Lookouts - The RPG

SUPERSUGA

Felinus beat me to it, but is going in the direction of additions to 4e for this theme.

Instead, my idea was to take what we know about Lookouts and make some minor adjustments to the super-rules-lite generic fantasy RPG I've written and played with some guys here before. The game is The Adventurer's Tale and the basics of what a Lookouts game would need are already in there.

Below is a very quick draft of the changes I'd propose to the rules as written to play with Lookouts. I've knocked this through very quickly and a google doc is in production. Consider it more of a sneak preview and tentative test of interest.

For playing a game using The Lookouts, use The Adventurer's Tale with the following modifications.

Characters

* Characters begin with the normal Stats but do not choose a class. They are all Lookouts. Characters cannot begin with a score of 0 in Body.
* Perks are not chosen or gained throughout the game. Instead a Lookout begins with two Badges and may earn more in future.
* Characters begin with a Lookout Sword (Damage 2), Utility Knife, Uniform and a pack with bedroll. In addition, a lookout starts with 1d6 gp to spend on extra equipment, which may not include weapons or armour other than Bows and Knives.
* Spells cannot be learned by Lookouts.


Each group of Lookouts will be led by at least one Master. A Master is created in the same way as a Lookout but begins with eight Oak Badges, a Master's Sword (Damage 3) and a Lookout Sword, Utility Knife and Uniform.

Stats
The player allocates the scores of 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 to five of the following stats, with the remaining stats counting as 0.

Body: How physically fit the lookout is and how much punishment they can take before they die.
Melee: Fighting up close with fists and swords.
Shooting: Firing a bow or throwing items.
Grace: Sneaking, jumping, balancing and avoiding damage through mobility.
Awareness: Noticing things and reacting quickly.
Wisdom: Understanding of the world, history and monsters.
Craft: Using tools and devices and practical skills from first aid and lockpicking to repairwork and cooking.

Badges

Each badge earned will typically give the Lookout a bonus to a certain type of task and improve one stat. Each badge has three grades: Acorn, Shoot and Oak. This means each badge can be taken up to three times, with the effects gained stacking each time.

Woodcraft
Add 1 to rolls when using Craft to make something out of wood. Add 1 to Craft.

First Aid
Add 1 to the amount of damage you can heal when taking a short rest. Add 1 to Wisdom or Craft.

Archery
Add 1 to shooting rolls using a Bow. Add 1 to Shooting or Awareness.

Beastmaster
Add 1 to all combat rolls against a specific type of beast or monster, automatically identifying it in future. Add 1 to any Stat.
Note: A seperate Beastmaster Badge exists for each type of beast or monster and is suffixed with that monster's name. For example, a Lookout could have the "Beastmaster - Manticore" badge at Acorn grade and the "Beastmaster - Pegasus" badge at Oak.

Trappery
Add 1 to rolls when attempting to catch an animal using traps. Add 1 to Craft or Awareness.

Cross-Country
Add 1 to any rolls involving running. Add 1 to Body or Grace.

Caving
Add 1 to any rolls involving navigating, moving or spotting danger in tunnels. Add 1 to Grace or Awareness.

Treeclimbing
Add 1 to any rolls involving climbing or moving in trees. Add 1 to Grace or Body.

Swimming
Add 1 to any rolls when swimming in water. Add 1 to Grace or Body.

Swordsmanship
Add 1 to combat rolls using your Lookout Sword. Add 1 to Melee or Grace.

Athletics
Add 1 to both Body and Grace.

Fishing
Add 1 to rolls to catch or identify fish. Add 1 to Grace or Awareness.

Tracking
Add 1 to rolls when trying to follow tracks. Add 1 to Awareness or Wisdom.

Rowing
Add 1 to any rolls when operating a rowboat. Add 1 to Body or Wisdom.

Wrestling
Add 1 to combat rolls when fighting unarmed. Add 1 to Body or Melee.

Herbology
Add 1 to rolls when foraging for edible plants or identifying plants. Add 1 to Wisdom or Awareness.

Patrol
Add 1 to rolls when attempting to spot someone or something trying to sneak or hide from you. Add 1 to Awareness or Body.

And add a load more badges...

To Be Continued with...

Running the Game, Expeditions and Earning Badges
Advice for the GM on what Lookouts typically get up to, what an expedition is likely to include and specifics of what is requires to earn a new badge. This may be added into each badge individually in the previous section.

SUPERSUGA

So a sample Lookout may look like this.

