the_vulture

So, between calls, I'm going to be attempting to roll out some sort of simple set of role playing rules to be used in a play-by-email RPG, as I've been really inspired by rowyn's efforts with the game she's running and I'm thinking of starting one of my own some time in the not-so-distant future.

So far, I've decided on having 3 primary stats: Mightyness, Moxie, and Mojo. Mightyness would be cover all the physical end of things, like strength, agility, etc. You would use this score to determine: how readily one can strike a foe, amount of damage, dodging falling buildings, avoiding stepping in dog poop, etc. Moxie deals with all things mental, including hotwiring a car, researching paranormal phenomena, doing your taxes, etc. Mojo is the magic/spiritual stat and would include feats of willpower, psychic prediction, and skewing your odds of winning the lottery.

The three secondary stats would be derivatives of the primary (just like a colour wheel!). They would include Meat, an average of Mightiness and Mojo that would represent your general ability to resist and mitigate physical damage and how long you can run to avoid taking damage in the first place. Mana, an average of Moxie and Mojo, would, for most characters, work something akin to Force points in WEG Star Wars, representing Fortune smiling upon the character and allowing him or her to do something extraordinary. For those characters capable of casting magic, it will also dictate how much magical might a character can toss around in a given period of time. Finally, there is Monay, an average of Mightiness and Moxie, which represents the character's wealth and influence. It would be used for things like bribing security guards, flirting with the sexy member of the opposite sex, and ensuring you have change for the parking meter.

I'm thinking of having stats scores ranged on a scale of 1 to 9, with 4 being average untrained human. Die rolls would be resolved by players stating a number from 0 to 3, which would be multiplied by a randomly determined 1 or -1 and then added to the applicable stat. The result would be compared to a target number or an opposing roll.

Character generation would include a few Merits and Minuses, wherewith unusual abilities and disabilities could be purchased.

That's the system thus far. I welcome any suggestions as to how they could be tweaked or expanded.

As for campaign ideas, I've got the following rolling around in my head:

1) A modern martial arts comedy fantasy based at least somewhat on the film 'Big Trouble in Little China', where bonus Mana can be earned by the entertainment value of various postings.

2) A gritty urban fantasy based on the arrival of magic into the world, in a style similar to Shadowrun, only more contemporary.

3) Something nice and postapocalyptic! This could involve a rural or urban setting (compare Mad Max to The Warriors) and may or may not involve mutation (ranging from normal humans to mutant anthropomorphic animals, a la Roadhogs). 

4) Any other idea that might just catch my fancy between now and then (whizz one by me, if you're interested).

So, any of that sound interesting?

Yep! I did manage to make that tour of Avebury, as well as Lacock (Harry Potter fans may now drool with envy.). The evening of said day was spent in London in the company of a lovely woman I met during the tour. Having been working and living in inner London for a while, she was able to point out a few places I didn't know about, key amongst them an excellent Mexican fast food restaurant that served up the best burrito I've had in years!

Check out my Avebury and Lacock albums here: http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/CathartesAura/

In other news, marking is going well and I should be able to readily avoid burning midnight oil in a blind panic on Tuesday night to finish off for moderation when I get back on Wednesday.