I would much rather use Skype seeing as how their voice chat system actually works compared to the tin-can feeling of steam's chat. Google-Docs overall is just a nice to have group work system, and we could even share the page out to let people test the game. So now I think our issue is getting every ones Skype username or at least steam if one does not have Skype (if not, it is free, try it).



Steam:FullMetalRiku

Skype:Halfdragon95

I'm against using a D6 system, and even more so against combining a D100 and a D6 system in the same rules set.

In my opinion, "ease of prediction" is a very important aspect of RPG rules, allowing the Gamemaster and the players to just wing it. With a D100 system, no player should have much trouble getting an impression how much a bonus improves their chances. It's easier on the GM as well, being able to make quick decisions along the lines of "They get a 25 point bonus, and I want this to feel challenging but not impossible, so I need a DC80 check."

Most D6 systems simply have too many variable make such on the fly rulings easy. In fact, taking away a die has a very different effect than increasing the number of successful rolls needed.



As an example, let's say that a 5 or 6 counts as a successful roll. Our character currently gets 2 dice, and he needs 1 successful roll to pass the check, but there may be adverse conditions, giving us the following results for our predictions:

• Without modifiers: 1-(2/3*2/3)=5/9=55%
• Lose 1 die: 1/3=33%
• Need one extra success: 1/3*1/3=1/9=11%
  
  

Estimated 55% chance of success might be considered a reasonably easy task, 33% a challenging one, but only 11% is far too low. Misjudging stats by a single point can turn a fight that was supposed to be tough into a potential Total Party Kill.



Similarly, a 2D6 (or 3D6) may have the advantage that the average roll is far more likely than rolling average on a D100, but at the same time modifiers have greater or lesser effect depending on what roll was needed in the first place.



Now, when it comes to a D100 system, the system could use additive bonuses or variable thresholds. Simply rolling D100+Stat-bonus is definitely straightforward. I do remember an interesting mechanic from a System called Degenesis, however: In that system, too pass a roll you need to roll under your relevant stat, but above the difficulty level of the task, with bonuses and penalties applying to either. It had the same net effect as an additive system (though this system used 2D6 instead of D100), with the benefit of effectively capping modifiers at certain levels (Armor, for example, was a difficulty threshold for damage rolls, with Armor Piercing weapons reducing it, though of course not below 0).





As far as the different aspects of characters are concerned, I think we should definitely take inspiration from how the hero skill trees in EL were apparently originally designed to work: Combining different branches into a larger tree, though not necessarily interconnected. I'd reserve that for special abilities and some passive buffs, and possibly spells, though, while keeping basic stats and skills completely unrestricted. Perhaps a character would pick 1 racial and 2 class/guild/archetype/trope trees at creation.





Regarding systems to work together: I think using google-docs will be fine, though we might want to set up a Dropbox folder as well. We can of course, as DotBeta suggests, also chat through Steam, though I do mostly use Skype.

If you guys have steam just friend each other and use steam chat?

Thats great to hear, and as for the system, I was going for a balance of luck and skill, like I get when using the D100 system. Now all we need to do is find a good chatroom to work together, rather then just the forums. Im not very familiar with most chatroom systems as all I really use is Skype, so any suggestions would be great ( for your thoughts?)

I am glad to help. I think google docs would be a goog place to start. There is a website where we can make and post polls so we can figure out stuff. Also I'm totally all for the d100 system it's just the personal one I was building included the d6 because my favorite dice are the d6 and d10. If you want a game with more skill based game play I suggest taking a look at the Star Wars edge of the empire and age of rebellion RPGs by fantasy flight. They use more complex dice and dice techniques but it's my second favorite dice rolling system for a RPG.

Hmm, the D6 system is a rather interesting one, and we would need to look into the pros and cons for that system compared to our lore. Because from what I see, D6 can be rather skill based, or highly luck based, simply by saying yay or nay to rerolls. A D20 system is more balanced between skills and luck, but as the game progresses, the system becomes much more skill based. Another system is the D100 system, which can rely heavily on luck for players that have no skills in an area, but allows a more skilled player to rely on higher skills without worrying about luck. I believe the D100 system would be best if we wish to keep the classes and player builds less restrictive in combat. Using the gameplay mechanics as a sort of lore base, expessically stuff like fire rain, the chances seem random but seem to increase as the game goes on, as in luck early, skill later. So a D100 system matches up best to what we want the game to be, and with the mechanics lore.



