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Other Stuff => Topic-Based RPGs => Topic started by: Flipz on August 13, 2011, 06:15:50 pm



Title: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Flipz on August 13, 2011, 06:15:50 pm
Discuss the new RPG, "Brave New Souls (http://www.mlno.org/index.php/topic,7232.0.html)" here!


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Blade on August 13, 2011, 06:27:44 pm
Quote
sent aboard the U.S.S. Fawkes

Now I wonder what that could be from? =P

Just one thing to mention; 'Ki Armour' isn't made out of Ki itself; but Ki Steel, a special metal made to channel Ki in special ways. So, while only Chosen Ones can use it, it's not a 'power'. =P

As for profiles; I'll make one soon. However, give me 'til tomorrow, since I'm currently playing Goldeneye, and that's taking up some time. =P


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Flipz on August 13, 2011, 06:57:14 pm
Quote
sent aboard the U.S.S. Fawkes

Now I wonder what that could be from? =P

*snip*

As for profiles; I'll make one soon. However, give me 'til tomorrow, since I'm currently playing Goldeneye, and that's taking up some time. =P

Pay no attention to that name!  Typo!  ::) :P

And yeah, I still need to write the NPC list, and make the in-game profiles for at least Captain Flipz, Pavlov, Sulu, and T'Sing.  So I can forgive you for having to wait. :P


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Legodac on August 13, 2011, 08:47:15 pm
Well...?
An RPG should attract the intended, with words that are designed for the purpose.


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Flipz on August 13, 2011, 09:12:11 pm
Um...how about the opening of the Story section on the main RPG page?

Quote
Space...the final frontier.  These are the adventures of the Phoenix Command Group.  Our continuing mission: To defend the weak and the innocent.  To seek out justice against the galaxy’s most wicked.  To boldly go…where no one else dares!


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: mtmerrick on August 14, 2011, 01:52:03 am
it.... it seems nice, but too complicated >_<  powers, rules, only certain species... too strict an RPG for my tastes, sorry. :/


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Flipz on August 14, 2011, 12:30:57 pm
Let me try to simplify, especially the profiles description. 

1., 2. Most of the backstory stuff is just that; a summary of the past two years of the PCG.  You can ignore or skim most of it; I'll keep you up to date with what's going on that affects your characters. 
3. The "Gameplay" block is basically a tutorial for those new to role-playing in general, along with a note that says (in effect) that anything is fair game if you can make up some justification for it (i.e. not completely restricted to ST canon). 
4., 5. Standard rules and punishments, mostly borrowed from Blade.
6. I'm reworking the descriptions for clarity, but I'm also making some formatting changes that will hopefully make the form clearer.  ALSO!  Note that not all fields are required at the start; particularly the "flagship" stuff, which won't come along for a while.  Again, I'll reformat and rewrite to make all clearer.

EDIT: To simplify further: All you need to play are a Name, a gender, a species, and a power.  Everything else is either optional or will come later.  If you don't understand the species and power options, the default is "Human" and "Currently unknown."  If you don't like what's available, please, by all means give me ideas; odds are, I'll approve. ;)

7. This is mostly backstory for now, but it lists the playable and unplayable factions and what they do in the universe.  It'll be useful once I get approval to include other groups as playable factions.
8. A simple species list for use in profiles.

Again, if something's confusing or just plain too long, let me know and I'll try to revise.  I don't want this to be restrictive; I want you guys to have as much freedom as possible. ;)

EDIT: In case anyone is interested, this is the general style of uniform we use, but we also have a stylized Sam Browne belt like the ones used in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Yesterday's Enterprise":
LINK? (http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/Starfleet_uniform_(2386-2400s))


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Blade on September 07, 2011, 03:54:03 pm
Hey, quick question, have you forgotten about this RPG, Flipz? =P


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Flipz on September 07, 2011, 06:03:41 pm
*Hides +12 Pen of Retcon* just some story changes to accommodate...stuff..... ::)


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Blade on September 07, 2011, 06:13:28 pm
I see then. =P

Any plans on any updates for this any time any soon? =P


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Blade on September 24, 2011, 06:29:38 pm
Know I just complained about this in the other topic; but this is mostly to point out that link you posted, about the uniforms? Broken on two counts.


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Flipz on September 24, 2011, 06:37:31 pm
Try it now, using URL tags should have helped.


