I'm well into the development of a futuristic rpg called No Quarter that's slightly crunchy and very combat-heavy. The basic rules are complete (after several incarnations) and much of the background fluff is in place.
At the moment, I've been playtesting and discovered that there is a bit of mental acrobatics required to resolve Target Numbers during the skill checks, etc. Perhaps it's just me (never having paid attention in school), or perhaps the mechanic is just a bit too complicated for it's own good.
In short, the dice rolls are done on a d20 and the player needs to roll equal to or less than the Target Number.
The default Target Number for any action is 10.
Every 3 points that the attacker score is higher than the defender score gives a +1 bonus to the Target Number, making a Success easier.
Every 3 points that the attacker score is lower than the defender score gives a -1 penalty to the Target Number, making the Success harder.
For example, an attacker with 25 trying to hit a defender with 17 would need to roll 12 or less for a Success.
Is this too complicated? Too counter-intuitive?
(the Target Number increments used to be for every 2 points, but I found that the Target Numbers kept maximising or minimising when the player scores were disparate).
Any comments? Suggestions? Commiserations?
Depends what you're going for.
Submitted by Matt on Fri, 30/03/2007 - 10:44.
You're aiming mainly for a high crunch tactical game, right? How often in an encounter does this type of handling time problem come up? It seems involved, yes, but that isn't a bad thing if that involvement has meaningful impact on what the game is about.
My initial gut reaction is to wonder how the initial scores are calculated. Can the calculation be pre-done somehow. Could you tweak your character building, so that the calculation is done once then, rather than repeatedly in play.
For example, since the values are always divided by three, could make initial scores lower and get rid of that repeated division handling.
-Matt
Realms Publishing
Lawks a lordy
Submitted by bad_badger on Fri, 30/03/2007 - 12:24.
Reducing the scores would probably work, but its a terrifying prospect.
Scores are generated from an attribute+skill+modifer sum from the player, and either the same sum from an opponent or an assigned difficulty number from the GM.
Dealing with numbers in single digits and low teens would make the mental arithmetic quicker and pick up the process certainty - I'm just not keen on going through the whole document and changing everything.
It'd all have to be scaled down; the attributes and skill costs, all the modifiers and bonuses. Probably the only thing that wouldn't need changing would be the damage.
I'm pretty much in agreement
Submitted by Malcolm Craig on Fri, 30/03/2007 - 12:34.
I'm pretty much in agreement with Matt here. reducing the initial values to a third of their current levels and then just allowing a one for one step up in the task number would make in-game handling that bit easier.
Have you carried out any playtesting with groups outside of your normal gaming friends to see how it works in play?
Cheers
Malcolm
Contested Ground Studios
Document Size?
Submitted by Matt on Fri, 30/03/2007 - 12:58.
I'm just not keen on going through the whole document and changing everything.
How big is the whole document? Changes are likely to come thick and fast in playtest, so it needs to be manageable.
For a playtest doc I'd really recommend getting your core mechanics on a couple of pages, then modifications like this aren't so arduous to make. Better for your sanity and your playtest groups'.
-Matt
Realms Publishing
Yep: underway
Submitted by bad_badger on Fri, 30/03/2007 - 13:37.
After some nail chewing and pondering, I concur. Things would be more straightforward with a 1-to-1 ratio affecting the Target Number.
I've started making the modifications, monkeying around a little with the definition and role of Skills while I'm at it.
As far as the document size, it's probably about 100 pages all in at the moment. Much of the fluff and game content is in place, then I keep having another idea and changing things around.
I've always worked in this rather cock-eyed manner. It'll all get done, it just means that I have to scurry from one chapter to the next, footering with numbers are replacing bits and pieces.
100 pages
Submitted by Matt on Fri, 30/03/2007 - 14:43.
As far as the document size, it's probably about 100 pages all in at the moment.
Not too bad then. If it's merged in with setting colour, you could maybe separate it out until you're done tweaking.
It sounds like a game with lots of dependent variables, so it'll be easier to keep track of those if things are all in one place.
-Matt
Realms Publishing
Highlighting?
Submitted by bad_badger on Fri, 30/03/2007 - 20:27.
You mean highlight the relevant text? That's a good idea.
Okay - things are potentially a bit more stable now. The Attributes are restricted to 1-10, with Joe Schmoe weighing in at around 5.
Skill bonuses are limited between +1 and +5, making the potential human maximum score 15. They also give access to dice benefits like criticals and clipping.
Opposed scores are now a direct 1-to-1 translation - attacker 9 against defender 6 means a success when rolling 13 or less. Easier to work out, and certainly less intimidating for new players.
The only thing that's been reduced is the development capacity and pacing for characters, but I suppose a bit of experience point tweaking will take care of that.
I'll knock this around over the weekend and see how it plays out.
I mean't splitting off
Submitted by Matt on Fri, 30/03/2007 - 21:14.
I mean't splitting off rules from colour/setting/fluff text until you're done tweaking rules. Keep it in a separate document, so changes don't involve a big search and replace escapade.
-Matt
Realms Publishing
Ah
Submitted by bad_badger on Fri, 30/03/2007 - 23:17.
With you now. Another good idea.
Well, nearly finished the conversion for the combat engine - just have the vehicle rules to address now.
I must say, I'm feeling a lot more confident with this new mechanic than the previous incarnations - they were all just so complicated.
Thanks for the advice and guidance. I'll keep you posted on how No Quarter is coming along.
Graeme.
Just thought I'd pitch in
Submitted by Malcolm Craig on Sat, 07/04/2007 - 10:23.
Just thought I'd pitch in for a moment again regarding something from your last post.
Would you like to start a thread about vehicle combat rules in No Quarter: how they differ from the core mechanics, what they seek to achieve and why they are there. This isn't some kind of trick question, by the way, I'm genuinely interested.
It'll be good to hear your point of view on how such mechanics work, the necessity for them and what, if any, problems you encounter. This also applies in general to specific mechanics within the game.
Cheers
Malcolm
Contested Ground Studios
Okay
Submitted by bad_badger on Sat, 07/04/2007 - 14:13.
Erm...sure. If you're interested.
A fresh pair of eyes on this would certainly be very welcome.