Wanted: an RPG system such that:
-- the largest component is about interaction, and dealing with "drama" as opposed to life and death decisions (think Gilmore Girls or Love)
-- a surrounding cast who could become PCs (think Cheers)
-- inner thoughts matter as much as what you say and do (think Halt and Catch Fire or, more classically, Hamlet)
-- the rest of the world has problems, and the PCs have a reason to care (think 30 rock)
Basically, an RPG that can do something like sitcoms.
I've got an idea or two, and am looking for suggestions.
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Primetime Adventures, obviously, but a few of your asks are not mechanized.
ReplyDeleteDramaSystem mechanizes some of the missing pieces (though DramaSystem has a weird procedural system - I very much prefer Malandros for PbtA inspired procedural rules)
Chuubo's.
ReplyDeletePTA is good for this, but if you don't want an episodic structure, I feel like Universalis would be just about perfect, with the ability to construct significant conflicts and problems outside the realm of the player characters.
ReplyDeleteHuh. I didn't get Sitcom from those features.
ReplyDeleteNod did most of that when I ran it, but I have just been totally failing at getting the damn thing written so other people can play. Lack of time to play test doesn't help, but...bleh. Bleh.
I'm interested to see what folks suggest for you.
Brainstorming here,
ReplyDeleteDetail characters with Traits which are their abilities and their relationships.
Drama mostly revolves around what people want so rate character's goals and desires as Traits too.
When trying to achieve something (win an argument/ask for help/look hot enough pull/convince a friend to stop doing drugs) roll all your dice for your highest appropriate trait Vs the same for your opposition or just the difficulty of the task.
The winner gets to add, remove, increase or decrease Traits as the situation warrants.
Something like that maybe?
Your inner thoughts concept could be the fiction side of players adding new goals to their character. Other players get to react to this change as their characters see what you are up to.
You would probably need to codify the sort of actions each type of trait can be used for and the sort of traits each type of action can affect.
I was wondering about Chuubo's, but I doon't know it well enough to have informed ideas.
ReplyDeleteIn DramaSystem each character is driven by their "dramatic poles", two behavioral attributes which they bounce between, like heroism vs selfishness. Additionally, each PC has something they want from another PC, and a reason they can't get it.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Nichols: I am somewhat of a Chuubo's afficianado, and can confirm that there are pieces in that toolkit that can be assembled to do this ... basically, take anything in Chuubo's that you've seen some variant of elsewhere, and discard it. Most of what you're left with points in this direction.
ReplyDeleteGetting players to perceive that system ... that's a different question.
Of course, what I really want is to set this all on a starship with a sizeable crew, and have it go from port to port. Traveler, but with more people on the ship, and with the system focused on player interactions.
ReplyDeleteShall I write up some Chuubo's pre-gens, and we'll give it a try some Thursday?
ReplyDeleteCortex+ Drama will hit all of those out of the box.
ReplyDeleteAs Cortex Prime is unveiled, certain implementations will also do all that.
Smallville. Alternatively, Smallville or Smallville, or you could even try Smallville. At a stretch, Smallville might work.
ReplyDeleteThat would be very helpful, Tony Lower-Basch.
ReplyDeleteI have ideas, not quite formalized yet. Something of a cross between the Solar Wind and Sail series and a ... I dunno. I want an excuse for some guns on the ship, and enough people on the ship (30-50?) for PC-NPC-PC triangles, while not getting lost in the crowd.
I kinda want money to matter -- but as narration, NOT as book keeping.
I'm happy to help with PCs and ship stuff, if any is needed for chuboo's.
I'd be using Dramasystem for things like that, since it basically hits all your criteria. (Please i'd hackon a different procedural system, but that is trivially easy.)
ReplyDeleteAlternatively, Golden Sky Stories seems to hit most or all the stated desires, in a pretty different way.
Jason Corley Wow! I was just mentioning Universalis in a different thread. I rarely ever hear mention of it any more...
ReplyDeleteUniversalis is a great game but it scratches a very specific itch
ReplyDeleteThis doesn't feel like sitcom elements to me. TV dramas, maybe, but not a sitcom. Could you elaborate on that?
ReplyDeleteAs far as base mechanics that facilitate these, dear Cena, I cannot wait for you to see Turn in its final form.
Brie Sheldon All those were from Cheers. Also ER. There's very similar genre conventions.
ReplyDeleteJason Corley Shane Liebling Can you guys tell me more about Universalis?
ReplyDeleteThere are a couple of pretty solid reviews on rpg.net that explain it pretty well...
ReplyDeleterpg.net - Review of Universalis - RPGnet RPG Game Index
https://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/9/9425.phtml
William Nichols Cheers was a sitcom, yes, but ER wasn't a sitcom at all. This is why I'm looking for clarification.
ReplyDeleteI do think that Dramasystem could be applicable, and Tony Lower-Basch's suggestion is great.
I'd offer my town building tool for some suggestions on setting up themes to encourage drama and having background for NPCs to pull into main characters, but you've probably already seen it on my blog. :)
Brie Sheldon Yeah, I was saying sitcoms and drama's are really the same genre conventions.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Nichols Thanks for the clarification! I don't know if I agree with that, but at least I understand now. With that in mind, I think Dramasystem may be a good bet, but you'd have to tack something on for any sort of prolonged combat, unless the more complex procedural mechanic in there works for you.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
William Nichols Universalis is a great where players use an economy to build a world, the forces in it, and the characters that navigate it. The main advantage is the smooth shifts between introducing new material to the game and playing scenarios jointly constructed.
ReplyDeleteI think you could do that easily in PBTA. Strip the Monster out of Monsterhearts and it's a very serious teen drama. Play with the Moves to change the tone, you're away.
ReplyDeleteOli Jeffery Could. Though, pbta without a weird stat is ... defeating the purpose. Besides, its time for me to remember there are other system families.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Nichols There's plenty of games that don't have that. Take a look at Velvet Glove.
ReplyDeleteOli Jeffery Funny you should mention VG. I've read it, decided it is really important, and that I absolutely cannot run it. I am very glad it exists.
ReplyDeleteIt also defeats the purpose of pbta games. And it does so in a genius way.
...hmm, well I don't agree, but I'm intrigued. What's the point of PBTA games to you? And how does Velvet Glove break it? For me, the point of PBTA is player and GM collaboration, player agency and a specific way of GMing.
ReplyDeletein too foul of a mood to discuss with any safety. Perhaps tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteFair enough. Feel free to hit me up on hangouts if you'd rather do it in privacy.
ReplyDelete