled guy when it comes to getting through security systems.
As it turns out the door is an obstacle set-up by the GM, so the GM throws in three of the door's four (not that Chen knows it's four) chips and tells him it's locked. It has to be three because Chen has Hacking 2, so he gets the first two chip raises for free.
Chen's player considers his stack and raises, throwing a chip into the middle of the table. He tells the GM that Chen is going to merge with the door's security and try and hack it.
The GM throws the last chip of the door's into the mix, and says that the security system is surprisingly hard to crack, with some cunning subroutines. It seems like they were expecting someone to try coming this way.
Frustrated, but aware that he'll need plenty of chips to get away with his plan once inside, Chen's player decides to cut his losses and retreats. Stumped, Chen withdraws to look for another entry point. Of course, if only he'd spent one more chip, he'd be inside and away...
Example:
Later on Chen is inside and doing the actual code modifications. This time the relevant skill is his Modding, which is 1. There is a vast amount of code, and what Chen is doing is subtle, so this will be a tough one to pull off. The GM has six chips for the computer code. Chen has eight chips left. He announces his intention to modify the code, and the GM throws two chips into the middle to start off, explaining the difficulties with volume of code.
Chen's player throws one back in and explains that he'll scan through using a custom program he's written for such an occasion.
The GM retaliates with another chip, explaining that the code has been badly organised and there aren't many notes, so finding the right section is harder than you'd think.
Chen's player explains how his character worked with sloppy programmers for years, and can easily read through obtuse code, putting in a third chip.
The GM tells Chen he's found the right place, and now needs to make the changes, placing another action chip before him.
Chen starts working away, diligently altering the code to reflect his goals. Unfortunately, now he's spent three chips, he has to spend two chips to raise each time, as his acumen is three. He puts both chips down, leaving a sorry pile of only three left to spend.
The GM places the second to last chip down, saying how close Chen is.
Chen's player puts two more in, hoping that's everything done, but it's not - the GM puts the final chip into play.
Now Chen is in trouble. He's only got one more action chip, and the minimum bid is two, so he needs to bid something more if he wants to succeed. He's not in direct danger, so he can't wager attribute points, so instead he wagers a consequence - he bets the fact that the alarms will go off. The GM agrees, and Chen wins the contest, inserting his code and shutting down his access. As he does, however, the alarms blare. Now he needs to get out without anyone identifying him, or thinking he was accessing the code. Luckily, he's achieved a major goal, and so gets three chips back.
A character has three attributes (Physique, Acumen, and Anima), and there are some skills: Hacking, Modding, Surfing, Athletics, Combat, Stealth, Charm, Intimidation, and Deception. You get nine points to put in attributes, and six to put in skills, which can have as many points in as you like each.
Each player starts with 20 action chips (poker chips) at the start of an adventure. Each NPC has a certain number of chips depending on their power-level, as do obstacles (locked doors, etc) which can be described on the fly if you like. NPCs also have attributes, etc.
When an obstacle is encountered or a scene with an NPC plays out the player explains what they want their character to be doing ("I open the door"), and, for the most part, that's fine. When a circumstance comes up where an obstacle should impede them, however, the chips come into play.
The player says "I open the door", and the GM (throwing in one of the door's chips) says "It's locked". The player, wanting to get past, throws a chip of his own into the middle of the table and says "I hookup a dataline to the security panel and open the door". The GM at this point can continue to raise the action using the door's chips, or let the character pass. On obstacles, all the chips should really be used unless the GM doesn't want to for some good thematic/plot-based reason (it's a good idea for the GM to conceal how many chips each obstacle has).
Attributes and skills add an extra dimension - every time you make a number of bids equal to your relevant attribute, the number of chips each bid costs doubles (attribute of 3 - after 3 bids for an action, it costs 2 chips, then after 6, four chips, etc), and skill points give you a number of free raises equal to their rank.
Once you're out of chips, or don't have enough to raise, you're screwed - unless you gamble something else. If you're in combat, or in other direct danger, you usually gamble attribute points. These points are lost until the next adventure begins. Out of combat, you can gamble circumstances - you might raise the alarms going off, or an armed patrol arriving. If the GM thinks it's suitable, that's your bet, and even if you win those things will happen.
A character reduced to zero in an attribute is removed from play (though may be rescued by others - they fall unconscious, are badly wounded, brain turned to mush, etc).
