R0ME, a CPR entry

[tadk]

I am a massive fan of Roman History as well as all things Alternate History relating to Rome.

I want you to win sight unseen just because I think it is this cool.

[WittyDroog]

Firstly, rumors of my death have been greatly exagerated.

Secondly, I've been thinking a lot about this game, and honestly I think this can be a massive springboard for something completely different to RPGs and Cyberpunk in general. Tell me your thoughts on the following.

Instead of the typical, in that you're a bunch of dudes in a group shooting your guns and hacking computers taking down the man, you are the seeds of corruption in an otherwise machine dominated world. The game would focus more on social elements, who you know, who's back do you scratch, who do you have dirt on, etc. Players represent members who participate in the votes cast by the elite citizens, and all the "rage against the machine" goes on behind the curtain of the senate.

Or to explain it another way, characters use their abilities to gather information and begin their subterfuge (perhaps pay for hired mercenaries to take out a Patron), then at the tail end of the encounter the real fun begins, the vote. In a new style of gameplay (I'm taking inspiration from the Court Trial mechanics in Aces & Eights), an actually session of the SeNET will be played out complete with motions, arguements, and the final vote. This is where all the player's preparations beforehand make a world of difference, swaying the opinions of the members, or perhaps they're simple missing from the voting session entirely. There will of course be final play mechanics, and characters who focus on controlling the session by buying into strong oratory and argumentive abilities can sway the opinions and thus the votes of everyone involved.


Essentially the game revolves around the technicality that NERO gave the human elite the right to vote, which could prove to be a VERY poor judgement call when the saftey of his position is in mind.

[WittyDroog]

Any thoughts on this? I've been asking my gamers and they all have a "Sure why not" attitude which isn't very helpful.

[tzirtzi]

Sounds like a very cool idea indeed - very original, could be very interesting, and forces players to focus on the social element which is always a plus I think (it's very enjoyable if done well, but in many games it's so much easier to play some form of kick-the-door-down that groups often end up with that style simply as the path of least resistance).

However the idea of actually playing out the SeNET session sounds to me like it could be an issue: formal oratory of the sort that happens in real parliaments is... well... formal oratory. It's long-winded, very formal, pre-prepared and complex. If that's the sort of thing you had in mind, then I think that could be very challenging for players to actually achieve - and might well put some off. Just a thought!

[WittyDroog]

That's a good concern there, and I definitely feel it would be an issue to players who don't have that sort of vernacular (God knows my players don't). I think what I might do to circumvent that problem is something akin to the Duel of Wits system in The Burning Wheel. It uses "attacks" much like any other combat system but instead of "lunge" or "block" the moves are "Counterpoint" or "Dismissal" and other such tools of debate. Roleplay-wise Burning Wheel has you deliver a simple sentence or two illustrating the point of your attack, thematically structured based on what kind of move you're doing.

This might be a good way to keep the element of the debate alive, while keeping the spirit of a mental combat in mind using more traditional RPG elements.

My question now would be how I would structure the actual session itself. It's not like the party is fighting a large monster, or are they? Are the enemies they're up against strong citizens who are against their points? Is the main obstacle the SeNET itself? What rewards should be given if the party succeeds in swaying a vote their way?

Right now I'm focusing on the backstory but these are good points brought up. I'm willing to hear any more criticisms, concerns, and ideas you'd like to see incorporated.

[misterecho]

FATE has a similar sytem, look over at this thread. it's called social combat.

http://www.ukroleplayers.com/forum/view ... =25&t=7309

[WittyDroog]

I gotta be fully honest fellas. I think I bit off more than I could chew with this.

It was the fact of straying away from traditional RPG grounds to favor the setting I wished to create. I've just come to realise that it's really hard to make an RPG fun if it DOESN'T have combat. I've tried sculpting "shadow war" mechanics where you more manage a force itself to pull assassination attempts on SeNET members, but that's really it. Beyond that the feedback I've gotten is "I dunno man, politics sounds boring" and I think they're right.

It's a nice setting, and I think I'll use it in the future for something (even injecting it into a game of Dark Heresy, some weird Feudal World). But in light of other project I, quite frankly, have a lot more fun designing, I'm going to shelf this...

Thanks for your feedback before, maybe some day I'll ask for it again regarding this game.

[SheikhJahbooty]

I feel you man.

The only time I ever tried to do a Roman game that involved a lot of politics, I used the Dogs in the Vineyard rules. Politics is fine, but if there's no chance for it to degenerate into violence, then there isn't enough tension. You want the debate to get so heated that the senators break the furniture just so they have chair legs to beat each other with. (Really happened in ancient Rome a couple times.)

Dogs in the Vineyard isn't technically free, but Vince is a really cool guy. I'm pretty sure you could get permission to use it if you asked. Or you could come up with something similar.

In case you couldn't tell, I'm encouraging you to stay in the contest without putting any pressure on you to do so.

[maledictus]

Indeed, i don't think it's necessary to leave the competition. Maybe just look things from a different angle, there is still enough time to come up with something interesting and fun.

[WittyDroog]

Worst comes to worse, I can slap together another cyberpunk game.

"MSPAINTPUNK"