My Power 19

1.) What is your game about?
[My Game] is about ninjas, their missions, their team, and facing their personal goals. It balances characters in groups of abilities, rather than over the entire character. Certain abilities require teamwork.

2.) What do the characters do?
Characters work towards their goals, completing missions, developing contacts, and fight enemies along the way.

3.) What do the players (including the GM if there is one) do?
Players describe their character's intent, roll their dice, and may choose to narrate their success. GMs describe intent for NPCs, match all intent to a form of resolution, roll their dice, and narrate the outcome.

4.) How does your setting (or lack thereof) reinforce what your game is about?
The setting I have developed caters to the skill list I want to use, and the skill list caters to the powers that the characters possess, which leads to the balance of the game. The missions provide a basic structure that allows the GM(and other players) to focus on other aspects of the game.

5.) How does the Character Creation of your game reinforce what your game is about?
Character creation reinforces the idea that your character is part of a team. A team of 3+ is required to cover basic skills, as well as provide additional tactics for combat. Character Creation is also when a ninja develops his goal.

6.) What types of behaviors/styles of play does your game reward (and punish if necessary)?
Campaign-style play is assumed. Teamwork is encouraged, but a level of selfishness is as well. 'Completing the mission' and 'resolving my goal' are encouraged, but often at odds with each other.

7.) How are behaviors and styles of play rewarded or punished in your game?
Character advancement, and increased power/effectiveness are both in-game rewards. Certain levels of out-of-game rewards/punishments are implicit, but always come back to the group.

8.) How are the responsibilities of narration and credibility divided in your game? The GM is responsible for narrating the start of new scenes, including the transition to them, the results of NPC actions, and the results of PC actions. However, players may negotiate the results of their actions (minus privileged information, unless negotiated with the GM), if they desire.

9.) What does your game do to command the players' attention, engagement, and participation?
(i.e. What does the game do to make them care?)
The player develops character goals before play begins as a part of character creation. GMs use those goals to enhance play.

10.) What are the resolution mechanics of your game like?
The player describe his intent, the GM determines an appropriate stat, skill, or process with appropriate modifiers, the dice are rolled or the process is enacted, the outcome is determined, and then the results are narrated. 1d100 and 2d10 for skills and stats respectively.

12.) Do characters in your game advance? If so, how?
Yes. Characters gain Potential by fighting, by overcoming challenges, and by interacting with their goal. Potential is supplemented and spent during downtime, which takes place between missions.

13.) How does the character advancement (or lack thereof) reinforce what your game is about?
Character advancement reinforces the balance of the game, but at the same time provides for a change in play over the course of the game. It suggests that characters should always see movement towards their goal. It also provides a scale that shows where the PCs are at in the world, and a pacing mechanic that either suggests an endpoint to the campaign or provides for a dramatic element to be introduced into the campaign.

14.) What sort of product or effect do you want your game to produce in or for the players?
I want a buildup that culminates during the resolution of a characters goal. I want a tough decision to be made prior to the resolution, but I want the play the leads up to that point to not revolve around the goal, even if the character’s main effort is the resolution of his goal.

15.) What areas of your game receive extra attention and color? Why?
The mission structure. It is a reoccurring event that ties missions together along with the characters and the story itself.

16.) Which part of your game are you most excited about or interested in? Why?
Character creation, power creation, goals, combat... too hard to decide for myself, because they are connected and build on the excitement and enjoyment of each other.

17.) Where does your game take the players that other games can’t, don’t, or won’t?
[My Game] fills a niche that is unoccupied by any game known to me. This niche involves specific types of game balance, setting, and interface.

18.) What are your publishing goals for your game?
PDF download within the next year.

19.) Who is your target audience?
Gamers who like ninjas, or an asian setting. Gamers who like to customize their character with powers under a system of creation. Gamers who don't want to be worried about the balance between the combat aspects of their character and the social or other non-combat aspects of their character. Gamers who like to make moral or other difficult decisions sometimes, but also can take a backseat approach when desired. Gamers who like to provide color for their characters actions.