D6 Sided Cage - The MMA PnP game.

[weemadando]

Please bear in mind this is about the 15th draft of these basic notes and about the 50th idea that I've had for this game.

It's still in a fairly basic stage, but I just wanted to get some feedback on ideas thus far. I'll try and find my older notes to reconcile with this as I did a big re-write from scratch today.

This all started about 3 months back when I was chatting to a friend about MMA and how to mathematically break down fights. I knocked up a simple little game which was SUPER simplistic and formed the basic of some of the ideas for this. It's evolved from there into a slightly less basic PnP game and I'm hoping to bundle it all up and sell it for about .50c a piece on RPGNow later.

Once I find my older notes which had a shitload more of the "Abilities" and also a lot more of the mechanics I'll update this. In the meantime read and mock the basics which I have come up with.

THE BASICS (Please remember this is still a "pre-alpha" version).

MMA Fighter Stats:

Rating 1-10
Total Pool of 12pts for character creation

Power
Finesse
Conditioning
Heart

Derived stats:
Conditioning + Heart = "Gas Tank"
Power + Heart = "Damage pool"


MMA Fighter Skills:

Rating 1-10
Total Pool of 8pts for character creation.

Stand-up skills:
Striking (Power/Finesse)
Counters (Finesse)

Transition skills:
Clinch (Power)
Takedowns (Power/Finesse)

Ground skills:
Submissions (Power/Finesse)
Scrambling (Finesse)


MMA Fighter Backgrounds:

Fighters may select 2 backgrounds. The same background may be selected twice to represent a prodigious career in that discipline.

Boxing: +2 Striking, +1 Counters
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: +2 Submissions, +1 Takedowns
Judo: +2 Takedowns, +1 Submissions
Karate: +2 Counters, +1 Striking
Kick Boxing: +2 Striking, +1 Clinch
Muay Thai: +2 Clich, +1 Striking
Sambo: +1 Striking, +1 Takedowns, +1 Submissions
Wrestling: +2 Takedowns, +1 Scrambling


MMA Fighter Abilities:

[Consider these "Rogan-isms" the kind of phrases that you'd hear him use to describe a fighter]

Crazy Strong - the fighter gains a +1 to all Knock Out and Submission tests as the Attacker and a +1 to their rolls in relation to all Takedown attempts (whether attacking or defending).

Great Counters - when an opponent rolls a "1" while taking a stand-up action, you can choose to take a "swing for the fences" action against them (with the standard gas cost). This counts as an interrupt and is resolved before the opponent can complete their action. For the resolution of a "Judge's Decision", unless the initial player fails in their action AND the counter succeeded then the initial player is regarded as the victor for this round.

Submission Artist - Gains a +1 to all submission attempt rolls. Fighter can also attempt a submission attempt from Stand Up, but should this fail the player will end on the ground, with the opponent in dominant position.


-=-=-=-=-

BASIC MECHANICS:

3x5 minute rounds

Each "minute" of the fight takes the following format:
1) Players declare their gameplan for that round.
2) The players make an opposed roll to determine who "imposes their will" for that minute of the fight.
3) The player who is "imposing their will" now tests to see if they are successful with their gameplan.
4) Resolution of "minute"
-Is a fighter unable to continue?
-Who was successful in that "minute" (for Judge's Decision)?
-Check damage
-Check gas

Special gameplan modifiers:
[there are more of these in older notes]

Going hard - at any time a fighter can choose to aggressively pursue their gameplan. This gives them a +1 to the roll to "impose their will" (note that a natural 1 will still count for reactions), but will also cost an additional 1 gas. This must be declared with the gameplan - it cannot be retroactively applied.


Gameplans:

Standing up:
*Stick and move (Striking) - Inflicts: +1 dam, -1 gas. Cost: 1 gas
*Swing for the fences (Striking) - Inflicts: +3 damage, -1 gas. Cost: 3 gas
*Work the legs (Striking) - Inflicts: +2 damage, -2 gas. Cost: 3 gas
*Take them down (Takedowns) - Inflicts: +1 dam, -1 gas. Cost: 3 gas. IF SUCCESSFUL FIGHT TRANSITIONS TO GROUND.
*Clinch it up (Clinch) - Inflicts: +1 dam, -1 gas. Cost: 2 gas. IF SUCCESSFUL FIGHT IS NOW "CLINCHED UP"
*Look for the counter (Counters) - Inflicts: +2 dam, +2 gas. Cost: 1 gas, 1 dam.


