Tag: Antimatter

*Glitch in the System: a Trapped in a Video Game Hack – Challenge Types*

In Glitch in the System, there are 3 levels of challenge.

The first is the low level challenge; a swarm of dire rats, a minor trap, a group of under leveled players. This challenge type represents something small and typically simple to overcome, requiring one or two rolls from party members to overcome the challenge. The challenge is represented by a single token, beat the challenge, receive the token. (Tokens can be exchanged for coin at the end of a score or can be used during the score for a free Push Yourself effect).

The second tier challenge is an “Elite Challenge”. A major complication presents itself, a tougher than usual monster appears, a challenging NPC duels your character. They are represented by a number of tokens equal to the challenge’s tier/2 (rounded up). The rewards are typically much greater for defeating this type of challenge, but the challenge is also more difficult to overcome, requiring teamwork and multiple rolls to complete.

The final tier is a “Boss Level Challenge”. This is the time a boss monster presents itself, or players are engaged in PvP with skilled opponents. This is the most difficult tier of challenge and activates the aggro system that I described in an earlier post. A boss is represented by a number of Boss Tokens equal to their tier. Boss Challenges are made up of a number of clocks equal to the number of Boss Tokens remaining and each clock has a mechanic attached to it (the boss sets the room on fire, minions spawn, the boss’ skin becomes toxic etc.).

Each clock of a boss will activate in a particular order and players have a certain amount of time to complete the challenge clock before it locks down and a new one is activated. When a clock activates, the Boss Challenge activates the mechanic written on the clock; and when it deactivates, the mechanic stops. Once a boss’ clock fills, it flips over, permanently activating the mechanic but also revealing a weakness to exploit. Filling a flipped clock deals catastrophic damage to the boss, weakening it for the remainder of the challenge and awarding the players the Boss Token associated with the clock (much bigger boons than regular tokens). Once all the Tokens have been taken, the boss challenge is completed.

The idea behind these difficulty levels is to make the game feel interesting to the players. No one wants to sit around and fight a group of bandits all day, but an epic battle with a Demon is something everyone can get hyped about and no one wants to be over in 2 to 3 rolls. This makes boss battles more drawn out, descriptive and challenging than simply saying “fill the clock, kill the monster”, while allowing players to breeze through the lesser challenges in classic blades fashion.

*Example Boss Monster*

*Vespa, Queen of Wasps*

*Tier 2*

*Boss Token 1*: Vespa summons a swarm of Armoured Wasps to attack the players and protect herself. Kill them (0/8).

*Reverse*: The Vespa and her wasps shed their armour becoming much faster and more deadly but become vulnerable to fire damage.

*Reward*: You may trade in this boss token at the end of a score for either a Giant Wasp mount each, a single Horn of Wasps that summons a swarm of Wasps that do what you ask, or 2 coin.

*Boons*: You may expend the boss token in the current score for +2d, +2 effect, or 3 mana of any colour added to the combo pool.

*Boss Token 2*: Vespa sprays poison pools on the floor and at the party making it hard for players to make a move. Players take unrestisted 1 harm for every 3 or lower a dice shows. Attack Vespa to make her vulnerable, or avoid her spray (0/8).

*Reverse*: Vespa begins to fill the room with her poison spray, all players take unrested 1 damage per roll made by the party. Vespa becomes vulnerable to the Speed Attribute.

*Reward*: You may trade in a boss token for either a Scroll of Poison Rain, Poison Resistance, or 2 coin at the end of the score.

*Boons*: You may expend the boss token in the current score for +2d, +2 effect, or 3 mana of any colour added to the combo pool.

Trapped in an MMO Hack: Courage

One thing that many people dislike about Blades in the Dark as a system is Harm. Harm is a very hard thing to get rid of, often taking multiple downtime sessions to get rid of entirely and wasting many coin and downtime actions in the process.

For my hack, Glitch in the System, Courage (a remap of Stress) will be the main tracker of harm. In my hack, harm isn’t perminent and is fairly easy to recover from given they’re in a video game setting. Courage does all the same things as stress would, until you’re in combat.

