What do I think? I think that there's nothing wrong with it and it could work, if that was what you're asking. It could be fun, it could also not be fun, it's not possible for me to say at the moment because I have no idea of your style, skill, or whatever. It certainly is an idea I have not seen thrown around all that much if at all, so you have that going for you.
Am I interested? Maybe. It all depends on the rule system--I quite frankly despise the 1d6 that is used to death. But that's just me. Other things might also influence my opinion. I can't say for certain until I see the ruleset.
Anyways, I'm thinking of honestly starting the mutation-happy doomed scientist RTD I mentioned a bit back ago soon. So it'd be nice if everything was ready to go when it is posted. I've already screened it and found minimal problems, but it'd be nice to have someone tell me if I missed anything since I of course am but one person. Assuming, of course, I don't chicken out at the last moment or die horribly before I can post it.
Also, I'm blatantly also posting this to gauge interest. Be interested.
And no, I will not reserve seats if asked here. I will, however, PM you directly shortly before or after the RTD is started if asked and I remember.
Yes, a minimalist excuse me, minimalish RTD from me, Tarran, master of making too many complex things. This is bound to be either amazing or awful.
Anyway, yes. Read introduction if you're even moderately interested still. If you're not... read the intro anyway you ungrateful jerk. Stop reading this. Seriously. I have nothing important to say here.
Ah, Vanaard Corp. Great pay, interesting jobs for (almost) everyone, and bleeding-edge science. When they offered you a job, you had no second thoughts about joining. Finally, your extensive knowledge of DNA, biology, and other such stuff had earned you a job that will most certainly give you a lifetime of luxury, and would be a fun job: You had been hired as a Bio-scientist! A job to experiment with DNA, unique organisms, and generally everything holy to god. It's something nobody else was and still is offering. And best of all, it was TOP SECRET! You always wanted to work on something top secret!
Yeah, it was great. Really great. Great for 3 months. Then... uh, it went pear-shaped. See, when you deal with top secret things, they're generally not things that are safe. Most of what you messed with was okay: From viruses, to genetically modifying various creatures (even, sometimes, humans), but... two days ago, a meteorite hit Earth in a secluded location, and apparently Vanaard Corp found something interesting there. Something living. So, they shipped it to your section, without even telling you much besides to treat the meteorite as a contaminated object, and telling you to breed whatever you found on it. And that's what you and your other Bio-scientists did. Oh boy, was it exciting--breeding alien life. Surely nothing could go wrong?
Well, uhh... see, when you were breeding the alien life--which you now know are microbes--they began multiplying explosively. They created literal goo of microbes, which you had to put in barrels as your employers didn't exactly specify how much to breed. Not wanting to disappoint, you all decided that breeding as fast as possible was the right choice. So, as I said, you and your fellow employees bred the alien microbes, and put them in barrels. Well, eventually you all needed some help, as there were so many barrels. It was perhaps not a surprise that eventually a spill happened. A barrel was knocked over. Which then lead to more knocking over, and more and... eventually, you and your fellow employees were laying down in pools of the stuff. Despite your protective suits, the barrels had knocked you around a bunch and surely ripped or bashed a few holes into the suits. Oh, and two security guards and one janitor also got splashed with the stuff. It was nearly immediate when the quarantine alarm went off. You and your fellow Bio-scientists were carried off into quarantine rooms, but before you could get put into one...
You hear a scream. A scientist runs by. Then another. Then a security guard firing his pistol wildly. Then the janitor--oh god what the hell, why does he have claws and wings and holy crap the infected security guards look like something out of a sci-fi movie. The guards taking you to quarantine, obviously freaked out about this, push you all away and shoot wildly at you all before they run down a corridor. Fortunately, if nothing else is good about this day, they happen to miss every shot.
Oh this is turning out to be a great day. You all feel your skin tingling, your guts twisting, the entire facility is now in quarantine while there's horrific nightmare infected about, and in all likelihood in the next hour the United American-Canadian-Mexican State (UACMS) military will be locking down the building with everything from machineguns to tanks to bombers... What now? And can it possibly get any worse?
The year is 2061, and it probably will get worse.
The game will run on a 1d20 for the majority of situations. Things higher to 20 will be increasingly more successful, while towards 1 things will go apple-shaped. It will be very arbitrary on how specifically things go.