Clinched up:
*Keep the pressure up (Clinch) - Inflicts: 0 dam, -3 gas. Cost: 2 gas
*Dirty boxing (Striking) - Inflicts: +2 dam, -1 gas. Cost: 2 gas.
*Knees to the body (Striking) - Inflicts: +1 dam, -2 gas. Cost: 2 gas.
*Take them down (Takedowns) - Inflicts: +1 dam, -1 gas. Cost: 2 gas. IF SUCCESSFUL FIGHT TRANSITIONS TO THE GROUND.
*Break free (Clinch) - Inflicts: +1 dam, -1 gas. Cost: 2 gas. IF SUCCESSFUL FIGHT RETURNS TO STAND UP
*Work the submission (Submissions) - Inflicts: +1 dam, -2 gas. Cost: 4 gas. IF SUCCESSFUL SUBMISSION TESTS MUST BE MADE.


On the ground:
***DOMINANT POSITION: Only one Fighter can hold the Dominant Position at any given time. Though some Specialities can alter the effects of the Dominant Position. Dominant Position grants a +1 to all gameplan rolls. It also grants a +1 to Ground and Pound damage and Submission Tests (as both an attacker or defender).

*Improve your position (Scrambling) - Inflicts: 0 dam, -1 gas. Cost 2 gas. IF SUCCESSFUL FIGHtER GAINS DOMINANT POSITION.
*Lay and pray (Scrambling) - Inflicts: 0 dam, -2 gas. Cost: 2 gas.
*Ground and pound (Striking) - Inflicts: +3 dam, -1 gas. Cost: 3 gas
*Set up the submission (Submissions) - Inflicts: 0 dam, -1 gas. Cost: 2 gas. IF SUCCESSFUL, THEN IN THE FOLLOWING MINUTE A +1 BONUS IS RECEIVED TO THE "IMPOSE THE WILL" AND SUBMISSION TEST.
*Go for the submission (Submissions) - Inflicts: +1 dam, -2 gas. Cost: 4 gas. IF SUCCESSFUL SUBMISSION TESTS MUST BE MADE
*Get to the feet (Scrambling) - Can only be done from dominant position. Inflicts: 0 dam, 0 gas. Cost 1 gas. IF SUCCESSFUL FIGHT RETURNS TO STANDING.


IN ANY POSITON:
*Take a breather (Countering/Clinch/Scrambling) - CAN ONLY BE USED FROM DOMINANT POSITION ON THE GROUND. INFLICTS NO DAMAGE OR GAS DAMAGE. CAN RECOVER d3 GAS. EVEN IF SUCCESSFUL THE PLAYER WILL AUTOMATICALLY LOSE THIS "MINUTE" FOR JUDGING PURPOSES.


-=-=-=-=-=-

Takedowns:

When a fight transitions to the ground both fighters will attempt to gain dominant position. Many abilities will have an effect on this outcome, but the basic test is Attacker's "Takedowns" v Defenders "Scrambling".


Knockouts:

When a fighter is put in a "knockout" situation, then they must make an opposed test of Attacker's "Power" v Defender's "Heart" with appropriate modifiers. If the Attacker wins this test, then the KO is successful and the fight ends. If the Defender wins this test then they are only "Knocked Down".


Knockdowns:

When a fighter is knocked down (but not out) then the fight automatically goes to the ground and the opponent gains dominant position. This may be modified by various abilities.


Submissions:

When a submission is attempted there is an opposed test of Attacker's "Submissions" v Defender's "Submissions" or "Power" (whichever would give them the greatest advantage). Should the attacker succeed, then the submission is locked in and the fight ends. Should the Defender win this test, then they escape the submission attempt. This test may be modified by various abilities.