Toolkitting for Day after Ragnarok

[Doc Democracy]

My group has decided to play Day after Ragnarok. The interesting thing is that we have decided to rotate GMs each of whom are using a different system to run the game (Savage Worlds and HERO so far but with TORG and possibly HeroQuest or Mongoose RuneQuest to come). The characters will remain the same but be re-interpreted in different systems so we have a kind of single setting, multi-system ensemble game on the go.

 

I thought it might be interesting for folks if I provided an overview of how I have toolkitted the system to play the game.

 

1 - Expanded Professional Skills.

I have decided that each character will start with two Background skills. These work like Professional Skills in play but in game terms are far more powerful. I have told players that any skill they can reasonably expect to be within the Background, they can have within the background. I retain the right to indicate whether the skill will be at the level of the background skill or one or two points below.

 

The background skill costs 10 points and can be increased for 5 points per point. All skills within the background can be individually raised for one point per point.

 

2 - Using cards for phases

I decided to deal out cards to players (the number based on their SPD) and everyone takes actions based on the cards dealt (Aces Low - deck shuffled on draw of Joker). I use a villain deck where villains will go when the card matches the Speed Chart number. This effectively randomises actions but allows some player planning within a turn. With the right draw even a low SPD character gets the odd time when they can get the drop on someone and means that players vary their tactics depending on the draw of the cards.

 

3 - Divorced movement and actions

This was as a consequence of 2. I have decided that everyone has a 3 speed for the purposes of movement. This means that increasing running speed is essentially a matter of buying more running. It also means that movement and everything else is seperated - you can run and fire (though that attracts a -2 penalty). Players can indicate where they want to be going and begin moving and they will continue moving either until they get there or decide to change their movement during one of their actions.

 

4 - Roll high system

I wanted something that looked intuitive to the players and so I instituted a roll high system. Basic rolls need to beat 10 for success. Abilities are written down as +1, +2, -2 etc. so that these modify the base roll. A base level skill has +0. Each level adds one. Simple. Strength etc is a bit more difficult so I have gone for +1 for each 5 in a characteristic though I do not list the characteristics unless they are at least 15.

 

5 - Additive abilities

Another consequence. I wanted the system to be flexible so, if two skills were applicable then you get some addition taking place. As such I have divorced skills from characteristics and allow things to add. As such a character might have Climbing +2, Strength +1 and Dexterity +3. Depending on the situation I might ask the character to roll climbing as modified by Strength or Dexterity.

 

6 - Combat

I haven't actually made changes to the system. The presentation is different though - target roll is 10 unless the defence number of the target is different to that (characters usually are). I list numbers only where the base CVs are greater than 3. So a characters defence number is 10 unless he has a DCV greater than 3. A characters Attack number is 0 unless the OCV is greater than 3. Skill levels are usually represented as a skill somewhere like shooting +1 etc.

 

 

Off the top of my head, I think that is it. I have, of course custom designed character sheets for the players - though I am not yet 100% content with those. From the first session I think it all hangs together quite well though some of this stuff has not been thoroughly road tested in play. The actions work well. The number system for action resolution works well.

 

The game still felt like HERO to me, not 100% sure about the players (not huge HERO fans). Will give it another session to bed in.

 

 

Doc

[Fearghus]

Re: Toolkitting for Day after Ragnarok

 

Whoa! Why on earth would you want to play a game run in 3-4 different systems? It just sounds frustrating and confusing to me.

 

On the other hand I kinda like the idea of using a deck of cards to determine initiative. It does allow that poor shlub who only has a speed of 2 to occasionally get to go first. It might be interesting to play with though I am not sure what it would do to the pace of the game, but it would add a bit of randomness to combat that might be interesting.

 

I have always house ruled a disconnect with movement and speed. In my games you can only move up to twice your non-combat movement in a single turn.

 

I have contemplated drawing up a roll-high system for Hero just because like you said in my head higher = better. I realize that functionally there is really no difference, but it's just a little thing that has always nagged me about the system. If you figure it out post it and I will probably shamelessly steal it as a house rule.

 

The rest of the stuff I don't really have an opinion on either way

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Toolkitting for Day after Ragnarok

 

Whoa! Why on earth would you want to play a game run in 3-4 different systems? It just sounds frustrating and confusing to me.

 

As an interesting way to explore new systems without having to continually invent new characters? There is a maintained continuity of story and it definitely allows comparison of gameplay and playability as the system is the only thing different in comparisons...

 

It has been interesting to see what changes in the characters when you move from Savage Worlds to HERO.

