November 2, 2024

Exploring battle abstractions - Devlog #42

In D20 games, like Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition, when in a battle, play is generally determined with characters travelling around on a grid, turns among themselves and opponents determined by rolled initiative ratings. Battles can sometimes last an entire play session. Some people like this. While I do like a D20 system, I am not one of the people who likes long, drawn out battles. It's too much crunching of numbers and mechanics. I like crunch, but it's too much.

There are reasons for this crunch, for sure. It's not just because some folks enjoy all the back and forth. For example, the back and forth and other intricacies of the system help create more balance. I'm not going to dig into all of the pros and cons.

Meanwhile, the types of systems on the other end of the spectrum, Powered by the Apocalypse and Forged In The Dark games, for example, represent combat by moves, with highly subjective outcomes for how this unfolds in a narrative aspect. Battles can unfold much quicker than in a D20 system, but sometimes, interpreting what happened, why, and its ramifications can be a little tricky. I like these games, too, but sometimes it feels like they leave too much in the players' hands.

There needs to be something in the middle

Here are some of the things I have been exploring.

  • Cutting out the management of initiative order to speed up the flow
  • Simplifying grid management, distances, and combat movement to either a number game or simple row management
  • Still allowing for narrative interpretation, but slightly more direction is provided
  • Increasing lethality ala OSR-style to speed up combat, throw balance out the window, increase the stakes, and make the world feel more dangerous
  • Armour as damage reduction, not as a separate checkpoint to see if you hit
  • No roll to hit, or at least exploring combining ability and combat roll accuracy and damage into one
  • Exploring point pools as spendable resources to influence outcomes in a pinch
  • Combat isn't necessarily tied to experience rewards (for some characters yes, for others no)

Back to principles

In order to guide the design of any of these mechanics, or answer hard questions, I'm going back to some of the guiding principles of Bug & Claw.

Design principles

Respect & empathy

Hate has no place in the things Monkey's Lunch creates.

Fun

We do this because we enjoy it first and foremost and want others to enjoy it, too. Every mechanical decision should come back to this.

Ease

Remove barriers to play and improve ease of play.

Solo-first

This is similar to “mobile-first” in web and product design. Start there and build out to GM-less groups and then traditional GM groups. This helps emphasize empowering the player rather than waiting on a GM and enables more people to play.

Friendship, diversity, and inclusion

Characters are stronger together– Differences between characters only multiply that fact. Acceptance and kindness often prevail.

Change & adaptation

Where I’m from and where I’m going. Who I was and who I need to be. Your character grows, and so does the world with them.

Systemic oppression, fight the power

Corrupt royals & governments try to control or conform. Will you join or help others find their voice?

Vicious cycle/sins of the past

The past tries to repeat itself or literally creep into the present. Will you let it?

Hope

Regrowth, resolution, rebuilding, learning instead of repeating.

Journeys and adventures

An exercise to help is writing short statements of what could be expected in the game, combat or otherwise:

  • Collaborating with new friends to perform amazing feats.
  • Protecting small villages from giant, infected creatures.
  • Discovery of ancient knowledge, both helpful and potentially damning.
  • Exploration of newly breached lands as infection is cleared.
  • Harnessing living weapons.
  • Cleansing infected lands, spreading healing energy, and helping communities thrive.
  • Sneaking through mad infected hives and murderous tyrant’s castles to find powerful artifacts.
  • Defending of small villages and creatures as corrupt governments and royal families attempt to control and subjugate.
  • Chaos of the forces of infection and crystal resonance combatting reach other for bizarre effects on the land and Bug-kin who reside there.
  • Influencing the local politics for better or worse.
  • Pursuing your own goals, evolving in body and mind to do so.

Next steps

I am working through combat prototypes. Sometimes this swings to feeling very OSR-like, to very similar to PbtA, adding and removing all sorts of mechanics and controls. The key is, I'm having fun playing around with things, and making sure Bug & Claw feels just right.

A crystal

Don’t miss shiny development updates and stories

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram