The SANIC Hack: Checkpoint 1

Don't worry; there's no special stage above this one.
Halfpipes suck.

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Howdy, Farmhands!

    I don't expect many people to read this post. Or maybe it'll be the post everyone reads to avoid reading the previous posts, idk. I've made 5 full blogposts detailing my design choices for this ttrpg heartbreaker, (though the first was really just an overview/declaration of intent) so TODAY I think I ought to compile the changes made into a more concise post. Consider this the elevator pitch, but like, we've already stopped at every single floor and I've followed you into the hallway even though I was originally headed elsewhere.

PART 1: INTRODUCTION

Originally posted April 10th, 2024

The fact of the matter is that I wish to put a Sanic in Cairn, and none of you have any authority nor power to stop me. But before I do, a couple of points must be made. Firstly, what do I think a Cairn is? And secondly, what the fuck is a Sanic?

    As of writing this post, it's actually been exactly one month since part 1 went live! Neat! This being my first Serious attempt at Poasting in this longer format (I'd posted before, but that was expected to only reach my existing Vtubing audience, not a greater fandom/design space) it's oddly verbose with a ton of links to images nobody really commented on. As a declaration of intent, it also didn't involve any interesting or actionable content. As a landing page, I think it's okay? Certainly helps weed out the people who aren't interested in This Sort of Thing without asking them to get invested before they leave. I only want to waste my OWN time, tyvm.

    TL;DR-

• Baseline system is Cairn (Later clarified as general Into The Odd-likes)
  
  
• d20 roll under stat (STR, DEX, WIS)
  
  
• HP refills quickly, but damage beyond HP lowers STAT
  
  
• Slot-based Inventory System
  
  
• Classless, with Gear being the primary method of customization
  
  
• Nobody commented on the image I linked so I'm linking it again here
   

PART 2: PROBLEM SOLVING

Originally posted April 18th, 2024

"Doesn't this mean it's much harder for the players to ever seriously experience danger?" yes, but it creates a few more layers of player choice before you reach the "you don't get to roll any more" stage with those blorbos.

    In hindsight, this was probably not the most interesting first, actionable post I could have made for this project, but it was the one I'd recently talked about on twitter, so my hands were tied. I spent the first section essentially trying to walk the reader through my thought process and first draft ideas for this topic, before jettisoning that work in favor of the final product in section 2.

    This was a mistake. Don't expect your audience to get invested in something if you're only going to betray that investment in the very next paragraph. Heed my words lest ye befall the same fate.

    TL;DR -

• DOWN: A character at ZERO HP. Must roll a STR Save if damaged further.  
  
  
• OUT: An unconscious character that has failed their STR save after taking damage beyond ZERO HP. Effectively removed from the combat/scene.
  
  
• CARRY: An action that can be performed by PCs to shield DOWNED Allies from further harm. All Rolls are IMPAIRED for the duration. Requires 5 free Inventory Slots per Ally carried. CARRIED allies regain 1 HP per round. 
  
  
• SCORE: Mostly theoretical at this point. A checklist of behaviors and goals with an amount of Metacurrency attached to them. This Metacurrency is awarded at the end of a Session, and can be used to 'Purchase' features or items to be used during normal play.

PART 3: BLESSED BE THE HOG

Originally posted April 21st, 2024

In an effort to differentiate Fantastic Furries from their less magical counterparts, I'm putting together a short list of options to be taken during Character Creation. I considered having separate combinations be available depending on what KIND of furry you're using, but frankly, that's boring.

     Tweaking how 'death' works in an Odd-like was important for giving this heartbreaker more of a Super-Heroic feel without completely rejecting the elements of the Adventure Game design philosophy that led me to choose Cairn as my starting point. Part 3, then, was intended to push a little further and see if anything broke. 

    The only thing that broke was my formatting. This was the first post I made that got pushed not because I thought it was 'complete' but because I was so fucking tired of editing it, and it shows. I SHOULD clean it up now that I'm thinking about it but fuck if I want to do that.

