Roll To Dodge: A forum "RPG".

[CSJM]

Greetings and well met.

My handle is Sean Mirrsen, and I'd like to inquire upon the nature of this forum.
I realize this is mostly the place for STGODs, an acronym I still can't quite decipher, but I'd like to ask whether or not the people here would like a different kind of game for a change.

Roll To Dodge is a forum game that takes the basic premise of tabletop RPGs and does unspeakable things to it.
At its most basic, an RtD is run with a single six-sided die. A single roll of this die determines the outcome of any imaginable and unimaginable action, on this scale:

[1]: Epic Failure. The action failed and horribly backfired on the user.
[2]: Failure. The action failed.
[3]: Unfailure. The action didn't succeed all the way through.
[4]: Success. The action succeeded, just barely.
[5]: Epic Success. The action succeeded, in the most improbable way.
[6]: Overshot. The action succeeded, but backfired horribly on the user and anyone around.

Now, over the course of the game, and as a result of other players' actions, a player may have something threatening him. Should that be the case, that player gets the eponymous Roll to Dodge, and the outcome of that roll determines what happens.

[1]: The threat was not avoided, and the player did everything possible to magnify it.
[2]: The threat was not avoided.
[3]: The threat was partially avoided.
[4]: The threat was just barely avoided.
[5]: The threat was completely avoided.
[6]: The threat was avoided, but the player also magnified it and created an additional threat.

This is the game at its most basic. No skills, no goals, just a lot of players exercising their luck against each other. Now, this doesn't have to be the case. More advanced versions of the game evolved, which can be found in the forum I linked in my sig, where there are skills, and bonuses, and even actual plot.

So, all of the above taken into account - would you like an RtD game here? Feel free to consult the forum I mentioned if you'd like some examples.

[Thanas]

Thread moved to appropriate forum.

[CSJM]

There doesn't seem to be an appropriate forum though. It's either STGODs or computer gaming. Thanks, regardless.

[Thanas]

There doesn't seem to be an appropriate forum though. It's either STGODs or computer gaming. Thanks, regardless.

Actually, it is gaming and computers, not computer gaiming and computers, though video gaming is prevalent. Another RPG is already being run in this forum.

[Norade]

Actually there are two, one cyberpunk 2020 game as well as the homebrew system. Just figured I'd get both games a little more exposure.

[OmegaChief]

Well now that we've sorted out that little scuffle, while I have a bit of a nigling interest here perhaps you could go into a bit more detial with what you had in mind as a way of getting the attention of a few more people?

[chitoryu12]

I might be into it, if only because it seems so ridiculously silly that it's bound to work somehow.

[CSJM]

Well now that we've sorted out that little scuffle, while I have a bit of a nigling interest here perhaps you could go into a bit more detial with what you had in mind as a way of getting the attention of a few more people?

I'm taking suggestions. RtD can run anything, as long as the GM knows the setting. I can take a roster of DnD 3.5 characters and run with them, appropriately mangling the rules. So there won't be a "DC 40 Climb check", but a single action roll - get a 2 and you remain where you were, get a 4 and you clamber up to wherever you wanted, get a 6 and you either collapse whatever you were climbing (thus technically taking you to its top) or find a trap along the route. RtD really works, the multitude of running ones over at Bay12 prove that.

As such, I can't really decide what to run here. What would you like to see? Simple skirmish to the death or extended story? With skills and equipment effects or without? Permanent death or not? RtD can even run strategy games, though that's currently an experimentall branch.

[CSJM]

Hmm, not too many active participants here.

Alright, I'll pick something at random.

First, skirmish or story? [3] Skirmish.
Simple or complex? [6] Complex.
Permadeath yes/no? [2] Yes.
Setting? I'll pick from High Fantasy, Steampunk, Cyberpunk, Sci-Fi, Real World, and Alternate History. [4] Sci-Fi.

Alright, that's that then.

I'm going to need... let's say 6 players.

