Just stumbled upon PUSH, and I'm strongly considering using it for my game about fighting giant monsters.
With that said, I had an idea that I would like your input on: Do you think adding a tier of success that's even better than Strong Hit above the 7+ threshold could work? I was thinking:
=< 4: Weak Hit
5-6: Strong Hit
7-9: Miss
10+: Super Hit
With a "Super Hit" adding some kind of bonus.
Do you think that would be a good idea? It would certainly incentivize rerolling more.
It might work! I'd assume that if you roll 7-9 you cannot choose to roll another dice, correct?
What I'd keep in mind is the kind of story I am trying to emulate. What does it represent in the narrative when I roll a Strong Hit and go for the Super Hit? Am I tapping into a source of unstable power that, if I am able to get past its chaotic nature (7-9), I am able to perform incredible feats (10+)? If so, the new tier makes sense, you know?
Yeah, the idea is that you can keep rerolling as long as your total is below 7. You could even tier it further, like:
=< 4: Weak Hit
5-6: Strong Hit
7-9: Miss
10-12: Super Hit
13-15: Fumble
16-18: Mega Hit
19-21: Failure
22+: Ultra Hit
The idea was, like... imagine a superhero game, and you're in a situation where you're about to unleash a powerful attack against the villain, but if you're not careful, you could destroy the city. Or you're a wizard using a powerful spell, but lose focus, and you rip a hole into reality.
It's supposed to simulate this idea of unleashing awesome power that you can hardly contain.
Storywise, the group might agree that the current threat is too powerful, a Strong Hit would only hurt it, but an Ultra Hit might remove it in one fell swoop. But are you willing to take that risk?
Another, slightly more crunchy idea was to different matrices, or even just lists, good and bad ones. A Weak Hit means you do it, but you also roll on the Bad List for a consequence. A Strong Hit means you do it without consulting a list. A Miss means you roll on the Bad List once, a Fumble makes you roll twice, and a Failure thrice. Same for Super Hit, Mega Hit and Ultra Hit and the Good List.
You can also combine this with using traits: If you don't utilize a trait, the best you can do is a Strong Hit. Use 1 trait, you could reach a Super Hit, but 7-9 would still be a Miss, and nything higher than 12 would be a Fumble. And so on.
Update to my previous comment here: STRONG HIT 9-12, 7-12 if using a skill/ability/special item/proficiency/whatever. This was suggested in a free kriegspiel game I saw a while back, found that it fits perfectly!
Hi all, I love the mechanics of Push but while playing it I encountered an issue and I would like your opinion, how do you handle fantasy fights, which are usually longer and more granular? With a 2 in 3 chance of receiving a setback for each roll, three or four rounds of actions, attacks and parries turn the heroes knocked down, disarmed, blinded, broken. It seems to me that a classic roll to attack and then roll to defend is very difficult to manage, how do you do it? I understand that the ideal would be a single roll, do I kill the goblins? Strong hit yes, like a fury you defeat the bad guys, weak hit yes you beat them but some run away ready to come back angrier or you were injured in the fight etc. But what if you want a little more action?
I myself actually prefer more action as well. I usually roll multiple times during combat scenes too, I like it to be more intense and dramatic.
What I do is I play with the complications. You see, "knocked down, disarmed, blinded, broken" are quite harsh setbacks that would make more sense if it were for a single roll resolution. You may want to try to "dilute" the severity of the complications when you roll more often.
Think of it as a movie scene. Consequences don't need to take your character out of the scene. I hit them, but... they punch me back. And I just get back and hit again. I hit them, but... they grab me and throw me. I drop something. The sun is now against their back. A crack on the floor widens. They reveal a secret weapon. A minion appears. Our swords clash and we stare at each other, exchanging insults. Think Thorin vs Azog kind of deal.
Don't be afraid to get creative (and permissive) with complications. That way, you can have a long and colorful battle scene without punishing your character too much.
Thanks for your kind reply! In fact you made me think that setbacks could be used as third party actions, for example a floor collapsing or a rope bridge fraying one strand at a time, not necessarily negative but equal parts neutral and adverse to all parties. Or you can switch to the action of the next enemy instead of a setback, for example you kill the first zombie but with a weak hit the other is on you, will you be able to dodge it? I watched the latest Indiana Jones last night and there is a masterful use of complications. I think this is the spirit to bring into the scene, the problem and that when we say complication we mainly think of something directly negative for the character, instead it should be understood as the environment or the enemies do this action (not necessarily directly negative). They shoot the character on the rope bridge, I dodge with a 3 on the die, the bullet passes close to me but cuts one of the ropes, the bridge tilts for everyone, on the next weak hit the last rope starts to fray etc... Thanks again for your games Mr. Cezar, I find push and Kismet just brilliant.