    One thing I should note here is that the list of Blessings available to PCs at Character Creation will be limited/curated by specific Lineage. I've established that I want to hold off on talking about My World Lore as long as possible, but the Fantastic Furries and the Ridiculous Rubber-people will both have overlapping but unique Blessings to choose from, while Humans are barred from picking a Blessing to start.

    TL;DR -

• BLESSINGS: A thematic set of minor additions to or alterations of standard game mechanics. Intended to be found rarely during gameplay by most PCs, though Furry Characters* choose one at character creation.

PART 4: SODA POTIONS

Originally posted May 8th, 2024

    I genuinely think this is my best post so far. Out of any of them. Like, this is the standard I'm going to be holding my writing to going forward. It's technically just a compilation of a brainstorming session on twitter that got out of hand, but the end result isn't just stable and actionable, it's GAMEABLE for people who AREN'T ME. Finally, I've moved out of the realm of theory and into actual Game Design, lookatmego. 

    Unlike PART 2: where I failed to properly guide the reader through my thought process and instead invalidated their investment two paragraphs in, this post does a very good job of describing both the starting point of the design from Cairn, the specific areas I've already made changes to, and the slice of design I intend to affect with the NEW design the audience is about to be introduced to. I did it Ma, I'm a blogger!!!!

    I'm now legally required to repeat that I'm not going to explain Bar'd to you. Maybe I'll discuss Smackjeeves/The City RPs at a later date, from which you can triangulate what Bar'd is about, but that's somewhere down the line.

TL;DR -

• POTIONS: I'm just going to copy paste from the main post.

Potions are a consumable liquid that produce an effect in the drinker.
    
    They come in 3 Tiers, JUICE, SODA, and ENERGY, each with an associated Die Value (d4, d6, etc). A Potion that restores a resource (HP, Dice Pools) instantly grants that resource equal to the Die value of it's Tier. A Potion that grants an effect (Extra Damage, Invisibility, Extra Armor) temporarily grants that effect for a number of Rounds equal to the Die Value of it's Tier.

    In Inventory, Potions of the same Tier and Flavor may be stacked up to the maximum determined by their Tier.

    In Combat, 1 Potion may be Chugged each turn, before and separate from that PC's Action. In order to Chug a Potion, the PC must have at least 1 hand free to hold the container, and 1 forehead free to crush the container against once emptied.

•     JUICE: 1d4, No Associated Save.  Stacks up to 16. Usually served in Juice Boxes.
  
  Arguably Healthy, considering the amount of sugar.
  
  
  
•     SODA: 1d8, Save against WIL or BURP*. Stacks up to 12. Served in Cans.
  
  Carbonated, which makes the Magic Better or something.
  
  
  
•     ENERGY: 1d12, Save against WIL or BURP*. Stacks up to 8. Also served in Cans.
  
  Contains the maximum recommended daily dose of various questionable chemicals. Drinking more than 1 per 24 hours risks a CRASH**

*BURP: Failing a WIL save after Chugging a Potion of SODA or ENERGY Tier results in a BURP, replacing your Action for the Round with a loud belch.

**CRASH: A Floating value Equal the number of ENERGY Tier potions consumed within 24 hours after the first. At any point after accruing any value of Crash, should the PC BURP, Fatigue equal to the Crash Value is instantly applied.

• HOMEMADE/CUSTOM BREWS: Crafted Potions do 1 die-size less than their store-bought counterparts. Mixed drinks do 1 die-size less of an effect per effect mixed. 

PART 5: RELICS, SPELLS, SCROLLS, AND OTHER SOME-SUCH

Originally Posted May 9th, 2024

Magical nonsense happens frequently, even if it isn't recognized as such... There's no chanting or latin, or even an agreed upon method of categorizing specific phenomenon. There is only chaos, and those who can temporarily control it. 

     You'll notice the weeks-long gap in posting between 3 and 4, and the literal 19 hours between 4 and 5. This is because Part 5 was ORIGINALLY intended to follow up after Blessed Be The Hog, and was a bitch to edit. Also, I had to do construction on my house after my wife fell through the floor. Don't worry about it. I'm happy with the final result, but the Soda Potions post was finished quicker, so it became part 4. 

