Hello all,
I'm currently in the process of developing my own sci-fi themed roleplaying system and am looking for a convenient forum to discuss different gaming elements people like to see in their games, ranging from character creation and equipment to campaign plots and background stories.
The system relies heavily on a very active gamemaster who'd be able to adapt the ongoing story to the players' actions and decisions, rather than setting a 'railroad' thread of events for the players to work through. As an example of this the first adventure I'm looking to use would involve a team of specialists (the PCs) being recruited to a team investigating a derelict spaceship. Players would then decide which characters they'd like to play as and what skills, abilities and traits they'd have before the GM would determine exactly what sort of ship it was they were investigating. If everyone choose combat-orientated characters then the ship may be an abandoned warship whose internal defenses were still active and which would have to be fought passed to reach the control core, for a stealth party it could be a pleasure yacht filled with valuable items, booby traps and security systems.
What the players decide to do aboard the ship would then set in motion the next adventure. For instance if they managed to secure the ship intact they might discover that apart from a few minor repairs the ship's functionally spaceworthy and so only have to go hunting for spare parts to get themselves a neat mobile base, which would lead onto a story revolving around black market deals and criminal connections on a nearby 'civilised' world. On the other hand if the players ended up causing a core breach which blows up the ship they might find themselves crashlanding an escape pod on a backwater world and having to find some way to either call for help or steal a ship from the locals to get back into space.
Another aspect of my system would be multiple story threads, which would be running in parallel to the main story being played but not revealed to the players. To go back to the previous example, the abandoned ship's former crew would be up to something as well as whoever it was hired them to investigate the ship. Through a series of dice rolls by the GM between adventures they'd be able to track whether the NPCs plans were progressing, which would then have either a positive or negative affect on the PCs. For instance while PCs were investigating the ship the former crew successfully made it to a nearby planet to sell some hardware they'd stripped out on the way to the escape pods making it easier for the PCs to find the parts they need when they arrive later, but at the same time their backers had had a run in with pirates which meant their finances would be a little tighter, leading the PCs into having to obtain the components by some other means than simply paying for them.
In the long-term these secret agendas would twist an ongoing campaign in a totally different direction from where it may end up on another playthrough, and would require the GM to be quick on their feet with new narrative options and events as the unseen agents' actions led to unforeseen complications for the PCs.
Right now I'm looking for any input as to what sort of events and scenarios people enjoy playing through, as well as any notes for things to avoid.
Thanks.
I'm currently in the process of developing my own sci-fi themed roleplaying system and am looking for a convenient forum to discuss different gaming elements people like to see in their games, ranging from character creation and equipment to campaign plots and background stories.
The system relies heavily on a very active gamemaster who'd be able to adapt the ongoing story to the players' actions and decisions, rather than setting a 'railroad' thread of events for the players to work through. As an example of this the first adventure I'm looking to use would involve a team of specialists (the PCs) being recruited to a team investigating a derelict spaceship. Players would then decide which characters they'd like to play as and what skills, abilities and traits they'd have before the GM would determine exactly what sort of ship it was they were investigating. If everyone choose combat-orientated characters then the ship may be an abandoned warship whose internal defenses were still active and which would have to be fought passed to reach the control core, for a stealth party it could be a pleasure yacht filled with valuable items, booby traps and security systems.
What the players decide to do aboard the ship would then set in motion the next adventure. For instance if they managed to secure the ship intact they might discover that apart from a few minor repairs the ship's functionally spaceworthy and so only have to go hunting for spare parts to get themselves a neat mobile base, which would lead onto a story revolving around black market deals and criminal connections on a nearby 'civilised' world. On the other hand if the players ended up causing a core breach which blows up the ship they might find themselves crashlanding an escape pod on a backwater world and having to find some way to either call for help or steal a ship from the locals to get back into space.
Another aspect of my system would be multiple story threads, which would be running in parallel to the main story being played but not revealed to the players. To go back to the previous example, the abandoned ship's former crew would be up to something as well as whoever it was hired them to investigate the ship. Through a series of dice rolls by the GM between adventures they'd be able to track whether the NPCs plans were progressing, which would then have either a positive or negative affect on the PCs. For instance while PCs were investigating the ship the former crew successfully made it to a nearby planet to sell some hardware they'd stripped out on the way to the escape pods making it easier for the PCs to find the parts they need when they arrive later, but at the same time their backers had had a run in with pirates which meant their finances would be a little tighter, leading the PCs into having to obtain the components by some other means than simply paying for them.
In the long-term these secret agendas would twist an ongoing campaign in a totally different direction from where it may end up on another playthrough, and would require the GM to be quick on their feet with new narrative options and events as the unseen agents' actions led to unforeseen complications for the PCs.
Right now I'm looking for any input as to what sort of events and scenarios people enjoy playing through, as well as any notes for things to avoid.
Thanks.