So I’m Making a Pen and Paper Game and Need Input

KingArthur

KingArthur

You Have Alerted the Horse
[REDACTED]
So, yeah. Like it says in the title, I’m making a PnP Fallout game, specifically one set around the time of the first Battle of Hoover Dam.

So far the idea is that the party is a caravan, made up of diverse player characters and builds of course, which travels the Mojave, making deliveries and adventuring in their free time. Item capacity will be shared across ALL party members, based upon how many pack Brahmin are in the caravan; more can be purchased, with no theoretical maximum (Brahmin can also be blown up by raiders, etc so if your caravaneers fuck up their luck rolls a lot, it might be best to buy some extras).

Classes will be custom to Fallout but theoretically open ended, with most rules derivative of DnD and Pathfinder (though which ruleset I wanna use mainly hasn’t been hashed out yet).

As time goes on and the war between the NCR and Legion escalates, more NCR checkpoints and Legion Raider events will happen, and I’m toying with the idea of the caravan being able to choose to supply one side specifically, making an enemy of the other.

So far this is about all I’ve got off the top of my head, but I’d love to hear any suggestions or questions that you all have. If you need me to elaborate on or clarify anything, I’d be happy to.
 
Why not derive from GURPS?

*Fallout was originally a licensed GURPS campaign.
Fallout_GURPS.jpg


:twisted: Aimed Shot menu from the original game:
Aimed_Shot_2.jpg
 
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Funnily enough, I did originally consider basing it on GURPS, but for whatever reason I thought that a Pathfinder/DnD-style campaign would be a better fit for the party-based caravan gameplay.

That being said, nothing is set in stone except for a few basic concepts, so all in all GURPS is still on the list as a system I could use.
 
Make it so that all the Legion Raiders are infected with corona and the caravan needs to supply them with toilet paper, a commodity the NCR is running low on. It'll add a bit of realism to the game.
 
Purely from personal pov - luck is not something I appreciate much in gaming. But that's mostly because the outcomes in most cases are quite polar.

A specialist may still find themselves in a shitty situation, but they will still be able to achieve something, the odds notwithstanding. Natural failures are something entertaining on the table, but even so, I don't find them as great gameplay. But that's just me, of course.

Other than that - I think it's a neat idea. Could comment on something more specific.
 
@Hulk'O'Saurus that’s a very fair point. I suppose my main idea when it comes to Luck is to have it govern certain random events, and multipliers for “accidents”; think Jinxed trait.

Hence, if your Luck roll is... unfortunate... there’s a chance of mishaps and pack Brahmin deaths, ricochets, etc.

Implementing that will absolutely be a lot of work, but I like to think it’ll be worth it. I’m liable to do a few test runs over Discord as the game takes shape.

Think of it as a focus group.
 
In which case a competent character might somehow manage to mitigate the events of bad luck?... Maybe? Not absolutely required, of course, but finding yourself in an uninteractive one sided situation without any chance of a feedback never rang right to me in a game.

Yeah, looking forward to seeing how it shapes up.
 
Oh, absolutely. I don’t want it to be a “you failed, fuck you” kind of thing, more a “hey, this is a setback lel”
 
KingArthur said:
Funnily enough, I did originally consider basing it on GURPS, but for whatever reason I thought that a Pathfinder/DnD-style campaign would be a better fit for the party-based caravan gameplay.
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So classes would be a bigger focus or no? Something to consider as magic isn't a thing you'll have to consider making your own types of classes and balancing weapons so that they aren't just favoring rifles and missile launchers lol
 
Absolutely. And classes will be a major part of the game, with certain weapons doing more damage in the hands of a certain type of caravaneer.
 
I'd opt for more proficiency and to hit chance than damage. Damage should be the same rolls no matter what despite classes if you ask me. Just bonuses to hit and wield properly should be affected by the stats and classes.
 
I actually don't think damage rolls should be the same. Of course, for the sake of simplicity you might want to cut on ''dev time'', but mostly every weapon is more lethal in experience hands. Probably less so with explosives, ect.
 
For explosives I’m thinking less of upping damage based on skill and class, and more of wider area of effect, etc.


EDIT: Basically certain skills, like Explosives, will be special among all other skills of their type.
 
Classes should feel like real occupations; tasks people would train a lifetime at, and become known for.
 
Gizmojunk said:
Classes should feel like real occupations; tasks people would train a lifetime at, and become known for.
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Agreed. This is the first “Test Class” I made, for your perusal and judgement.

Former Legionary
As a former member of Caesar’s Legion, you have the Strength, Endurance, and Survival skills to last in the unforgiving Wastes. Unfortunately, Caesar’s brainwashing has dealt a permanent blow to your Charisma, and the Legion’s Luddite ways mean that Science and Energy Weapon skills escape you.

