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Post by takewithfood on Jan 11, 2010 16:05:15 GMT -5
Hey gang,
So, I've been wanting to share my ideas for a "Drama Stone" system for a while now, but I kept putting it off for some reason. I'd like to try it out in my New Mutants games, so I thought I'd run it by you guys now. Dorkknight23 has a similar system (great minds and TWF think alike) so its encouraging to know that I'm on the right track, at least.
Basically, players get free tokens called Drama Stones that they can spend for a limited number of special uses. They're difficult to come by, so they should be saved for important moments in the game. You can think of them as the currency of heroism, as far as the game mechanics go.
This system is meant to augment and replace the "flashback panel" system that gave you a +2 stone bonus to an Action once per issue. I've always found that +2 stones isn't quite enough of a boost, and frankly it isn't always applicable or useful. What I do love about the flashback panel system is the actual flashbacks - spending a Drama Stone should still involve writing some epic post that explains to readers why this moment is so important that it enables your character to do something truly heroic.
That's what I have so far, anyway. One of the reasons why I've been putting this off is that I'd love to write a good, simple mechanic for "taking the bullet" - you know that thing characters always do where they jump in front of a shotgun blast in order to save the intended victim, usually while shouting "Noooooooooooooo!" in really slow-motion. That. Only the trouble is that players either have to be precognitive themselves to know when they'll need to use it, or retroactive uses will require some serious re-writing on the part of the GM. It's messy, so I don't have anything for it yet. Poo on that.
I'd also like to write something simple that either cuts down or eliminates the amount of time it takes you to wake up from unconsciousness. Sometimes you see characters beaten to a pulp, and the villain thinks they're down and starts to walk away, but then the hero fights his/her way to their feet or something like that, etc. It's not quite the same as "Second Wind" because it relates more to damage rather than energy, and it isn't quite the same as "Shrug It Off" as it relates more to damage that has already been taken rather than a single blow that just happened. (It's also really cheap to be hit for huge damage, decide to take the KO instead of the damage, and then spend a Drama Stone to pop right back up on your feet at full health. I've thought about getting around this by requiring that the hero be unconscious for at least 1 page before waking up, but I'm not sure about it.)
Oh, and I suppose this part is important:
That's mostly it for now. Thoughts?
~TWF
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Post by mcfly on Jan 12, 2010 18:13:36 GMT -5
Noticed no one had commented on this thread.
For what it's worth I can't think of any way to improve it with out testing it first. I think it's a great idea and a good way to reward good roleplay. Not much to add really which is possibly no one else has posted in here?
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Post by takewithfood on Jan 12, 2010 20:39:06 GMT -5
Hmm, could be. I'll have to test it out in New Mutants. ^____^
~TWF
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Post by mcfly on Jan 12, 2010 20:55:28 GMT -5
The only real thing I can for see is fine tuning the cost of certain things like resurection on the other hand death is pretty unlikely in murpg as the player can choose to be knocked out unlike in most other gaming systems
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Post by Goats on Jan 12, 2010 21:21:49 GMT -5
The only real thing I can for see is fine tuning the cost of certain things like resurection on the other hand death is pretty unlikely in murpg as the player can choose to be knocked out unlike in most other gaming systems Except when that 20 gigaton bomb just fell on you, then you cant really say diddly about being knocked out
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Post by takewithfood on Jan 12, 2010 21:49:22 GMT -5
It's hard putting a game mechanic on coming back to life. That sort of thing is typically in the hands of the GM, which really means "whatever is most fun". As an additional note, I mostly wound up writing this stuff while planning a Buffy the Vampire Slayer game. I wanted to have a special power to hand out to the characters who are otherwise totally human and have no real special powers of their own (e.g. Xander Harris, and pre-Wicca Willow). I decided to call it "Heart" after the associated trope. Characters with the Heart modifier gain a Drama Stone automatically at the beginning of every issue, not just the plot-oriented ones, and they can spend Drama Stones on other characters, not just themselves, even if they aren't conscious. I thought that might be fun. ^__^ ~TWF
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Post by takewithfood on Jan 12, 2010 21:49:53 GMT -5
The only real thing I can for see is fine tuning the cost of certain things like resurection on the other hand death is pretty unlikely in murpg as the player can choose to be knocked out unlike in most other gaming systems Except when that 20 gigaton bomb just fell on you, then you cant really say diddly about being knocked out Yeah, there's always that. The "chunky salsa" rule. ^__^ ~TWF
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Post by Goats on Jan 12, 2010 21:52:34 GMT -5
Except when that 20 gigaton bomb just fell on you, then you cant really say diddly about being knocked out Yeah, there's always that. The "chunky salsa" rule. ^__^ ~TWF You're telling me you can become chunky salsa? I can see Alex now BEWARE ME AND MY CON QUESO FLAVORS!
