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Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Miami Vice-inspired RPG - Part 1


I've made it my mission to come up with an investigative rpg that support's OSR-style play (meaning, in this case, very rules-light, players' skills over character skills and open-ended, non-railroaded adventures)

Here's the "system" I've got so far. The goal is to keep it as minimalist as possible. This is the easy part. The though one is writing adventures, good ones at that, easy to run and that support the above mentions play-style. But that comes later. The rules first:

  • There are no stats. The detectives the players portray in this game are supposed to be the best in the department. Anything Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs can do in the TV show, then you can do, too
  • Detectives start with a sports car, a boat, a pet alligator, a gun, a contact (non-police) and a cover identity.
  • Task resolution. Roll 2d6: on a 7 or more you succeed.
  • Situational modifier. When things get tougher than normal, roll 3d6 and pick the two worst result. VICEversa, when a task is made easier, roll 3d6 and pick the best two.
  • Character Advancement. Nope
  • Core Activity. This is the crux of the whole endeavor. Needs to be clear and supported by a series of procedures. In this game players are expected to solve an investigation by searching for clues. The correct interpretation of those clues will then point them toward the perpetrator(s) of the crime which they will have to successfully apprehend in order to close the case. Here's what I've got so far in terms of rules and procedures to support it:
    • Time: investigations are ALWAYS time sensitive, so this is important. It takes 1 Hour to go from one part of Miami to another. 1 Turn lasts 10 minutes (used when searching, interacting with NPC, etc.). 1 Round last 10 seconds (used for shootouts, brawls, chases and whenever detailed time is needed)
    • Movement: see above for moving through the city. In 1 Turn detectives can cover an area of 100 square feet (30 square meters) on foot. In 1 Round they can go from here to there, where here is their current location and there is a nearby object or person of interest.
    • Search locations for clues: the detectives simply declare where they're searching. If the clue is there, they find it. Searching an area of approximately 10 square feet takes 10 minutes
    • Interact with NPC: classic D&D reaction roll applies. Role-play or not, up to you. Use task resolution to determine outcome of conversation when in doubt
    • Shootouts: either against Goons or Bosses. Roll 2d6 per detective per Round and score 7 or higher. Goons are taken out with one hit, Bosses go down in 3. If roll fails, the detective takes a hit, Detectives can be uninjured, grazed, wounded (disadvantage on rolls) or seriously wounded. In this last condition they fall unconscious and any subsequent hit kills them. If detectives + allies outnumber the bad guys or are better positioned, roll with advantage. VICEversa, roll with disadvantage.
    • Brawls: like above but with fists.
    • Chases: tracked on a scale from 1 to 6. Fleeing vehicle starts at 3, pursuer at 1. Every Round both roll 2d6, highest roll moves forward by 1 step. When one step away from each other, passengers other than the drivers can shoot. On a success 1-in-6 chances to blow tire and 1-in-6 chances to hit driver. Any other result does nothing. When the distance between vehicles reaches 0, the pursuer has caught up with fugitive and can ram (3-in-6 chance of occupants dying in the crash). If fleeing vehicle reaches 6 it escapes.
    • Injury recovery: wounded detectives recover after 3 hours spent resting in a safe location. Seriously wounded ones must spend 24 Hours at the hospital, then they are back in action.
Next up, more core activities, specifically procedures exclusive to investigative play, such as how to make use of police resources and how to set up a surveillance.

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