First Half of Irregular... Caltrop?... Open for Critique

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As I mentioned earlier today, the second post! This time it is some actual content regarding the game I am developing, plus it is an invitation for all of you to come in and shred it to pieces. Moreover, I am going to hold a naming vote for the game, because enough people have been advising me to change the name to Caltrop (for obvious reasons). I mentioned in my Introduction to Irregular post, this guideline/promises would be the backbone of the project and I planned to uphold it. What I forgot to mention is that I will be posting a more refined version with every post regarding this RPG project. So be prepared to see a more refined PDS/PID at the bottom of this post.

Let's talk about the game first, and what I am inviting you to shred. So far the game is coming along quite nicely (in my own opinion), and I have the first 3 sections - out of 5 - ready for you. They cover the rules of the game including the mechanics to far, initiative and actions, and the character creation procedure. The rules so far take up two A4 pages which are within the limitations I set out. They are also quite concise, however, if they are clear is up to debate and I need more eyes on them. The initiative is directly stolen from Troika! so if you know the system you know what to expect. I deviated from Daniel Sell's game by adding some more actions into the mix and dividing them into Basic, Specialised, and Social actions. Is this a good idea? I believe so. It gives some structure to sometimes chaotic situations and I have done it myself before with okay success, however that is a discussion for another post! Lastly, the character creation system is grounded in giving a lot of variety so the characters do not feel too similar, there could be more options, but I wish to keep my sanity and leave the expanded character options for another day.

With that blub of text over, I present to you the link in which you may comment and suggest stuff in.


Just a fast note regarding the naming of the game, I will be posting a vote on my G+ account where you can vote on one of few options. They will mostly be names of something you may step on and curse to higher lords.
Now for refining the previous PSD/PID.While sitting and reading the discussion on Dowall's Discord channel, something important made me think: The Speed of the Game Combat. Even thou I know that Troika!'s initiative system speeds up the game, it has the down side of sometimes providing additional downtime for some players because of randomness. This is a matter of taste if you like it or not. However I am always in for ways to allow combat and just make it fast. So for the future I will be trying to figure out how to speed up the game as much as possible, therefore I am adding the section called 'Combat' to the list. Otherwise here is the list including the changes I have made.

Design
  • Irregular will be a modular game. Only providing the relevant rules for the specified module/setting.
  • Irregular will be short. Not exceeding 60 A4 pages.
  • Irregular shall have a consistent feel and look. Using the same fonts and consistent graphical style.
  • It will have a clear use of language, that is fully defined from the beginning of the document.
Rules & Rolls
  • The system rules should not exceed 4 A4 pages.
  • The rules shall be light, and allow for hacking by the target audience concise and clear.
  • The rules shall be modular. Allowing the target audience to put together the rules, as they wish to.
  • There will only be one type of dice in use, the d4.
  • Progression will be level-less, and instead work with a point buy system.
  • It will provide a re roll mechanic.
  • The system will be roll over, and roll versus.
  • The initiative system will be a randomised draw a token sort of thing.
Character Creation
  • Fast character creation. It should not be a mini-game of its own to create a character, and the presented methods will aim to not spend more then 5 mins of the players time.
  • Customisation/Variety. There should be ample of possibilities to get a different character every time.
  • It will be Class Based, sorta. The game will have loose classes which give benefits, however they should not be restrictive in anyway Using a two step process, with Archetypes and Niches.
Items
  • Items should add customisation to the play experience. Items will have play defining properties.
  • Damage Tables. Just like in Troika!, weapons will use a damage table you will have to roll on to see how much damage you deal.
Tables
  • Tables will have a clear layout and consistent layout.
  • There will be numerous tables to help both referee and players. Procedural generation of campaigns, additional character tables, etc..
Referee Guideline
  • OSR Playstyle. The game will come with a section for referees to get into the OSR game philosophy.
Themes
  • Semi-Universal. The modular nature will allow for a more universal thematic experience. The Core Module will, however, have a more fantastic theme.
Combat
  • Fast Paced. Encounters in the game will be designed for ~10 min encounters at most.
  • Lethal. Combat shall be lethal.
  • Resource Heavy. No matter the situation, Player Characters should use some of their resources in any given encounter.

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