[Craft] Mastermind Or Muscle
Coming back with a new RPG "A straight forward Heist with all the twists and turns, well suited for one-shots"
I disappeared for a while due to some time-consuming events in my life (getting a new job... and a dog). I needed a breather to readjust, but I'd like to get back to the same pace as before eventually (a post every 2 weeks). Now, I have to be honest, I could have used a longer pause, but THIS came up. You know I like Jam, I like one pagers and I like RPG... Soooo, when I see “One page RPG Jam” and there are more than a thousand participants… I dived right in... and actually managed to pull something through! That first post will be showcasing that. Expect another one to highlight my favourite entries from the Jam.
The theme this year was "Rumours & Secrets", which directly brought memories from Reservoir Dog. I always wanted to do a heist game anyway, so here’s the pitch:
Who Are You?
An eclectic group composed by a mastermind known as “K”. It started as a small hustle, well paid, but the stakes raised for that mission. K was testing you individually and as a group to find the perfect fit for the biggest heist. Nobody saw them directly during that time.
The 2-sided RPG (I didn’t cheat, it’s allowed by the Jam rules!) is available on the store page along with the character sheets which are a big part of the game. Check them out and come back so we can dig deeper. As a starting point, I'd like to highlight the key features I wanted for that game:
The past and the present mix to generate an exciting heist story.
The conduct of play is straight forward, but as built-in all the twists you can expect of the genre.
The resolution system "Bonaventure" is simple to track and use.
Now, let me break down those, one by one, and expand on the implication.
The past and the present mix to generate an exciting heist story.
I used a simple auto-balanced stat system inspired by Laser & feelings (I studied this one over here). There are two parameters, the better you are at one, the worst you are at the other. While those can be the typical dualistic Mind/Body, I wanted to try something different this time. Flashbacks are a compelling narrative structure of this genre, where a clever anticipation in the past leads to an unexpected change in the ongoing action. To emphasize that aspect, the dichotomy of the game is Plan/Execute.
Plan being the (over the top) foresight of chain reactions.
Execute, the more traditional competent protagonist whether it’s about strength or rhetoric.
There is still room for personalization with the second part of the player creation. This one is inspired by Dread (design study of this fantastic game will come eventually) and the questionnaire it provides. It gives to everyone an opportunity to define their character and specialize. However, as opposed to Dread, it’s done throughout the whole session instead of directly at the beginning. Everything can be established conveniently to overcome the obstacles, but the more the game progresses, the less leeway you have.
The conduct of play is straight forward, but as built-in all the twists you can expect of the genre.
One of the main feedback I got when I shared an edited version of the system was that it lacked a setting. The other was that conducting the game wasn’t streamlined enough, especially in regard to resource management. I think the two points were linked, or at least came nicely together, as I attempted to address them in this iteration. The Teller as a step-by-step process and metrics to balance the session as it goes. On the other end, the scenario is bringing some exciting turns in the story to avoid the structure to become too apparent.
The resolution system "Bonaventure" is simple to track and use.
Since the first iteration, I set the goal to have it easy to play everywhere. It doesn’t require fancy material and is highly transportable (you just manipulate a deck of standard playing cards). While I was tying it to a proper setting and defining a structure for the scenario, I also decided to focus on shorter game (one to three shots). This enabled me to streamline the system even more by stripping down the resting loop. I think it might be the direction I’m taking with it in general. I like to try many things, but I also like a compelling conclusion. A more contained scenario is necessary to get both… and my gaming group can’t seem to get a regular schedule anyway ;)
I could go on with this breakdown and analyze the layout or the editing process that took me both forever, but I’d like to tell you another story instead:
At the beginning, I mentioned that I’ve put this newsletter on hold for some time. I haven’t been fully honest about the reason behind this. To address the feedback on my previous iteration of the game, I started working on an RPG, which grows, and grows, until I reached the point where I had to refine, edit or however you want to call that polishing process. It was too late, any event (like a job and a dog) could and did put me off trail.
I wanted to expand on that article from Spelunky’s creator, Derek Yu. It has been influential to me because of the number of over-scoped projects I have under my belt. Although, to get meta, I don’t want to overblow that entry and never press the “post” button. So, let me summarize my thought and the article: Finishing a game is hard. I’m very proud of that achievement, and every other participant should be. See you next time with more on that part.