Lumpy - The Bookworm
Wisdom 6, Body 4, Awareness 3, Shooting 3, Grace 1.
Herbology (Acorn): Add 1 to rolls when foraging for edible plants or identifying plants (Wisdom bonus taken)
Archery (Acorn): Add 1 to shooting rolls using a Bow. (Shooting bonus taken)
Lookout Sword, Utility Knife, Uniform, Shortbow and Whistle.

SkyCaptain

The Elle Badge - Earn 20 badges while Adventuring
Add 1 to all Stats

Skitchen

I think this is a great idea and I'm emerging from my posting hiatus to endorse it! The rule system sounds like it would work really well for this setting. I'd play it.

Averjoe

I'm planning on running an RPG with this too but using the Savage Worlds rules.

firemanfred

Sounds like a great concept, I'd love to earn a few badges.

SUPERSUGA

Neat. I'll get to work on the next section and see if I can't get a game going for when/if the story arc is continued.

Skitchen

I'll be writing up a character in anticipation of this, don't let me down Supersuga!

Mike Danger

When the PBP of this goes up, I am all over it. Now to figure out who to be.

Ultros64

I would be all sorts of down for this.

Character is ready when you want it Suga.

Felinus

I like it. It has great potential. It is in part a solution to the 3.x D&D phenomenon of characters improving skills they never, ever use. The only problem I can foresee is if the point or hook of the adventure is to earn a specific badge, wouldn't all the characters end up more or less the same?

Edith Upwards

Badges should be for heroism, not LOLARBITRARY INCREASE IN SKILL.

Skitchen

Not that I'm overly excited or anything, but uh...

Chip, the Medic-in-training
Craft 5, Grace 4, Body 3, Shooting 3, Awareness 1, Wisdom 1
First Aid (Acorn): Add 1 to the amount of damage you can heal when taking a short rest. (+1 Wisdom assigned)
Archery (Acorn): Add 1 to shooting rolls using a Bow. (+1 Shooting assigned)
Lookout Sword, Utility Knife, Uniform, Shortbow, Pack with Bedroll (4g spent on Shortbow)

DVG

Felinus wrote: »

I like it. It has great potential. It is in part a solution to the 3.x D&D phenomenon of characters improving skills they never, ever use. The only problem I can foresee is if the point or hook of the adventure is to earn a specific badge, wouldn't all the characters end up more or less the same?

You could simply make the "Adventure Badges" do things that more or less equate to leveling up. They provide many bonuses. However you would also get awarded badges for what your specific role in the party is and the things you did while on the adventure.

SUPERSUGA

Felinus wrote: »

I like it. It has great potential. It is in part a solution to the 3.x D&D phenomenon of characters improving skills they never, ever use. The only problem I can foresee is if the point or hook of the adventure is to earn a specific badge, wouldn't all the characters end up more or less the same?

A very good point. Something I was thinking about earlier. The choice of stat upgrades with each badge was a partial remedy but it needs something more.

I have a couple of ideas brewing to get around this. One would be the idea of running short sessions for expeditions with whoever can show up. Presumably not everyone would be able to attend every expedition and so not everyone would get every badge.

Or, the tests for each badge could be made so that only around half of the lookouts attending are likely to earn the badge. This way you'd see a bit of variety but risk some character falling behind. While this does make real sense for the boyscout theme I'm not sure how it would feel in play. Could be good if combined with a mentoring system to allow lookouts with more badges to help out their fat, stupid buddies who can't seem to do anything right.

Finally, expeditions could be planned to hit a variety of objectives in terms of badges. Perhaps a trip into the woods will offer chances for the group to earn one beastmaster badge, one tree-climbing badge and one tracking badge, with the best performing lookout earning the single badge for each.

Should clarify I'm holding out on cementing too much before we (maybe) see more of Lookouts. There may be some huge element of it we're missing at this point.

Still, brainstorming continues. Pumped to see a load of interest.

Mike Danger

As an Eagle Scout/Assistant Scoutmaster, I can tell you right now that no matter how hard you work, there's always that one kid that lags a little behind :P

zenpotato

Go with the Wizard of Oz way of awarding badges. At the end of an adventure, the Master hands out the badge he thinks each Lookout needs/earned based on his actions and what he learned.

SUPERSUGA

zenpotato wrote: »

Go with the Wizard of Oz way of awarding badges. At the end of an adventure, the Master hands out the badge he thinks each Lookout needs/earned based on his actions and what he learned.

