so I'm trying to work on my game ( C.O.R.P.S. ) and some one brings up and issue of clarity in the rules section....the problem I'm having is I don't know what to do...it makes sense to me but thats cause I wrote it....I need to make the section clear but I'm not sure how.....my head hurts
Farkle
Submitted by kumakami on Mon, 2007-05-21 11:01.
Rants
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Good but slow
Submitted by Chainsaw Aardvark on Tue, 2007-05-22 18:05.
First of all, I just need to chime in that "Farkle" is a product featured in a parody ad by the late musician Logan Whitehurst (and "The Junior Science Club") I've had that track stuck in my head since I saw the title of this post. The lyrics are here . Also, much to my surprise, there is a dice game of that name. Farkle
Now, as to the actual review. Most of it makes enough sense, and I think the CRPG format is an interesting interpretation. The combat section is a bit confusing. I also think you could make the system a little more elegant and quicker to resolve. At the moment its call - flip - check - reflip/use tag etc (and even longer if you need the sequence two or three times for attacking) Perhaps a Flip X number of coins based on difficulty, , but either you can only keep so many of the outcomes, or the number of coins goes down.
Ex. Base difficulty is 2, flip 4 coins. A harder task only gives 3 to flip, a really difficult one 2 coins. Tags still let you alter outcomes you don't like.
The use of cards (black/red) might also speed things up. Perhaps with the possibility of altering the difficulty by changing the meaning of face cards. (i.e. Easy = any red card or face card [32/52 -61%], hard = only red numerals [18/52 -35%])
Perhaps it might be best to reverse the combat - no more tricks means no attacks, but you can defend.
As with most games, I think a solid back story would be a bit more helpful. I'd like to see a bigger list of tags/tricks and so forth. You imply that there are things other than humans, but we have no monster list.
Its a good first attempt, and certainly ambitious started as a 24 hour game. Keep at it.
There is a fine line between hobby and obsession. I seem to have lost sight of it some time ago.
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Go header crazy!
Submitted by Relentless96 on Mon, 2007-05-21 17:36.
Well, you don't have to go crazy, but try breaking up the rules a bit more under more sub-headers. For example, in the Actions section of the CORPS rules, I can see several sub-headers - Standard Actions, Full Actions, Long Actions and Extended Actions. Break it up under those headings, then cut and paste them so they are in the order that makes sense and flows well.
Once that is done, look at each header and ask yourself "Can I word this better?". I tend to waffle a lot, so it is amazing to see how many pages a completed work condenses when you cut back the excess words.
Final piece of advice is providing an example of play. Some RPG's (like Fudge) provide an example for every piece of the rules, while others provide one big example that covers all aspects. For a game such as yours, you might be able to omit examples, but I would recommend it for Combat in particular.
Hope the above helps :)
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A bit of advice.
Submitted by RenegadePhilosopher on Mon, 2007-05-21 23:42.
Whenever you have a problem of trying to clarify something, here's a simple little quote that my Public Speech teacher gave me. "Speak like you're addressing Miss Piggy" which means to let your work sound like it's speaking to even the simplest and most naive of people.
We all know what we're doing here. None of us are strangers to dice-chucking, card-flopping, coin-tossing (which, I do like your idea for the mechanic, BTW) But to someone who's never gamed before and just randomly finds your rules online, they need to know exactly what is what. They need to be coddled, nurtured. They need someone to hold their hand until they grow into a fully-rounded, mature Gamer.
A little help: Grab a bunch of sheets of paper or some index cards and WRITE every little section down on each individual card. Dissect your rules until they are all one seperate cards. Then, work with each piece until it sounds perfect to a first-timer. Afterwards, you can arrange or re-arrange the cards until everything looks like it fits together perfectly.
You're off to a good start, and it does take a lot to ask for help, but that's what everybody's here for.
My internet provider is holding my sig hostage. Send help.
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thank you both
that was what I needed....to be honest we all biuld these thing while wearing our own rose colored glasses, so its hard to see them in a normal light