How to run a system game?

[Ptolemy]

I've been thinking of creating a 4E D&D game, but I've got a few questions how do you folks run a system game on this forum. A couple of questions.

1) Does the creator of the idea have to take DM spot? Do people normally have DM's when playing using a system?

2) Do you need multiple threads?

Tips and helpful hints would be muchos appreciated. :D

[HairyHeretic]

1) Does the creator of the idea have to take DM spot?

Not necessarily

Do people normally have DM's when playing using a system?

For a one on one, its not so necessary. For a full group game, you'd likely need one.

2) Do you need multiple threads?

I don't know about need, but they're certainly handy.

I would recommend at least 2 - one for game play, one for OOC chat and stuff. Maybe a 3rd for character sheets if you want to keep it tidy.

[Primarch]

One of the best online system's I ever used was really just a guideline to a person's abilities, there was never a need for dice or the like. It was effectively

Character A
Strength: 10
Speed: 12
Stamina: 8
Fighting Skill: 25

Character B
Strength: 20
Speed: 8
Stamina: 18
Fighting Skill: 15

You'd look at the character sheets, then do your posts and use the info as a guideline, so Character A is clearly a faster, more talented fighter, and B is some sort of incredible Hulk. It worked out pretty well for quite sometime.

[HairyHeretic]

If your players are mature enough to be able to work with that, then its fine, but having the ability to pull off that insane once in a lifetime stunt with the dice is also good :)

[Ebb]

4E D&D is all about the cool combat powers, most of which really require a combat grid to use effectively. Lots of things like "on a successful hit, slide your opponent one square in any direction". Much of the joy of playing 4E comes about by seeing the combination of the powers in your party, having interesting combos, interacting with the environment in cool fight scenes, etc. It's a great game for what it does, which is largely tactical-level combat.

But even around a table with everyone knowing the rules, a single combat can take an hour or more. It would seem to me that for forum-based play it would take much, much longer if you want to keep the same level of granularity. I'm not saying that it couldn't be done - it clearly has been in the past. But you probably have a choice between ditching much of the 4E system, just focusing on the classes/races/setting, or sticking with the nitty-gritty and being resigned to having really drawn out sessions.

I think it's worth asking why you want to do a 4E D&D game in particular? What does using that ruleset bring to the table, so to speak? Is it just because D&D is popular, and so it might be easier to get players? There are tons of roleplaying systems out there, ranging from the very simple to the very complex. It might be worth exploring other options. I'm pretty sure there are systems that are designed from the ground up to be used for things like forum-based play.

If you do decide to stick with 4E D&D, one off-the-wall suggestion might be to ditch most of the rules, including all of the combat rules, and just focus on skill challenges. The skill challenge system in the rules is fairly lightweight and elegant. It could be used even for combats. For example, in this fight with the goblins the party needs to make 6 successes before getting 3 failures, or else the goblins end up winning and taking the party captive, etc. Then players can roleplay using their skills - including their combat skills - to garner the successes they need. Just a suggestion, but I know of tabletop groups that have done this and have been happy at the speedier games that result.

Best of luck, no matter which way you go.

[Ptolemy]

I chose D&D because I wanted to make a Small Group game set in the Forgotten Realms, where they would travel Faerun, being all adventurish and such. :p

I just thought that people more interested in system games would be more knowledgble of the FR Campaign Setting as well.

[MasterMischief]

There is no reason you can not use the Forgotten Realms with a different system or even systemless.  Good luck.

[Ebb]

I chose D&D because I wanted to make a Small Group game set in the Forgotten Realms, where they would travel Faerun, being all adventurish and such. :p

I just thought that people more interested in system games would be more knowledgble of the FR Campaign Setting as well.

That's a great reason to want to use the setting. It's a rich world, and makes your job as GM a lot easier having all of that detail to pull from. There's also a lot of benefit in using something like D&D where many people already have the rulebooks, and the process of character creation itself can be a fun solo game. The problems come about when you put the system into action in a standard combat or other rules-heavy situation. If you can keep the good parts and jettison the parts that don't work so well over a forum, then you're gold. And I think people would still buy that they're 'playing D&D'.