That's actually really neat. May think of some way to work that in. I still like the idea the master taking a group out to earn a specific badge though. Maybe I'll suggest a number of methods from specific to more "open" expeditions, like yours.

zenpotato

I think there's room for that. Or maybe for different kinds of badges. Maybe some badges just don't have mechanical bonuses to them, and are there as a kind of "achievement" thing (like, um, actual boy scout badges).

SUPERSUGA

zenpotato wrote: »

I think there's room for that. Or maybe for different kinds of badges. Maybe some badges just don't have mechanical bonuses to them, and are there as a kind of "achievement" thing (like, um, actual boy scout badges).

Hmm. Food for thought there. Perhaps at Acorn (grade names subject to me thinking of something better) you get the first bonus, which is typically pretty situational. Shoot gives you one of the stat bonuses and Oak gives you the other.

Alternatively, perhaps there could be distinct bonuses for each badge at each level, perhaps working equipment into it. Perhaps the Archery Acorn Badge simply gets you a shortbow. Fits the idea of Lookouts not being allowed to use a tool until they've earned the right.

Other acorn rewards could be less mechanical and more like being rewarded with trust. Being allowed to take out one of the Lookout Canoes for rowing or even just opening up access to the later badges could both work.

I think you could be onto something.

zenpotato

That's an interesting idea. You buy acorn level badges (I've trained and know how to properly use a shortbow) but you have to earn bonuses and that kind of thing in the field by actually using it, and using it well.

SUPERSUGA

So very quickly I'm thinking something like these.
Edit: Ok, I guess I changed them all.

Firstly, add the following rule.
Only 1 Damage is healed on a Short Rest unless someone has a First Aid Pouch, in which case they can heal Damage equal to their Craft from all present.

And remove the 1d6 starting gp from characters. The concept of money doesn't feel so right in this game. Better to earn your gear.

Also I'd work in something to the effect of not allowing certain tasks to be attempted without the appropriate equipment. So if you want to catch a rabbit you'd better have a trapper's kit with you.

Woodcraft
Acorn: Gain a Lookouts Utility Woodtool.
Shoot: Add 1 to rolls when using Craft to make something out of wood.
Oak: Add 1 to Craft.

First Aid
Acorn: Gain a First Aid pouch.
Shoot: Add 1 to the amount of damage you can heal when taking a short rest.
Oak: Add 1 to Wisdom or Craft.

Archery
Acorn: Gain a Lookout Bow
Shoot: Add 1 to shooting rolls using a Bow.
Oak:Add 1 to Shooting or Awareness.

Beastmaster
Acorn: Automatically identify this beast whenever you encounter it.
Shoot: Add 1 to all combat rolls against the specific type of beast or monster.
Oak: Add 1 to Awareness or Wisdom.
Note: A seperate Beastmaster Badge exists for each type of beast or monster and is suffixed with that monster's name. For example, a Lookout could have the "Beastmaster - Manticore" badge at Acorn grade and the "Beastmaster - Pegasus" badge at Oak.

Trappery
Acorn: Gain a Lookout Trap Kit
Shoot: Add 1 to rolls when attempting to catch an animal using traps.
Oak: Add 1 to Craft or Awareness.

Cross-Country
Acorn: You may lead Lookout Cross Country Runs without requiring a Master.
Shoot: Add 1 to any rolls involving running over distance.
Oak: Add 1 to Body or Grace.

Caving
Acorn: Gain the Lookout Caving Spikes and Rope.
Shoot: Add 1 to any rolls involving navigating, moving or spotting danger in tunnels.
Oak: Add 1 to Grace or Awareness.

Treeclimbing
Acorn: Gain the Lookout Bootspikes and Rope, allowing you to attempt to climb trees without obvious footholds.
Shoot: Add 1 to any rolls involving climbing or moving in trees.
Oak: Add 1 to Grace or Body.

Swimming
Acorn: You may take a group of Lookouts swimming without needing a Master.
Shoot: Add 1 to any rolls when swimming in water.
Oak: Add 1 to Grace or Body.

Swordsmanship
Acorn: Earn a special scabbard for your Lookout Sword.
Shoot: Add 1 to combat rolls using your Lookout Sword.
Oak: Add 1 to Melee or Grace and gain a Master Sword (Damage 3)

Athletics
Acorn: You may represent your Lookout Troop at Contests.
Shoot: Add 1 to rolls when throwing or jumping.
Oak: Add 1 to Body or Grace.

