The Secret Game - Il Gioco Segreto: 2022

venerdì 30 dicembre 2022

How to create a sandbox suitable for a campaign, in 3-4 hours, step by step

1. Roll 3d6 on this chart for Climate, Elevation and Humidity of the region

Latitude/10	Climate	Elevation	Humidity
0	Tropical	Sealevel	Inundated
1-2	Subtropical	Low	Humid
1-2	Subtropical	Low	Humid
3-4	Temperate	1k ft/ 300 m	Dry
3-4	Temperate	1k ft/ 300 m	Dry
5	Boreal	2.5k ft. / 1000 m	Semi-arid
6	Subpolar	5k ft. / 2000 m	Arid
7-9	Polar	Treeline	Super-Arid

ex: I roll a 3 (Temperate), a 2 (Low), and a 4 (Dry)

2. Cross reference this chart to find biome, this is the default biome of the map

ex: Temperate and Dry gives me Woodland

3. Draw a Hex Flower of 7 hexes in the middle of the paper

4. Draw the borders with a thicker line

4. Write a H in the center hex: this is the Safe Haven

5. Roll the Terrain of this region

d10	Terrain	Effect
0	Rocky
1	Cliff/Canyon
2	Wetter	Shifts Humidity one row down and adds a (d8) 1-2 Nothing, 3-4 Pond, 4-5 Fed by a Spring, 6-8 with a Stream
3	Thicker Plants	Thicker Vegetation also shifts Humidity one row down, but water source is ground water/rain
4	Flat
5	Lower Ground	Go one row down on the Terrain and Elevation tables. If the Elevation drops to Sea-level, 2in6 chance that a large body of water is found (sea or lake).
6	Sandy
7	Mountain Chain
8	Higher Ground	Go one row up on the Terrain and Elevation tables
9	Rolling Hills

ex: I roll a 10, which gives me Rocky Terrain

6. Draw the Terrain and Biome on the map, or color it accordingly

If you don't know how to draw it, google "[biome/terrain] from above" and try to copy the textures that you see

7. The rest of the regions will have 2 different kind of terrain per region

Roll 1d10 for Terrain and 1d6 for how many hexes it covers, 2 times, and draw them on the paper, thickening the borders

ex: First terrain, I roll 2 (1d10) and 5 (1d6). A Wet Forest covers 5 hexes

Second terrain, 4 (1d10) and 4 (1d6). Flat Terrain, biome stays our default, which is

woodland

Reroll if a new kind of terrain doesn't pop up

8. Thicken the borders of the 2d6 region

9. Randomly place a Lair and a Waypoint

Waypoints are structures that allow people to teleport from one to the other once they're found

and repaired

They can also store objects in dimensional pockets that are available in any other Waypoint

Lairs offer shelter to whatever monster controls the territory

ex: The region is 9 hexes big, so I roll a d9 (d10, rerolling 9s) for the Lair and then a d8 for

the Waypoint. I roll a 7 and a 1 and I place them on the map

10. Mark them on the map with a L and a W

11. Repeat steps 7-10 going clockwise around the central hex flower until it's surrounded. Remember to have a new kind of Terrain pop up in every region.

12. Make the map even

13. Draw coordinates

14. Place Features

There are 6 Features

Roll 1d6 and then the coordinates and place a Feature in that hex, signaled by a roman

numeral

Reroll if there's already a Feature, a Waypoint or a Lair in that hex

If it ends in a region that was not fleshed out yet, roll the Terrain for that region

If you roll a Feature that is already on the map, roll a d6 again

If it's a new Feature, place it on the map and draw a Path between the new feature and the

one already on the map

If it's an old Feature, draw a path between those 2 Features

15. Drop a d4 on the map

It will point to 3 directions

If there are any Paths in those directions, starting rom the Haven, draw some Paths from the

Haven that lead to those Paths

16. Flesh out the monsters and the Features around the map. I like to use Spark Tables for

inspiration

Features could be landmarks, loot, hazards, wonders, machines, architecture, events, etc.

Thanks to Dave Lombardo for the idea of Waypoints, the author of the blog 9and30Kingdoms from where I stole the tables and the admin from r/mapmaking that uploaded that biome chart on Imgur

Stay tuned for my rules for travel that leverage this kind of map

martedì 29 novembre 2022

What's the difference between Into the Odd and Electric Bastionland?

Into the Odd was designed to simplify D&D and making it a bit more scifi, but still similar enough that you could play D&D/OSR modules. To differentiate it from D&D, a 19th century industrial vibe was chosen instead of the usual sort-of-medieval fantasy.

Chargen gives you equipment based on your stats roll. Worse stats give you better equipment and vice-versa. Equipment can tell you something about your character.