The rules will have an addition here, if the player has a bad dodge roll, a damage roll is added to see how bad the player has been hit. The health system will be straightforward, a blown off head or a similarly vital organ will kill you, missing hands won't let you use things, severe bleeding will cause a roll against Death, failing which is not recommended. The rest is up to the rolls.

You are the crew of a Space Whaler ship that's suffered an encounter with an asteroid, which left the ship without the captain, the bridge, and any means of altering the new course which happens to be passing through the path of the current starsystem's equivalent of Jupiter. Death is inevitable for everyone who doesn't get to an escape pod - and unfortunately, there's only one working pod on the ship, the captain's, and it can save only one of you. You all obviously want to live. Getting to the pod requires inputting your authorization code, which consists of three long parts and will, therefore, take three rounds to enter, giving other people a chance to stop you. If you need healing for some reason, the automated medical bay is still working, if you can live long enough to get to it.

The goal of the game is getting to the escape pod.

What I'll want from players:

1) Name.
2) Species.
3) 3(4-5) pieces of equipment.
4) 2(3-4) skills.

Species can be any sci-fi creature you can think up or remember. Preferably sentient. The species can have a total of two +1 bonuses to something - strength, agility, physical or directed energy damage resistance. If you choose a species that doesn't have bonuses, you can pick a total of two extra skills or items.

Each piece of equipment is a single "item" - a weapon, a suit of armor, a medipak. The total bonuses you get from your equipment cannot exceed the amount of equipment you have, so that if you pick a suit of armor with +2 against lasers and a lightshaver with +1 laser damage, the third item will have to be something bonusless.

Finally, skills will allow you to do something with a better success rate. Aiming your weapon or dodging away, or hacking computers, or supernatural abilities like psionics, all go here. Each skill is a +1 bonus to the selected activity, but you can cluster them together if you want (see the Smith character below).

A note on bonusless items. These can still be weapons that deal some exotic kind of damage to bypass the target's armor, or things that allow some actions to be performed without requiring a supernatural success (a [5] roll), or consumable items like stimpacks that quickly heal you. I'll try to be fair when deciding what can and what can't go in.

To clarify, some example characters:

Name: Taiko.
Species: Mii'Ari (humanlike feline). +1 Agility, +1 Dodge.
Equipment: "Shatterskull" scoped cannon (+2 pierce damage). Combat claws (+1 slash damage). Shadowcat armor (allows hiding in open view).
Skills: Sniping (+1 to-hit with scoped weapons), Melee fighting (+1 to-hit in melee).

Name: Mr.Smith.
Species: Human.
Equipment: Custom DEagle (+3 pierce damage), Business suit, Shades.
Skills: Supernatural Aim (+1 and +1 to-hit with guns), Supernatural Dodge (+1 and +1 to dodge).

When making characters, keep in mind that in RTD a high bonus isn't always good. Getting [6]es on dodging and shooting frequently creates more problems than necessary.

Also, a question. Where's the "edit post" button?
edit: ah, found it. Time-limited edit buttons?

[Norade]

I'll toss my hat into the ring.

Name: Tyler Wilks
Species: Human
Equipment:
-CAW-1a Assault Rifle (+1 hit +1 damage)
-Armored Space Suit (+1 to resist energy damage, +1 to resist physical damage)
-Multitool (+1 to making broken things work again)
-MP3 Player w/ Headphones
-Toiletry Kit
Skills:
-Assault Rifle Champion (+1 to hit and +1 to damage with assault rifles)
-Low-G Hero (+1 to actions taken in less than 0.5G's gravity)

That should do for my character.

As for time limited edits, those are to prevent people editing posts after they have been replied to and trying to say they never said something.

[CSJM]

Mmkay, that works. Oh btw, I'll assume Mass Effect principles in regards to ammo - meaning, you don't have to reload.

Aand right. I agree that it helps to deter trolls and such, but in this particular case... how do I edit the topic title, at least? Not to mention that player sheets would look much better in the first post...

[OmegaChief]

Sure, said I was interested.

