Welcome back!
Thank you for reading. I wanted to talk to you about a game I’ve been working on called Arbitrage: Fate’s Game. Players play characters arriving in The City, a vast dungeon where a sleeping dragon lies beneath, granting the wishes of all who wake and slay the beast. The players were brought to The City because there is a desire within them strong enough to open up a portal, but not everyone who arrives continues to pursue their dream. The City is a harsh place
I originally wanted to make a TTRPG because while I love running games like Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition, Vampire the Masquerade, Root the Tabletop Roleplaying Game, and others, I encounter a problem in every game: players are scared to take risks. But even when players aren’t scared to take risks, or are just downright reckless, the game punishes risky behavior without promoting the curiosity behind all risky endeavors.
Arbitrage is different in that it rewards this type of play. Players are given a certain number of Growth Points used to pick skills and set stats, but after character creation, you get Growth Points for successful dice rolls and cannot spend them until you die and enter Arbitrage. After dying, players enter Arbitrage and spend all their Growth Points to come back stronger. However, as a consequence of entering Arbitrage, players not only lose a point in their limited Spirit stat, but also take on a Burden of some kind that will change their character in some way.
This mechanic answered the direct desire I had to encourage players to take risks, but I realized I also needed to make combat tactical and high-risk and high-reward in order to reward thoughtful play and risk-taking. I made three classes to facilitate that kind of play: the Arbiter, the Luminary, and the Outlaw.
The Arbiter is something between a cleric and sorcerer. In the lore of Arbitrage, Arbiters are those attuned to the very laws that govern The City and the logic of its physics. Arbiters use Statements to create “If-Then” conditions that trigger certain effects like healing, increased damage, or repositioning.
The Luminary is a mix between a bard and a wizard. In the lore of Arbitrage, Luminaries are those with an inner light that is channeled through the use of the Instruments into magical constructs or elemental blasts.
The Outlaw is a mix of a rogue and a blood magician. In the lore of Arbitrage, Outlaws are characters whose greed and determination allow them to push themselves beyond normal limits. By using the Gamble ability to turn HP into more dice to roll for ability checks, the Outlaw is able to manipulate reality to give themselves better odds, but also relies on the “Underhand” ability that causes status effects to turn the fight in their favor.
However, the classes won’t be the only skills available. The four core stats of Arbitrage are Prowess (Strength + Dexterity), Mental, Social, and Spiritual. While Spiritual is responsible for allowing you to enter Arbitrage, the other three stats have a skill tree that you can invest in every time you enter Arbitrage, in addition to leveling up your Class ability. The Prowess skill tree allows you to train in combat with weapons, learn to pick locks and pockets, and build up Stamina. The Mental skill tree gives you better awareness, analysis, and recall so that you can piece together the details you uncover on your journey. The Social stat allows you to read the room, which will be especially useful when interacting with the Party.
The Party is the ruling faction of The City, made up of those with enough passion to open the door, but not enough resolve to carry through the quest. The Party is made up of all those who gave up on their dreams and now dedicate their lives to trying to live in The City, at peace with their exile from reality. However, over the generations, The Party grew in number and control of The City, and now hosts hundreds of people who, if the sleeping dragon were killed, could lose everything. Your enemies aren’t just haters who gave up on their dream; they are fighting to preserve the life they have built for themselves.
After developing the core mechanics and stats for the game, I completed the first playthrough with a version of the game without classes. Now, revised and ready to rock, we’re entering the next stage of playtests. I’ll write about how those go in a future post.
Thanks again for reading. I’ll be back to Magic content next week as I review the recently released Marvel precon commanders.