Rule mechanic design help. I need opinions.

[howandwhy99]

I like the choice above where players arm wrestle to see who wins the chess match in game.


Actually, I'd dispose of a roll-vs-roll situation altogether. Unless you know of a way to simplify the metagame aspects of chess, and then to shorten the experience of the game considerably, I don't see it working at the table. Chess is already a fairly "rule light" system, so to speak. Trying to encapsulate the experience is going to be difficult.

I would simply have the player check for coin won via gaming and then have "chess" added under the "hobbies" section of their character sheet. As the PC improved and the player mentions the PC playing different people in the towns passed through, I'd raise the PCs notoriety on this aspect alone. But in the end, it he or she would still be a "wizard" or "fighter" not a chessmaster. Though, like Gygax (IRL), it would be part of the whole character.

I think the best question is: "will this be fun in game?" If your method's enjoyable, forget anything else I mentioned.

 

[Chaldfont]

Interesting timing. I am working up a mechanic for this week's game in which a PC needs to seduce a succubus who's trying to seduce him, both trying to gain information from the other. It has a lot similarity to what you need. I simplified Spycraft 2.0's dramatic conflict system to come up with:

Each "round" the PC and the succubus each secretly pick a tactic (from a list of about 8 or 9) and make an opposed skill check. Each tactic has a random modifier to the check. The winner of the opposed check gets to add the tactic modifier to each subsequent check. So the more you win, the easier it gets to make the opposed check. The loser must give the winner some piece of useful information.

One of the tactics is a "final play". You pick this tactic if you want to end the game. The tactic has a flat -10 penalty. If you make it, you win. If you lose, you still add this penalty to subsequent checks. So, your opponent will probably take advantage of your weakened position next round and choose final play themselves.

Here are the tactics I came up with (Aeron is the PC's name):

• Wait, it’s a Trick… – automatically lose, but gain a bonus of 1d6.
• I Got You a Little Something – for every 1,000 gp spent on the opponent, the spender gains +2 bonus.
• Submit to the Darkness – (Aeron only) Aeron will probably want to use death ward magic to avoid the negative energy effects of the succubus’ embrace. If he does not, and she knows it, he gains a bonus of 1d10.
• Flattery Will Get You Everywhere – If this check succeeds, gain a bonus of 1d4.
• Hard to Get – No one wins, but both gain a bonus of 1d6. If both play Hard to Get, both gain a penalty of 1d6.
• Charm Monster – (Succubus Only) The succubus attempts to charm Aeron. The Will save replaces the opposed check. The winner gains a bonus equal to the difference by which Aeron succeeded or failed.
• Polymorph – (Succubus only) The succubus changes into many intriguing forms to grant Aeron his freakiest desires. This may only be used once and the succubus gains a bonus of 1d10.
• Just Surprise Me – (Aeron only) Make something up.
• Go For It! – This is the final play. Take a -10 penalty to the opposed check. If you win, the seduction ends in your favor. If you fail, you still retain the -10 penalty.

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

Let's step away from chess for a moment. Consider a mechanic that works for other competitions/events that require you to work for a long time. A race, for instance. Or fortifying a location before the bad guys arrive.

Chess, even, could be made more competitive, by allowing the players to make checks to figure out their opponent's strategy. You might take a penalty to your check in exchange for getting more than one success at a time (a gambit, basically).

Just make sure that there is no more than 5, 6 rolls involved to determine a winner. After that, the drama can really start to fade.

Plus, Chess is a 2 players game. Unless you are running a 1 player scene, the rest of the players will get reall bored real quick.

Basically, rolling d20's over and over gets real boring. The reason it works for combat is there is a lot of action going on between each roll.

If you find a chess match taking more than 2-3 minutes (maybe 5 for key plot points), it's going to get boring & lose you players' interest.