Woo The Moon

Preparing for Violence

Luke Gearing is one of my many creative nemeses. I will not explain myself at this time.

Luke Gearing has made a set of rules for violence named Violence.

Luke Gearing is a creative man.

Luke Gearing is setting up a game jame for Violence

I plan on participating.

For I, like Luke Gearing, am also a creative man.

Laying out the plans

This is the brainstorming phase. There are no dumb ideas, only half-baked ones. We're digging holes to find water or gold or whatever it is you dig for 1. Maybe at the end all we'll have is the hole, but holes are cool so I'm fine with that 2.

First thing: What is Violence™?

Violence is easy (all too easy) to execute. To shoot someone, roll a d20, see if you get 16+. If you do, make an injury check. where you have a 30%/30%/40% chance of being either fine/injured/down. Luke Gearing does not like attrition mechanics in his games about Violence. That's alright. It's a fine incentive to avoid violence.

Training and Skill gives bonus dice (advantages) to the to-hit roll while armor modifies the roll itself. Weapons modify the injury check. Hand-to-hand combat is its own system, and so is grappling. both are quite punishing in their own right. There is no counting ammo (except when there is), but there is a Fragility roll to see if the weapon breaks. There are also rules for explosives and firing at a charging person.

There are also rules for Nonviolence, though the chances of that happening when you start shooting at people are slim. Still, it's nice that they exist and we don't have to take them from another system (where would we even start?).

Second Thing: What is Violence For?

There's the pedantic answer and the truth. The pedantic answer is that Violence is for games that take that shit seriously. It is not a way to highlight heroism or grit, or any other of those markers of power fantasy. It's a reflection of the brutality of reality. The truth is that Violence is for the kinds of games that want violence to be an important, but not desirable aspect of the game. Crunchy Crunchy Grid Games like Draw Steel and 4e D&D largely sanitize violence by making it into a measure of heroism in the characters and skill in the players. Those games are not about violence, it is merely a means to different kinds of experiences.

Violence is what it says on the tin. You do not last long in a fight. You're just as likely to be fine than dead if you plan on facing danger head on. Violent conflict is thus something that is antithetical to the continued existence of a character and thus must be avoided by most characters you will make. Traditional genres for this kind of high risk procedure tend to be horror and mystery, often put together. It is received wisdom that Call of Cthulhu is a game where combat is a kind of failure state, Mothership does not predispose you to a knockdown, drag out fight, and some people in the OSR sphere get that look in their eye that makes you reach for the mace whenever you mention that you like "lethal combat".

Content for Violence needs to keep in mind two things:

  1. Conflict is brutal and often decisive. Prepare for death or maiming.
  2. If one side wants to win, they need to take the advantage.

If we can keep those two things in sight, then everything else will fall into place.

Creating for Violence

I have a few ideas for Luke Gearing's game jam. All of them revolve around an adventure of some kind. Mainly because I like writing adventures, but also because it allows me to twist the base rules to a very specific scenario, which I feel is in the spirit of things 3.

In addition to the two things previously mentioned, I am interested in showcasing the following things:

Idea 1: A Night of Violence

Premise: They came into town at sundown, looking for something. You don't have what it takes to save the town, but you're all they have.

Challenge: This is the bigger project, and the more rp-focused, which means a lot of work on NPCs and locations.

What do we need?

Idea 2: Hold the Line

Premise: You did it. Someone had to make it out and it ain't you. At least you can take a few of the bastards with you.

Challenge: This is a bit more of a game. It dabbles in the pulpier, more power-fantasy side of things. It would be more mechanically challenging, and definitely lights up the designer part of my brain.

What do we need?

Idea 3: Back to Wipers

Premise: Passchendaele, Belgium, 1917. You are part of the Canadian Corps in the mud of Flanders, trying to survive hell, at least until next week.

Challenge: This would require the most research ahead of time, and is also the weakest of the ideas at the moment. There aren't a lot of FWW ttrpgs though, and it would be somewhat original.

What do we need?

What's next?

I've laid out the main ideas I have. The next thing to do is meditate on which one I will settle on before July 1st so I can hit the ground running.

  1. Editor's note I tend to dig for my own sake, good for the soul.↩

  2. Editor's note I am a fan of holes, they are great.↩

  3. Editor's note: this too is a kind of violence↩