Difference between revisions of "Talk:Mano a Mano"

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(organizational issues)
(Compact Characters)
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:I have re-ordered the sections on the [[Mano a Mano|Table of Contents]] and [[Mano a Mano:Complete System|Complete System on One Page]] to reflect this. The broad overview of Gameplay is still first, followed by Action, Character Development, Character Creation and finally Game Design. We will probably want to make further changes so that the system makes sense when presented in this order. We may even want to move the example Ability and Equipment lists into Character Creation or even Character Development.
 
:I have re-ordered the sections on the [[Mano a Mano|Table of Contents]] and [[Mano a Mano:Complete System|Complete System on One Page]] to reflect this. The broad overview of Gameplay is still first, followed by Action, Character Development, Character Creation and finally Game Design. We will probably want to make further changes so that the system makes sense when presented in this order. We may even want to move the example Ability and Equipment lists into Character Creation or even Character Development.
  
==Compact Characters==
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==Compact NPCs==
  
Compact characters could be used for NPCs who only need combat stats and a few other qualities and abilities. All of the NPCs in a particular battle could fit on two facing pages of a book, possibly with other information about the battle, which would be convenient for the GM. A bestiary can have lots of playable creatures. Compact characters could fit on cards or leave room for explaining how to do basic actions and roll dice for beginning players. Compact characters can be simpler to create by hand than an SVG file (although SVG files are plain text and this can be automated by a script)
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Can we abbreviate NPC stats by omitting some details?
  
* Carrying capacity, equipment mass and encumbrance are mostly just for calculating movement, therefore optional.
+
* Carrying capacity, equipment mass and encumbrance are only needed to calculate movement.
* Template ability modifiers, speed, agility, power, toughness, mass, length, variability and CP value are not needed for NPCs.
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* Movement, best absorption and total cover can be assumed to be 0 if they are not listed.
* Ground, water and air movement, best absorption and total cover can be assumed to be 0 if they are not listed.
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* Stun and damage can go on scratch paper.
* Stun and damage are only needed for characters in the middle of an adventure or battle.
 
* Lines can be broken after any comma except between parentheses, or lines can be joined with commas or other notation.
 
 
 
{|
 
! align="left" | standard (similar things on each line)
 
! align="left" | recipe (one thing on each line)
 
|-
 
| valign="top" style="white-space:nowrap" |
 
Steven (151 CP, 95 kg, 1.6 m height, adult male human robber)<br>
 
1 speed, 0 agility, 3 power, 7 toughness, 14 stamina<br>
 
2 unarmed combat, 4 one-handed weapons, 2 craftsmanship<br>
 
2 hands (hand, 3 power, 2 attack, 12 defense)<br>
 
2 feet (3 power, 2 attack, 12 defense)<br>
 
1 machete (sharp, 0.5 kg, 3 heft, 5 power, 4 attack, ''14 defense'')<br>
 
4 ground movement, 10 missile defense, 3 grapple attack, 13 grapple defense<br>
 
| valign="top" rowspan="3" style="white-space:nowrap" |
 
Steven (151 CP, 95 kg, 1.6 m height, adult male human robber)<br>
 
1 speed<br> 0 agility<br> 3 power<br> 7 toughness<br> 14 stamina<br>
 
2 unarmed combat<br> 4 one-handed weapons<br> 2 craftsmanship<br>
 
2 hands (hand, 3 power, 2 attack, 12 defense)<br>
 
2 feet (3 power, 2 attack, 12 defense)<br>
 
1 machete (sharp, 0.5 kg, 3 heft, 5 power, 4 attack, ''14 defense'')<br>
 
4 ground movement<br> 10 missile defense<br> 3 grapple attack<br> 13 grapple defense
 
|-
 
! align="left" | run-on (everything on one line)
 
|-
 
| valign="top" |
 
Steven (151 CP, 95 kg, 1.6 m height, adult male human robber),
 
1 speed, 0 agility, 3 power, 7 toughness, 14 stamina
 
2 unarmed combat, 4 one-handed weapons, 2 craftsmanship,
 
2 hands (hand, 3 power, 2 attack, 12 defense),
 
2 feet (3 power, 2 attack, 12 defense),
 
1 machete (sharp, 0.5 kg, 3 heft, 5 power, 4 attack, ''14 defense''),
 
4 ground movement, 10 missile defense, 3 grapple attack, 3 grapple defense
 
|}
 
  
 
==Editing Character Sheet==
 
==Editing Character Sheet==

Revision as of 07:31, 30 October 2008

Armor

I think our example character should have armor. This would lengthen the character generation and combat examples, but I think this is important enough to warrant the extra effort.

Organization

There are two different movement sections, which is confusing when looking for movement speed numbers for character generation.

I merged them into the Action/Movement section. Notice that Character Creation now depends on Inventory Management and Movement. You need to read those sections and understand how to add equipment and calculate ground, water and sometimes air movement before you can create a character.

I have up until very recently thought of explaining MaM in terms of CP calcuations, starting with the simplest first: first weapon genaration, then template generation, then character generation, and then finally how to use characters. Now that I'm in the process of making about 60 NPCs, I have a new perspective on what order the information should be presented to the prospective player.

If we assume the player already has a pregenerated character to start with (and even MaM has Steven,) then the first thing they need to know is how to use the character (combat, action.) Then they need to know character development, and after that character generation. Even weapon generation would come before template generation, which would be last.

This is important because we want to be able to have the player's using the system with having to master the least amount of the system: beginning players may use pregenerated characters, and in many games player-generated templates may actually be innappropriate. People should be able to play the game without having to learn how to design it first.

I agree that we need to change the order to build from the simplest, gameplay-oriented rules to the more complex and design-oriented rules. This is important enough to start with a pre-generated character. We can still show how that same character was generated later, so this doesn't even require us to create a second character.
I have re-ordered the sections on the Table of Contents and Complete System on One Page to reflect this. The broad overview of Gameplay is still first, followed by Action, Character Development, Character Creation and finally Game Design. We will probably want to make further changes so that the system makes sense when presented in this order. We may even want to move the example Ability and Equipment lists into Character Creation or even Character Development.

Compact NPCs

Can we abbreviate NPC stats by omitting some details?

  • Carrying capacity, equipment mass and encumbrance are only needed to calculate movement.
  • Movement, best absorption and total cover can be assumed to be 0 if they are not listed.
  • Stun and damage can go on scratch paper.

Editing Character Sheet

If you change the character sheet format when editing any of the following, you must update the others:

Be sure you know which character sheet you are updating:

  • The template creation example includes both the blank character sheet and the example template.
  • The character creation example includes both the example template and the example character sheet.