When you enter a combat situation, any harm dealt to you is taken away from your Courage. This means that if you used up a lot of courage earlier in the quest or during freeplay, it could make you an easier target to eliminate in combat, not necessarily because your narrative hit points are lower, but because you don’t have as much emotional stamina as usual to deal with the situation and remain calm.

If your Courage hits 0 during combat, your avatars dies and respawn later. If it hits 0 out of combat, you’re removed from the action for a short time. Either way, you suffer Trauma. Death isn’t perminent in a video game.

In combat, damage is resisted through the Aggro system (described in a previous post of mine); and pushing/assisting/other teamwork actions are also taken over by Aggro during this time, giving the players a little more breathing room to fight with.

*Trapped in an MMO Hack: Aggro*

So one thing that I felt was really important to include in a game inspired by an MMORPG genre is Aggro. Aggro is the amount of threat a monster feels towards a player, and the person with the highest threat is often the target of most attacks, which is usually a job reserved for Tank classes.

In my hack, Aggro replaces the Stress system of Blades and is ver similar but with a few minor tweaks here and there.

1. Aggro is mainly generated by Guardian Adventurers. Each Guardian has his own unique way of generating aggro, and they start a fight with aggro equal to the number of players in the party.

2. The person with the highest aggro is “Threat Top”; the guy all the monsters want a piece of. Everyone else is “Threat Low”, giving them slight boons to resisting in a fight.

3. Players may spend or generate Aggro for certain actions:

Pushing yourself steals 2 aggro away from whoever is Threat Top and gives that Aggro to you, granting +1d or bonus effect.

Assisting an ally gives one of your aggro to an ally to grant them +1d.

Resisting a consequence reduces your aggro by 6 minus the result of the dice on your attribute test. If you are Threat Low, the consequence is reduced by one level and the remaining consequence goes towards Threat Top (who can then also resist the remaining consequence, reducing it by 1 level further). If you are Threat Top, any aggro spent resisting is gained by all Threat Low players, and your resistance tests nullify the consequence completely.

4. If you resist a consequence, but don’t have enough Aggro remaining to pay for it, you do not successfully resist; you lose all aggro and the damage instead applies to your health clock.

5. When your health clock fills, you die; you gain a trauma and revive at the end of the fight.

6. If you take Threat Top from someone else, then you take unresistable damage to your health clock equal to your current aggro. This means managing aggro is a careful balance and abuse of it can lead to trauma.

7. If your aggro is higher than another player’s you may use the Protect teamwork action to resist on their behalf, reducing the consequence by 1 level and taking it in their place.

8. In a group action, the leader generates 1 Aggro per fail rolled.

Trapped in an MMO Blades Hack: The Combo System.

So while I’ve mostly been basing the system for Blades in the Database (name is a work in progress) off of Blades in the Dark, I thought I’d raise for discussion the combo system I have incorporated into my version of the game.

So, here it is:

When you make an action roll, you roll dice of a specific colour relating the attribute that the action roll is under (Green – Speed; Red – Strength; Blue – Willpower), equal to your action rating. You must consider 3 things after making a roll:

1. Did you succeed? Just like in blades, you succeed on a 4-6 and receive complications on a 1-5.

2. How many success dice did you roll? What colour are they? Save these dice for later in your Speed/Strength/Willpower pool

3. How many failures did you roll (1-3s). Sum the values and add this to your Threat value.

Players now have 2 sets of abilities, ones for outside of combat, and ones for inside of combat. Combat Abilities cost dice from the pools you have saved from previous rolls and are rolled using these dice. This simulate the cooldown and mana costs of abilities from the game.

This can cause ability chains, as you could roll a 4-6 on an ability dice pool and get to keep the ones you rolled! This means the bigger the dice pool, the longer the potential chain of abilities but the greater the potential threat gain.