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Post by mcfly on Jan 12, 2010 21:58:32 GMT -5
Aha I laughed so hard ^^
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Post by takewithfood on Jan 12, 2010 22:26:31 GMT -5
"And that was just Medium! Don't make me go Piquante on your ass!" ~TWF P.S. Chunky Salsa Rule
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Post by Goats on Jan 12, 2010 22:30:12 GMT -5
LMFAO
Earth 75754092-0502582025502852028: The New Mutants are all condiments due to the machinations of this earths Andrea
make it cannon, make it cannon dammit!
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Post by Roc on Jan 15, 2010 1:10:36 GMT -5
Hmmm... what I find sad is that with a few spices and other ingredients, Sveta could easily become a walking, talking salad dressing in our current game Back to Drama Stones, though: I've always been a fan of the Flashback panel, and oddly enough I've been considering something similar to drama stones for my tribute to BtVS game. Since I've been referencing Mutants & Masterminds for help in creating my game, I've found that they use 'Hero Points." Basically, they are earned by suffering from failures and setbacks, dealing with CAD challenges, and performing heroic deeds. They can be spent: - To improve an action (Push the Limits), - One-time use of an unpurchased option (read something similar in a 2.0 magic discussion), - Dodge (Shrug it Off), - Counter (only works with contrasting powers like light/dark or water/fire), - Restore energy (Second Wind), - Recover from unconsciousness (like TWF mentioned), - Escape death (Resurrection), - Or gain inspiration in the form of a GM hint or clue (like limited Prescience or Spark of Intuition). According to the book, they are an incentive for players to follow the GM's planned plot in the beginning of the session by ensuring a spectacular finish. Instead of chasing after and capturing the fleeing villain with everything you have in the prologue (making the GM whip out the deus ex macarenas to allow his escape), the players accept the small defeat and earn a few hero points. Later, when they discover the evil plan and track down the Big Bad, everyone can use their points to be that much more showstopping with their finish. Almost like LOEs, but given out during play, the Drama stones would be an awesome addition, IMO. Likewise, the 'Heart' modifier is interesting, almost like Leadership backwards. I'm willing to work these things out and try them in NM:LC, but only if I get to play as jello Sveta in Earth 75754092-0502582025502852028!
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Post by Revan on Jan 15, 2010 1:59:18 GMT -5
I was actually thinking about the whole KO'ed vs taking damage. I was actually thinking of two variations. The first thing I was thinking about is making durability a usable ability in the sense that if you choose to get KO'ed, subtract your durability from the amount of panels you were originally supposed to be out for. Most people that are tanks would rarely be knocked out for long periods of time versus the smaller more fragile people. I would also put in this stipulation, you can not choose to be knocked out if the amount of red stones that gets through defense is less than or equal to your durability unless you have 1 health remaining.
Ex. Bob agent of Hydra has a Dur 2.... 6 stones get through his defenses. He chooses to be knocked out. He's out for 4 panels instead of the full 6.
The other thing I was thinking, and this was more in terms of the tanks aka Ben Grim, Instead of being KO'ed or taking damage, they can take the hit to their energy reserves, ie. they got the wind knocked out of them. This would normally be the time where the hero is down and Mr.Villain starts his monologue.