Depending on your action, the result will arbitrarily (but semi-sensibly) determined based both on the roll and the action. Jumping a short distance, for example, will generally always go good(enough) unless you hit somewhere extremely close or at a 1, while attempting to punch through a concrete wall WITHOUT superhuman strength will generally cause you damage unless you get somewhere near a 20, in which case you might avoid damage, but in no case will you actually be able to punch through the wall. Also by that extension, if you do something that can kill you and you roll badly, you probably will in fact die.
In general, this RTD will be highly arbitrary. If you cannot take what I write at face value, you might want to reconsider your attitude towards this RTD. It's a game, and one that's not necessarily meant to be won or heavily invested in. We're here to have fun. Stay detached from your characters enough that failure doesn't cause you nerdrage, please.
Roleplaying is completely unenforced. It's up to the players to decide whether there is roleplaying, based on how they treat their actions. Gasp, you get to decide things! Exciting.
Please, consider how often you'll be able to post before you join. If you can't post at least once every few days, you joining will probably slow down the RTD. I will probably kick you if you're particularly bad.
While this RTD may seem somewhat nonsense, and it is minimalish, I expect at least some sensibility--ALL CAPS will probably get you stabbed by the GM, actions way way out of scope and out of character (I.e, "Blow up the world with my mind") will almost certainly be ignored, and repeated attempts despite my protests and warnings will get you kicked. Repeated actions that blatantly do nothing but waste time (like stacking boxes in a boxfort for no reason) will probably get you kicked or attacked or something else to encourage you do actually do something worthy of merit. Actions that do nothing but cause grief for other players without mutual consent will also get you in trouble. Generally, treat this RTD and the other players with at least some respect.
I am reserving the right to end the RTD any time when I actively dislike running it. That's not saying I predict to end it very shortly after I start it, I'm just saying that I'm not going to put any sense of dedication towards it like I have with my previous RTDs. I also reserve the right to update when I feel like it--the RTD will be updated at will, not on a schedule. Consider that before you bump. Also consider that I, myself, will take actions to remind players to post actions if they're taking too long if I feel like updating. Truefax.
I'll make this simple for you, Bob and Jane:
Name: The name for your character, please avoid using numbers. If for whatever reason you want to have a family name too, put your personal name and your family name in separate [brackets].
Gender: Male or female. This is only taking into consideration their physical body, not their mental stance. A man who decides that she's a female, while still having a male body, is a male for this consideration.
Strengths: A vague sense of your character's strengths (skills or attributes) outside of being average. Can be anything you want. It is mostly fluff, but it might just influence me to tip favor for you in cases where a roll can be interpreted multiple ways if I feel nice. The chance decreases the more specialties you have.
Weaknesses: A vague sense of your character's weaknesses (skills or attributes) outside of being average. Once again, can be anything you want. It is mostly fluff, but if you want to make your character more prone to failing some things for the entertainment of the masses whenever a roll can be interpreted multiple ways and I feel like making you fail, go ahead.
Impending Doom: What your character considers to be what will kill him/her. Doesn't directly affect the game, but it may influence what I write and, potentially, even how I kill you. If I do, of course, heh.
Description: If you want to say something important about your character and waste our time, like your character's clothes or hair or whatever, go ahead and put something here.
And... that's it? From a GM like me? Heresy.
Possibly the most complex part of this game, though it's more a list of stuff you can get rather than a set of rules.
You will be infected the moment the game is started with at least one of these. You will also initially be mutated one time at the game start. The strain type you are infected with will be random. Yes, that does in fact mean you cannot decide yourself, and don't even try. Anyway, you cannot be infected with more than one. In order to ensure that there's somewhat even spread, once one is picked, it will be removed from the types that can be picked until there are only 5 possible strain types, then the random-list will be restored. Each one has benefits, and obviously some flaws. The microbes have to look after themselves you know (though how they look after themselves is up to the microbes themselves). Good news though: Unlike everyone else in the facility, due to GM Influence, none of these will cause you to go insane. You at least have something special.
Strain A: The Random.
Purely random. It randomly mutates you. Randomly. The limit is my imagination, so the more interesting things you can make me think of before you get mutated the more random your mutation choices. Mutates every 20 turns (slow). Spreads by blood of the infected (moderate). Injures the infected when it mutates (moderate). Regenerates infected (moderate).
Strain B: The Alienifyer.
