[19:07] <+Lookis> LLRPS is a tabletop-RPG system that prizes simplicity and gameplay above anything else. If you’ve been wanting to get into tabletop RPG games, this is a good place to start. Instead of having to read a 50+ page game manual before even getting started, ours is quick and easy to get and begin.
[19:07] <+Lookis> LLRPS is meant to be used in any sort of world, any sort of setting whatsoever. It’s simply meant to provide framework and rules to any sort of Roleplaying Game.
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[19:09] <+Lookis> I’m Connor Chapp, more commonly known by my screenname, Lookis. Currently, we have exactly two volumes out, with two books in the first, and three in the second. We’re hard at work on a few more projects which will make up a third volume, then we will release a settings book, and one more volume containing a Single Player worldbook,
[19:09] <+Lookis> And two different character/world books.
[19:09] <+Lookis> (done)
[19:09] <+xyphoid> how do you pronounce LLRPS?
[19:09] <~Dan> Thanks, Lookis!
[19:09] <~Dan> The floor is open to questions!
[19:10] <~Dan> And what does the name stand for?
[19:10] <+Lookis> I usually go for simply reading the acronym, that is to say, L-L-R-P-S. Sometimes, I’ll say Lurps, if I’m in a hurry or something
[19:10] <+Lookis> Lookis’s Logical RolePlay System
[19:10] <~Dan> Heh. Cool. 🙂
[19:10] <~Dan> What can you tell us about the core mechanic?
[19:11] <+Lookis> I’ve been toying with the idea of changing the name, for fear of people confusing us with GURPS, but it remains for now.
[19:11] <+Lookis> Hmm.
[19:11] <+Lookis> Well, you first have a DM, who must read through the whole rulebook, about fifteen pages.
[19:11] <+Lookis> Then, players get their sheets, and choose Advantages and Disadvantages for their character, which can remove or give Character Points, the skill currency.
[19:12] <+Lookis> After that, they open the character book of the world you’re playing. (For example, Plasma and Planets if you were doing a scifi world.) Players choose skills from the book, paying CP to level them up, and you begin the game.
[19:13] <+Lookis> Combat is fairly simple, with only two dice rolls per attacks, versus every other system I’ve played’s three or four.
[19:13] <+Lookis> It’s designed to streamline the game, and make it simpler for those involved.
[19:14] <+Lookis> In fact, with the right equipment, it’s possible to get it down to no rolls at all.
[19:14] <~Dan> Is there a character sheet we could see?
[19:14] <+Lookis> (Link: http://llrps.weebly.com/uploads/2/6/7/2/26726242/llrps_character_sheet.pdf)http://llrps.weebly.com/uploads/2/6/7/2/26726242/llrps_character_sheet.pdf
[19:14] <~Dan> Cool! Let’s see here…
[19:15] <~Dan> How do the attributes relate to skills?
[19:16] <+Lookis> Certain skills scale with them. For example, melee attacks benefit from STR. Not every skill scales with a stat, but every stat does something.
[19:16] <~Dan> What is the actual dice mechanic?
[19:17] <+Alaren> And how are they derived? It sure looks like there is more to do to make a character than just pick advantages, disadvantages, and skills, just glancing at the character sheet.
[19:17] <+Lookis> Usually, melee attacks follow a set damage formula. For example, if a cutting sword did 1d4 of damage, you would use the cutting formula, which if memory serves is STR+DMG-9. So, you would add your STR, let’s say ten, to 1d4, let’s say two, and subtract nine, ending up with a total of 3 damage.
[19:17] <+Alaren> How are the attributes derived, I mean.
[19:17] <+Lookis> You pour CP into adding or subtracting from a base of ten of each stat, it’s considered an advantage or disadvantage.
[19:18] <+Lookis> The rest of the things, familiars excluded, have formulas in the rulebook.
[19:18] <+Lookis> Familiars are generated and sold or given to the players by the DM. They provide passive bonuses, but are usually very weak and easy to be killed.
[19:19] <+Lookis> Covenants are in-game ties with certain groups, usually gods, that confer bonuses. For example, in one campaign I was running with these rules, there was a Chaos God, who at a level 1 covenant, forced his followers to take on a random aspect of a monster that struck them.
[19:19] <+Lookis> His name was Tkurlk, which nobody but me could pronounce.