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Blade on September 24, 2011, 06:39:46 pm
That worked. Still weird though, because it didn't seem to recognize the article at all.(Also, apparently that is the Wiki you were trying to link to. Interesting. Didn't think it was, since it was "Memory Beta", and not "Memory Alpha". =P


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Flipz on November 26, 2011, 01:35:16 pm
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepic revive!  It's SUPER EFFECTIVE!!!! :P

BNS is back in action!  I just sent out a PM to everyone who has been involved thus far, I'm also going to post about it on LZP. Let's get back in action!


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Blade on November 26, 2011, 01:42:39 pm
Sweet, good to see the RPG back in action. =D Let's go!


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Alien_Ant2 on November 26, 2011, 02:15:22 pm
Any particular point/way I should make my character's entrance?


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Flipz on January 31, 2012, 03:03:27 pm
Well, now that I can post again, PCG RPG will be back up shortly.  I just have to find and revive things.  Think of it as how GLaDOS had to rebuild the Aperture Science labs in Portal 2.  Sure, it's kind of in ruins right now, but give it some time, and it'll be more epic than ever.  :)


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Blade on January 31, 2012, 05:24:17 pm
Good to hear. =D

At least it'll be revived, which is a good thing. =)


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Flipz on February 01, 2012, 12:01:56 am
During the time off, you'll be glad to know, I started working on some of the plotlines for Act 2.  I've also been working on a stat system for challenges and combat, which brings me to my next point:

MLNO was the birthplace of Brave New Souls.  You were my first players, and you've been my most dedicated players, so you're the ones I trust for advice.  Sometime in the second half of this year, I plan to open up a branch of Brave New Souls at Eurobricks; not only is there a large community of roleplayers there who I would love to introduce the PCG to, but many of them are Trek fans and have expressed interest in playing the RPG.  So, I need your help--I want to design a stat system that will work well here, where our small-scale freestyle roleplaying works best when the stats stay out of the way and Game Masters bend the rules, as well as at EB, where the large number of players (and open missions) suggests a sturdy, unequivocably fair stat-based system.

The Heroica RPG introduced me to a combat system that is so simple yet elegant that I am kicking myself for not thinking of it the moment the LEGO Games series came out (and thus, for not applying it to MLN:R3 when I had the chance).  It goes like this:

Each player states (in bold) their target, action, and which "row" they attack from (more on that in a minute).  The party leader states the order of attack for the party members and any NPCs in the party.  Roll a 6-sided die.  You can use a digital one if needed.  These are the following possible results:
Shield Phoenix: The Hero Player performs their Special Skill
Critical Hit: The Player lands a Critical Hit on their opponent (2x damage, though certain classes have other effects)
Hit: The Player lands a Hit on their opponent
Miss: The Player and the opponent both miss each other (certain classes have other effects)
Damage: The Player is struck by the opponent's weapon
Special Damage: The Player is struck by the opponent's special ability

The stat system is similarly simple and effective (though I am making some tweaks as we speak), but what I want to know is this: would you be willing to try this out?  I know we haven't really had combat yet, but it's easy to see how this could be adapted for non-combat challenges (plus if Valk and Elaine manage to get their team together, there WILL be some light combat that will be perfect to introduce the system).

I know this is a big change, so I'd definitely appreciate ideas and feedback, ESPECIALLY if you haven't yet joined the game due to the massive WALLOFTEXT in the first post.  ;)


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Blade on February 01, 2012, 09:15:24 am
It might work. And we could still apply it to R3, as it's simply in stasis, waiting for a reply that's likely not gonna happen. =P

I'm not entirely certain if stats would work for RPGs that aren't basically text based MMOs(Like R3 and NG); but, I would be willing to give it a shot.

Also, are the plotlines for after the timeskip we're gonna have, or after the prologue's done? =P


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Flipz on February 01, 2012, 11:32:07 pm
Act I gets everyone into trouble.  Act II is, essentially, RPG-combat as things get steadily worse (which is why it's hardest to write as a story as opposed to an RPG).  Act III is the conclusion.