Attempts to mutate you into some sensible, yet unique alien-like entity. Once done, it refines your alienness by changing increasingly minor things. The limit is, once again, my imagination. With restraint. Mutates every 15 turns (slightly slow). Spreads by blood of the infected (moderate). Does not injure the infected when it mutates (great). Does not regenerate infected (horrible).
Strain C: Mysterious Identity.
Attempts to make you look human on the surface, but it will change your appearance randomly. Across genders. Underneath the surface also can change. Mutates every 10 turns (moderate). Spreads by blood of the infected (moderate). Does not injure the infected when it mutates (great). Does not regenerate infected (horrible).
Strain D: Eldrich Horror.
Changes you into varying types of dangerous tentacle monsters. Mutates every 15 turns (slightly slow). Spreads by goo of infected (infectious). Greatly injures the infected when it mutates (bad). Highly regenerates infected (good).
Strain E: The Infector.
Mutates you to make you as infectious as possible, which is very painful. However, this strain has a massive regenerative ability. Mutates every 15 turns (slightly slow). Spreads by various means (varies). Greatly injures the infected when it mutates (bad). Regenerates infected extremely quickly (great).
Strain F: The Mass.
Mutates you basically randomly, but you absorb the material of any dead creature you touch. In doing so, once you eventually hit a critical mass, you split in half, leaving a mass of infected body behind (which hurts A LOT). Mutates every 10 turns (moderate). Spreads by touch (very infectious). Slightly injures the infected when it mutates (good). Highly regenerates infected (good).
Strain G: The Goo.
Mutates away you until you are but an increasingly simplified mass of (highly controllable, human intelligence) goo. Once that's finished, your body will reform and the process will restart. Mutates every 8 turns (slightly fast). Spreads by touch (very infectious). Does not injure the infected when it mutates (great). Highly regenerates infected (good).
Strain H: The Mutant.
Mutates you to have superpowers or superweaknesses yet attempts to keep you looking vaguely human. Can moderately defy reality in mutations. Mutates every 10 turns (moderate). Spreads by blood-blood contact with the infected (barely infectious). Injures the infected when it mutates (moderate). Does not regenerate infected (horrible).
Strain I: The Monster.
Mutates you into some sort of alien monster very quickly, before mutating you into another, and another... Mutates every 5 turns (fast). Spreads by blood-blood contact with the infected (barely infectious). Does not injure the infected when it mutates (great). Does not regenerate infected (horrible).
Strain J: The Critic Strain.
Mutates you depending on how you preform on actions--you do very well at something, it impairs you, you do very poorly at something, it helps you. It will use any time of mutation to achieve its goals to criticize you for no reason. Mutates every 5 turns (fast). Spreads by blood of the infected (moderate). Does not injure the infected when it mutates (great). Does not regenerate infected (horrible).
Strain K: The Holy/Unholy.
Mutates you in an angelic/demonic theme. Alternates every mutation, unless you preform a good or evil action. If I ran out of ideas for one side, I will do the other. Mutates every 10 turns (moderate). Spreads by touch (very infectious). Does not injure the infected when it mutates (great). Slightly regenerates infected (bad).
Strain L: I-Am-Robot.
Slowly mutates you into a robot. Not a super exciting futuristic one, but a silly looking low-tech one that just is just barely good enough to do most things. Once done, it will mutate you into another different one. Mutates every 15 turns (slightly slow). Spreads by blood/cooling fluid of the infected (moderate). Greatly injures the infected when it mutates (bad). Regenerates infected (moderate).
Strain M: The "helper".
Attempts to "help" you do things when you have done them (successfully) in the past. Of course, being a bunch of microbes, they aren't all that good at that, and they will tend to make mistakes when helping. Mutates every 10 turns (average). Spreads by blood-blood contact with the infected (barely infectious). Greatly injures the infected when it mutates (bad). Highly regenerates infected (good).
Strain N: The copycat.
Gives you the last mutation another player near you had, if you have any potential prerequisite mutations (if you don't, the next other possible one will be picked). If multiple mutations happened on the same turn, a dice is rolled for the mutation. Mutates every 20 turns (slow). Spreads by blood of the infected (moderate). Does not injure the infected when it mutates (great). Slightly regenerates infected (bad).
Strain O: The survivalist.
