System Switch (Game Mechanics)

I've recently ported this campaign over to the Wild Talents system. While I like Superworld a lot there are a few things that I've noticed do not work with the current group of players (mostly 9-12 year old girls!).

1) Fast and loose with the rules. Superworld has got some great classic role playing mechanics. I'm a big fan of the Basic Roleplaying System (BRP) for detective style gaming. The skill system is central and that is what you want in sleuthing. The drawback is that running a mechanic is time consuming, especially for new players that you are hoping to foster a lifelong passion for gaming in. So I've had to play really fast and loose with the rules. That kinda defeats the purpose of having the mechanics.

2) Turn sequencing means lots of waiting. Even if you adapt Superworld to the more recent initiative rules of BRP you still have kids building dice towers and causing general chaos. Our expectation is about an hour of gaming before we lose the girls, and that's about right. But we lose some sooner if they are stuck waiting only to have their action result in a futile attempt to punch a bad guy. For adults that works, especially in smaller groups. But with kids you have to watch the boring factor closely.

3) Too much to track. We are starting to have players refuse to act because they are not wanting to keep track of their energy going down and up all the time. When it is the one character you wrote the encounter thinking this is their moment to shine - well when they refuse to act you have a problem.

So I think Wild Talents will fix this.

Sample Character

1) It is rules light. I even axed the willpower rules. All the character's powers ported nicely with predetermined dice pools clearly marked on a single sheet of paper. In Superworld I wrote a 5 page rules guide and they had essentially three pages of character in there! That was with trying to simplify things. Yeesh. So this one is simple. See the graphic for one of these sheets. Only the gadgeteer has a second page. The mechanic is everyone declares and determines how many d10s they roll, we all roll at once and determine the outcomes. One roll tells you everything.

2) Everyone declares before acting. So this forces them to make a plan. No more it is now your turn Ninja what are you going to do? It is how do you all want to play this, that means you roll this many d10s and which of you are rolling parts of the same set (cooperating). It is a mechanic that takes a bit to get your head around but once you do it is brilliant.

3) The only thing you track are experience points and tick little health boxes on the character sheet. No more hesitating because it is going to use up all my energy - you make a plan and then everyone does their part.

I'm learning as I go, so I made the same bookkeeping mistake on all the characters - but basically they can even see how much it will cost them in experience to advance each of their powers. This will give them some goals to work for. I ported all the characters and the three story arcs I have completed in just a few days (working in my spare time).

Hope the kids like the changes - I'll make sure I post an update on how it goes.