Your trope start sounds exactly how I envisioned my guild system, where a player starts with a basic guild that grants them access to specialized skills, but any faction can join any guild, except for a few racial guilds (Clans may have a special black market guild).



The magic tree system is a much more linear approach I feel. This would be the near opposite of the feeling I get in the tech "webs" of Endless Legend, but many heroes are based in the three trees of governor, general, and explorer. I personally think we should go with a racial passive tree, that may have 3 separate sections like heroes, but each guild should have a "web" of skills to improve. Also, the ability to summon a magic pool doesn't fit into the lore of Endless Legend, as no faction can currently create dust, dust being the magic of the universe. I see the idea of having it being just as currency, experience, and fuel for spells the most appropriate for the lore of Endless Legend.



(Just to clarify, Broken Lords siphon dust so they may start with a skill to covert/drain dust at the cost of life, from themselves or others)



So overall, I believe the standard D100 system is the most free and able to match up to the games lore. As for magic, we once again want it to be free yet a tiny bit restrictive and without boxing a player into any linear path, so a web would be great for doing this and keeping racial skills in a semi-linear tree would reduce the impact of race upon power.



Also, thanks for the advise on that book, I will try to look into a copy as it sound really helpful.



The true issue is, what system should we use for group work and what system to use for a chat system?

Group Work Systems=Google Docs, (will add more as they are suggested :P)

Chat Systems=Skype,Teamspeak, (once again will add more as suggested :P)



And btw, thanks for all the suggestions, they really help and keep my hopes for the project high ower:

Having just got Endless Legend last night I can tell you that 10 minutes into my game I was also thinking that this would make a wonderful world to set an Pen and Paper RPG game in. I have been working on a role playing system for the last few weeks, and I think it would be easily adapted to the Endless Legend style. I just started putting it together so it will be a little rough but here is the jist. For the most part I agree with the use of Percentiles rolls of 2 D10s to accomplish most tasks outside of combat. These would be driven by skill level (similar to Fantasy Flight RPGs set in the Warhammer 40k universe) Combat would be based on hits from d6's where the more skill levels you have in a weapon would allow more dice to be rolled (generally 0-5 skill level so skill level 0 you would roll 1 dice but reroll sucesses with perhaps a bonus to having maxed out a weapon at level 5), skill level 4? roll 4d6's you hit with a 4 or a 5 depending on the enemies skills 6's will be critical unless its the bare minimum you needed to hit . Then the opponent would have an ability to counter those rolls that hit with their defense skills.( This I haven't fully worked out yet but have it similar to weapons, maybe you would have to roll to meet or beat the enemies roll)



Classes would be kept simple at first but to share in the customize ability of the game you could tailor the class as you played to fit your style. The base classes that you would start with would be Light fighter (rogue) Heavy Fighter (warrior) Support (Mage). Depending on what race you played as you would have access to different starting skills, talents, and abilities. As you played your Heavy class you could unlock abilities that would help in combat or you could invest those abilities in skills like holy magic so you would make a paladin like class or in Berserk skills and dual wield to make a barbarian like class. Support could also put their skills in heavy like areas to create a mesh. Basically you would choose a Trope that you started as but then you could expand into other areas. Nothing will be off limits to your class except maybe racial skills.



Magic would be in trees, Similar to Dragon age where you start with a simple spell in the Fire tree (fire ball) then you could go with one of the two branches (the magic tree may have more branches depending on the type) as you go down the branch another spell is unlocked. you could fill out the tree and then get an ultimate spell for that magic tree. There would be multiple types of trees to go down and some races would have access to race specific ex. Broken Lords maybe having something like a special simple tree that would be unlocked for them at the start of the game. They might also have bonuses to using soul magic or something etc.



Magic in combat would probably work on the D6 system as well but instead of trying to hit the enemy you would first also try to successfully cast the spell. Maybe every turn you would have to use your magic skill to summon a pool of magic that you would use for the rest of the turn.