    This is an Important Post for this project, even if it's mostly reflavoring existing Cairn/ItO mechanics to match the fantasy. With these terms and their uses described, however, I can now refer back to them as needed going forwards. It's all downhill (/pos) from here, lads.

    TL;DR -

• TECHNIQUES: A special maneuver performed by a PC who has memorized it. Always requires a Save, with Failure imparting FATIGUE. Techniques do not exist within the Inventory, though may require an Object to trigger. (Comparable to Spells)
  
  
• UPGRADES: An object containing a limited number of uses of a specific Technique.  Takes up an Inventory slot, and comes with specific Recharge requirements. Use does not risk Fatigue. (Comparable to Relics)
  
  
• POWER-UPS: A stackable object containing a single, limited use of a specific Technique. Usable by anyone with the object in their possession. The object is fully consumed upon use. Use does not risk Fatigue. (Comparable to Scrolls)
  

FINAL PART: CHECKPOINT 1

hey, wait a minute

    Going back over the previous set of posts in this series has actually been really interesting. It's odd, looking at the disparate ramblings as one cohesive project, and seeing the spots that still need attention. If I had to start the project over, I'd definitely post them in a different order, beginning with the reflavoring of existing mechanics such as in Part 5, tweaking Death mechanics such as in Part 2, and THEN introducing new content by way of Blessings and Soda Potions in 3 and 4. Hindsight is 2020 I'm afraid, so there's not much I can do about it now.

    What I CAN do is give a brief overview of what I plan to do next. The blogpost following this one SHOULD be about Weapons, how they'll be categorized, and how specializing in one fighting style can earn PCs Weapon-specific Techniques. After that, the project should be 'Complete' mechanically, with the bones ready to be filled with meat. A few d66 tables later, and I'll be ready to begin Telling You About My World Lore, and probably giving this project it's own unique name. We'll see how much of the above I actually accomplish by Checkpoint 2.

    Until Next Time,

        -Farmer Gadda

The SANIC Hack: Part 5 - Relics, Spells, Scrolls and other Some-Such

Oh actually, I think this part of the game is gonna be easy to write
- The Bounce Bracelet in Sonic Generations, Sonic Beyond (2022)

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 Howdy, Farmhands.

    Odd-likes (I've made the executive decision to stop name-dropping Cairn as the sole originator of this project, people are making understandable assumptions) tie their magic systems in with their inventory system via the Fatigue mechanic. In many cases, powerful or supernatural abilities are either explicitly One-Time use, or cost a temporary burden filling in an Inventory slot. But also, there are objects that can contain multiple uses of an ability that cost no fatigue, but instead have specific requirements to regain those uses once spent. Do you use up your empty Inventory Slots to cast a spell multiple times? Do you fill your Inventory with single use spells you might never need? Do you bring a spent Relic on your journey in the hopes you can recharge it? And all of this is with the logical concern that you'll come across something important and shiny and need to decide what you take home with you; the stuff you have or the stuff you've just found. 

    It's honestly an excellent balancer in a game that's all about diegetic advancement.

    (For the remainder of this blog, assume any stated Durations, Damage Die, and Charges are placeholders. I'm just throwing numbers out here as examples for now)

    Part 1: Relics 

    "Relics are items imbued with a magical spell or power. They do not cause Fatigue. Relics usually have a limited use, as well as a recharge condition." - Cairn 

ah yes now we are talking

    The Sonic series has a history of including optional collectibles, be they wearable swag, new technology to add to their existing battle mechs, or mystical artifacts that are usually a set of jewels. The specific context varies by game, but generally, these objects are referred to as Upgrades.

•     Light Speed Shoes, 3 Charges.
  
  A pair of golden sneakers that magnetically pulls the user towards nearby Rings. Recharge: Place a Ring worth at least 100 into each shoe and leave overnight.
•     Bounce Bracelet, 1 Charge.
  
  A gray metal bracelet with a green power meter on the side, capable of casting Bounce on the wearer. Recharge: Access to a Power Source for 1 Short Rest
•     Type-3 Laser Blaster, 3 Charges.
  
