Hey everyone!
I figured I would make this topic as I didn’t realize there wasn’t one already. Basically, this is where you’re going to go to post your RPG ideas, get others opinions on them, and flesh out the games into something truly awesome!
Treat this as you would any other mentoring topic. There are plenty of people who browse this site both actively and casually who are veterans of RPG Creation and playing - lean on them my friends.
~Hawkeye
Ok, So do I post the signup here?
No, sign ups are their own topic. Unless that’s changed, and it doesn’t seem like it has.
ok, thanks! I might not do it… I started one on Mocpages and I am joining one here.
Well I am making a WW3 rp. I think I have enough players for now, but more can join.
nice a place other then discord servers that I can use to throw my random google docs of ideas
This is more of a general thing, though I feel it may still belong here: how do other people feel about in-character sign-up sheets? By this I mean sign-up sheets that exist within the universe the RP is set in, and present themselves consistently with that in mind. Two examples would be my own RPs: first Something Spooky (Something Spooky RP (Sign-Up and Discussion)), and more recently Trial. Site: Alpha (Trial. Site: Alpha (sign-ups and discussion)).
As you might already be able to guess, it’s something that I love doing. It’s a fun challenge to craft something that meets these criteria while still being an effective sign-up sheet, and it seems like it would add an extra level of immersion to the experience. So I’m curious: do people agree with me, or am I just shooting myself in the foot when I try to do that?
In my experience any profile that isn’t at least -partially- in character/world always gets edited with something. Like, There are cookie cutter profile templates and then there are ones that are just ever so slightly edited to seem less like its completely separate from the game.
I definitely prefer when Profiles feel like they’re part of the game world, but only when it fits with the game world. An example being I drafted one game that involved no IC record of who people were, so it got a cookie cutter profile sheet. But a different, far more ancient draft once involved the Bionicle G1 Shadowed One essentially compiling these profiles as a dossier on his enemies and potential allies, and so when profiles were approved they would also have been appended with occasional “GM” notes from the Shadowed One.
Stuff like that also makes it way easier to justify separate discussion and Sign Up topics. I remember when a single RPG could easily have over 100 characters by the time it ended. Good times. 
(Please please please tell me if this isn’t a good place for this)
Before today, I had a Google doc of all me RP ideas, most of which I didn’t think I’d get a chance to GM or didn’t feel like I could GM very well, so I figured maybe I’d put it here. I have it open so you can claim any that you want to do and haven’t been claimed, and put down other ideas you’d like to see, but at the same time wouldn’t feel like you could GM it.
I’m preparing a RP. the thing I most worried about is the rule-set I have created. I am worried that it might be lengthy and might be a bit limiting. Of course I’m also worried that things aren’t worded correctly and could lead to miss interpretations.
RULES:
Trait System: Everyone starts with 20 Trait Points. The player would choose which trait gets a point, each trait must have at least 1 point.
Endurance: How much a character can endure. (Also Stamina)
Speed: How fast a character can go. (top speed) (or how fast a character can go through a movement)
Agility: How quick a character can react.
Power: How powerful a character’s attack is. (Such as the power a Boxer’s punch compared to a weightlifter who has never punched before.)
Strength: How strong a character is. (Muscle strength)
Weapon Skill: How skilled a character is with weapons or tools. (Experience)
Skill System: A system that directly interacts with the trait system. Skills (temporally) add or subtract from (a) trait(s).
Base Rules:
Magic Rules: Magic can only be used through Spell Books. Spell Books count as a form of tool or weapon (depending on the spell). Therefore it requires a Weapon * Skill Trait LV of 6.
Weapon and Armor Rules: Weapons and armor come in a variety of type and strengths. To simplify it the armor will be limited to three, main types. Those types are, Aketon, or Gambeson (Padded Armor), Chainmail (Riveted Mail), and Steel Plate. Weapons will be classified in multiple types, Polearms, Long Blade, Short Blade, Blunt, Range. These types will directly act with the trait system.
Armor: Protective gear, being without one could be a mistake. Despite their trait disadvantages, they are very effective at saving a character’s life. All armors can be worn together, however all their disadvantages are stacked, but the character is much more protected. It’s a trade-off. (Based on the 14th century armor)
Aketon / Gambeson: This padded armor is quite effective against blunt weapons. It’s good at protecting against piercing weapons. It sometimes protects against arrows, depending on how thick it is. Subtract -1 Endurance when wearing the armor.
