In this post I share my progress on Steam Thieves, plus I meditate on on re-purposing the mechanics of one of my favourite board games for a TTRPG.
For week 17 Iāve continued my manicure on the Forged in the Dark system-reference-document. Iām excited for other steps involved in this process, but recognize how important it is to get this part done first. Not much progress on that this week, but thatās fine.
And Iāve also got a new idea. Iām forever inspired by board games. And I often wonder whether their mechanics can translate to TTRPGs. I think Ark Novaās action economy could translate really well for a combat simulator.
My progress this week is as followsā¦
(Steampunk x Forged in the Dark, Ashcan here [link])
When Steam Thieves do something challenging, we make an action roll to see how it turns out. An action is challenging if thereās an obstacle to the Steam Thievesā goals that are dangerous or troublesome in some way. We donāt make an action roll unless Steam Thieves are put to the test. If their action is something that weād expect them to simply accomplish, then we donāt make an action roll.
Each game group will have their own ideas about what āchallengingā means. This is good! Itās something that establishes the tone and style of your game.
To make an action roll, we go through six steps. In play, they flow together somewhat, but letās break each one down here for clarity.
The player states their goal for the action.
The player chooses the action rating.
The Operator sets the position for the roll.
The Operator sets the effect level for the action.
The player rolls the dice and we judge the result.
Untitled Ark Nova inspired game
For those unfamiliar, in Ark Nova (a zoo building game) you choose one of five actions each turn. The actions are represented on cards which lay in a spread in front of the player. The power of the card is determined by what order in the spread it occupies. For example, the Animals card is useless when it is in the number 1 spot. When it is in spots 2, 3 or 4 you can use it to place an animal into your zoo. When the card is in spot 5 you can play two animals into your zoo. After you play an action, you place its card in the number 1 spot and move all the other actions down a spot.
Ark Novaās Action cards via BoardGame Geek
Strategy in this game is based around shuffling the order of your cards, levelling up the cards and using them in combination with each other and other elements in the game.
What about a game where combat is handled the same way?
Here are some notes I have on this idea:
Action Cards are Attack, Defend, Move, Magic, Investigate and Interact.
This is a deck builder. Every player has base cards that can be played when any of those actions are chosen. For example, everyone has the āmelee strikeā card which they can play when they choose to Attack. Levelling up your character/actions means getting more/better cards.
Whatever spot your Move action is in determines how many spaces you can move when you select it. When you level up the Move card you can move spaces equal to 2 x the spot the card occupies (eg. when your Lvl 2. Move card is in the fifth spot you can move ten spaces).
Whatever spot your Magic action is in determines the spell level of the spell you can cast.
Classes have special cards that can be played with various actions, their own starting spread and quirks that relate to the way action cards are moved. For example, the Fighterās opening spread has Move in the most powerful spot and then Attack in the next most powerful spot. The Fighter has cards for various offensive moves they can use when they take the Attack move (disarm, trip, sunder, etc.). The Fighter could also have a special ability where after you take the Attack action you can choose whether to place it back at the 1 spot or keep it in the current spot it is in.
Maybe this system could be used in exploration/socializing phases, too?
I really like this, but I must admit it might be too much of a distraction from the two main projects I have been blogging about for 17 weeks. Plus, when Iām ready to design a combat simulator from scratch I already have one further along then this (a 3xd6 dice pool game that will blow your mind!).
