One of the purposes for building AxiomRPG was distilling the core mechanics from genre specific details. We have enough collective setting content for various genres that we wanted a central mechanics system to power them universally. We approached the process by dissecting the essential mechanics most table-top games use to randomize events and guide narrative. The result is a very boring ‘stereo’ manual for resolving events and challenges; very technical, very bland and quite a long way from engaging.
Dice
Dice Mechanics were fairly straight forward. After several sessions we settled on a variation on the classic D6 pool system. We limited the pool size by narrowing the sources for the calculations. The current unmodified maximum dice pool is around 13. Modification typically comes from situational, equipment and special power sources. Mechanics rely on counting successes of 5 or better on individual dice. We setup some fairly straightforward wild die, bonus/penalty and advantage/disadvantage systems. The wild die system provided a reasonable base for critical success/failure triggers.
Generation
Character generation follows dice mechanics naturally but relies on genre specific concepts like lineages and professions. Our character generation process begins with choosing a genre and a power level. These are usually game master focused choices since they impact the story being told. Official genre details will be published as catalogs. We will eventually be producing fantasy, modern, future and science fiction style settings.
The core rules provide examples for lineages and professions to illustrate the interaction with core functions like statistics and dice mechanics. They’re both mechanically simple at first glance but provide the framework for real investment in a setting through culture and role-based fiction. Lineage provides one or more perks. Professions provide a very trimmed down advancement track that grants various perks at each stage.
Deliberate statistic generation, assigning dice to Attributes and Talents, provides the grounding for calculating derived statistics, Health, Defense and Saves. Attributes and talents are generated by assigning dice values base on the GM designated power level. From those base values, health and defense get calculated with their formulas. Saves are based on a simple combination of attributes and talents. Other than equipment, the essential character creation is complete.
Perks
Details for Perks is where our ‘genre neutral’ intentions met complexity. We broke them into Inherited, Earned or Trained and Extra Normal categories.
Inherited Perks are tied to Lineages. They are universal traits of individual cultures with variations present in unique lineages. Sensory enhancements, natural weapons or armor, alternate movement options and many other unusual traits found in many RPG systems. The index makes building custom lineages a simpler process.
Earned and Trained Perks are presented as part of a Profession. These perks have been broken into two stages. The first stage is a list of genre neutral perks that can be used as part of the core rules. The second stage provides for a genre specific Perk reference in a catalog. Between these two sources, building a custom profession becomes more fluid.
Extra Normal Perks represent unusual abilities including access to the Odd Talents. Trying to keep these lists as neutral as possible we worked in generalities that could compliment future genre specific settings.
Combat
We distilled the core combat mechanics, focusing more on application of the dice systems. The generalization seems to have provided a stable framework for the chaos of combat.
Initiative, the basic sequence of actions during the chaos of combat are a staple of most game systems. We adopted a very simple 1d6 solution to keep things moving and mapped out the basic actions that can be taken during combat.
Chapters detailing defense and health systems rounded out the combat-oriented rules. Defense addresses armor and shields in some very general terms that should fit any basic genre. Health was a much more involved subsystem. It addresses calculating and advancing health and provides systems for damage types, healing, persistent conditions and death.
Advancement
A chapter of character advancement rules covers earning and spending experience points, optional training rules and downtime activities. All fairly straightforward in application with openings for more customization options. Characters earn experience, a standard meta-currency in most RPGs. This pool of points is used to advance attributes and talents. By increasing these two pools all other derived values increase and the ability to overcome more complex challenges improves.
The optional rules for requiring training time offer a cooling mechanism to rapid advancement. The requirement of deliberate training also provides game masters an opportunity to meaningfully engage players with the story and setting.
Powers
In our initial development cycle, we tried to apply Odd Powers as a core mechanic. We wanted to design ‘magic’ as a more generic system, but it always ended as a clone of more traditional fantasy styles. We resolved arcane, faith and psionic powers as examples for how they could be applied. Eventually we resolved this through the extra normal perk lists.
The first part is the access mechanism. What grants the character access to an Odd Talent? This establishes that a lineage or profession is the qualifier for access to an Odd Talent. Without this trigger, a character cannot access the unusual power. We’re still refining this part with regard to how multiple access impacts a power’s mechanical aspects and how a granted power from a profession’s progression track works for otherwise non-casters.
The second part is a system of ‘universal’ power traditions. This essentially sums up all potential powers into three broad categories: force, resonance and form.
These traditions can be applied to any genre or setting. Quantifying familiar schools, spheres, domains and disciplines through the lens of these traditions requires effort but provides a reasonable framework to really expand how the power interacts with a setting.