If you are a potential game designer, I suggest giving this SRD a shot. Super duper simple to learn, and could be applied to just about anything! I myself am using it to develop a journaling RPG about professional wrestling!
Cezar, is there a support email by which I might reach you to discuss an issue? I looked for one in out and around this page and was not able to see one. I apologize if I missed the obvious; I am a currently exhausted middle school teacher that may be browsing at disadvantage my fault (this will play into the issue I want to comment on :-)
Is there a Fillable PDF 2-page template in English? The only one I'm seeing is the PT-BR version.
My friends and I are LOVING Push. We've been playing the In Alleys Dark setting from the One Night Worlds Kickstarter. We've liked it so much that we want to do a design jam together for our own setting!
Inclusive uma que de pra mudar o nome das coisas tipo dom, origem, experiência e etc pra outras coisas? Isso que eu estava procurando não consegui achar infelizmente
Hi, there! Sorry for the late reply, got busy with the holiday season :)
Thank you so much for your kind words! Unfortunately, there’s no Discord server as of yet. I still don’t have the bandwidth to manage a community at this point :)
Thanks for the information :) if at some point a discord community is created can you post the link here on the page? Would love to talk with other people about the game :D
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Hello!
Just stumbled upon PUSH, and I'm strongly considering using it for my game about fighting giant monsters.
With that said, I had an idea that I would like your input on: Do you think adding a tier of success that's even better than Strong Hit above the 7+ threshold could work? I was thinking:
=< 4: Weak Hit
5-6: Strong Hit
7-9: Miss
10+: Super Hit
With a "Super Hit" adding some kind of bonus.
Do you think that would be a good idea? It would certainly incentivize rerolling more.
Hello! Thanks for getting in touch!
It might work! I'd assume that if you roll 7-9 you cannot choose to roll another dice, correct?
What I'd keep in mind is the kind of story I am trying to emulate. What does it represent in the narrative when I roll a Strong Hit and go for the Super Hit? Am I tapping into a source of unstable power that, if I am able to get past its chaotic nature (7-9), I am able to perform incredible feats (10+)? If so, the new tier makes sense, you know?
Mathematically, looks solid!
Yeah, the idea is that you can keep rerolling as long as your total is below 7. You could even tier it further, like:
=< 4: Weak Hit
5-6: Strong Hit
7-9: Miss
10-12: Super Hit
13-15: Fumble
16-18: Mega Hit
19-21: Failure
22+: Ultra Hit
The idea was, like... imagine a superhero game, and you're in a situation where you're about to unleash a powerful attack against the villain, but if you're not careful, you could destroy the city. Or you're a wizard using a powerful spell, but lose focus, and you rip a hole into reality.
It's supposed to simulate this idea of unleashing awesome power that you can hardly contain.
Storywise, the group might agree that the current threat is too powerful, a Strong Hit would only hurt it, but an Ultra Hit might remove it in one fell swoop. But are you willing to take that risk?
Another, slightly more crunchy idea was to different matrices, or even just lists, good and bad ones. A Weak Hit means you do it, but you also roll on the Bad List for a consequence. A Strong Hit means you do it without consulting a list. A Miss means you roll on the Bad List once, a Fumble makes you roll twice, and a Failure thrice. Same for Super Hit, Mega Hit and Ultra Hit and the Good List.
You can also combine this with using traits: If you don't utilize a trait, the best you can do is a Strong Hit. Use 1 trait, you could reach a Super Hit, but 7-9 would still be a Miss, and nything higher than 12 would be a Fumble. And so on.
I really like where this is going! I think you have a solid foundation for a hack!
Hello!
That’s great, just drop a link below and I’ll add it to the collection! Thank you very much!
Update to my previous comment here:
STRONG HIT 9-12, 7-12 if using a skill/ability/special item/proficiency/whatever.
This was suggested in a free kriegspiel game I saw a while back, found that it fits perfectly!
It certainly does! A little more "juice" to the tag, I like it
Indeed!
Combined my love of 2d6 systems with PUSH!
(1-8 WEAK HIT) (9-12 STRONG HIT) (MISS on 13+) , STRONG HIT on 8-12 using a "tag" (straight outta Kismet!).
I like that a lot! Very clever, thanks for sharing
You bet!
Thanks for the inspiration!
Hi all, I love the mechanics of Push but while playing it I encountered an issue and I would like your opinion, how do you handle fantasy fights, which are usually longer and more granular? With a 2 in 3 chance of receiving a setback for each roll, three or four rounds of actions, attacks and parries turn the heroes knocked down, disarmed, blinded, broken. It seems to me that a classic roll to attack and then roll to defend is very difficult to manage, how do you do it? I understand that the ideal would be a single roll, do I kill the goblins? Strong hit yes, like a fury you defeat the bad guys, weak hit yes you beat them but some run away ready to come back angrier or you were injured in the fight etc. But what if you want a little more action?
