So lately I have been discussing with Quidam, the possibility of running a roleplaying game.  I have a (new) idea for a potential system, it is fairly basic and stripped down, which should make it good for forum based play.  I'll get to that in a minute.

Before anything can happen, though, there are a few issues.  First, of course, is interest.  There can not be a game without players.  This would be a tg and tf themed game, with an adult rating, because, frankly, if I'm going to build a game it is going to be adult oriented.  It's just how I am.  If people would be interested in such a thing, either in one of my systems or utilizing a completely different one, let me know.  If there are enough people to play, I'll start putting some serious effort in to it.

The second issue, however, is the game play itself.  It would likely have to be a forum based, play by post game.  One of the biggest issues with this type of game is resolving actions.  I would need one of three things to make it work.  The first tool would be a random number generator or dice roller program that could automatically append a non-editable result to a post in a forum on request.  This way, when needed, dice rolls could be handled in a fashion that is both convenient and not questionable.  Failing that, I would use a database or similar sort of tool where the "attacker" would enter in a number calculated based on the number of points he/she spends, then the defender does the same, and it then shows the results with the higher one "winning".  The trouble here is that it would need to work in such a way that it could save the entry so that both players do not need to be on at the same time, and it needs to keep the entries hidden until the final step.  It is also not as clean as a random number generator would be, and would require a bit more work to get the system to function properly for certain things.  The last possibility would be a fair system capable of resolving conflict without need for a random generator of any sort, something that I have yet to be able to develop.

If these issues can be resolved, and there is interest, I would be willing to put together a roleplaying environment.

Now, as for the system I am developing.

Once again, I am working with a fantasy setting, revolving around magic.  I usually go for magic over sci fi, just personal preference.  Though I also find that magic is easier to work with for developing a system, since the rules can be a bit more flexible.  Essentially, players would create their characters and then have a choice to make regarding the magic they could wield.

Magic in this system is divided up in to three categories.  Body, Mind, and Spirit.  During creation, the player chooses to take one of the three and give up one of the three.  The one they select is the character's primary discipline.  The character can not learn any spells from the discipline they give up.  They can learn spells from the remaining discipline, but at a higher cost.

Body is the most obvious, the most flashy of the magics.  This is the magic that affects the physical world directly.  Turning something in to something else.  Manipulating the elements.  Altering the properties of substances.  Anything that directly affects the physical makeup of the world is a Body spell.

Mind is all about controlling thoughts and senses.  It does not affect the world, but it can affect how people perceive it.  Mind spells can do everything from force someone to obey commands or to make them think they see (or hear, or touch, etc) something that is not there.  Anything that affects the senses or concious thought is a Mind spell.

Spirit is the most subtle of disciplines.  Spirit is about affecting emotions.  It can be easily hidden and hard to detect, but Spirit spells can inspire loyalty, happiness, fear, anger, sadness or any sort of emotion.  Used properly, it can change the course of armies.  Anything that affects the emotions of people is a Spirit spell.

The setting and rest of the system is still, as of yet, largely undefined.  Until I know it will be used, I didn't want to put more time or effort into it than what I came up with in my mental wanderings.

Now, I ask you, what are your thoughts on the matter?