Gameplay:Each player starts with 0 Points and gains more points by killing or permanently incapacitating other player characters, as well as completing Quests. The first player to receive 10 Points in a game is declared the Champion. In-game, the Wikipedia Foundation provides the Champion with one free wish, similarly to
Dragon Ball Z. The player also gets to choose the Setting of the next game, whether it be based on a real location, their own design or something from a game, movie, book, etc.
The setting of this first game is in a general medieval fantasy world known as
Uvod, with all the villages, castles, magic, monsters and so forth that you are familiar with. But if you look close enough, this world is more than it appears at first glance...
Quests:Prompted by the results of my latest test game,
An Exercise in Asinine Violence, there are two types of Quests in this game:
1. Wiki Quests: Quests given by the Wikipedia Foundation, the folks running the show. Anyone can participate in a Wiki Quest. Because Wiki Quests exist solely for the entertainment of the enigmatic Audience, Wiki Quests are usually eccentric and impractical, like "Destroy 100 Pumpkins" or "Out-swag Chester Cheeto." Wiki Quests reward the victor with Points, and occasionally with odd gifts.
2. NPC Quests: Quests given by the NPCs of the world, either individuals or groups. NPC Quests involve doing some sort of task for the NPC, whether it's bringing back specific items, killing a target or completing labor. NPC Quests do not award Points, but can award and improve Attributes. (This is the only way to gain non-random Attributes.) Other rewards involve money, items and special privileges. The way these Quests are given out depends on the NPCs; identical Quests can be given to multiple player or could be completed multiple times, or these Quests could be offered exclusively to players that meet certain criteria. Since these Quests rely on certain NPCs, they can be disrupted by events, such as the quest-giver being killed.
In general, more difficult and/or dangerous Quests will have greater rewards. Some Quests will have time limits, or other limitations.
"Kill Absorption:When a competitor kills another competitor, they gain kills equal to half (rounded down) of their defeated opponent's total kill-count. They also gain an amount of new Articles equal to this same number. For example, killing someone with a Kill-count of 6 would result in +3 to your current Kill-count and gaining 3 new Articles.
Dice:The Game runs on a 10-Sided Die system for completing actions, so a Rolled 10 will result in the complete satisfaction of the intended action, whereas a 1 will result in the direct opposite. Simple actions require no rolls. Rolls are required for more complicated actions, like climbing a ladder, breaking down a door or hacking through an electronic lock.
Combat:Standard D10 is used for rolls. You can attack up to twice per turn, so long as someone is in range. (Attacking Die and Defending Die Referred to as AD and DD respectively, henceforth.) If AD > DD, the attack is successful, and damage is dealt based upon the difference in the rolls as well as all the other factors in the fight: cover, armor, and so on. If AD < or = to DD, the attack fails. If AD < DD by a margin of 5, the defender counter-attacks. (Ex. AA of 3 VS. DD of 8, Defender counter attacks.) Counter Attacks are can not be re-countered.
Surprise Attacks:Surprise Attacks are possible, in which you PM me a target you wish to launch secretly attack next turn. This attack remains unannounced until it unfolds the next turn. When you perform a Surprise Attack, you must succeed on a Stealth Roll against an opposing Perception Roll. If you succeed, the Surprise Attack occurs as planned. If the opposing Perception Roll is higher, your opponent gets a free Counter Attack and your Surprise Attack fails. If both rolls are equal, no Surprise Attack occurs.
(This is to ensure that Surprise Attacks are powerful, but are not an ability that can be abused, which I have seen plague other arena games.)
Attributes:Each player receives random Assets and/or Attributes, based on 5 Random Wikipedia Articles. Attributes have some sort of effect on the player, oftentimes a modifier to certain types of rolls, or specific ability. For example, a Random Article on a Baseball Player known for their slugging, would give them a bonus to wielding Clubs and various pieces of baseball equipment. Another Article for a fictional pyromancer would give that player an Ability to control a certain amount of fire.
For each Point a player earns, they will gain a new Wikipedia Article.
[Note: In the current addition of the game, I will only use Articles that have some sort of interesting and specific content. This is to prevent what happened in previous games, where all the 3-sentence long articles about obscure Basketball and Football Players caused everyone to have similar Attributes.]
But won't this result in huge disparities, with one player starting with an assault rifle, another with Telekinesis, and another with a pogostick? Of course, that's what makes this fun! Be creative, that's why the goal is to Incapacitate, not just Kill. A player can be blessed with getting the Article for Immortality, but that makes them far from unbeatable.
In general, most Articles will work like this:
-Organisms, People, Fictional Characters, and Mythological/Religious Entities will give the Player an Attribute based on their own attributes and habits.
-Locations will give Attributes and Assets based on what they're known for, ex., Detroit would give its player a +2 to actions involving automobiles.