A player regains chips by succeeding in tasks. At the beginning of a new adventure you reset your number of chips to twenty, by spending any you have left over to increase your attributes and skills. Five chips buys you a point in an attribute, whilst ten buys you a skill point. GMs are free to dock points due to sessions missed, or playing against type to purposefully earn experience. You get a chip back during an adventure when you achieve a minor goal (getting the keycard for the base, etc), and three when you achieve a major goal (blowing up the base). Defeating an opponent is usually a minor goal.
Example:
Paul Chen is trying to break into a Westbell Corp building so he can sabotage a new expansion pack they're releasing in the next month. His hope is to get in, change some code, and get out without being noticed. He finds out there's a delivery entrance round the back of the building, and tries the door. He's expecting it to be locked, but then Chen has Hacking 2 and Acumen of 3, so he's a pretty skilled guy when it comes to getting through security systems.
As it turns out the door is an obstacle set-up by the GM, so the GM throws in three of the door's four (not that Chen knows it's four) chips and tells him it's locked. It has to be three because Chen has Hacking 2, so he gets the first two chip raises for free.
Chen's player considers his stack and raises, throwing a chip into the middle of the table. He tells the GM that Chen is going to merge with the door's security and try and hack it.
The GM throws the last chip of the door's into the mix, and says that the security system is surprisingly hard to crack, with some cunning subroutines. It seems like they were expecting someone to try coming this way.
Frustrated, but aware that he'll need plenty of chips to get away with his plan once inside, Chen's player decides to cut his losses and retreats. Stumped, Chen withdraws to look for another entry point. Of course, if only he'd spent one more chip, he'd be inside and away...
Example:
Later on Chen is inside and doing the actual code modifications. This time the relevant skill is his Modding, which is 1. There is a vast amount of code, and what Chen is doing is subtle, so this will be a tough one to pull off. The GM has six chips for the computer code. Chen has eight chips left. He announces his intention to modify the code, and the GM throws two chips into the middle to start off, explaining the difficulties with volume of code.
Chen's player throws one back in and explains that he'll scan through using a custom program he's written for such an occasion.
The GM retaliates with another chip, explaining that the code has been badly organised and there aren't many notes, so finding the right section is harder than you'd think.
Chen's player explains how his character worked with sloppy programmers for years, and can easily read through obtuse code, putting in a third chip.
The GM tells Chen he's found the right place, and now needs to make the changes, placing another action chip before him.
Chen starts working away, diligently altering the code to reflect his goals. Unfortunately, now he's spent three chips, he has to spend two chips to raise each time, as his acumen is three. He puts both chips down, leaving a sorry pile of only three left to spend.
The GM places the second to last chip down, saying how close Chen is.
Chen's player puts two more in, hoping that's everything done, but it's not - the GM puts the final chip into play.
Now Chen is in trouble. He's only got one more action chip, and the minimum bid is two, so he needs to bid something more if he wants to succeed. He's not in direct danger, so he can't wager attribute points, so instead he wagers a consequence - he bets the fact that the alarms will go off. The GM agrees, and Chen wins the contest, inserting his code and shutting down his access. As he does, however, the alarms blare. Now he needs to get out without anyone identifying him, or thinking he was accessing the code. Luckily, he's achieved a major goal, and so gets three chips back.
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Nifara - Tamarin
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Re: CPR Late Entry - Physrep
by Nifara » Sat Mar 13, 2010 6:57 am
So, Physrep will be a game about games, and the next step would be to decide what games you'll play (or endure) inside this game.
Well, the original inspiration for this game was a short-story I wrote a couple of years ago called "Hotdog Horde", based around the idea of World of Warcraft expanded in to altered reality, so I definitely want a WOW-style trad-fantasy game to be prominent in the setting. I don't believe that even the powerhouse that is WOW will still be going in another twenty years, so I need a new, but similar game - probably a couple of sequels down the line effectively. I'm going to call this Corona as a place-holder for the time being until I've done a bit more thinking around the subject (Corona is the placeholder name for every RPG I write until I come up with something better, generally with an adjective tacked on the end. My soon-to-be-released full-scale project Hidden Empire started life as "Corona Steampunk". If I need to differentiate between different Coronas, I'll call this one "Corona Recursion"). It'll be concerned with two sides fighting an on-going war, with certain places being relatively peaceful, with a level mechanic, magic items, mobs and bosses, and all the rest of WOW paraphernalia. I want it to be immediately distinctive to anyone who know the source.
