You may have foreshadowed your own problem by saying that DD is in Delta, the 4th iteration...so when you are done with this version of DD, you only have to completely redo the game two more times!

I miss the random chargen charts.  You can still do them using D6D6 36 option charts.  

With the Agent templates, you might instead offer 1 general one for the class and then have fast-play specialty agents (Grifter, Hunter, etc) all spiffed out with the specialty skills and gear picked so GMs can use them as fleshed out NPCs or players can use them instantly like the D6 Star Wars characters.

I miss your Medic class.  The Space Cleric was an interesting idea I've not really seen in other RPGs and the concept was going interesting places.

I am not understanding how 6 traits = 3 attribute points.  If I am shooter or a pilot, putting those points into my skills sounds far better math than attaching traits.   Try it in the playtest and see how the math breaks down.

You could always go back to "free trait for skills 3+" and even have it 1 trait at 3, 2 traits at 4, 3 traits at skill 5, etc.

I am unsure if the +1 specialty vs. -1 specialty works.   Again, see how the players feel about it.

Gear packages are good.

12 die cap is probably fine.   It should be interesting to see how often in the playtests they are rolling more than 10 dice.

I am a little unclear on the D#

What is failure vs. partial for Epic / Legendary / Nigh-Impossible?

Does 0 merits = failure for Difficult challenges?  

I am unsure of the merit math.   It seems to me at first glance that most of the game will be spent with partial successes.   If the D# is 3 for a Difficult challenge, why not have 3 = Success and 1-2 = partial?

Have you considered 4,5,6 = Merit?   How would that affect your math?   The exploding 6s is interesting, but it adds more die rolling and die reading to each task.

I suggest adding Random Name charts for various companies.  Maybe a column A + column B style.  

I am not grokking the DC vs. DR for weapons vs. armor.

Quote from: Spinachcat;425968I miss the random chargen charts.  You can still do them using D6D6 36 option charts.  

With the Agent templates, you might instead offer 1 general one for the class and then have fast-play specialty agents (Grifter, Hunter, etc) all spiffed out with the specialty skills and gear picked so GMs can use them as fleshed out NPCs or players can use them instantly like the D6 Star Wars characters.

I miss your Medic class.  The Space Cleric was an interesting idea I've not really seen in other RPGs and the concept was going interesting places.

I am not understanding how 6 traits = 3 attribute points.  If I am shooter or a pilot, putting those points into my skills sounds far better math than attaching traits.   Try it in the playtest and see how the math breaks down.

You could always go back to "free trait for skills 3+" and even have it 1 trait at 3, 2 traits at 4, 3 traits at skill 5, etc.

I am unsure if the +1 specialty vs. -1 specialty works.   Again, see how the players feel about it.

Gear packages are good.

12 die cap is probably fine.   It should be interesting to see how often in the playtests they are rolling more than 10 dice.

I am a little unclear on the D#

What is failure vs. partial for Epic / Legendary / Nigh-Impossible?

Does 0 merits = failure for Difficult challenges?  

I am unsure of the merit math.   It seems to me at first glance that most of the game will be spent with partial successes.   If the D# is 3 for a Difficult challenge, why not have 3 = Success and 1-2 = partial?

Have you considered 4,5,6 = Merit?   How would that affect your math?   The exploding 6s is interesting, but it adds more die rolling and die reading to each task.

I suggest adding Random Name charts for various companies.  Maybe a column A + column B style.  

I am not grokking the DC vs. DR for weapons vs. armor.

I will be putting some random charts back in--especially for traits. The general idea is that 3 Dice gives you a chance for success, but a trait will always move your success up one level. It comes in rarely but has more guaranteed impact.

0 merits does mean failure, you need at least 1 merit. Difficulty numbers adjusted because previously they removed successful dice completely, now they only require you need more than the number listed to succeed. D#3 should mean 1-2 is partial and 3+ merits is a Good success.