Example: Emberblade is an Assassin playbook and wants to use his ability “Assassinate”. To activate Assassinate, Emberblade needs to use 2 of the Speed dice and 1 of the Strength dice they saved from previous rolls. Emberblade rolls these 3 dice and gets a 6 on the Strength die, and a 4, 3 on the Speed dice. He succeeds without complication on using his ability, and gets to add the two successful strength and speed dice back into his saved pools. He also gains 3 threat due to his single failure dice which is considered “spent” and does not return to his saved pools.

By expending 3 dice of the same colour from your saved pools, you can create a Combo Chain.

3 Speed causes your next action roll to have successes explode. (You keep all 4-6s you roll even if they explode)

3 Strength gives you +1d to your next resistance roll and you can regain 1 armour or special armour box.

3 Willpower gives you bonus effect for your next action roll, and for the next two rolls from other players in your party, you gain saved dice equal to those that they saved and of the same colour.

More on Threat in a future post!

So after some thought and feedback from friends, the Playbooks have evolved for my “Trapped in an MMO” hack (still needing to be named). The following is an excerpt from the rules I am writing:

“The characters attempt to come to terms with their new lives as Heroic Adventurers, struggling against their past lives and limitations to achieve better things in the new world. They do this by facing challenges together, accepting quests, forging alliances, destroying their enemies, struggling with the NPC’s opinions of them and trying to stay alive! There are several Adventurer types to choose from representing the personality and wishes of the character, and each Adventurer type has 2 classes to choose between each representing different types of classes from the original video game and the ways in which the Adventurer goes about achieving their wish:

*GUARDIANS* wish to protect something. They defend their allies and forge strong friendships with those closest to them. Guardians have the Defender and Mender classes. *DEFENDERS* are typically represented by a tank class, they are armoured in some way, whether that be magical or physical. Defenders protect what they care about by standing in the line of fire and risking their lives. They are typically seen as the biggest threat in the room, but have a softer side for their friends. *MENDERS* are typically represented by a healing class. Rather than preventing harm and soaking it themselves, Menders protect what they care about by healing and reducing the damage dealt by enemies. They are typically seen as caring and pleasant characters.

*SCOUTS* wish to find something precious to them, whether that be a way home, a worthy opponent, or perhaps a lost sibling. Scouts have the Assassin and Sharpshooter classes. *ASSASSINS* are typically represented by a physical, melee damage dealing class. Assassins find the thing most precious to them ruthlessly, without regard for anyone else. They would betray their friends in a heartbeat if it meant they could fulfil their wish. They are seen as uncaring and lone-wolves. *SHARPSHOOTERS* are typically represented by a physical, ranged damage dealing class. Sharpshooters find the thing most precious to them methodically, pinpointing weaknesses in those that stand in their way, and bringing out the strengths of the allies that stand with them. They are seen as intelligent and a valuable ally.

*MEDLERS* wish to help others achieve their goals; they are charismatic and have a silver tongue. Medlers have the Enchanter and Inspirer classes. *ENCHANTERS* are typically represented by a magic wielding class that specialises in hindering opponents and buffing allies. Enchanters are devilish masterminds who manipulate others for their own benefit behind a fake smile. They outwardly help allies towards their goals, but have a secret agenda they want to fulfil themselves, and will use others to get to it. *INSPIRERS* are typically represented by a magic wielding class that specialises in amazing feats of area damage magic. They are powerful, and just as good a speaker; rallying and inspiring others to achieve their goals.

*WONDERS* wish to remain in the new world so that they can pursue a personal quest that they couldn’t in their old world, or to avoid returning to their less than ideal previous lives; and they will do anything to stay. Wonders have the Alchemist and Monk classes. *ALCHEMISTS* are tinkering magic wielders who can imbue their talents into new items, artefacts and potions, preparing their allies for the obstacles ahead. They pursue an outward quest such as researching the world, crafting a legendary item, or studying the various new animals and flora. They are seen as eccentric and spontaneous. *MONKS* are physical magic wielders, often represented by a martial arts class. They imbue their bodies with magic to strengthen their blows, harden their skin and move at lightning speeds. They pursue an inward quest of self improvement, and do not wish to lose the amazing powers that they have gained by arriving in this new world by returning to their original weaker bodies. They are seen as wise, yet somewhat desperate as they grasp for greater and greater heights.