Fantasy isn't going to be the bees-knees for everyone though, and so I need some other games to compete with it. For a more popularist slant I imagine something more akin to a soap-opera... but then, people watch soap operas, but don't want to be in them, right? So what do "the masses" want to be in? Images of shows like Dallas, Footballer's Wives, and so on all spring to mind, and I've hit upon it - a game where everyone is beautiful and perfect and rich and powerful. Not hard to do when everything is fake. Everyone is the elite in a game like this, and the game would probably subdivide into small districts, so that you can go and tell the people at work about what happened last night on your show. We'll call this one "Bright Lives".
So, we've covered fantasy and popularist drama/romance. Science fiction seems a little redundant maybe, expect... perhaps not. Perhaps the idea of a star-trek style game might not go amiss. Again, a patische of Star Trek could work well, and I'm thinking of one based on the most recent film as opposed to is predecessors, so that fits rather well. As fantasy and reality bleed into each other, people could be more than fooled into thinking they are on other planets, and so on - and the discrepancy between what people think they are doing, what they are doing, and what they think they think they are doing, is one that I want to examine in depth in this game.
Finally, then, horror. Well, no one wants to be in a horror film... do they? Actually, yes, the popularity of games like World of Darkness, books like Twilight, and shows like True Blood shows that they really do want to be involved in a world with traditional horror-tropes. So I'm imagining a World of Darkness-esque game, where people imagine they are werewolves, vampires, etc and have the powers to back it up, or at least think they do. I'll call this one "Dark Places" for now, another placeholder name I use for horror projects.
Is four enough? Probably not, and there's a whole bunch of action/adventure stuff we're missing. I'm going to stick in a fifth, based around tough cop-movie style tropes called "Blast-Doors", where characters can basically play cops and robber, playing off things like oceans eleven, gangster movies, and police dramas. Finally, let's make war fun - I'm thinking a WW2-based game, which transforms city-blocks into rubble piles for the people playing, and war is hell (but if you die, it only takes ten minutes and a trudge back to local HQ to respawn. I'll call this "Cry of Honour" (spot the reference!).
Now I have games, my next step is to flesh them out, and the corporations that own them.
Well, the original inspiration for this game was a short-story I wrote a couple of years ago called "Hotdog Horde", based around the idea of World of Warcraft expanded in to altered reality, so I definitely want a WOW-style trad-fantasy game to be prominent in the setting. I don't believe that even the powerhouse that is WOW will still be going in another twenty years, so I need a new, but similar game - probably a couple of sequels down the line effectively. I'm going to call this Corona as a place-holder for the time being until I've done a bit more thinking around the subject (Corona is the placeholder name for every RPG I write until I come up with something better, generally with an adjective tacked on the end. My soon-to-be-released full-scale project Hidden Empire started life as "Corona Steampunk". If I need to differentiate between different Coronas, I'll call this one "Corona Recursion"). It'll be concerned with two sides fighting an on-going war, with certain places being relatively peaceful, with a level mechanic, magic items, mobs and bosses, and all the rest of WOW paraphernalia. I want it to be immediately distinctive to anyone who know the source.
Fantasy isn't going to be the bees-knees for everyone though, and so I need some other games to compete with it. For a more popularist slant I imagine something more akin to a soap-opera... but then, people watch soap operas, but don't want to be in them, right? So what do "the masses" want to be in? Images of shows like Dallas, Footballer's Wives, and so on all spring to mind, and I've hit upon it - a game where everyone is beautiful and perfect and rich and powerful. Not hard to do when everything is fake. Everyone is the elite in a game like this, and the game would probably subdivide into small districts, so that you can go and tell the people at work about what happened last night on your show. We'll call this one "Bright Lives".
So, we've covered fantasy and popularist drama/romance. Science fiction seems a little redundant maybe, expect... perhaps not. Perhaps the idea of a star-trek style game might not go amiss. Again, a patische of Star Trek could work well, and I'm thinking of one based on the most recent film as opposed to is predecessors, so that fits rather well. As fantasy and reality bleed into each other, people could be more than fooled into thinking they are on other planets, and so on - and the discrepancy between what people think they are doing, what they are doing, and what they think they think they are doing, is one that I want to examine in depth in this game.
Finally, then, horror. Well, no one wants to be in a horror film... do they? Actually, yes, the popularity of games like World of Darkness, books like Twilight, and shows like True Blood shows that they really do want to be involved in a world with traditional horror-tropes. So I'm imagining a World of Darkness-esque game, where people imagine they are werewolves, vampires, etc and have the powers to back it up, or at least think they do. I'll call this one "Dark Places" for now, another placeholder name I use for horror projects.