[19:20] <~Dan> Heh. 🙂
[19:21] <~Dan> So damage aside, how does a basic skill roll work?
[19:22] <+Lookis> If you have, say, fifteen in a skill, you roll a twenty sided dice. If you roll 15 or under, you pass.
[19:23] <~Dan> Does degree of success matter?
[19:23] <+Lookis> On a 1, you crit, on a 20, you critfail. On an attack roll, this would be bonus damage or selfharm, respectively.
[19:24] <~Dan> Are you able to handle scores in excess of 20?
[19:25] <+Lookis> In terms of skills? I’m not actually sure if it’s in the rulebook, I’ll have to check, but my rule is if your skill is 21, you crit on 1 and 2. If your skill is 22, 1, 2, and 3, and so on.
[19:26] <~Dan> Ah, I see.
[19:26] <+Alaren> Familiar’s take up a lot of character sheet real-estate, relatively speaking, and that’s pretty much exclusively a fantasy/magic setting sort of thing as I understand the term. Do you have a broader way of defining what a familiar is to make it relevant to other genres?
[19:28] <+Lookis> Yup. For example, in the Sci-Fi campaign I’m running currently, I have what amounts to sentient, customizable tomogachis that can do things on the Cybernet, which is essentially a whole new world. They also provide passive bonuses, although these are markedly less.
[19:30] <~Dan> In a broader sense, what was your thinking about making familiars a key part of a multigenere game?
[19:31] <+Lookis> I’d find it odd if they weren’t there. Having an NPC close to the players immerses them a fair bit better, and most players aren’t the type to seek out friendships, so if you offer them rewards, they’ll jump at the chance, so you can better immerse them in the world. They don’t see the world as players do, and can be useful expositional tools as well,
[19:32] <+Lookis> like Navi in Ocarina of Time, or Minda in Twilight Princess, etc.
[19:32] <~Dan> Ah… So a “familiar” in this sense is basically a close confidant/ally?
[19:33] <+Lookis> Of a lesser species, yes. Then again, in one campaign I ran, a girl’s familiar was an angel..But it tends to throw off the dynamic.
[19:35] * ~Dan nods
[19:35] <~Dan> How does that work in a completely mundane setting?
[19:35] <~Dan> As in modern day, no weirdness, all humans, I mean.
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[19:36] <+Lookis> I’m actually writing one of those as a kickstarter reward. I’ve thought about it, and I’m thinking pets. Of course, I don’t mean like a hamster or something, but a good hunting dog and the like.
[19:38] <~Dan> Huh. Interesting.
[19:38] <~Dan> So what genres have you covered so far?
[19:38] <+Lookis> Let’s see..
[19:40] <+Lookis> Post Apoc, Superheroes, H.P Lovecraft, Greek Mythology, and High Fantasy. Currently planned books are: Modern Day, and Spies.
[19:40] <+Lookis> Of those, Post-Apoc and Superheroes aren’t published.
[19:41] <~Dan> And how large are these supplements?
[19:42] <+Lookis> Seven pages, then with a world book, which can be anywhere from 3 to say, 11. I bundle three per volume.
[19:43] <~Dan> Can you give us an idea of how you pull that off? I mean, let’s take superheroes as an example. In most supers games, that number of pages would barely get into the powers section alone.
[19:45] <+Lookis> The Character Books are literally nothing but skills and maybe half a page of supplemental rules. Furthermore, DMs are encouraged to use the Character Books as a base. A strong base, sure, but they’re meant to build off it if their players need it. IIRC, the Supers book is about five pages of standard skills, and two of powers.
[19:45] <~Dan> (brb)
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[19:47] <+Alaren> What are some example powers, and how do they work? Do they mainly just modify skill rolls?
[19:48] <+Lookis> They’re all actual skills. I’ve taken a good number of skills from existing superheroes, in fact. It’s possible to rebuild your favorite heroes. Of course, there are original ones. Here’s an example:
[19:49] <+Lookis> The Power Of Love: 50 CP For each member in the party, this does 0.5x INT damage. Does not include yourself. Takes 50 MP.
[19:49] <+Lookis> Elemental Creation: 50 CP The ability to create a small ball of fire, ice, or lightning in your hand. Can be taken up to 3 times. Each time, you gain 1 element.
