Like any other gamer who foolishly thinks he's far smarter than he really is, I've talked about designing and producing my own role-playing game system since I've been GMing (almost 25 years). And, like most of the things I talk about, I've never done any work toward it. I'm getting that old familiar itch again, and it's worse than ever before.
I blame the the work I've been doing on the Ultima VI campaign. Make no mistake: I've enjoyed preparing that campaign. But I'm constantly saying things like, "if only the system worked that way," or, "it would be so much better if this was the case." I've spent more time working on house rules than on the campaign sandbox itself.
The problem is, in many cases, these house rules are beyond the scope of normal house rules; they're core system changes (for instance, using dice pools instead of single-die tests). Since I've decided to run a "by-the-book" OD&D campaign at work before starting the Ultima VI campaign, I have the time to shift focus and actually work on designing my own RPG system. (Oh, and by design, I mean steal bits and pieces from lots of different places and fashion them into a whole that appeals to me.)
The Guiding Principle
I'll start with a guiding principle:
YARPS will be the system I've always wanted to play; it should make me happy, even if it makes no one else happy.
Yes, it will be named YARPS. And yes, I know my guiding principle is the very definition of a vanity project.
The guiding principle doesn't actually say much about the system. So here are a handful of goals and intentions that represent my current thinking (with an emphasis on current, as much of this might change).
YARPS must be simple
I think that most RPG designers start with this goal, and yet there are only a few contemporary RPGs that I'd call simple.
Simplicity is not important in and of itself; the important thing is why it must be simple. Keeping the system simple makes it easier for the GM to add to (and subtract from) the system with minimal adverse effects and player contention. It also intentionally leaves a great deal to the imagination and ingenuity of the GM (and, perhaps more importantly, the players).
YARPS will be designed for sword-and-sorcery campaigns
I intend to use YARPS to run my style of sword-and-sorcery campaign. I'm not planning to make it either flexible (that is, is easily adapted to other styles of sword-and-sorcery campaigns) or generic (that is, usable for other genres). I do hope it's useful for other folks, but it's most important that it's useful for me.
YARPS will use dice pools
I'm an unabashed fan of dice pools. I would need far too much space and time to explain why here; I'll leave that explanation (and the accompanying math) for a later 'blog post.
There are generally two ways to use dice pools: roll for a number of successes against a per-die difficulty number, or sum the die rolls to exceed a total difficulty number. I prefer the latter.
But, as much as I love dice pools, I'm also a dice geek. So I'll find reasons to employ all of the usual polyhedra (such as for effect rolls after a successful ability test).
YARPS characters will be composed of traits and abilities
Traits describe the character. Abilities determine what the character can do.
Traits won't have a numeric score, and will never be tested directly; a character will either have a given trait or he won't. There will be both positive (e.g., strong) and negative (e.g., weak) traits. They will not generally change after a character is generated (although there will be exceptions, such as a girdle relic making a character exceptionally strong).
Most traits will affect an ability test or an effect roll. For instance, dexterous characters might get +1D to archery ability tests, and strong characters might get +1 to melee damage rolls.
Other traits will provide more ambiguous effects. For instance, perceptive characters will notice things that other characters do not. Most often, the effect won't require a dice roll (e.g., the GM decides that perceptive characters notice the portrait's eyes following the characters), but some times these traits will only allow the chance for an effect (e.g., the GM decides that alert characters have a 50% chance of not being surprised by the goblin ambush).
Abilities will have a score (such as 2D or 4D+2) and will be tested against a difficulty number when a character attempts to do something. Any ability can be used without training, with a default score of 1D. The difficulty (and consequence of failure) when using an untrained ability will vary according to the ability (and the GM's discretion). Picking a simple lock without any ability will have a reasonable chance of success, and might only result in damaged tools or a damaged lock if the test fails. Casting even a simple spell without ability will almost certainly fail, and the consequence of failure will be severe, if not grave.
Abilities will increase over time as the character advances.
YARPS characters will be randomly generated
Players will choose very little about their YARPS characters: only name, sex, and experience path (from choices like student, soldier, tradesman, adventurer, apprentice, and religious initiate). The character's traits and abilities will all be assigned by the results of dice rolls.
After the core generation rolls, players may choose to gamble by making additional experience rolls, with the possibility of some seriously (and severely) negative results. The more additional rolls the player chooses to make, the higher the chance for negative results.
Random character generation isn't used much anymore, and I have a feeling this won't be a popular aspect of YARPS. But some of my fondest role-playing memories include the lemons that Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Stormbringer, and Traveller gave me. I find great satisfaction in playing a role I didn't choose, and playing it well. (I think there is a connection here to my preference for sandbox-style campaigns, but I can't quite articulate it.)
For example, a player starts with a name, Rewdan, and a sex, male. The player decides to use the apprentice experience path. After several random rolls, Rewdan ends up looking like this:
Apprentice RewdanTraits: fast, literate, noble, perceptiveAbilities: animal-training 2D, counter-spelling 2D, inscription 2D, spell-casting 3D, staff-fighting 2D
Rewdan's player then decides to gamble by making an additional roll on the experiences table. A good roll gets Rewdan the pick-pocket ability at 2D. Happy with this result, and feeling lucky, the player chooses to make a second roll. The second roll is not so good, and Rewdan is stuck with the crippled trait (meaning Rewdan can't walk at normal speed without an aid, and can never run). Rewdan's player decides to accept Rewdan without any more additional experiences.