Hi, there!
Great question!
I myself actually prefer more action as well. I usually roll multiple times during combat scenes too, I like it to be more intense and dramatic.
What I do is I play with the complications. You see, "knocked down, disarmed, blinded, broken" are quite harsh setbacks that would make more sense if it were for a single roll resolution. You may want to try to "dilute" the severity of the complications when you roll more often.
Think of it as a movie scene. Consequences don't need to take your character out of the scene. I hit them, but... they punch me back. And I just get back and hit again. I hit them, but... they grab me and throw me. I drop something. The sun is now against their back. A crack on the floor widens. They reveal a secret weapon. A minion appears. Our swords clash and we stare at each other, exchanging insults. Think Thorin vs Azog kind of deal.
Don't be afraid to get creative (and permissive) with complications. That way, you can have a long and colorful battle scene without punishing your character too much.
Thanks for your kind reply! In fact you made me think that setbacks could be used as third party actions, for example a floor collapsing or a rope bridge fraying one strand at a time, not necessarily negative but equal parts neutral and adverse to all parties. Or you can switch to the action of the next enemy instead of a setback, for example you kill the first zombie but with a weak hit the other is on you, will you be able to dodge it? I watched the latest Indiana Jones last night and there is a masterful use of complications. I think this is the spirit to bring into the scene, the problem and that when we say complication we mainly think of something directly negative for the character, instead it should be understood as the environment or the enemies do this action (not necessarily directly negative). They shoot the character on the rope bridge, I dodge with a 3 on the die, the bullet passes close to me but cuts one of the ropes, the bridge tilts for everyone, on the next weak hit the last rope starts to fray etc... Thanks again for your games Mr. Cezar, I find push and Kismet just brilliant.
That's the spirit, very well put!
And thank you so much for your kind words!
Am I missing something?
"Roll 1 d6" this means to roll one 6-sided die, right?
If so, how can you "• On a 7 or higher, it's a MISS." The math doesn't add up for me.
Hi, there!
The answer is on the WEAK HIT result:
• On a 4 or lower, it's a WEAK HIT, but you can choose to roll +1d6. If you do so, you must add it to your result
I hope that helps!
I made a Song Of Ice and Fire into a free Push-Powered fan game!
https://riversidestudios.itch.io/a-song-of-ice-and-fire
Sweet! Thanks for sharing, it looks great!
Thanks!
and thank you for making inclusive systems for solo and co-op players!
If you are a potential game designer, I suggest giving this SRD a shot. Super duper simple to learn, and could be applied to just about anything! I myself am using it to develop a journaling RPG about professional wrestling!
Cesar, you are a mad genius and I salute you!
Thank you, that's very kind!! ^^
If you ever launch the game here on itch, let me know; I'd love to check it out and add it to the Push-powered games collection!
Cezar, is there a support email by which I might reach you to discuss an issue? I looked for one in out and around this page and was not able to see one. I apologize if I missed the obvious; I am a currently exhausted middle school teacher that may be browsing at disadvantage my fault (this will play into the issue I want to comment on :-)
Vince Arebalo
Hi, Vince!
Thanks for reaching out! Of course, you can write me at capacle (at) gmail
Thank you! I reach out soon....
Is there a Fillable PDF 2-page template in English?
The only one I'm seeing is the PT-BR version.
My friends and I are LOVING Push. We've been playing the In Alleys Dark setting from the One Night Worlds Kickstarter. We've liked it so much that we want to do a design jam together for our own setting!
This is awesome to hear! I'd love to see the final result ^^
Unfortunately, I do not have a fillable PDF template in English. The Portuguese one was fan-made
We do, however, have the Canva template, which is free and completely open to be customized (does not require a Pro account).
Okay, the Canva template should work well. Thank you!
Existe alguma ficha de personagem que possa editar ou os traços de personagem estejam vazios pra poder editar pra um jogo?
Sim! Nos arquivos de download tem links para a ficha editável no Canva. Não precisa ter conta paga para usar, só clicar e fazer uma cópia ^^
Inclusive uma que de pra mudar o nome das coisas tipo dom, origem, experiência e etc pra outras coisas? Isso que eu estava procurando não consegui achar infelizmente
Sim, isso mesmo. Todos os campos são editáveis.
Nos downloads, é só clicar no que chama Push SRD_2-page-Canva-template-PT-BR
Hey cezar - greetings from germany :) enjoy push very, very much <3
is there a discord community for the game?
Hi, there! Sorry for the late reply, got busy with the holiday season :)
Thank you so much for your kind words! Unfortunately, there’s no Discord server as of yet. I still don’t have the bandwidth to manage a community at this point :)
Thanks for the information :) if at some point a discord community is created can you post the link here on the page? Would love to talk with other people about the game :D
and a happy new year :)
Absolutely, will do! :)
Happy New Year!