Actually the trick is to have the skill check mentioned in the text and then at the break in the text ( and this can be done with or with-out a numbered paragraph based adventure ) to place the simple target number or target difficulty in a list like table containing the system and the target lable .

E.g.
If you try to read the ancient hyoglipics, then make a languages skill chech.

D20: DC 15
D6: Medium Difficulty
Interlock: Medium Difficulty.
Marvel Superheroes: Yellow Roll.
And so on. A simple list of targets and their system is all you need.

Filling out NPCs and Monster details will be more paper consuming but it's quite do-able. Especially if you keep NPC of detail low or few in number, using red-shirt NPCs in the same simplified system as monsters.

By Gary Plana (Garyplana) on Saturday, October 15, 2005 - 11:07 am: Edit

If the game-specific stuff is two pages, or three, or twelve, then I'm sure that's what will be printed; no one will actually know how long it is until it gets written.

I was just using "a page" as an example, we're not going to skimp.

By Andy Palmer (Andypalmer) on Saturday, October 15, 2005 - 12:12 pm: Edit

MJC. Problem is, its a Language check in one system, a Knowledge check in another, and a pure intelligence roll in the third.

By michael john campbell (Michaelcampbell) on Sunday, October 16, 2005 - 01:41 am: Edit

A.P.:

Well there are two ways to handle that.
1) Assume the Referee knows how to apply which skill to a language check and carry on.
2) Have a third list in th table. Listing the skill check. And before you say that in some systems you'll need to list the attribute on which that skill check is made and relative modifiers which should be applied specificall under that game system ( which should already be factored intom the target number )...you've got to give the Referee some credit for knowing how to handle a skill check in the system he's made up his mind to use.

By Richard Wells (Rwwells) on Sunday, October 16, 2005 - 05:10 am: Edit

MJC: The requirement is for the modifier to the skill or other resolution method based on playtesting. After all, one buys the adventure to take advantage of someone else clearing out the major blunders.

By michael john campbell (Michaelcampbell) on Sunday, October 16, 2005 - 06:35 am: Edit

That is in the difficulty rating.
What isn't and can't be is if the player's personal PC has a magic ring of decryption and thus gets a modifier to decypher the hyroglyphs.
But stacking applicible mod's to suit the game at hand is one of the key activities of the Referee.

By Andy Palmer (Andypalmer) on Sunday, October 16, 2005 - 07:38 am: Edit

MJC. We'll just have to agree to disagree.

By michael john campbell (Michaelcampbell) on Sunday, October 16, 2005 - 10:54 pm: Edit

I hate it when people say that...except me.
Seriously I'm not even sure I understand what you're saying.

Are you saying that a Medium Difficulty event in one system will have 44% chance of success and a in another system it might be 55% and thus it'll be unfair and out of balance to have multisystem adventure?
To some extent when need to say that Referees choose their system at their own peril.

Are you saying that some systems will require a skill check and others will require an attribute check?
What kind of referee doesn't know that a skill is fundimentally based in an attribute!?!
Language interpretation would be based on raw smarts as well as training in the arts of decryption, so if the system just throws up a roll less then your Inteligence (plus mod's) to resolve this then that's what the Referee can and should be able to do.

If it's needed, I could easily write an article on the subject of skills and attributes and how they interect in th human body and under varrious game systems.

By Richard Wells (Rwwells) on Monday, October 17, 2005 - 02:30 am: Edit

Some systems require a skill check; some system just the attribute and some simply have a binary referent.

But also, if the language is unknown but related to another language, the various modifiers between the unknown language and languages known to the PCs need to be listed. (With the SFU's "Kings," recent historical linkages can exist.) Including all of this becomes complex enough with one game system, handling at least three (with differing assumptions built into their core mechanics) becomes that much more difficult.

Check out previous attempts by other companies to make multi-system adventures; the results were not favorable. I expect that players of one of the supported game system will be more likely to purchase adventures; printed adventures should target solely that game system.

By Andy Palmer (Andypalmer) on Monday, October 17, 2005 - 08:44 am: Edit

MJC. As someone who has actually tried to write a cross-system adventure, I know how cumbersome it is. Arguing with someone who is basing his arguments off theory simply wasn't worth any more bandwidth.

