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A link to a related post that goes more in-depth and is useful for this development post on the Avenues and Alleyways system's card use.
Okay, so here's the deal... Some gameplay aspects of the RPG I've been developing for my fantasy world
(they're interconnected, one didn't originate without the other) relate
to resolving situations and bringing in an element of chance, but on a
diceless basis. Previously, I've spoken about the concept here and here. Some RPGs with card-focused gameplay that inspired me include Castle Falkenstein and Deadlands (oldies, but goodies, though I'm approaching a lot of things differently).
I plan to design my own custom cards for resolution/chance moves that
are more psychological in nature. No mystery there, these will be
typical "you succeeded/you didn't succeed" affairs, with a simple custom
design pattern I'm slowly cooking up.
However, when it comes to things like melee combat,
ranged combat, limited magic use and certain social skills (diplomacy,
gambling), I want to tailor gameplay in such a way that you can use an
ordinary deck of any old standardised, off-the-shelf, commercially
available playing cards. I want to select some typical international
card styles that share the same basic values. You might be able to use
the commonplace "Anglo-French" playing card designs (spades/piques, clovers/clubs, diamonds/tiles, hearts) or the traditionally more central European, "German" playing card designs (acorns, leaves, bells, hearts), at an adapted minimum.
My "creator provinicialism" is showing here, as I've given precedent to the German-style cards, and the oh-so Austro-Hungarian 'William Tell' design,
for my template of using ordinary playing cards. As soon as I manage to
get it working, I'll try to move onto the other typical deck designs
later, once I'm sure I can get this particular type working. (Even if it
means swapping Obers (Upper Marshals) and Unters (Lower Marshals) for Queens and Knaves or something. Creativity and logic should go hand in hand.)
The game mechanics are geared towards focusing less on calculations, and
more on fluent adventuring, roleplaying and storytelling.
For randomization, we use cards instead of dice. Ordinary playing cards
(not just mainland European ones, you can even use ones designed for
poker, as long as you look at the conversion values) and purpose-made
luck cards. Luck cards are about your character succeeding, partially
succeeding or not succeeding at a certain task, if said task is listed
among the "twists in the tale" (i.e. twists that can happen in the
storyline and its action, both fortunate and misfortunate ones).
Some of the outcome of a task is somewhat predetermined by local
context, e.g. by local factors such as the weather, the size of a room
you're moving through, the state of a character's health or fatigue, or
the state of their equipment. However, the player can augment the
outcome - even if he or she pulls a "Tough luck" card - by the values
and suits of the player's currently held playing cards, and by creative
thinking. (Creativeness is allowed as long as it doesn't break basic
logic or the game's rules.)
Because we don't want players to waste time with calculating percentages
and the number of points for every action imaginable, the outcome takes
each column in the table into account - the playing card used (and
method of its use), the drawn Luck card, the stealthiness of a
character's equipment, the state of the character's equipment, the state
of a character's body and health, and the outside, local factor - and
the goal is to have three columns outweigh two columns. Once you tip
three columns towards a more fortunate or less fortunate result, you get
that particular result.
The fighting mechanics are fairly similar in spirit, but even more
focused on fluidity of gameplay. In most real situations, historical or
modern, personal combat is fairly swift and tends to last a short while.
We've always felt dice are not good for portraying that sort of
fighting fluidity, so we've decided to go for playing cards instead.
Players slamming cards against each other feels a bit closer to
portraying a brawl or a swordfight or even a shootout. As we've jokingly
mentioned a few times to some acquaintances, "you're basically
swordfighting with playing cards".
1.) BASIC USE OF PLAYING CARDS (AND LUCK CARDS) AS RANDOMIZERS IN GAMEPLAY
The playing card mechanics in the RPG work in three possible ways:
1.) Raw value
2.) Probability value
3.) As a bonus
You can't use all three approaches at once, but you can use either the
Raw value, or the Probability value, or the Bonus individually.
