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On Game Design
Nov. 21st, 2008 11:56 pmSo, since my last post, "Once More into the Breach", I've done a lot of skull work on my RPG, but haven't put pen to paper, or electron to iron oxide, as the case may be. Part of the reason is that I'm doing away with "experience points" or "skill points", basically any kind of points you accumulate and then between games, "level up" your character in one or more areas.
I'd rather the players have the option to "level up" a skill or stat during the game, instead of between games and make it an in game event. I'm going to do this through the use of story points. Story points will make it easier for your character to do something, from a bonus to a drop in the number of dice you roll, to reducing damage, adding player created elements to the storyline, and, increasing skills or stats permanently. I may toss in the buying off of a "vexation" or buying a "virtue", my names for disadvantages and advantages.
Every player would start out with 3 story points, and a pool of story points, say 2 or 3 per player, would be available to draw more story points from, and spent story points would go into this pool. So for 4 players, there would be between 8 and 12 story points in the pool.
Now, I emphasized Player for a reason, these are story points, so the player gets to use them, not the character. When a story point is used, the player must describe how the point is used. Say the player's character is seriously wounded from a gunshot, the player tosses in a story point and says "Luckily for Lord Haversham, his silver plated whiskey flask slows the bullet down enough that, though he is still wounded, he is not down for the count..."
So how much should I charge for using story points for the different features?
Well first, I need to nail down how you earn more story points. Originally, I envisioned that players would earn a story point if they have a character involved in the current "act" or "scene". I may still keep that idea. Additionally, if you amaze, boggle, or otherwise impress the GM, you get a story point. If you place your character into conflict, you earn one. If you place the character into danger, you earn 2. I may include the other players agreeing to give you another story point from the pool for whatever reason.
The other question is "do you get to keep them between sessions/games?" The answer is no. Any unspent story points go away at the end of the session and you get 3 at the start of the next session, though I may have a hideously expensive virtue that allows you to hold on to one or two points between sessions... maybe.
The final piece is how often will the players spend their story points during a game. Will they only spend them during combat? Or will they spend them like pennies in a candy store?
That will take some playtesting to determine. Is 3 starting story points enough? I'll have to find out.
More later, it's late, I'm tired, but I had to get this out of my system or I'd never get a lick of sleep tonight.
I'd rather the players have the option to "level up" a skill or stat during the game, instead of between games and make it an in game event. I'm going to do this through the use of story points. Story points will make it easier for your character to do something, from a bonus to a drop in the number of dice you roll, to reducing damage, adding player created elements to the storyline, and, increasing skills or stats permanently. I may toss in the buying off of a "vexation" or buying a "virtue", my names for disadvantages and advantages.
Every player would start out with 3 story points, and a pool of story points, say 2 or 3 per player, would be available to draw more story points from, and spent story points would go into this pool. So for 4 players, there would be between 8 and 12 story points in the pool.
Now, I emphasized Player for a reason, these are story points, so the player gets to use them, not the character. When a story point is used, the player must describe how the point is used. Say the player's character is seriously wounded from a gunshot, the player tosses in a story point and says "Luckily for Lord Haversham, his silver plated whiskey flask slows the bullet down enough that, though he is still wounded, he is not down for the count..."
So how much should I charge for using story points for the different features?
Well first, I need to nail down how you earn more story points. Originally, I envisioned that players would earn a story point if they have a character involved in the current "act" or "scene". I may still keep that idea. Additionally, if you amaze, boggle, or otherwise impress the GM, you get a story point. If you place your character into conflict, you earn one. If you place the character into danger, you earn 2. I may include the other players agreeing to give you another story point from the pool for whatever reason.
The other question is "do you get to keep them between sessions/games?" The answer is no. Any unspent story points go away at the end of the session and you get 3 at the start of the next session, though I may have a hideously expensive virtue that allows you to hold on to one or two points between sessions... maybe.
The final piece is how often will the players spend their story points during a game. Will they only spend them during combat? Or will they spend them like pennies in a candy store?
That will take some playtesting to determine. Is 3 starting story points enough? I'll have to find out.
More later, it's late, I'm tired, but I had to get this out of my system or I'd never get a lick of sleep tonight.
