Down To The Core, Part 2: All These Dice

Just like its older sister, the Optional System, this new version
uses dice pools to settle arguments and conflicts. 

I am the Warden!!

It's time to get to the nitty-gritty and talk about how to construct this system. Along the way, I'll be talking about some of the fundamental from the original Optional System and will try to explain these concepts and mechanics along the way. For additional information and insight into how the original system works, feel free to pick up the Pay What You Want version of Killshot (you don't even have to pay anything for it, I don't mind).

Before I can put one solid word on paper, there's a serious hurdle to overcome in Optional Core's construction: dice pools. It's a staple of the original Optional System, where players and Directors build up a dice pool from various attributes, modifiers, gear, and difficulty levels to roll against each other, a facet that will remain in Optional Core. Here's a bullet point list of the key points for dice pools in the system's previous incarnation.

1. All dice types are assigned a group category detailing their source, or reason for use. All d20s are base dice and represent the luck of the draw outside of everyone's reach; d12s are focus dice to represent every character's basic training and versatility; d10s are circumstance dice for outside factors manipulated by the characters (such as modifiers); d8s are option dice assigned by the individual option used in a dice roll; d6s are trained skills for everyone's skills; and d4s are bonus dice just because everyone needs that extra push now and then. 
2. Each dice group is limited in when it can be added to the roll, with the larger groups (base dice, focus dice, etc.) being more frequent than the smaller ones. In other words, every roll uses at least a base die (d20) while bonus dice (d4s) are few and far between.
3. All dice explode. When you roll the highest number on that die, you can roll another one and add to your running total. 
4. When your base dice explode, you gain a training point. You can use it to increase your experience and training between sessions or cash some in for immediate benefits, such as bonus dice. 
5. As a campaign continues forward, characters can increase the number of dice available in their individual stats, focus, skills, etc. and increase the size of their pool by spending their training points. 

The Killshot Ninja or How To Celebrate IAW's 100th Post

For the 100th time, I am the Warden!!

Ah, the centennial. The last time I marked such an achievement was the 50th post for IAW, it was a reflection on why this blog started and the road it had taken thus far. While I've considered doing the same for today's 100th ramble, that was scrapped to do something fun instead. For not only is today the tenth-squared post, it's also me birthday and the day I reach 2000 tweets. (If you're not following me on Twitter, then what the hell, man? You read my blog and not go the full distance? That's like inviting yourself over for dinner and bailing as soon as the meal's done.)

Those of you in the know are well aware of Killshot and it's progress thus far. To those who don't, go here. Then come back. Currently in development and extended playtesting, the results have been impressive considering this is actually my first original RPG design... ever! Over the past couple of weeks, I've been plugging away at the Director's guide to the game, Killshot: Direction, honing its features and tweaking accordingly under the realization the mechanics are more solid than I had expected. With the design phase complete, I feel like testing it further. Really bashing this thing against the wall and see how it holds up.

Therefore, I'm putting out an open request to anyone reading this sucker: give me an idea and I'll adapt it for Killshot. Even if it's not necessarily an assassin theme, you let me figure that out. As much as I'm setting myself up for buffoonery and wild submissions, that's my challenge to YOU, the reader. Send it to me on Twitter and I'll either reply back with how the existing mechanics already cover that or add it to the list and assemble a new creation in the order it arrives.

Focus and the Power of Stats

An example of Strength vs. Dexterity.
If you don't know who they are, shame on you.

I am the Warden!!

I've said it before and I'll say it again. One of my goals for the Optional System is to create a D&D-level of mechanics with the tone of an independent RPG. Disagree with this statement all you want, but the majority of major RPGs (meaning those released by big companies like Paizo, WotC, and Fantasy Flight) consist of locked rules, loads of charts, and enough pages to club your GM to death with. Independent games are built using minimal concepts, loose interpretations, and an emphasis on narrative rather than action. Fans of independent games love how they can "do more of what they want" without being bogged down by rules, while fans of major RPGs (man, I'm really hating that term) praise them for their clarity and precision. And here I'm looking to make some kind of hybrid. Good luck to me, right?

Flexibility seems the greatest difference between these types of games. There are elements to the Optional System I need to make clear and defined with no room for error, most of them relating to action and combat, but then there are others which should have room to twist, turn, and go nuts with. The player should be able to take their current selection of stats, skills, powers, and circumstance dice to describe their own actions in whatever original fashion they like. It is this ability for players to describe their own actions and participate in their environment to create mechanical benefits where I want this system to excel.