What could have been... DC3e
Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2010 9:08 pm
This morning I was struck by memories of the past - some good, some bad - of my time developing DC. I started the process about 5 years ago (OMG - I can tell because my first son was born a month or so before I signed the license!!), and while it was a bumpy ride, I quite enjoyed the experience!
I don't know whether I've gone into what was or wasn't meant to be in DC 3e, but I thought, mainly for my own edification, I would quickly go over the system mechanics I developed for the game.
Character Basics
I personally think that I had a good system in the making, one that while complex created interesting and diverse character, and allows for depth in task resolution and combat. I suppose we will never know
Happy to hear any feedback on this, BTW. I wrote most of the character gen and careers chapters and about 70% of the task & combat sections (and had a good outline of the Healing chapter).
Thanks for letting me indulge in my walk down memory lane!
Marcus
I don't know whether I've gone into what was or wasn't meant to be in DC 3e, but I thought, mainly for my own edification, I would quickly go over the system mechanics I developed for the game.
Character Basics
- Attributes - These were the same base 8 from 1st edition - Strength, Agility, Constitution, Empathy, Intelligence, Education, Charisma
- Aptitudes - These were derived from Attributes and determined base levels of compentency for skills. These were - Combatative, Athletic, Manipulative, Technical, Communicative, Preceptive, Empathic. All skills sat under one of these Aptitudes.
- Skills - Just like revised 1st edition, skills were determine by adding an Aptitude to the number of skill points to give a total.
- Social Class & Background - All characters had a Social class (with certain career restrictions and benefits) and a Background (a selection of skills and Attribute bonuses based on they type of upbringing the character had).
- Careers - These were 3 year terms, and were divided into Social Class (i.e. Proles couldn't take Mike or Nome Careers). Careers gave skills (with more skill points than 1st edition per term), contacts and resource points. Some had been added, others renamed, removed. Norm also did a lot of work on the way in which military careers worked! This was really neat, especially as the default setting saw most characters having to undertake at least one term of military service!
- Motivational Descriptions - Players were encouraged to add desiptions or key events in their lives, Vignettes of how they see the world, any interesting items they might own, any non mechanical talents thet might have (i.e. Jon can play the spoons) and Personality Traits (i.e. Jon has old fashion manners - opens doors for women, etc.)
- Trigger Events - All characters would have one of these. Basically the event that made them aware of the Dark.
- Resources - Rather than dealing with cash, Resources would guide what you could afford/access/find. These were divided into 10 levels (with 10 Resource points making a level), and all goods/services/equipment would fall one of these. Characters with the appropriate level of Resource could acquire the item, while those without would have to spend a number of resource points to gain it. Of course contacts could temporarily raise a character's Resouce level when acquiring an item.
- Contacts - would remain the same, although all contacts would have a rating. This would be lowered and raised as the character interacted with them. A contact reduced to zero would be lost.
- Dice - DC3e used only a single D20's and D6s
- Task Resolution (D20 under skill + Aptitude +/- modifier)
- Level of Success - For every 3 less than the target number rolled is a level of success. These levels are used in tasks that take time (i.e. to hack this computer a total of 10 levels of success are needed, or to open this door 12 levels of success would be needed). In some cases, LoS could be built up over multiple rolls from multiple characters. LoS also added to damage in combat.
- Initiative - Uses the system I devised for the 2e version of DC. This was rolling 2D6 and adding your Initiative score. Characters then acted at various points in the round as the GM counted down from 20 (i.e. for humans they act on the number rolled and every 5 action points after this - Jon rolls a 7 on 2D6, adds his Init of 4 for a total of 11. Therefore he acts on Action point 11, 6 & 1 in the round).
- Combat - retained the mechanics from 1st edition i.e. multiple shots, and autofire, but also included rules for controlled bursts (benefit to hit, less attacks in a round) - the tactic used by Special Forces with auto weapon of point & shoot - and other such rules.
- Hit Locations - The location hit by an attack was determined by the 'ones' digit rolled on D20 used to roll to hit. This meant more skilled characters had more potential to hit vunerable locations!
- Damage - Damage was done with D6s. Roll number of D6 as per the weapon, plus extra based on LoS minus armour. Damage was very much like Savage Worlds, where wounds were inflicted once more damage was done than the character's Toughness.
- Scratches - Scratches were retained, and marked off when a hit didn't do enough to bypass Toughness. However, if all Scratch boxes were marked off then the location hit then took damage!
- Wounds- These were retained with each location having a number of wound boxes (i.e. Head only had three, while Chest had 5, etc.).
- Stress Mechanics - I decided to add some horror/fear rules. These were to be a modified verion of the damage mechanics, where the frights would attack one of the three Stress locations (Resolve - Ability to withstand pain, Reasoning - Ability to handle the supernatural, Humanity - dealing with the Dark leads to corruption).
I personally think that I had a good system in the making, one that while complex created interesting and diverse character, and allows for depth in task resolution and combat. I suppose we will never know
Happy to hear any feedback on this, BTW. I wrote most of the character gen and careers chapters and about 70% of the task & combat sections (and had a good outline of the Healing chapter).
Thanks for letting me indulge in my walk down memory lane!
Marcus