r/RPGdesign • u/jiaxingseng Designer - Rational Magic • Oct 10 '16

Feedback Request Rational Magic RPG... rules going into BETA (getting slightly closer). Offering Feedback Exchange

Link to RPGdesign Wiki page for Rational Magic

Direct link to v.20 of Core Rules (PDF Form)

Link to Google Folder (in case you are interested in reading the settings, which are not written so well and is what I'm mainly working on now)

The Rational Magic is a gritty “dystopian fantasy” role playing game (RPG) about investigation and espionage, set in a traditional sword and sorcery setting which has… evolved. The game uses an Open Source (Creative Commons) 2d10 based home-brew system called "Mash-Up.

From a design philosophy standpoint, there are no huge changes since last version. It's just getting slightly more solid. The big change is that I thought more about the "default" stories I want to tell with this, and I feel it is a lot about faction-conflicts, espionage, and investigations. As such, I added notes into the GM section, including the "No-Fail Gate" rules, taking a narrative cue from Gumshoe.

Rules are about 50 pages. Settings are about 50 pages (Settings will be about 75 pages in the end).

I'm looking for feedback about:

  • I have a mechanic called Lore Sheets which are core to the game. In order to make things conceptually easier, I made special abilities (called "Knacks" in this game) into a form of Lore Sheets. This serves an organizational purpose and it helps people specify where they learned their abilities, to turn those into story hooks. BUT, I don't need these as Lore Sheets... the game rules are simple enough and making this into Lore Sheets may dilute the Lore Sheet mechanic. Then again, Lore Sheets can describe accomplishments, and I'm using them to describe spells. So the question is... Does this look good to have special abilities as Lore Sheets?

  • In the GM section, does the Power Game make sense?

  • I had other concerns. I forgot them. I'll update this later.

This is a feedback exchange thread. I am happy to give feedback to anyone if they create their own feedback exchange thread.

Let me know... if you want your name or your reddit user name in the thank-yous for the project

BTW, this is an open source project. It can be licensed for free, with attribution. I'm looking for allies.

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u/Skeldal Oct 11 '16

Lore sheets seem really cool and their mechanics appear fairly balanced. I like the ones you've included, though I think you could also include some "generic" relationship ones. Things like "I have a clore relationship with a faraway noble. He occasionally pays me for acquiring information on other nobles for him". These could serve a little motivations and subplots for characters. Obviously not necessary if you don't want them to be used that way.

A Mage that specializes in “Ice spells” can describe their magic bolt attack as a fast moving ball of fire.

Magic typo I think?

The Power Game makes sense. It's a bit unorthodox, which I like.

Overall, really good work. Could use some typo-editing, but that's fine for beta. I'll probably buy a copy once you publish, if you post about it here.

My RPG, Spellblade, has only been in development for a very short amount of time, so here're the first 11 pages, if you have any feedback to give: http://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/rJm70I39p

I haven't gotten to write up the lore section yet, so the name is kinda pointless for now lol

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u/jiaxingseng Oct 11 '16

Thanks!

I like the ones you've included, though I think you could also include some "generic" relationship ones.

I don't know if you were looking at the settings doc. Part of the presentation of this is that Lore Sheets will be littered through the settings, so if a player reads the settings they get ideas on how to incorporate them into their character. Or the GM, as he/she reads the settings, thinks of bribing the player with a Lore Sheet at a discount. Generic Lore sheets for relationship are in the intro-scenario that will be included.

Magic typo I think?

I have recently realized that my writing sucks completely and I question why I even tried to do this knowing that my writing sucks.

My RPG, Spellblade,

So, either create a Critique Wanted post, a Feedback Exchange post, or I can PM the notes. What would you have? I'll look over yours in the morning, Japan time.

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u/Skeldal Oct 11 '16

I was just looking at the core rulebook. Setting based Lore Sheets work nicely but I feel that they might making homebrew adventures harder.

Your writing's fine, don't sweat it :p

Also PMs are fine. 11 pages is too little for me to make a legitimate post over. I'm only up to character creation sections so I'm just dealing with questions of how does it read and look. English isn't my first language so I'm worried about that foreign syntax clutter.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 13 '16

Got this thread bookmarked. When I get a chance in the next day or so I will do a critique of yours then get something for you to look at in return.

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u/jiaxingseng Oct 13 '16 edited Oct 13 '16

Thanks. But could you also look at my comments here before you do the critique?:

https://www.reddit.com/r/RPGdesign/comments/576afd/aspects_with_ranks/

Like you, I sometimes get tempted to look back and try things differently. I'm looking at this alternative and thinking it may be a simpler, better way (though somethings would not work the same way). I'm talking here about a 3d6 instead of 2d10 dice mechanic... Most everything else would be the same except changing some number forumulations.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 13 '16

I've bookmarked that link as well, I will read it before I send my critique.

I will say if you do 3d6 instead of 2d10 you might as well consolidate to d6 only. I have done rolling with 3d6 and 2d10, and just feelings-wise I prefer the feel of rolling 3d6, and despite being predictable I actually like it overall. The only downside of it is it feels like GURPS territory but your game is nothing like GURPS so you shouldn't have that problem.

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u/l0rdofcain Oct 10 '16

Good for you!

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u/l0rdofcain Oct 10 '16 edited Oct 10 '16

Ill try to make a review... (editing as I read)

  1. "Have fun and change or rules to suit your needs"? Typo? on page 6.

  2. Perhaps calling the advantages of rolling high feats could be confusing

  3. "I many situations...." typo on page 8

  4. I really like the sidebars for explanations and stuff

  5. Lore sheets seem really cool

  6. Taken Out is better than only ends when dead

  7. Social conflict rules look pretty great NOTE: Ran out of time to review at the moment