At character creation, players will choose an Adventurer Type, a Class from within that type, and a Sub-Class out of any class in the game. A Guardian might choose to be a Defender with a sub-class of Mender to play as a Paladin type class; a Scout might choose to be an Assassin with a sub-class of Enchanter to play a Trickster type class. There are numerous combinations and possibilities.”

What do people think?

So I’ve started hacking Blades to make a game where teenagers get stuck in an MMORPG world as Heroes with no way to log out. The game is going to focus on the players struggles fitting into a new world, struggling with the expectations of the would-be NPCs who are now sentient, and facing great threats to the Kingdom.

I’m drawing heavy inspiration from both Blades in the Dark and Masks to create this game with a small amount of influence from Log Horizon TRPG (for a new resource known as “Threat” that will become apparent in combat with monsters).

I’ve gotten a dice system down (basically just Blades) and some ideas for how Boss Monsters might work, but what I am struggling with are Playbook Moves. So far, I have decided on the following playbooks:

*GUARDIANS* are frontline fighters, putting their lives on the line to protect their allies from danger and being the biggest threat in the room. They are bold, daring and intimidating, but have a soft side for their friends. Typically represented by a “tank” class in an MMO.

*SHARPSHOOTERS* are keen eyed ranged fighters, able to pinpoint weaknesses that their allies can exploit both in and out of combat. They are dexterous, careful, and thoughtful. Typically represented by a “Ranged DPS” class such as an Archer or a Gunslinger.

*ASSASSINS* are deadly damage dealers, adept at sneaking, sleight of hand, and scouting. They are unnerving, untrustworthy, and selfish.

*BARD/HEALER/BUFFER (man I need a better name for this one that doesn’t lock you down to a specific class)* have a silver tongue, able to inspire their allies and manipulate foes, as well as help allies recover from harm. They are caring, yet manipulative, and can talk their way into or out of mostly anything. Typically represented by a supportive class like a Bard or Priest.

*ENCHANTERS* are devious magic wielders, using their powers to assist allies and hinder foes, manipulating their forces from the background. They are masterminds, prepared for any eventuality and use their magic to bend people to their will. Typically represented by a magic based class that has heavy reliance on buffs and debuffs.

*SORCERERS* are powerful magic wielders, able to shape the world around them with their power, and deal devastating damage across large areas. They are wise and kind, yet feared by those who do not understand the burden of their power. Typically represented by a Magic-based DPS class.

*ALCHEMISTS* are tinkering magic wielders, who can imbue their talents into items and artefacts, or even themselves, defending their allies and preparing them for the obstacles ahead. They are eccentric, clever, and adaptable. Typically represented by martial artist classes, or classes with an alchemy theme.

Any thoughts about the base ideas for a playbook would be awesome. I have tried to give each a combat and social flavour that suits the character type.

Any suggestions for Playbook Moves / Special Abilities would be awesome too.

Ideally I also want to come up with a particular struggle each Playbook wants to explore. For example, in Masks a Janus is about the struggle between balancing their lives as both a teenager and a hero; where the Legacy is about trying to live up to your legend. Something akin to this for each role could be cool to explore as an idea.

Any feedback in general is also welcome!

So I’ve been testing out some PvP rules for Blades taking the spirit of what is in the book and tweaking it to work a little more clearly. I would love to get some feedback on the mechanic so without further adeu heres the write up:

*PvP Actions*

When a player wants to take an action against another PC, and it requires a roll, you will need to share your power as the GM with the players.

The GM sets the effect level as usual, using fictional circumstances of Scale, Potency, and Tier to influence the final result.

However, the player not making the roll has power over the position the roller is in. You should ask them what will happen if the other player fails, what would they do in response? How bad will it be for them? This should be a conversation between all 3 of you, so that you can avoid positioning that might not make sense in the fiction.

Once position and effect is established, the player rolls their dice.

* On a 6: You do it.

* On a 4-5: You both do it, but there will be consequences.

* On a 1-3: You don’t do it; but the target does.