VI·VIII·X Rules: work in progress
TAGS: #CORERULES #PROJECT
In the last weeks I worked on the completion of the set of rules for the VI·VIII·X game. This implies the following:
A revised rule for the “core rule” of the game mechanics which is simpler and faster than the one of the Playtest edition; in a nutshell, every check in the game is going to be worked out with a single roll (the die is still variable according to the score of the ES used in the check!) and the modifier is either the roll of the die (in case the result is equal or lower the ES score) or the difference between the ES and the roll (in case the result is higher than the ES score). This means that a player has to roll under the ES score to get a bonus (…and the bonus is the result of the roll) and in case he rolls over he will get a malus (or penalty) which is the difference between the ES and the result of the roll. The rule is simpler and faster as I wrote in advance, on the other hand the original rule provides a more granular outcome which was balanced according to the principle: the more proficient a character is, the lower the probability to have drawbacks in an action is. I will keep the original rule and move it into the extended rules book so that anyone can apply it as an alternative to the new one. I am currently testing the new version of the rule and let me say that I have to thank Piotr for it: in a discussion with this brilliant and experienced gamer he proposed me to go with it and make the action resolution system more straightforward and also easy to explain. Even if I haven’t completed the test I admit that at least Piotr is right in the ease of the explanation: it is sufficient to say ‘just roll the die of the ES you (player) are using… if you roll under that is the positive modifier in the calculation (the GM has to perform), if you roll over a negative modifier which is the difference between your ES score and the result of the roll is applied’ full stop.
I have finally completed the expanded rulebook… I know pretty well the priorities were different (setting, adventures, quickstart…) but I felt compelled to work on it and it’s not clear to me the reason! Anyway, the book is done (on my handwritten notes…) and I ‘only’ need to write it down. As soon as I’ve done the framework of the book, I will post some insights on the contents… for the time being suffice to say that it includes only rules that can be added to the core rules or options that can be used as an alternative so that the game can be customized according to the taste of the players. Along with the expanded set of rules there will also be the well known ‘How to run a KUP game’ chapter (which is lying under inches of dust since ages… I am not able to start the series of posts here… d’oh…).
I started a ‘streamlining’ action on the core rules: I aim to offer a version of the rules in a ‘modern’ approach with less pages and (verbose) explanations. I made a first step in this sense and revised the second chapter “Character’s definition”: starting from the original chapter of 42 pages, I removed the design comments, shorten all the explanations and revised the layout… the result is a chapter of 12 pages only! This could be a good product to offer to those people with little or no time… I want to share this outcome with some friends and get their feedback before moving on. If it works, the ‘dry edition’ of the VI·VIII·X core rules will be a book of approx 75/85 pages! Cheaper since the production costs and the relative shipping costs will be lower and more interesting for a quick glance! …moreover this version could be the backbone of the KUP universal rule engine I have in mind… then I had a vision of the possible cover and made a mock-up! Don’t you feel thirsty looking at the ‘dry edition’?
Lastly I plan to have the digital versions of the books done with a different layout, more ‘screen friendly’… but this is still an embryonal concept which I am currently working on (again, priorities are only wishful thinking at this stage!)