The last thing I was thinking about was to come up with an injury scale. This idea I just came up with as I'm sitting here typing right now. Come up with an injury scale. Now that we don't have the death spiral in 2.0, you can issue out sit-mods based on the extent of the injury.
1-3 stones damage = 1 injury point (sprain, non-lethal stab wound) 4-6 stones damage = 2 injury points (dislocation, non-lethal gunshot wound, bone fracture) 6-9 stones damage = 3 injury points (broken bone, serious hemorrhaging, lethal wound) And so on. Each injury point would result in a negative sit-mod to all relevant actions. You got a sprained ankle, u suffer a -1 sit-mod to all movement actions. You got a dislocated shoulder, u suffer a -2 sit-mod to all combats and u lose the ability of a weapon mod if wielding a 2-handed weapon.
These sit-mods however will carry over for a while. The damage points heal in the same amount of time it takes to heal a white stone of health and will be affected by healing factors in the same way. If a player decides to become injured instead of losing health, he/she should take note and keep track of the injury and physical damage points.
In all honesty, I'm pretty sure most players won't want to injure their characters and suffer from the negative sit-mods, but I think it gives the game a new dynamic and a bit more realistic feel.
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Post by takewithfood on Jan 15, 2010 2:01:30 GMT -5
Jell-O Sveta would be terrifying. I can see her swallowing up enemies and trapping them like little marshmallows or bits of fruit.
The "Heart" Modifier was really only meant for my Buffy game, to give the completely vanilla (read: "normal") characters something to do instead of having their own super powers. Not everybody can be the Slayer (one girl in all the world, and all; okay, sometimes two girls.. or dozens..). My original idea for the lineup would be one watcher, one slayer, and two vanilla friends who would start out with Heart, but have the option of trading it for actual powers in future. But Heart itself is pretty powerful: if you squeeze in some really awesome roleplaying moments, you could horde some Drama Stones, then toss them to the Slayer during the final show-down with the big bad and turn her into a walking death machine. That's typically how the show goes, after all.
Anyway, what sort of mechanic were you thinking of for the counter and the recovery from unconsciousness, Roc?
I like the idea of one-time use of an unpurchased option. That should really go on my list, too. Why didn't I think of incorporating that already?
EDIT: Revan ninja'd my post, so I'll have to reply like so to avoid a double post.
You're right that it's a little silly that someone like the Hulk would be KO'ed for the same amount of time as my grandmother from the same attack. I'll have to think about this rule in my head a little (I really do most of my game rule contemplation in my sleep, to be honest).
The injury scale is similar to what I do, but I hesitate to put it down as a solid rule. It's a good optional rule for GMs who want to get into the nitty-gritty, but I prefer to be more flexible and only hand out weird injuries and penalties when the mood strikes or when a particular description demands.
But yeah, if a character loses 3 white stones from a single attack, even if they have enough juice left in them to stay standing, I might consider giving them an additional impairment such as a broken bone or a blood leaking into their eyes or whatever. Not only does it make things interesting and makes a fight more memorable/significant, but it gives characters extra cool points when they manage to overcome especially brutal circumstances, and also gives characters with certain weird immunities to this type of thing (adamantium skeleton, for example) a rare chance to shine.
~TWF
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Post by Roc on Jan 16, 2010 18:17:21 GMT -5
I figure I'll go more in-depth about the extra options I mentioned, hopefully it will make some sense!
-- One-time use of an unpurchased option:
In time of great need, a player could utilize a previously untapped feature of one's powers. This may be fluke or it could eventually lead to the acquisition of that option through LOE. Ex:
A Fire Mastery character could gain a momentary Immunity to Fire Option when he tries to protect the civilians from an explosion. Or a Telepath suddenly takes down a mugger with Mental Bolts out of the blue.
-- Counter/Reaction (I've expanded this after considering it):
Normally, players chose actions and allocate defense stones. Because of the nature of PbP, allowing things like prescience and reactionary decisions can break the game. Sadly, this means that a heroic 'taking of the bullet' is tough, as well as other protective feats.