  A ranged weapon capable of launching explosive missiles (d12, Blast). Recharge: 3 new Rockets and a full tank of fresh Coolant.
  

 Part 2: Spells

     "Anyone can cast a spell by holding a Spellbook in both hands and reading the contents aloud. They must then add a Fatigue to inventory, occupying one slot... If the PC is deprived or in danger, the Warden may require a PC to make a WIL save to avoid any ill-effects from casting the spell." - Cairn, again

    Magic exists in the world I'm envisioning for this project, but not necessarily in the Dungeons & Dragons way, Vancian or otherwise. This dips a bit into talking about my totally cool fantasy setting I've imagined, which I'm sure you're all thrilled to hear about, so bear with me.

 

"This is like taking candy from a baby, which is fine by me"

- Shadow the Hedgehog

no really he said this once in an official appearance.

Magical nonsense happens frequently, even if it isn't recognized as such. Rules of reality are casually broken, super strength, flight, and psionic abilities are just born innately in the populace. The energy that causes these events can be read and measured, with geographical locations having more or less of it, relative to how weird the place is. There's no chanting or latin, or even an agreed upon method of categorizing specific phenomenon. There is only chaos, and those who can temporarily control it.

The abilities performed by tapping into that power, then, would be less 'Casting a spell' and more 'Manipulating the Force;' with specific triggers being memorized as Techniques. 

• Drop Dash - Fall a vertical distance up to your Movement speed, without harm. Upon landing, jettison an equal distance to your fall in any direction, dealing 1d4 damage to any Creature in your path.
• Homing Attack -  Pick a target within range of your Movement speed. You are launched towards that target as part of your Attack Action, without using up your Movement for that round.
• Insta-Shield - A burst of air blocks a single melee attack at the point of contact. If targeted by multiple opponents, take the second highest damage roll instead of the highest. 
  

Part 3: Scrolls

    "Scrolls are similar to Spellbooks, however, they do not take up an inventory slot, do not cause fatigue, and they disappear after one use." - Cairn, a third time

    This is even easier now that I've sorted out what "Upgrades" and "Techniques" are. Instead of a smaller form, one charge consumable Spell, we can just... HAVE Mario Power-ups. 

(tired drug joke here)

• Super Mushroom -
  
  You and your possessions grow to 3x your proportional size for 10 minutes.
• Boomerang Flower -
  
  Toss it's oddly shaped head at an object up to a distance equalling your movement speed; it will retrieve any loose object that is not Bulky and return to your hand.
• Drill Mushroom -
  
  You can burrow into solid stone for 10 minutes., moving through it like water while leaving a tunnel behind you 
  
• Fire Flower -
  
  Cast Fireball

 Final Part: Other Some-Such

    For the sake of the fantasy, some things won't be 1 to 1 between Cairn and the Sanic Hack. Techniques will not be part of a Grimoire, rather being a list of abilities, though they will require Saves to pull off. Power-Ups, unlike Scrolls, will take Inventory space, and their abilities won't be able to be transcribed into a collection for use later; they're one and done. 

    Likewise, I feel that Upgrades can and SHOULD be Weapons and Armor, but in a significant move away from how Odd-likes usually handle them, they should also be things that can be manufactured. Maybe not easily, lest they lose all credibility, but still something that can be tinkered with and improved in some way. Maybe a particularly tech-savvy PC would want to take an Item or Weapon or what have you, and slowly develop it INTO an Upgrade? I'll put a pin in that for a future blog post.

    An Upgrade would need to be highlighted to Players at the table, especially if they're going to be commonplace tech in the context of the world. Mystical Gemstones, sure, they'll notice those. But placing a technological upgrade in an adventure site could lead to players missing them entirely.

    I'm afraid I'll just have to take another whack at all of this later on down the line.

    Until Next Time,

        -Farmer Gadda

The SANIC Hack: Part 4 - Soda Potions

Howdy, Farmhands.

    I'm terribly sorry about this.

There honestly isn't any context I could add that would make this better.
My friend circle was working through some stuff in 2006.