Is four enough? Probably not, and there's a whole bunch of action/adventure stuff we're missing. I'm going to stick in a fifth, based around tough cop-movie style tropes called "Blast-Doors", where characters can basically play cops and robber, playing off things like oceans eleven, gangster movies, and police dramas. Finally, let's make war fun - I'm thinking a WW2-based game, which transforms city-blocks into rubble piles for the people playing, and war is hell (but if you die, it only takes ten minutes and a trudge back to local HQ to respawn. I'll call this "Cry of Honour" (spot the reference!).
Now I have games, my next step is to flesh them out, and the corporations that own them.
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Nifara - Tamarin
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Fri Mar 12, 2010 3:52 am
- Location: Reading, UK
Re: CPR Late Entry - Physrep
by Nifara » Mon Mar 15, 2010 8:26 am
Looking over these games I like how they interlace and different dangers work in different ways. I'm beginning to imagine that characters will spend most of their time switching between games, and trying to work out which one another person thinks they're in.
I want to go into some detail expanding Corona out, because it was the base insipiration for the setting and so, I think, deserves some extra TLC. I'm basing it on standard fantasy tropes, and so the actual nitty-gritty of the game will need little explanation - it's an Orc, an Elf, etc, etc. Orcs are ugly but strong, Elves are willowy and good with bows and overly mystical, and so on and so forth. It's the general sweep of the game that I want to look at and some of the mechanical systems that characters might run into.
First of all we have the two sides in this conflict that sits at the core of the setting and I like the idea that one is "good" and one is "evil" in traditional terms but neither is that objectionable in real terms. I imagine, like in WoW, the majority of "evil" races will either be misunderstood or simply culturally different. I also like the idea of a racial split in terms of the sides of the conflict, so that'll stay in.
As for the world, we're going to need larger areas of wilds areas than is possible in the modern world, so we'll map forests, and caves, and so on onto the cities. We're also looking at it being big and bright and almost cartoony, just like the source material, so not gritty morality tales, but lots of hack and slash heroism. We'll keep most of the mechanical things that transfer across well (! and ? above peoples' heads for quests, colour-coded enemies by difficulty, etc) but dump the setting and history, in place creating a new one:
The Spire was the greatest achievement of the Empire of Azure, the last great nation composed of elves, dwarves, and humans. It was built at the centre of the world, and touched the heavens with its heights. It was woven of magic and wonder, and built brick by brick by the conquered enemies of the Empire, mongrel rebels of evil peoples (Orcs, Trolls, and Goblins), who had to be bowed and broken before peace could exist. It represented the glory and power of this alliance of ancient and proud peoples, and made wonders greater than could be dreamed of now possible for millions. In their ignorance, these creatures rose up against the empire, and tore down the spire, ending an era and destroying the Empire's dominance. Soon a war began, between the Empire and the Rebellion.
So now we have races: Humans, Elves, and Dwarves on the Empire's side, and Orcs, Goblins, and Trolls on the Rebellion's side. We'll also, for that authentic feel, need some classes: I'm thinking Warrior (All), Mage (Goblin, Elves, Humans), Priest (Trolls, Goblins, Humans, Dwarves), Rogue (Humans, Elves, Goblins), Shaman (Orcs, Dwarves, and Trolls), Ranger (Humans, Elves, Orcs, and Trolls), Paladin (Humans and Dwarves), and Necromancer (Orcs and Goblins).
Races get the following bonuses:
Humans: +1 Anima
Elves: +1 Acumen
Dwarves: +1 Physique
Goblins: +1 Acumen
Orcs: +1 Anima
Trolls: +1 Physique
Classes get the following bonuses:
Warriors: +1 Combat
Mages: +1 Hacking
Priests: +1 Surfing
Rogues: +1 Stealth
Shamans: +1 Modding
Ranger: +1 Athletics
Paladin: +1 Charm
Necromancer: +1 Intimidation
Why bother making up mechanical entries for this races and classes? Well, I thought up a neat little mechanic last night to improve the system I described above:
A character is actually a bundle of characters - the core person they actually are, and their personas in each game. When you create your character you create them however you want, with attributes and skills as normal. However, each sub-character gives bonuses (automatic routines built into the game) when interacting with things in that game.
For example, if our Mr Chen, our hacker extraordinaire, has a Goblin Shaman character, when interacting with that game world he gets +1 Modding and +1 Acumen, to represent his character's predisposition to changing the world around him (modding) and brains (acumen). He only gets this bonus when interacting with virtual objects which exist within Corona, not simply when he's viewing the world through their eyes. A PC in this game will flick between their sub-characters a lot, I imagine.
