Submitted by SheikhJahbooty on Sun, 2010-08-15 21:03.
There's plenty of interesting combat systems for RPGs already. If we just need classes (norm, little sister, etc.) and special powers (plasmids, tonics) that's nothing. Fuzion, Basic Role Playing, FUDGE, FATE, Organic Rule Components, PDQ, Impresa, etc. Basic Role Playing has the benefit of not having changed much over the years so it still feels like an old game for a setting that is supposed to be in the 1960s.
But there were two activities in the game that are worth special systems, hacking and sneaking.
I think hacking should be done so that you have a certain number of rolls to accumulate a certain amount of success. World of Darkness games do this for picking locks and I know it seems lame when you tell it to people, but it does add an amount of tension when you're running out of rolls and you still need some successes, so I'd suggest something like this.
Sneaking could be done with contested rolls, but I'd like to see something more interesting, especially like, if a PC is sneaking up on a turret, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for the turret to roll it's "alertness" or whatever. (It makes a little bit of sense, since presumably there are better turrets and worse turrets, but they aren't alive so it feels weird.)
Sneaking would be ideal if there was a choice for the player, like if the player makes a roll and then has to decide to go with it, or roll again. Maybe some sort of blackjack type of thing. I want to get over my opponents ability to notice me, but if I get too high, I'll go at the wrong time and be seen. Or maybe you can accumulate stealth to get over the sum of everyone's awareness, but if you fail a roll, or fail two in a row or something, then you are discovered.
I'm not sure really the best way to do this stuff, but I think those are the two things you have to address to make a fun and interesting Bioshock RPG.
Hacking & Sneaking
There's plenty of interesting combat systems for RPGs already. If we just need classes (norm, little sister, etc.) and special powers (plasmids, tonics) that's nothing. Fuzion, Basic Role Playing, FUDGE, FATE, Organic Rule Components, PDQ, Impresa, etc. Basic Role Playing has the benefit of not having changed much over the years so it still feels like an old game for a setting that is supposed to be in the 1960s.
But there were two activities in the game that are worth special systems, hacking and sneaking.
I think hacking should be done so that you have a certain number of rolls to accumulate a certain amount of success. World of Darkness games do this for picking locks and I know it seems lame when you tell it to people, but it does add an amount of tension when you're running out of rolls and you still need some successes, so I'd suggest something like this.
Sneaking could be done with contested rolls, but I'd like to see something more interesting, especially like, if a PC is sneaking up on a turret, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for the turret to roll it's "alertness" or whatever. (It makes a little bit of sense, since presumably there are better turrets and worse turrets, but they aren't alive so it feels weird.)
Sneaking would be ideal if there was a choice for the player, like if the player makes a roll and then has to decide to go with it, or roll again. Maybe some sort of blackjack type of thing. I want to get over my opponents ability to notice me, but if I get too high, I'll go at the wrong time and be seen. Or maybe you can accumulate stealth to get over the sum of everyone's awareness, but if you fail a roll, or fail two in a row or something, then you are discovered.
I'm not sure really the best way to do this stuff, but I think those are the two things you have to address to make a fun and interesting Bioshock RPG.