I already have the story version written through Act I, the plotlines are for Act II.  Act III has pretty much been set in stone since before I even had Act I figured out, I just have to write it down. :P

OK, here's the preliminary Stats:

Stats:
When creating your character, you'll have to assign their stats.  Your baseline stats are determined by your Species, as well as the number of stat points you have to spend on them.  (Humans, for example, start with 1 Strength, 1 Dexterity, and 1 Mind point, and have 7 additional points to spend, while Klingons start with 4 Strength, 1 Dexterity, and 1 Mind point and have 4 additional points to spend as they see fit.)
This is a summary of what the different stats do:

Strength: Strength is a measure of your character’s physical strength, as well as their resistance to illness and injury.  You add your Strength to melee attack damage, such as attacks with vibro-swords, batleth, and bare fists.  You also add your Strength score when making Strength-related skill checks (like forcing open a jammed door or climbing up a wall or cliff).  In addition, for every 5 points of Strength you gain +1 Hit Point (in addition to your class and/or species boost during that level-up).
Dexterity: Dexterity represents your character’s reflexes, aim, and agility.  Add your Dexterity score to damage for ranged attacks, such as those from phasers or disruptors, as well as to Dexterity-related skill checks (such as dodging debris from an exploding console or piloting a starfighter).  In addition, for every 5 Dexterity points you gain, you will _____.
Mind: Mind represents your character’s mental prowess; their intelligence, wisdom, and charisma.  Your Mind score applies to damage caused by certain types of species-based attacks (i.e. aggressive uses of telepathy), as well as to Mind-related skill checks (such as diagnosing an alien disease, programming a computer to repair complex machinery, or plotting a ship’s navigational course).  In addition, for every 5 Mind points you gain, you will ______.

More to come, but I'd like yourfeedback on what I have posted so far first.

You may notice that I've given more importance to species, it seems to make sense to include the natural qualities of the species in the stats, especially since the various Divisions (classes) have less of an effect stat-wise compared to most RPGs.


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: MsRowdyRedhead on February 02, 2012, 12:45:10 am
You lost me.


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Flipz on February 02, 2012, 12:58:35 am
Ah, OK.  Give me a few days, I'll run a combat drill, it's easier to expain things by example. ;)

Also, this IS highly experiemental, so there's that too. :P


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: MsRowdyRedhead on February 02, 2012, 01:40:30 am
Well I am not much into combat games anyhow...


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Flipz on February 02, 2012, 01:52:19 am
That's why I'm also adapting the system to work for non-combat stuff, too. ;)  You'll see more when I finish working out the Classes. ;)


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Blade on February 03, 2012, 09:48:20 am
Let's see... This is where I come in, since I've been playing a stat-based game recently(Same one as when we were thinking up new stuff for R3. =P)...

Quote
Dexterity: Dexterity represents your character’s reflexes, aim, and agility.  Add your Dexterity score to damage for ranged attacks, such as those from phasers or disruptors, as well as to Dexterity-related skill checks (such as dodging debris from an exploding console or piloting a starfighter).  In addition, for every 5 Dexterity points you gain, you will _____.
No clue for this. I'd say speed, but that should be part of the main abilities... =/

Quote
Mind: Mind represents your character’s mental prowess; their intelligence, wisdom, and charisma.  Your Mind score applies to damage caused by certain types of species-based attacks (i.e. aggressive uses of telepathy), as well as to Mind-related skill checks (such as diagnosing an alien disease, programming a computer to repair complex machinery, or plotting a ship’s navigational course).  In addition, for every 5 Mind points you gain, you will ______.
Going off strength's HP boost, this should be Mana or something similar; however, I have no clue what you're planning for that. =P

Also, just curious, for the Redeemed Borg, we go off their base species, right? So, say, we'd start with human if we're like Kaze, right? Jut checking.


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Flipz on February 03, 2012, 01:07:44 pm
Let's see... This is where I come in, since I've been playing a stat-based game recently(Same one as when we were thinking up new stuff for R3. =P)...