By michael john campbell (Michaelcampbell) on Monday, October 17, 2005 - 08:24 pm: Edit

I'll email my responce to that disrespectful message then.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, October 18, 2005 - 06:44 pm: Edit

gamemaster@teara-adan.com sent me an email about a particular game system but when I asked him for the further info his email system rejected my email. If he wants to contact me from some kind of email system that will actually allow me to contact him back, we can chat.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 - 08:38 pm: Edit

SO YOU WANT TO WRITE A VERSION OF PD?

I am going to put this here so people can find it. This reply incorporates replies sent previously to various people and is not a specific reply to any specific person. If you think that something in this post treats you at a level beneath your stature, remember that it's a generic reply and that I've grown tired of people who write below your stature.

I'm not particularly opposed to doing PD for any game system out there, although I'm sure some are small enough or specialized enough to not be worth the bother. The main expenses would be cover art and cover printing, which could exceed a thousand bucks total (per book). You'd have to convince me that I'd make that much money. Figure I get $10 on a $25 book, I would need to sell about 200 to cover all the expenses and break even. Of course, success is not about breaking even.

I am pretty much busy all the time, and way too many projects I have committed to do are not getting their share of SVC time already. You may be enthused about writing PD RPG #7 but I've got to balance the demands of all my current product lines. To get a new project (say, "managing John Doe as he converts GPD to some other game system") only get added to my list of things to do if you:
1. prove you can do it without a lot of supervision, or
2. don't mind waiting for a while to get SVC time, or
3. convince me it's going to make a lot of money really fast and should displace something else.

Word of warning, the "guy who wants to write PD for XYZ game system" quite often thinks he's going to write all of it, including making up his own version of Vulcan History and Tholian physiology and Klingon weaponry and Romulan politics and Star Fleet Academy. WRONG. The "guy who actually writes the PD book for XYZ game system" will actually end up writing about 10% of the empire books (klingons, Romulans, Gorns, Federation) since the "background" is already written and can't be changed (although a little expanding sometimes happens, it has to be something I'm willing to backwash into the other versions of PD and the other SFU game systems). He will probably compile abotu 50% of the core book (the rules from the other system, assuming that the guys who own that system allow us to do a stand-alone book). While I haven't got a clue how to write an RPG, I'm fanatical about what you do with my background.

For any given game system, we might imagine that there is an apostle who wants it to happen. Mr. K David Ladage, for example, wants Fudge to happen. He's not the first person to contact me about Fudge. Jonathan M Thompson wants to do PD for "Open Core" (not sure what it is). What an apostle needs to do (assuming he isn't willing to wait until I have time to do it) is:

1. Contact the owners of the other RPG. If they aren't interested, we're done with that conversation. You might mention that we cannot license our background to them. Whatever gimmicky sales deal comes up, we have to be the ones who issue the invoices and collect the checks because Paramount won't let us sub-license the tiny seeds from which the might SFU oak tree grew.

2. Get them to send me a license to read. If the terms are workable, we proceed to step 3. If not, we don't. I am looking for a reasonable royalty, a practical approval system (they don't get to even argue about my background), a large "installed base" of gamers who like SciFi games, some friendly cross-promotion opportunities, and no minimum royalties. We pay royalties on what sold, not on what they think should have.

3. Get the company that owns the other RPG to select or provide or at least approve somebody qualified to write it. People who have never written an RPG need a lot of supervision and I don't have time and I don't know how to write RPGs. People who have written several RPG books (at least some of them for that system) are likely to be taken more seriously. If you have never written an RPG book and your favorite RPG is the MORON system (Motivational Objective Rationalization Of Normalcy) by Arctic Games, then I'd suggest before you talk to me about writing PD MORONS that you go write something (even if it's just a few pages) for the Arctic Games (the company that owns MORON). Let THEM teach you how to write for THEIR system. I don't know how to teach you how to write for ANY system (other than Die In Place, an RPG system few of you have ever heard of).

By Dwight Lillibridge (Nostromo) on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 - 09:09 pm: Edit

what if we brew our own rules for PD MORONS that we use as house rules? can we share with ya....

By Garth L. Getgen (Sgt_G) on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 - 09:10 pm: Edit

"Die In Place" sounds like a variant of D&D called IDNOST (Instant Death, No Saving Throw) that I got roped into play once upon a time.


Garth L. Getgen

By Dwight Lillibridge (Nostromo) on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 - 09:18 pm: Edit

forgot to mention

http://www.artic-games.com/Main/index.htm

does exist, wasn't sure if this was a gag line or not, but did find a real link and company named artic games

By K. David Ladage (Kdladage) on Wednesday, June 14, 2006 - 09:34 am: Edit

I have responded (privately) to Mr. Cole. I have provided the answers to a few questions he had for me, specifically.

