Gameplay

= What do you DO in this darn game anyway =

OK, so "fallout-like" is not really a very descriptive message, and I would like to generate some discussion on what the game is like, how will it play, what is the overall feel, etc.

There was an old thread on the forums: but that quickly "degenerated" into discussions of quest solving etc. Which is fine, but we need to roll back further.

Without going into GUI specs or screen definitions, here is an overview of how *I* think the game should play.

Mood and Feeling
The post apocalypse world is a dark and scary place. Death awaits around every snow drift. Everyone you meet might be sizing you up for a "roll" - and that could mean to kill you and strip your corpse, or to put you in a sandwich. The old technology has not aged well in the last 20 years - sure that stuff is awesome, when it works, but just try to get spare parts. Food is not that easy to come by - you either got to work your ass off laying in wait for a couple of rabbits, or slave away drying to get the crappy partially frozen ground to produce something in the 6 week growing season. Winter sucks. Hell, "spring" and "fall" suck, but at least you can GO outside. People have banded together here and there - formed tribes, villages... even a town or two... I hear that spot over by the river actually has electric lights for a dozen hours a week... but mostly it's every man for himself, and god help you if you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, you might wind up lashed to a water wheel, or in the stew pot.

Game Play
Your standard 2D isomorphic game has "towns and villages", "dungeons", and "wilderness". PARPG has these two, although "dungeons" are just old pre-war sites that haven't been throughly looted yet, and people don't really like strangers. You can survive in the wilderness - or at least you better be able to make a go of it if you want to get anywhere. If not, you better have some pretty useful skill to trade, and the chutzpah or muscle not to get 'exploited'. If you want to travel in the wilderness (and you will have to) you better have a good grasp on the weather patterns, transportation options, and places to hole up for the night - where the cold won't freeze you solid and the roving bands of predators (2 and 4 legged) can't find you.

You can talk to people in town, and if you prove yourself useful they might not kill you instantly. Many of the "quests" you will do are simply things that - one way or another - will keep you alive for a little while. A meal here, a handful of bullets there. Some decent frigging socks would be nice.

You might find some old gadgets, or medical supplies, or even a case of booze. But no super weapons.

All characters have two things they will have to sell dearly: Their time and their life. There are no magic healing potions. There is no robodoc. If you are injured or ill, it's going to slow you down (assuming you don't just get stranded somewhere and die). Time is critical, because time can be used to improve your character via practicing his skills, or studying.

Fighting
There will be plenty of combat in the game. However, don't expect to be Rambo or Schwartzenegger. A knife fight can be deadly, to say nothing of a crossbow or gun. Choose your battles carefully, and fight when you have the clear advantage.

Quests and Missions
"Quests" and "Missions" are story lines provided by the game that give the player something to "do". The "rule of three" should be employed here, such that there are 3(ish) ways to finish every quest:  For example, you could fight your way through it, sneak your way through it, or talk you way through it. Some quests may require a special item or special skill (rare skills should be provided by an NPC). Quests will almost always have a time limit to prevent certain types of "game abuse". Sometimes the clock might not start ticking the moment you hear about the quest or mission, but sometimes it will.

Character "Types" or "Professions"
Distinct from, but certainly related to your character origin and generation is what you will be doing in the game to keep yourself alive and hopefully garner a little surplus. Generally speaking, a character is going to be playing as part of a (small) group, or alone. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. More characters means more skills and more firepower, but some politics as well. A "party leader" needs to focus his character (at least partially) on social skills, leaving less bandwidth for more useful stuff. A group is never as stealthy as a single person, and you never have to split the loot with yourself. It is expected and intended that a player flit between these various "jobs" as the game goes on (but they will obviously be better at some than others). To clarify - you can think of these "professions" as the "filler" between actual "plot" moments as well as methods to refine skills and connections needed to get into the plot lines/quests in the first place. Game play for these kind of tasks should either be "fun" (i.e, combat or exploration or some kind of mini-game) or "instantaneous" (you expend "game" time but no player time or effort if you need to, say, fix a bicycle)

Banditry
You (or your group) are predators. You kill people and take their stuff. You are outlaw. Along with actual assault and battery, terror and intimidation are your weapons. Your life will probably end in violence, but at least you lived it your own way. You could either be a lone

(Variant) Sneakthief
Rather than mugging and ambush, you sneak around and pilfer stuff. Less likely to attract attention, but you are in more trouble if you get caught because you might not be able to shoot your way out. Not very practical in groups.

Scavenging
You (or your group) are finders of things. Diggers in the rubble. You can tell the desired from the trash, the practical from the useless junk. You either sell the stuff you find, or process it/manufacture it into something even more valuable (at the cost of your precious time, however).

(Variant) Hunter/Trapper
Basically the same as a scavenger, but instead of looting the bones of the old world, you are the exploiter of natures's bounty. You know the trails of the reindeer, where the best ice fishing is, which plants are good to eat... and which will slay an enemy. This is the only (honest) job where you are guaranteed to be able to eat (without a pesky middleman taking his cut), and if you are good or lucky, you might have some surplus to barter.

Tradesmenship
Oh, so sleeping out of doors or running from lynchmobs not your style? Well, what can you do? Everyone has a skill... or at least something that someone will pay for.

(Variant) Thug
When communications breakdown, sometimes even civilized folk resort to violence. And sometimes, they hire a big bad, dude, to do a dirty job. You are that dude. As for uncivilized folk, well, they just call you "brother". Like a bandit, but with, you know, dignity.

(Variant) Doctor
It's a dangerous world, and people are getting hurt. Everyone needs to get healthy.

(Variant) Mechanic/Repairman/Crafter
Manufacturing has taken something of a downturn since, you know, all the factories and workers were destroyed. All this old tech stuff keeps breaking, and you can fix it. And come to think of it, this "new tech" stuff is a little shoddy as well. Or maybe you are the guy who can take a pile of junk and turn it into a some actually functioning junk.

(Variant) Scientist/Witch Doctor
Hey, exactly what DO You do around here anyway, four-eyes? Oh, you're the smart guy everyone asks when they don't understand something.

Middle management
Some people have stuff to sell, some people have stuff to buy. You help them both. For a small fee. You bring people together! You are a fixer. The morter that holds the bricks together. The grease the keeps the wheels running. Everyone hates you on the inside, but you are smooth enough to make them feel like they like you for a few minutes. Or maybe just need you.