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Old 05-24-2015, 02:42 AM   #1
Kelhanion
 
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Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Vantaa, Finland
Default Training mini-games

I am planning to give the PCs a fun field day: They have just returned from a "mission" and are in a friendly environment. There is no immediate threat and it is a good opportunity for some self-improvement. The PCs have acquired unfamiliar weapons (spear throwers and slings, whereas they have had only thrown spears and rocks before). They have seen the weapons being used and can try to figure them out (Ayla's sling training montage from The Clan of the Cave Bear compressed to a few days).

I am planning to ignore the realistic learning mechanisms here. I just want to give the players a fun experience. I'm thinking of learning in some "mini-game" slash "movie montage" fashion. The award will be a single point in the relevant skill (Spear Thrower or Sling). I know that Spear Thrower has a decent default (Thrown Weapon [Spear]-4) but I kind of want to empower the PCs at this point.

So, do you have any suggestions how to make the players gain ranged combat skills such as these in an exciting way? So far I have come up with the following mini-game:

1.)The characters make a certain number of attacks against the default. One critical success is required (symbolizing a breakthrough).
2.) The distance and size of the target are varied, one successful attack is required for each combination.
3.) The players may choose to:
a.) analyze the weapons more thoroughly
b.) focus on muscle memory

So, for example:

20 attempts against the default: 5 to a close/small target, 5 to a close/large target, 5 to a distant/small target and 5 to a distant/large target

a.) 1 success required per set of 5 attacks (or two if the default would give too good odds otherwise)

b.) 1 critical success required altogether

A successful IQ roll before a set gives +1 to skill for that set (a failed roll gives -1)

A successful DX roll before a set gives +2 attempts to that set (a failed roll gives -1)

It is not necessary to attempt IQ or DX rolls

If both conditions a and b are fulfilled, the character survives the training montage and gains one skill point.

The 20 rolls may be explained to represent the whole day/week etc., so one roll may stand for one, ten or a hundred tries. Whatever sounds appropriate.

Would this sound like fun? How to add player involvement by giving them more choices? Using FP?
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Last edited by Kelhanion; 05-24-2015 at 02:48 AM.
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Old 05-26-2015, 01:09 PM   #2
Kelhanion
 
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Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Vantaa, Finland
Default Re: Training mini-games

I'm also looking for suggestions for trading information about herbs. The set-up is that an NPC has information that the PC does not. This includes

a.) new herbs (their identification)
b.) their preparation
c.) when they should be used (diagnosis)
d.) their effects

I would like to make this exciting. The characters have two days for the whole process and I would not like to simply give the information to the PC as there is a lot stuff to be learned.

Would something like fragmented learning be appropriate? Such that for each herb there would be four rolls corresponding to a-d and if the PC fails one of them, their knowledge is limited.

For example, the roll for a could be against Naturalist, b against Pharmacy(Herbal) and rolls c and d against Diagnosis: if PC does not fail a roll, she may go for the next roll. If she fails, the learning stops there (and continues by itself when she gains experience on her own).

There could be a large modifier for roll a, a smaller, positive modifier for rolls b and c and no modifier for d.

What do you think?
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-Kokko, kokoo kokoon koko kokko! -Koko kokkoko? -Koko kokko!
-Kokko, put together the whole bonfire! - The whole bonfire? -The whole bonfire!
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