I like the setting I've hammered out for the Corona game, so time to give it a proper name: I like Spire, so we'll call it that. Now I need to think about the corporation that own it. I like the idea of Spire being made by a huge bunch of geeks, so we'll have them called "Goodking Entertainment", and be based in Seattle. I imagine of all the corporations they are the most lenient, but that's not saying much - they treat people screwing with their game much more seriously than any kind of political or social infraction. Cheaters (which of course all hackers are pretty much) are scum, and need to be dealt with quickly - turning the safeties off is a kindness, really.
So now our sample character looks like this:
Paul Chen (Hacker Extraordinaire)
Acumen 3, Anima 4, Physique 2
Hacking 2, Modding 1, Athletics 1, Charm 1, Deception 1
Spire: Goblin Shaman (+1 Acumen, +1 Modding)
I want to go into some detail expanding Corona out, because it was the base insipiration for the setting and so, I think, deserves some extra TLC. I'm basing it on standard fantasy tropes, and so the actual nitty-gritty of the game will need little explanation - it's an Orc, an Elf, etc, etc. Orcs are ugly but strong, Elves are willowy and good with bows and overly mystical, and so on and so forth. It's the general sweep of the game that I want to look at and some of the mechanical systems that characters might run into.
First of all we have the two sides in this conflict that sits at the core of the setting and I like the idea that one is "good" and one is "evil" in traditional terms but neither is that objectionable in real terms. I imagine, like in WoW, the majority of "evil" races will either be misunderstood or simply culturally different. I also like the idea of a racial split in terms of the sides of the conflict, so that'll stay in.
As for the world, we're going to need larger areas of wilds areas than is possible in the modern world, so we'll map forests, and caves, and so on onto the cities. We're also looking at it being big and bright and almost cartoony, just like the source material, so not gritty morality tales, but lots of hack and slash heroism. We'll keep most of the mechanical things that transfer across well (! and ? above peoples' heads for quests, colour-coded enemies by difficulty, etc) but dump the setting and history, in place creating a new one:
The Spire was the greatest achievement of the Empire of Azure, the last great nation composed of elves, dwarves, and humans. It was built at the centre of the world, and touched the heavens with its heights. It was woven of magic and wonder, and built brick by brick by the conquered enemies of the Empire, mongrel rebels of evil peoples (Orcs, Trolls, and Goblins), who had to be bowed and broken before peace could exist. It represented the glory and power of this alliance of ancient and proud peoples, and made wonders greater than could be dreamed of now possible for millions. In their ignorance, these creatures rose up against the empire, and tore down the spire, ending an era and destroying the Empire's dominance. Soon a war began, between the Empire and the Rebellion.
So now we have races: Humans, Elves, and Dwarves on the Empire's side, and Orcs, Goblins, and Trolls on the Rebellion's side. We'll also, for that authentic feel, need some classes: I'm thinking Warrior (All), Mage (Goblin, Elves, Humans), Priest (Trolls, Goblins, Humans, Dwarves), Rogue (Humans, Elves, Goblins), Shaman (Orcs, Dwarves, and Trolls), Ranger (Humans, Elves, Orcs, and Trolls), Paladin (Humans and Dwarves), and Necromancer (Orcs and Goblins).
Races get the following bonuses:
Humans: +1 Anima
Elves: +1 Acumen
Dwarves: +1 Physique
Goblins: +1 Acumen
Orcs: +1 Anima
Trolls: +1 Physique
Classes get the following bonuses:
Warriors: +1 Combat
Mages: +1 Hacking
Priests: +1 Surfing
Rogues: +1 Stealth
Shamans: +1 Modding
Ranger: +1 Athletics
Paladin: +1 Charm
Necromancer: +1 Intimidation
Why bother making up mechanical entries for this races and classes? Well, I thought up a neat little mechanic last night to improve the system I described above:
A character is actually a bundle of characters - the core person they actually are, and their personas in each game. When you create your character you create them however you want, with attributes and skills as normal. However, each sub-character gives bonuses (automatic routines built into the game) when interacting with things in that game.
For example, if our Mr Chen, our hacker extraordinaire, has a Goblin Shaman character, when interacting with that game world he gets +1 Modding and +1 Acumen, to represent his character's predisposition to changing the world around him (modding) and brains (acumen). He only gets this bonus when interacting with virtual objects which exist within Corona, not simply when he's viewing the world through their eyes. A PC in this game will flick between their sub-characters a lot, I imagine.