-Assets will mostly result in the player starting with one or more of them on-hand, depending on their function, size, etc.
-Historical events will often give players Attributes and Assets that reflect what it was like for an average person in the event. For example, an article for a battle in the Napoleonic Wars would give the player equipment and skills reflective of a typical soldier of those times.
-Concepts, Theories and Abstractions will give Attributes based on their general subject. A player with Pragmatism will get an ability to disprove untestable impossibilities, ex., nullifying the magical powers of another player.
-Miscellaneous Articles will result in...something interesting!
Abilities aren't inherently bad, but may carry risky side-effects.
NPCs:NPCs are (in most cases) neutral and apathetic to PvP fighting. However, they will start responding to any sort of violence or action that interferes or harms them in any way. So if two players decide to have a gunfight, the NPCs will do nothing except [pssob;y hide. However, if a stray bullet hits an NPC, the NPCs will start reacting to the player at fault, at which time them may run away, scream for help, call the police, attack the player, and so forth. The response of the NPCs to Players varies with each NPC of course; flashing a group of elderly monks will end differently than throwing beer cans at a gang of disgruntled bikers.
Bartering:In previous installations of Wiki-Wars, many player turns were spent desperately finding ways to acquire funding, usually public performance art until a mob inevitably formed and beat these players to death. While currency will still hold great value, this game will feature more emphasis on bartering, so that assets in general will have greater value, and transactions will be more accessible. Even in more modern worlds, it will be easy to come across stations of barter, such as Yard Sales, Flea Markets, Pawn Shops and Online Marketplaces.
Disclaimer on Meta-Gaming:All spoiler'd player sheets are free to be viewed by other players and are considered "public". While this will inevitable influence player decisions, explicit meta-gaming is not permitted, (ex. a character knowing the exact location of another character without any in-character means of getting that information).
Status Effects:Numbers next to Status Effect state how many turns the effect lasts for.
Once the number for Bleed-Out reaches 0, your character dies. The more bleeding wounds a character has, the faster the Bleed-Out process becomes. Several minor bleeding wounds, for example, can compound to become a life threatening ailment.
Pain will be another common status effect. It confers general penalties to rolls, but is temporary outside of severe cases.
Unconscious characters can not roll for Defense, and can only attempt to regain consciousness. They are at the mercy of their attackers until they regain consciousness, and can only hope their assailants are incompetent or get distracted.
Types of Reloading (Ranged Weapon Guide):Quick Reload (QR) - These weapons can be reloaded without a substantial time investment from their users. If your ranged weapon does not have its type of reloading specified next to it, assume it is a Quick Reload weapon. The only time a Quick Reload will greatly effect your gameplay is if it is done in close quarters combat, with you reloading while still in striking range. If you try a Quick Reload while someone is close enough to take an immediate swing at you, they will get a free attack before you can finish reloading to commence with your own attack. Common Quick Reloading Weapons include most Handguns, Machine Pistols, SMGs, and Bows.
Moderate Reload (MR) - These weapons take longer than the previous type to reload, but the reload is fast enough to keep you in a fight. You can perform a Moderate Reload before shooting, but this will allow your opponent, regardless of their type of weapon, to counter-attack before you attack rather than afterwards if they are in range. Common Moderate Reload Weapons include most Rifles, Muskets, Crossbows, and Flamethrowers.
Long Reload (LR) - The reloading for these weapons are very time intensive and thus you can not perform any combat during your turn. (If an enemy attacks you during their turn and are unsuccessful, you will still counter-attack.) As for other actions, you can perform quick actions while Long Reloading, such as diving for nearby cover, but you will not be able to take up longer-term actions such as quickly sprinting away or climbing a ladder. Common Long Reload Weapons include Sniper Rifles, Grenade Launchers, and Rocket Launchers.
Expect a standard update cycle of an update every ~24-48 hours. If there is a further delay, I will inform the players.Example Character:Name: TCM
Gender: Female
Nationality: Eritrean/AlbanianMirga Gražinytė-Tyla: +2 Classical Conducting
Hanish Islands Conflict: +1 Machine Guns, +PK Light Machine Gun, +Light Infantry Uniform
Gelignite: +3 Gelignite Explosives
Haute Cabričre: +2 Viticulture, + Bottle of Fine Wine
Albanian Boys: +1 Streetfighting, +Switchblade, +Ability: Albanian Boys, Where You At?!
Status: Normal
Points:
Assets: PK LMG [200/200] [LR], Light Infantry Uniform, 3 Gelignite Explosives, Bottle of Fine Wine
Abilities:
Albanian Boys, Where You At?! - TCM whistles the Albanian national anthem, calling up a couple of Albanian Boy reinforcements. Summons 2 Loyal Albanian Boy Goons. [CD:8]