Raw value is used when you simply want to add a value to your current
stats and skills, in order to attempt hitting the figurative Safety
Margin, and succeed at that. Given that it's a Safety Margin, you don't
actually need to hit an exact number, you only need to be within the
margin. The more closer you are within the margin, the higher the chance
of an exceptional success.
Probability value is somewhat similar, the game mechanic focused on
attempting to hit a Safety Margin as well. Unlike with raw value, this
does not directly involve adding anything to the stats and skills of a
player character. Every task or challenge has a certain Probability
value. Each playing card's rising value is reflected in its rising
Probabilty value. If you think the playing cards you currently have can
help you tip the balance towards a high enough Probability number, you
can use that card to raise your probability of succeeding at a task,
challenge, action, move, etc.
There are things to be mindful of when using the Probability value of
your playing cards. If you're using a card suit that isn't associated
with a certain skill, you can still use it, but your card's Probability
value will be halved compared to the card suit that fits the skill. For
example, you want to use a social skill that's associated with the
"Heart" card suit, but you don't have any cards with that exact suit, so
you opt to use a card from one of the other three suits. By choosing a
card with a non-corresponding card suit, your Probability at succeeding
in your task, move or action is halved by 50 %, depending on the exact
value of the card. This halves the likelihood, the Probability of you
succeeding at something.
Finally, the most standalone and unique use of your playing cards
doesn't treat them as numerical values or orientational "percent"-style
values, but as unique Bonuses. Each card, regardless of its card suit,
can provide a helpful bonus for the use of certain skills, at any given
moment. These bonuses are completely independent of the Raw value and
Probability value of a card. If you're having no luck with the R and P
values, you can always try to use your card as a temporary Bonus
instead. Please read the table below to learn more about which card
provides which type of Bonus. The Bonus is identical for the specific
card regardless of its card suit, but the card suit of a particular card
indicates which skill type you'll have to use the Bonus for. E.g., if
you have a "7" card, with a "Leaves" card suit (i.e. a 7 of
Leaves/Spades/Pikes/Shields), you can use your bonus to attempt an
extra-lucky stealth move.
Before you use any playing card to perform an action, you need to
announce clearly whether your're using the Raw value of your playing
card, or the Probability value of your playing card, or the Bonus
represented by your playing card. The Narrator and the other players
need to clearly know how you intend to use your card. Even when you're
having a faster-paced fight, always declare clearly how your using every
individual card. Note that, if you keep using a sequence of playing
card only based on their Raw value, or only their Probability value, or
only their Bonus, you only need to declare what type of use you're
engaging in once. After you decide to change your use of your cards, you
need to announce so, regardless if it's after just one card, or two
cards or several more playing cards.
Playing cards have to be frequently used along with a Luck card (Good
luck / Tough luck) to decide certain challenges and attempts, or if the
player character(s) is in need of a tie-break in a "draw" type
situation. Just because a playing card can have a lower Raw value or
lower Probability value doesn't mean it's less useful, because if used
in combination with a Luck card, it can boost the chances of even a
"lowlier" card achieving a more difficult task or challenge for the
player character. Additionally, many tasks will require the player to
use a lower Raw value card to successfully carry out an action and
fulfill a task.
32 card decks (Piquet decks)
These are considered the default and most native to the Avenues and Alleyways system.