 

Doc

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Toolkitting for Day after Ragnarok

 

Thought I would upload a couple of the character sheets I made for the players for this. Not happy yet - need to use a better font and a better term for Defence (basically how hard the character is to hit). I also have to make better use of the second page.

 

Doc

 

Hmm. Pdf export didn't work as well as I expected. Will try again. Better the second time round.

[sheva]

Re: Toolkitting for Day after Ragnarok

 

This is a purely humourous contibution. I have a perfect character for the campaign, Spellweaver Beaver.

He was a normal beaver that unkowingly attempted to gnaw down Ygdrasil, the world tree for a beaver dam. This provoked a coma during which he underwent a series of shamistic visions and journeyed to higher planes, returning sentient with mystic powers.

He has follwed in the footsteps of Odin in hanging himself from a tree for a week in search of wisdom and strives to prevent Ragnarok. His initial plan, to build a giant beaver dam to imprison the Midguard Serpent, failed as there was not enough wood in the world. Spellweaver Beaver now promotes enviromental causes and reforestation to remedy this.

His war cry "Dam you villian" is often uttered while using his area of affect entangle, a beaver dam.

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Toolkitting for Day after Ragnarok

 

Slightly more four colour than the campaign is presented but possibly a light hearted encounter for a time when everything looks bleak. :-)

 

Doc

[sheva]

Re: Toolkitting for Day after Ragnarok

 

Oh, yes.

Having such a character around could ruin the carefully created atmosphere of a campaign.

But as a humourous character, I like to think it is a good one.

I was going to play Spellweaver Beaver in a campaign. The GM asked me not to, not because he was a silly animal, but because of what beaver is slang for. Nothing would happen due to all the smutty jokes.

If the reader can put what the term is slang for firmly from their mind for a moment, one of the reasons I wanted to play a beaver is they are wonderful. The little things build elaborate dams and systems of canals.

[Vondy]

Re: Toolkitting for Day after Ragnarok

 

1 - Expanded Professional Skills.

I have decided that each character will start with two Background skills. These work like Professional Skills in play but in game terms are far more powerful. I have told players that any skill they can reasonably expect to be within the Background, they can have within the background. I retain the right to indicate whether the skill will be at the level of the background skill or one or two points below.

 

The background skill costs 10 points and can be increased for 5 points per point. All skills within the background can be individually raised for one point per point.

 

Some very interesting ideas! I will comment more generally later. BUT

 

This has a native precedent in Hero. In TUS there is an option to have "compound" background skills. I'll go looking for the page number later. Its also briefly mentioned in 6E as a tool-kitting option. I do something very similar in my games. A few characters have Globetrotter or Polygot and whatnot. I originally took the idea (Polygot 10 Points) from Shelly Crystal McIntyre's Regency Hero notes.

[casualplayer]

Re: Toolkitting for Day after Ragnarok

 

Whoa! Why on earth would you want to play a game run in 3-4 different systems? It just sounds frustrating and confusing to me.

 

Sounds fun to me, and I've done it before. Nice way to compare the strengths and weaknesses of differing systems in a set environment. As long as they don't conflict you can then pick-and-choose and kit-bash together your own "ideal" system.

 

Day after Ragnarok, eh? Guess no one is playing Thor.

[Tywyll]

Re: Toolkitting for Day after Ragnarok

 

4 - Roll high system

I wanted something that looked intuitive to the players and so I instituted a roll high system. Basic rolls need to beat 10 for success. Abilities are written down as +1, +2, -2 etc. so that these modify the base roll. A base level skill has +0. Each level adds one. Simple. Strength etc is a bit more difficult so I have gone for +1 for each 5 in a characteristic though I do not list the characteristics unless they are at least 15.

 

Doc

 

All for the roll high system, that's how my campaign is running now and the players all prefer it. Yes it makes no difference but it is more intuitive and makes my players happy so who am I to complain?

 

A suggestion though? Make the target number 12 and make the roll based on attribute/5+levels. That way, an 8- becomes a -1, a 10- (prof) becomes +1 and a 'standard' (i.e 11-) skill becomes a +2. All other skills are easy to derive by the /5 on the governing attribute.

 

Do you do roll high combat?

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Toolkitting for Day after Ragnarok

 

All for the roll high system, that's how my campaign is running now and the players all prefer it. Yes it makes no difference but it is more intuitive and makes my players happy so who am I to complain?