I have also sent an e-mail to Grey Ghost Press (the publishers of FUDGE) to collect a little data for Mr. Cole when it comes to that system.

We'll see.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Wednesday, June 14, 2006 - 10:57 am: Edit

KDL: Sorry, I really don't mean to pester but I need to give you some advice. Never call him Mr. Cole. Steve Cole or SVC is the way to address him (by HIS request) around here. Mr. Cole (on this site) refers to his father (God rest his soul).

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, June 14, 2006 - 11:07 am: Edit

Pity that you can start a company without knowing how to spell "arctic".

"Arctic Games" is a fictional game company I use in my book HOW TO RUN A GAME PUBLISHING COMPANY to illustrate certain points.

By K. David Ladage (Kdladage) on Wednesday, June 14, 2006 - 11:13 am: Edit

No problem. I was not aware, and certainly meant no slight against SVC's father. If I were able to edit that post, I would.

Steve Cole: Please accpet my most sincere appologies.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, June 14, 2006 - 11:20 am: Edit

There is Nothing to apologize for. The point of not being addressed as "Mr Cole" is that we're all a bunch of gamers having a good time. I'm not better than any of you so I don't need to be addressed with ah honorific.

I grew up in my father's business (where HE was "Mister Cole" and nobody else was) and in the armory (where he was "Colonel Cole" and you had better not forget it). In both places, I was just "Steve" or "Steve Cole". If somebody says "Mister Cole" I don't realize they're talking to me.

When I worked as an engineer, we were all on a first-name basis (which was really bad since there were three "Steves" and five "Bobs" out of about 12 people in the construction office). My "code" for blueprints and other documents was "SVC" and I got used to going through files and memos looking for my initials (which I still do here). Funny thing is that the code was always two letters but Sam Collier had been SC for years when I got there, so I got to be SVC.

By K. David Ladage (Kdladage) on Wednesday, June 14, 2006 - 12:04 pm: Edit

I am glad to hear that! I feel like, over the last couple of weeks, I have done little on these boards but trip over my keyboard.



And I can relate (to a degree). I am 'Kenneth David Ladage.' My father is 'Kenneth Roy Ladage.' He hates the name 'Roy' and so has always gone by 'Kenneth' or 'Ken.' I was always called 'David' growing up, and so when people call me 'Kenneth' or 'Ken' I start looking for my Dad.

When I worked as a Network Systems Engineer at ENTRE Information Systems, I was given the name 'Ken' for eight months, thanks to the fact that my group, out of 23 people(1), had six Davids in it. When several of them had left the company, and we were down to me, I sent a global e-mail demanding my name back. That was a moot point, however, as I left that company a few months after that.



(1) Interestingly, this is also when I developed a theory that computer geeks tend to migrate to nurses in social situations. Of the 23 individuals in the Systems Engineering group, 19 of us were married to, engaged to, or dating nurses (this includes the one female in our group, who was engaged to a male nurse). As teh Dave's left (and others) more Systems Engineers would come in, each one replaced by another computer geek with a nurse as a significant other...

By Shane Henry (Shane) on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 01:43 am: Edit

I'm new to Prime Directive. I feel glad there is a Star Trek d20 game. I am wondering what are the races and classes of PD20?

By Andy Palmer (Andypalmer) on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 08:26 am: Edit

Shane.

RACES: All the major Star Fleet Universe ones (Human, Vulcan, Klingon, Romulan, Gorn, Kzinti, Tholian, etc.) as well as some minor races (Andorian, Rigellian, etc.). It ends up being a very long list; lots of options.

CLASSES: Naval Line Officer (class used for enlisted star fleet personnel as well - covers Navigations, Helm, and Weapons), Soldier, Rogue, Merchant, Fighter Pilot, Medical Specialist, Engineering Specialist, Communications Specialist, Galactic Intelligence Agent, Science Specialist, Security Specialist (Going from memory; I think I got them all). Basically covers anything you might want to be in the universe.

By Shane Henry (Shane) on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 01:02 am: Edit

Okay thanks Andy, that looks good. Another question: does Star Fleet Games have the rights to publish the RPG stats for specific characters from TOS, such as Kirk and Spock? And if so, do any of the PD20 books include them?