Story Teller Circle - multi-genre shared system
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Allright, been chewing at the idea. In the 'what I'd like to see' thread at one point, I mentioned using some modular d6 type system to run a mu* that allowed multiple genres/games/campaigns to run at one site. I'm sort of settling on this as an idea, an update to OGR/Gateway/MUSH/other social places for OTT style gaming (not a new idea in itself). Looking at systems that can be used for various genres. Just polling for opinions, but here is the idea.
The concept to play is, one would log on, creating a player bit initially. From here you can enter various modular CGs for the various themes and make a char. It creates a puppet. By using the command to go IC in a certain genre/game is linking to the puppet where that sort of becomes the interface. Nothing would change for the players, they'd still look and see and examine and such the same. Past game for reference, Battletech 3065's pods and playing the battle scenarios. Once 'ic' you see via the puppet until you go OOC and disconnect from said puppet.
The inverse side, a Story Teller's could decide on a new genre, work with staff to get going with an ST bit that can set up a CGen by selecting elements that should go into CG or changing attribute names, adding ideas for skills, etc., as well as a quota to build a mini grid like other social mu*s. Then, its up to them to toss up a wiki for the game.
Staff would have two purposes, knowing the system and enough of the code to help STs get up and going. All mu*s already have built in verying degrees of powers and flags that haven't been overly utilized of late (judges, royalty, staff, wizards, etc.), as well as the ability to add in new flags to control the access to various global command objects.
The idea is that some genres are sort of niche and come and go with interest, such as western, modern social, Victorian, historical, etc. Its more like they crop up, folks join and then either feel its played out or that they don't have enough control in from current staff and interest declines. Mine goes back and forth, some days I feel like Space adventure, sometimes historical, sometimes L&L. Even occasionally, something wuxia and I've yet to find one that suits my interests (oddly the old Dragonfist released right at the end of TSR's days hit the spot for me).
I'm considering game systems that may work well in the environment. I'm turning towards WEG d6, or D6 Adventure/Open D6. Simply due to ease of use. Its not ridiculous on the crunchy side but there is enough of a threat level that folks can die; without it coming down to mistake death, PC makes big mistake, or GM puts a ridiculous challenge out on accident, that is. And if not the WEG d6, there is 6d6 core which as an interesting structure to it. Its meant more to play of ccg's and doesn't do quite well (like the TSR story teller system that tried to use cards to tell a story during RP), but its modular instance of using abilities and traits and items to build a dice poll (max 6d6, 1d6 per object added to the pool) sounded interesting.
Personally: some place I can run occasional campaigns that I like (including a port over of the supers place now even), and one I could find another game/campaign/setting to just play in without checking out new places.
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For what it's worth, I'm tinkering with something similar to the 'player login + other' idea. It involves multiple logins rather than puppets -- mostly since puppets can get hairy in MUX and people tend to be somewhat distrustful of them due to a history of spying with them -- but I like this idea. (A friend of mine and I had considered a multi-setting game, though it's stalled out for the moment while I hash out system and policy and code and such crap on my own for the next, uh, year or so.)
We're looking at some fairly different stuff regarding the player login concept if it's any help; I can pass along the notes if you like, though it's rough enough that it's not 'ready for prime time' here.