Chainmail: This chain armor is great against cuts, though they are weak to piercing weapons. It’s quite strong and effective for protection. Subtract -1 Speed.
Steel Plate Armor: Great against cutting weapons and piercing weapons. It almost makes arrows null and void to its strengths. Though it does not provide much protection against blunt weapons. Subtract -1 Strength and Power.
Weapons: Tools of Protection and war, it’s not wise to leave home without it. Weapons are quite useful in the trait system, seeing as they have a trait directly connected to them. For reference, anything the length of the average of an arming sword is classified as a Short Blade.
Long Blade: These weapons are often used by skillful warriors. In the hands of a skilled warrior, they are terrifying weapons. Add +1 Power and +1 Weapon Skill, when in use.
Short Blade: These short blade weapons are agile and fierce. They are popular with rogues and thieves, though that might be a cliche. Short Blades are quite useful with jabs and piercing blows. Add +1 to Agility and 1+ to Speed, when in use.
Polearm: Spears, Halberds, Sparths are some of the popular polearms in the military. They are often found with knights and warriors. Polearms combine the grace of the staff with the brutality of the blade.
Range Weapon: Being quite the open category, range weapons offer the benefit of distance. A skilled marksman can take out his target from a distance and barely risk the danger of close combat. Add +1 Speed and +1 Endurance.
This is the current rule list I have created, if there is anything that could be explained more please tell. I’m also not sure if this is the right topic for this, but well…I hope it is.
I can’t speak for anyone else but I’ve always railed against the excessive use of D&D systems in TBRPGs, I find them incredibly hard to enforce, incredibly limiting, and in a way counterintuitive.
The RPG is supposed to be carried by the writing of the players and the guidance of the GM, not artificially imposed rulesets. I’m not saying it can’t work, it might even work well here considering it seems like 100 posts go by in a single day sometimes, but I’ve yet to see one actually work.
Plus, having rulesets like that is just daunting for everyone to remember, especially yourself. You have to remember that you’re the arbiter of the rules, and the more there are, the easier it is for someone to break them.
Could there be a better middle ground, such as simplifying the rules?
It depends on the actual RPG you’re making. My process has always been to write the rules/systems last, and then go through after I’ve created them and find anything that isn’t necessary to make the game play the way I want and cut it.
If I had to suggest anything though? The Trait system is going to break the game. It’s next to impossible to enforce or play with a trait system simply because people forget their stats, what they do, etc.
You never want your TBRPG to require a pad and paper just to remember how to play - that’s just my take though.
Remember my post about superhero RPGs? Well the first time I tried one it flopped. I need opinions on which one of these to try first (note that while some of these are pretty knock-offy, I’m not trying to write and sell comics, just trying to have some fun on a message board RP forum):
Super powered mercenary team
Super powered people on the run from an agency or organization
Super powered team formed by a government for use in wartime situations (all countries and such will be fictional to avoid political arguments)
I’m also open to ideas. Thanks guys!
The mercenary team and the team in the run have the most potential, in my opinion. Especially is you plan out the structure of missions and scenarios beforehand.
I don’t see why we can’t have a multi-sided story to a degree. It would be kinda hard but coupling the last two would make sense and flow well.
@LTVmocs my plan was for all of them to be part of the same universe, so people could have characters related, have cameos with other characters of theirs, etc., but all those in the same thread would be ridiculous.
@Leoxander thanks for the input!
All those in the same threat actually wouldn’t be that bad. Sure it encourages more careful playing but that’s not necessarily a bad thing in a world where 50% of posts are “___ continued waiting.” or “____ Watched Silently”
Honestly, since all my anecdotes come from my BZPower days, we used to have RPGs with 6 different storylines occurring simultaneously in a single topic. It’s doable as long as everyone remembers where they are. Some people took to tagging their IC with the location their character was in just to be sure.
I definitely recommend merging the last two. it gives players a choice to be either the “Bad” guys or the "Good’ guys.
I don’t know. I feel like if I keep them separate and do them one after another, people could more easily link characters stories. I want to create an RP universe out of this, where we have several different stories going, and they’re all separate, but part of the same universe and stuff