[Cythieus]

4E requires more grid work than 3.5 it seems but some of the classes in 3.5 did it too. In maptools it might be fine where you can make a grid, but here it would present a larger issue. I don't know much about FR, but there's a lot of stuff on it for 3.5.

[HairyHeretic]

FR is a good setting. I spent most of 2nd edition wandering around in it.

I understand the changes on 4th have bumped the timeline about a century past what I knew, and the accounts I've heard of that haven't been the best.

[MasterMischief]

...and the accounts I've heard of that haven't been the best.

That is being kind.

[Cythieus]

FR is a good setting. I spent most of 2nd edition wandering around in it.

I understand the changes on 4th have bumped the timeline about a century past what I knew, and the accounts I've heard of that haven't been the best.

From what I know about the setting, its not something that particularly interests me (Forgotten Realms in general)for one the whole thing having a timeline bothers me, I'd rather my setting not try and tell me so much its timeline as give me a loose one and let me place myself in it. Are they still trying to keep the setting in line with what's going on in the books or something?

[HairyHeretic]

That is being kind.

I was going on second hand info, not having read any of it myself.

I had a lot of fun back around the Time of Troubles though.

[MasterMischief]

Oh, I did not mean that I have read the new campaign setting.  The vitriol thrown at WotC over the new campaign setting speaks for itself.  ZOMG you changed stuff!!!  Waaaaaaaah!!!

It seemed silly to me.  Do you really want them to just reprint what is already out there?

Anyway.  Sorry for the threadjack.

[Krysia]

I know for my 3.5 game I have 2 groups going and a ton of threads. I feel bad every time I have to make a new one. >.>

3 for each group and then a common ooc thread for the whole group. I feel that the multiple threads help me stay organized. I have to manage 16 people in these games. It's rather hectic yet fun at the same time. I always have something to do whether it be my own personal games or doing something for the D&D game. ADD for the win!

Though I'm using the old Greyhawk setting from the Living Greyhawk game WotC put out years ago so everything is Module based for my game. So far the first group was kicked on on Wednesday and the second group will be kicked off this coming Sunday. :3

[Cythieus]

One thing that is important to remember about forum games is that they differ from games in person because your average D&D group doesn't meet every day and play every day so it can be a little wearing on the party in some ways but in others it can be good for you. For instance you don't have to think on your toes so much because you're not running a 1 or 2 or 3 hour session. Just a simple post by post encounter.

[Katina Tarask]

But even around a table with everyone knowing the rules, a single combat can take an hour or more. It would seem to me that for forum-based play it would take much, much longer if you want to keep the same level of granularity. I'm not saying that it couldn't be done - it clearly has been in the past. But you probably have a choice between ditching much of the 4E system, just focusing on the classes/races/setting, or sticking with the nitty-gritty and being resigned to having really drawn out sessions.

The thing is, you can have a much lower level of granularity while still holding to all the rules; the way it pretty much has to work is that the DM presents the situation and the map thoroughly, and then folks go through and post the entirety of their actions, as well as any instantaneous actions they intend to make in a nested if-then fashion.  Very few rules need to be altered in a meaningful way, though initiative ought be simplified, as strict initiative often multiplies the time combat takes four-fold.

I chose D&D because I wanted to make a Small Group game set in the Forgotten Realms, where they would travel Faerun, being all adventurish and such. :p

Well, if you want to run a system game on E, you'd probably be better off with 3.5 or a completely different system entirely; E doesn't really have the resources to accommodate a lot of the tactical combat like more system-focused forums.  3.5 is still not easy to run here, but 4e is extremely tabletop-centric.

[Cythieus]

You don't really need a map even, I usually only post a map when there is a lot going on in combat that begs the question. One important thing of note is that you can adjust the game rules, ask people to post distances and the like.

When my main group does combat, we roll initiative and they post 5 rounds of combat and I come back and interlace the monsters with what they post. If something requires action or something goes badly, I ask them if they want to change actions after it happens. Much of the time, if they are descriptive it doesn't even happen I have to ever ask them anything.