[19:49] <+Lookis> Others simply modify a stat, for example Super Strength just gives you 10 STR
[19:50] <+Alaren> So how is damage determined for something like elemental creation?
[19:52] <+Lookis> Elemental Creation doesn’t deal damage. It just gives you the small ball of the element. If you threw it, depending on the DM, it would either dissipate or deal damage. Then, the DM would have to come up with a number based off INT, and say it dealed that much damage. Rather then a plain Fireball spell, it just lets you create balls of fire.
[19:52] <+Alaren> Why INT?
[19:53] <+Lookis> INT determines MP, which means all things that use MP scale on INT.
[19:53] <+Lookis> Of course, it’s not written in the rulebook, but that’s just how I’d do it.
[19:53] <+Lookis> In general, magic scales on INT because mages need some way to get stronger, like warriors
[19:54] <+Alaren> So super powers are generally based on MP?
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[19:55] <+Lookis> Not all of them. For example, claws just boost your unarmed damage significantly and spider silk isn’t really an offensive power.
[19:57] <~Dan> It seems as though your core mechanic has a built-in scaling issue — namely, that you can’t exceed 40 before numbers become meaningless. On the face of it, that would seem to mean that the mightiest thing in the universe is only twice as powerful as the mightiest human.
[19:57] <~Dan> Am I missing something there?
[19:57] <+Lookis> Absolutely. Only Skills cannot exceed that. When my players killed the gods and found their character sheet, in addition to unique skills, they had over 1000 in every stat.
[19:58] <+Lookis> Skill level simply determines Accuracy.
[19:58] <+Lookis> Someone with a level 1 Unarmed skill hits just as hard as someone with a 40 unarmed skill.
[19:59] <~Dan> Hmm… So what would a super-high Dexerity do for you, for example?
[19:59] <+Lookis> Certain weapons scale on Dexterity, and you could pick locks, create items, wear certain armor..Etc.
[20:00] <~Dan> Well, I’m assuming that picking locks is a skill, correct?
[20:00] <+Lookis> Aye. Lockpicking has special rules, though.
[20:00] <+Lookis> So does pickpocketing.
[20:01] <~Dan> Okay. So how does the attribute in this case interact with the skill?
[20:02] <+Lookis> Locks and items in pockets have COM, or Complexity. You need to get above their COM to steal them or unlock the lock. The equation for attempting to do so is different.  For locks, it’s PIK + DEX. You must first roll against the skill to see if you can indeed pick the lock. A failure means you lack the current know-how to pick the lock.
[20:02] <+Lookis> As such, this cannot be rerolled. PIK is Pick, a stat your lockpick has. For pickpocketing, You simply roll against the pickpocketing skill. A success will let you steal anything that’s COM is less then (your DEX- their Per) is high enough to take. A failure will result in you being noticed.
[20:03] <~Dan> So attributes don’t relate to skill levels, but rather the outcomes of related skill rolls?
[20:03] <+Lookis> Right.
[20:04] <~Dan> Does your superhero supplement allow for super-skilled characters like Green Arrow?
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[20:04] <+Lookis> Super Dexterity is a power, and then you’d just pour points into stats instead.
[20:04] <+Lookis> Oooooh, sorry, something family-related came up. It shouldn’t take long, maybe ten minutes? Have some questions waiting for me!
[20:05] <~Dan> No problem!
[20:05] <~Dan> I’ll step away as well then, likewise for about 10 minutes. 🙂
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[20:11] <+Lookis> Sorry about that, turns out my dog was just eating the drywall.
[20:14] <+GenoFoxx> eep
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[20:16] <~Dan> What other powers have you written up for supplements other than magic and sujperpowers?
[20:16] <+Lookis> Post Apoc, Superheroes, H.P Lovecraft, Greek Mythology, and High Fantasy. Currently planned books are: Modern Day, and Spies.
[20:17] <+Lookis> Oh wait
[20:17] <+Lookis> Misunderstood the question, sorry
[20:17] <~Dan> No problem.
[20:18] <+Lookis> Lesse…Scifi has Engineering which is pretty strong, and has a slew of skills based off that. There’s Barding, Summoning…In post apoc, there’s advanced medical skills.
[20:18] <~Dan> Any mutations in post-apoc?
[20:18] <+Lookis> Yup, there’s two new species based off it.
[20:19] <+Lookis> No mutagenic skills, though.