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    Look. I refuse to explain Bar'd to you. Just know that in a very specific subset of Sonic fans who were Teenagers on the Internet that found a Webcomic Hosting Service called Smackjeeves in the Mid 2000's, a series of modern mixed drinks providing supernatural enhancements was not just the norm, it was the One True Way. Most of them were less than subtle attempts to experiment with kink in a safe space, but, again, I refuse to explain Bar'd to you. Anyway...

    Goblinpunch recently put out a blogpost about Healing, Potions, and Shrines, laying out both the pros and cons of traditional Healing options in ttrpgs, as well as spitballing ideas for how to tweak that experience to be more in line with your specific fantasy. I don't vibe with every suggestion, but I can see why specific tables would gravitate to them. This got me thinking about what -My- preferred method of offering Healing at my table would be, if I got to choose.

    Wait, of course I get to choose, i'm a game designer forever cursed to toil on my heartbreaker. Neat.

PART 1 : HOW HEALING CURRENTLY WORKS

    Reminder that I'm working off an ItO/Cairn framework for this project. Health is already kinda funky compared to Most Expected mechanics for HP and Damage and whatnot. HP stands for "Hit Protection", a gauge of how close a character is to actually taking the hit that will send them down. Damage that exceeds their available HP is taken from their STR score, with a save against that Score required to keep them conscious every time they take another hit. Once combat is complete and the Danger averted, however, HP is relatively easy to regain!

Resting for a few moments and having a drink of water restores lost HP but leaves the party exposed. Ability loss can usually be restored with a week’s rest facilitated by a healer or other appropriate source of expertise. Some of these services are free, while magical or more expedient means of recovery may come at a cost. - Cairn

    This gameplay loop- having a refreshable pool of protection, but lasting effects of combat that carries through an adventure- is one I want to preserve. Therefore, any Healing I add to this ruleset should probably focus on quick refreshes of that HP pool, as opposed to undoing Ability loss. 

    Well, wait, I already did that. Sorta. Here's what I added:

Reaching Zero HP puts you Down, you're wheezing and looking rough. For NPCs, this is when the Morale roll happens to decide if they Flee or stay to take a stand. For PCs, they may choose to Move OR take an Action each round but not both. Any further Damage affects their STR score and they must make Death Saves as normal, or be Out. And "Out" is just. Fainted. They're not dead, but they're an unconscious or otherwise indisposed lump on the floor. They may not rejoin Combat. In Cairn terms, they're present but Deprived. Retreating when Downed is basically choosing to be Out, knowing you'll be able to recover HP as usual after the dust settles. But, because I love Mario & Luigi RPG, Downed PCs can stay in the fight by being Carried.  

 A PC may Carry a Downed PC if they have 5 Inventory Slots free. A Carried PC regains 1 HP per Round they are Carried, up to their Max. However, the PC doing the Carrying rolls attack rolls as if Impaired. - Me, "The SANIC Hack: Part 2 - Problem Solving"

    Allowing another PC the option to temporarily handicap themselves to slowly refuel a Downed ally is still something I think is cool. It's not a negation of consequence on part of the Downed PC; their actions now directly hamper their friend's ability to perform in a dangerous scenario, but there's a chance the pair of them can make a comeback if both can be careful for just a few rounds. There's also the possibility that being Carried is just not an option for their situation, so it isn't a one size fits all. It ALSO only triggers once HP is gone completely AND an Ally chooses to sacrifice their Damage output and Inventory slots to perform it.  

    With these points in mind, this means the area we'll need to focus on is the space BEFORE a PC loses all their HP and is Downed.

PART 2 : THE FLAVOR I CRAVE-OR

"Sodaaaaaaaaaaaa" -Whoever voiced the Belts from kamen rider Gaim

 

   I'm specifically calling upon Drinks/Cans/Soda in this design for a number of reasons.

1. It harkens back to Fantasy Potions
   
   
   Mystical Brews, Glass Flasks, Stoppers in the shape of Skulls; you know what I'm talking about. The short-hand of "Drink X and Y Happens" is pretty well understood in TTRPG spaces. Work smarter, not harder, I say.
   
