GMMichael
Guide of Modos
Hail-o, ENWorld!
I just tested my idea for a text- and tab-based "solo" role-playing game that anyone on ENWorld can play. I say "solo" only because one is the minimum number of players, and I'm hoping it will involve other players in the form of allies, dungeon designers, guild members, and even vendors. For now, I'd just like a brave soul or three to try the test adventure and let me know what wrinkles need ironing.
To start, you'll need dice, a character sheet, and paper/word processor. The dice should cover the standard role-playing range: d4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 20. This is your character sheet:
EAMODOS
Name:
P 12, +1
M 8, -1
MP 10, 0
Weapon: old axe d8
Armor: gambeson 2
Skills: detect 1
Hero Points: 1
That covers just about everything for the test. Let me know how far you get, what questions you have, and what could use revising. I stripped some rules out for simplicity's sake, so there will be more interesting options in the living game (like spells, perks, healing potions, and more)! Again, you are the GM, so if you need a healing potion, a bigger weapon, heavier armor . . . add it to your notes and let us know what happened.
To begin your test quest, click here!
I just tested my idea for a text- and tab-based "solo" role-playing game that anyone on ENWorld can play. I say "solo" only because one is the minimum number of players, and I'm hoping it will involve other players in the form of allies, dungeon designers, guild members, and even vendors. For now, I'd just like a brave soul or three to try the test adventure and let me know what wrinkles need ironing.
To start, you'll need dice, a character sheet, and paper/word processor. The dice should cover the standard role-playing range: d4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 20. This is your character sheet:
EAMODOS
Name:
P 12, +1
M 8, -1
MP 10, 0
Weapon: old axe d8
Armor: gambeson 2
Skills: detect 1
Hero Points: 1
EAMODOS is the working title of the game, but it's also a record of your game-gems. For now, just remember that if the adventure tells you "Emerald ON," you'll put a check mark under the E in EAMODOS to indicate that the Emerald game-gem GLOWs. If it's not ON, or the adventure tells you "Emerald OFF," it's DARK (unchecked).
Your attributes are Physical (P), Mental (M), and Metaphysical (MP). The score determines your bonus (which is given after each score). E.g. the physical score, 12, gives a bonus of 1 point and 8 Mental gives a penalty (negative bonus) of 1 point. These bonuses apply to your contests, and the scores indicate how much damage you can sustain before your test adventure ends.
Contests are a comparison of two d20 rolls, with the high result being a Pro, and the low result is a Con. (Yes, Ties are when they match.) Most of your contests are for attacks and defenses, both being Physical actions. To roll an attack contest, for example, you roll a d20 and add your P bonus to it (+1). For your opponent, you assume the d20 roll is 10 and add your opponent's level bonus. If you get a Pro, you cause damage. If get a Con, you don't.
Your weapon is an old axe that does d8 damage. You wear a gambeson for armor, and it reduces the damage you take from each attack by 2 points.
Your skill is Detect, with 1 skill point, so you can add 1 point to all contests that involve "detecting." What that specifically means is up to you; you're also the GM!
Hero Points are your last character sheet item. For this test, a hero point lets you choose any one contest to which you'd like to add a d6, even retroactively.
Your attributes are Physical (P), Mental (M), and Metaphysical (MP). The score determines your bonus (which is given after each score). E.g. the physical score, 12, gives a bonus of 1 point and 8 Mental gives a penalty (negative bonus) of 1 point. These bonuses apply to your contests, and the scores indicate how much damage you can sustain before your test adventure ends.
Contests are a comparison of two d20 rolls, with the high result being a Pro, and the low result is a Con. (Yes, Ties are when they match.) Most of your contests are for attacks and defenses, both being Physical actions. To roll an attack contest, for example, you roll a d20 and add your P bonus to it (+1). For your opponent, you assume the d20 roll is 10 and add your opponent's level bonus. If you get a Pro, you cause damage. If get a Con, you don't.
Your weapon is an old axe that does d8 damage. You wear a gambeson for armor, and it reduces the damage you take from each attack by 2 points.
Your skill is Detect, with 1 skill point, so you can add 1 point to all contests that involve "detecting." What that specifically means is up to you; you're also the GM!
Hero Points are your last character sheet item. For this test, a hero point lets you choose any one contest to which you'd like to add a d6, even retroactively.
The basic idea is to read each webpage, representing a room, and choose one of the actions listed, as a hyperlink, to continue. If there's a hostile NPC in the room, you'll fight that NPC before continuing. Then you decide when to return to the Enventurer's Guild. If you've completed the quest's goal before you return, you'll gather an experience point (XP) as well.
Navigation is the first part of this. You start on the Intro page, and click Next (Next's link) to advance to the first room. There, you get a quick "view" of the room, but no details. To get the details, you open a new tab for creatures and/or items. To get room details, click the Look action. You will use one tab for rooms, and a separate tab for each NPC or item. Use your browser's Back button whenever you need it. For example, at Murdred's Hut, you'll see Murdred, and you'll have a list of actions to choose from. You'll want to open a new tab for Murdred, and then click Look to see what else is going on at the hut. On the Look page, there's a scroll. Open a new tab for that to read about it, and leave that tab open if you decide to Take the scroll.
On the Take Scroll action, you see "Emerald ON." This means that if you decide to take the scroll, you should put a check mark by "E" in "EAMODOS" on your character sheet as described above. If you replace the scroll where you found it, turn Emerald OFF and close the tab. The scroll will be waiting for you in its original position.
Not everything remains static, however. You use your character sheet to record changes. When you meet someone (or something), write that person's name on your character sheet. If that person changes locations later, write the new location next to the name. The same goes for items. Generally, if you leave a tab open for an NPC or item, that thing is in your company or possession. If you come across the same NPC or item later in the game, your character sheet tells you if that thing has changed position (crossed-out NPCs are dead, crossed-out items are destroyed).