Quote
Dexterity: Dexterity represents your character’s reflexes, aim, and agility.  Add your Dexterity score to damage for ranged attacks, such as those from phasers or disruptors, as well as to Dexterity-related skill checks (such as dodging debris from an exploding console or piloting a starfighter).  In addition, for every 5 Dexterity points you gain, you will _____.
No clue for this. I'd say speed, but that should be part of the main abilities... =/

Quote
Mind: Mind represents your character’s mental prowess; their intelligence, wisdom, and charisma.  Your Mind score applies to damage caused by certain types of species-based attacks (i.e. aggressive uses of telepathy), as well as to Mind-related skill checks (such as diagnosing an alien disease, programming a computer to repair complex machinery, or plotting a ship’s navigational course).  In addition, for every 5 Mind points you gain, you will ______.
Going off strength's HP boost, this should be Mana or something similar; however, I have no clue what you're planning for that. =P

Also, just curious, for the Redeemed Borg, we go off their base species, right? So, say, we'd start with human if we're like Kaze, right? Jut checking.

Oh, oops, I figured that out, actually.  I should post it here, but...I'll just link you to the Brick Universe topic:
http://www.brickuniverse.net/site/forums/topic/creative-corner/star-trek-rpg

And yeah, Redeemed Borg starts off with base species first, though it's kind of a unique situation, since it's Prologue-only.

Speaking of that link, I need to add Trill now and then figure out the stats for the Changelings...I know three of their scores (HP, AP, and IP), but the others will need to be based entirely off their "default" Odo-style form.  Hmm...


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: MsRowdyRedhead on February 03, 2012, 02:30:13 pm
IT's way to complicated for me...


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Flipz on February 03, 2012, 03:03:44 pm
Allow me to post a TL;DR:

Quick Start Guide
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Species: Determines base stats, gives Special Skill options
Job class: Adds stat bonuses, gives Special Skill options
Stats: Base stats are determined by species.  Use extra Stat Points to increase stats.
     Strength (Str): Use for Strength challenges and melee damage.  Get +1 HP for every 5 Str.
     Dexterity (Dex): Use for Dexterity challenges and ranged damage.  Get +1 AP for every 5 Dex.
    Mind (Mind): Use for Mind challenges and psychic/"magic" damage.  Get +1 IP for every 5 Mind.
     Health Points (HP): Health.  Hit 0 HP and you're KO'd.
     Action Points (AP): Spend to perform "complicated" actions in Battle or Challenges (i.e. hacking, jury-rigged repairs, first aid, etc.)
    Imagination Points: Spend on species-specific psychic or "magic" skills (i.e. telepathy, shapeshifting, etc.).  Some species don't have this.
Special Skill: A "Limit Break (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LimitBreak)" that occurs when a Phoenix is rolled during a Battle or a Challenge.  Class and species determine your options, and you may switch your Special Skill between Assignments.

Most of the other stuff is either a codex of different options (i.e. species list, Special Skill list, etc.) or else an explanation of the way challenges and battle damage actually work in case you're interested (and/or want to be able to check the GM's calculations in case they screw up).  ;)


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Flipz on February 03, 2012, 03:20:17 pm
Red, here's what I have so far for your stats (I still have to work out a couple other scores)

Etain (Played by MsRowdyRedhead)
Female Trill/Changeling hybrid Medical Officer
Str: _ Dex: _ Mind: _
HP: 5/5 AP: 6/6 IP: 6/6
Special Skill: Shapeshift

And that's (pretty much) it!



Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: MsRowdyRedhead on February 03, 2012, 03:20:57 pm
What does that MEAN???

what is hp?? ap??   ip??

why is this getting so complicated?


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Flipz on February 19, 2012, 01:03:08 am
OK, since no one can understand what any of my stat system means (and frankly, I'm starting to wonder as well), I'm going to run a quick battle on a Writeboard.  (For those who don't know, it's like a forum thread, but private; you don't need an account or anything to participate, you just need the board link and the password, which I'll provide now.)  We're using the Heroica system from Eurobricks because mine is a broken mess and by using Heroica we can see what we like about it and what we don't like and modify things from there. ;)

Writeboard link (this is a different one from the rules construction one, I'm keeping them separate):
link (http://123.writeboard.com/gx8wp3gjjpwm12x17xw7iika)
Password is "RPG Test" WITH the caps but WITHOUT the quotes or spaces.  (Hopefully that'll keep any roving spambots at bay.)

Please join, and good luck!  Remember, this is solely so I can get ideas, so even if you normally don't like "fighty" RPGs or RPGs at all, I'd appreciate you joining this test battle and giving me feedback!



Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: MsRowdyRedhead on February 19, 2012, 02:45:20 am
DUDE.. there's PAGES of rules and info...