   
2. It requires Capitalism to Produce
   
   
   This is a bit too close to "I Tell You About My World Lore" for my liking, but humor me. Anyone can squeeze an Apple, but Apple Juice (tm) as found on Grocery Store Shelves is not the same thing. There needs to be an infrastructure producing that specific product, and a distribution system to get it to it's intended market. Cola from your Sodastream isn't the same as a bottle of Pepsi.
   
   In this scenario- you can absolutely Make Your Own, but it will never be quite the same as storebought; and isn't it convenient that for the low low price of [VALUE] [CURRENCY] you can get it in travel size containers?
   
   
3. It's Memorable and Meme-erable
   
   
   Did you know that there is a Soda Brand in the Mario universe called "BaNaNa Boy?" You do now. Think abou that. Sit with it. Grieve who you were before I told you this. You can never go back. Anyway, I want to give my Drinks funny names too; think of the marketing opportunities if they're good.
   
   
4. It reminds me of my Childhood.
   
   
   Ok, you got me. A Large part of why I like this design has to do with Nostalgia for my VERY niche experience as a SANIC fan, and this is a way to carry that feeling into my work. I still won't explain Bar'd to you. Sue me.

PART 3: POTIONS, A FIRST DRAFT

    Potions are a consumable liquid that produce an effect in the drinker.
    
    They come in 3 Tiers, JUICE, SODA, and ENERGY, each with an associated Die Value (d4, d6, etc). A Potion that restores a resource (HP, Dice Pools) instantly grants that resource equal to the Die value of it's Tier. A Potion that grants an effect (Extra Damage, Invisibility, Extra Armor) temporarily grants that effect for a number of Rounds equal to the Die Value of it's Tier.

    In Inventory, Potions of the same Tier and Flavor may be stacked up to the maximum determined by their Tier.

    In Combat, 1 Potion may be Chugged each turn, before and separate from that PC's Action. In order to Chug a Potion, the PC must have at least 1 hand free to hold the container, and 1 forehead free to crush the container against once emptied.

•     JUICE: 1d4, No Associated Save.  Stacks up to 16. Usually served in Juice Boxes.
  
  Arguably Healthy, considering the amount of sugar.
  
  
  
•     SODA: 1d8, Save against WIL or BURP*. Stacks up to 12. Served in Cans.
  
  Carbonated, which makes the Magic Better or something.
  
  
  
•     ENERGY: 1d12, Save against WIL or BURP*. Stacks up to 8. Also served in Cans.
  
  Contains the maximum recommended daily dose of various questionable chemicals. Drinking more than 1 per 24 hours risks a CRASH**

*BURP: Failing a WIL save after Chugging a Potion of SODA or ENERGY Tier results in a BURP, replacing your Action for the Round with a loud belch.

**CRASH: A Floating value Equal the number of ENERGY Tier potions consumed within 24 hours after the first. At any point after accruing any value of Crash, should the PC BURP, Fatigue equal to the Crash Value is instantly applied.

FINAL PART FOR NOW: ADDITIONAL MUSINGS 

    Each Flavor (Lemon, Apple, Mint, Vanilla) should have an effect attached to it; meaning Lemon Juice and Lemon Soda will recognizably perform the same function.

    Homemade Potions, because there will always be that 1 person who wants to fulfill the Witches Brew fantasy, should do 1 dice size lower than the standard, Grocery Store version of that Tier. JUICE(Homemade) does 1d2, SODA(Homemade) does 1d6, etc.

    Mixed Drinks that combine Flavors, and thus, effects, should ALSO be worth 1 dice size lower, per Flavor. Lemon-Lime, as an example, could Restore HP (Lemon) and Grant +1 Armor (Lime.) A Lemon-Lime SODA, then would restore 1d6 HP and Grant Armor for 1d6 Turns. A Lemon-Lime SODA(Homemade), would restore 1d4 HP and Grant Armor for 1d4 Turns.

 Dregan, Author of Bar'd, if you're reading this, know that our time together is remembered fondly. Also, I'm Genderfluid now, which may be partly Your Fault. No hard feelings.

Until Next Time,

    Farmer Gadda

The SANIC Hack: Part 3 - Blessed be the Hog

3 of God's Specialist Little Babies (non-derogatory)
-IDW Sonic the Hedgehog #4, Evan Stanley

 

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Howdy, Farmhands.