[Xanatos]

I would recommend getting to know 4.0 much more before you decide to go through with using it. Why? Because the system is so combat heavy it will weigh any novice GM down. Basically 4.0 is what the whiners cried for and got. Its a dumbed down, original D&D beaten down so thoroughly you can't even recognize it anymore; it cried for mercy for so long it became nothing more than a hallow shell of its former self and now thinks its still D&D when really all it is anymore is a sad excuse for an RPG that just devolves into pointless combat...

Okay... after that rant -laughs-. Seriously though it is a very combat heavy system, it was intentionally dumbed down and simplified to make combat easier to achieve, and I feel all they did was complicated things and only made people want to min/max no less than they did in 3.5. Only now, Magic has been brought down to the level of melee (D&D is officially dead now with that sad, sad turn of events.).

Anyways, unless you are a very good GM who can bring some serious RP to the table, the game will likely just become combat oriented or if it does not, then its seriously not the system to be using in the first place. If you want to romp around Forgotten Realms, then Free Form is your friend. If you want combat then 4.0 will be your friend, and yeah maps will aid you tremendously in the combat aspect.

Back to my original point though, get to know the system a little better. Just do some reading before you attempt a game. Despite my saying its been dumbed down, its still rather complicated and all the extra books being put out is not helping the situation either.

Sorry for the rant, hope you get something outa it. -laughs-

[Cythieus]

I would recommend getting to know 4.0 much more before you decide to go through with using it. Why? Because the system is so combat heavy it will weigh any novice GM down. Basically 4.0 is what the whiners cried for and got. Its a dumbed down, original D&D beaten down so thoroughly you can't even recognize it anymore; it cried for mercy for so long it became nothing more than a hallow shell of its former self and now thinks its still D&D when really all it is anymore is a sad excuse for an RPG that just devolves into pointless combat...

Okay... after that rant -laughs-. Seriously though it is a very combat heavy system, it was intentionally dumbed down and simplified to make combat easier to achieve, and I feel all they did was complicated things and only made people want to min/max no less than they did in 3.5. Only now, Magic has been brought down to the level of melee (D&D is officially dead now with that sad, sad turn of events.).

Anyways, unless you are a very good GM who can bring some serious RP to the table, the game will likely just become combat oriented or if it does not, then its seriously not the system to be using in the first place. If you want to romp around Forgotten Realms, then Free Form is your friend. If you want combat then 4.0 will be your friend, and yeah maps will aid you tremendously in the combat aspect.

Back to my original point though, get to know the system a little better. Just do some reading before you attempt a game. Despite my saying its been dumbed down, its still rather complicated and all the extra books being put out is not helping the situation either.

Sorry for the rant, hope you get something outa it. -laughs-

It's dumbed down and complicated...well that seems a little contradictory.

[Krysia]

It's dumbed down and complicated...well that seems a little contradictory.

It's been simplified to draw in a wider audience, but yet still tries to retain a comprehensive set of rules that can be complicated. So his statement about it being dumbed down for the masses yet complicated is a correct assessment of 4.0. Unfortunately I don't have much experience with 4.0 at all. Only the little bit I've read or heard from my husband.

"Imagine a World of bold warriors, mighty wizards, and terrible monsters. Warcraft." *runs!*

[Cythieus]

It's been simplified to draw in a wider audience, but yet still tries to retain a comprehensive set of rules that can be complicated. So his statement about it being dumbed down for the masses yet complicated is a correct assessment of 4.0. Unfortunately I don't have much experience with 4.0 at all. Only the little bit I've read or heard from my husband.

"Imagine a World of bold warriors, mighty wizards, and terrible monsters. Warcraft." *runs!*

The thing is that while 4E might not be exactly like 3.5 they streamlined a lot of stuff for Combat and evened up the Magic with the Melee. And as I said before, its more for grid based combat than anything else.

[Chloe Milev]

Well, Gary Gygax pretty much created a game where you pick a race and class, fight monsters with your friends (on the same team, no less), and take their stuff.  Then the next time you play, you're still that character, and the game world changes to acknowledge what you've done.  Video games, and most games since, take something from that, with classes and leveling.  So it makes some sense for there to be some cross-over back.  It's co-evolution to me.

