Expectations for the Infinity RPG

[Hordshyrd]

Hahaaa! First post in the new directory.

And I feel it would be appropriate to use as a forum for what we're expecting from the Infinity RPG. What we expect to see and what we'd like to see.

I for one hope to see a good system of skills and checks to use for out of combat situations. I feel that a good system like this makes the RPG worthwhile even just as a backdrop to your standard infinity games.

Also I hope for a relatively easy way to convert things back and forth between infinity profiles and RPG rules, so you can easily populate your RPG and bring your beloved character into your friendly games.

What about everyone else?

[Errhile]

In my opinion, we have enough combat scenarios in the form of Infinity miniature game. Sure, a RPG should be able to handle combat well, and we've been already told by Modiphus that there is to be a conversion system between the RPG and the miniature game.

But a RPG that is all about combat and nothing but combat makes a dull game. I mean - RPGs are about interaction with the gaming world and the folks who inhabit it.

I want a detailed background and rules that will allow for all these wild and crazy things RPG characters tend to do. I want to be able to play a recreative pharmaceuticals designer in Bakunin. A bounty hunter in Funduq (and remember, most of the bounty hunter's job is investigation and tracking before he apprehends his mark. If the work has been done properly, there may even be no combat in the final scene!). A merchantman captain in the Human Edge system. Hell, a campaign idea my GM and me are investigating right now is a coach for a high-school TAG-soft team somewhere on a PanO planet (think Girls & Panzer on old TAGs)...

A good gaming system will be able to do it all. For definitely there is space for every one and all of these (and way more) in the universe! And keeping it to combat roles only is just limiting ourselves to whatever is already in the box...

[schoon]

All RPGs have systems to deal with physical conflict (combat), and I'm sure that this will be no different. Just because if can do combat doesn't mean that's all there is.

A robust system can handle all sorts of conflict, social, physical, virtual (hacking), and others without breaking stride. What I've seen thus far of the 2d20 system in the playtest materials is pretty positive.

One thing I'd like to see integrated from the start, which some RPGs neglect to do, is small vehicle rules (bikes, cars/aircars, trucks, etc.).

[Errhile]

Definitely we need vehicle rules - dramatic chases are a must have capability in a modern / future action story.
Also, it should be elastic enough to be able to cover starships too - it is not very likely that everyone would need capital warship rules, but one-man combat ships or small freighters (or even smaller warships, ones where the player team could provide for most of the personnel) should be doable.
Not necessarily covered form the start in the basic rules, but able to get along with the general meachnics.

[Harlekin]

What we (imho) need is a lean and flexible system.
What I absolutely don't want to see ever again in a RP system is special rules for everything like in those classical monsters like DnD3.X/Pathfinder, Shadowrun, Exalted, DSA, Earthdawn, WoD when including some supplements, and many more.
While most of the mentioned system come with quite neat basic mechanics they (imho) screw things up, when it comes to the details.
More is less and when the basic system is ok, then I prefer my RPGs to stick to those without adding to much dead weight getting in the way with actual roleplay.

[Errhile]

Well, that would be really neat to have the same logic for the whole game. From micro to macro scale and everything working the same way.

[Hero of Man]

After finally delving through the beta test rules, I'm pretty confident that the core mechanics should fit up nicely. I'm actually not that opposed to Dark Sym points, because it makes me think of FATE, but I can see why some might not be also. Kudos for making it an optional thing for Infinity RPG.

Other than that, it'll be very interesting to see how you adapt things, like the plethora of tech and enchancements present in the universe. After all, something like i-Kohl is gonna be near necessary upgrade for a party face; close combat modifier AND social modifier?

Not too mention TAGs and their ability to wield traditionally two handed weapons in a single hand, etc. etc. I just can't wait to take a peak at these rules.

[Modiphius]

What we (imho) need is a lean and flexible system.
What I absolutely don't want to see ever again in a RP system is special rules for everything like in those classical monsters like DnD3.X/Pathfinder, Shadowrun, Exalted, DSA, Earthdawn, WoD when including some supplements, and many more.
While most of the mentioned system come with quite neat basic mechanics they (imho) screw things up, when it comes to the details.
More is less and when the basic system is ok, then I prefer my RPGs to stick to those without adding to much dead weight getting in the way with actual roleplay.

Nope I don't like monsters either, i prefer less rules and guidance on how to GM it, how to teach it, how to interpret it. 2d20 is a nice mix of small crunch and easy cinematic rules I think, we'll be dialing some of the bits to make it more Infinity .

I also like treating things on a scale - much like Starblazer Adventures I wrote - where everything was described in the same way - war machines, worlds, civilisations, space ships. It doesn't always work - my number 1 rule is, no rule must stay. It's about making the game flow, not necessarily about maintaining rules consistency. Though saying that we generally do. You just have to be prepared to break the rules to make a great set of rules.

[Durandal]

After finally delving through the beta test rules, I'm pretty confident that the core mechanics should fit up nicely. I'm actually not that opposed to Dark Sym points, because it makes me think of FATE, but I can see why some might not be also. Kudos for making it an optional thing for Infinity RPG.

