Multiple Settings Imagination Express: Next Stop, Roleplay!

[thefoxybard]

Good evening ladies, gentleman, and otherwise affiliated folks! I come bringing roleplay! Yes you heard that right! I am proud to introduce you to a roleplaying system of my own design, Imagination Express! Yes thats right fellow writers, readers, and lovers of roleplay! This project has been passionately crafted by yours truly and boasts a fully diceless immersive roleplaying experience that features the organization of a Table Top roleplay, with the fluidity and freedom of expression and imagination of text based, or narrative roleplay! Below you will find a link to the system document. (This is a product in the begining stages of playtesting of which YOU, yes you will get to be a glorious part, and as such rules are subject to change, however the core experience is ready and playable!) I am very happy to welcome you on this adventure! If you are interested please take an at least passing glance over the rulebook, and then send a message in the thread so we can all together come up with something we would like to play! I look forward to welcoming you all to Imagination Express! Next stop roleplay my friends!

The Rulebook:

Imagination Express: Next Stop, Roleplay!

docs.google.com

Edit: I have also completed and included the Character Sheet should you wish to build a character

Imagination Express Character Sheet

Now Boarding: The Imagination ExpressPlease Remember your Tickets Character Name Knowledge Points (KP) Player Name Core Attributes (Each Core Attribute Costs 10 x The Core Attributes Current Rank in Knowledge Points to Increase) Body Rank: 1 Will Rank: 1 Finesse Rank...

docs.google.com

 

[thefoxybard]

Is this how bumping works? I guess ill find out.

 

[thefoxybard]

Buuuumparoni. Also an important little announcement: it isn't necessary to read the ENTIRE document. Just glance over it, maybe check out the glossary. Ill walk anyone who's interested in playing through how it works.

 

[thefoxybard]

Bumpuchan

 

[thefoxybard]

Bumpbino

 

[thefoxybard]

Bumpinatorium

 

[Sharatayn]

Oho. If this is still open, I would like to sign up for it. The setup really does remind me of learning new TTRPG systems, a lengthy but very entertaining process.
Here's hoping for an enjoyable journey!

 

[thefoxybard]

Oho. If this is still open, I would like to sign up for it. The setup really does remind me of learning new TTRPG systems, a lengthy but very entertaining process.
Here's hoping for an enjoyable journey!

Its still open because no one else has really expressed much interest. But its very much open lmao!

 

[Sharatayn]

Ahhh. Well, count me as someone that does show said interest! I also don't mind waiting a bit.

 

[thefoxybard]

Ahhh. Well, count me as someone that does show said interest! I also don't mind waiting a bit.

Not necessary really. One player is completely enough, and if any more folks want to join thats possible to. Have you taken a peak at the rulebook yet?

 

[Sharatayn]

I have indeed. Not quite in depth yet, but I saw enough to be interested. The system reminds me of Vampire with all the auxiliary attributes, which at least I consider to be a good thing!
With all being said, I will go into depth properly soon. Shouldn't be that difficult, since the ruleset has a familiar feel to it, and enough care has gone into the explanations I did read so far to make things understandable.

 

[thefoxybard]

I have indeed. Not quite in depth yet, but I saw enough to be interested. The system reminds me of Vampire with all the auxiliary attributes, which at least I consider to be a good thing!
With all being said, I will go into depth properly soon. Shouldn't be that difficult, since the ruleset has a familiar feel to it, and enough care has gone into the explanations I did read so far to make things understandable.

Actually VTM, or really any WoD game is probably the most similar games stylistically I can think of in comparison to this one. As with VTM Imagination Express is very narrative and roleplay based.

 

[thefoxybard]

I have indeed. Not quite in depth yet, but I saw enough to be interested. The system reminds me of Vampire with all the auxiliary attributes, which at least I consider to be a good thing!
With all being said, I will go into depth properly soon. Shouldn't be that difficult, since the ruleset has a familiar feel to it, and enough care has gone into the explanations I did read so far to make things understandable.

Checkin in with you my friend!

 

[Sharatayn]

Checkin in with you my friend!

Ohp, that's my bad, I missed that last message. I will be reading through the documentation and preparing a character in the coming days for sure. I've just got to settle on a playstyle as well before really delving into creation, but we can discuss that as it comes up.

