The A6 Pocket Project
Introduction and Goals
Today I am taking a leap out to new territory. I am going to take features of two games I love, strip them down to the barest frame work, weld them together, and see if it floats.
My tools today are the MRPG, the Mythic GME App (or other oracle or prompt generator), the Fudge 10th Anniversary Edition, three 6-sided dice (or 4 Fudge dice), and an A6 size (roughly 4x6 inch) pocket notebook.
The goal is to come out of the other side of these articles with a mini game to play pretty much anywhere, that is nearly self contained, but doesn't short the player on a rich game experience. While at the same time doesn't self expand outside of the context of one notebook.
Lets Build a Character
Where am I? And while we are at it Who am I, and What am I doing here?
The first step for building a character is to decide the genre, subgenre, or setting your character is in. This is purely a matter mood and there are no wrong answers. The landscape can be as wide as "Fantasy Dream Land" or as focused as "221 Baker Street London".
The next question is narrow the window of genre with a character Archetype. As this is a solo game the sky is the limit. (Actually it isn't, there is no limit, but that is a horrible battle cry). An archetype, for the sake of this project, is a type of person that serves a singular function through a set of talents and abilities in the context of the setting.
An Archetype isn't a finished character by any means, but is focuses us into a smaller role within a wider world.
Lastly (as this is a mini game not a campaign that isn't meant to last a lifetime), considering the Setting and the character Archetype, what is it they want with their lives at the time you step into their shoes.
Example: I am in a Fairy Tale World of Chivalric Courts and Fey Creatures, and within this fairy tale world I am a Questing Knight seeking Honor and Glory.
These three considerations are at the heart of the game, and we will come back to them in the game play write up, but now lest talk about....
...Attributes (Current score +1 times 12 BP to improve)
Lets get the most painful part out of the way immediately. This game only has two attributes. Feel free to add more to your own personal version, but for the purposes of this experiment we are only going to have two: Body and Spirit.
Body
Body represents a total body system. It represents health, strength, speed, and reflexes. Your ability to handle intense action over a long period, and how messy it is when you smack someone with a club.
Spirt
Spirt is everything that isn't body. It is how smart you, your general eloquence, your willpower, concentration and intuition, and any other non physical aspect.
(Why only two extremely broad Attributes? Doesn't that mean a character can do any and everything. Well no and yes. Considering the character Archetype for a moment. Your character can do all the things expected of there archetype. Just honestly ask yourself, can a person for whom my archetype personifies attempt the action I want to do. If the answer is yes, you can do it. If answer is no, your probably can't.)
You have a total of +4 points (starting) to spend on Body and Spirit. These bonuses will be rolled against challenges using either a set of 4 Fudge dice, or by rolling 3d6 and comparing it to the chat below.
[3 to 4= -4; 5= -3; 6 to 7= -2; 8 to 9= -1; 10 to 11= 0; 12 to 13= +1; 14 to 15= +2; 16= +3; 17-18= +4]
So, roll result + attribute bonus = success rate. We will swing back around taking actions soon, but first....
Tags
Tags are words or phrases that describe the character. Some are very broad such as "Noble Born 10th Century Knight". Some are very narrow like "Dark hair and light eyes". Tags are slotted into one of eight categories.
Archetypes (cost 24 build points after Character Creation)
An Archetype is a wide positive descriptor that implies a broad variety of skills, knowledge and abilities. Every character has one free Archetype that wraps up his general age, socio-economic condition and perhaps there profession as well. If this is a game where the PC is going to have a wide range of extraordinary abilities that require training they will have an archetype for that as well generally replacing profession in the first Archetype.
Dooms (grant 24 build point)
This is some unavoidable, possibly fatal, and wide ranging disability, circumstance, prophecy (or the like) that renders the characters life a possible misery. Though not present in every scene, a Doom should have a major effect on the life of the solo PC.
Powers (one granted at Character Creation in line with Archetype, cost 12 build points after Character Creation)
Powers extend a characters capabilities outside of the human norm or give them capabilities that though they exist amid humanity are rare and strange.
Curses (Grant 12 build points)
Curses are anti powers. They are weaknesses that will come up with some regularity that act in a prohibitive fashion, possibly even temporarily crippling a character.
Gifts (one granted at Character Creation; may or may not be in line with Archetype; cost 6 build points after character creation)
Gifts are specialized skills or abilities that any one could have but few people do have. They primarily grant permissions to do extraordinaire, yet possible, things.
Faults (Grant 6 build points)
Faults are in there way the opposite of Gifts. The are prohibitive. They shouldn't come up all the time but when they do they block the opportunity to take the tasks they describe or at least make them much harder to perform.
Descriptors (0-3 build points. Two 3 point options for free in character creation)
Descriptors describe a character in either a neutral or positive fashion. If they describe something positive but somewhat trivial like ambidexterity they would coast between 1-3 points. If they are something like chocolate brown eyes, though it sounds good it doesn't really give any advantage and it is free (0 points)
Quirks (Grant 1-3 build points)
Quirks are oddball personality traits that may not jive with other people; a tendency to have a limp; or premature baldness. Generally they make things a bit harder, but after people get used to them they are no big deal.
(What the heck are build points? Build points are just what they sound like. They are points spent to build up a character, usually by purchasing more Tags, occasionally by raising an Attribute. I grant one Build Point for every two pages filled in your A6, for excepting massively inconvenient, but good, roleplaying prompts, and by picking up the more negative Tags. This will all be covered later in Advancement).
(this is a mythic mashup because it takes a powerful tool from the Mythic RPG, invisible traits, which primarily what character Archetypes are all about. A thank you to Tana Pigeon for helping me understand that characters are more than just stats on a page.)
(If you enjoyed this article, check out the Blog Index for more content that may entertain or inspire)