Name: James Khan
Species: Human
Equipment:
Lasgun (+2 Energy Damage)
Combat Armour (+2 to resist Phyiscal damage, +1 to resist Energy damage)
Packet of Bubblegum
Skills:
Medic (+1 to Medical Rolls)
I've been in space! (+1 to actions to operate shipboard machinery)

I think that all works out, feel free to correct me if it doesn't

[CSJM]

Yep, that works nicely. Is that bubblegum packet full, perchance? Because you may have trouble fighting properly if it is...

[Norade]

You could try asking the forums mod to change that for you as well as edit in profiles, or you could make a new topic for actually starting the game once we have enough players here so the mod doesn't need to be bothered as much regarding editing in character profiles.

[OmegaChief]

That second solution sounds better, also the packet is half full, allowing me to run out whenever is convinent.

[CSJM]

You could try asking the forums mod to change that for you as well as edit in profiles, or you could make a new topic for actually starting the game once we have enough players here so the mod doesn't need to be bothered as much regarding editing in character profiles.

Yeah, I'll probably do that. No need to keep the introductory stuff in the main game anyway.

[The Vortex Empire]

Name: Matt Frehley
Species: Human
Equipment:
-Ravager-11 Assault Rifle (+1 Armor Penetration, +1 to melee attack)
-Reinforced Combat Armor (+1 to resist physical damage, +1 to resist energy weapon damage)
-Omni-Tool (+1 to technology interactions)
-Spray Deodorant
-Lighter
Skills:
-Firearm Training (+1 damage with slugthrowers)
Quick Reaction Time (+1 to reactions)

[CSJM]

Alright, that's three players, and we're half full. Or half empty?

[Carinthium]

I'm in.

1) Unit 4
2) Anthromorphic Robot
3):
-Explosives(+2 to blowing things up)
-Pistol(+1 kinetic dmage)
-Armor(+1 to avoid damage)

4):
-Learned Psycology (+1 to correctly predict how a character will act)
-Claimed to be Invincible(+1 to rolls to intimidate)
-Wheels(+2 to rolls to move quickly, but can't move up stairs)
-Loud Screech(+1 to rolls to distract people)
-Highest Rank(technically the highest ranked crewman on the ship, gives no mechanical advantage)

[CSJM]

Sorry Carinthium, that two bonuses too much. You can choose an extra two items or skills if your species is bonusless, in addition to the three items and two skills. Put it this way, the total of your bonuses cannot exceed 7, and the total number of your items and skills cannot exceed that as well.

[Carinthium]

Sorry- didn't realise. I'll revise my format.

1) Unit 4
2) Anthromorphic Robot
3):
-Explosives(+2 to blowing things up)
-Pistol(+1 kinetic dmage)
-Armor(+1 to avoid damage)

4):
-Learned Psycology (+1 to correctly predict how a character will act)
-Claimed to be Invincible(+1 to rolls to intimidate)
-Wheels(+2 to rolls to move quickly, but can't move up stairs)

[CSJM]

Oh come on, you'll need at least basic math skills to play. You've assigned 8 bonuses again.

[Carinthium]

Actually, I assigned six bonuses. Since I think you mean in terms of bonus in numbers, I'll change it.

1) Unit 4
2) Anthromorphic Robot
3):
-Explosives(+2 to blowing things up)
-Armor(+1 to avoid damage)

4):
-Learned Psycology (+1 to correctly predict how a character will act)
-Claimed to be Invincible(+1 to rolls to intimidate)
-Wheels(+2 to rolls to move quickly, but can't move up stairs)

[CSJM]

Finally! Alright, four players. Two more and we can start.

[chitoryu12]

I'll throw my hat in the ring.

1) Jack Ross
2) Human
3) - P45 Combat Handgun (+1 damage)
- Sunglasses with holographic overlay (+2 accuracy)
- Datapad (+1 computer use)
- Cigarettes
4) - One-handed shooting (+1 handgun accuracy)
- Quick thinker (+1 reactions)