*Etain looks at pages of rules and info and slits throat, bleeding out within seconds =P*


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Blade on February 19, 2012, 09:18:28 am
Flipz, I can understand pretty much any stat that's put out there. It comes with playing many RPGs(The actual video game ones, not online text based ones. =P) over the years.

I'm neutral on the stats, because I do kinda like them at times(I believe the perfect real 'merger' between Text based and Stat based RPGs is one that has stats as a guideline, and to indicate how much fight you have left to prevent fights from going on and on... But with the HP stat personally moderated, so that someone doesn't have to roll dice every two moments, and people can RP the fights normally. However, they'd still gain EXP and such. Pretty much a Real Time RPG, instead of a Turn Based one. Like the Tales series. ;))... I also understand that there's a time and place for everything, and that some people don't like these very much(Case in point: BZP.).

Just to say that we've talked it all over, as again, I'm neutral on this, there isn't a way to have the stat system be implemented for everywhere else, but not here, is there? I'm simply curious on that. =)


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Alien_Ant2 on February 19, 2012, 04:27:26 pm
Alrighty, I'm on your private thread, just waiting for you. :D


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Flipz on February 19, 2012, 08:47:39 pm
Just to say that we've talked it all over, as again, I'm neutral on this, there isn't a way to have the stat system be implemented for everywhere else, but not here, is there? I'm simply curious on that. =)

I'd love to do that, but I do need some justification for the EB side.  So I don't get accused of BSing everyone there. :/  Percieved godmoding from players would be a VERY quick way to get the RPG shut down.

I mean, I could just keep everyone separate, like you do with DoaH between here and BZP, but then that sort of defeats the "you expand the world" thing I was going for by starting this in the first place. :/

And of course, even totally ditching the stat system here, I still have to make it up anyway so it's there for EB.  And with my fail skills at describing stuff...


I'm really failing to emphasize how simple this is (supposed to be), and I'm very, very sorry for that.  Allow me to caveman-speak for a moment on the process of all stat-based interactions:
1.) Pick class.
2.) Pick target.
3.) GM rolls die.
4.) GM tells you what happens.
5.) Repeat until end of battles.

Outside of battles:
Do the same thing you've always done here.


Really, the problem comes from the fact that I can trust the people here to play fair but I can't trust the random noobs who'll wander along on EB.  :/  That, and the fact that I don't want to completely rip off the Heroica system, I want this to be at least somewhat unique.


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Blade on February 19, 2012, 09:26:54 pm
BZP doesn't have DoaH, though, it have the Zelda RPG. You're thinking of RPGM. =P

But that's understandable. I'm wondering, though... If there can be a way to allow things to go easier, because once you implement stats, you'll need to be on a lot more. Just thinking of you as well. =P


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Flipz on February 20, 2012, 12:52:14 am
BZP doesn't have DoaH, though, it have the Zelda RPG. You're thinking of RPGM. =P

But that's understandable. I'm wondering, though... If there can be a way to allow things to go easier, because once you implement stats, you'll need to be on a lot more. Just thinking of you as well. =P

I should be on a lot more anyway, I just procrastinate too much. :D But actually, stats will make battles and the like easier; once everyone involved posts their action (or 24 hours passes from the latest post), I run the next part of the battle, post it, and wait for the next group.  Actual roleplaying would be enhanced, because while checking for the battles to complete, I'd see the out-of-battle posts more often and actually remember to reply.   ::) :P


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: MsRowdyRedhead on February 20, 2012, 01:08:46 am
It shouldn't require study to play.. especially if you hope to include novice players. Rules should be simple, easy to follow, laid out in a logical sequence.
Same for stats if they must be included.. NO more than a few lines..

LU weapons stats were very easy to follow and compare.. I know that's different.. but it's a good example.


Title: Re: Star Trek: PCG: Brave New Souls [RPG][Discussion]
Post by: Blade on February 20, 2012, 08:41:26 am
Flipz: Technically it might make battles 'easier'; but only in the fact that there's stats involved.(Just trying to mention about both sides here)

For the Stats side, battles are quick and easy, providing everyone's on at the same time. For simple text based games, battles are even quicker, due to the fact that if everyone fighting is on at the same time, they can just react without having to wait for a die roll. Basically like combat over in DoaH.

Point about seeing the posts more taken, though. =P