Skip to main content

TTRPG Tuesday: Even more of The DOLLIE Extraction

Ok, so I figured I’d freeform some general notes for The DOLLIE Extraction today, as I did two blog posts last week but no actual dedicated game design.  So! I resolve, once again, to try to do one 20-minute writing session, and one twenty-minute building session, separate from this blog post.  Here’s hoping that I have better luck this coming week.  Actually, fuck luck, I just need to make time instead of watching yet another pilot for a show I ultimately won’t go for.  Anyway, here are some more notes for The DOLLIE Extraction.


  • There should be non-combat-capable clones hooked up as human computers for research processing.  Possible to work that interface in as part of the hacking approach?
  • Look up the proper names for cruiseliner decks, but here are the general ideas for locations: Bottom deck, we’ve got (from aft to fore) an engine room that also contains the Engineering division, leading into the primary Frames Barracks, with the Experimental/Research Barracks below the prow.  Above that is the base of the command tower, then the living quarters for the Numbered, and then a gathering place for musters, inspections, announcements, limited political things, etc.  Above that, the command tower continues, leading up to the Shepherdess’ Council Chamber (where Nali is kept), and a helipad.  At the top of the command tower is the bridge of the ship.  So two ship-long decks, and then two more tiers of command tower and a helipad.  Not all of these sections will have something going on at all times, but they will all be involved in the actions mentioned below.
  • There is an attempted coup taking place during the mission.  A faction of the Numbered, secretly supported by a disguised Dr. Halliyal, are attempting to free Nali and escape the ship.  The infighting may make certain things easier for the Employees, but in almost all situations both sides will prioritize removing intruders over helping them.  The coup takes the form of certain events happening in certain sections, with alternate sequences of events based on the consequences of the players’ actions.  As a result, the situation that the Employees find themselves in is much more chaotic than a standard infiltration, with unexpected reprieves and dynamic hazards.  This will also justify more supplies being readily lying around.
  • Possible twists: If any Employee is injured, and later encounters a Shepherdess, they may encounter Frames made using not Dr. Halliyal’s DNA, but their own; Dr. Halliyal has hidden her identity behind a few obscuring modifications, but still has all the permissions and access she held before, it’s just more convenient for her experiments if she maintains her anonymity; When the Employees do make their escape from the ship, they are pursued by amphibious Frogframes carrying explosives.


Alright that’ll do it for this week’s TTRPG Tuesday.  Til next time!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

TTRPG Tuesday: Three Means Of Resolving

Hi it’s another TTRPG Tuesday! First of the year.  Let’s get right into it. Saw a challenge on Twitter to make some resolution mechanics.  I can do those! Here we go: Hand to Hand The player performing the action and the person running the game or otherwise opposing the action both put their dominant fists toward one another, bounce them three times to get a rhythm, and reveal a number with their fingers, 0-5.  Sum the two numbers, and if the number is greater than 5, subtract six, so that the final number is always between 0 and 5.  On a 0, the action fails catastrophically, on a 1-2 it fails, 3-4 it succeeds, on a 5 it succeeds spectacularly.  The player taking the action starts the game with all five fingers up on their non-dominant hand; after an attempt, they may lower fingers on that hand to add to the sum of the attempt. Ex. Alice attempts to seduce Cat’s character over to the coup conspirators.  They put their dominant hands together (right for ...
Post a Comment
Read more

TTRPG Tuesday: Minimum Viable Product for WWDW?

Hello and welcome back to TTRPG Tuesday! I’ve put together a barebones introductory document for We Won, Didn’t We? and, well, I think it speaks for itself.  Check it out HERE ! This introduces the skeleton of the game, as well as walking through the steps; I’d say next up is a rudimentary character sheet, and maybe I can bring this to a Playtest Zero session and see what folks think of character creation within one of the starting Bulbs.  I’ve opened the doc up for comments, so if you have thoughts dear reader, fire away.  Brain fried, go read the doc, til next time!
Post a Comment
Read more

TTRPG Tuesday: I'm A Hack, Is What I Am

Hey welcome back to TTRPG Tuesday! Tuesday technically ended 51 minutes ago as I begin to write this, but who gives a shit.  It’s been a while and I feel like I need to get a post out. Today, let’s look at hacks - I’ve written settings, adventures, classes, monsters, and modules for other systems before, but I’ve never done a hack; it’s one of those things where I’d have no issue with someone doing it with something I wrote (game design-wise; playwriting-wise I’d be a bit stroppy) however! I have been advised that it’s a good starting point for folks who have never built a system from scratch, so maybe it’s a worthwhile exercise to embark upon.  So what system would I want to hack? Well, this is just first principles basic concept stuff, but since Aaron Lim’s the one who suggested I look at a hack, I’m going to take one of his systems: SPEEDMECH. MASKS & BELTS Implementing the tactical turn-based combat of SPEEDMECH, Masks & Belts is a game of Driver moves and form-cha...
Post a Comment
Read more