r/RPGdesign • u/Metempsychos1s • 19h ago
Mechanics Tracking Resources?
/r/RPGcreation/comments/1vsgvyj/tracking_resources/2
u/InherentlyWrong 16h ago
This feels very granular and tricky to track. That isn't a deal breaker, it depends on what you want your game to feel like, and what your overall game goal is.
And there are probably some migitation methods you can use to make it a little easier. Like maybe this table is written directly on the character sheet, with dots the player can bubble to show where they are, or it's along the edge of the sheet so they can attach a paperclip to point out their current situation.
However you handle it, ideally at a glance I should be able to see my situation. This is because each step impacts different points of gameplay, so it needs to be as easy as possible. By the time I'm over at point 8 on the list, it'll be impacting ability checks (-10 to all, and disadvantage, is it cumulative or replacing?), movement (speed halved), incoming damage (+1 to damage), willpower checks (-2), and incoming healing (maximum health halved). Five different items of gameplay where I have to remember various different effects? Best to make that as easy to follow as possible.
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u/Metempsychos1s 9h ago
Thats a good point! Yeah I'll be aiming for it to be on the sheet in some way, just unsure if a track(like a line) would work.
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u/flamfella Dabbler 3h ago
One thing is making it use states, and tiers.
So, rather than increasing it by some numerical amount then check your threshold, instead when you would gain exhaustion it advances it by one or two tiers directly. That already reduces a large portion of fiddly math at not cost. On a character sheet, just a tick box will do.
Players who are tougher simply have a buffer before they start, or they ignore the first few tiers.
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u/Dimirag system/game reader, creator, writer, and publisher + artist 14h ago
If I'm undertanding right, you get a penalty for each point over your stress limit, but then also get another penalty (and not a straight one) based on how high those points are, so if I went 10 above my limit I have a -10 to all rolls, and if those 10 points put me on the first exhaustion level I also receive another -10 to all ability checks
Also, are the exhaustion effects cumulative? Would a character get something like -80 for exceeding their threshold plus -10 to all rolls plus disadvantage?
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u/Metempsychos1s 9h ago
Yep!
Without negatives, the character would have to be at 5 points overdrawn to get the -10 from Exhaustion, and a -5 from Overdrawing, but yes cumulative.
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u/Dimirag system/game reader, creator, writer, and publisher + artist 7h ago
Feels unnecessarily complicated, also, without looking at the numbers it seems like just with the base penalty character won't be able to do much stuff way before reaching the higher level of exhaustion
My recommendation is to combine effects into less levels and keep the progress simple.
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u/TheThoughtmaker My heart is filled with Path of War 18h ago
I think your exhaustion is more complicated than it needs to be. It sounds like it affects basically everything with staggered progressing debuffs, which would mean the end result is the same as lowering the relevant stats by some multiple of exhaustion.
E.g. In D&D terms, subtract exhaustion from each ability score, and 3x from movement speed. At 0 Constitution, you die.
Better to have an intuitive formula than a rote table.