Friday, September 4, 2009

Rules Framework

How do you play?
Players decide who will be playing characters and who will be playing the Mastermind.

The Mastermind will give you a preview of what kind of villainy they intend to perpetrate and then the rest of the group makes characters for that adventure.

Once the characters are made, players (including the Mastermind) take turns narrating what their characters do, while the Mastermind describes how the world of SPC responds to their actions.

Setting scenes is accomplished by taking turns. Each player (Ending with the Mastermind) takes turns setting a scene. They should include the following information before the scene starts:
1) Where is the next scene set?
2) When is the scene set?
3) Why their character is there?

Once that is established, the other players can decide if there character is in the scene.

Then the Mastermind can describe the initial scene including Goons and Antagonists. And the players can describe how their characters react to the new situation.

There are six possible outcome systems that can be used when a player declares their character's actions:
1) Free narration - In other words, it happens as they describe it. This is the case for most actions. There is just no reason to believe that the character can't perform the action and no one is there to stop them. Use of Powers, Weaknesses, Rituals or Gadgets work as described, no mechanics are necessary.
2) Pure intentions - It happens as the player describes it, and their Purity track is moved one towards Purity (+1 Purity/-1 Corruption). Use of Powers, Weaknesses, Rituals or Gadgets work as described, no additional mechanics are necessary.
3) Corrupted intentions - It happens as the player describes it, but their purity track is moved one away from Purity (+1 Corruption/-1 Purity). Use of Powers, Weaknesses, Rituals or Gadgets work as described, no additional mechanics are necessary.
4) Leverage - The player can trade progress towards their goal for personal gain. Usually this is required if the action is selfish, but not particularly impure (+1 Drawback/-1 Goal). Use of Powers, Weaknesses, Rituals or Gadgets work as described, no additional mechanics are necessary.
5) Advancement - If the character's action entails self sacrifice and advances their goal, move them one closer to their Goal (+1 Goal/-1 Drawback). Use of Powers, Weaknesses, Rituals or Gadgets work as described, no additional mechanics are necessary. If the Goal equals +4, then that goal is accomplished and the player of that character should immediately get to set a new scene in which their goal is obtained (the scene should last until the character has a new Goal, players are free to change their Drawback as well). At the end of the scene, their Goal/Drawback should be zero (0).
6) Conflict - Someone opposes their actions. The rules for Conflict are used to see who gets what they want.
a) Players decide which characters are in the conflict.
b) Players declare their characters intentions.
c) Mastermind sets the Intention Target Number for each character based on his OR and the context of the intentions.
i) Relatively easy: -2
ii) Hard to imagine: +2
iii) Character advancement (+1 to a pool, etc.): +2
iv) Advances towards Goal: +2
v) Advances their Drawback: -2
d) Mastermind declares intentions for the antagonists (goons do not get to declare intentions) and sets Intention Target Numbers.
e) Mastermind declares action type for antagonists.
f) Players declare action type for their characters. Action types consist of:
1. Action - Use a talent. Select a Talent and get a bonus die. In other words, you will roll 4 dice and keep three.
2. Overpower - Activate a power, follow the Rules for that Power.
3. Invoke - Activate a Ritual - Roll no dice and use the dice assignments provided by the Ritual.
4. Activate - Activate a Gadget - Roll one less die. Use the dice assignment provided by the Gadget and assign the other dice normally.
5. Manifest - Player can have their character manifest a new Vampire Power. They pick a new Vampire Power, a Weakness of equal cost and apply +1 Corruption/-1 Purity to their character. The character can use the Power in this turn.
6. Exploit - Activate a weakness (players activate Antagonist's Weakness, Mastermind activates character's weakness).
7. Pure act - Add your Purity to any one die before dice are assigned. Lower Purity by one (-1 Purity/+1 Corruption).
8. Corrupt act - Add your Corruption to any one die before dice are assigned. Lower Corruption by one (-1 Corruption/+Purity).
9. Selfish act - Add your Drawback to any one die before dice are assigned. Lower Drawback by one (-1 Drawback/+1 Purity).
10. Inspired act - Add your Goal to any one die before dice are assigned. Lower Goal by one (-1 Goal/+1 Drawback).
11. Feint - +2 to the Cunning Die, -1 to Ambition Die.
12. Brutal - +2 to Cunning Die, -1 to Vigilance Die.
13. Guard - +2 to Vigilante Die, -1 to Cunning Die.
14. Protect - +2 to Vigilance Die, -1 to Ambition Die.
15. Anticipate - +2 to Ambition Die, -1 to Cunning Die.
16. React - +2 to Ambition Die, -1 to Vigilance Die.
17. Defend - Select another character. When they take Abuse, they do not take Abuse, your character does. -1 Ambition Die, -1 Cunning Die.
18. Ambush - Player can change their Intention. they get a new Intention Target Number and keep their current Progress. they cannot accumulate Progress or cause Abuse to others this turn. They can still take Abuse though. -2 to Vigilance Die.
g) Calculate bonus and penalty dice. For Bonus dice, roll one extra die. For Penalty Die, roll one extra die.
h) Throw the dice! According to the rules of the bonus and penalty dice, choose which three to keep (If you threw a penalty die, one of the dice you pick, must be the lowest die you rolled, if you threw two, keep the two lowest dice).
i) The Mastermind assigns dice to Ambition, Cunning and Vigilance.
j) The rest of the players assign dice to Ambition, Cunning and Vigilance.
k) The Mastermind assigns bonuses and penalties.
l) Players assign bonuses and penalties for their characters.
m) For each pair of players opposing each other, compare the following values:
i. Ambition Pool + Ambition Die vs. Ambition Pool + Ambition Die. Whichever player has the highest total, gains Progress equal to the difference.
ii. Cunning Pool + Cunning Die vs. Vigilance Pool + Vigilance Die. If your Cunning total is higher than their Vigilance total, they take Abuse equal to the difference.
iii. Vigilance Pool + Vigilance Die vs. Cunning Pool + Cunning Die. If your Vigilance total is higher than their Cunning total, you escape harm.
n) If your Progress total is equal to or higher than your Intention Target Number, you achieve your Intentions.
o) If your Abuse total is higher than your Obstacle Rating, your character is taken out of the conflict and your opposition gets their Intention.
p) The Mastermind narrates the action for the scene so far.
q) If no one has sufficient Progress to accomplish their Intentions and no one has taken enough Abuse to take them out of the conflict, jump back to step "e" and continue until at least one character is able to achieve their Intentions through Ambition or Cunning.
r) For everyone that has Progress greater than their Intention Target Number, they get their intentions from the scene. If more than one character gets their intentions, players can take turns narrating one Fact for every 2 points of Progress. A Fact is one sentence with no more than one verb and two nouns. Facts cannot be used to cancel or negate any previously established Facts. The Player with he highest Progress goes first. Characters go before Antagonists.
s) Every character with Abuse takes some sort of harm or setback during the scene. Those with Abuse equal or greater than half of their OR should receive a penalty die on their next roll. Those with Abuse greater than their OR should take penalty dice on every roll in their next scene.
t) If a character's Goal equals +4, then that Goal is accomplished and the player of that character should immediately get to set a new scene in which their goal is obtained (the scene should last until the character has a new Goal).

In the end, I won't be writing it in this outline form, but this should be good for a playtest format.

What do you think?

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