I've listened to the D&D podcasts about the creation process of 4e, and I like their process and actually getting concepts down before just implementing stuff willy-nilly.

Of course, I'm still playing 3.5 right now.  There's just so much customization I can play with forever.  I'll get in a 4e game eventually...

[Levicus]

This may fall into "that's not what I was asking for" territory, and I apologize if so, but if you aren't married to running it on a forum, probably the best tool for D&D 4E online (in my fairly extensive but totally subjective experience) is Maptool (available at rptools.net), using Deviantnull's 4E framework (available in the frameworks subsection of the user creations section of the forums). If you decide to go with that at some point and would like a little help, feel free to PM me with questions. You might be able to use it in tandem with forum RP if you simply use the program to handle the maps and number-crunching and do your posting on the forum.

[Cythieus]

Well, Gary Gygax pretty much created a game where you pick a race and class, fight monsters with your friends (on the same team, no less), and take their stuff.  Then the next time you play, you're still that character, and the game world changes to acknowledge what you've done.  Video games, and most games since, take something from that, with classes and leveling.  So it makes some sense for there to be some cross-over back.  It's co-evolution to me.

I've listened to the D&D podcasts about the creation process of 4e, and I like their process and actually getting concepts down before just implementing stuff willy-nilly.

Of course, I'm still playing 3.5 right now.  There's just so much customization I can play with forever.  I'll get in a 4e game eventually...

I listen to the D&D Penny Arcade Podcasts and I have learned to love some of what 4E has to offer. What's sad is that its really more like 3.5 than people act like it is. There's a lot of similarities. I've used some 4E stuff in my 3.5 games.

One thing to say is that D&D, RPGs for consoles and computers, and Real Time Strategy all grew up together. After all D&D was a mod of a Real Time Strategy Board game.

This may fall into "that's not what I was asking for" territory, and I apologize if so, but if you aren't married to running it on a forum, probably the best tool for D&D 4E online (in my fairly extensive but totally subjective experience) is Maptool (available at rptools.net), using Deviantnull's 4E framework (available in the frameworks subsection of the user creations section of the forums). If you decide to go with that at some point and would like a little help, feel free to PM me with questions. You might be able to use it in tandem with forum RP if you simply use the program to handle the maps and number-crunching and do your posting on the forum.

The most unappealing thing about using Map tool is everyone has to be online at the same time. That shoots most games right in the foot.

[Thufir Hawat]

I chose D&D because I wanted to make a Small Group game set in the Forgotten Realms, where they would travel Faerun, being all adventurish and such. :p

I just thought that people more interested in system games would be more knowledgble of the FR Campaign Setting as well.

Why don't you use a simpler system? Odds are that whoever is interested in a system game has played in the Forgotten Realms, which is what you want, but it doesn't need to be the same system.
I would recommend something with far fewer dice rolls, like HeroQuest2, which has a preview and most players probably don't need to read much more.

[Cythieus]

Thing is he's better off dropping the system than switching systems, because then you have to do all the conversion.

[Thufir Hawat]

Actually, no, he doesn't, that's why I suggested HeroQuest2.
The players will convert it for him while creating their characters. As long as he can manage telling a story in the suggested genre, there is no need for other conversion :D!

[Cythieus]

So the players will convert all the monsters? The challenges? The traps and rewards?

[Thufir Hawat]

So the players will convert all the monsters? The challenges? The traps and rewards?

Yes-they are converted according to the player's starting abilities anyway. The goal is to tell an engaging storya nd everything els is secondary.
No, you don't need to re-write any part of the setting, unless WotC are paying you! From my take on the rules, it would likely be counter-productive anyway.
Of course, all you need to describe them are two or three words or phrases, followed by a number each. Coming up with "Necromancer W3", "Fry you all 18" and "My rusty +1 Dagger of Slaying 14" is all you need for a NPC necromancer. You need only one of those for a trap, like "The Dwarves built me to take your head 18", but it better be an entertaining trap ;).
I admit I fail to see the problem here. Maybe it's just me, but that's what I recommend to the OP.

