crusadeofashesJun 29, 2024
Kobiac

Looking into how to make a (ordinary playing cards) card-based resolution system for fiction-first #ttrpgs, inspired by @timgray101 ‘s Loom system, which is a kind of opposition-based trick-taking system where you draw a number of cards based upon how many relevant traits your PC has related to the task.

Have you tried a playing-card-based #ttrpg?

I think card-based methaphors would be fun to explore in a game: «Having a good hand», «Playing my cards right», «Use the hand you’re dealt», etc.

Jun 28, 2024 at 6:25pmWeb
Show threadjewelpitJun 29, 2024
@Kobiac not a TTRPG _specifically,_ but I did used to play Malifaux, a tabletop wargame that uses cards for resolution. Unfortunately, the need to keep things snappy (since you'd have dozens of flips in one game) meant it really didn't take full advantage of the fact that it was using cards instead of dice :/
Show threadKobiacJun 29, 2024
@jewelpit Cool, haven’t heard of that game before.
Show threadcrusadeofashesJun 29, 2024
@Kobiac @timgray101 Have you looked into Castle Falkenstein? The game is a steam punk game that uses playing cards instead of dice?
Show threadKobiacJun 29, 2024
@crusadeofashes Thanks, will investigate! :)
Show threadTim GrayJun 30, 2024
@crusadeofashes @Kobiac Falkenstein is the one I would have mentioned. For me it has that elusive quality of charm. I didn't like the core mechanic because ability levels blurred together. But the magic system has informed a lot of things I've made.
Show threadcrusadeofashesJul 1, 2024
@Kobiac @timgray101 I just remembered that I Kickstarter a game called Nevermore which is supposed to use cards as a mechanic set in the time of Edgar Allan Poe
Show threadTim GrayJun 30, 2024
@Kobiac Gosh, Loom. It came with a bit of mild heartbreak, because it turns out that's the name of an old computer game I'd never heard of, and people were giving me grief because it wasn't that. One of the reasons I never did anything more with it.
Show threadKobiacJul 1, 2024
@timgray101 Aha! I had heard of that, and I thought it was cool and gutsy to name your system like that! :D Anyway, I’m impressed by what you managed to cover in just a few pages.
After an (involuntary) nearly sleepless night tonight I think I have the bare bones of a resolution mechanic I’m ready to test. 🥱🃏
Show threadMartijn VosJul 2, 2024

@Kobiac @timgray101

I haven't seen RPGs that use cards as a resolution mechanic, but I know Savage Worlds uses them for initiative, and WFRP3 used them for specific abilities, which seems nice for complex abilities, but I noticed you start thinking a lot in terms of the abilities you have, instead of what the character wants to do (and I hate that), and buying new abilities ended up digging through a ridiculously large pile of cards. Not great.

I've heard Fiasco 2nd edition is heavily card based and apparently that works very well, but I haven't tried it.

Show threadKobiacJul 2, 2024

@mcv Yes, I heard an actual play of Fiasco 2ed, and got very inspired!
Itras By also uses «action cards» and «chance cards».

(I’m exploring a simple mechanic using standard playing cards and not custom cards, though)

Show threadMartijn VosJul 2, 2024

@Kobiac

You mean just using the cards from your hand in place of a dice roll? That's an interesting idea. It can represent the effort you put into individual actions. A bad hand can mean you're off balance, out of your element, and you need to figure out how to get through this to recover. Fight more defensively, that sort of thing.

The downside is that something like that can lead to metagaming: doing a risk-free action just to get rid of a bad card.

I also recall hearing about a game that has a "mayhem deck", but I forgot which game that was.

Show threadKobiacJul 4, 2024
@mcv Yes, playing with a «card hand» may lead to metagaming very quickly. I’m looking at a mechanic using an «opposed draw» where the cards are reshuffled after each draw/check. But with the possibility of gaining a «luck card» (you may have max one) that may be kept to influence future checks.
It’s possible to «push» your effort if you first fail. The suit of the card will hint at what aspect became important in the execution of the plan and give ideas for describing consequences.
Show threadKobiacJul 4, 2024
@mcv The idea is to have a conversation about in-character intent, approach, resources and risks *before* the «draw» and its consequences. I’m looking for a fast, but still exciting resolution system, with the possibilities for degrees of success, and this looks promising. Might get the opportunity to test it next week.