 

[thefoxybard]

Ohp, that's my bad, I missed that last message. I will be reading through the documentation and preparing a character in the coming days for sure. I've just got to settle on a playstyle as well before really delving into creation, but we can discuss that as it comes up.

Not to worry! Not to worry! Yeah really go ahead and do kinda whatever you want, unless you want me to provide you with a theme or something.

 

[PainterFight]

Okay, I do find this blank slate of a campaign interesting. Like I could help with the worldbuilding if we do one.

 

[thefoxybard]

Okay, I do find this blank slate of a campaign interesting. Like I could help with the worldbuilding if we do one.

Well that could be a discussion for sure. Though I do have several possible settings already established. However depending on what people want to play its subject to change.

 

[thefoxybard]

Ohp, that's my bad, I missed that last message. I will be reading through the documentation and preparing a character in the coming days for sure. I've just got to settle on a playstyle as well before really delving into creation, but we can discuss that as it comes up.

Okay, I do find this blank slate of a campaign interesting. Like I could help with the worldbuilding if we do one.

Just a check in to see if there is still any interest (I didn't know of a better way to ping either of you)

 

[Sharatayn]

Ahah, time flew by a bit too fast. But I should no longer be left without opening a browser for days on end anymore.
That said! Yes, still interested. And I believe once we settle on a general concept for the setting I will be able to create a character without much issue.

 

[thefoxybard]

Ahah, time flew by a bit too fast. But I should no longer be left without opening a browser for days on end anymore.
That said! Yes, still interested. And I believe once we settle on a general concept for the setting I will be able to create a character without much issue.

Sure thing. That being said. What's your vibe? What kind of worldsetting/environment would your prefer to play in? Im open to anything, and as you can see by the system really any kind of setting is acceptable, although I will preface this by saying that I do work best and prefer things within the fantasy/scifi genre in general. However if you have different thoughts/opinions/ideas I am open to them.

 

[Sharatayn]

Hum hum. Those will not be a problem on my end, I quite like these fields as well. If you've no particulars in mind then perhaps something steampunkish could work? Meaning Technology dependent on Magic for the most part. Especially with the idea of a train, there's bound to be myriad tracks in such a setting, meaning a mobile hub of sorts.
If the Express is an actual physical thing, anyways, ahah. Well, even if not, a regular train being the hub and centerpiece for the story can drive (heh) quite an interesting plot forwards.

 

[thefoxybard]

Hum hum. Those will not be a problem on my end, I quite like these fields as well. If you've no particulars in mind then perhaps something steampunkish could work? Meaning Technology dependent on Magic for the most part. Especially with the idea of a train, there's bound to be myriad tracks in such a setting, meaning a mobile hub of sorts.
If the Express is an actual physical thing, anyways, ahah. Well, even if not, a regular train being the hub and centerpiece for the story can drive (heh) quite an interesting plot forwards.

Hahahaha! The name is purely decorative, supposed to inspire creativity, as I suppose it just did. I could work with a Steampunk vibe no problem, and trains could be an incorporated feature in some way

 

[ithinkcat]

thefoxybard

This piqued my interest. I like systems/rps that allow free form abilities like your features. That said...some unsolicited, hopefully constructive, criticism. I'd like a section on character creation (I know you got a lot on your hands finishing the GM section as well), and I think you might need to refine the knowledge point system.

I want the character creation section just for clarity. Questions I had when reading the rules were:
- Does the starting point in each Core Attribute give 3 point to spend on Auxiliary Attributes, or do they really start at 0?
- Do characters start with 1 Feature in each Core Attribute?
- How much equipment does a character start with?
- Do characters start with any Knowledge Points to spend?
- What is a character's starting karma? (I know it's zero after reading more, but it's annoying having to jump around sections to know how to make a character)
Things like that.

The Knowledge Points changes I'd like to see are purely my preference, but it sucks when you fail an important roll (in this case Test). It sucks even more to know that everyone else succeeding their Tests will be rewarded more Knowledge Points and begin outpacing you. As conflicts get more dangerous (to prevent those "higher level" characters from just mopping the floor of every baddie), succeeding Tests will only get more infrequent for the person that got some bad luck early on and you could end up in a "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer" situation. I suggest a flat value rewarded for attempting notable actions ("crafting" your morning coffee shouldn't count), or have an inverted bell curve. 100 KP for A, 50 KP for B, 10 KP for C, 50 KP for D, and 100 KP for F. Sometimes failure is a better teacher that success and it would allow characters that are behind in power to "catch up" to the others by failing Tests.

