Thoughts on countdowns

[Morrus]

I wonder - has anybody had chance to try the countdown mechanic yet?

I've been thinking about its applications. The basic death rolls application is simple, and should remain so. But some more complex applications could involve stages. Here are my current thoughts on how countdowns could replicate diseases and the like:

 

[sheadunne]

I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but my only concern is bookkeeping (keeping track of the countdown between game sessions). It's not a major issue by any means and I like the mechanic enough that it wouldn't both me too much, just wondering if there are other "GM" elements that require that type of bookkeeping.

Is it necessary to include things like "hair loss"? Mechanically speaking it's just a place holder for no effect, unless there's a condition that involves appearance that effects social interaction. It certainly adds flavor, but do you plan to use it for other countdowns like poison? It's not a bad thing, just curious.

 

[Morrus]

Is it necessary to include things like "hair loss"? Mechanically speaking it's just a place holder for no effect, unless there's a condition that involves appearance that effects social interaction. It certainly adds flavor, but do you plan to use it for other countdowns like poison? It's not a bad thing, just curious.

Well, for me I can't read a game with no flavour text. Things like hair loss might not have a mechanical effect, but they're an immersion tool. They tell you what's going on.

Not all countdowns will have that sort of thing. That particular example does. The death countdown, for example, has nothing in it. Just unconscious - unconscious - unconscious - dead! A bomb countdown would have nothing in it, either. A crumbling cliff might have increasing climb check difficulties. And a disease could have some non-mechanical symptoms.

 

[Nagol]

I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but my only concern is bookkeeping (keeping track of the countdown between game sessions). It's not a major issue by any means and I like the mechanic enough that it wouldn't both me too much, just wondering if there are other "GM" elements that require that type of bookkeeping.

Is it necessary to include things like "hair loss"? Mechanically speaking it's just a place holder for no effect, unless there's a condition that involves appearance that effects social interaction. It certainly adds flavor, but do you plan to use it for other countdowns like poison? It's not a bad thing, just curious.

I wouldn't say it is a placeholder for no effect -- at the very least it gives the character and those around him clues as to the sort of illness and its severity. Radiation sickness can be acquired "silently" by a character and feeling sick at stage 1 is pretty non-specific.

 

[Dungeoneer]

How do you replenish dice? And how often do you roll for these countdowns?

 

[Morrus]

(For those not familiar with it, the countdown mechanic starts with a pool of d6s and every turn or other interval - the pool is rolled and any 6s are removed. This keeps happening until the last dice is removed, at which point the countdown timer has effectively run out. The basic use is for the death/dying rules - you form a pool based on your END score and roll it each turn until you die or until somebody manages to give you appropriate medical care).

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I like the idea, in fact if I ever get my own home brew game going I may steal the basic idea

 

[sheadunne]

Just unconscious - unconscious - unconscious - dead!

Not "Slightly dead, partially dead, mostly dead, and dead"?

Maybe that's just the descriptors in the O.L.D. - Princess Bride splat book.

I agree though, I just wouldn't want someone looking for "hair loss" in the glossary of conditions and not finding it, assuming it was a unique case and the others simply had "--" in their non-mechanically slots.

 

[Morrus]

How do you replenish dice? And how often do you roll for these countdowns?

You can't always replenish them. IF you can, it has a difficulty value which is a check you make to replenish the pool. The frequency is indicated by the interval noted. The above one is daily, for example. A ticking bomb might be per turn, as is a death/dying countdown from being reduces to zero HEALTH. Both of these things (replenishment difficulty and interval) can vary.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

You can't always replenish them. IF you can, it has a difficulty value which is a check you make to replenish the pool. The frequency is indicated by the interval noted. The above one is daily, for example. A ticking bomb might be per turn, as is a death/dying countdown from being reduces to zero HEALTH. Both of these things (replenishment difficulty and interval) can vary.

Would having a Genre savvy villain set the bomb to blow on 5 seconds (aka 2 dice) be a real jerk move???