[Cythieus]

Yes-they are converted according to the player's starting abilities anyway. The goal is to tell an engaging storya nd everything els is secondary.
No, you don't need to re-write any part of the setting, unless WotC are paying you! From my take on the rules, it would likely be counter-productive anyway.
Of course, all you need to describe them are two or three words or phrases, followed by a number each. Coming up with "Necromancer W3", "Fry you all 18" and "My rusty +1 Dagger of Slaying 14" is all you need for a NPC necromancer. You need only one of those for a trap, like "The Dwarves built me to take your head 18", but it better be an entertaining trap ;).
I admit I fail to see the problem here. Maybe it's just me, but that's what I recommend to the OP.

If that's all it is, it seems to lack the depth of a lot of the more complex system games. While story counts a lot, if its all you want you might as well free form.

[Thufir Hawat]

Having a system is not the same as haveing the system be "rules-heavy". There is also "rules-medium" and "rules-light", and HeroQuest2 is somewhere in this range.
I don't do freeform, but I'm fine with most rulesets between Exalted and Risus.

[Cythieus]

Having a system is not the same as haveing the system be "rules-heavy". There is also "rules-medium" and "rules-light", and HeroQuest2 is somewhere in this range.
I don't do freeform, but I'm fine with most rulesets between Exalted and Risus.

Risus was too light for me, looked it over for a game I ran before and just went D6 which is pretty simple. But I don't think that running the game with a full 3.5 (or 4E if you have the resources) ruleset hurts things.

[Thufir Hawat]

Risus is too light for you, for other people, D&D is too heavy and no game can please everybody ;).
What I'm doing is giving the original poster an option to consider, but I'm not joining his game. He will have to pick the system that works better for him and his group, and now he has another option, that's all.

[Sydonai]

Got a question here, is there a rp system for role playing as an entire kingdom instead of the usual one character? preferably medieval fantasy settings? I would love to learn about the system(if it exists) and perhaps even start a game with it.

[Moonsword]

The Mandate of Heaven rules from Exalted 2E work for that, although how well is an open question.  D&D had a spinoff like that (Birthright, I think), too.  I'm sure there are others.

[Cythieus]

Got a question here, is there a rp system for role playing as an entire kingdom instead of the usual one character? preferably medieval fantasy settings? I would love to learn about the system(if it exists) and perhaps even start a game with it.

Well do you mean for the purpose of Wargaming?

[HairyHeretic]

It sounds more like you're after a wargaming campaign system, as its hard to RP an entire kingdom :)  I can't think of any fantasy ones beyond those mentioned, but I do know at least one sci fi one, Victory By Any Means. It might well be possible to convert their core rules to a fantasy setting, rather than a sci fi one.

[Moonsword]

I'd thought of that.  VBAM could work pretty well, actually, although you'd have to do some serious work on the unit and unit price side of things to represent the radically different paradigm of conflict on the ground as opposed to the assumed interstellar milieu.

[HairyHeretic]

The companion has a variety of ground units in it. You could ignore the space battles section entirely, and rename the different ground units to something more fantasy like.

I wouldn't mind getting a VBAM like game going here, if the interest was there.

[Sydonai]

well hairy you got my interest there, I've been meaning to start a rp where the players took control of an entire nation or organization but haven't found the system to suit it yet

[HairyHeretic]

My main issue with VBAM is that there's a lack of customisation in the ships, and little to no tech advancement. You have the stock ones to start, and it tends to play a historical campaign where in year X you get tech Y. It looks like they're rectifying that in the 2nd ed rules, but those are still in beta at the moment.

Hmmm. They did mention an upcoming public playtest on the forum ...

I wonder ....

[Sydonai]

well I did read the Exalted's mandate of heaven rulebook and I find it requiring less complicated system involving die rolls and numbers, with a little bit of tweaking here and there I think it can be used for a forum role play, what do you think?

[HairyHeretic]

It probably would work. I haven't gone through the rules in any great detail, but they looked simple enough.