The artistic depiction considered as default is the William Tell pattern (introduced in the OTL 1840s), particularly its third variation (likely the most popular of the four versions). Other 32 piece card decks easily interchangeable with this type include the Bohemian pattern, Croatian pattern type 1, Croatian pattern type 2, Preference variant of the Tell pattern (sans the four sixes, including 'Weli', as it's 36 cards), Saxon pattern, Prussian pattern, Altenburg pattern, Tournament Skat pattern, Franconian Bavarian pattern (sans the four sixes, as it's 36 cards) Schafkopf Bavarian pattern (sans the four sixes, as it's 36 cards), Salzburg pattern (sans the four sixes, including 'Weli', and four fives, as it's 40 cards),
| Playing card | Raw value (fitting suit) | Raw value (unfitting suit) | Probability value (fitting suit) | Probability value (unfitting suit) | If used as a bonus... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 (VII) | 1.25 | 0.625 | 24 % | 12 % | Allow an attempt at an extra-lucky stealth, combat, spellcasting, diplomatic or gambling move. |
| 8 (VIII) | 2.50 | 1.25 | 34 % | 17 % | Allow an attempt at an extra-risky stealth, combat, spellcasting, diplomatic or gambling move. |
| 9 (IX) | 3.75 | 1.875 | 44 % | 22 % | Allow an attempt at an extra powerful combat move or diplomatic move (but not stealth, gambling or spellcasting move). |
| 10 (X) | 5.00 | 2.500 | 54 % | 27 % | Allow an attempt at a more sure-fire defensive move in stealth, combat, diplomacy and spellcasting. |
| Lower Marshal | 6.25 | 3.125 | 64 % | 32 % | Allow a temporary boost to the Agility stat of the player, for two melee moves carried out in close succession. |
| Upper Marshal | 7.50 | 6.750 | 74 % | 37 % | Allow for a temporary boost to Agility and add an accuracy bonus, while the player is shooting or throwing. |
| King | 8.75 | 4.375 | 84 % | 42 % | Allow for a temporary boost to the Mettle stat of the player, can be useful if saved for difficult situations and used wisely. |
| Deuce | 10.0 | 5.0 | 94 % | 47 % | Allow an attempt at performing a trick, especially a more difficult melee/brawling/gambling trick. |
52 card decks (French / Poker decks)
| Playing card | Raw value | Raw value (unfitting suit) | Probability value (fitting suit) | Probability value (unfitting suit) | If used as a bonus... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3, 7 | 1.25 | 0.625 | 24 % | 12 % | Allow an attempt at an extra-lucky stealth, combat, spellcasting, diplomatic or gambling move. |
| 4, 8 | 2.50 | 1.25 | 34 % | 17 % | Allow an attempt at an extra-risky stealth, combat, spellcasting, diplomatic or gambling move. |
| 5, 9 | 3.75 | 18.75 | 44 % | 22 % | Allow an attempt at an extra powerful combat move or diplomatic move (but not stealth, gambling or spellcasting move). |
| 2, 6, 10 | 5.00 | 2.500 | 54 % | 27 % | Allow an attempt at a more sure-fire defensive move in stealth, combat, diplomacy and spellcasting. |
| Jack | 6.25 | 3.125 | 64 % | 32 % | Allow a temporary boost to the Agility stat of the player, for two melee moves carried out in close succession. |
| Queen | 7.50 | 6.750 | 74 % | 37 % | Allow a temporary boost to Agility and add an accuracy bonus, while the player is shooting or throwing. |
| King | 8.75 | 4.375 | 84 % | 42 % | Allow a temporary boost to the Mettle stat of the player, can be useful if saved for difficult situations and used wisely. |
| Ace | 10.00 | 5.00 | 94 % | 47 % | Allow an attempt at performing a trick, especially a more difficult melee/brawling/gambling trick. |
Nevertheless, a deck consisting of 52 playing cards is also usable for gameplay, with some adjustments.
