kircholm
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Advantages - the future addition to the mechanics
🕑 Added 2021-11-07 12:34:00 +0000 UTCI keep thinking about the way to implement everyday life into the mechanics that I created for "The Parity". And as I'm really satisfied with the basics of these mechanics, I think I need something else to cover the advantages and everyday life - something that could change and needs the attention of the player, but it changes slowly.
I want a system that could cover school life, special relations, and unique, yet demanding skills. And as my game and my future projects would be basically the CYOA, I can't use the benefits of the simple loop. And as one of the pillars of my game is lack of randomness (I want the game in which the player's choices maximally influence the story), I can't also use the typical character development from mainstream RPG tabletop games. I want the system that would support the narrative, not a fancy tool that isn't a part of the core. It can't also slow down the gameplay - the games where I need to find a fine combination of clicks to go further annoy me.
And what's the most important - the solution should be as easy as possible, as I am a one-man-army, so I don't have time to code and write many variants that most players never see.
And, well, I think that I finally have the concept.
There will be Advantages that cover the special circumstances that players can use. The examples of the Advantages are: you're a good student, you know your neighborhood, you're daddy's little girl, you're NPC_name's best friend, and so on. The level of the Advantage would be numeral (between 0 and 3). If an Advantage fits the scene, the level of Advantage drops. If Advantage drops under 0, the character loses it. To avoid losing, certain scenes would be the refreshment scenes that would restore the maximum level of the Advantage. The character will spend some time with a friend, he/she will work on a school project, and so on. If a character will make certain choices, it will be possible to get new Advantages.
As my game focuses on TG transformation, I think that this system could be promising to show the changes in the character's life. The scenes focusing on wearing the new wardrobe, applying make-up, or visiting the mall could be something more than feeding the fantasy - it would be a story-implemented way to show the character's development.
Of course, there isn't a big chance I will implement the Advantages into The Parity. I think I should focus on the new content. Things I would handle with the Advantages I solve in other ways. But as I plan to start the second game in 2022 (probably in September-October), and it will be also based on Approaches, it's time to think about the mechanics. :)