[20:20] <~Dan> Any cybernetics in the scifi setting?
[20:20] <+Alaren> It doesn’t sound like there is a bestiary, with such paired down rules. How easy is it for a GM to stat up creatures for a party to face? It seems like such a thing could eat up a lot of preparation time, if you were dealing with several unique opponents, rather than several of the same kind of opponent.
[20:20] <+Lookis> Yup. As an Accessory. You can only have one at a time.
[20:21] <+Lookis> There is no bestiary, no. Maybe someday. It’s pretty easy though, all you need is an attack and HP. If you’
[20:21] <+Lookis> You’re not the creative type, there’s all sorts of resources online for flavor text.
[20:22] <+Lookis> Oh, and DEF and RES stats.
[20:22] <~Dan> Seems like a Lovecraftian game would be all about the monsters. Lacking those, what do you do to make your HPL game an HPL game?
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[20:23] <+Lookis> Waaaaay less combat, more narration and roleplay, interesting NPCs, and having it focused more on investigation then dungeon crawling.
[20:25] <~Dan> Hmm. Well, let me rephrase a bit… What you’re describing there seems like GM advice. Do you offer actual mechanics that make the game Lovecraftian?
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[20:25] <+Lookis> There’s a Sanity stat, and no supernatural things other then cultists’s unique skill, but other than that, not really.
[20:26] <~Dan> What special features does your mythology setting offer?
[20:29] <+Lookis> World Book aside, it has more of a Magic A is Magic A approach, mostly the gods putting you at their mercy, and gorgons and such. The unique skills…Let me check the rulebook.
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[20:29] *** Guest10 is now known as Roger
[20:29] <~Dan> Welcome back, Roger!
[20:29] *** Roger is now known as RogerHuntman
[20:30] <+Lookis> The Races are fairly unique, it has a
[20:30] <+RogerHuntman> hey thanks!
[20:30] <~Dan> Lookis: Quick intro: This is Roger Huntman, one of your fellow game authors who’s also slated for a Q&A.
[20:30] <+Lookis> Turmoil mechanic, monster tracking, cooking, and several more diplomancy skills.
[20:30] <~Dan> You guys want to exchange web pages real quick by way of introduction before we continue? 🙂
[20:30] <+Lookis> Sure.
[20:30] <+Lookis> (Link: http://llrps.weebly.com/)http://llrps.weebly.com/
[20:31] <+RogerHuntman> (Link: http://www.trooperx.com)www.trooperx.com
[20:31] <+RogerHuntman> (Link: http://www.trooperx.com)www.trooperx.com
[20:31] <+RogerHuntman> well I tried
[20:31] <~Dan> It worked!
[20:32] <+Lookis> Golly, are rulebooks normally 60$?
[20:32] <+Lookis> I should mention that in my business presentation.
[20:32] <~Dan> Depends upon the game, really.
[20:32] <+RogerHuntman> wher I am at most are
[20:32] <+RogerHuntman> 59.99
[20:33] <+RogerHuntman> some are 49.99
[20:33] <+Lookis> Cool, maybe that’ll drum me up some more sales.
[20:33] <+RogerHuntman> still in my Yikes range
[20:33] <+Lookis> Mine are fifteen.
[20:33] <+RogerHuntman> mine are pretty close to that too
[20:33] <~Dan> That’s a good point. Both of you guys seem to be after bargain hunters in the gaming world.
[20:34] <+Lookis> I’m more into newcomers, who’d be dissuaded by price.
[20:34] <+RogerHuntman> sorry 14.39 this week
[20:35] <+RogerHuntman> I have 3 different tables of gamers and we all share a single book if the game is too expensive
[20:35] <~Dan> Lookis: See, I wonder about that… Your game seems to require quite a bit of do-it-yourself work, which would seem to appeal not to a newcomer, but rather to an experienced gamer looking for an inexpensive game.
[20:35] <+Lookis> Aye, that’s why I have the World Books. They are basically pre-written DMs.
[20:36] <+RogerHuntman> I like the prmis on the web page so far
[20:36] <+Lookis> Good!
[20:36] <~Dan> Well, it sounds like even the world books are do-it-yourself kits, though. The lack of bestiaries, for example.
[20:37] <+RogerHuntman> did you have to ask permission to use Cthulhu?