Aside from the critiques, I definitely think establishing a setting would be helpful to run any sort of playtest. I like Sharatayn 's suggestion. My input would be a medieval fantasy setting (not unlike DnD) where the world's first Train, a carriage powered by magic unlike any have seen, has been built. The train plans to make a luxury trip across a scenic route carrying aboard passengers of the wealthiest investor, influential politicians, arcane engineers, stewards, chefs, and possibly even a stowaway or two looking to pilfer some rich pockets. Something happens that turns the trip into chaos with unlikely company having to band together. Perhaps there's been a...murder!

 

[thefoxybard]

thefoxybard

This piqued my interest. I like systems/rps that allow free form abilities like your features. That said...some unsolicited, hopefully constructive, criticism. I'd like a section on character creation (I know you got a lot on your hands finishing the GM section as well), and I think you might need to refine the knowledge point system.

I want the character creation section just for clarity. Questions I had when reading the rules were:
- Does the starting point in each Core Attribute give 3 point to spend on Auxiliary Attributes, or do they really start at 0?
- Do characters start with 1 Feature in each Core Attribute?
- How much equipment does a character start with?
- Do characters start with any Knowledge Points to spend?
- What is a character's starting karma? (I know it's zero after reading more, but it's annoying having to jump around sections to know how to make a character)
Things like that.

The Knowledge Points changes I'd like to see are purely my preference, but it sucks when you fail an important roll (in this case Test). It sucks even more to know that everyone else succeeding their Tests will be rewarded more Knowledge Points and begin outpacing you. As conflicts get more dangerous (to prevent those "higher level" characters from just mopping the floor of every baddie), succeeding Tests will only get more infrequent for the person that got some bad luck early on and you could end up in a "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer" situation. I suggest a flat value rewarded for attempting notable actions ("crafting" your morning coffee shouldn't count), or have an inverted bell curve. 100 KP for A, 50 KP for B, 10 KP for C, 50 KP for D, and 100 KP for F. Sometimes failure is a better teacher that success and it would allow characters that are behind in power to "catch up" to the others by failing Tests.

Aside from the critiques, I definitely think establishing a setting would be helpful to run any sort of playtest. I like Sharatayn 's suggestion. My input would be a medieval fantasy setting (not unlike DnD) where the world's first Train, a carriage powered by magic unlike any have seen, has been built. The train plans to make a luxury trip across a scenic route carrying aboard passengers of the wealthiest investor, influential politicians, arcane engineers, stewards, chefs, and possibly even a stowaway or two looking to pilfer some rich pockets. Something happens that turns the trip into chaos with unlikely company having to band together. Perhaps there's been a...murder!

I will respond more in depth to the information here when I am not at work as Id like to address the questions, but am busy atm.

 

[thefoxybard]

thefoxybard

This piqued my interest. I like systems/rps that allow free form abilities like your features. That said...some unsolicited, hopefully constructive, criticism. I'd like a section on character creation (I know you got a lot on your hands finishing the GM section as well), and I think you might need to refine the knowledge point system.

I want the character creation section just for clarity. Questions I had when reading the rules were:
- Does the starting point in each Core Attribute give 3 point to spend on Auxiliary Attributes, or do they really start at 0?
- Do characters start with 1 Feature in each Core Attribute?
- How much equipment does a character start with?
- Do characters start with any Knowledge Points to spend?
- What is a character's starting karma? (I know it's zero after reading more, but it's annoying having to jump around sections to know how to make a character)
Things like that.

The Knowledge Points changes I'd like to see are purely my preference, but it sucks when you fail an important roll (in this case Test). It sucks even more to know that everyone else succeeding their Tests will be rewarded more Knowledge Points and begin outpacing you. As conflicts get more dangerous (to prevent those "higher level" characters from just mopping the floor of every baddie), succeeding Tests will only get more infrequent for the person that got some bad luck early on and you could end up in a "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer" situation. I suggest a flat value rewarded for attempting notable actions ("crafting" your morning coffee shouldn't count), or have an inverted bell curve. 100 KP for A, 50 KP for B, 10 KP for C, 50 KP for D, and 100 KP for F. Sometimes failure is a better teacher that success and it would allow characters that are behind in power to "catch up" to the others by failing Tests.

