Homebrew - A Game Called Errata
So, I thought of this game for something fun and simple. More of a board game than an RPG but still something fun. I still need more details to work out but here are the basics.
A GAME CALLED ERRATATM
GETTING STARTED
You may want to have a few pieces of paper, pencils and at least one die before you start the game (preferably a die with at least six sides). At the beginning of the game, everyone begins with 1 Kudo point and describes a single fictional character that they will play. They cannot change their character or control another character without spending Kudos (see below). The character in question must be human-like in intelligence, not an animal or rock, but at least as intelligent as a typical American highschooler...I know that's not really asking much. You can be a talking dog or alien or wizard whatever, just no abilities beyond what a typical low-level high fantasy or science fiction character would have. Just agree on something with your friends.
INITIATIVE
At the start of the game, everyone rolls a die and the player that rolls the highest gets to take their turn first. If there are ties, reroll among those who got the tie until a tie breaker is made. It doesn't matter what size die you roll as long as it has at least 4 sides and you all roll the same size die (don't get cute you cheats).
READY PLAYER 1
The first player must spend their 1 Kudo to either describe a scenario they want the characters to be in or create a new rule, and then they must pass the next turn to another player of their choice who has not already taken their turn this round.
FINAL PLAYER
If only one player hasn’t taken their turn yet, you HAVE to choose them, although you don’t have to be happy about it.
MULTIPLE SCENARIOS
If multiple players choose to create scenarios during the first round, the last scenario made is the one that sticks while all the previous ones become terrible memories that keep your characters up at night.
NO SCENARIOS
If no scenario is made, the last person to take their turn MUST spend 1 Kudo on creating a scenario instead of making a rule. If they are unhappy about this, they can create a scenario that only they like and everyone else hates and snicker deviously until someone inevitably teaches them a lesson.
CREATING SCENARIOS
Creating a scenario is easy. You just describe a situation all your characters are in like "dangling along the side of a cliff above a volcano" or "sneaking into Dracula's castle" or something like that. You can be specific about the setting but not the condition or position of anyone's character other than your own. Even then, you can't make any adjustments to your character like "temporary god powers" or anything like that. They can just at best be standing in a different spot than the rest of the group, but that's it. You must be able to describe the scenario with only up to 2 minutes of descriptive wind-bagging and detailed blow-harding, though your fellow players may choose to give you more time.
END ROUND: GIVING KUDOS
At the end of each round, everyone may choose to give 1 kudo to one other player of their choice. A player that receives kudos gains +1 adds the kudos to their repertoire.
Maybe they did something funny, or had a brilliant idea, or put forth a lot of effort or perhaps you’re in cahoots with them to betray the other players. It’s up to you to decide who deserves the kudo you give, but you cannot choose yourself, you selfish dingbat. Your methods for determining who deserves kudos are your own, but feel free to flaunt and brag on someone else’s behalf to make those who missed out feel bad. That’s the spirit of kudos after all.
ROUND 2 AND BEYOND
Upon the second round, each player may determine how the scenario changes, though they must do so with only one sentence and only up to 25 words and only 2 minutes to compile these words into a cohesive sentence. The sentence must make sense to the majority of all the other players or it will be deemed garbage and the person who spoke will be deemed human garbage and removed from the game.
Upon the next round and every round thereafter, players may do any ONE of the following on their turn:
Spend 3 kudos to create a new rule.*
Describe a minor change to the scenario using only up to 25 words. This grants the player +1 kudo.
Give up to 3 kudos to another player or players as they see fit.
Remove any number of rules at a kudo cost equal to the number of rules they want to remove +4.
Reinforce a rule, thus, making the cost to eliminate that particular rule 1 kudo more expensive.
Spend 2+ kudos to drastically change the scenario, allowing them to control the entire environment, including NPCs. This grants them up to 2 sentences/kudo and up to 25 words/kudo to change the scenario.
*If new rule supersedes, replaces or changes another rule, the cost in kudos to create it increases by an amount equal to number of other rules that are changed by it.
**You can negate someone’s attempt to control your character when they manipulate the scenario for 1 kudos.
Note: “Out of character” refers to the real world that you and your so-called friends are living and breathing in, not the fictional one inside your sick and twisted imaginations.
CREATING NEW RULES
Each new rule must be designed to determine a method of resolving conflict within the fictional scenario that the characters are in. The rules are used to determine how gameplay is resolved any time one of the players’ characters attempts to do anything that the rule specifically encompasses (as determined by a consensus among the players). For example, a rule may require a player to roll a die and state that they succeed on a task only if they roll a certain number or higher. Alternatively, a rule may say that a player must hum to the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy in order to succeed in a certain type of task. It can literally be any rule the creator wants, provided it adheres to certain requirements. A rule cannot…
Be more than 25 words long or use incomplete sentences. (Because the only thing worse than long-windedness is bad grammar.)
Skip a player’s turn or alter a player’s choice of actions. (Because this is a game, not your high school prom night.)
Give kudos or take kudos from any player. (Unlike modern economic policy, we have at least some idea of what’s fair.)
Apply restrictions that apply "out of character" or change any of the core rules listed here in A Game Called Errata…because we said so.
Note: The maximum number of rules that can be created is equal to 5 + the number of players in the game (these are called rule slots).
The game ends when all rule slots have been filled and the player with the most kudos wins unless this happens before round 10, then, the player with the most kudos loses and everyone else wins. You can also quit the game at any time like the big quitter you are and continue to be a disappointment to your friends and family.
Have fun!
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:20, Wed 11 Dec 2019.
