Idea for new modern game - multiple personalities

Here are where the old games no longer played are posted. Check out some of the great games of the past!
Locked
User avatar
Shurijo
Admin
Admin
Posts: 13979
Title: Scourge of the Jedi
User Class: Sith Lord

Idea for new modern game - multiple personalities

Post by Shurijo » Thu Feb 04, 2010 5:34 am

I've been reading a comic over the last couple of months that I think would make an interesting game.
The concept of the series is thus: in an effort to further the all-encompassing War on Terror, the United States military begins determining a way to maximize assets, namely human lives. One such theory was to experiment on people with Multiple Personality Disorders (MPD). The operational theory here was to create soldiers out of people who were effectively "useless" to society and retain the key strengths of their personas.


In the comic, the best of those agents was Cowboy-Ninja-Viking (those are his 3 personalities). Each of those personalities exist at the same time, so each time he attacks or talks, each of the 3 different personalities talk. Each of the personalities are aware of the others. The personalities mostly agree with each other, but justify and reason different ways.

Another of the former agents was his wife, who was a Karate Chef Sniper. He fights the Pirate Gladiator Oceanographer. The head guy is a DJ, mad scientist, something.

In an PbP RP game, I see this having the following rules:

1) Each player picks 3 distinct classes (or personalities). Each with it's own stats, just like spec'ing out 3 different characters

2) Each player would need to pick 1 non-combat personality, such as DJ, chef, D&D geek, etc.

3) Player cannot attack twice using the same personality in a row. Example: Samurai/Spy/Barista

Player attacks with samurai sword, then can't follow up that attack with samurai sword next turn, will need to use spy weapon to attack.

4) Player should post 3 responses to any dialogue or thoughts using his personality like.

Charlie considers his opponent thinking... <Samurai>'Hmm. Target is not worthy nor honorable. <Spy>spy talk. <Barista>I bet he's going to pick up that New York Times on the way out the door.'

5) GM would need to watch out for min/maxing with skills - for example, if 2 personalities both had class skills of Search, the player shouldn't put all of his points into one of the two personalities. each personality should have their own stand-alone skills that makes sense for that personality.

6) Additionally, GM could require players to post 3 actions and then GM rolls to determine which personality wins and which action is taken under certain situations (probably not combat, but dialogue would be interesting.)

examples from comics:
Sumo /Rabbi/ Cyborg
Cowboy /Ninja /Viking
Pirate /Gladiator/ Oceanographer
Karate/ Chef /Sniper
Marine/ Quaker /Demolition's Expert

Of course, this would require great RP players and GM to pull off, since it's essentially x3 characters.

Just an idea to throw out there if anyone wants to run with it and, of course, the GM would decide any rules they want, etc. These were just a few of my ideas.

Resources (previews of these comics) in case you want to get a feel for the comic:

issue #1: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page ... disp=table

issue #2: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=3832

issue #3: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=4238

User avatar
Bitom
Emeritus Admin
Emeritus Admin
Posts: 11203

Re: Idea for new modern game - multiple personalities

Post by Bitom » Thu Feb 18, 2010 9:35 pm

Dammit... this makes me want to run a game where everyone is playing a personality inside one body.

I don't think it would work well in PBP, though.

Locked