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Ideas for a D20 Based Death-Race Game  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
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Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut






Hi all,

I am currently embroiled in making my own game, which I feel is quite unique, but I'm concerned as I've neither tested the water to se whether there's an interest in it, nor have I had much experience with actual games of the genre. I've had a bit of a look and I can't see anything out there which isn't either a video game or very old.

The genre I'm referring to is a gritty death-race. I've played GorkaMorka in the past, and taken away some lessons about how to do vehicle movement (and how not to!), I've also played hastily-written death-race games in the FLGS, with terribly written rules (if you overlap a vehicle, keep moving forward until there is space to put your car down!) and I'm getting to the initial playtesting stage, with cardboard cutouts representing models, etc, so a loooong way off of having it ready, and I'm going to be a bit cagey on the details as I'm working on it in my spare time and don't want to suddenly find something similar being made by someone else!

My aim is to make the ruleset and to make the models, then run a kickstarter campaign or similar once I'm in a position where the rules are done, the models are ready to cast, but I need the money to start production. So it'll be a labour of love right until it's in a position to go commercial.

If anyone can think of any tabletop racing games that are out there, or that they played before, I would greatly appreciate knowing what's come before, so that I can avoid any mistakes they made!

I would also welcome any wishlisting, if you've been thinking about this but don't want to make it yourself, perhaps I can play genie a little bit as well!

Cheers!

>Edit< Updated the title to make it more relevant and hopefully get a little more traffic.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/09/19 08:48:57


12,300 points of Orks
9th W/D/L with Orks, 4/0/2
I am Thoruk, the Barbarian, Slayer of Ducks, and This is my blog!

I'm Selling Infinity, 40k, dystopian wars, UK based!

I also make designs for t-shirts and mugs and such on Redbubble! 
   
Made in us
Battlefield Tourist




MN (Currently in WY)

Car combat games are big right now but there is a lot of competition out there. The 300 lb Gorilla right now is Gaslands, which has a Death Race scenario as well as other games. However, there are other options out there as well.

The big issue is you will need to think carefully about why I would want to play your version of Death Race vs. anyone else? What is the "hook" for the game that makes it unique?

I recommend looking at a post I recently made about starting your own game here: https://bloodandspectacles.blogspot.com/2018/09/wargame-design-getting-started-on.html

I hope this helps you refine your concept and put together clear, concise design goals for your game.


Support Blood and Spectacles Publishing:
https://www.patreon.com/Bloodandspectaclespublishing 
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut






SoCal, USA!

Car Wars new edition will be Kickstarting soon. If your game isn't already significantly better (whatever that means) than Gaslands, it'll be dead between Car Wars winning on nostalgia. Car Wars is likely to suck up most of the air in the room.

   
Made in ca
Junior Officer with Laspistol





London, Ontario

To me, racing “model” games have an innate issue in how do you simulate the racer’s skill?

If you have a set speed that your vehicle moves, the fastest car should win, right? But that’s no fun, so you need a random element to the speed. But where’s the skill in that? I can dice-race with snakes and ladders, or candy land, or trouble.

In real racing, a track has a “line” of the ideal path to follow. Sticking to that path is one part of the skill. Another is maximizing your speed without exceeding the “traction circle” of your tires. Another part of the skill. In longer races, the strategy of tire wear - faster but more pit stops or slower but fewer pit stops - is a factor. Fuel conservation and drafting in another racer’s wake.

How would you translate the skills of racing to a miniature game? For myself, if the game didn’t have a reward for sticking to the line, an advantage for drafting, and some kind of resource management like fuel or tire wear, I’m not sure if it would pique my interest. Do you simulate speed / turning radius somehow?

Would each player have a team of racers, or is this a one-model game?
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut






SoCal, USA!

Racing games are *very* difficult to model well, precisely because of the issues you call out above, especially in any sort of near real-time play. I spent a while concepting a racing game, and had to stop, because it just wasn't coming out well in terms of traction v speed v game pace. I think such a game needs an egg timer.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/09/18 02:17:26


   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut






Thank you all for your input, it has given me a bit more cud to chew.

I have built a system into my basic rules to take into account the skills of the driver, the speeds of the vehicles and the turning circles. The essential principle I have is that the movement speeds aren't random, but a more skilled driver is more likely to take a car around a corner faster than a less skilled one - If me and a racing driver took the same car around the same bend on the same line, the racing driver would still do better than me as they'd know exactly how fast they can take that line - I'd either go slower or crash. That's the general principal - if you're trying to do something faster than you should, you take a test to see if you spin out - better drivers get bonuses on this test. This means that if everyone drives like boring old farts, movement should go quickly. if not, then any model trying a bit too hard will have to take a single D20 based test.

I have mainly been developing the fluff behind the game recently, and I am steadily erring more towards a gorkamorka style skirmish game, with teams of about 4 vehicles with crew that can jump out, board, run around, shoot, man guns and assault. I would also have a set of death-race missions, which would work in a similar manner. I plan to make being run over by a monster truck have the sort of effect that being run over by a monster truck would, so if you fell out of your car in a death race, chances are you'll just run off the track!

I think I have a decent basis for the movement rules, and I'm trying to work out how to tie realistic vehicle movement to basic footslogging. Currently I'm working on a turn where:

Each model generates its own action points, which only it can use (special abilities aside).
Each team generates it's own action points which can be used for any model (like in space hulk, with the terminators).
vehicles move first, in an alternating system (40k has taught me that IGOUGO doesn't work!). Footslogger models can use AP to try and jump out of the way, etc.
Players alternate activating models, who can use AP to move, shoot etc. they only get to move once. they don't have to use all their AP as they can react to other peoples actions (so small elite armies have a chance against hordes).

The core mechanic is a D20 test. so a control test is to roll (for example) a 10+ on a D20+your control stat. a control test against the targets speed (for example) would be to roll equal to or higher than 10 + the targets speed on a D20 plus your control.

so if the target had speed 4 and you control 8, you would need to roll a 14+ (10+4) on a D20 + 8.

Whilst this may seem like too much maths at first, I'm confident that it will become quite smooth with practice, as the plan is for each event to require just a single dice roll, to keep the pace of the game. turning too fast? Roll a dice. Shooting? Roll a dice. close combat? Roll a dice. and then move on to the next model.

So far as actions are concerned, I originally planned to have action cards, placed face down, so that you don't get to react to what the opponent is doing. However, with the addition of action points and the idea of reactions when other people perform actions, I don't think it would work. So I'm planning on having the list of actions on the units card/profile, and how many points each of them cost, and devising a system to tell you how to roll to resolve them. EG a control test on a 10+ would be C10, control test vs speed on a 10+ would be C10+S, as a rough idea.

Using this mechanic guns would have to be resolved slightly differently, as models will have armour and a D20 based system allows a good variance in said armour (unlike some games I know, *cough*40k*cough*) I can use the same mechanic vs vehicles as vs infantry. I will have extra dice for machine guns, but each would roll once, rather than the typical hit-wound mechanic. so you would have to roll higher than the targets armour on a D20, with modifiers for strength of the gun. infantry can use AP to go to ground or some such, putting a modifier on the rolls. if the roll succeeds, model loses a health for each point of damage the gun has (IE cannon hurts more than rifle). most guns will have 1 damage, only heavier ones will have more.

I look forward to hearing any feedback about this!

Cheers!

12,300 points of Orks
9th W/D/L with Orks, 4/0/2
I am Thoruk, the Barbarian, Slayer of Ducks, and This is my blog!

I'm Selling Infinity, 40k, dystopian wars, UK based!

I also make designs for t-shirts and mugs and such on Redbubble! 
   
 
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