The beginnings of my RPG project.

I was at GenCon Indy this summer (as I am every year) and signed up for random events (as I do every year). One of which was a game from Spartacus Publishing (http://spartacuspublishing.com/) called Luchador: Way of the Mask. The basic premise is that the characters are stereotypical Mexican Wrestlers in the vein of those ridiculous Luchador movies from the 1970s and 80s. My fiancee, Angie, really took a shining to the game ("One of us, one of us!") so we headed to the Spartacus booth and purchased it. She kept commenting on how it all "just made sense" and how the rules "weren't stupid". This brought back a tiny idea that'd been sitting in my brainmeats for many a'year.

One of the focuses of this Internets Blag'o Thing is to help me with development of that tiny idea. It doesn't yet have a name or a setting or anything; it's just a set of mechanics that I'm trying to suss out into something that isn't terrible. If I happen to make the next Fudge or d20 or Storyteller System, that'd be gravy. Right now, I just want to get something made that isn't utterly horrible so that I can feel like I'm contributing to the sum total of humanity. I'm getting tired of feeling like someone who just burns things/people down instead of trying to build them up.

The central idea of the system is the Attribute Matrix. Each character has six Attributes which determine how they're able to interact with the world around them. These Attributes are arranged into two groups; Category 1 (Mental/Physical/Social) and Category 2 (Finesse/Force/Fortitude). When resolving a challenge the player will (roll dice, use cards, some sort of randomization mechanic), multiply their Attribute Matrix Total (one from Category 1 + one from Category 2), and add their Skill/Trait/Perk/Feat/Whatever bonus.

For example; your character has (Mental 3, Physical 1, Social 2) and (Finesse 1, Force 2, and Fortitude 3). In tests which require a lot of agility/dexterity, your character would be rather un-apt (Physical Finesse score of 1); whereas in tests which require a lot of willpower, he would be rather skilled (Mental Fortitude score of 9).

Everything is contested rolls; there aren't any real static Difficulty Class/Target Number mechanics. Actually, that idea is still in flux. It may go the exact opposite way and have the Aggressor always roll and the Defender always have a static number. I'm not sure yet.

I'm still working on skills, but it's looking like a Macro-skill system. Here's an example:

You want your character to be Athletic. So you put three points into the Athletics macro skill. Since you envision your character as more of a Free-Runner than a Martial Artist, you put two points into Athletics [Affects Self] and one point into Athletics [Affects Others]. Affects Self covers things like Running, Jumping, Climbing, and Swimming; while Affects Others would cover things like Grab, Throw, Escape, and Ride.

An example of a total check. Your character is in a foot race with another entity over a short distance. The GM tells you to roll Physical Force + Athletics [Affects Self]. You get a 3 on the randomization agent, add your Physical Force score (1x2=2), and add your Athletics [Affects Self] score (2) to get a total of 7. Not a great result. Better hope that your opponent isn't a great sprinter or you'll be doomed to be enslaved by the Vespiloid Conglomerates of Sigma Mu XIX.

I hope what I'm writing down makes sense to someone other than myself. I'll eventually post more of this once I get it worked out.

As always, your thoughts or suggestions or hatefilled rants are encouraged.

-JL