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Thoughts on using the core system (IE dice pooling, roll system, strategems, ect.) for my own game?

A topic by Tatters created Aug 29, 2023 Views: 211 Replies: 4
Viewing posts 1 to 3

This is a bit of an odd one but to keep it as short as I can: I've been working for a while on my own homebrew system called Dream Dance, which is about boots on the ground demon hunters (kind of a proto chainsaw man setting).

It's been a long time since I last worked on it but plaiyng Steel Hearts kinda brought back my love of pen and paper and I wanted to know if it was okay to use and modify the underlying system of Steel Hearts (Seven Sages, I think the book calls it?) for use in Dream Dance.

To be more specific, I would be looking to make use of:

~The way dice pools are formed
~The way hits are calculated from those dice pools

~The Syn system, though maybe modified a bit
~A modified version of the Stratagem system, where you learn them for a weapon type and bring X number into a session instead of them being tied directly to your weapons
~A modified version of the mech parts system to act as the basis for an equipment system

~maybe a modified version of the MEC node and perk system, though I might replace that entirely.

I have no intent to distribute the game commercially, I just wanna revive my old fun anime game and maybe get it in the hands of some folks outside of my imediate friend group.

Developer

Oh absolutely!! I always encourage people to remix what they like in my works and make it their own ^^ It's flattering to hear that you're vibing with the systems so much and exciting to hear about what you're cooking / how you're remixing it!

You're also welcome to release it commercially if you'd like ^^ My only requests are that you give a shout out in the credits to me/Steel Hearts for whatever mechanics end up inspiring you // you send me a link so I can purchase a copy when you release it >:3 ((And likewise if you ever want to bounce your ideas off someone or get a second set of eyes on the system, let me know!))

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it's all conceptual for the moment, but some of my notes/intents, since you seem interested.

Mechanical:

~somewhere around 6 to 8 weapon types, each with their own techniques (what I'm calling stragems) to learn, with special weapons (artifacts, demon weapons or just gear with special stuff built in) having extra techniques built in.

~Some kind of limit (possibly 6?) for how many techniques you can have at once, swapping them out between sessions. (This does not include techniques stapled to your gear)

~maybe a system for making pacts with demons, forever giving up technique slots to get special powers from them.

~Some means of codifying team attacks as a mechanic, since all the hypest moments in previous versions of the system were big team finishers.

~modifying the mec part system to have head/upper body/lower body slots for armor and the like, 2 hand slots for weapons and a 'misc' slot that can hold an extra weapon or some kind of special gear

~low health pools for allies and enemies alike, fights end quickly, one way or another.

Setting:

~demon hunting as a career

~Most demon hunters work for 'The Guild', an organization that builds big guild halls to operate out of over top of vaults containing ancient and dangerous artifacts.

~Some half demons and demigods work with the guild as hunters in addition to the majority human workforce

~in recent years, demon sightings and attacks have gotten far more common, as have 'exceptional individuals', the subset of humans with the right physical, mental and spiritual quirks to be demon hunters

~some folks will make pacts with demons for power, some of those people become demon hunters

This entire setting was written years before Chainsaw Man, somehow, though the demon pact thing was added just recently due to chainsaw man.

Developer

I totally forgot to reply to this, BUT this absolutely rocks!! I really dig the directions you're taking this ((especially bringing the system back into a more deadly orbit - health bars got kinda bloated over the game's life span XT ))

Having the rotating Techniques slot is an addition that's particularly exciting and the vibes in general seem rad!! 

Re; Team Attacks - Group Synergy dumps can be a really cool way to do this while keeping to a tighter balance, or perhaps techniques with Chances? - Alternatively you could build a whole new system on top of this that's /literally/ an all out attack type vibe with each character having a difficult/unique Trigger and once one player procs theirs everyone can join in ((just spitballing here)

amusingly, in the time between replies the setting has evolved a little.

Instead of pacts we now have Grafts, parts of demons that you force to fuse with your own body to gain power. We also have 6 different flavors of spellcaster, split between angelic and demonic power sources.

Angelic:

~Fundamentalist (Earth, Wind, Water)

~Genesis Caller (Summoning)

~Lux Weaver (Light)

Demonic:

~Arcanist (Fire, Lightning, Ice)

~Umbra Weaver (Darkness)

~Dreamwalker (Dreams)

All with basic attacks, of course, but flavored very differnently.  An Arcanist might set you on fire, but a Genesis Caller will summon a swarm of angelic butterflies to peel off your flesh.

Plus some friends of mine have been helping me with magic items for the setting, my favorite being Charon's Obol.  It brings whoever holds it back from death once, as they use it to pay their way back up the river styx into their body, but when they die again they can't go to the afterlife at all, becoming an eternally tormented spirit wandering the earth until someone somehow destroys them. 

Stuff like that is the general vibe I'm going for, a setting where all the sharpest swords are double edged.