GDW’s Dark Conspiracy RPG: Panic Mechanic

[@Ratenef]

QotV - Power / Fear and Horror checks in Ravenloft campaign setting for 'TGTSNBN' The power checks were if you performed 'evil' deeds there was a chance that you be 'rewarded' by the 'powers' with a minor boon. The idea being to entice you to more and more evil things. The fear/horror checks were similar to the Panic check you just mentioned. Fear checks being short term penalties, horror resulting in more long term debilitating effects. Note that Ravenloft was a dark and bleak campaign world. Your characters were candles of light in the darkness, that the darkness was continuously trying to snuff out.

[@Tygertyger8008]

YES! Believability > Realism in gaming! Kevin Siembieda of Rifts fame once wrote an article espousing this (he said "plausibility" but six of one...). It was excellent advice back in the '90s, and it's excellent advice now. QotV: I quite like the Best Friend and Rival mechanic from Tokyo Brain Pop. During character creation each player chooses a Best Friend and a Rival, each of which is another PC, for their character. During play the Best Friend's player narrates the character's successes while the Rival's player narrates their failures. Slide? Heck, yeah! Slave, baby!

[@TheDave-bn2tx]

Never even heard of this dark conspiracy but this is a really great topic. I don't like the stress mechanic much in alien because it only works for one shots but not for longer campaigns.

[@ottawamonsterpocalypse7729]

The only thing that is coming to mind right now for special mechanics are the negotiation mechanics from the old Persona games on the PS1, but I won't know if I still like em or not until I see a translated version of the TTRPG game rules for em which won't be until later this year if all goes well. I'm sure there are some but my brain is just not working for me right now. Will try to get back to this later.

[@derekburge5294]

Mark Danced Crazy!

[@Skeloric]

QotV... My first encounter was the panic/fear/frenzy that Vampires had in Masquerade. Rolling Willpower to see if fire triggered the fear or if blood triggered frenzy. My overal experience is that the mechanic cannot and should not play the character for me, as it too often seemed to do back in Masquerade. The Requiem era was a bit better on it, the flaws being elsewhere. Savage Worlds' Deadlands and their Fear Levels work nicely for me.