FABRICATION: A Game that Makes Games (Work in Progess) and Generic Systems
I spent this weekend working on "a game that makes games." This emerged because I have been considering doing a generic version of my "Unleashed Engine" (Simple Superheroes, Dungeons Unleashed) and have also been thinking about many of the generics that colleagues have made. AND thinking about Universalis, which is a great collaboratively create your setting and then do GMless writers room play.
I want something that can make GMless oneshots, and longterm play, and very focussed specific items. I want a book that helps you think about all the mechanics and procedures that you could use. This means it needs to be "loosely coupled" enough that it gives all sorts of weird pieces and ideas so you can make really different things. Goal is a book that helps designers design games, and while providing a playable game where you make some of those decisions.
Just like Universalis or Spark has a procedure/game that helps you make a setting, theme and atmosphere, the idea here is to do that too, while also gamifying the making of procedures and the making of mechanics so that you can do it collaboratively and be surprised.
I'm happy with the draft I have so far, but there's definitely more that needs to be handled in terms of "phases" of play. If anyone is keen to see and want's to provide thoughts it's close to being were I want to alpha test it.
In the interim if you are interested in Generic Systems:
You can find a number of them here https://composedreamgames.com/marketplace/genre/generic
Basic Roleplaying
-- this is the 2023 release of the classic d100 engine that powers Call of Cthulhu, Runequest and many others.
Sword's Edge RPG
-- a system with a 20 and counting supplements/adventures in PDF. It tends towards quick action, with 2d10 resolution. Character concepts and element are defined by each player for each character, and Pivots are character goals that provide benefits when they are achieved.
Spark
Shared scene setting between the GM and players (Platform, Titl, and Question), and player's have some additional narrative influence via rolling their Spark attribute.
It's been repurposed in Sig: Manual of the Primes and After the War.
Spark has an interesting procedure for collaboratively generating worlds/settings.
Screenplay
Writer's room style approach, though each player is mostly focussed on their main character. They can, and should introduce NPCs into scenes to both help and be-fuddle the Director (GM).
The above all do cool things -- but none give you widgets to change how or what you might roll, or what the phases of play are (i.e. Spark and Screenplay both care about scenes, quite a bit. But what if we want downtime mechanics?)
So that's the goal. We'll see.
Comments
Updated to add the working title that just came to me "Fabrication"