A game with fewer numbers

I'm working on a game system that relies on grades instead of numbers. Success would be calculated by comparing the grade of the challenge with the character's grade in that specific field.

Example:
I’m thinking about using a grading system much like the Japanese grades: S being a perfect score and E being the lowest(S, A, B, C, D, and E). Players place a certain level of competence into their stats and/or skills and actions correspond with specific stats and skills with a necessary passing grade. Jumping out of the window requires a B or higher in jumping or acrobatics, swerving the car at the right moment requires a C or higher in Driving or reflexes. Still thinking it through.

Maybe, even if a player does not have the prerequisite they can roll dice from to a certain pool of dice and if they can roll the appropriate grade on a lettered die they make it by luck alone…

Thoughts?

Do you miss school El Proffessore?

maybe if you match the grade you get the success and in not, it depends on how many grades you are way decides a penalty to success. Luck is always a factor.

Diff for jumping grade B; I have a E. This is three grades away from the success. Each grade difference provides a difficulty, maybe 1 point away is -2, two -3, three -4 the total diff is 9 to succeed?

The Bubbling Dark wrote:I'm working on a game system that relies on grades instead of numbers. Success would be calculated by comparing the grade of the challenge with the character's grade in that specific field.

Example:
I’m thinking about using a grading system much like the Japanese grades: S being a perfect score and E being the lowest(S, A, B, C, D, and E). Players place a certain level of competence into their stats and/or skills and actions correspond with specific stats and skills with a necessary passing grade. Jumping out of the window requires a B or higher in jumping or acrobatics, swerving the car at the right moment requires a C or higher in Driving or reflexes. Still thinking it through.

Maybe, even if a player does not have the prerequisite they can roll dice from to a certain pool of dice and if they can roll the appropriate grade on a lettered die they make it by luck alone…

Thoughts?

This sounds something like the d10 and d6 systems. In a d10 system you have a pool of d10 based off of how good your skill is. Then when you have to do something you must roll that number or better (I think 7 is normal)on the dice. For each succes you did better.

In a d6 system each thing has ranking like 1d6 or 2d6+1 (+1,+2 next die). When you want to do something in a round you state all the things you are doing and for each thing past the first you lose a die off of each action. You then roll the dice to meat a DC but for each 1 you lose a die and for each 6 you roll it again anding 6. So in this system if you are 3d6 shooting and 2d6 douging and you want to shoot and douge in the same round you would be a 2d6 shot and a 1d6 douge.

Example:

A character attempts to leap across a 6 foot gap between rooftops (Grade C, challenge) but it is raining which increase the difficulty by 1 grade (Grade C +1= Grade B).

The player is a Grade D athlete but is Grade B jumper.
The player's common dice pool is 3

If he decides to utilize his athletics (Grade B challenge-Grade D skill= -2 grades), he would roll 1 die.
If he decided to utilize his jumping (grade B challenge-Grade B skill= 0), he would roll 3 dice.

I'm toying with the idea that if a player intentionally uses a less qualified skill and succeeds then they get a bonus die during the next skill check.

deathmvp wrote:
This sounds something like the d10 and d6 systems. In a d10 system you have a pool of d10 based off of how good your skill is. Then when you have to do something you must roll that number or better (I think 7 is normal)on the dice. For each succes you did better.

In a d6 system each thing has ranking like 1d6 or 2d6+1 (+1,+2 next die). When you want to do something in a round you state all the things you are doing and for each thing past the first you lose a die off of each action. You then roll the dice to meat a DC but for each 1 you lose a die and for each 6 you roll it again anding 6. So in this system if you are 3d6 shooting and 2d6 douging and you want to shoot and douge in the same round you would be a 2d6 shot and a 1d6 douge.

I have never played a d6 system but I did play with Whitewolf's World of Darkness for a bit. It is a bit of my inspiration.

I'm not going to lie, this sounds much better than skill checks. But I'll leave this to smarter people than me and just comment on the development.

Pick A Card wrote:I'm not going to lie, this sounds much better than skill checks. But I'll leave this to smarter people than me and just comment on the development.

But there will be skill checks. You roll your dice pool and hope to roll a success on at least 1 of the dice.

I'm trying to decide between character archetypes which have set skills or letting players choose 10 skills from a list of dozens.

Skill Grades will derive from the averages of 2-3 Attribute grades.

Example:
Alan 'Shakes' Calino-
Strength:Grade D
Dexterity: Grade D
Nimbleness:Grade C
Intelligence:Grade C
Whit:Grade B
Willpower:Grade C

Jump(Strength, Nimbleness):Grade D
Repartee(Intelligence, Whit):Grade C
Typing(Intelligence, Dexterity):Grade D
Dodge(Nimbleness, Whit):Grade C

Fine. Simpler. Maybe. lol

Here is a example of the d6 starwars sheet.











As you can see you have main stats with a D6 code and sub skills below low it. You then have Spifice skilles below that so like you have have

On the Wokie
Macanical 3d
Transport 4d (1d more then macanical)
Transport (yt-1300) 4d+2 (+2 more then Transport.)


If I rember correctly it was 10x the d6 to raise a main skill, 5x the d6 for the sub and 1x the exat one. Mind you you earned 1 or 2 point from a good fight.


Also if hit with damage it is your Str roll vs the damage roll
attacker wins by
0-5 Wounded damage (-1d all action).
6-10 Incapacitated (-2d all action).
11-25 Mortaly wounded(-10d all action).

Also if you are already Wounded and wounded agen you bumped up to the next level.

Wow, that is nearly impossible to read without getting shit at work... yikes.

In one aspect, why not use the tried and true?

d10 WoD
-or- d6 SW....Which is now D20.

WoD is a massive game and the sytem is pretty solid, simple and geared towards fun NOT Dice rolls. Hence why its called storytelling, DM= StoryTeller.

Remember do the superman vs baby test. Is superman can be defeated by a normal baby then something is wrong.

GoRoboNow wrote:Remember do the superman vs baby test. Is superman can be defeated by a normal baby then something is wrong.

 
 
Do you mean like Yoda reflecting the deathstar mega laser back at it my buring a force point.

Thats more scary then a super baby.

He means stat out a baby(normal) and superman. Run combat scenarios off of their base configuration. If the baby isn't mopped your system is unbalanced.

Yes, Yoda vs. Deathstar lazer. If Yoda wins with a deflection something is wrong.

Did you just jumble my meaning...grrr

I put this on hold for a bit but I'm still open to peoples ideas on the system.  We could use an existing system whenever planning a game but why limit one's self to conforming to the guidelines of another when we can set our own?

Could this work for your modified DQ system? or just use these rules. Can give a small group a chance to play test'em.