Alternative use of 2 six-sided die (2x d6) - WORK IN PROGRESS
| Dice outcome | Raw value | Probability value (fitting suit) | Probability value (unfitting suit) | If used as a bonus... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 12.5 | 24 % | 12 % | Allow an attempt at an extra-lucky stealth, combat, spellcasting, diplomatic or gambling move. (RESHUFFLE) |
| 3 | 25.0 | 34 % | 17 % | Allow an attempt at an extra-risky stealth, combat, spellcasting, diplomatic or gambling move. (RESHUFFLE) |
| 4-5 | 37.5 | 44 % | 22 % | Allow an attempt at an extra powerful combat move or diplomatic move (but not stealth, gambling or spellcasting move). (RESHUFFLE) |
| 6 | 50.0 | 54 % | 27 % | Allow an attempt at a more sure-fire defensive move in stealth, combat, diplomacy and spellcasting. (RESHUFFLE) |
| 7-8 | 62.5 | 64 % | 32 % | Allow a temporary boost to the Agility stat of the player, for two melee moves carried out in close succession. (RESHUFFLE) |
| 9-10 | 75.0 | 74 % | 37 % | Allow a temporary boost to Agility and add an accuracy bonus, while the player is shooting or throwing. (RESHUFFLE) |
| 11 | 87.5 | 84 % | 42 % | Allow a temporary boost to the Mettle stat of the player, can be useful if saved for difficult situations and used wisely. (RESHUFFLE) |
| 12 | 100.0 | 94 % | 47 % | Allow an attempt at performing a trick, especially a more difficult melee/brawling/gambling trick. (RESHUFFLE) |
2 (1+1), 3 (2+1), 4 (2+2), 5 (3+2), 6 (3+3), 7 (4+3), 8 (4+4), 9 (5+4), 10 (5+5), 11 (6+5), 12 (6+6)
If you really, really prefer to play with dice instead of playing cards,
use two six-sided dice (2 x d6) according to the table above.
Association of card suits with skills
What the individual playing card suits used for randomization represent skill-wise in the Avenues and Alleyways system.
| SUITS | Thieving and social skills | Combat skills |
| Movement skills, Artisan skills - Raw materials | Attack moves (Melee combat) |
| Stealth skills Artisan skills - Survival | Defence moves (Melee combat) |
| Diplomatic and conman skills, Managerial skills, Artisan skills - Forgery | Tricks (Combat)* |
| Thieving spell skills Artisan skills - Gadgets, science | Marksmanship (Ranged combat) |
(* - mostly Melee combat and occassionally Ranged combat)
These are the four orientational card suits, for both thieving/social
skills and the combat skills available to the player characters.
Based on what card values the player's currently holding for their
character, the character could be allowed certain temporary bonuses and
minor boosts, or a degree of uncertainty instead (luck, leaps of faith,
etc.). As with the card suit associations listed above, the different
numbered cards and face cards would represent specific things. In this
case, specific elements of chance, and each would be grounded in a
particular area, based on what card suit it would belong to.
To have a decent chance at performing a certain type of action as best
as you'd like to, you need to have cards of the correspodning card
suits. If you do not have cards with the necessary card suit at hand,
but still need to perform some major action related to that card suit,
you can use any of your other cards from any of the other three card
suits. However, their "chance" value is lower by default, halved from
the value the required card would have if it was the correct suit.
| Default card suit (central European style) | Equivalent card suit (various other corresponding styles) |
|---|---|
| Acorns | Clubs, Clovers, Swords (latter only in Spanish and Italian suits) |
| Leaves | Spades, Pikes, Shields, Clubs (latter only in Spanish and Italian suits) |
| Hearts | Hearts, Roses, Cups |
| Bells | Diamonds, Tiles, Coins |
Targeting the difficulty rating or probability rating of a task
Target the difficulty rating with your card's Raw value added to your
skills and stats, succeeding either exactly, or at least just under or
just over the difficulty rating of a task. Depending on the type of
task, also use the Luck card, or if there's a tie, use the Luck card as a
tie-breaker.
Target the probability rating with the Probability value of your card,
succeeding either exactly, or at least just under or just over the
probability rating of a task. Depending on the type of task, also use
the Luck card, or if there's a tie, use the Luck card as a tie-breaker.
