Trek BBS RPG: 01 - Rules and Character Posting

This is a set up for a Trek BBS Role-Playing Game (RPG). It will be World of Darkness (WoD) based for those who want to read the Core Book
but the rules have been tweaked for an easy setup. It'll be easier for those who haven't role played before. This thread covers the rules, character postings, and questions. The game will be located here-

(Game thread not created yet, but feel free to create a character now.)

The setting for the first game will be on the USS Exceptional (Constitution-Class). The year is 2267 (TOS) and the ship and crew will be tasked with seeking out new life and new civilizations.

The point of an RPG is to interact as a character. Some settings will only require a poster to conversate (Down-Time), saying what your character would say. Respond to posts as well. Think of it as an episode of Star Trek during their meals or bridge horse-play scenes. The game will start in this manner (the date will be posted after we find a group), where characters will talk about their pasts in the mess hall. I'll go into more details of how Action/Combat/Skill scenes work in a bit. To any seasoned RPG'r, feel free to help.

 

Character Sheet

 

Rules: Part 1 - The Character
The top of the sheet is pretty simple.
Name - Character's name.
Age - Character's age.
Player - Your login name.
Rank - Any ship rank other than Captain and Bartender, first come first serve.
Virtue - Choose one of the following virtues reflecting your character's background and concept; Charity, Faith, Fortitude, Hope, Justice, Prudence, or Temperance.
Vice - Choose one of the following Vices reflecting your character's background and concept; Envy, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Pride, Sloth, or Wrath.

If your character's action during a scene reflects your Vice, you'll regain one Willpower (explained later). If your character's action reflects your Virtue, you'll regain all of your Willpower.

Chronicle - This will be the era. The first game will be set in TOS.
Faction - For the first game, everyone's in starfleet.
Group Name - The section you're in, like Engineering, Security, or Medical.

 

Rules: Part 2 - Attributes
You automatically start with one dot in each. In addition to that, prioritize the categories 5/4/3. For example: you can distribute 5 points under Int/Wits/Res, 4 points under Str/Dex/Stam, and 3 under Pres/Manip/Comp -or- you can distribute 5 points under Pres/Manip/Comp, 4 points under Int/Wits/Res, and 3 points under Str/Dex/Stam -or- any other 5/4/3 priority. The 5th dot cost 2 points.

 

Rules: Part 3 - Skills
You start with 0 in each. Being unskilled in any skill subtract dice, -1 for Physical and Social skills, and -3 for Mental skills. Prioritize the three categories 11/7/4. For example: you can divide 11 points in Mental skills, 7 in Physical, and 4 in Social -or- 11 in Social, 7 in Mental, and 4 in Physical -or- any 11/7/4 priority. The 5th dot cost 2 points.

 

Rules: Part 4 - Specialties
Choose 3 skill Specialties. These are your character's areas of expertise. For example: You know the skill Stealth but are an expert at hiding in forest. On the line next to Stealth you'll write Forest. Another example: You know the skill Medicine but are an expert in repairing burns. On the line next to Medicine you'll write Burns. During situations where your expertise comes into play, you'll get +1 die. You can also put 3 expertise in one field. For example: You know how to pilot a ship (Drive) but are an expert in navigating through an asteroid field, staying on another ships tail, and flying around stars. If you're following a ship into an asteroid field, you'll get +2 dice.

 

Rules: Part 5 - Other Traits and Experience
For the first game, will skip Merits and Flaws. Size will be 5 for everyone. I (or the next GM) will expand on bonuses and flaws for each species (maybe Size 6 for Klingons with an anger management flaw that requires a D10 roll of a 6 or better to not attack someone who insulted him) but we'll see how the first game goes. Speed = Strength + Dexterity. Initiative = Dexterity + Composure. Defense = The lowest of Dexterity or Wits. Armor = 0 for the first game, standard starfleet issued uniforms. Health = Stamina + Size (fill in the dots, 'X' the boxes as character receives damage). Willpower = Resolve + Composure. Morality starts at 7 (fill in the dots) and you can lose or gain morality depending on immoral or moral behavior. Experience starts at 0.

Willpower may be spent ('X' the box) to add +3 dice to a roll (one Willpower per turn).

After each session (daily), your character (if he participates) will gain Experience determined by the GM. You can spend experience during Down-Time (not in battle or during a mission).

Experience Point Costs
Attribute --------- New dot x 5
Skill ---------------- New dot x 3
Skill Specialty --- 3 points
Morality ---------- New dot x 3

 

Rules: Part 6 - Font, Events, and Action
Game Master (GM) - Bold
Character - (Character Name) - "Quoted speech"
Out of Character - (OC: Italic and bracketed)

During events, the GM sets up the scene.

The away team teleports down to the complex. It's a mess. Who ever attacked it seems to be gone.

If a character wanted more information, he could investigate it by rolling the appropriate Skill+Attribute, in this case Investigation+(Intelligence or Wits). For a person with Investigation at 2 and an Intelligence of 3, they'll roll 5 dice. Every result 7 and up counts as a success. The more successes, the better the outcome.

"Maybe I should check closer."

Roll Investigation + Wits (I'm still playing with the D10 email to GM system will post link later.) The roller and the GM will see the results.
[LEFT]
In the case of 0 successes:
There is an unknown field blocking scans.

In the case of 1 success:
(Character) is aware a phaser fight took place.