Other than that, it'll be very interesting to see how you adapt things, like the plethora of tech and enchancements present in the universe. After all, something like i-Kohl is gonna be near necessary upgrade for a party face; close combat modifier AND social modifier?

Not too mention TAGs and their ability to wield traditionally two handed weapons in a single hand, etc. etc. I just can't wait to take a peak at these rules.

Dark Symmetry is definitely interesting though in that form it is mostly tied to a metaphysical thing in Mutant Chronicles. But the idea of a GM resource pool is one I absolutely love.

Players being able to gain boons in play by providing the GM with resources to make their lives harder makes for a great economy in play.

So the mechanic could definitely be something that can be ported over. It reminds me a lot of the dice mechanics of Technoir, though those are almost entirely dependent on the Player-to-GM resource economy. But the main thing I enjoy about both is that it is the players who choose when the gloves come off.

Until the players decide something is worthwhile they can coast by on skill and luck, but the second they hit a wall and need to succeed despite the odds, they start loading the deck against them down the line. The question of short-term gain versus long-term troubles always makes for an interesting story to tell.

So I hope that is part of the core mechanics for 2d20 and something that will pop up in Infinity under a different name.

[Errhile]

Well... I'm not a fan, as said before - I come from the school saying that GM does have all the resources of the imagined game space, so if he wants to do so, he just applies them...

So please - make that stuff optional. The Mutant Chronicles mechnics seems like it wouldn't work without its Dark Symmetry points.

Now, guys, how should that stuff be named in Infinity RPG?
Kismet? It's a Turkic term for fate (or destiny), something inevitable. Similar, but not quite like kharma.

[coleslaw]

Reading the beta rules was very interesting, looking forward to try the infinity RPG. I think you might be heading the right direction :-).

I'm also from the school of godlike GMs. But I think that giving the players a resource they can freely use if they need, but that they concretely see will also work against them is very interesting. It lets the players be epic when it's needed but generally more mundane. If the players use the resource to much, punish them harder for it.

And as a GM, if the players don't use enough dark symmetry I will spend more then I have anyway, if it suits the story ;-).

It's also interesting how powerful this resource (dark symmetry) is for the players. Having +1 or +5 in the skill is almost irrelevant compared to be able to add 2 dice. Focus is still very important as it can "double" your successes though. And when things gets difficult you either autofail or use the dark symmetry...

I have tried the life paths in Burning Wheel and I really like it! Also love the way that system encourages (almost forces) you (as a player) to try things that you will probably fail at. Creates a very dynamic and living feel to the game.

[schoon]

And as a GM, if the players don't use enough dark symmetry I will spend more then I have anyway, if it suits the story ;-).

Keep in mind that Dark Symmetry points are particular to the Mutant Chronicles background - the mechanic for Infinity will at the very least have a different name, and could be very different.

[coleslaw]

Yes of course! But the 2d20-system needs that resource pool in one guise or another. Else the system becomes quite different, as it's really hard to get 4 or 5 successes on 2 dice, even with the double successes for focus. And I really like the self-limiting/self-punishing of handing the enemy resources to increase your own odds :-).

And I'm thinking of trying out Mutant Chronicles too...

[Mob of Blondes]

the 2d20-system needs that resource pool in one guise or another. Else the system becomes quite different, as it's really hard to get 4 or 5 successes on 2 dice, even with the double successes for focus

Any quick explanation of 2d20? You know, like Infinity "roll under your score for normal, and under your score but above your enemy rolls for face-to-face". Thanks.

[coleslaw]

Quick explanation :

It's a normal roll, trying to get under your attribute + skill (around 10-12) with 2 d20. Each successful dice roll gives you 1 success, or 2 if you "crit". So a normal roll gives you between 0 and 2 successes, or possibly up to 4.

A bit longer explanation:

The difficulty of a roll (the minimum amount of successes needed) is between 1 and 5. Extra successes can be spent on increasing damage, choosing hit location, climb faster and so on.

So to increase your odds, a player might add up to 2 dice to his pool. But if he does, the GM gets equal number of dice in his Dark Symmetry pool. And the GM uses that pool to make life more difficult for the players. Ex making technology to break down, letting NPC's interrupt the players, fueling dark powers and so on...

Each player also has a small amount of chronicle points that he can spend to gain an additional success on a roll.

"Crit": You can buy a focus in a skill to let you crit. The example characters I have seen has a few skills with focus 1 and one of them has a skill with focus 1-3. Each die that you roll that hits your focus gives you 1 additional success on the roll.

Critical failures: If you roll 20 on a die that means that the GM gains a Dark Symmetry die, or he may choose to change the situation in some other way, ex letting you hit a friend instead or the alarm goes off. The risk of critical failures increases if the players becomes distressed or wounded, meaning each roll of 18-20 can become a critical failure.
So the 2d20 you roll potentially lets you succeed the roll while at the same time introducing critical failures. And adding more dice increases the chance of success, but also the risk of further complications. I like it! :-)

Opposed rolls: Both parts involved rolls as normal. The successes are subtracted from each other. So if an NPC fires his gun and hits me with 3 successes and I only get 1 success on my dodge, I'm still hit but only with 2 successes.