[20:37] <+Lookis> I wouldn’t think that’s a huge obstacle…I can’t imagine anyone wanting to get into Tabletops without at least some form of knowledge about monsters. The rest is really easy statting.
[20:37] <+Lookis> Nope, public domain.
[20:37] <+Lookis> I checked.
[20:38] <~Dan> Well, as I understand it, you just have to be careful. Some Lovecraftian stuff isn’t public domain, but a lot of it is.
[20:38] <+RogerHuntman> wow that’s good to know I nixed a bunch of art for being cthulhu based
[20:38] <~Dan> Brian Lumley owns the Cthonians, for example.
[20:39] <+RogerHuntman> I see
[20:39] <+Lookis> Yeah, but Cthulhu is part of the public domain.
[20:39] * ~Dan nods
[20:39] <+Lookis> At least by my understandings.
[20:39] <~Dan> Yeah, Cthulhu’s definitely fair game.
[20:40] <+RogerHuntman> sweet
[20:40] <+Lookis> I’ve had problems with that. I was gonna write a magical girl character book, but it turned out to be too like Madoka.
[20:40] <~Dan> Lookis: As to your point… Hmm. Speaking for myself, I stumbled into the hobby by way of the original Monster Manual, because I loved seeing stats for monsters.
[20:41] <~Dan> Which isn’t to say that your point isn’t valid. It just wouldn’t apply in my case.
[20:41] <+Lookis> Really all you need to do is say “hey this guy has 5 HP and can hit for 1d6 damage.”
[20:42] * ~Dan nods
[20:43] <~Dan> I’d just suggest that you’re appealing not necessarily to all newcomers, but to a subset of newcomers. How big a subset, I wouldn’t presume to know.
[20:43] <+Lookis> Fair enough.
[20:43] <~Dan> Where would you say your system falls on the gritty/cinematic scale?
[20:44] <+Lookis> That’s pretty much all up to the DM.
[20:45] <~Dan> Really? I’d say the relative deadliness of combat alone creates a default setting along that scale.
[20:46] <+Lookis> Nah, because it’s up to the DM to determine that. Like, in High Fantasy, we had dudes with ten arrows sticking out of em who were fine, but now in Scifi like one shot and you’re done, using the same rules.
[20:46] <+Lookis> They generate all the weapons, so they have control.
[20:46] <+RogerHuntman> is there scenarios or missions for examples to set the tone?
[20:47] <+Lookis> No, but I have a plan to release a book filled with example dungeons.
[20:48] <+RogerHuntman> Do you have rules that encourage players to make a OLE OR IS MOST OF IT ROLL MECHANICS
[20:48] <+RogerHuntman> sorry accidental caps
[20:48] <+Lookis> ..Object Linking and Embedding?
[20:49] <+RogerHuntman> Role or mechanics?
[20:49] <+Lookis> Ah
[20:49] <+Lookis> Both.
[20:49] <+RogerHuntman> cool
[20:50] <+RogerHuntman> im even more intriqued
[20:50] <+Lookis> Well, we have books out!
[20:50] <+RogerHuntman> I’ll have to mention it to my groups
[20:52] <~Dan> Quick note: As I may have mentioned earlier, you’re more than welcome to hang out with us as long as you like and continue to field questions. Or just hang out. Game authors are always welcome here.
[20:52] <~Dan> That said, with about 10 minutes left of “regular” time in the Q&
[20:52] <~Dan> ooop
[20:53] <~Dan> in the Q&A, is there anything we haven’t brought up that you’d like to mention?
[20:53] <+Lookis> Sure, I’ll stick around. All I’m doing is playing The Last Of Us, so. Hmmmm..Nothing I can think of.
[20:55] <~Dan> Oh, by the way, do you have an image that you’d like me to use in the chat log?
[20:55] <+Lookis> (Link: http://llrps.weebly.com/uploads/2/6/7/2/26726242/6507842.png)http://llrps.weebly.com/uploads/2/6/7/2/26726242/6507842.png
[20:56] <~Dan> Great!
[20:56] <+RogerHuntman> neat
[20:56] <+Lookis> Being able to vector pays off sometimes.
[20:57] <+RogerHuntman> lol
[20:57] <~Dan> Thanks very much for coming by, Connor!
[20:57] <~Dan> I’ll get the log posted and will brb with the link for you. 🙂
[20:57] <+Lookis> Sure thing.
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