    I've had exactly One interaction with Evan Stanley on social media. She briefly marred me with the horrific possibilities of 'Acoustic Eurobeat.' Anyway, tl;dr: Gadda gives Feats and Titles a fancy new name.

    In an effort to differentiate Fantastic Furries from their less magical counterparts, I'm putting together a short list of options to be taken during Character Creation. I considered having separate combinations be available depending on what KIND of furry you're using, but frankly, that's boring. I'd much rather someone try to explain to me how their Fox OC has the power of flight, (he has, uh... two tails? And they spin like helicopter blades?) than limit their choices just because it doesn't match what -I- imagine they SHOULD do. Non-furry PCs, should they be included in the final product, will be differentiated by their lack of a Blessing at Creation, though that doesn't prevent them from acquiring one during play if the adventures lead them to one.

    Blessings are not meant to be something earned through training, but rather, something that is conferred upon a PC by another. Suitably powerful individuals may grant a magical ability to someone who's done them a favor, sleeping next to radioactive meteors might mean you wake up with Force Powers, stuff like that. The current plan is that these will work more like micro-mechanics instead of a simple +1 to a stat. Every player will roll the same dice and follow the same rules, but a Blessing will include a unique or variant rule for that player specifically. I'm not particularly interested in balancing them perfectly, either.  

    Unlike some games with page upon pages of Feats, these are meant to be a one time choice to color your focus for the rest of the game, OR a special extra something given to a character to shake up their experience. Scaling abilities or Blessings that become stronger over time feels like too much of a stretch from the diegetic advancement found in the game I'm starting from, here.

I'm also Very Open to opinions on any of the following, please feel free to comment on your social media of choice, I love interacting with my audience.

The SANIC Hack: Part 2 - Problem Solving

 

The Band (pictured here getting back together)
- IDW Sonic the Hedgehog #9, Tracey Yardley & Matt Herms

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Howdy, Farmhands.    

     For all my big talk in the Previous Post in this series, I actually do have quite a lot of work to do. How do I take the high-risk, high reward, low numbers problem solving of an OSR game like Cairn and fulfill the aesthetic promise of the colorful, cartoony butt-rock action of Sonic the Hedgehog? 

    Here's my first few swings.

Part 1: Death Fail-safes (maybe)

    I spent the better part of a 2-hour Minecraft Livestream talking about Violence in TTRPGS and how Gary Gygax was an Insurance Actuary. Sonic came up at some point. That's the only segue I got. Here's my plan A to soften things in Cairn:

    "Unless specifically stated to be With Intent To Kill, any attack that lowers an NPC combatant to 0 HP triggers a Morale Roll instead of a Death Save. A Failed save removes the Combatant from the fight, be it through fleeing, surrender, or petrification from fear. A Successful Save means they're willing to fight to the death, any further damage affects STR and Death Saves as normal. 

    Alternatively, a PC attacking an NPC with Zero HP should be able to simply knock them out with the butt of their sword if they really don't want blood on their hands."  - Me, on Twitter, sometime last week

    Ok. Good. We can work with this. The problem isn't solved, this is just a start. But what am I actually DOING with this? There's a layer there to act as a buffer, to let the players really think about if this is the result they want to pursue. And if they decide that yes, Murder IS the play here, what has this rule change done to positively affect the experience? I've basically just halted the flow of combat for one final "Are you SUUUUUURE?" dialogue prompt. 

    I can do better than this.

Part 2: I Do Better Than That

    A more drastic change would be to go by Pokemon Rules, so we can have our violence and still be safe for kids('s parents). Instead of Death, the fail states of Combat are "Down", followed by "Out."   

    Reaching Zero HP puts you Down, you're wheezing and looking rough. For NPCs, this is when the Morale roll happens to decide if they Flee or stay to take a stand. For PCs, they may choose to Move OR take an Action each round but not both. Any further Damage affects their STR score and they must make Death Saves as normal, or be Out. And "Out" is just. Fainted. They're not dead, but they're an unconscious or otherwise indisposed lump on the floor. They may not rejoin Combat. In Cairn terms, they're present but Deprived. Retreating when Downed is basically choosing to be Out, knowing you'll be able to recover HP as usual after the dust settles. But, because I love Mario & Luigi RPG, Downed PCs can stay in the fight by being Carried.  