[Sydonai]

It probably would work. I haven't gone through the rules in any great detail, but they looked simple enough.

alright then work with me here hairy and we might be able to come up with a system of our own ;D now I know many of you abhors system based rp but I much prefer the storyline of the rp to be spontaneous instead of planned out in pms, I don't know about you guys but there's a certain satisfaction for me knowing that "hey! I won the battle! let see what spoils of war did I get and what I get to do with 'em! hehehe", that kind of thing you know.

so i've read through the mandate of heaven's rulebook(not finished yet) it seems it does require the use of die rolls, but i'm trying to simplify the rules a LOT! and here's what I could come up with, for example players need to die roll 1d9 one time before they can submit any nation profile, the number they get determined the magnitude or size of their nation and these number can be divided into these 3 nation's attributes: military, government, culture and these bonuses can then be used for further action, for example in battle nation A attacks nation B, nation A has the military value of 3 while nation B has military value of 4 and then nation A rolls 4 while nation B rolls 2, the calculation would be:

Nation A: 3(base value) + 4(die roll) = 7
Nation B: 4(base value) + 2(die roll) = 6

so here we can see that nation B has lost the battle, so then the players may role play however they wished it to just as long as in the end nation B lost the battle. Hence the said nation lost one magnitude point, from here on out the loser may detract the magnitude point from whichever attribute they wished OR we can treat the magnitude point lost this way like a hitpoint, so the player need not detract any points from their base attributes score so their attributes won't be affected even when they are left with one magnitude/HP left, this would give the players equal chance to win every battle and perhaps turning the tide of battle(perhaps rping that somehow or somewhere a hero emerges amongst the defeated generals and rally the remaining force to victory. However the lost magnitude point from the losing side will not add up to the winning nation, their base attributes will stay the same until the end of the war. .

A nation will be completely defeated and annexed once all of their magnitude points are diminished. At the end of the war, the winner will get one extra magnitude point and that's it, ONLY ONE. Now I have only figured out the military part of this game, I'm still working on bringing the other two attributes into the whole game, I was thinking that the other two attributes can be used for other actions, like inciting rebellion uses Culture point, so that the opposing nations need to roll die, added up to their base attribute score bonus and see whose value is the highest and then proceed from there, or bribery of government officials uses Government attribute point instead and...well you know what to do by now.

I've seen how the dice bot works, one can hardly cheat this way since everyone can view recent rolls and see if a player rolls more than he/she is allowed to, the issue right now is that do we need a GM in this and if this system, that I come up with the aid of mandate of heaven's rulebook, can be used for a forum based role play we're planning? feel free to correct me wherever needed too.

[HairyHeretic]

I've actually been busy butchering the 1st ed VBAM rules for the last while :) Trying to get friends co-ordinated long enough to actually beta test the resulting system is the problem for me now. I suspect they're more complicated than what you want to use though.

[Sydonai]

I've actually been busy butchering the 1st ed VBAM rules for the last while :) Trying to get friends co-ordinated long enough to actually beta test the resulting system is the problem for me now. I suspect they're more complicated than what you want to use though.

I've been trying to find the correct VBAM rule book that teaches from the basic but there's so many of them that I'm confused right now lol, in anycase what do you think? is it usable for forum based rp or do I need to further butchered it and make it less complicated(although I think I've reduced it to the most basic core rules now ;D ) but I suspect further simplifying of this system would require the presence of a GM for the game to run smoothly and still retains its spontaneity aspect.

[HairyHeretic]

I'm on a phone conf right now, I'll reply properly later.

Edit

Ok, the basic VBAM books are the Campaign Guide, the Companion (expands on some stuff) and the Menagerie (racial traits and other fun goodies). The other books are setting specific ones.

VBAM is a good system, from what I can see, but the rules are thorough. You're probably talking 300 pages worth between those three books. I wanted to reduce the overall complexity level down somewhat, but expand the ship customisation and tech development, which I found lacking in the core books.

As an example, this is the game turn sequence from my version

Turn Order

1 – Income phase.

Calculate and gather income.

2 – Orders phase.

Order research
Order new construction
Order Colonisation of new system
Order movement of fleet assets.
Order trade fleet established.
Order Intelligence operations planned.

3 – Intel Phase

Conduct intelligence actions.

4 – Movement phase.

Fleets move to new location.

5 – Exploration phase.

Supply checks made.

Fleets scan for new system layout and enemy fleets.