 

A suggestion though? Make the target number 12 and make the roll based on attribute/5+levels. That way, an 8- becomes a -1, a 10- (prof) becomes +1 and a 'standard' (i.e 11-) skill becomes a +2. All other skills are easy to derive by the /5 on the governing attribute.

 

Do you do roll high combat?

 

Let me think about the numbers and I'll get back to you. I chose beating 10 because 10 is a memorable number. It also means that with no midifiers a PC has a 50% chance of success.

 

I do roll high combat - the character sheet has the DCV plus 10 as the Defence Number - that is the number someone has to beat to hit them - so 3D6 + OCV + any other modifiers has to beat the defence number.

 

Doc

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Toolkitting for Day after Ragnarok

 

Some very interesting ideas! I will comment more generally later. BUT

 

This has a native precedent in Hero. In TUS there is an option to have "compound" background skills. I'll go looking for the page number later. Its also briefly mentioned in 6E as a tool-kitting option. I do something very similar in my games. A few characters have Globetrotter or Polygot and whatnot. I originally took the idea (Polygot 10 Points) from Shelly Crystal McIntyre's Regency Hero notes.

 

I will go look at TUS to see what it says...

 

Thanks

 

 

Doc

[Vondy]

Re: Toolkitting for Day after Ragnarok

 

I will go look at TUS to see what it says...

 

Thanks

 

 

Doc

 

Page 51.

 

I was just pointing to a conceptual parallel, though.

 

I don't see a reason not to do it the way you are doing it.

 

I usu. apply a flat cost instead of worrying about the exact number of skills it represents.

 

Usu. 10 or 15 points depending on whether its strictly background or more broadly applied.

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Toolkitting for Day after Ragnarok

 

As you will see from the character sheets, my point concerns are purely my own OCD - none of the players can see much at all and one of the characters is missing a bunch of points that I was holding back for a surprise development (and he has not really noticed as yet).

 

My surprise with the character building sheets that include all of the point costs is how many attributes etc have had no points allocated to them. I built the character from the playing sheet and then went back to cost it and make amendments - lots of characteristics remained at standard because they didn't feature on the big picture I had laid out. That shows how many points I had wasted buying characteristics because the option was there rather than because it added to the picture of the character in play.

 

The broad skills was my way of simplifying this process but it has worked pretty well and it gives the players the freedom to add specific skills on their sheet that does not affect the overall point cost...more freedom from point based tyrrany!

 

Doc

[Vondy]

Re: Toolkitting for Day after Ragnarok

 

As you will see from the character sheets, my point concerns are purely my own OCD - none of the players can see much at all and one of the characters is missing a bunch of points that I was holding back for a surprise development (and he has not really noticed as yet).

 

My surprise with the character building sheets that include all of the point costs is how many attributes etc have had no points allocated to them. I built the character from the playing sheet and then went back to cost it and make amendments - lots of characteristics remained at standard because they didn't feature on the big picture I had laid out. That shows how many points I had wasted buying characteristics because the option was there rather than because it added to the picture of the character in play.

 

The broad skills was my way of simplifying this process but it has worked pretty well and it gives the players the freedom to add specific skills on their sheet that does not affect the overall point cost...more freedom from point based tyrrany!

 

Doc

 

You use points?!

 

More seriously, I found, with the way I'm doing characters now, that I'm making similar design choices. I should post some, but they wouldn't make much sense without a document, I fear.

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Toolkitting for Day after Ragnarok

 

You use points?!

 

More seriously, I found, with the way I'm doing characters now, that I'm making similar design choices. I should post some, but they wouldn't make much sense without a document, I fear.

 

I eyeballed the characters and then pointed them up afterwards - as it turned out they came out at 144, 141, 146 and 125.

 

I reckon I dont really need to do the point thing any more but like I say (OCD tendencies...)

 

I always find that writing the document that would put what I have in my head onto paper is always more work than I can be bothered to do!

 

 

Doc

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Toolkitting for Day after Ragnarok

 

For those interested in what the setting is about - it is featured on Game Geeks this month:

[bigbywolfe]

Re: Toolkitting for Day after Ragnarok

 

For those interested in what the setting is about - it is featured on Game Geeks this month:

HEY! That's my GM! I've only watched through like episode 45 or so, though I'm slowly catching up.

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Toolkitting for Day after Ragnarok

 

Well. He wants to play Day After Ragnarok - possibly you could persuade him to use HERO rather than Savage Worlds...

[bigbywolfe]

Re: Toolkitting for Day after Ragnarok

 

I'm going to be introducing the group to HERO this summer and I got him into a HERO game at Gen Con.