There are no classes. There are "magical" objects called Arcana sprinkled around the world

Characters progress through milestones, at first based on the number of expedition they undertake, then based on taking an apprentice. When you reach a milestone you roll additional hp and sometimes raise your stats.

There are rules for starting and managing an enterprise and large groups of followers, 'warbands'.

There's a GM section and an introductory dungeon , the Iron Coral

---

Electric Bastionland basically uses the same system but now fleshes out the setting that was mentioned in Into the Odd. Bastion is now more 1920s. It's a huge, chaotic city that has 'everything in it'. Deep Country, the land surrounding Bastion that has any biome if you go looking for it. Weirdly, the more you travel away from Bastion, the more technology recedes, like going back in time. You could even find dinosaurs. And then, beyond the Polar Ocean, the Golden Lands get even weirder. Then there's the Underground, populated by machines that like to test adventurers.

These aren't fixed settings. They are merely containers for your ideas. They allow you to come up with any idea without breaking any 'canon' of the world, since you can fit anything you can think of in one of the regions described. Idea for a dungeon? put it in the Underground. Bronze age adventures? Put it in Deep Country. Heist in a big city? Bastion

Oddities take the place of Arcana. The line between what's an oddity and whats mundane is more blurred. Anything out of the ordinary, from a Hic-gun that sometimes fires random shots to a Genie in a Lightbulb with Fenomenal Cosmic Powers can be an Oddity.

At chargen you roll for one of 100 failed careers of your character, each with its own dedicated spread. These, along with the illustrations and random tables sparsed throughout the book, are meant to convey Bastionland's atmosphere and spark ideas for your own gaming content.

Character progression is mainly based on what your character does in the world. The GM is encouraged to create scenarios that will leave the PCs transformed: connections, mutations, assets... that are many ways to achieve this. I'm thinking about writing a blog post about it.

There is also a Scar system that modifies your statistics when you take damage under certain conditions

There's a GM section and some example adventure locations

If you're still indecisive, the designer's pitch is that you should get Into the Odd if you mainly want to run other people's modules, and Electric Bastionland if you want to make your own.

giovedì 24 novembre 2022

Interactive Environment and Combos

Further developing this project

There are two more playable cards: Repeat Previous Card and Repeat First Card

Cards are played 3 at a time, covered, and then revealed and resolved one at a time. The order of reveal is important, so make sure you are on the same page on which counts as the First Card.

Example:
Player 1 and Player 2 each place 3 cards covered on the table. They decided that the first card is the one on Player 1's left side and Player 2's right side, so they reveal those cards. Player 1's card is as Block while Player 2's card is a Throw. They go through all the steps of the procedure explained in the last blogpost, then move to the second card, and so on. After the clash of the third card is resolved, they check if someone pulled off a Combo, resolve that effect, take back their cards and play another round.

Obviously, it doesn't make much sense to play Repeat First Card as your first card. If Repeat First Card is played as the first card and the opponent used an attack, their attack automatically connects.

A Combo is pulled off if the right cards have been played in the right order, and all your attacks connected.

Most Combos have a one-time use that lasts the whole combat:

1. Enemy can't play Fast Strike anymore
2. Enemy can't play Heavy Strike anymore
3. Enemy can't play Dodge anymore
4. Enemy can't play Throw anymore
5. Enemy can't play Block anymore
6. Enemy can't play Repeat Previous Card anymore
7. Enemy can't play Repeat First Card anymore
8. Once per turn, at the moment of reveal, you can change one of the opponent's cards on the field with one from yout hand.
9. Once per turn, at the moment of reveal, you can change one of your cards on the field with one from your hand,
10. Once per turn, at the moment of reveal, you can force the opponent to change one card on the field with one from their hand,
11. You can't go lower than a d6
12. Enemy can't go higher than d12
13. Step up your die to the highest step (this combo can be played more than once)
14. Step down opponent's die to the lowest step (this combo can be used more than once)
15. Your cards' effects are amplified by one die, so Fast Strike steps you up twice, Heavy Strike steps you up thrice and the opponent down twice, Dodge steps you both down twice etc
16. You don't have disadvantage anymore
17. Your die can't be stepped down anymore
18. If you and your opponent play the same attack card, theirs has disadvantage
19. Once per turn, you can reverse the result of a bout by swapping the cards after rolling eg. if your opponent's Fast Strike connected you get to step up the die instead. For the purpose of a Combo, it's your new card that counts, and your attack that counts as if it connected
20. Instant knock-out (show this combo to the enemy before the match)

To know what combo you're capable of, draw three random cards in order, and roll a d20. The Combo is whatever combination of Attacks, Blocks or Dodges resulted, and the effect is the one indicated by the d20. If your character has multiple combos and you roll the same combo twice, or the same effect twice, redraw the cards or reroll the die respectively.

