(Beta Game) Roleplaying game with only one dice roll...

[Rukellian]

So... I want to try something out on this site, see if it gains traction.

The premise of this game will be simple. All participating players roll a d20, just one. That will determine how many hit points you start with, your health. Then, I introduce you all to a very generic beginning (example: 'You wake up in a dark room...', 'An alarm blares off in the background...', 'Flames dance before your eyes...'). From there, the players, one at a time, states their actions. Those actions can be anything from describing what the room looks like, to explaining why an alarm is going off, or asking questions about their environment if they don't feel like making anything up. During a player's turn, one can pull out an item they have on their possession, or cast a spell that they know. If deemed appropriate I will ask them to roll a d20 to see how well the action works.

The flow and content of the game will be determined by the players, and I will just simply act as a moderator. The storytelling is will be a give and take scenario. If the players do not shape the world through their posts, I will do so in their place until they take the initiative. The players would have access to two charts, a chart explaining how successful each dice roll is, and a chart showing modifiers for challenging actions.

And that's it! This sort of game is very much an open experience for storytelling and it can be as railroaded or as open as the group wants. No characters need to be rolled up, the only stat you have to worry about being your hit points.

So any interest? I am looking at managing a group of 3-4 players, but I can do more if everyone thinks they can post actively.

-Rukellian

[GreyWolfVT]

the odds 1 in 20 and look what i can roll d20 roll [1d20] = 1

[Rukellian]

the odds 1 in 20 and look what i can roll d20 roll [1d20] = 1

GM: You wake up in a dark room...
Player: I flip the light switch next to me to on.
GM: Roll.
Player: What? Really?
GM: Yes.
Player: (rolls a d20)
GM: Turns out, it wasn't a light switch... the engine just stopped, you enter a state of free-fall.

[GreyWolfVT]

the odds 1 in 20 and look what i can roll d20 roll [1d20] = 1

GM: You wake up in a dark room...
Player: I flip the light switch next to me to on.
GM: Roll.
Player: What? Really?
GM: Yes.
Player: (rolls a d20)
GM: Turns out, it wasn't a light switch... the engine just stopped, you enter a state of free-fall.

Somehow that sounds about par for the course that wasn't a light switch that was an outlet and that wasn't your finger that was a fork why did you stick a fork in the outlet?

[Rukellian]

Yes, this sort of game can get a bit silly too. Really, almost anything can go, provided you are lucky with a dice roll.

[GreyWolfVT]

Yes, this sort of game can get a bit silly too. Really, almost anything can go, provided you are lucky with a dice roll.

Virtual dice don't appear to like me as much as real dice. What's up with that?

[Rukellian]

For those who are not too sure about this idea, but are interested enough to give a beta shot out, I'd be willing to set up a quick game. I would just need 1-2 people to get things going. From there, others who would rather watch and see can get an idea of what this kind of game can be.

If it isn't obvious already, I am growing more excited about running one these games as the days go by. I feel as if we could all really have fun with this, given the amount of awesome people we have on this site. I'll be standing by until then and will eagerly await your responses! Even a 'no, not my cup of tea' would suffice. At least then I would know that there is a general wariness of this game format.

[GreyWolfVT]

For those who are not too sure about this idea, but are interested enough to give a beta shot out, I'd be willing to set up a quick game. I would just need 1-2 people to get things going. From there, others who would rather watch and see can get an idea of what this kind of game can be.

If it isn't obvious already, I am growing more excited about running one these games as the days go by. I feel as if we could all really have fun with this, given the amount of awesome people we have on this site. I'll be standing by until then and will eagerly await your responses! Even a 'no, not my cup of tea' would suffice. At least then I would know that there is a general wariness of this game format.

I thought I made it quite clear with my roll of 1 that I'm crazy enough to be interested who are these awesome people? Can't be talking about me

[Rusty Tincanne]

This reminds me a bit of Toon, but even looser.

I am both intrigued and wary. I would rather watch (because of my schedule), but if it helps get your idea off the ground, I would be willing to join in. A few questions:

What is the story setting? (Fantasy, sci fi, super hero, horror, comedy)
How are you determining equipment, spells, etc? (How do you decide limits?)
Are there any stats at all, or is this entirely free form?

[Rukellian]

This reminds me a bit of Toon, but even looser.

I am both intrigued and wary. I would rather watch (because of my schedule), but if it helps get your idea off the ground, I would be willing to join in. A few questions:

What is the story setting? (Fantasy, sci fi, super hero, horror, comedy)
How are you determining equipment, spells, etc? (How do you decide limits?)
Are there any stats at all, or is this entirely free form?

The story setting starts off as a blank slate. Nothing is set in stone until the players start chiseling away at it. If the players do not set a theme, or story, I will generally set one up in a setting I am very familiar with (medieval fantasy, sci-fi space exploration, modern horror/supernatural) and go from there.

Equipment and spells are determined by the player's input. If someone says they have a sword, then they have a sword. The less detail they put into it, the more generic it will be. If you know a spell, attempt to cast it. A bad die roll will determine whether it fails or confirms that you don't actually know that spell, a good roll leading to the idea that, 'yes, I know magic, but it is like any other tool in the game, I can miss, it may malfunction, but it exists and generally works.'

You are free to gloss over details, or focus on them to help build a unique character and or setting. In the early stages of the game (when rolling up your hitpoints), players may decide how they initially want to start the game, voting on a theme if they wish. From then on, you are all free to either stick with that theme or branch off into a new one, if it makes sense. Damage calculations will only be an issue if you make it so. As a rule of thumb, weak foes will fall with ease if you are playing as a strong adventurer, and foes of equal strength or higher will take more than one successful die roll to finish. Most of the decisions made in terms of limits will reflect the group's comfort level in how structured they want the game. A house rule section can easily be made to accommodate this.

As you can imagine at this point, this game is very much free form, and is meant to be an exercise in roleplaying, story telling, and having fun with a character concept or story idea. If you want to play something a bit more structured, then there are plenty of other games on this forum just for that purpose.

[GreyWolfVT]

Based on what Ruke said then I have a fork of holiness +5 vs evil and I am wearing full plate armor plus I'm invisible

[sulldawga]

I'd be interested in trying this. I've envisioned running this type of game before.

[Rukellian]

Well, I have at least two volunteers to try this out. If GreyWolf and sulldawga is fine with the arrangement, I can ask ToniXX to set up a game for us.

[sulldawga]

GreyWolf, which milieu were you thinking?

I could do D&D fantasy, or Traveller-style SF, or Fallout-style post-apoc, or Shadowrun-style future.

[GreyWolfVT]

Honestly any of those work for me.

[Rukellian]

Alright, the game request is sent. I will be starting with two players, but if anyone else wants to try this out, feel free to let me know here or via PM.

[Bluehorse]

What the heck. I throw my yes in if only for curiosity's sake.

[sulldawga]

I'm feeling some gritty, hardcore Fallout-style post-apoc action. Let's try that one.

[GreyWolfVT]

I'm feeling some gritty, hardcore Fallout-style post-apoc action. Let's try that one.

Sounds good to me