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[Renton]

I still suggest OpenRPG as it has character sheets and a map screen. You need Python stuff to make it work.
http://www.rpgobjects.com/index.php?c=orpg&m=getorpg

And oh yeah, I'm the ranger of the party.

[Akhel]

If your system supports it, Otaku, I'd like to play in a current day or cyberpunk setting. Just a suggestion, I'll go with anything.

[Inanimate]

I prefer IRC. Which can be just as private.

Of course! I like MSN though, I was just stating the privacy part too.

If your system supports it, Otaku, I'd like to play in a current day or cyberpunk setting. Just a suggestion, I'll go with anything.

Awesome! I would love to see that!

I still suggest OpenRPG as it has character sheets and a map screen. You need Python stuff to make it work.
http://www.rpgobjects.com/index.php?c=orpg&m=getorpg

And oh yeah, I'm the ranger of the party.

Woah, nice system! That would be a massive help. Right?

[Bree]

I'll go ahead and describe my system, so you'll understand how it works.

When making a character, you begin with the obvious- Player name, Character name, and Physical Description. You also get three stats, Speed, Strength, and Smarts. You rank one as a 3, one as a 2, and one as a 1, 3 being your highest/best skill, and 1 being your lowest/worst. These are used in what I call conflicts.

Conflicts aren't like combat, in that they don't necessarily have to be fighting. It's simply two (or more) opposing forces. The DM picks the stat most appropriate for the given situation, and throws them in with a dice roll.

Let's use this example: Say you wanna punch this guy in the face. Seeing as you're punching, you would most likely be using Strength, a 3 for our example. The other guy decides he doesn't want to be punched, so he wants to move out of the way. This will use his Speed, a 2.

Two dice are rolled, one for each side- doesn't matter how many sides there are (I've personally just used traditional six-sided dice in test runs, simply because I have more of those on hand). The Puncher gets a 4, and the Punchee gets a 3.

Puncher: 3+4= 7
Punchee: 2+3= 5

Puncher is successful in punching. The difference between the two (2, in this case) shows how effective it was, if you care to add extra narrative details.

And... that's it. Players have health (probably 30 points or so), which they can gain or lose in various ways. If they lose all their points, they can become ghosts, doing spooky ghost stuff until revived properly.

The goal is to create a system of loosely structured improvisational storytelling, with less emphasis on nonsensical numbers. There are likely issues with the system, but that's what playtesting is for. If it's all right, I'd like to start off with a group of four or so players, at least until everyone (myself included) is comfortable with the system. I have some dice by my laptop, so any ordinary private chat room will do just fine. I currently have no instant messaging service right now, but if everyone can agree on one, then I could go ahead and download it.

[Renton]

Brilliant system. Mind if I use it in my own games?

[reetva]

Quite brilliant!  I like how it makes the game quick to get into. 

[Bree]

Oh, I almost forgot an extra idea I came up with: The Sexy Factor.

Let's go back to the conflict example. Mr. Puncher really, really, REALLY wants to punch Mr. Punchee in the face. Maybe he slept with his wife or something, I dunno. But he wants to get it done, right? So he can ask the DM to use the Sexy Factor, and rolls with an extra die. Let's say the conflict ends with a value of 12, in Mr. Puncher's favor. The DM can add in a nice little detail about how Mr. Punchee's head lands in a dumpster nearby if he likes, and then starts a timer. Once the Sexy Factor has been used by the players, it cannot be unleashed for a given amount of real-world time. Let's say 10-15 minutes, depending on how slow your players are.

Brilliant system. Mind if I use it in my own games?

Not at all! I guess I need a name for it, though. I was considering calling it "Sexy Adventure Time", but I'm not sure if it's stupid enough. Any suggestions?

Also, if we're wanting to play, we need to decide a way to communicate, and a meeting time. I'm free tonight, if anyone else is.

[Renton]

I say make it once a game for each player so it feels rare and therefore sexier.

[Bree]

Sure- I'll try that whenever we start up a game.

[Inanimate]

Wow, quite a brilliant system. Sexy Factor, I agree, should be once a game. For the sexiness, of course.

