[LWMPG] House Rule Thoughts

[hal]

I just finished reading Lone Wolf Multiplayer Gamebook and I really like it. I think its well pitched for a younger age group and plan for it to be the first RPG I introduce to my own children. I plan to run it as written, especially as the rules have loads of open space to be filled.

Despite that, I turned my mind to what a more modern version of LW might look like for a more mature audience. I know there have been some excellent attempts at this stuff already but I wanted to take a different approach and embrace the same principles of simplicity that are in the underlying system. I also would like to retain as much compatibility as possible.

Here are my thoughts:

1. Make all Tests roll 0-9 and compare to a Difficulty. Default Difficulty is 5.

2. For each Discipline that can be applied to the Test add +1. In this sense, Disciplines act sort of like positive Aspects.

3. Remove CS. All CS modifers would be through Disciplines like Weaponskill. I would give those PCs from classes with CS of the range 15-24 an innate +2 to Combat Testsand those PCs with CS of the range 5-14 would likewise get an innate -2 penalty. All CS modifers from equipment would be halved, so a Shield would grant a +1 to Combat Tests, an Improvised Weapon would grant a -1 to Combat Tests etc

4. Each monster would have be a Difficulty. Behind the scenes, this Difficulty would equal:

(CS-21)/2

Round away from zero. So, a Giak with CS of 10 would have a Difficulty of -6 and a Gourgaz with a CS of 19 would have a Difficulty of -1

5. Combat would be a normal Test against the Difficulty of the monster, doing 1 Endurance per point that the roll exceeded the Difficulty. The PC would suffer 15 - Damage inflicted in Endurance. An autokill is inflicted or suffered if either the monster or PC does less than 0 Endurance damage.

6. I would set PC Endurance at double the a default number for each class being 2(Base) + 10. This doubling allows the Combat calculation to be simpler but would require a doubling of al PC Endurance effects such as healing and armour.

The Combat Test Difficulty could be made to be CS/2 - 10 without much impact if people found that easier. But the calculation would be behind the scenes in any case.

 

[Hellebore]

Interesting ideas although IMO it does seem more complicated than you are aiming for.

Personally I enjoy the the one roll combat resolution and would actually like to see it in other games.

I envisage the GM to hold the combat results table and the player to make the roll with the GM describing the scene and damage done to both parties.

IMO the game is so basic that to change it too drastically would sort of be redundant, it would be easier to take another slightly more complicated system and use it instead.

Without the CS and combat results table you've taken out 75% of the core mechanics so rather than trying to fit a square peg in a round hole you could take another system and just manipulate it instead.

For example the Dragon Age rules. 3d6 vs target number, disciplines are talents, disciplines might even have their own unique stunts, drop most of the complexity and just go with the basics.

As always opinions differ. There have been times when I've been modifying a set of rules where I realise there is more new material than original and I just think it would be easier to use another one better suited to the role, or a system from scratch.

Hellebore

 

[hal]

Interesting ideas although IMO it does seem more complicated than you are aiming for.

The complication is in the conversion. Once done, or if the house rules were adopted from scratch, the idea is that this expression should be as simple if not simpler in play to the existing rules.

IMO the game is so basic that to change it too drastically would sort of be redundant, it would be easier to take another slightly more complicated system and use it instead.

Agree. That is why all of the changes recommended are simply mathemathical simplifications of what's already there. I am adding and changing very little of substance. I am just changing the expression.

Without the CS and combat results table you've taken out 75% of the core mechanics so rather than trying to fit a square peg in a round hole you could take another system and just manipulate it instead.

:? CS and the combat table are still there. They are just expressed in a manner that I think would be slightly more intuitive and simpler in play.

I understand that some people are fine with chart referencing and that's cool. Given that the underlying math exists in the house rules, you could add it back in without any issue.

 

[Hellebore]

:? CS and the combat table are still there. They are just expressed in a manner that I think would be slightly more intuitive and simpler in play.

I understand that some people are fine with chart referencing and that's cool. Given that the underlying math exists in the house rules, you could add it back in without any issue.

My apologies I misread point 3 where it says 'remove CS'.

Hellebore

 

[hal]

My apologies I misread point 3 where it says 'remove CS'.

The idea is to essentially fix CS at 15 for Kai Monk PCs. The Weaponskill Discipline and like Disciplines actually deal with the bonus in Combat Tests, like any other Discipline does on a normal Test, so it centres the bonuses in one place.

The fortunate thing about this is that the Combat Table math becomes easy to express and you can replace it with the Combat Test mechanic mentioned and get identical results 90%+ of the time.