Sunday, October 4, 2015

Gear Reliability and Trade-Offs [Rough Draft]

As you may know I draw from Airsoft a lot of inspiration for games. One great inspiration is the Equipment Trade-offs.

Basically, look at Load Outs as Trade-offs between the following:
  1. Tactical Advantage
  2. Reliability 
  3. Options
Gear is a mix of trade offs: typically there is a tactical advantage: 
  1. Speed (specifically movement), or Endurance (leaving the PC with a lower energy reserve). 
  2. Comfort (lack of it translate distraction penalties), 
  3. Initiative (accessibility to a particular option or set of manoeuvres)
  4. a particular advantage in using a particular set of manurers. 

Simpler way to do this is to state Gear or Load-Out aspects. The Players work with the GM the trade-offs of their load out. It begins with the player listing his gear and the GM setting consequences and modifiers based on the list, and the GM and Players working together with the aspects.

How I imagine this works:
Every combat encounter or scenario, the GM has set of number of possible malfunctions (instead of being a factor of every roll). I would recommend a roll in the beginning, and every 10 or 15 minutes. When the player choose his gear based on reliability he just gets a bonus against malfunctions. 
Then he gets bonus on where he specializes on and penalties based on the trade-offs. 

Objectives:
  1. Avoid a lot of rolls. I am of the game design philosophy that wants less rolls affecting the narrative and players working with the limits. I find it runs smoother. 
  2. have the decisions and trade-offs of the gear/load-out matter in the narrative. if it matters, then it should incentive to pay attention and think about what they want out of it.  
  3. Make it easier to set up gear and makes people get into gear set up with the right mindset. 
Hopefully a gateway to Gear-head or an appreciate for good craftsmanship. 

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