Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Resolution sub-systems for SC3E

I'm going over my options for resolution sub-systems for SC3E. I would like to use different resolution systems for SC3E than those included in IHWSC, which are the well-tested StarPerc, StarPool, and Star20 systems.

One system that is a shoo in is the StarKarma diceless system. This is a non-random system using skill rank + attribute bonus + effort markers, with effort being a renewable resource. This is very close to completion, and just needs some final playtesting to clean it up.

Another option is the StarBalance system, with attribute bonus + skill rank + (dX-dX). This gives a result that averages attribute bonus + skill rank, but depending on the die used, can vary widely. This one is less developed than StarKarma, but looks very promising.

Yet another candidate is StarRisk - a system where you can choose to succeed automatically with a mild success, or shoot for something better and risk failure. This system is somewhere between StarKarma and StarBalance in the development cycle, but I really like some aspects of it.

There is also StarStory, which is embryonic, but intrigues me. I'm not a story-oriented GM, but others are, and I think I this system would be good at this. This system would definitely require more work before it is viable, though.

There are also two variants on Star20 - Star20.1 uses 1d20 rather than 4d6-4, and Star20.2 uses 2d10 - but are otherwise the same.

Right now I'm leaning toward StarKarma, StarRisk, and StarBalance. Any comments? Preferences?

-clash

2 comments:

  1. I'm not sure what my preference would be--I like StarRisk a lot, but it maybe too wild and wooly for you, then again I like the original system well enough, and StarPool is decent.

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  2. Yeah - my players really liked StarRisk when we playtested it last year, but it had a few rough spots I needed to smooth over.

    -clash

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