If the first card you drew is Repeat First Card, swap the first and third card of the combo

In a TTRPG, PCs may start with one combo slot (or even none) and gain an additional combo slot for each powerful enemy they dispatch.

If you're just playing this as a tabletop game, you may draw up to 3 combos before the match.

Example:

Player 1 wants to know what their character's combo is. They draw, in order: Dodge, Repeat First Card and Heavy Strike, and roll a d20 with a result of 20.

This means that if in a round they manage to pull off two subsequent Dodges and then connect a Heavy Strike, they win the match.

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How can we turn this card game into a TTRPG?

When I think of kung-fu movies, particularly Jackie Chan's, I imagine alot of gags using the environment

At the moment of reveal, before rolling dice, you can decide to do your Move using the environment.

If you use your environment for a Move, this is always pulled off but there is no effect on the dice and your Combos aren't triggered. However, your opponent's Combo isn't disrupted.

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Example :

Player 1's character, 'Guile' vs Player 2's character, 'Jackie', are fighting in a bar

They both play a Fast Strike as their first card. Jackie decides that their character is breaking a bottle on Guile's head, so Jackie automatically wins the bout, buth their dice doesn't step up.

Next card is a Heavy Strike for Guile and a Throw for Jackie. Once again, Jackie decides to use the environment and slide Guile on the bar countertop, smashing his face against numerous glasses.

Finally, they both go for a Heavy Strike, and Guile comes out on top. stepping up his die twice nd stepping down Jackie's die once. Player 1 reveals that - Fast Strike . Heavy Strike - Heavy Strike - was their Combo and that means they can resolve its effect.

If Jackie's combo was Fast Strike - Throw - Heavy Strike, and he managed to connect his last Heavy Strike, he still wouldn't have completed his Combo since he used the environment during this round

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Objects usually break once used

Assume the characters are moving around the arena so everythinig is in reach.

Also, assume they're able to do incredibly acrobatic and showy stuff.

It's important to create highly interactive battle arenas, think about Jackie Chan's movies or Pirate sof the Caribbean. They can include:

1. Stuff to break on the opponent's head: pool cues, bottles, paintings, pans...

2. Swingy stuff, chandeliers, rope bridges...

3, Verticality, numerous planes of actions, stairs

4. Stilts

5. Hydrants, water hoses

6. Big hamster wheels...?

7. Kitchen stoves?

I don't know, let your fantasy run wild on how the characters can hurt each other.in the most funny way.

martedì 22 novembre 2022

Beat'em up!

Here's my attempt at a tabletop game that simulates fighting games

Maybe it could be used in a game with a kung-fu theme

You'll have 5 cards in your hand:

1. Fast Strike Attack (2): disadvantaged against Blocks. Step up own die once if it connects. .

2. Heavy Strike Attack (Ace): disadvantaged against Fast Strikes and Blocks. If it connects, step up own die twice and step down opponent's die once.

3. Dodge (Jack): cancels enemy's attack on a roll of 3+. If enemy's attack is cancelled, step down both dice once

4. Throw Attack (Queen): disadvantaged against Fast and Heavy Strikes. Step down opponent's die once if it connects.

5. Block (King): disadvantaged against Throws. If Block rolls higher, it cancels the enemy's attack, step down attacker's die once and step up defender's die once

Objective: roll 10 or more on an attack that connects to knock down the opponent

Procedure:

Choose a card and reveal it simultaneously with your opponent
Check if someone made an attack

Check for disadvantages

Roll your attack dice (start from d8)

Compare the rolls to see if someone's attack connects and whose.

If no one won yet, step dice up or down and go another round (steps: d4-d6-d8-d10-d12-d20)

Disadvantage means rolling two dice and referencing the lowest of the two.

The attack with the highest roll connects.

If no one attacks, nothing changes.

Ties are lost by the one with a disadvantage.

Two even Fast Strikes both connect. Step both dice up once.

Two even Heavy Strikes both connect. Step both dice up once.

Two even Throws are rerolled.

