My Thoughts on Combining Games

[Lythaeum]

This is where I stand so far on my quest to d20-ify everything

Editing and Spacing is lost in plain text I don't know how to do attachments


For most rules I am using D&D Minis/Star Wars Minis/D&D Adventure Game (Castle Ravenloft)
LNOE, Zpocalypse, Zombies!!! and Zombicide
Add some horrorclix themes, victims and abilities
Add in some Martians!!!, Invasion From Outer Space, Spacehulk/tyrranid Attack rules on overwatch etc

I took all the cards from these games and the abilities and I have been making them into cards using Magic Set Editor. Some are just to be cut and the lower half placed over the original card in a sleeve. Other abilities such as LNOE character abilities have been made into new cards with pilfered art.
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Turn structure will be mostly MTG/LNOE.

Turn

Hero Turn
Hero 1
Untap (nothing can be played now)
Upkeep
Draw hand size of event cards.
Take Actions (heroes start with two actions-move, search, attack)
Hero 2, etc

Crowd/Civilians/Victims/NPC
Each player moves NPCs that they are responsible for.

Zombie Turn
Zmaster/Zombie Player 1 or Heroes accoding to AI
Untap
Upkeep
Rage pool
Mutations as Per Zpocalypse
Draw hand size of Zombie Event
AI Rotates one event card out and fills the empty slot with a new
Zombie Spawn
Zombies spawn as per scenario and Rage
Actions
Move Zombies
New zombies may only move if they have haste (runners)
Zombies move according to Hunger/Noise Attraction or die roll to determine direction
Combat
Zombie Fight Cards rules?
Zmaster 2/Zombie Player 2

Martian Turn (I need to actually read martian game)
Martian Player 1 or Heroes accoding to AI
Untap
Upkeep
Command pool
Mutations as Per Zpocalypse
Draw hand size of Martian Event
AI Rotates one event card out and fills the empty slot with a new
Martian Spawn
Martian spawn as per scenario and Command
Actions
Move Martians
New martians may only move if they have haste (runners)
AI Martian move according?
Move Blips as per spacehulk

Fire Movement

Clean Up
Conditions end, Saving throws etc

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Levels, Abilities and Upgrades, and XP

Level

A character's level will be determined by the number of ability cards they have purchased, or, in other words, by what the character has learned.

Every four ability cards means one level.
Everytime a level is gained the char gets to flip over all used abilities. This creates the incentive to level up.

Abilities and Upgrades

The deck should be broken up into two or more decks.

Ability Scores (as per d20)
With San and Essence added

Core Abilities
These are the +1 to defense, +10 HP, bonus to attack, etc
Special Abilities
These are the other abilities, the different forms of attacks and the more story driven aspects of the character.
Advanced Abilities
These can be special abilities only available after the char gets to 4th level.

Penalties
When a penalty card is drawn from an ability deck, the player keeps that penalty but draws two more of the same type of ability card. Discard any penalty cards drawn during this second draw. A penalty card negates an ability card when counting them to determine level.

Dirty Fighting: should not affect undead



XP

Experience Points (XP) are earned for defeating enemies and for story driven quests. XP is spent on game mechanics such as Rerolls, Healing Surges, cancelling Encounter Cards and purchasing Abilities Cards or reusing spent ability cards.

Characters split XP for enemies defeated in fights that they share.

Mini Goals, Quest XP is for everyone equally. These represent end goals and greater achievements.

Alternativel Mini Goals and Quest XP are split by characters within 2 zones of the quest items. This is to reward characters working together to accomplish the mini-goals and find the items for a scenario. This also keeps one player from just running ahead collecting quest items and the XP for himself.

You may, once per turn spend XP at a cost equal to your level to purchase a Reroll, Healing Surge or to cancel an Encounter Card. You may also cancel a break or out of ammo result so that you can keep the weapon.

If you have an Ability that is to flipped over after, you can purchase another use, by spending XP at a cost equal to your level. Flip the card back over.

An Abilities Card costs in XP the number of the card sought plus the number of cards already possessed.

Level Card # Cost Total
XP XP
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1
2 3 4
3 5 9
4 7 16
2 5 9 25
6 11 34
7 13 46
8 15 62
3 9 17 79
10 19 98
11 21 119
12 23 142
4 13 25 167

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Searching

Searching is handled with a Perception/Search Roll as per D&D
After a successful search put a searched token (magnifying glass) in that area to note that it has been searched. DC is -2 for each successful search already performed in that zone.

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Scenarios

Different scenarios will have different starting values and items. The conditions for the characters to win or lose and whether or not a Zmaster/Zombie player is playing.

Chars should start with 3 xp to spend on a card or to use for rerolls. This is instead of the 3 bullets in Zombies!!!

Character Stats

As per D&D will make character sheets that will be more like larger version of the cards.

Starting AC 10, HP 15, Healing Surge 5, Saves etc
Youth will start wth 10xp and 2 extra Healing Surges.

Monster Spawn

Spawn Cards
These Determine the class and number of zombies encountered. For each zombie noted on the Spawn Card draw an appropriate color Class of zombie. The number of zombies spawned is based on the highest threat level (character level) of all of the Heroes.

Spawns are determined by scenarios specific conditions.

The standard Zombicide Scenarios should have 1 spawn card drawn per player at the beginning of the Zombie Turn.

Rage

The Zmaster or Zombie Player earns Rage points to spend on zombie spawns and other events. For each round that a character does not have combat the Zmaster gets 1 point of Rage. The Zmaster gets 1d6 rage per turn in addition to that.

The idea of Rage building from Hero inaction is keeping in league with Left 4 Dead's spawing.

Rage points should buy spawn cards such that the level of zombies based on the threat level set by character level.