SPECIAL Modifiers: CH (-3), ST (+1), EN (+2)

Skill Modifiers: Melee (+10), Survival (+15), Science (-15), Energy Weapons (-10)

Weapon/Armor Prefs: Machetes and SMGs (+10% to hit), Light Armor (+1 d6 roll to damage resist)

Misc: Bonus cash from Legion missions and deliveries
 
KingArthur said:
Agreed. This is the first “Test Class” I made, for your perusal and judgement.

Former Legionary
As a former member of Caesar’s Legion, you have the Strength, Endurance, and Survival skills to last in the unforgiving Wastes. Unfortunately, Caesar’s brainwashing has dealt a permanent blow to your Charisma, and the Legion’s Luddite ways mean that Science and Energy Weapon skills escape you.

SPECIAL Modifiers: CH (-3), ST (+1), EN (+2)

Skill Modifiers: Melee (+10), Survival (+15), Science (-15), Energy Weapons (-10)

Weapon/Armor Prefs: Machetes and SMGs (+10% to hit), Light Armor (+1 d6 roll to damage resist)

Misc: Bonus cash from Legion missions and deliveries
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Some feedback about this:
1. Don't attach factions to classes. Factions could serve as a basis board for backgrounds. Have classes be generally basic. Like soldier, who has probably the least amount of non-combat bonuses. Medic who excels in healing, survival, and maybe science. Stuff like that. I can flesh out more for you on a later date. You could even get niche classes that serve as a hybrid like Survivalist could have proficiency/bonuses with rifles, medical and survival skills. Where as a medic doesn't have rifles as one and soldiers don't have medical and survival.
2. With the +10% to hit, clarify what that means. Use similar and consistent language throughout. Is hit chance done with a dice roll? I'd assume so. If you use a D20 just say a +2 to hit with X weapon classes. 2/20 = 10% So any roll they make you just add 2 to instead of doing math later on.
3. I don't know if it would be the best idea to attach SPECIAL bonuses and setbacks within a class or background. I'd personally want to set my SPECIALs with the 5 SPECIAL and then have 5 bonus points to distribute like the games do. Alternatively, rolling a bunch of d10s in how you'd roll in other RPGs could theoretically prove interesting.
4. Skill modifiers are good things to attach to a class. Just reconsider the type of classes you want to make.

Backgrounds should be like What faction did you belong to, if any. If you belong to NCR were you a diplomat, soldier, grenadier, bodyguard, etc. If you were Legion did you fight in the arena, were you an slaver, were you a grunt, etc. If neither faction you could have farmers, smugglers, traders/merchants, excavators/miners, etc. Things that won't be super relevant to the character now but can attach a few bonuses and quirks to their character. Maybe throw in a few extra starting gear bits. Like a miner has a pickaxe and shovel on them.
 
1) That’s something I didn’t consider, but now that you mention it, it’s a good point.

2) Understood.

3) I’ll experiment with the d10 rolls; suppose my motivation for the SPECIAL changes mainly comes from that informing background you mentioned.

4) That’s a really good idea, appreciated.
 
Also, are races/species going to be a thing. I mean humans, supermutants, and ghouls would be the obvious three. Ghouls wouldn't be so hard to incorporate into the NV setting. Supermutants aren't so widely found among the societies in the game and definitely wouldn't find a background in Enclave, BoS, or Legion but I could see it maybe working with lower NCR backgrounds.
 
KingArthur said:
So, yeah. Like it says in the title, I’m making a PnP Fallout game, specifically one set around the time of the first Battle of Hoover Dam.

So far the idea is that the party is a caravan, made up of diverse player characters and builds of course, which travels the Mojave, making deliveries and adventuring in their free time. Item capacity will be shared across ALL party members, based upon how many pack Brahmin are in the caravan; more can be purchased, with no theoretical maximum (Brahmin can also be blown up by raiders, etc so if your caravaneers fuck up their luck rolls a lot, it might be best to buy some extras).
.
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I would make usage of Fallout 1/2 style random encounters, though with more meat and RP detail. Depending on the distance they're going to travel, you should prep a few before the session. Travelling should be difficult! They should need to think about what routes they take, how much food and water they have, etc. A character that invests in a skill like Outdoorsman/Survival should be rewarded by having this be their bread and butter.

Obstacles should also be somehting to keep in mind. Rivers that need to be forded, spots of radiation that could risk to taint the caravan's water supply (thereby lowering the value significantly from purified to a lower tier etc). Nests of buried radscorpions that will remain dormant as long as you don't put too much weight on the wrong area of sand. Perhaps even a minefield set up by an NCR platoon, carelessly left in order to kill Legion without any regard to other travellers that might happen across the road.

Finding out what the caravan's approach to raiders would be interesting too. Are they going to fight all of them? Or perhaps there's a "tax" pouch taken from the Caravan's supplies, extras kept just in case you guys need to provide "Tribute" to some tough looking road warriors along the way. Or maybe you could even earn the trust of some of the more reasonable raider-tribes an earn a rite of passage through their turf, maybe because you taught them how to cook the right chems or saved one of their kids from a Cazadore.

As for system stuff, I will shamelessly shill my own modification/version of the Fallout PnP: for content, ideas etc
 

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