Aside from the critiques, I definitely think establishing a setting would be helpful to run any sort of playtest. I like Sharatayn 's suggestion. My input would be a medieval fantasy setting (not unlike DnD) where the world's first Train, a carriage powered by magic unlike any have seen, has been built. The train plans to make a luxury trip across a scenic route carrying aboard passengers of the wealthiest investor, influential politicians, arcane engineers, stewards, chefs, and possibly even a stowaway or two looking to pilfer some rich pockets. Something happens that turns the trip into chaos with unlikely company having to band together. Perhaps there's been a...murder!

Okay. To answer your questions first:

Auxiliary attributes really do start at zero. The first point does not give you points to put into auxiliary attributes.

Yes. Characters before adding any additional ranks to Core Attributes may have 1 feature in each Core Attribute as per the feature rules. Features however are purely optional, though encouraged.

Most of the rest of these questions have direct relation to the incomplete Game Mastering section. Both starting knowledge points and equipment is determined by the Game Master prior to play generally speaking. There will be several different methods for this process detailed in the section on gamemastering.

A "quick guide" for character creation has always been one of the key features of the rulebook that I am going to implement, it simply hasn't happened yet, because of burnout to be quite frank. However the character sheet itself is also designed to help streamline the CC process, as its designed to be worked through top to bottom and unless I need to add some things I forgot it should detail everything you need to know.

The jumpiness of the rulebook is quite frankly mostly due to the fact that I have pretty severe adhd and I tend to get distracted by features. Once this gets into its second draft the rulebook will be way more streamlined in terms of ease of reading.

As to your issues with the Knowledge Point system, due to the fact that this is in purely the first stage of playtesting, and a first draft to boot, the system is mostly a placeholder. Id like to see how it scales given my plans for how tests are actually going to work, that being said im open to reviewing it given some actual gameplay, but until then im going to keep it as it is to see how I best want to modify it. Im general a Level of Proficiency of A SHOULD not be something that occurs very frequently until your character is of a SIGNIFICANTLY high rank, conversely so is a LoP of F. Granted I won't really see this in effect untill actual play begins, know that your notes have been noted and I will be keeping them in mind as actual play happens, as I do not think you are incorrect in your assessment of the "level" disparity that could occur, I merely want to see it in action myself so I can rectify it in a way that I think fits within the overall scheme of what I am trying to create. This project has been one of agonizing balance issues from the beginning as with any open ended rule source, theres a lot that could potentially lead to "player abuse" and ive tried to mitigate that urge as much as possible with the mechanics I have. That being said, I don't know how much needs changing atm because there has been no playtesting yet. That is really my core focus at the moment in regards to Imagination Express.

In regards to the setting, there will be one established, but to be quite frank I wanted it to be a collaborative experience between me and the players, as I don't want the focus to be so much on worldspace as player imagination at this point. That being said id like my players to create characters with disregard to setting, focusing more on aesthetic motifs, and then I will work around the players desires. Honestly this is mostly because I don't want to go through the effort of creating an entire worldspace from scratch as that is often an even more time consuming and laborious process for me. However I have multiple playable world settings crafted that I was going to offer, should the players wish to have something more grounded to focus on. While this is an option, I didn't want to give it until players had the chance to at least consider the possibilities. The game is designed primarily around the players imagination and I wanted to keep with that theme as much as possible within the playtesting itself.


All that being said, I genuinely appreciate your critique, and know that they have been heavily considered. I apologize for getting back so late to you.


Finally some general notes for interested parties/players. I encourage you if you desire to create multiple characters to get a feel for the process at varying knowledge point values. Consider it a sort of "free build" as if you had an unlimited pool of knowledge points to pull from. I want to see the scale of what you come up with if you are interested in doing so. Though this is not necessary, I do encourage and would appreciate it if you did. As a base for playable characters 500 knowledge points is, from some character build testing of my own, a fairly average amount.