The Cat's Meow (RFYD)

The theme of this month's SROYT over at RPG geek is Animals.  The following resulted.

Title: The Cat's Meow
System: RFYD

 I. Parameters: World Building 

• Genre: Gonzo fantasy, anthropomorphism, Gritty
• Setting: The city of Ngot, Tropical Urban Sprawl, Overlay Vornheim and Yoon-Suin Yellow City  elements. 
• Technology Level: 17th Century Steampunk + Occult Magic
•  Premise: The characters are gangsters vying for territory, money, and power. 
• World Assumptions
• 100 years ago the Mad Scientist Azaaz Hidlu developed the first anthropomorphous animals.  They bred like rabbits
• Most of the so called "anthropoms" live in the ghettoized slums of Ngot. 

II. Concepts: Character Building

• Concept: Puca is a street hustling dilettante who dreams of gold. 
• Tags: Catfolk, Smooth talker 
• Aspects: Natural born leader, Friends in low places
• Items: Thieves tools, boot knife 
• Wealth: 1d4
• Stats: STR (7) , Dex (12), Con (10), INT (14), WIS (11), CHA (15)

III. Gameplay : Scene 1

• Location: Seedy bar in the slums, The Cat's Meow. 
• Purpose: I want to start my own gang, My goals are to: Establish turf, a racket, find a hide-out, and grow my gang. 
• Pieces: Bar patrons, Ursula the Barkeep,

Summary of Scene 1: 

So I was sitting at the bar and spent my last pennies on a beer. I needed to make some dough fast or i'd be sleeping on the streets. I run into some guys try to persuade me to rob some herbalist on his way home from work. Their leader, Savage Freedom, promises to pay well, but I get a bad feeling about these guys so tell them I'll think about it.

I end up talking to some other patrons and meet Esgreth Orn; an alluring carpenter who claims to be the son of god and wants to develop harmony. Clearly crazy as a bat. But he tells me his "temple" has been invaded and defiled by dark nights (thugs took over his house). We make an arrangement, I rid his house of the thugs, he gives me lodging in a small room upstairs. Sounds good. I ask him to show me where his house is. 

and the story continues from there. 

Unexpected Problems - Urban

Sometimes characters need a kick in the ass to get motivated. Here is a start to a  draft list of unexpected problems to spur characters to action in an urban setting.

Unexpected Problems: Roll 1d20

1. Mugged
2. Arrested
3. Missing Person
4. Witness a beating 
5. Flash Flooding
6. Riot
7. Paranormal Activity 
8. Extortion 
9. Kidnapped 
10. A Spell is Cast on You
11. A plea for help
12. An offer you can't refuse
13. Military Coup
14. Pickpocketed 
15. Mistaken Identity 
16. Pest Infestation 
17. Challenge to a Dual 
18. Poisoned
19. Zoo Animal is Rampaging the City 
20. Giant Monster/Demon is Rampaging the City 

I asked for further ideas on the G+ OSR group and got some great responses as well, check it out. 

Genre's I Like to Play In

I'm having fun generating/defining a list of genre's I like to combine for my rpg settings.

Pulp fiction, horror, occult, the PUNKS (steam, diesel, cyber etc. ), grimdark, low fantasy, sword and sorcery, gangster, adventure, weird, alt-history, science fantasy. 

Rocks Fall You Die (RFYD) 1.0

Purpose: A flexible OSR-esq system for solo/co-op pulp adventure.

Content

I. Parameters: World Building 

1. Genre 
2. Setting
3. Technology Level
4. Premise 
5. World Assumptions

II. Concepts: Character Building 

1. Ability Scores
2. Concept
3. Tags
4. Aspects
5. Items
6. Purchase Power and HP

III. Tools 

1. Core Mechanic
2. Modifiers, Bonuses and Penalties
3. Fighting Stuff
4. Usage Die
5. Level Up

IV. Gameplay 

1. Scene
2. Oracle 
3. Random Tables and Other Tools
4. Tests and Interesting Failure
5. Sequel 

_________________________________

I. Parameters: World Building 

• Step 1. Genre: List a few words that describe your game's genre, e.g. gonzo fantasy, grimdark, space opera, mythos.
• Step 2. Setting: List a few words that describe your game's setting, e.g. alternate 1920s Korea, The 7 Kingdoms, apocalyptic urban wasteland. 
• Step 3. Technology Level: List a few words that describe the level of technology and presence of magic in your game, e.g. medieval fantasy, dieselpunk + occult magic. 
• Step 4. Premise: The characters are X who do Y. e.g. The characters are up and coming gangsters vying for power. 
• Step 5. World Assumptions: List a few things your character thinks they know about the world. e.g. Catfolk are treated as second class citizens.  

__________________________________

II. Concepts: Character Building

• Step 1. Ability Scores: Roll 3d6 for abilities in the following order Strength (STR), Dexterity (DEX), Constitution (CON), Intelligence (INT), Wisdom (Wis), Charisma (CHA).  Two stats may be swapped.
  
