myddvai | GAME MECHANICS

GAME MECHANICS
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OVERVIEW

How will RNG be handled? (From the FAQ)

Each Chapter Event will have a Plotting Post available a week in advance of the next IC event. This will have an RNG Sign Up Section where players can elect to have their character actions given an outcome by moderation.

Players are allowed to give their characters anything between a -2 up to a +2 modifier to a roll, in order to try and weight results in a desired direction. Rolling of a natural 1 or 20 ignores all modifiers.

Outcomes are capped within a 1-20 scale.

1. Absurd Failure, Moderation will provide a custom prompt describing this failure.
2-5. Failure, Characters fail at what they were attempting, to some consequence.
6-10. Mild Failure, Characters fail at what they were attempting, but can salvage a situation.
11-15. Mild Success, Characters succeed at what they were attempting, but the outcome is unimpressive.
16-19. Success, Character succeed at what they were attempting, with a positive result.
20. Absurd Success, Moderation will provide a custom prompt describing this success.

Rolls between 2-19 may not be given input by moderation, this largely depends on the current size of the game and current mod availability. Curated responses in this range are cut off at that one response, moderation will not be providing follow-up responses, which are reserved for nat 1/nat 20 rolls.

Players need to treat these rolls as canonical outcomes. We need all players to be good sports about RNG. Go into anything related to RNG with an open mind to engage in any given result.

Custom Prompts for rolling a 1 or 20 can be opted-out of direct engagement if the player is not comfortable or interested in the idea presented by Moderation. If opted out of, the character’s canonical outcome will instead be a simple Failure or Success, respectively.

On Our Discord Moderation will be using a bot to publicly roll RNG for players, so everything is out in the open.

Using Bonus AC Rewards, players may be able to reroll certain RNG outcomes. See the rules on the rewards page for more information.

Is RNG the only way to have an impact on the plot?
No. RNG will not determine everything plotwise. RNG ensures a certain level of fairness and transparency we want for our playerbase, but we want it to encourage players creativity, not hamper it.

If a character gets an undesirable roll, we do not allow it to be rolled back or ignored. However, it can be handwaved and the players can focus on playing something else they want to do instead. If the player has an idea to run by moderation, they are always welcome to do so regardless of their RNG fortune. Alternate actions will be considered for plot relevance and impact, alongside the RNG mechanics.

We will always seek to respond in a “yes, and” or “no, but” fashion with our playerbase. If a player is completely off track in an investigation, Moderation will let them know and try to guide them to something more engaging, if possible.

INDIVIDUAL MECHANICS
How do I decide my player decided modifer?

Characters that are talented, prepared, or experienced at what they are attempting can add a +1 or +2 modifier.

Characters that are ill-suited for their attempt can have a -1 or -2 modifier.

Choose a 0 modifier if your character is neutral at what they are attempting.

Moderation will not be policing the above, they are entirely at the judgement of players towards their own characters. We want players to be mindful to not always choose the maximum bonus to gain an advantage for their character. This is on the honor system and we expect players to want to play failures as well as successes throughout the run of the game.

How are absurd failures (1) and absurd successes (20) rolls played out?

At this time we have two solid examples of absurd failures, which were natural (1) rolls.

Please take a look at how players handled their custom prompts; Saori on the Intro Event and Tilly on the Intro Event.

We will add further examples as we get a feel for how these flow between moderation and players.

What are Player Missions?

Player Missions are tasks for players to complete if they want certain IC outcomes. These can be granted by moderation in response to a few types of player interactions.

The baseline requirements of completing any given player mission is (1) thread with (4+) comments from the player's character who was given the mission. If a mission is more daunting or complex to achieve, the requirements may be upped to higher thread or higher comment numbers.

How do I complete a Player Mission?

Players need to respond to the mod comment prompting the mission with a link to the required thread. If the thread matches the mission request, that will complete the mission. Moderation will provide a conclusion to completed missions.

What happens if I don't complete a Player Mission?

Incomplete missions simply do not happen ICly and are dropped at the point they were given.

Players missions can expire if the game has moved into a new phase of the game, especially location wise. Moderation will note when a mission expires, moving forward. Players can reach out using the Mod contact page if they wish to readdress a previously expired or dropped mission.

What situations result in Player Missions?

The following list is subject to changes as the game progresses and we receive feedback about what does and doesn't work well! These situations do not always result in players missions, but they can.

Salvaging a failure: Events will have RNG sections which may provide individual prompts regardless of roll. Most of the these sections will only provide detailed prompts for natural (1) or (20) rolls. In some cases, the Mild Failure (6-10 result range) can be salvaged to become a success, if a player mission is completed.

Intro Event Example (cw: NSFW themes) Azhar wished to gain favor with the vampire Lady Sybil. His roll fell in the "mild failure" range and he was presented with a player mission to salvage is attempt. Upon completing the player mission, he was given an updated successful outcome.

IC inquiries within Question Sections: Players are welcome to ask about specific courses of action their characters wish to take in event questions sections. If these actions are simple, they can be handwaved or played out with no check in required. If the described actions are more involved, cause a change in the world, or result in a Pulled gaining something substantial (influence, items, pets, etc...) then they will be given a player mission.

Intro Event Example Shadow wished to influence the local culture of the Springtide clan. He was required to complete a player mission to do so.

Pursuing independent plot lines/side quests: Players are welcome to ask about specific courses of action their characters wish to take in mod run sections such as the caravan library search. If these actions are simple, they can be handwaved or played out with no check in required. If the described actions are more involved, cause a change in the world, or result in a Pulled gaining something substantial (influence, items, pets, etc...) then they will be given a player mission.

Library Search Example Hector wished to look into two points. The first was simple enough to be handwaved. The second, seeking out a pet, required a player mission.

Direct inquiry with moderation: If a player is seeking a player mission, but the above options are not viable, they can reach out using the Mod Contact page to inquire with moderation directly. Please list the qualities of a desired plot and how your character would be trying to complete it. Requests that do not suit the game or plot will need to be declined, so please be understanding.

We request players not inquire with moderation about more then (1) direct plot request at any given time. Current event plots are the highest priority for moderation, so keep that in mind and be extra patient with any direct inquiries.

What are RNG Opportunities?

RNG Opportunities would be prompted when certain outcomes would ICly be completely up to chance. The intention of these is to take decision pressure off of the mod team. These opportunities are a mechanic moderation wishes to use very sparingly and are still testing out.

Our first attempts at this mechanic gave too little chance of success (1/10) and felt needlessly complicated. Guessing with (1) having a unique result was determined to be too much. Future attempts at this will likely be lowered (1/3) or (1/5) odds.

Overlook Example (Shadow), Overlook Example (Nod), Overlook Example (Emet-Selch)

Is game moderation open to feedback on these mechanics?

Yes! This page is the best place to direct feedback, suggestions, and other commentary about the way we are handing game mechanics. While we are not hunting for praise, letting us know when something works well or is satisfying is very helpful. Please always craft feedback with a constructive attitude, positively or critically.

This page is unscreened for post and open to players for comment.

As always, be kind and respectful to moderation and fellow players, especially if disagreements occur. Thank you!