Fishing
Acorn: Gain the Lookout Fishing Pole.
Shoot: Add 1 to rolls to catch or identify fish.
Oak: Add 1 to Grace or Awareness.

Tracking
Acorn: Gain the Lookout Tracker's Book. You can identify any normal animal or any monster you have the appropriate Beastmaster badge for just from its prints.
Shoot: Add 1 to rolls when trying to follow tracks.
Oak: Add 1 to Awareness or Wisdom.

Rowing
Acorn: You may use the Lookout Canoes without a Master.
Shoot: Add 1 to any rolls when operating a rowboat.
Oak: Add 1 to Body or Wisdom.

Wrestling
Acorn: You may spar with a buddy and represent your Troop at Contests.
Shoot: Add 1 to combat rolls when fighting unarmed.
Oak: Add 1 to Body or Melee.

Herbology
Acorn: Gain the Lookout Herb Guide and automatically identify any common herb, flower or fungus.
Shoot: Add 1 to rolls when foraging for edible plants or identifying unusual plants.
Oak: Add 1 to Wisdom or Awareness.

Patrol
Acorn: You may take part in Lookout Patrols.
Shoot: Add 1 to rolls when attempting to spot someone or something trying to sneak or hide from you.
Oak: You may lead Lookout Patrols and add 1 to Awareness or Body.

SkyCaptain

SUPERSUGA wrote: »

zenpotato wrote: »

I think there's room for that. Or maybe for different kinds of badges. Maybe some badges just don't have mechanical bonuses to them, and are there as a kind of "achievement" thing (like, um, actual boy scout badges).

Hmm. Food for thought there. Perhaps at Acorn (grade names subject to me thinking of something better) you get the first bonus, which is typically pretty situational. Shoot gives you one of the stat bonuses and Oak gives you the other.

Alternatively, perhaps there could be distinct bonuses for each badge at each level, perhaps working equipment into it. Perhaps the Archery Acorn Badge simply gets you a shortbow. Fits the idea of Lookouts not being allowed to use a tool until they've earned the right.

Other acorn rewards could be less mechanical and more like being rewarded with trust. Being allowed to take out one of the Lookout Canoes for rowing or even just opening up access to the later badges could both work.

I think you could be onto something.

I like the ideas behind the badges working like equipmnent proficiencies.

SUPERSUGA

SkyCaptain wrote: »

SUPERSUGA wrote: »

zenpotato wrote: »

I think there's room for that. Or maybe for different kinds of badges. Maybe some badges just don't have mechanical bonuses to them, and are there as a kind of "achievement" thing (like, um, actual boy scout badges).

Hmm. Food for thought there. Perhaps at Acorn (grade names subject to me thinking of something better) you get the first bonus, which is typically pretty situational. Shoot gives you one of the stat bonuses and Oak gives you the other.

Alternatively, perhaps there could be distinct bonuses for each badge at each level, perhaps working equipment into it. Perhaps the Archery Acorn Badge simply gets you a shortbow. Fits the idea of Lookouts not being allowed to use a tool until they've earned the right.

Other acorn rewards could be less mechanical and more like being rewarded with trust. Being allowed to take out one of the Lookout Canoes for rowing or even just opening up access to the later badges could both work.

I think you could be onto something.

I like the ideas behind the badges working like equipmnent proficiencies.

It definitely fits. One of the key things I do with standard adult adventurers is assume they know how to start a fire, pitch a tent, shoot an arrow and so on. With kids it might be worth assuming they don't know how to do these things unless they have the acorn badge.

piL

I was thinking of a way to make badges player-significant. Maybe remove the bonus from an acorn badge, and you only get bonuses from shoot or oak badges. Then there is a voting system. At the end of the session/adventure, players vote on MVP or best Role player (or both) or whatever, and those players get the better badge. Or perhaps a general vote on which player deserves the oak badge. This way, you can have one of those special achievement denonumets, where one player gets to be special and have 'learned the most' from this outing, and gets a special award for his or her bravery. Then it's someone else next turn.

Players may be encouraged to 'ham it up' or DMs to sort of 'set up' a situation so that if there's a player who's concept fits the particular badge this adventure, so that they get the award.

This way, when Little Billy goes back and saves Big Lenny from where he slipped inside the cave, the players (or the GM) decide that's the crowning achievement for the outing, and that Little Billy deserves special recognition.

SUPERSUGA

Sounds neat, piL. I think I like the acorn badges giving a little piece of gear or privilage, though. More like it opens up that activitiy.