  Ability Score / Modifier
             3         /    -3
            4-5      /    -2
            6-8      /    -3
           9-12     /    0
          13-15    /    +1
          15-17    /    +2
             18      /    +3
• Step 2. Concept: Describe your character in a sentence = A (adjective + noun phrase) + desire, e.g. A street hustler who dreams of gold. 
• Step 3. Tags: List three tags describing what you're good at, e.g. parkour, brawler, sharpshooter, heavy metal guitarist. 
• Step 4. Aspects: List two things that makes you who you are, e.g. former Lonestar agent, Fallen night of the Black Rose, Noble of the Crabtree House.
• Step 5. Items: List two pieces of iconic equipment that define you, e.g. twin blaster guns, motorcycle, alchemy tools. 
  Note: Tags, Aspects, and Items can be developed in-game. 
• Step 6. Purchase Power and HP:  HP = Constitution. Roll 1d6 to determine Purchase Power, represented by a Usage Dice.

1. High Roller                   /      1d20
2. Well Off                        /      1d12
3. Middle Class                /       1d10
4. Working Class             /       1d8
5. Poor                             /       1d6
6.  Dirt Poor                     /       1d4

____________________________________________

III. Tools

• Core Mechanic: Anything you attempt that could result in interesting failure is resolved by testing attribute stats. To successfully test a stat - you must roll above the Difficulty Class (DC) on a d20.  A rolled 1 is always an Epic Failure, a rolled 20 is always a Critical Success. Apply modifiers, bonuses and penalties to DC rolls.
  
  Task Difficulty   /    DC
  Normal                /  10
  Hard                    /  15
  Heroic                 /  20
  Godlike               /  25
  Apply Advantage and Disadvantage as needed.  
• Modifiers, Bonuses and Penalties: Once you decide the appropriate stat to test, +/- any applicable attribute modifiers. You can also gain a +1 bonus by inserting a Character Category: Concept, Tag, Aspect, Item into the fiction.  You can stack a maximum insert of three categories for one test and only one thing from each category (maximum bonus +3). Use advantage, disadvantage, and penalties to scale test difficulty as required.
• Fighting Stuff: Lethal combat is fast, risky deadly, and should usually be avoided.  If one of your Items is armor related you can add Armor Points (AP) to your HP. 
  Light Armor = 2AP
  Medium Armor = 4AP
  Heavy Armor = 6AP
  Your Damage: Hand to hand 1d4, Weapon 1d8
  Monster refers to any enemy NPC. Use stats from a source book, make them up, or use the table below. 
  Monster  Level /      HP                    / Monster Damage 
  Standard:          /       1d10               /       1d4,1d6
  Hard:                /        1d20              /       2d4, 1d10
  Big Bad:          /         2d20              /       1d12, 2d8
• Usage Die: In addition to Cash, any consumable item can be tracked with a Usage Die. When you use an item, a Usage Die is rolled.  If you roll a 1-2, the usage die is downgraded: d20 > d12 > d10 > d8 > d6 > d4.  When you roll a 1-2 on a d4, the item is depleted.  
• Level Up: When you complete 9 Scenes.
  -Roll 3d6 for each ability.  If you roll higher, increase the ability score by 1.
  -Add 1 Tag, Aspect, OR Item
  -At level 5 the character has earned renown and retires. You win. 

_______________________________________

IV. Gameplay 

• Set the Scene.  A Scene should have a Location, Purpose, and Pieces to interact with. 
• Ask Questions to the Oracle as needed. You need two Fate/Fudge Dice for this one. Or use another oracle like Mythic. 
• (Optional) Have a healthy stack of Random Tables, word charts, and other brain shocking tools as needed for inspiration. 
• Tests and Interesting Failure: Once you have your Scene, play it out. If you try something that could result in interesting failure or death, test the appropriate attribute stat. If failure is very unlikely or uninteresting, you auto-succeed and move on. 
• Once a Scene's purpose is addressed, the Scene is completed. Wrap up any loose ends and use a brief narrative Sequel to transition to the next Scene.  Roll on the Interrupt/Scene Change Table and incorporate this into the Sequel or the next Scene.  Rinse and Repeat.
  
  Interrupt/Scene Change Table (1d12)
  Roll /    Event
  1-3   /    NPC Action
  4      /    Remote Event
  5      /    New NPC
  6-7   /    PC Negative
  8       /   PC Positive
  9-10  /   Ambiguous
  11     /    NPC Negative
  12     /    NPC Positive

Gaming With Myself: A few thoughts on playing TTRPGs Solo

Solo is my primary TTRPG game mode.  I'm not much fond of humans in their physical form.  I find this style of play fascinating and very rewarding. Two truths are truth for me.

1. Playing TTRPGs solo is not writing a story. Although I do love writing stories based on my sessions.  The sessions themselves involve playing the game...my way.

2. Playing TTRPGs solo is not akin to playing chess against yourself. Not the way I do it.  I've tried setting up complex Pathfinder battles against myself, of course it sucked. In my solo games combat, when it happens, is fast and revolves around an interesting failure. This sometimes requires hacking the system.