Remains largely passive until infected is endangered, where it will start mutating wildly depending on how hurt the infected is (near death, expect half a dozen mutations a turn or so). Otherwise, mutates fairly randomly, though it avoids mutations that actively hurt you. Mutates every 30 turns (very slow). Does not infect when coming from a host (not infectious). Does not injure the infected when it mutates (great). Highly regenerates infected (good).
Strain P: The Insectoid.
Does not mutate you bit by bit like most--instead, when you mutate, you fully mutate into some sort of insect man (e.g, an antman, a mothman, and so on). You will get hints as to your next form 5 turns before it happens. When you mutate, you must take that turn to go into a cocoon or you will slowly suffer damage every turn until you do so. Mutates every 30 turns (very slow). Spreads by blood-blood contact with the infected (barely infectious). Does not injure the infected when it mutates (great). Does not regenerate infected (horrible).
Strain Q: Suggestive Strain.
This strain mutates you based on your requests and desires. For example, if you request or desire wings, it will give you wings of some sort. However, if you request nothing, it will get upset and mutate something bad for you, this strain's mutations hurt very badly, and it's fairly slow. Mutates every 20 turns (slow). Spreads by contact with the infected if the infected wants to spread it (varies). Massively injures the infected when it mutates (horrible). Slightly regenerates infected (bad).
Strain R: The Experimentalist.
This strain mutates you semi-randomly and semi-specifically, in indeterminable rates. It (really, I) will mutate you in order to see how various mutations will affect how you function, until it makes you frequently interact with the world in some unusual way that only it knows. Though it is never truly out to get you, it will not mind giving you bad mutations. Thankfully, though, it is careful when mutating you. Mutates you when it desires (unknown). Spreads by blood-blood contact with the infected (barely infectious). Does not injure the infected when it mutates (great). Highly regenerates infected (good).
Strain S: The Gardeners.
This strain mutates you into various types of living, moving, plant creatures based on Terran plants. From trees, to bushes, to roses, expect to photosynthesize with this mutation. Oh, and, despite how nice this seems, it hurts a lot when it mutates. Mutates every 15 turns (slightly slow). Spreads by blood/sap of the infected (moderate). Massively injures the infected when it mutates (horrible). Regenerates infected (moderate).
Strain T: Xeno Gardeners.
This strain mutates you into various types of living, moving, plant creatures based on non-Terran plants. From the almost-familiar, to the weird and very awkward. Expect to photosynthesize weirdly with this mutation. It, like Strain S, also hurts a lot when it mutates. Mutates every 20 turns (slow). Spreads by blood/sap of the infected (moderate). Massively injures the infected when it mutates (horrible). Regenerates infected (moderate).
Strain U: The Crystalizer.
This strain mutates you into (give or take) humanoid forms of various types of crystals, gems, stones, minerals, and so on. Ever wanted to be made out of emeralds? No? Too bad. Mutates every 15 turns (slightly slow). Does not infect when coming from a host (not infectious). Injures the infected when it mutates (moderate). Slightly regenerates infected (bad).
Strain V: The Storyteller.
Mutates you into some sort of non-alien fantasy creature, before mutating you into another, and another... Expect to mutate into anything from an Elf to a Chimera. Mutates every 10 turns (average). Spreads by blood-blood contact with the infected (barely infectious). Does not injure the infected when it mutates (great). Does not regenerate infected (horrible).
Strain W: The Parasite.
A violent, nasty parasite that mutates you as much as it ruptures from your body and does god knows what. Expect tons of pain, tons of violent disfiguring mutations, and suffering. In return? Well, it varies depending on interests of the parasite. This is by far worse than strain E. Mutates every 10 turns (moderate). Spreads by various means (varies). Massively injures the infected when it mutates (horrible). Regenerates infected extremely quickly (great).
Strain X: The Wereizer.
Mutates you into various were-creatures. One after the other. Non-stop. And you cannot transform back into a human while infected. Have fun! Mutates every 20 turns (slow). Spreads by blood-blood contact with the infected (barely infectious). Does not injure the infected when it mutates (great). Regenerates infected (moderate).
There may potentially be more added if I SOMEHOW think of something exciting. If so, I will add it to the random numbers list.
I will accept up to 8 players initally, but if I decide I can actually handle the RTD with more I will probably raise the roof on that.
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Topic: Roller's Block (RTD Brainstorming Thread) (HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY) (Derm is 5k) (Read 699475 times)