Examples of card Raw value use to target the difficulty rating of a task
| Stats and skills (current numerical rating) | Raw value of the card the player intends to use | Difficulty rating | Raw value use outcome | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength - 9, Agility - 8, Mettle - 8, Concentration - 7, Health - 100 % (d. 0 %, No damage) Fatigue -5 % (Very low) | Acorn 8 (VIII) - 2.50 - Melee/Attack (fitting card suit, the full value) | 34 (no armour modifiers) | 34 | Succeeded |
| Strength - 9, Agility - 5, Mettle - , Concentration - , Health - 82 % (d. 18 %, Minor), Fatigue - 37 % (Low) Concentration - 49 % (Medium) | Acorn 8 (VIII) - 2.50 - Melee/Attack (fitting card suit, the full value) | 34 (no armour modifiers) | 31 | Partially succeeded |
| Strength - 10, Agility - 9, Mettle - , Health - 57 % (d. 43 %, Moderate damage), Fatigue - 71 % (High) Concentration - % () | Acorn 8 (VIII) - 2.50 - Melee/Attack (fitting card suit, the full value) | 34 (no armour modifiers) | 26 | Didn't succeed |
| Strength - 9, Agility - 9, Mettle - , Health - 77 % (d. 23 %, Slight damage), Fatigue - 10 % (Very low) Concentration - % () | Leaves 8 (VIII) - 1.25 - Melee/Attack (unfitting suit, half the value) | 34 (no armour modifiers) | 18 | Didn't succeed |
| Strength - 7, Agility - 8, Mettle - 6, Health - 77 % (d. 23 %, Slight damage), Fatigue - 10 % (Very low) Concentration - 92 % (Very high) | Leaves 10 (X) - 5.00 - Melee/Defence/Parry (fitting card suit, half the value) | 22 | 21 | Succeeded |
Note that drawbacks such as Health, Fatigue and Concentration are
expressed as certain amounts of physical damage and certain amounts of
tiredness and will always vary based on your current situation. You
might have very good values in your stats and good values in particular
skills, but the state that your player character is in will have a
fairly significant influence on whether you succeed, succeed partially
or not succeed at all. External factors (such as the presence of
particular types of armour and weapons in a fight) also play a role, as
does the fact whether the playing card you choose to use has a card suit
that fits the activity you want to perform. If the suit doesn't fit the
type of action, you'll only be using half the Raw value.
----
2.) INTERACTING WITH THE ENVIRONMENT (exploration, stealth, action)
| Task | Playing card | Luck card | Stealthiness | State of tool or weapon | State of body / health | Local factors | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lighting a campfire | 10, Lower Marshal, Upper Marshal | Good luck | N/A | Firesteel in good condition | Medium amounts of fatigue, wounded hand (penalties) | Adequate amounts of tinder and kindling | Succeeded |
| Lighting a campfire | 10, Lower Marshal, Upper Marshal | Tough luck | N/A | Firesteel in good condition | Perfectly rested, no wounds | Small amounts of tinder and kindling | Didn't succeed |
| Dousing a torch | 7, 8, 9 | Good luck | N/A | Bow in good condition | High amounts of fatigue | Fresh, cold winds, longer distance to torch | Didn't succeed |
| Dousing a torch | Ace, King | Tough luck | N/A | Bow in good condition | Prefectly rested, no wounds, good eye-hand coordination | Dead calm or slight breeze, shorter distance to torch | Succeeded |
As you can see in the above table, a "Good luck" card doesn't guarantee a
fortunate result, given that the outcome can be swayed by the factors
in the other columns. On the other hand, a "Tough luck" also doesn't
mean that the player will end up with misfortune, if some of the
contributing factors are more in the player's favour.
Health, fatigue and concentration factors
Bodily injuries and wounds affect characters depending on where they occur on the body.