Interesting Failure
At its barest bones; My games revolve around interesting failure.  I roll dice to determine outcome when failure's an option.  Both success and failure are interesting options that motivate the narrative forward. Unless I die.  If its not interesting, I don't roll.

A Search for a Simple System

I am on a quest to put together a personalized toolkit for solo-ttrpging that includes an oracle and light mechanics. 

I've been binging on reading rpg systems and they all use a variety of mechanics to handle tests. Most use some sort of attributes that relate to body, spirit, and mind.  I recently read The Black Hack which uses a beautifully simple core mechanic where every test can be assigned under one of the D&D 6: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma. 

This appealed to me.  Afflicted by a lifelong D&D love affair and d20 brainwashing, the D&D 6 seem natural to me.  Almost any activity that would lead to a test, in any genre, seemed handleable through the D&D 6.  I'd long been speculatively stating the real world and give myself 10s across the board. 

I tried think about any rpg contest/test/conflict that the D&D 6 could not  handle. I couldn't think of anything.  Someone happened to post a similar question on reddit.  Some interesting answers were emotions, sex, and describing complex characters such as a beautiful bastard. Another debate was their effectiveness in covering simulations vs. narrative tests. 

As a solo player, I'm more interested in narrative drive than simulation.  Being able to quickly decide success and failure is key.   A simple genre/setting neutral system using the D&D 6 is what I'm looking for. 

Mound of the Lizardmen

Lizards that walk like humans, evil beasts,
Ravage farmers livestock every moonless night,
Clear the fens of the lizardmen,
Total pay 100 silver, and an extra 20 per scalp.
The employer is not responsible for loss of life or damages incurred.

The words of the contract ran across Quixota’s mind as she stepped on the creature’s scaled chest and slid her sword through its leathery chest. Time stopped, for a moment, as if it ran out of breath.

The dank soil of the lizardmen’s barrow sucked crimson juice seeping from the reptilian corpses scattering its surface. Quixota wiped her sword and nodded to companions with approval, she’d chosen well. Rulok’s fought viciously an old priest, and whatever occult forces Parsifal was playing with were quick and deadly. With the barrow cleared, they could be back to the Keep by dinner tomorrow, payment in hand, and celebrate a job well done.

A whimpering hiss jerked Quixota from her reverie. A small group of the decrepit creatures huddled in the corner. Two larger ones, more slender then the ones slain, wrapped their arms around a now jumping and hissing batch of lizardlings.

Quixota felt her companions tense and stalk forward. “Stop!” She cried. “They are mothers protecting their young.”

Parsifal, the little shit just scowled as he counted the runts, “Contracts said to rid the fens of them no exceptions. Five or six more scalps doesn’t hurt either.”

Parsifal began chanting primeval incantations of a spell likely to obliterate the lizardlings but keep their skins intact. Quixota commanded again for him to stop but he ignored her his voice speaking the incantations with hasty vigor. Quixota lunged, sword drawn.

“Quixota no!” Rulok gasped as she had sliced the occultists head from his body. But it was too late. 

Parsifal’s mouth formed the final syllable of the incantation. As his headless body collapsed to the floor, his arm jerked with necrotic power and lobbed a greenish hue that settled peacefully around the lizardlings. They screamed as Quixota saw their eyes melt in their sockets, but their flesh remained intact as they burned from within.

Rulok backed away from Quixota, his mace raised defensively. “You murdered our companion just doing his job? These were evil creatures, we were sanctioned to kill by the grace of God. Let them grow and would murder man.”

“What makes them evil Rulok? These creatures hunt, raise families struggle to survive, how are they so different from us.”

Rulok looked at her like she was a child in need of basic explanation. “We are contract adventures on the borderlands, our coin is made by conquering so humans can settle. Those who threaten our existence are naturally evil as we are blessed by God.”

Then, Quixota heard a scuffle, a small squeak among the cindered bones. One lizardling, a runt, still alive. The others must have shielded him from the toxic spell. Quixota yanked the cloak from Parsifal’s corpse and grabbed the lizardling from the bodies of its kin. She held it tightly . “I’ve got you.” She whispered.

“Quixota, what will you do with that lizardling?” the priest moved closer, pleading with her. Quixota lunged forward shooting her free arm out and knocking the priest to the ground. “Get back Rulok.” She said calmly.

He grunted in pain and gave her a horrified look. “You will be charged with murder. You can never to the Keep or the Human realm, you know that.”

She nodded. “The I will not be returning to civilization.”

Rulok shook his head. “You will die out here alone Quixota. My she have peace on your soul.” He hurried toward the borrow entrance and didn’t turn back. Quixota turned toward the lizardling in her arm, its bulging reptilian eyes were wide and black, “how could one so young be evil?” 

She took two ends of the cloak and wrapped the young lizardling to her back, the way she had done with her own children so many years ago. She trudged to the swampy surface of the lizard man’s borrow. The sun still struggled through the fog and weeping trees, a few hours of daylight left.