Dead Inside RPG over IRC.

Nyke · Post by **Nyke** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 12:38 pm

Yeah, I'm putting together another IRC RPG. Water is wet, Pope Catholic, and bears shit in the woods.

Game of the attention span: Dead Inside: The Roleplaying Game of Loss and Redemption.

Dead Inside is very much a different type of game. Players start off with most of their soul gone, taken, or destroyed, and have to accomplish tasks to regain their souls. DI discourages violence, preferring other social conflicts.

One downside is that the game fits around moral dilemmas. The game isn't as straightforward as it seems, and sometimes explaining why you made an action is more important than the action itself.

DI also uses the ridiculously simple and freeform PDQ rules.

So, anyone up for a game? I'll max out at 4 for this one, because the moral dillema part discourages larger groups.

Sareya · Post by **Sareya** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 12:41 pm

Ooh, sounds like fun. I'm trying to set up regular D&D games with some offline friends; this'd be a fun contrast.

Mon Ami · Post by **Mon Ami** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 3:08 pm

This sounds awesome o-o

I just do not know the rules, is there a guide somewhere that I could read through? So I could learn and play if you are up for a newbie n__n?

[AlmightyPyro] · Post by **[AlmightyPyro]** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 3:31 pm

I have enough trouble finding time to play my D&D campaign in the real world, much less on the net. Sorry.

Nyke · Post by **Nyke** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 4:20 pm

Character Creation

First, download from the Freebies section:

Game Preview (chapter one): It goes along with Soul Loss, Discovery, and Recovery
Quick Reference Sheet: It goes through to show what abilties are available to the characters, and also describes Virtues and Vices.
Character sheet: Not exactly a must, but it organizes the character info nicely.

Personality: Who is your character?

Backstory: Where has your character been? What has s/he gone through?

Virtue/Vice: These should be connected with your backstory. The five virtues are Integrity, Hope, Fortitude, Generosity, and Courtesy. The five vices are Hypocrisy, Despair, Cowardice, Avarice, and Cruelty. If you think your virtue comes into play, you may convince the GM into giving you an upshift (but only one per session). If your vice comes into play, or you want to fight your virtue, you need to resist a vice/virtue check.

Soul Loss: How did your character lose his/her soul? The Game Preview goes over several ways, but if you figure out a new one you want your character to have, run it by me.

Discovery: When and how did you realize something was wrong and you were among the Dead Inside?

Qualities: This is the bread-and-butter of DI . Almost anything can be a quality (though I will cut off anything too vague or too specific, and will question whenever two qualities are too similar, or one seems to be in the penumbra of the other). These also represent health and holding in a conflict.

You may choose one of the following packages:

4 Good [+2] Strengths, and 1 Poor [-2] Weakness
1 Expert [+4] Strength, 2 Good [+2] Strengths, and 1 Poor [-2] Weakness
2 Expert [+4] Strengths, and 1 Poor [-2] Weakness
1 Master [+6] Strength, 1 Good [+2] Strength, and 1 Poor [-2] Weakness

Stronger qualities will be more useful than weaker ones; but more, smaller qualities will allow you to stay in conflicts longer.

Abilities/Powers: You may start the game with one of the in-game abilities and powers allowed to Dead Inside (given on the Quick Reference Handout) at a Good [+2] strength. When you use this ability, you add up all the downshifts, type and qualities

Example A Good [+2] DI tries to use Change Landscape (3 downshifts) in the real world (extra downshift and soul point burn), but has change Landscape as an Expert [+4] Strength.

2 (Type)-(3x2) (Downshifts for type)-2 (Downshift for RW)+4 (Quality)=-2

This DI can use Change Landscape at Poor [-2].

Type: Average [0] Dead Inside. You may count one damage rank here as well, though it messes with abilities and powers.

Soul Point Pool: Begins at 1. Note that you can get 2 points by regressing your type to Poor[-2], though you can do it when you need it. If you use or lose a soul point when your Soul Point Pool is at zero, and you are a Poor[-2] Dead Inside, you husk and become a Qlippoth. At that point, your character is no longer under your control.

Miscellany: Anything else you think we should know.