We have tried 4.5.6 as merits earning. It works but seems to make higher numbers more likely. I was aiming at Partial and Good Success coming up more often than complete failure, and Astounding successes.

I'll have to see about Space Clerics, I think the problem became one of being too weird for the pulp game, but we might add something similar back in as play progresses. May split the Esper into a healer type, and a combat type with both allowing some flexibility for information gathering.

Random Names will go in, a good idea.

As for DC vs DR, the DC is the damage a weapon is capable of doing on an ordinary success. It does half that on a partial success, and kills if it penetrates armor (if that is the Delvers intent) on an Astounding success.

DR simply absorbs that much damage. So if a Beamgun does DC8, and an Archive Sealsuit has DR3. then the hero will take 5 points of damage to their Heroism Points. (This makes the beamgun dangerous but not instantly so. Unless the Delver rolls really well)

I had a weird (and probably too Forge-like) mechanic idea that a friend in part came up.

Derelict Delvers Weird System


There are two type of tests in DD, one is the Task Roll. It is used when nothing long term, such as injury, suffocation or otherwise
damaging can occur. These test are things such as checks for information, resolving non-dangerous social interactions and the like.


The other type of test is the Threat roll. It is performed when things are dangerous. Both rolls are done simalrly but the results are different.

The basic roll is stat+skill in D6's. One must get a number of D6's equal to the rating to succeed. In a Task Rating that is all, but each merit gained
on a basic roll earn a Heroism die for Threat rolls. Heroism dice can only be spent on Threat rolls.


Threat rolls are tested vs a Threat Rating. The Threat rating consists of three important bits of information. The threat rating itself. The threat threshold
and the consequence result.


A normal Task roll is simply get as many merits as the Task D#

A Threat roll requires the Delver get as many merits as the D# (Threat Rating) before the threshold is reached. A player
can roll stat+skill+heroism dice as they wish. However each dice which doesn't earn merits earns an increase in the threshold. When it equals
the Threat rating. The hero suffers the consequence. Some threat tests may include more than one Threat rating, consequences and so on--testing
physical or mental elements.

Heroism Dice spent in Threat rolls are lost until more are earned through tasks.

Multiple Delvers may attempt a test together, and larger problems may be split amongst several different threats.


Once a threat roll is engaged, it automatically gets one die a round towards triggering its effect, unless otherwise noted.


Of course taking extra time, before one engages the threat can reduce the threat rating. Changing tactics can also reduce the threat threshold earned so far, for some dangerous threat.

I'm over complicating things again. Blah.

Anyone think I should just say screw it and write the universe as D6 system with my personal touches?

I like D6, but fist full of D6es was mentioned as a problem.


Alternately I think I can do some of the above with a flat 2d10+Stat+Skill vs D#; with the possibility of earning additional dice and taking the best two.

Quote from: Silverlion;431028Anyone think I should just say screw it and write the universe as D6 system with my personal touches?

Write a 1 page description of your dream of DD.  Describe what you want to see in a play session, the kinds of characters, the kind of action, what you want the players to achieve, what you want them to do with the game mechanics and what you want the GM to do.   Look at what you want the game to achieve in actual play.   The game mechanics should support the setting and the types of adventure / experience you want for the players.

My thoughts?

I wonder if DD would be a great boardgame, aka Space Hulk + Descent + some kind of character / campaign mechanics.

Quote from: Spinachcat;432065W

I wonder if DD would be a great boardgame, aka Space Hulk + Descent + some kind of character / campaign mechanics.

It might, but art and figures for such things are madly expensive to have made.

I also thing the way DD is going, as an RPG, is working well.

I need ideas (beyond my own) for what goes in star equipment packs for the various professions: Soldier, Scout, Scientist, Esper...

Each profession has three examples, and I'd like three sample gear packs. What I have now is nice, but I'd like more. What would you give to explorers (of new things, and ruins) aside from a beam gun, a basic spacesuit, and a light.