Stargate RPG - dream design

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pksullivan
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Stargate RPG - dream design

Post by pksullivan »

There’s already been one Stargate RPG from the early 2000s. If you guessed that it was a d20 OGL game based on that first sentence alone, give yourself a pat on the back. It used Spycraft as a base chassis, with new gear and some special feats, prestige classes, gear, etc. to make it ‘Stargate’ but it ultimately was a clunky d20 OGL game from the early 00s. Even back then I thought it was clunky and made some attempts at redesigning it using WEG Star Wars as the base.

A few weeks ago a new Stargate RPG was announced. This one is using D&D 5e as the basis and that leaves me pretty underwhelmed as to the possibilities. It just doesn’t seem like a good fit for the story and setting.

Which got me thinking... if you were to design a Stargate RPG, what would your design look like?

I would start with Firefly (aka Cortex Plus Action) because it does a great job of emulating the flow of both Firefly and Stargate. The characters get a job/find a mystery; complications occur; in the end they’re big damn heroes.
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Emmett
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Re: Stargate RPG - dream design

Post by Emmett »

I'm going to go way out on a limb here and suggest a custom sub routine for adventure design in a Stargate game. In a number of episodes, you get introduced to a new alien, culture, technology or ability. In subsequent episodes that element is developed and then later, it's mature and the characters freely use the new element.

The idea here is that the players could do a brainstorm around what element they would like introduced. Each game will introduce a new element and can develop or mature another.

So that could be really disruptive to some GMs. So in the game I think it's up to the players to try and fit the new element in and make it work narratively. Each time, the GM introduces a consequence to progressing an element and the players have to choose between progressing with that element and taking the consequence or letting it go.

Maybe having three elements loaded up as part of session zero would give the GM things to work toward. They could offer an element at a lower cost if they were expecting it.

That's really loose, but it would have to be developed further in an actual game.
GMCorvius
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Re: Stargate RPG - dream design

Post by GMCorvius »

[mention]pksullivan[/mention], your mention of Cortex Plus got me thinking. I'm a big Cortex Prime fan and play around with it for a number of things, from Monty Python, to MASH, to Buffy, to my own stuff. I think using the "Action" variant, and implementing [mention]Emmett[/mention]'s subroutine suggestion, a la the new Cortex Prime "crisis pools," could be an interesting way to go.

Spitballing here: The GM spends a plot point (or a die if you're doing it differently and using the Doom Pool) to create a crisis pool that represents a new element. In future rolls, the GM can spend a PP or a die to add a trait to that element, developing it further. Once the crisis pool is stepped up to a certain point, in other words, sufficiently "matured," say 3d10 for something that's a decent but not huge challenge, it triggers a scene or sequence where PC's have to finally confront the element.

My coffee hasn't taken effect yet, so hopefully my intentions in this idea are clear -- basically, I think it'd be pretty easy to implement the ideas Emmet brought up.
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pksullivan
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Re: Stargate RPG - dream design

Post by pksullivan »

Yeah, that's all pretty much what I had in mind. I like the idea of using a threat pool or some GM currency to introduce/upgrade new enemies or threats. Feels very thematic for Stargate.
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Emmett
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Re: Stargate RPG - dream design

Post by Emmett »

Sounds solid to me!
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