Example:

Player 1 vs Player 2

Round 1: d8 Heavy Strike vs d8 Fast Strike - Heavy Strike has disadvantage . (4 and 8) vs (6) - Player 2 wins the bout and steps up once

Round 2: d8 Dodge vs d10 Block - nothing changes

Round 3:d8 Fast Strike vs d10 Fast Strike- (5) vs (1) - Player 1 wins the bout and steps up once

Round 4: d10 Block vs d10 Throw - Block has disadvantage - (10 and 8) vs (9) - Throw connects and Player 1 steps down their die

Round 5: d8 Block vs d10 Fast Strike - Fast Strike has disadvantage - (1) vs (6 and 10) - even with disadvantage, Player 2 connects and steps up once

Round 6: d8 Heavy Strike vs d12 Heavy Strike- (4) vs (6) - Player 2 hits heavier - they step up twice while Player 1 steps down once

Round 7: d6 Heavy Strike vs d20 Fast Strike - Heavy Strike has disadvantage - (6 and 4) vs (16) - Player 2 wins the fight

If you tried it and commented your impressions it would make me very happy

lunedì 17 ottobre 2022

Come creo/converto mostri per giochi Odd

Per convertire gli HP mi baso sugli HD:

<4: d6hp

4-10: 2d6 hp

>10: 3d6 hp

Sinceramente la formula consigliata da Yochai Gal per cui 1 HD= 1HP è più semplice e dà gli stessi risultati

Se creo il mostro dal nulla, come consigliato qui, dò d6 hp se è una creature normale, 2d6 hp se se la cava nel combattimento, 3d6 hp se è proprio tosto

Le statistiche le tiro su 3d6 ma le scambio o le riaggiusto se non hanno senso

Armatura:

1 se il mostro è grosso o è parzialmente protetto

2 se è enorme o completamente protetto

3 se è proprio fatto di un materiale duro come roccia o metallo

Dopodiché guardo questo articolo e confronto per vedere se l'effetto che avrà sul gioco è in linea col feeling del mostro

Attacchi:

Faccio la media del danno del mostro originale e la dimezzo, calcolo che tipo di dado farebbe quel danno in media e poi lo scalo verso l'alto

Ad esempio se un mostro fa 2d8+4 (media 13) e lo dimezzo (6,5). È il danno di un dado d12. Normalmente prenderei il dado più alto (d20) ma siccome questo è un mostro della 5e e quindi fa molti danni, preferisco dimezzarlo ancora, quindi (3,25) ---> (d6) ---> (d8)

Sempre basandomi su quegli articoli mi domando se può attaccare più bersagli o addirittura fare un attacco BLAST

Per decidere quanto danno dovrebbe fare un attacco blast mi baso su questa regolina di Electric Bastionland: "If in doubt as to how many targets can be affected, roll the weapon’s die." (pg 8)

Per effetti secondari bisogna giocare di fantasia, ma qui il consiglio più importante è: "don't make soft monsters"

Per le personalità dei mostri spesso uso questa tecnica di Chris di prendere i template da Electric Bastionland e modificarli in base al mostro.

Inoltre cerco di infilare un effetto tra gli attacchi o la personalità che "cambi" il PG in modo diegetico diegetico diegetico

E cerco di porre tutto in chiave di azioni, di iniziare con un verbo attivo, in modo che qualcuno che legga abbia un menu di azioni da fare

Esempio: convertiamo un grifone da OSE

Descrizione: sappiamo tutti com'è un grifone. La cosa interessante è che attacca i cavalli

Statistiche: AC 14, 7 HD, 2 artigli d4 e un morso d8

La descrizione del comportamento ci ripete che attacca i cavalli, che difende il suo nido, che possono essere addomesricati ma vanno comunque tenuti alla larga dai cavalli

Conversione delle statistiche: armatura 1 (grossa taglia), 2d6 HP (8), 3d6 statistiche:

12 STR, 9 DEX, 5 CHA

Ritiro CHA perché la descrizione dice che è un animale fiero: 11

Non segno niente perché sono tutte nella media

Attacchi: decido di metterne uno solo per volta perché a me sembra strano attaccare sia col becco che gli artigli nello stesso round, e più bersagli contemporaneamente, però alzo il danno a d10

Comportamento:
Decido che il motivo per cui uccide i cavalli e altre bestie domestiche è perché lo considera un affronto contro la natura selvaggia. E da qui parte un filo di pensieri che si conclude con un grifone con una sorta di ideologia fanatica. Inoltre decido che può parlare, altrimenti sarebbe difficile per i giocatori comprendere questa ideologia

Risultato finale:

Grifone: armatura 1 (grossa taglia), 8 HP, artigliata d10

- Uccide gli animali domestici per il crimine di aver rinnegato la loro natura

- Dichiara che gli umani sono una peste perché si sono separati dalla natura e ora la stanno corrompendo

- Minaccia di ucciderli se non si spogliano dei loro averi terreni e non tornano a vivere come animali

Lista di articoli citati:

https://www.bastionland.com/2020/03/bastionland-non-conversion-guide.html

https://www.bastionland.com/2014/07/d-5e-to-into-odd-conversion-guide.html

https://www.bastionland.com/2022/04/defence.html

https://www.bastionland.com/2015/09/how-i-run-into-odd.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWjYxOfdfvs&ab_channel=Bastionland

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