Health status overview
| Amount of health damage | Percentile expression | Remaining health | Consequences |
|---|---|---|---|
| No damage to health | 0 % | 100 % | The character is in good health. |
| Minor damage to health | 1 - 20 % | 99 - 80 % | The character has minor injuries, wounds or other health damage. Injuries barely noticeable or just trivially annoying, but absolutely no threat to a player's health. |
| Slight damage to health | 20 - 40 % | 80 - 60 % | The character has mild injuries, wounds or other health damage. If |
| Moderate damage to health | 40 - 60 % | 60 - 40 % | The character has moderate injuries, wounds or other health damage. These hamper some of the character's mobility, capabilities and increase Fatigue. High risk of deterioration into worsening health if left untreated long-term.. |
| Major damage to health | 60 - 80 % | 40 - 20 % | The character has serious injuries, wounds or other health damage. Very high Fatigue, character has great difficulty walking and moving around in a conventional manner. Guaranteed risk of deterioration into worsening health if left untreated long-term. |
| Massive damage to health | 80 - 99 % | 20 - 1 % | The character has critical injuries, wounds or other health damage. Extremely high Fatigue, inability to walk or move around in conventional ways, character forced to crawl or grovel on the ground. Unless given adequate medical attention and time to heal, death is highly likely. |
| Death | 100 % | 0 % | The character dies. |
Fatigue status table
| Amount of fatigue | Percentile expression | Remaining agility, strength and concentration | Consequences |
|---|---|---|---|
| No fatigue | 0 % | 100 % | The character |
| Minor fatigue (Very low) | 1 - 20 % | 99 - 80 % | The character |
| Slight fatigue (Low) | 20 - 40 % | 80 - 60 % | The character |
| Moderate fatigue (Medium) | 40 - 60 % | 60 - 40 % | The character |
| Major fatigue (High) | 60 - 80 % | 40 - 20 % | The character |
| Massive exhaustion (Very high) | 80 - 99 % | 20 - 1 % | The character |
| Complete exhaustion | 100 % | 0 % | The character |
Concentration status table
| Amount of concentration | Percentile expression | Consequences |
|---|---|---|
| No concentration | 0 % | The character |
| Very low concentration | 1 - 20 % | The character |
| Low concentration | 20 - 40 % | The character |
| Medium concentration | 40 - 60 % | The character |
| High concentration | 60 - 80 % | The character |
| Very high concentration | 80 - 99 % | The character |
| Complete concentration | 100 % | The character |
Wounds and injuries
| Primary areas of injuries and wounds | Secondary areas of injuries and wounds |
|---|---|
| Feet | Toes |
| Soles | |
| Ankles | |
| Legs | Shins |
| Calves | |
| Knees | |
| Thighs | |
| Torso | Groin |
| Hips | |
| Buttocks | |
| Abdomen | |
| Back | |
| Chest | |
| Shoulders | |
| Neck | |
| Head | Jaw (Mandible) |
| Mouth | |
| Nose | |
| Cheeks | |
| Eyes | |
| Ears | |
| Temples | |
| Crown | |
| Arms | Upper arms |
| Elbows | |
| Lower arms (Forearms) | |
| Hands | Wrists |
| Backs of hands | |
| Palms | |
| Thumbs | |
| Fingers |
Though the "physical damage" to a body covers wounds from melee combat and ranged combat, it also covers all injuries that can happen during travel, during traversal of a built or natural environment, during heist activities, or even artisan activities, and cases of the character being poisoned or getting sick with a contagion. Whereas physical injuries and wounds impact Health and Fatigue and affect Strength, Agility and Concentration, mental and emotional wounds impact Fatigue and Concentration the most.
| Type | Likeliness | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Plant and mushroom poisoning | Very high if knowledge of edible and poisonous plants and mushrooms is ignored entirely, high if knowledge is used in a lax manner. | ||
| Venom | Unlikely in Aporue, as most snakes are non-agressive, even venomous ones. |
3.) INTERACTING WITH OTHER CHARACTERS (communication and diplomacy)
| Task | Playing card | Luck card | Stealthiness | Trust | Concentration | Fatigue |
|---|
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