In YARPS, character ability will never replace player skill
YARPS will have perceptive characters, but not perception tests. Players will search for traps by directing their characters, not by rolling dice. There will never be any sort of find, search, spot, or perception test. A character trait might provide additional information or clues to a player, but it will always be the player's responsibility to put the information to good use while exploring methodically, asking the right questions, thinking through a scenario, and describing precisely what his character is doing.
For example, Apprentice Rewdan is exploring a tomb said to belong to a long-dead Archmage. He has already found and bypassed two simple traps: a door-triggered pitfall and a poisoned door handle. Because Rewdan is perceptive, the GM tells the player that the door before him is grimy and discolored like all of the previous doors, but that it is also scorched at its edges. Rewdan suspects that this Archmage had a penchant for door traps, and assumes that this door is also trapped. He looks for a mechanism at the door's edges and in its hinges, and finds none, so he suspects either a mechanical trigger on the other side or a magic trigger. Rewdan uses a telekinesis spell to push the door open after moving far away and out of the door's direct path. As the door opens, the doorway is filled with magical fire, but Rewdan is safely out of range. He can now proceed into the next room where the tomb's chief treasure, a lost and highly-valued magic book, awaits.
YARPS character advancement will be between in-character play sessions
Players will earn advances according to how well they play their characters and what they accomplish during the in-character play session. These advances will be used in a distinct round of play that happens between in-character play sessions.
When an in-character play session is finished, the party will decide how much downtime they want to spend to increase their characters' abilities. The amount of time required for advancement will increase as the ability score increases (that is, it takes longer to make an ability 5D than 2D).
Increasing an ability will require a test (a roll of the dice). If the character spends the proper amount of time (and the circumstances are right), the test is very likely to succeed. The further from the ideal time expenditure and circumstances, the less likely the test is to succeed. After a certain number of failed tests, the character is considered to have peaked for that ability, and can no longer test for an increase.
The challenge will be to keep this simple. It already sounds too fiddly. But I've never liked systems that allow you to increase ability without an accompanying expenditure of time and circumstance. And I think it could be fun to make a sort of mini-game out of character advancement.
For instance, the Apprentice Rewdan has just finished exploring the tomb of the long-dead Archmage and has returned with the lost Tome of Timeless Cantrips. Rewdan earned three advances: one for the play session, one for by-passing the fiery door trap, and one returning with the book. Rewdan and his party decide to spend some time in a small town near the tomb.
Rewdan's player tells the GM that he wants to advance Rewdan's spellcasting ability from 3D+2 to 4D. The ideal time to spend on this advance is six months, and the circumstances require a capable teacher and a unique gift. The GM rolls and determines that the town has a capable teacher. Rewdan asks his party if they will spend six months in this town, but his fellows remind him that they are due to appear before Lady Riddere in three months at the Feast of the Nightless Day. Rewdan's player decides to give the tome to the teacher and attempt the advance with half the ideal time. The advance test is not likely to succeed.
One advantage of building the passage of time into the system is that it helps the GM manage the character's wealth. When the players decide on the length of downtime, the GM will determine the cost, according to their standard of living and activities. Not spending enough means a lower standard of living (and the chance for problems such as disease or abuse); a high standard of living might have it's own problems (such as taxes or theft).
YARPS will separate character advancement from character stature
As you've likely deduced, YARPS won't have defined classes (rather, a character will simply be a unique collection of traits and abilities) and won't have defined levels (rather, players will advance their characters ability by ability). I like this; it's what I want. But I also want in-character levels that are a recognition of the character's stature.
Character stature will increase by doing two things: increasing one or more abilities to a specific rank, and accomplishing one or more in-character feats.
When a character achieves a new stature, he receives an in-character title (e.g., Knight or Wizard) and some benefits (e.g., a Squire or Apprentice).
For instance, Apprentice Rewdan is tired of being an Apprentice; he wants to be a Wizard. To do this, Rewdan must advance his spell-casting ability to 5D, build a small tower (costing at least 10,000 gold), and must defeat a Villain (yes, the bad guys have stature, too). Rewdan commissions the construction of a tower in his home city and sets off to investigate rumors that the crazed and diabolical Wizard Thanojan has returned from exile and is loosing long-bound devils.
YARPS combat will be abstract, fast, and deadly
I don't like to use tactical maps or visual aids when role-playing, for a number of reasons (best left to a separate 'blog post). So YARPS combat will be abstract and easily narrated. That's not to say you couldn't use a map and minis, but YARPS must play well without these.
A single combat should not take very long. My goal is that a combat involving six characters of experienced players facing twelve opponents without oddities or complications take 15-20 minutes. My recent experiences with 3.5e and 4e take triple that time, if not even more.
Combat should be deadly and a risk for characters. If an unarmored character takes a mighty blow from a deadly weapon, they will be incapacitated and dying without intervention. Even an advanced character should never be more than one mighty blow away from death without some mitigating factor (like armor, a spell, or some other supernatural effect).
YARPS' design is still very murky
There are still a number of things for which I need to settle on a design:
- how much damage a character can take, how that damage is measured and recorded, and how it changes as the character advances
- how armor affects an ability attack test (this is, if my character attacks with sword-fighting, how does the opponent's armor influence the ultimate outcome of whether my character hits, and for how much damage)
- how spells are learned and how often they may be cast
- loads of other stuff that hasn't even crossed my mind yet
Designing YARPS is going to be loads of fun, albeit a lot of work.
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