Nyke · Post by **Nyke** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 4:22 pm

Task Resolution: Most tasks fall into one of three categories: Simple tasks are ones too easy to warrant a roll. Complicated tasks are ones requiring a roll (2d6 + or – qualities, upshifts, and downshifts)) vs. a target number. Conflict tasks are when another force opposes the roller’s effort. Both forces roll and one or the other will win. Sometimes, conflicts can be extended, through failure and damage ranks.

Upshifts/Downshifts: Upshifts and downshifts are temporary bonuses and penalties to actions. An upshift is always +2, a downshift is always -2

Damage/Failure Ranks: When conflict and combat come into play, you may be given damage or failure ranks. You apply these to your qualities, temporarily dropping the quality by 2 per rank. If one of your qualities goes below Poor [-2], then you lose the conflict. If it is by combat, you pass out.

Recovery: Characters recover from all failure ranks at the end of a conflict. They also recover from all damage ranks if they aren’t in danger still. If they are, they only recover 1d6 ranks (+ or – qualities, upshifts, and downshifts).

Nyke · Post by **Nyke** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 4:54 pm

Improvement: A player may spend soul points to improve their type qualities. They must spend as many points as the new rank (at least two).

Examples: An Average [0] Dead Inside can go progress to a Good [+2] Dead Inside at a cost of 2 Soul Points.

An Expert [+4] Dead Inside can progress to a Master [+6] Dead Inside for 6 Soul Points.

A Poor [-2] Dead Inside can progress to an Average [0] Dead Inside for 2 Soul Points.

Qualities can be improved by paying ranks off of the type. You may even buy a new quality (at Good[+2]) or get rid of a weakness by paying 2 type ranks.

Examples: A quality of Good [+2] Computer Nerd can improve to Expert [+4] by spending four type ranks, sending a Master [+6] Dead Inside to Poor [-2])

An Expert [+4] Police Officer can progress to a Master [+6] Police Officer for six type ranks (undoing a ritual, see below) sending an Expert [+4] Sensitive to Average [0] Dead Inside.

Once you get to Master[+6] in any quality, you cannot improve it further. The type quality can graduate and be improved through certain rituals, however: From Dead Inside to Sensitive to Magi and even possibly to Immortal. A Dead Inside can also go back to being a normal human being, though that ritual is hard to find.

You may also regress. If you zero your soul point pool and become a victim of soultaking, use powers requiring Soul Points, etc. you regress one rank and gain two soul points (it's always two soul points). If you regress below Poor[-2], you go back a type, undoing any rituals that put you at your previous status. If you go below Poor[-2] Dead Inside, you husk, and your playing days are done.

Rkolter · Post by **Rkolter** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 9:33 pm

This game sounds overwhelmingly emo.

Nyke · Post by **Nyke** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 8:41 am

rkolter wrote:This game sounds overwhelmingly emo.

I'M NOT EMO! I'M JUST DEPRESSED!

Ahem...

I mean, I believe you are wrong about this.

RemusShepherd · Post by **RemusShepherd** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 2:40 pm

rkolter wrote:This game sounds overwhelmingly emo.

It is, from what I've heard.

But I've also heard it's one of the best roleplaying games created in the past ten years. Rave reviews and an innovative system. I'd play it if I had time (which, sadly, I do not.)

Nyke · Post by **Nyke** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 1:15 pm

Death: Even with the rules, if you die, your attempt at re-ensoulment is done, but you can still help your friends out if you don't husk.

A Dead Inside that dies becomes an emotionless Zombi. A Sensitive that dies becomes the pure-spirit Ghost. A Mage that dies becomes a Ghost and a Zombi. Strange enough, if the two reconcile their differences, they can fuse back together into a living, breathing Dead Inside.

Mon Ami · Post by **Mon Ami** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 1:21 pm

I do not think I can join ya Nyke, homework is taking over my life x____X:

Nyke · Post by **Nyke** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 9:28 am

...bump.

Nyke · Post by **Nyke** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 11:07 pm

Dammit, don't tell me I'm the only one that procrastinates for personal time.

Ahaugen · Post by **Ahaugen** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:09 pm

Nyke wrote:Dammit, don't tell me I'm the only one that procrastinates for personal time.

you're the only one that procrastinates for personal time