    A PC may Carry a Downed PC if they have (let's just pick a number for right now.) 5 Inventory Slots free. A Carried PC regains 1 HP per Round they are Carried, up to their Max. However, the PC doing the Carrying rolls attack rolls as if Impaired.  

    Although, thinking about it, if Carrying a Downed PC costs 5 Inventory Slots, a PC COULD theoretically carry 2 of their allies, but only after 1. Dropping all their Stuff and 2. Accepting that it's going to push them to 0 HP until both of them get the fuck off their shoulders. If the Carrying PC takes fatigue that encroaches into that 5 slot allowance, they're unable to Carry the Downed PC any longer and they are forced to rejoin the combat with whatever HP they have. Course, then they're no longer Down so it's probably fine.  

    "Doesn't this mean it's much harder for the players to ever seriously experience danger?" yes, but it creates a few more layers of player choice before you reach the "you don't get to roll any more" stage with those blorbos. It also introduces the possibility of PCs focusing on assisting and healing their party, without needing a specific class or set of combat abilities to do so. 

Part 3: Advancement

    Sonic the Hedgehog is a Videoed Game. So I think... I think I want to purposefully include some Videoed Gamery into this. It'll be fun, I promise.

    Recently, I read Gno Mann's premiere blog post, a response to a currently 5 year old blog post by Luke Gearing on the topic of Experience Points and Incentives in Game design. I think both are worth a read. Gearing's post has been bandied about as something of a divine text, and Gno's belated response pokes a ton of holes in it. I'm not about to throw my hat into the ring between them, but reading both blogs gave me a great number of thoughts about traditional leveling up systems and how they can be used in ways to manipulate the player (non-derogatory) and manipulate the player (derogatory.)

Cairn's Scar table. It's very good.

    Cairn's only systematic method of advancement is in its Scars table; when a PC is knocked down to exactly 0 hit points, their body is marred by the experience, giving them a boost to their HP, and leaving them with a visual reminder of the time they got said HP boost. This is actually REALLY great, but doesn't fit the vibe I want with this Sanic game. All other advancement in Cairn is diegetic; finding new weapons and armor, kitting yourself out with Relics you've collected on your adventures, and simply surviving with the gold needed to sleep at an inn are all the game as written is concerned about.

    My first swing at an alternative is a system I'm calling "SCORE." Similar to the Arcade Classics of the 80's, Score is a running tally of all the cool shit you've done, with the goal being to reach the end of the level with as much of it as possible. Unlike vintage videoed games, (and yes, they're considered VINTAGE now. Late 90's LEGO are Vintage. Hell, Mid-2000's LEGO are Vintage. I hate it.), Score is not a measure of skill, but a reward for completing a Task listed on a long list of possible Achievements. Deciding which Achievement to accept at the end of any given session or adventure would work great as a cool-down activity, I think. Everyone pulls up the list, compares it to the adventure they JUST played, and decide which on to mark off. Simple Achievements, such as "Start a Fight and Win," would be worth a small amount of Score, but be able to be taken multiple times. Eventually, the small fry 'Chieves will dry up, requiring Players to seriously consider some longer term goals to gain more of the resource.

     And what would this resource do, you ask? Again, similar to the Achievements, small bonuses would cost smaller amounts of Score to purchase, packages of 100 Rings, for example, could be bought multiple times for a small amount of it. Bonuses to a Stat, a new Title or Feat, high-end game loot like vehicles and buildings, I don't know exactly what would be on there. The key would be making the Achievements be accessible without making them the main focus of the game. Diegetic growth is STILL the focus here- if a PC has already consumed enough Achievements that none of the simple ones are available anymore, they shouldn't feel as though their character did nothing worthwhile or didn't grow while they worked towards a bigger goal. 

Until Next Time,

    -Farmer Gadda