6 – Combat phase

Establish Blockades
Space combat.
Break Blockades
Orbital Bombardment.
Ground combat.

7 – Order completion phase.

New technology researched.
Constructions completed.

8 – Updates phases.

Update assets.
Check for population growth.
Roll Random Event (optional)
Check for Pirate Raids
Check for change in planets Morale
Perform system loyalty check for planets for planets in state of Unrest or Rebellion.

I stripped out a lot of the internal political stuff, since I figured being Dictator for life and making exclusive decisions for your empire was more fun than seeing if the government would agree to making or breaking assorted treaties :)

I still have bits I want to tweak, like setting up Rules of Engagement for ships. That way the player can pass orders to their captains, and the GM will actually implement them whenever you run into someone else out in the black. After all, when the shooting starts, the player shouldn't really be in position to give turn by turn orders to a single destroyer on a fringe system, or even an entire war fleet. That's what your officers are for, implementing your will.

[Sydonai]

wow! isn't that a bit too complicated? I mean there's so many phases in a turn and how do we translate these phases into an rp post? or does the GM handles all that and post a report after each player turns? I guess it could work with the aid of a very dedicated GM but don't you think players going to be disheartened to play in a game that uses such system because its too complicated?

[HairyHeretic]

This was designed more as a wargame campaign system than an RPG type. And trust me, it's a lot more simple than the VBAM core rules :)

In our first test run, turns were taking about a half hour to work out. And yes, the game does require a GM. Player works out their turn orders and sends it to GM, GM waits til all orders are in (in case of combat) then sends player results of exploration, combat, random events and so on.

The guys I was testing with are all local wargamers, so we didn't find it that bad.

If you're coming from a freeform background, it may look complex. If you're coming from a systems games background, probably not so much.

[Sydonai]

yup I came from a freeform background, which would've explain why it looks so complicated to me ;D

so now all we need to do is to convert this to a more medieval fantasy settings :o although if it does, that means we can cut out many of the phases like exploration and movement phases(unless we're going to have a map for a the forum rp).

[HairyHeretic]

Well, the background to my campaign is basically that your race is just moving out past your own system, so you get to explore and colonise a bit before likely running into the other players.

As regards movement, well, your army isn't likely to do much just sitting there, and scouting cavalry (or fliers) are going to move a lot faster than heavy infantry on foot.

I suppose it might be possible to convert the basic frame work over to a fantasy setup, but it would pretty much mean rebuilding it from the ground up, considering the stuff you can research, build or customise is all sci fi.

If you want to go fantasy, that Exalted one probably isn't a bad place to start. I can take a look around, I may have other stuff lurking on my hard drive that is suitable, or adaptable.

[Sydonai]

If you want to go fantasy, that Exalted one probably isn't a bad place to start. I can take a look around, I may have other stuff lurking on my hard drive that is suitable, or adaptable.

That would be much appreciated and yeah I'm still in the process of twisting the Exalted's game rules a bit to better suit a forum rp, although actually what I'm looking for is a very simple system geared towards post-by-post rp without the need for complicated and detailed nation-governing system and without the need for map system where players can see armies and agents movements, that would in my opinion make a forum-based-freeform rp much more muddled up and confusing.

[Thufir Hawat]

Got a question here, is there a rp system for role playing as an entire kingdom instead of the usual one character? preferably medieval fantasy settings? I would love to learn about the system(if it exists) and perhaps even start a game with it.

Can I suggest Reign? It's an RPG, it already covers nicely organizations and the actions of individual characters, and how one influences the other, which sounds like what you need ;D.
Also, it's got a nice setting, and if you don't want to use it, you can still use the system.

[Sydonai]

cool! thanks for the suggestion, but I'd be deeply indebted if you can provide me a link to its rulebook perhaps? ;D I've tried searching it but to no avail

[Thufir Hawat]

Well, you should start here, I guess.
http://www.gregstolze.com/reign/
You can also taste some free materials here.
http://www.gregstolze.com/reign/downloads/FirstYearColor.pdf
http://www.gregstolze.com/reign/downloads/2YoORInterior.pdf

The basic rules are not free, but then, neither are the other suggestions :P.