New Index Cards Project
I have been so pleased with using 3″ x 5″ index cards as character sheets that I have started on a streamlined version of the Fudge text that fits onto index cards with a card numbering system, “Table of Contents”, and an index. This version of the text focuses on the very basics. The concept is that the rules for a game should be simple and short, and that an RPG should be modular. By printing the game on cards and organizing them well a GM could keep their favorite system up-to-date and in their pocket!
Some people may not want such a product, and that is fine. I am not designing this product for everyone, but for myself and others who share my preferences. If you are such a person please help me by leaving a comment below and stating that you want to assist me in the design and creation of this product. It will be released for free on the Internet under the OGL. You will be given credit for each of your contributions by name in a special contributors index.
This is something different. It might fail. It is actually more likely to fail than to succeed according to statistics for most projects. If failing frightens you I will not try to convince you to join me in this effort.
If you realize that failing is good for learning, and that sometimes a crazy idea becomes the norm given time, then you are the kind of person that I want to have on this project.
If you leave a comment below joining the project I thank you in advance.
I read this and it sent my mind to work.
The thing that came to my mind most prominently was Fluxx. You have a set of rule cards. These rule cards cover all of the various modules of play. In Fudge, the first card flipped would be the ladder.
Another could be combat, magic, superpowers, vehicles, whatever, fudge points, aspects, stunts, blah blah blah. Each explaining briefly how that module works.
Now the trick, you’ve defined rules modularly, now you have do do something for the players. I think the way to really make this work is to make a series of character sheet templates that indicate a few things like the attributes and skills or something similar.
This is the only modular place where things fall apart.
Each of the other rule modules could come with an accessory deck. For magic, for example, it could have relevant gifts, skills, and spells. Combat could have a deck of armor and weapons or simply the modifiers needed that can be stacked on their character so they know.
Of course, the thing that this game is begging for is a deck of meta cards. They’d be like Fudge points or Bennies that could be spent to help in game, but each card could have a game effect like, “Force the DM to replace any card he is using,” or, “Draw a card from any pile,” and so on.
I’d definitely be interested in see what’s up with it.
I’ve had a set of 1000 Blank White Cards sitting on my shelf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1000_Blank_White_Cards
I’ve been secretly toying with making them the base engine mechanic of story tokens / fudge points.
Having a game system in the pocket is pretty cool. There are some interesting thoughts in terms of building it/ displaying it using playing card style mentioned above.
In any format, I could see some colour coding assisting with the rules types:
Green cards cover skills & conflict resolution, red cards cover action & combat, blue cards cover extraordinary abilities, yellow cards cover character building or other factors. ETC.
Building them in Basic, Medium, advanced levels with distinct type & font would also help distinguish the rules.
One could, lay out the cards & all the rules would be out in front of you. I’d have a simplified Large font front, plus a detailed section on the reverse of the cards.
but that’s just thinking off the top of my head.
I’m thinking more.
The cards should be the resolution of the game as well. That means that the main draw deck should have cards that have nothing more than a value to be compared against. Even cards that could otherwise offer special actions could have a value. When your character needs to resolve something, they can play a card with a value and hope that it works.
The DM could have a similar hand, or simply draw and use what they are given. The meta-rule changing cards could play very nicely here where you could drop a meta card that says something like, “Play two” or “Lowest wins”
Ryan & Nik – I’m not suggesting a card game here. More like a re-imagining of how an RPG is packaged and managed.
That said, I like how what I am proposing could be used as an ingredient for just that sort of thing. Building your own Fudge game could be easier, faster, and more diverse if the form of the content could be standardized while the assembly of the content was kept unchained and easily portable.
Once you get those parts addressed you can then build the next layer on top of it all. That would be to make a game of building the game itself. But first we need to lay the foundation to reach that point.
Tomorrow’s post is going to be about the actual design that I want to use for this project. It will give you both a better idea of what I want to do here, and I hope that you both are still interested once you have more details.
And if you are interested, please let me know! I can use the help. 🙂
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I do like the concept of a “player deck” that contains only the rule cards that apply to a player and his own abilities or items. In fact, as a player I’ve been doing such a thing informally for years, but in a far more haphazard fashion. Since the whole system is in card form, this would be as simple as each player pulling out the cards which applied to himself and leaving the rest out.