I like the setting I've hammered out for the Corona game, so time to give it a proper name: I like Spire, so we'll call it that. Now I need to think about the corporation that own it. I like the idea of Spire being made by a huge bunch of geeks, so we'll have them called "Goodking Entertainment", and be based in Seattle. I imagine of all the corporations they are the most lenient, but that's not saying much - they treat people screwing with their game much more seriously than any kind of political or social infraction. Cheaters (which of course all hackers are pretty much) are scum, and need to be dealt with quickly - turning the safeties off is a kindness, really.
So now our sample character looks like this:
Paul Chen (Hacker Extraordinaire)
Acumen 3, Anima 4, Physique 2
Hacking 2, Modding 1, Athletics 1, Charm 1, Deception 1
Spire: Goblin Shaman (+1 Acumen, +1 Modding)
Last edited by Nifara on Mon Mar 15, 2010 9:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Nifara - Tamarin
- Posts: 25
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- Location: Reading, UK
Re: CPR Late Entry - Physrep
by Nifara » Mon Mar 15, 2010 8:56 am
Next one up is Bright Lives, which I see not so much as a game than as a virtual community, whatever the hell that is. Basically this should be a social-interaction based "game" with as few mechnical pressures as possible, just a little bit of everyone being beautiful and wonderful and exciting. I imagine characters will break down into several "classes", but more as a matter of ease than anything else, and I don't see there being much "over-arching" gameplay, more small community-centric stuff where you take part in your own lovely little soap-opera. I even imagine that many people don't see much difference between real life and the "game" - it's just a way to make things nicer, more exciting, more pleasant and interesting. It's a way of giving you the life you've seen on television.
So inside the game - bright sunshine, white and glass buildings, powersuits and designer dresses, very straight white teeth and perfect hair. People can travel around and the game still holds true, but there's a degree of not wanting to do that - it's more fun to stay in one place and to really get to know it. I'm thinking The OC meets Desperate Housewives meets Dallas meets Home and Away. Basically, enough to make any sane person gibber in pain.
Basic "classes" then:
Nice Guys are those who are honest, and good-looking, and solid and reliable, and the sort of person you'd like to bring home to meet your mother. Ultimately, they are not very interesting to play, but egotistical types get a kick out if being sodding pious. +1 Anima, +1 Charm
Bad Apples are characters who everyone loves to hate - the bad men, the bitch queens, and so on. They get +1 Anima and +1 Deception.
Jocks are big, beefy, and endearing. Everyone wants to be a hunk with perfect hair, or a surfer babe, right? +1 Physique, +1 Athletics.
Brains are those rare characters who actuall seem to have some papable skill - doctors who don't just sleep with nurses, and other such mythical entities. +1 Acumen, +1 Charm.
I don't think you need much more for something this "game" light.
What about the corporation who owns this travesty then? I'm thinking they'll be called something like CNB, and stlye themselves after the old-style American networks - hell they might even be a survivor from that period. Of all the corporations I imagine them to be the most unpleasant - a bit like if FOX news got to make the decisions rather than just report on them. They are right-wing, conservative, and extremely authoratarian, and would rather like to be running the world. Of all of the corps in the game, this will be the one most traditionally "cyber-punk" - a big bad guy to rail against. I imagine them making the game world resemble their beliefs too - everyone is perfect and beautiful. And heterosexual. And Christian. And mostly white.
Sample character update:
Paul Chen (Hacker Extraordinaire)
Acumen 3, Anima 4, Physique 2
Hacking 2, Modding 1, Athletics 1, Charm 1, Deception 1
Spire: Goblin Shaman (+1 Acumen, +1 Modding)
Bright Lives: Jock (+1 Physique, +1 Athletics)
So inside the game - bright sunshine, white and glass buildings, powersuits and designer dresses, very straight white teeth and perfect hair. People can travel around and the game still holds true, but there's a degree of not wanting to do that - it's more fun to stay in one place and to really get to know it. I'm thinking The OC meets Desperate Housewives meets Dallas meets Home and Away. Basically, enough to make any sane person gibber in pain.
Basic "classes" then:
Nice Guys are those who are honest, and good-looking, and solid and reliable, and the sort of person you'd like to bring home to meet your mother. Ultimately, they are not very interesting to play, but egotistical types get a kick out if being sodding pious. +1 Anima, +1 Charm
Bad Apples are characters who everyone loves to hate - the bad men, the bitch queens, and so on. They get +1 Anima and +1 Deception.
Jocks are big, beefy, and endearing. Everyone wants to be a hunk with perfect hair, or a surfer babe, right? +1 Physique, +1 Athletics.