In the case of 5 successes:
(Character) knows Klingons caused this, and they're over there.

Combat, dodging, even singing works on the same system

[/LEFT]

 

I don't think I'm missing anything but if I did, I'll post it tomorrow.

Edit: Depending on how many I get, the game thread will be on hold until we find a group.

 

The thought of role playing on the Trekbbs intrigued me enough to test it out, knowing it had the chance of it failing. Oh well, at least I still have my gaming circle.

 

I'm interested, but it would be a steep learning curve. I'm not at all familiar with this gaming system.

 

It's pretty simple after you make a character sheet. Here's one I pulled offline↓

I can tell he's witty, knows how to move, stands out in the crowd, and is able to manipulate the situation. He's skilled in the mystic arts, knows his way around a lock, how to hide, he's social, a good liar, (I don't know why their is three unfilled boxes in Athletics but lets say it's 5) he's very fast. Notice his written in skill Specialties. His merits are probably on another page but I won't get into that until a group is formed to discuss a Star Trek merit list.

I didn't go in detail on this but the object of the game is to complete tasks given by rolling dice (chance). There's always (at least) two numbers you're going to add to find your dice pool, a Skill and it's parent Attribute. Skills break down into three types; Mental, Physical, and Social skills. Mental skills roll with it's parent Intelligence, Wits, or Resolve attribute, depending on the situation. Physical skills roll with Strength, Dexterity, or Stamina. Mental skills roll with Presents, Manipulation, or Composure.

Let's say Nick (our magician sample) during an act wants to break out of a straitjacket, while hanging upside down, and the only way to get down is to unlock the lock binding his feet.

First he'll roll athletics + dexterity number in dice to get out of the straitjacket, which is 8 plus another die for having the escape artist specialty. 7 or up on a ten-sided die gets him a success. 0 successes and he's stuck. He could try again but the crowd is aware of his troubles. 1 successes gets him out, in time. 4 or more and the crowd is amazed, with even more amazement per additional successes.

Next, he'll roll Athletics + Stamina to not pass out, 6 dice for him. 0 successes and he passes out. With endurance rolls, sometimes you won't get a second chance and will need assistance. 1 success and he's light headed and -1 die on focus type rolls. 4 or more and you wouldn't think he knows he's upside down.

Then he'll roll Larceny + Stamina to unlock the lock with the pick he pulled out of his hair. Generally, unlock rolls are Larceny + Dexterity but he's upside down. 0 successes and he re-rolls Athletics + Stamina to not pass out. 1 success and he gets it with -1 dice to stamina rolls due to fatigue. 2 or more would get him out fine here (you can't really extravagantly open a lock).

Finally, he'll roll Athletics + Dexterity to land. 0 successes and he falls on his head taking damage and loosing health ('X' in health box/boxes). 1 success and he lands on his feet and stumbles up. 4 or more and he flips forward doing a double flip before landing.

If he spent a Willpower ('X' in one of his boxes) before his roll he'd add +3 dice to his roll and (not normal but with my trekbbs system) 9s and 10s count as 2 successes. He could also spend a Willpower after a roll to re-roll the original number of dice (not +3) and he'll also get 2 successes for 9s and 10s. He didn't fill in his Virtue and Vice on his sheet but if he accomplished his Vice, he'll get one Willpower back, accomplishing his Virtue gets him all of his Willpower back. Sleeping in-game gets him one willpower back and a new game resets willpower.

There is also critical failures (0 successes and the majority of your dice are 1s causing negative effects throughout the scene), mistakes (more 1s than successes causing accidents during a scene or a mistake to occur throughout a scene), and exceptional successes (5 successes or more granting additional dice and/or perk throughout the scene).

The Game Master (GM) sets a goal and the players (and their rolls) tell the story. It's a good game for story tellers. The more people, the more interesting the story becomes. I wouldn't start a Star Trek game without at least a Doctor, a Security Officer, and an Engineer (or Science Officer). I would like an all around skilled Commander but I could run a GM Captain.

Edit: Critical failures, mistakes, and exceptional successes.

 

Well, my computer broke. Running a game from work sounds difficult (though fun), so unless someone else wants to run a game, it may just not happen. If a bunch of character sheets pop up, I'll throw a character in the mix to play but until I get a new home computer, I won't be running one.

 

Got a new computer. Disregard last post. I can still run one if a group forms.

 

I have to be honest - I'm not mathematically minded, at all. I enjoy creating a story, not worrying about adding and subtracting modifiers, so how much of that would I need to be aware of?

 

You'll only add two numbers at a time mostly. The GM will state wether you'll add dice each time you need to. The highest dice pool you can have is 20 (6 in both the skill and attribute, +3 for a willpower, +3 for specialties, and +2 in bonuses) but that's rare.

 

Looks interesting; however, too complicated for the level of interaction. (IMHO)

I think this idea would work using real-time interaction. Role-playing by forum or e-mail wouldn't support this level of detail.

Hope this helps.

(Veteran role-player and Star Trek fan)

 

^Not for multiple GMs (I wouldn't mind another GM to play a character of my own from time to time too). I pictured generic day to day conversational role-playing during exploration with the occasional (GM initiated) alien encounters, anomalies, nebulae, ect.

They are several online die rolling/email to GM systems that would work with this kind of gaming.

 

System's a little bit more elaborate than I'd usually look at using for PBP, but I could be interested. Any idea what crew roles you'd be recruiting for?