Encounter Cards

Encounter cards add zombies and control what is available to search etc

Encounter Cards should be made into thematic sub-decks. Mall, Dept Store, Sporting Goods Store, Super Market, Town, Villiage, Woods, Suburbia, City, Water Side, Hospital, Jail,

Some rea specific encounter ideas:
Zombies!!! Graveyard cards, mall cards, office cards, Necronomicon Cards combined with the LNOE scenario based on the same.

Encounter Ideas:
Workbench: ala Dead Rising, Dead Space and Dead Island. If found in a building put a workbench token here. Tape, tools, clamps, vices, screws, etc, ... can be found here to make, modify and repair weapons and items. Can search here to take a non-firearm from the discard pile. Then spend two actions to repair item. Alternatively, the work bench can be dismantled for 1 scrap and 1 tools.

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Movement, Maps and Scale


Movement

Movement in the various games needs to be normallized to all work together. Each game has a different scale and a different way of handling movement and a different way of using spaces marked on the maps.
Movement varies from roll a D6 and possibly adding a value to a set movement rating. To account for the varying map styles we need to use a system that can be consistent and converted easily. Movement will be determined in both squares and zones. A square should be representative of 5'. A zone should be 20'. So if there are 1" squares on the board movement can be handled as D&D Minitures and Castle Ravenloft.
A zone should be thought of as the logical unit of interaction with the map. It represents what is closest to the character. A roughly 20' square or similar sized area that can be interacted with quickly and easily.
Most of the games use spaces that translate into "zones" of roughly 20' squares. Sometimes the zones are not square as they are based on an environmental boundry as depicted on the map. Such as a room that is close to that size. Zones can be smaller as the walls of a room might limit the logical area that can be accessible. Zones can be larger as in open spaces where there is just less with which to interact and nothing to hinder or slow movement.

Stance
Jeff Gracia introduced a stance idea in his forums for Zpocalypse. Using a card to show the current stance and how it affects movement. This should also have an Overwatch side


Maps and Scale

1" = 1 square = 5'
Zpocalypse
DND Board Games
DND RPG
Star Wars RPG
Halo
Doom
Frag


4 squares x 4 squares equals 1 zone (DND Board Game Tile, Zpocalypse Tile)


Zombicide
This has roughly a similar scale but with no grid and the zones are more freeform and based on the environment. Each zone is about a 20' square. I will probably cut my Zombicide map tiles to be 9"squares. I haven't actually measured them yet....luckily I bought extra copies.

Last Night on Earth / Invasion from Outer Space
This game uses spaces that are about 20' but the spaces are not squares. The size and shape of the spaces changes based on the environment depicted. The scale of the map is smaller.

Zombies!!! / Martians!!!
This game has a much smaller scale map but the spaces on the map correspont well with the concept of zones already discussed, being roughly 20' squares.


Others Yet To Be Considered
Zombie Survival
Mansions of Madness
Tannhauser
Sedition Wars
Betrayal at House on the Hill
The Adventurers
Kill Doctor Lucky / Save Doctor Lucky
Space Hulk / Tyranid Attack
Hero Quest

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Weapons

Weapon attack rolls are separate from Break/Out of Ammo rolls.
Roll 1d6 after the attack roll to check for break/out of ammo.

This way there is one roll at the end of Sawed off shot gun, Police Shotgun, or a multi-strike attack.

This also allows modifiers to the Break check to not affect the attack roll itself.

Weapons that run out of ammo should be turned sideways, tapped, until they can be reloaded. They may be discarded.


Items

Crutch: roll break after each use, must be carried as a weapon. Crutch can also temporarily negate bad leg while crutch is carried.

Unique Items

Scenario Specific Items

Advanced Items

These items are made from other items combined using a workbench to do it.

Shopping Cart Death Machine: Willamette hopping cart from Deadrising.

Boxing Gloves with knives from Deadrising

Bat with nails ala dead island

Carrying Capacity

Characters may carry 1 item in each hand and 3 other items on their person (pockets, tucked under an arm, belt, straps, etc, .... Some items specify that they take two hands or must be carried in a hand.

Some items grant more carrying or storage capacity. Back packs, utility belts, chests, cases, etc

Switching an item from hand to hand is a free action. Dropping an item is a free action. Drawing an item is a free action if your hands are empty or if you just drop the item in your hand. Trading items in hand to a character in the same square as you is a free action.

Storing an item on your person drawing a new item is a move action.

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Noise Tokens

Think of noise tokens as Attraction Tokens. Sound will travel the whole map and attract zombies.
Some other effects create Attraction also. Effects such the Boomer's bile will attract zombies.

An advanced rule for Noise and Attraction could be that sound can travel 3 zones per token.

Lights

Lights attract zombies too. These only work for line of sight. Lights, fires, etc will draw zombies nearby. They will still go for something moving, but flashing lights will distract them. Fireworks will distract them. Flashing strobe grenades will draw them close.

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Sanity, Fear and Horror

Use Mansions of Madness and Betrayal at House on the Haunted Hill
Ravenloft, Call of Cthulhu

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[mqstout]

Lythaeum, why haven't you asked us for full membership?

[Lythaeum]

I did just now as you pointed out. Thanks

[Lythaeum]

Deleting the cards that are from the D&D adventure game so that it is mostly LNOE abilities from that compiled file of abilities and homemade ideas still leaves the upgrade cards pdf at 30 megs.
Adding in the other incomplete card types and it is 54 megs.

I can not put the MSE files here it says attachment not allowed.

I put one card here just to show an upgrade that was made from that list.
  FromMyBodyToYours.pdf (Size: 311.34 KB / Downloads: 6)