Brains are those rare characters who actuall seem to have some papable skill - doctors who don't just sleep with nurses, and other such mythical entities. +1 Acumen, +1 Charm.
I don't think you need much more for something this "game" light.
What about the corporation who owns this travesty then? I'm thinking they'll be called something like CNB, and stlye themselves after the old-style American networks - hell they might even be a survivor from that period. Of all the corporations I imagine them to be the most unpleasant - a bit like if FOX news got to make the decisions rather than just report on them. They are right-wing, conservative, and extremely authoratarian, and would rather like to be running the world. Of all of the corps in the game, this will be the one most traditionally "cyber-punk" - a big bad guy to rail against. I imagine them making the game world resemble their beliefs too - everyone is perfect and beautiful. And heterosexual. And Christian. And mostly white.
Sample character update:
Paul Chen (Hacker Extraordinaire)
Acumen 3, Anima 4, Physique 2
Hacking 2, Modding 1, Athletics 1, Charm 1, Deception 1
Spire: Goblin Shaman (+1 Acumen, +1 Modding)
Bright Lives: Jock (+1 Physique, +1 Athletics)
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Nifara - Tamarin
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Fri Mar 12, 2010 3:52 am
- Location: Reading, UK
Re: CPR Late Entry - Physrep
by Nifara » Mon Mar 15, 2010 9:25 am
Let's work through our list then, and hit our next in-game game - the as yet unamed star trek rip-off. I like the name Jupiter Rising (I don't know what it means yet, but I will), so let's dub it that. I'm imagining a pretty technologically advanced sci-fi universe, something more akin to Star Trek than Star Wars or Battlestar. Let's imagine the Alliance, a technological and socially advanced civilisation, where citizens can either work on earth, or travel to other worlds on a private ships (usually traders or mercanaries) or as part of the military, which we'll call the Grand Navy. I'm thinking a Federation made up of several dozen planets and species (which we don't have to name here), and some independant factions outside of that. I'm imagining that most players will end up in a sort of Rogue Trader role, plying goods and having adventures in space, with laser pistols and all the rest of it. I'm thinking Robots and sci-fi cities of spires and gleaming streets, and cantinas and so on. All very exciting and shiny, with an undercurrent of danger and risk.
I'm thinking that Earth used to be the central planet of this Alliance of Planets (a good name I think), but about thirty years previously it was moved to Jupiter to accomodate gas-giant dwelling aliens more readily. Hence Jupiter Rising.
Again, some basic character categories. This time we'll have:
Soldiers who are good at shooting stuff and so on, and get +1 Phsyique +1 Combat.
Scientists who do experiments, keep the ships ticking over, and all the rest. +1 Acumen, +1 Modding.
Traders are those who travel around getting a good deal and so on. +1 Anima, +1 Deception.
Scoundrels are those who get by on their wits and their sneaky ways. +1 Anima +1 Stealth.
Scouts are those who are good at getting inside places and killing people. +1 Physique, +1 Hacking.
Lovely stuff. I think this is probably another game run by Goodking Entertainment, so we already have details for them.
Our sample character:
Paul Chen (Hacker Extraordinaire)
Acumen 3, Anima 4, Physique 2
Hacking 2, Modding 1, Athletics 1, Charm 1, Deception 1
Spire: Goblin Shaman (+1 Acumen, +1 Modding)
Bright Lives: Jock (+1 Physique, +1 Athletics)
Jupiter Rising: Scouts (+1 Physique, +1 Hacking)
I'm thinking that Earth used to be the central planet of this Alliance of Planets (a good name I think), but about thirty years previously it was moved to Jupiter to accomodate gas-giant dwelling aliens more readily. Hence Jupiter Rising.
Again, some basic character categories. This time we'll have:
Soldiers who are good at shooting stuff and so on, and get +1 Phsyique +1 Combat.
Scientists who do experiments, keep the ships ticking over, and all the rest. +1 Acumen, +1 Modding.
Traders are those who travel around getting a good deal and so on. +1 Anima, +1 Deception.
Scoundrels are those who get by on their wits and their sneaky ways. +1 Anima +1 Stealth.
Scouts are those who are good at getting inside places and killing people. +1 Physique, +1 Hacking.
Lovely stuff. I think this is probably another game run by Goodking Entertainment, so we already have details for them.