Like I said this is a really rough idea of the system I am making, I call it the D60 system, and I would be happy to submit it here for use in the Endless Legend RPG. If this does go further I think it would be fun if we worked together to make the system better and more to everyone's tastes, with votes on what to include etc. Also if Amplitude sees this and wants to make it a reality I would be more than happy to let them use the system we make here.



PS I am reading the complete kobolds guide to Game design, which is extremely helpful and I suggest it very much. you can get it rather Cheaply on Amazon or their website, it is extremely useful to any GMs or DMs that might want to create their own games and game worlds.

Well I am thinking of dust kinda like the Dark Souls soul system, where it is your currency, experience, and sometimes power. So all factions use it as money, and other will use it to generate flat upgrades. Even then, others may need to pay a "casting" cost or even require upkeep for more powerful effects, maybe even after the effect wears off? Like a Necrophage may add an extra layer of carapace over his old one to increase defense, flat cost. A Vaulter may use a special dust arrow, "casting" cost. Or a Ardent Mage may buff the party but suffer from residual dust drain, upkeep costs.



In this case, flat buffs are like passives in most other games and would be like our leveling system. To gain a "casting" spell, one may need to at first pay a flat rate to create the system which generates the effect, like a small arrow factory in a crossbow to make dust arrows. We could also have an overcharge effect that would wear out a player from using dust, require a dust drain effect afterwards, and use massive amounts of dust, just to use one powerful effect, such as a Mage crashing a whole meteor into the planet. Something crazy.



Classes may be a more like a guild system rather than classes. Players will be able to join special guilds that give them expert knowledge with certain areas of dust. Like a Necrophage may join a warrior guild and learn how to gain special combat mutations. With this, any player can join any guild as long as they meet requirements, meaning prestige and faction specific guilds would exist.



As for a map, I believe even a fan-made one would be useful and even possible to make while remaining faithful to the lore, seeing as how we know most of the starting location of the factions and even the minor factions seem to have spawning biases. With some digging and some real-life science, we could create a "logical" map or Auriga.



I also propose that we find some kind of internet group work system, like Google docs, and start a chat room system, possibly with voice chat. As well as start recruiting some more members of the community to help us.

The in-universe source of magic isn't so much what concerns me, but rather how to turn that into a set of machanics. Using dust as a "mana pool" would be easy for spell-casters like Ardent Mages, and perhaps for the Wild Walkers with their shapeshifting, but what about the mutations you suggest for the Necrophages, or the enchantments for the vaulters? Those strike me more as Dust being the equivalent of experience rather than mana.

Would all of these use a different system entirely to measure (or limit) their dust-based power?

And I'm still unsure about the question of the class-based or free system: I enjoy the freedom of assigned skills and abilities as I please, without restriction by class, but at the same time classes can serve to add a lot of flavor. And if the system uses classes, would they be tied into the factions, with each faction offering a few distinct classes, or would they rather be over-arching generic classes?





On a different note, I just realized that for this effort, a canonical map of Auriga would be incredibly useful.

Im thinking it should be based on its own rule system, using percentile rolls. As for magic, that would be as simple as looking towards the lore our great Devs have given us, Dust. It is not just currency but a magic fuel like mana is in other games, and each different race can use it in different ways. (Vaulters=Enchant, Wild Walkers=The Sharing, Broken Lords=Healing/Sheilding, Nercophages=Mutations. Mages=Buff Structures, and Clans=Money Only) Next up is the artwork like you said, and to that I was hoping for a minor amount of Dev support, perhaps I will send them an email requesting some support if we get this going. Even with Dev support I would also like to showcase some fan-made art as well, maybe have art contests for each page?

I had entertained similar ideas before, in my case an Endless Space based board or card game.

So, you definitely have my support, and I'd help as much as I can. Of course, a project like this is a massive effort, and a few important questions need to be considered very early:



Would this adapt an existing rules system, or attempt to create one from scratch?

In either case, should it be a class- and level-based system, or a free system?

How would the magic system work? Vancian spell slots as in DnD, a Mana Point system, or perhaps a Drain system like Shadowrun?

And how can we get the devs to hand over the high-res versions of all the art used in the game? The artwork for this game is so damn good, and I'm sure that a fan with some layout experience could use that art to create a pdf of any such RPG system we create that would be worthy of sitting on an actual store shelf.