Counter would allow players to spend a Drama stone to 'be prepared' for a few panels or page. By granting a third Counter action, it shifts that particular action's Initiative order. The player must describe the situation they are prepared for and if it comes to pass, their Counter action is resolved immediately after the situation occurs. This may sound confusing, so Ex:
Sveta, with a Mastery of Liquid Water, and her New Mutant teammates are up against Pyro and the BoEM. They are currently at a stand-off, trying to talk down the villains from destroying The Grind Stone. Since she doesn't want to escalate things, her first action is to use her Social Skills to defuse the situation, and her second is CC shifted to defense.
Unfortunately, she knows that Pyro is itching to hurl a fireball at her team and she might not get her chance to speak. So, she spends a Drama stone for a Counter action, and states that 'If Pyro attacks the team with a fire blast, she counters with a water barrier.'
If Pyro does decide to break from the plan and blast away, Sveta is ready and blocks his attack, her Counter action's Initiative overriding all others, saving the team from a barbeque, but her other 2 actions are void. If he doesn't attack, Juggy attacks instead, the BoEM run away, whatever happens that isn't Pyro blasting causes the regular actions to resolve as normal (the Counter action can stand for another panel or two, or can be canceled; either way, the Drama stone is spent). Any unresolved actions don't spend stones.
It is much less a counter as in Fire/Water or Magic/Magic (like I originally envisioned) and more of the 'Taking the Bullet' workaround.
- Recover from unconsciousness:
When a player is knocked out, they can choose to spend a Drama stone to regain consciousness early at the expense of all their energy. Additionally, they are limited to one action per panel until their energy is fully restored, or 2/3 panels pass (needs tweaking, of course.) Health is reset at 1 white and is recovered normally (again, tweaking.) Ex:
Red Skull has beaten a captive Capt. America to unconsciousness, or so he thinks! As the Nazi bastard begins to gloat, Capt. spends a Drama stone or two to regain consciousness. Unfortunately, he can't do much at first except lie there, but he slowly reaches for his shield. With Red's back turned, Capt. uses the second panel to rise to his feat, recovering 4 energy.
In the third round, the super soldier recovers 4 more stones for a total of 8. Red Skull turns to face his enemy, only to find a 13 stone shield embedded in his toothy maw. Cap's 4 round allows him 2 actions/panel again, so he flings a 1 stone SS comment to the now-concussed foe and launches into a 4 stone Acrobatic escape.
- Spark of Insight:
By spending a Drama Stone, a player can receive a vague hint or clue as to future of the game. Spending more allows a more detailed view of upcoming events. This, of course, is greatly dependent upon the GM. Ex:
Test and the New Mutants team are in the Grind Stone situation above. Unsure of what to do, he spends a Drama stone for a Spark of Insight from the GM. The GM pm's Test a cryptic "Get out of the kitchen." While vague, since they're on the patio, the message is interpreted to mean the BoEM placed a bomb of some sort in the Grind's kitchen. He decides to spend his panel's actions by evacuating the patrons of the coffee shop.Fortunately, the lack of patrons was a good call as casualties are never good, but the cafe had no bomb. Another Drama stone spent would have added to the message, "If you can't stand Pyro's heat, get out of the kitchen," implying that the fire-controlling mutant was the one to watch out for that next panel. (Fortunately, Sveta was ready with her counter, lol!)
Additionally, a modifier could be made to simulate a character that should have regular access to advance notice, like Spiderman or Venom, granting them one or two Drama stones per issue dedicated solely to Spark of Insight, with a possible option to prevent surprise attacks. This could explain why Spidey doesn't dodge every attack thrown at him.
It is similar to prescience in a sense, but provided the GM does his part (as he should anyway), it could provide a great way to 'add some drama.'
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That's all folks! Naturally, these are just rough ideas that need criticism, both constructive and deconstructive. Hopefully, it helps someone else take 2.0 just that much farther.
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