Our sample character:
Paul Chen (Hacker Extraordinaire)
Acumen 3, Anima 4, Physique 2
Hacking 2, Modding 1, Athletics 1, Charm 1, Deception 1
Spire: Goblin Shaman (+1 Acumen, +1 Modding)
Bright Lives: Jock (+1 Physique, +1 Athletics)
Jupiter Rising: Scouts (+1 Physique, +1 Hacking)
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Nifara - Tamarin
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Fri Mar 12, 2010 3:52 am
- Location: Reading, UK
Re: CPR Late Entry - Physrep
by Nifara » Mon Mar 15, 2010 9:47 am
Next up, Dark Places. I think this will lean towards the Twilight and True Blood franchises more than World of Darkness.
In some ways, this is the easiest of ones to write - the world is just the world, pretty much exactly as it is. The only difference I imagine is a time one - it always seems like night-time, so as not to break the illusion for vampire characters. We're going to stick with pretty standard horror tropes, and go with "trying to hide it from the world", which is always a laugh.
Vampires get +1 Physique and +1 Charm for being such smarmy gits.
Werewolves get +1 Physique and +1 Modding, to represent their shapeshifting.
Mages get +1 Acumen and +1 Hacking for their spells and magical abilities.
Faeries get +1 Anima and +1 Deception for being tricksy buggers.
Ghosts get +1 Anima and +1 Intimidation for being dead and impressive because of it.
Thinking about the corporation has given me some ideas - I like the concept of them having started out as a small little company like Goodking, but having gotten more corporate and money-obsessed as time goes by. As such, I imagine they are a little paranoid, not just about cheats but about people stealing their ideas, modifying the game in anyway without their permission, and so on. I think of all of the corporations they will probably be the most directly profit-obsessed. I'm going to call them Righteous Games.
In some ways, this is the easiest of ones to write - the world is just the world, pretty much exactly as it is. The only difference I imagine is a time one - it always seems like night-time, so as not to break the illusion for vampire characters. We're going to stick with pretty standard horror tropes, and go with "trying to hide it from the world", which is always a laugh.
Vampires get +1 Physique and +1 Charm for being such smarmy gits.
Werewolves get +1 Physique and +1 Modding, to represent their shapeshifting.
Mages get +1 Acumen and +1 Hacking for their spells and magical abilities.
Faeries get +1 Anima and +1 Deception for being tricksy buggers.
Ghosts get +1 Anima and +1 Intimidation for being dead and impressive because of it.
Thinking about the corporation has given me some ideas - I like the concept of them having started out as a small little company like Goodking, but having gotten more corporate and money-obsessed as time goes by. As such, I imagine they are a little paranoid, not just about cheats but about people stealing their ideas, modifying the game in anyway without their permission, and so on. I think of all of the corporations they will probably be the most directly profit-obsessed. I'm going to call them Righteous Games.
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Nifara - Tamarin
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Fri Mar 12, 2010 3:52 am
- Location: Reading, UK
Re: CPR Late Entry - Physrep
by Thought » Thu Apr 01, 2010 11:05 am
Looks really interesting. I particularly like the resource management system, though the rewards are small enough that you might want to classify "adventures" by the number of tokens opposing the player. It seems like it will be really easy for an adventure to inadvertently wear down a player too much. For example, an "easy" adventure might contain a total of 23 tokens per PC of obstacles and foes. A player should be able to cut through it all with a decent number of tokens to spare. A hard adventure, on the other hand, might contain a total of 40 tokens per PC, requiring players to value every last token and even then barely squeaking by.
Since your theme is a game about people in games that aren't really games, taking advantage of how games are created might be something to consider. Could a player hack their own tags, for example, so that they register as an NPC in the game and as such can't take damage (as the game doesn't allow NPCs to get hurt)? Or could they switch their tags so that the game thinks that they are a merchant, giving them access to an infinite supply of healing potions? The old tv show ReBoot and the webcomic "Kid Radd" are both things you might want to check out to see how the assumptions of a game can be used for the benefit of someone outside the conceptions of that game. Indeed, taking on different persona's in different games plays a large role in some of the early episodes of ReBoot.
Just a hopefully helpful,
Thought
Since your theme is a game about people in games that aren't really games, taking advantage of how games are created might be something to consider. Could a player hack their own tags, for example, so that they register as an NPC in the game and as such can't take damage (as the game doesn't allow NPCs to get hurt)? Or could they switch their tags so that the game thinks that they are a merchant, giving them access to an infinite supply of healing potions? The old tv show ReBoot and the webcomic "Kid Radd" are both things you might want to check out to see how the assumptions of a game can be used for the benefit of someone outside the conceptions of that game. Indeed, taking on different persona's in different games plays a large role in some of the early episodes of ReBoot.
Just a hopefully helpful,
Thought
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Thought - Langur
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