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Looking for Feedback on my tabletop horror RPG... also called Feedback!

A topic by Rick Terto created Mar 11, 2023 Views: 255 Replies: 5

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First, yes I want a feedback on Feedback (the RPG). Which also means I probably passed the quota of the word feedback on a single post already, sorry for that...

But back on track, I released a Solo RPG called Feedback RPG. Which was originally written in Portuguese and now available in English, it would be lovely to have some boardgames aficionados to give it a try and share how was the experience (and also look for any errors that made into the translation). It's very easy to learn, free to play and released under creative commons. Please do share any criticism, ideas or questions you may have. Some comment on how difficult is to understand the rules and if the gameplay is naturally flowing would be awesome, leaving a message on the Itch.io page would also mean a lot for me.

Link to the project: https://rickterto.itch.io/feedback-rpg-en
If you want to give feedback on the Portuguese Version: https://rickterto.itch.io/feedback-rpg

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Ponydragon1 year ago

Sadly I am not your target audience, but I did read your rule booklet. So let's give you some feet back.

It is not a one-shot single player rpg. It is more like a meta rule guideline for creating such a thing. Wich is hard, because if you are the creator of your story, well, you know the story. Knowing that the killer lurks behind the door kinda takes the horror away.

It is not explained how a fortitude helps you. You lose a 1 point for dice roll, because it benefits you, but what benefit does it give you. And if it give a point value, why bother deducting 1 point in the first place, just make the bonus 1 smaller. For savings on the mali when rerolling maybe. But that is overly convoluted.

I did not understand what happens when you fail the second time. Dying again and returning after the test as if you had passed maybe. Or that the test was not needed in the first place, what with the fabric of reality bending.

The premonition sentence about accepting the outcom is superfluos. If you have the option of accepting the premonition or chosing not to, accepting the outcome is exactly what you just did, if you chose so.

Changing your destiny by rerolling is not changing your destiny, but a reroll. If I walk over a trap door and fall to my death, going back in time would make me not go over the trap door in the first place. If I go back in time to the very moment I fall and try to hold on (again), as I said, it is just a reroll. That is not how the trope of time travel is supposed to work. I have seen enough Groundhog Day, or that surprisingly good Happy Death Day to expect it differently. (speaking of that, your game is basically Happy Death Day. Should you not know it, you will be in for a treat if you can watch it somewhere)

Conclusion. Not my cup of tea. Might work as a card game, even multiplayer, the kind where you draw from different decks to create a story. I believe the Arkham Horror Games work a bit like that.

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Rick Terto1 year ago

Hi Ponydragon, sorry for the lateness of my reply. I haven't been on itch.io for sometime. I'm writing you thank you for your feedback, but I'm not sure I can change much based on your reply. Again, I'm very thankful that you gave me the time trying the RPG, but it seems to me that to apply much of your suggestions would be to actually not make it a solo tabletop RPG, but more of a common boardgame -- I believe this is your first time trying something of the genre? Sadly there's not much in the booklet to introduce about solo tabletop RPGs, although that would certainly make it more accessible, it also would make it much longer.

Nonetheless I'm very thankful for your comment, I'm sorry it wasn't much of your liking.

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Ponydragon1 year ago

I did not try the game, as I wrote, I read the rules. I am not a solo ttrpg player. But I do have expericence in reading gaming rules, including ttrpg. Maybe you could tell by my nitpicking.

If you want to change things, there is only maybe the stuff about the unclear rules. Maybe it is a translation issue and the rules read clear as day in the original. I believe there was a translation error with the weapons as well. White weapons iirc and Fire weapons. That would be Bladed Weapons and Firearms, I suppose. (A Fire weapon would literally be a flame thrower)

And I tried to explain why it would not my cup of tea. Like with the killer behind the door. It kills the suspense (pun intended) if I am the creator and the player.

As a thematic advice, preventing your own death by going back in time in a horro scenario sounds cool. But that playing out as only a reroll sounds lame. A reroll is a known concept in tt. Calling it changing your destiny does not make it any better. And here comes the rule unclearness again. Maybe you meant that if you fail a second time, then you can do things differently. But it read more like, reality bends in a way that the need to do the roll ceases to exist.

The concept reminded me of the movie Happy Death Day, and I liked that one.

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Rick Terto1 year ago

Hello again Ponydragon, thanks for your feedback. I'm not sure what do you mean by the reroll part -- the mechanical effect is to make the success margin greater, the narrative outcomes in TTRPGS are generally decided by the players. There is some help of the narrative implications in the middle of the manual, but that's admittedly very short due to my self imposed limit of pages. To quote a specific part:

"Lucky you for having the power to return
from dead, remember that it takes you to the last test you failed (the one leading to your assassination). You can choose to repeat that action taking advantage of your new acquired knowledge or start a new chain of events."

it's not my intend to give players a story as in a module, but a ruleset and guideline to build a narrative -- as traditional in manuals of tabletop rpgs played solo.

Thanks again for your time, even if you didn't play the game -- reading the guide is already much appreciated. I'll try to apply your advices best I can.

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Ponydragon1 year ago

Must have missed that one. or start a new chain of events.

With the wording and the other rules it read like a reroll. It takes you to the last test you failed. Actually it does not. It takes you before that. Far enough, to actually chose a different path, or chain of events. It has to. If that chain C would follow after the test, you need not talk about a chain at all. Or was that fluff like, live another day.

You decide D your path, following is the chain 1 you do not have to test (at least not for your death), till the the critical test X, that you fail and die.

I understood it like coming "to the test" again. Placing the return R right in front of X, maybe even forcing you to repeat X. But your return has to be before D, otherwise you could not chose to do a different chain or repeat your mistake and try to reroll. 2 would be the new chain of events.

D111111X
D111111RXCCC
RD-1-or-2-or-?

If I understand this now correctly, you might want to change the wording to something like :

"Lucky you for having the power to return
from the dead. Remember that it takes you to the last decision that invevitable lead to your assassination. You can choose to decide differently, starting a new chain of events, or try again, taking advantage of your new acquired knowledge."

Oh, and this sentence might explain my confusion:

You return seconds before your death and can try to change your destiny – going back in time takes you to your last test.

If I take that literally, that is like being struck from behind and ducking, failing, returning, only to maybe run instead of duck (or reroll the ducking). No need to talk about destiny or chain of events. But if you were to return to the moment you decided to search that broom closet, you could change your destiny.

(Oh, and the bonus from fortidudes cleared up. It is 1. Scratch that nitpick)

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