Jocher symbolic systems
Explorer
Hello, dear forum.
Since autumn 2021 I have been writing on (and testing) a system meant to be a TTRPG adaption of George Orwell's book Nineteen Eighty-Four.
The most recent draft of the game system can be found here: Oceania 2084 by Jocher Symbolic Systems
What is the game?
The game is based on the book "Nineteen Eighty-four" written by George Orwell. It is fundamentally about resistance to totalitarian governments, against overwhelming odds.
The core of the game is an asymmetrical adversarial game, with player characters on one side of the conflict and one player taking the role of "Big Brother" effectively being the antagonist of the game. As the game progresses the narrative authority moves back and forth between the character players and the big brother player. The actions of one side enable actions from the other side, according to a rule-based point system. There is no traditional conflict resolution system, where you roll a die to achieve something. Instead, the game is balanced through a system of risk and reward and strategic usage of resources, the question is not if you succeed in doing something but if you get noticed doing it. This doesn't mean that you will not be rolling dice, there are a lot of situations and rules that use and rely on die rolling.
The game is inspired by rogue-likes, Vampire the Masquerade, PbtA, A Thousand Year Old Vampire, and Paranoia among other things.
The update contains (on a "pay what you want" basis):
The rules are very much a draft, it contains unbalanced and almost untested game mechanics. It is, however, playable and enjoyable. The rules as of now are also almost completely devoid of any lore, or any flavor texts (besides what is included in the rules descriptions and in the mechanics of the game). Internal playtesting has begun and has started off on a positive note. If you want to be a part of playtesting in a more dedicated way send an email to jochergames@gmail.com.
It might also be interesting to know that I have partnered up with the brilliant mind of Adam Mayes (no, not the murderer/kidnapper, the game designer @mbhulo on Twitter).
I hope that you will enjoy reading through (or playing through) what we have come up with so far and that you'll let us know what you think!
Any type of feedback is highly appreciated!
Since autumn 2021 I have been writing on (and testing) a system meant to be a TTRPG adaption of George Orwell's book Nineteen Eighty-Four.
The most recent draft of the game system can be found here: Oceania 2084 by Jocher Symbolic Systems
What is the game?
The game is based on the book "Nineteen Eighty-four" written by George Orwell. It is fundamentally about resistance to totalitarian governments, against overwhelming odds.
The core of the game is an asymmetrical adversarial game, with player characters on one side of the conflict and one player taking the role of "Big Brother" effectively being the antagonist of the game. As the game progresses the narrative authority moves back and forth between the character players and the big brother player. The actions of one side enable actions from the other side, according to a rule-based point system. There is no traditional conflict resolution system, where you roll a die to achieve something. Instead, the game is balanced through a system of risk and reward and strategic usage of resources, the question is not if you succeed in doing something but if you get noticed doing it. This doesn't mean that you will not be rolling dice, there are a lot of situations and rules that use and rely on die rolling.
The game is inspired by rogue-likes, Vampire the Masquerade, PbtA, A Thousand Year Old Vampire, and Paranoia among other things.
The update contains (on a "pay what you want" basis):
- The compendium of rules (including the playbook for Proles and the playbook for Big Brother).
- The Player Character sheet.
- The embryo of a Spotify playlist that sets the mood.
The rules are very much a draft, it contains unbalanced and almost untested game mechanics. It is, however, playable and enjoyable. The rules as of now are also almost completely devoid of any lore, or any flavor texts (besides what is included in the rules descriptions and in the mechanics of the game). Internal playtesting has begun and has started off on a positive note. If you want to be a part of playtesting in a more dedicated way send an email to jochergames@gmail.com.
It might also be interesting to know that I have partnered up with the brilliant mind of Adam Mayes (no, not the murderer/kidnapper, the game designer @mbhulo on Twitter).
I hope that you will enjoy reading through (or playing through) what we have come up with so far and that you'll let us know what you think!
Any type of feedback is highly appreciated!