[Akhel]

Heh, that sounds cool. What about more complex modifiers, though, such as equipment and magic?

All of us have MSN, so that's probably the best IM choice, even if not to play, just for faster communication. If you really need maps I think we should play in OpenRPG; otherwise, MSN would be likely to do great.

[Hideous]

Can't do anything until the weekend, myself.

[Bree]

I'm honestly not sure yet. I haven't thought about equipment effects (I was imagining much of it would be cosmetic anyway), but I have been pondering magic. Either I could magic its own separate stat (Sorcery?), or it would be simply applied to the appropriate stat based on the description of the action. Think of it this way: Let's say you want to cast a spell to punch a guy that's really far away... in the face. Are you using your Strength to magically punch that guy, or are you using your Smarts to recall the spell? If I go that direction, it would mostly be up to the DM's discretion to decide, which can be a good or bad thing, depending on your perspective.

I'm currently signed onto MSN- everyone who's interested in playing, please send me your screenname so that I can add you to my contacts list. Anyone else available for tonight?

[Akhel]

Well, you have mine. I'm available every day this week except Wednesday and Friday.

[Inanimate]

I'm probably free very day. However, this week is going to be pretty hard, so stuff might suddenly pop up. Doesn't matter much anyways, since I'm just a spectator, just stating...

[Akhel]

Alright - me, Otaku42, battlerager and Renton have agreed to start Saturday somewhere between 16:00 and 19:00 GMT. Is that good for you, Hideous, reetva and Inanimate?

EDIT: Here's a handy table.

Player list:	Timezone:
Otaku42 (Dungeon Master)	GMT-5
Kao	GMT-3
reetva	GMT-7
Hideous	GMT+1?
Renton	GMT+2
battlerager	GMT+1
Inanimate (spectator)	GMT-8

[Inanimate]

Oh, I'm in Washington state. That's like, Pacific or something. GMT-8.

Saturday is perfect.

Now, we can work with Otakus system. I would suggest Smarts as Magic, since 'Wisdom' is commonly a magic stat. And can't equipment just add to the bonus AFTER the roll?

[Bree]

Yes, but then we'd have to start devising stats for every single piece of equipment a player could encounter, which isn't really the fun part- at least, it isn't for me. If we have equipment, it will likely have more interesting differences, like being able to shoot ice beams or jaywalk or something.

We've finally settled on a setting- I'll post a short intro in a bit, to get everyone ready to create their character.

Oh, and one more thing we're going to try- besides Speed, Strength, and Smarts, each character gets one Special skill, which can be anything they wish, and is given a value of 4 SexyPoints (patent pending). Choose wisely!

[Inanimate]

You just make this more amazing by the minute. And yes, your equipment idea is better. I like that your system is more loose, and fun.

[Bree]

And this is my introduction to the game we'll be setting up Saturday. Enjoy:

It was another cold winter in New Albania- colder than usual. Icicles clung to the roof of the Trout's Whiskers, a local internet cafe known publicly for its okroshka, and known secretly for something far more deadly. Papa Taras, the owner of the place, was one of the few that had been alive during the 12-Second War. He saw his home destroyed, and rebuilt into something much... stranger. Since that fateful day, he began sending out pamphlets and chain e-mails to warn the people about their precious Czar Byrek, and how his goons had begun wiretapping every one of their homes. Well, he was bound to be found out sooner or later, and they could have thrown him into the Valbone right then and there. Trouble was, he was a local favorite, and it turned out he had some friends in high places. So they let him off relatively easy- he didn't need his eyes or legs, anyway. Even so, it wasn't enough. The foolish old men in office failed to realize what Taras had done; he had started a revolution. Inside every pamphlet he sent were instructions on basic hacking tips, ways to subvert the national firewalls, and a mysterious clue, carved in thick red letters:

"FIND THE SVAROG, BEFORE THEY DO."

Post your character "sheet" here before we start the game, so I can plan a little bit ahead. You'll need:

Player Name:
Character Name:
Physical Description:

Stats-
Speed:
Strength:
Smarts:

Special Skill:

Good night!