I was actually thinking over methods to make the Master be under the shared control of the players, to avoid the danger of him becoming the GMPC that saves the Lookouts from any danger. Perhaps he acts according to player vote or request, but having him step in prevents them from earning more than an acorn badge. I have an idea on my backburner of how this could be really expanded to remove the need for a GM and allow more of a shared exploration feel, with the group setting their own challenges. Too easy and badges won't be earned, too hard and death is a risk.

I'm actually thinking of some sort of Merit Token system for when a Lookout does something worthy of merit, perhaps voted for by other players. Perhaps these tokens could be the resource spent to have the Master act. Anyone who ends the expedition with a Merit Token will be awarded a badge. Perhaps Shoot and Oak cost two and three tokens respectively. I'm not sure if a Lookout should be able to jump straight to Shoot or Oak in a badge without already having the grade below.

Just typing as I think. I'll put some more into it.

SkyCaptain

The cost of earning the badges should be additive and you should only be able to go up one badge level per Patrol.

SUPERSUGA

SkyCaptain wrote: »

The cost of earning the badges should be additive and you should only be able to go up one badge level per Patrol.

That's what I was thinking. Was going to have Patrols be different to full Expeditions, where the former are led by senior Lookouts rather than masters and more about chasing wolves away from the immediate surroundings of their settlement and such.

piL

Well, it works the same if you keep the numbers as it was. I just wanted to make the 'voted' player's bonus that much more than the others, but I guess it doesn't have to be. Oak > acorn enough anyway though. Was just thinking of the number bloat.

Probably wouldn't be a big deal at all.


Edit: Going with the merit token idea--the only way to get an acorn token is to get it on a big group thing. But you don't go on big group things more than once. In order to get the subsequent levels, you then get to upgrade your badge if you do some super related awesome thing.

Example: Little Billy and Big Lenny are caving again for the spelunking badge. They both already have the swimming acorn badge. Little Billy slips and falls into a raging underground river filled with monstrous carp. Big Lenny leaps in after him and save him, barely escaping himself. At the end of the session, now Big Lenny is eligible for the Shoot Acorn badge.


That might be what you already had in mind, now that I think about it. But maybe a limited number of upgrades per session, voted on? Maybe each player has all the other players vote on what their character did that was awesome, or what they had learned, so that they vote on which badge that player gets that session, and each player gets an upgraded badge every session (or every so often, however you want the time to scale).

SkyCaptain

Personally, I'd rather they only be eligible for badges that match something they did on a Patrol/Expedition.

SUPERSUGA

I'm imagining one badge or grade-up per expedition/patrol.

The_Reflection

One thing about the new badges, the acorn level all seem to give great equipment, except the swordsmanship one. The scabbard doesn't really do anything, unless you can duel wield it as a club of some sort.

Edith Upwards

The_Reflection wrote: »

One thing about the new badges, the acorn level all seem to give great equipment, except the swordsmanship one. The scabbard doesn't really do anything, unless you can duel wield it as a club of some sort.

You can draw the sword, making a cool sound while doing so.

SUPERSUGA

Plus you get a SWORD FIGHTING BADGE.

I mean what boy isn't going to want to get that?

Edith Upwards

SUPERSUGA wrote: »

Plus you get a SWORD FIGHTING BADGE.

I mean what boy isn't going to want to get that?

The one who loses an arm sparring.

SUPERSUGA

Erich Zahn wrote: »

SUPERSUGA wrote: »

Plus you get a SWORD FIGHTING BADGE.

I mean what boy isn't going to want to get that?

The one who loses an arm sparring.

Well he doesn't get the badge.

SkyCaptain

Someone else gets a First Aid badge patching him up though. ^_^

piL

You only need one arm to swordfight.

nefffffffffff

This really excites me.

SUPERSUGA

nefffffffffff wrote: »

This really excites me.

You've signed your contract.

Hoping to get a bit of the Running the Game section done tomorrow.

nefffffffffff

I like the idea of it just being one running forum game with continuity instead of several different games on the forum. Everybody who wants to can have a character and can go on expeditions whenever they open up, maybe even becoming masters when they get enough badges. Or you could just rp when not on an expedition. Sort of a "massively tabletop rpg." Would need some reliable way of keeping track of peoples characters, however.

I don't really know how to describe the idea I'm having, but does this make sense?

EDIT: incidentally, at work today I was daydreaming about porting your game rules into a sci-fi uneverse. Is the main thread for Overworlds and Underworlds(err, I guess the Adventurers tale) still around?