In the Barbican, you must roll a contest to go north. The (P 10) listed in the action means you can click the link to go north if you roll a higher Physical contest than 10. If you roll a Con, you must complete the Retry action to try again. In this case, it says you must take 1 damage (Physical) to retry. This just means that you mark 1 point near your Physical attribute or wherever you want to collect physical damage. Remember, if you take more than 12 damage, your quest ends.
In the graveyard, you'll find a Hostile NPC: the Zombie. All it wants to do is attack you (like most hostile NPCs). To fight it, make an attack (as above) by rolling a Physical contest. The zombie's defense is 10 plus its level bonus of 1, for 11 total. A Pro means you cause d8 damage to the zombie with your axe. A Con means that the zombie's dead hide resists all the damage. After your attack, it's the zombie's turn. It "rolls" 10 plus its level bonus, and you make a defense contest, which is the same as your attack contest. Your Pro means you've avoided the zombie's claws. Your Con means the zombie causes d6 damage to you. Since you wear a gambeson, you can subtract 2 from the zombie's attack damage, to a minimum of 1 damage.
Repeat the above process until you take more damage than your Physical score, 12, or until the zombie takes more than its MaxP (maximum physical damage) of 14. Click the MaxP link to read about the dead zombie and see if it has loot.
The ghost in the keep, as the boss monster, is a little different from the zombie. First, it has an alternate page if your Emerald GLOWs. Click the "Emerald GLOW" link right away if that condition is true, to get the correct version of the ghost. The next difference is the Flee statistic, which is next to the ghost's MaxP. If the ghost takes more damage than its Flee amount (6), it tries to escape instead of attacking you on its turn. This a physical contest for you, just like attacking. Fleeing goes to a random exit, but in the keep there is only one exit. If the ghost flees (you roll a Con), you will mark its new location next to "ghost" on your character sheet. The last difference is the ghost's armor, which is listed after its weapon (claws). "Incorporeal body 4" means that when you roll to damage the ghost, you subtract 4 from the roll, to a minimum of 1.
Navigation is the first part of this. You start on the Intro page, and click Next (Next's link) to advance to the first room. There, you get a quick "view" of the room, but no details. To get the details, you open a new tab for creatures and/or items. To get room details, click the Look action. You will use one tab for rooms, and a separate tab for each NPC or item. Use your browser's Back button whenever you need it. For example, at Murdred's Hut, you'll see Murdred, and you'll have a list of actions to choose from. You'll want to open a new tab for Murdred, and then click Look to see what else is going on at the hut. On the Look page, there's a scroll. Open a new tab for that to read about it, and leave that tab open if you decide to Take the scroll.
On the Take Scroll action, you see "Emerald ON." This means that if you decide to take the scroll, you should put a check mark by "E" in "EAMODOS" on your character sheet as described above. If you replace the scroll where you found it, turn Emerald OFF and close the tab. The scroll will be waiting for you in its original position.
Not everything remains static, however. You use your character sheet to record changes. When you meet someone (or something), write that person's name on your character sheet. If that person changes locations later, write the new location next to the name. The same goes for items. Generally, if you leave a tab open for an NPC or item, that thing is in your company or possession. If you come across the same NPC or item later in the game, your character sheet tells you if that thing has changed position (crossed-out NPCs are dead, crossed-out items are destroyed).
In the Barbican, you must roll a contest to go north. The (P 10) listed in the action means you can click the link to go north if you roll a higher Physical contest than 10. If you roll a Con, you must complete the Retry action to try again. In this case, it says you must take 1 damage (Physical) to retry. This just means that you mark 1 point near your Physical attribute or wherever you want to collect physical damage. Remember, if you take more than 12 damage, your quest ends.
In the graveyard, you'll find a Hostile NPC: the Zombie. All it wants to do is attack you (like most hostile NPCs). To fight it, make an attack (as above) by rolling a Physical contest. The zombie's defense is 10 plus its level bonus of 1, for 11 total. A Pro means you cause d8 damage to the zombie with your axe. A Con means that the zombie's dead hide resists all the damage. After your attack, it's the zombie's turn. It "rolls" 10 plus its level bonus, and you make a defense contest, which is the same as your attack contest. Your Pro means you've avoided the zombie's claws. Your Con means the zombie causes d6 damage to you. Since you wear a gambeson, you can subtract 2 from the zombie's attack damage, to a minimum of 1 damage.
Repeat the above process until you take more damage than your Physical score, 12, or until the zombie takes more than its MaxP (maximum physical damage) of 14. Click the MaxP link to read about the dead zombie and see if it has loot.
The ghost in the keep, as the boss monster, is a little different from the zombie. First, it has an alternate page if your Emerald GLOWs. Click the "Emerald GLOW" link right away if that condition is true, to get the correct version of the ghost. The next difference is the Flee statistic, which is next to the ghost's MaxP. If the ghost takes more damage than its Flee amount (6), it tries to escape instead of attacking you on its turn. This a physical contest for you, just like attacking. Fleeing goes to a random exit, but in the keep there is only one exit. If the ghost flees (you roll a Con), you will mark its new location next to "ghost" on your character sheet. The last difference is the ghost's armor, which is listed after its weapon (claws). "Incorporeal body 4" means that when you roll to damage the ghost, you subtract 4 from the roll, to a minimum of 1.
That covers just about everything for the test. Let me know how far you get, what questions you have, and what could use revising. I stripped some rules out for simplicity's sake, so there will be more interesting options in the living game (like spells, perks, healing potions, and more)! Again, you are the GM, so if you need a healing potion, a bigger weapon, heavier armor . . . add it to your notes and let us know what happened.
To begin your test quest, click here!
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