03-30-2020, 10:28 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Dec 2015
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Looking for outside testers for new GURPS-inspired RPG line!
I designed a roleplaying game a long time ago, based on a set of GURPS houserules for new players. The game was set in a universe with ample and chaotic time travel, revolving around an organization trying to protect people who got into problems with other, less savory time travelers. You may be able to guess the name of the organization!
Long story short, it was a lot of fun and I ended up working on a series of novels set in the same universe when it became all but impossible to keep the sessions regular. Now, as the writing of the novels is coming along nicely, I have started doing the second edition of the RPG, since the first had its flaws and was very much a product of the people I played it with. My problem is that I've had too many people look at it to find good eyes that are not already too familiar with it to give it that 'fresh look'. So I'm looking for people to, for now, look it over and give some basic feedback. The full rules are not yet in there (simplified rules are, though), but while they are no longer fully compatible with GURPS, they share enough similarities that the two systems should be able to compliment each other. The current work-in-progress document is here: Embassy Of Time RPG As stated, it's far from done, and will be updated as I find the time to get it written. For now, it's a brief introduction to the rules and the first major pieces of the setting. No art at all, yet. Any and all feedback is appreciated. Other books are already being drawn up for near-future writing, all by former GURPSers, and I hope to get some good input and maybe give a bit back to the GURPS community that shaped the many roleplaying sessions of my youth! Last edited by Embassy of Time; 03-30-2020 at 10:31 AM. Reason: Fixed the link |
04-01-2020, 03:01 PM | #2 |
Hero of Democracy
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: far from the ocean
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Re: Looking for outside testers for new GURPS-inspired RPG line!
Well, I'm a new pair of eyes.
I've read the whole document that you've linked. I have a few things that could use clarification. Some of these are personal questions, but you might want to look at changing your document to answer them. I'm still left a little curious about what the actual consequences of split timelines are. Is it just that they attract enforcement attention if left too long? Is there some other consequence? How does that interact with timetraveler timeline "pockets"? And how does enforcement deal with split time traveler timelines? Can you intentionally travel to each half of a split timeline? why or why not? Enforcement goes around busting up colonies, and the embassy goes around rellocating those people. But because going native is hard, that means they're not removing those people in space, just in time. How is what the embassy does different than just establishing moving the colonists to a new and safer colony? Is the point to make a colony that's less intrusive? And why is enforcement leaving these people to save in the first place? How do you power a time machine in 100 AD? how did you build it in the first place? Is it that time machines can send anyone to any location in time, or is it that they're so expensive and finicky that the embassy just insists on people finding their own ways between them? A paragraph at the end of page 19 makes it sound like sending someone from London 1830 to Shanghai 1832 is a fairly easy task, then two paragraphs later on page 20 it sounds like London 1830 to Shanghai 1463 dumps you in europe at the correct year and you have to find a way to china. You've explained why the embassy can't cross 4000 AD, but what about the 10,000 BC mark? is it just really boring? does enforcement find evicting people from that time easier? The Dojo could use a little more description, given that its central to the embassy's identity.
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Be helpful, not pedantic Worlds Beyond Earth -- my blog Check out the PbP forum! If you don't see a game you'd like, ask me about making one! |
04-01-2020, 04:39 PM | #3 | |||||||
Join Date: Dec 2015
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Re: Looking for outside testers for new GURPS-inspired RPG line!
Thanks for reading it, I'll get right on those questions!
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Quick question: Is this subject interesting enough to add a section on? I like the subject, but I'm worried whether it would be too much of a sideline, or if it's something people might want for interest and use in very lore-centric adventures? Quote:
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Thank you for your response, and if you have more, please let me know. I have uploaded a new pdf a few days ago (same link), not sure if yours is the latest. I hope to upload one again within the next few days. The current version is 54 pages, plus 3 pages of mostly empty outlining. |
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04-02-2020, 06:09 AM | #4 | |||
Hero of Democracy
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: far from the ocean
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Re: Looking for outside testers for new GURPS-inspired RPG line!
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How do you travel to the future? I thought making a destination was a fairly destructive process. how do you get a rock to 2315 from the present day when you have to destroy and archive the rock in 2020?
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Be helpful, not pedantic Worlds Beyond Earth -- my blog Check out the PbP forum! If you don't see a game you'd like, ask me about making one! |
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04-02-2020, 08:00 AM | #5 | ||||
Join Date: Dec 2015
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Re: Looking for outside testers for new GURPS-inspired RPG line!
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Oh, and I just updated the file, so there's now a lot of stuff about being a time agent, and a section copied from an earlier version on how to write adventures, although you probably don't need that. The aim is to make every book in the series a complete stand-alone. |
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04-07-2020, 07:37 AM | #6 | |
Hero of Democracy
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: far from the ocean
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Re: Looking for outside testers for new GURPS-inspired RPG line!
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Ok, but what's the ultimate negative consequence? I can see that the GM's job is harder if there are two of me, but why does the character with two copies care that that the universe is more complicated now? What makes him care? what bad things happen TO HIM?
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Be helpful, not pedantic Worlds Beyond Earth -- my blog Check out the PbP forum! If you don't see a game you'd like, ask me about making one! |
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04-08-2020, 01:19 PM | #7 | |
Join Date: Dec 2015
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Re: Looking for outside testers for new GURPS-inspired RPG line!
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Come to think of it, this could be an interesting angle to explore as 'advanced' time travel issues. Maybe I should structure some of this stuf in tiers... hmmm.... |
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04-13-2020, 09:03 AM | #8 | |
Hero of Democracy
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: far from the ocean
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Re: Looking for outside testers for new GURPS-inspired RPG line!
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So the penalty is that you duplicate everyone you know on a massive scale? And because these people are all time travelers, you tend to run into them, and the people you run into tend to run into them? I can see that working as a downside for PC's. Everywhere you go your cover is already blown, enemies already made, and so forth. It might still lack teeth, depending on play style. I know I as a player would want to delve into what happens if I do it. It is after all a time travel setting, so you may wish to explain this in the doc. It also suggests that you can avoid having the major consequences of seeing yourself if the split younger self retires and settles down somewhere.
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Be helpful, not pedantic Worlds Beyond Earth -- my blog Check out the PbP forum! If you don't see a game you'd like, ask me about making one! |
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04-13-2020, 03:55 PM | #9 | |
Join Date: Dec 2015
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Re: Looking for outside testers for new GURPS-inspired RPG line!
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