Savage Worlds: Ultra Multiverse
(JumpChain Multiplayer)
Foreword:
I started this game with the intention of making a fairly fast, decently furious and of course Fun, yet Multiversal, experience.(In the same motto as the Savage Worlds system I have adapted, "Fast, Furious, Fun!")
This is, however, "crunch-lite" yet can get more complex as you go with the writing project being as slow of a "game" as any late-90s to late-00s RPG character customization can be. Yeah.
Well what are these two things?Savage Worlds is a Generic Role-PlayGaming System with minimal to moderate crunch(Maths and prep time) for the GM as well as Players, on top of exploiting the Dice-pool for the "To-Hit" dice roll instead of using a d20 or "pools" of dice(3~5 groups of 3~10 dice of differing sizes, usually rolled all at once or in circumstantial order). Something I've always wanted to monkey with but never had the time to do.
It also does other interesting things by using Poker Cards for initiative and other odd mechanics and abstracting "Wounds" from "hits" with the "Wild Card and Bennies"(short for "Benefits") system in which you(usually) get 3 poker chips at start of a session, and roll an extra d6 you can switch in and out for the main skill or attribute die. The Bennies (or Benefits) are used for any reroll(other than an attacks' damage itself(Usually)) and spending for a "Soaking roll" which is this games' version of simulating higher "Hit Points" meaning you can "hit", but if the enemy spends their bennies as a vigor roll, the tokens(bennies) essentially become a source of HP as well as luck itself in the game system.
On top of that you can abstract large amounts of normally several rolls, if taken at it's wargaming roots; down to a ((usually)opposed)roll or six for an entire battle for it to be more cinematic, depending on the context of the fight or scene or narrative or pace of game attempting to be achieved. Lovely, simple, straight-forward little mechanical toolbox RPG system.(mechanical in the sense of "game mechanics" and its' customizability.) This customizability lends itself to being able to be made into any setting or style of TableTop/Pen-and-Paper RPG, which is where the other main system I use for it comes in.The JumpChain CYOA can be described as a "Point-Buy" create-a-character by spending(usually) 1000 "Choice Points/Character Points/CP"(It's a lot less than it sounds), then Write how you survive for 10 years with a character you have "built" from spending your many choice ponts, then also being able to "Chain" together these "Jumps" from world to world, (in the Original) (Usually)surviving for 10 years at a time. Going from, Initially Pokemon(OR InFamous) at start and going around the handful of worlds that the original JumpChain author "Quicksilver"(?) made into pdf form. I don't know neither the general history of the jumpchain nor when a particular supplement was made, if early on, or at start or what but the "Final Jump" rules have changed from the original two "End Jumps": none other than DragonBall Z and WarHammer 40,000(40k).
They were attempted in order to gain your "Planeswalker Spark" and be able to even more freely traverse the Multiverse. Now, however, you can choose any world and are given generic magic ability descriptors and the powers are taken from and heavily resemble Magic the Gathering. I am eventually going to delve into study and attempt to make my own adaptation of that "final pdf" but for now the name of it is "The End - Gauntlet Edition" https://drive.google.com/open?id=1w6bfu2s6mfmesSFrO3TuoC0vGW5ZKXiu and the use of the abilities will be abstract and more cinematic, compared to more in-game mechanics.So what does all this mean?
This all means that I am taking on the task of putting together two games: one that is kinda crunchy(Maths), yet easy and straight-forward enough to be "Fast, Furious, Fun!" and another one that is fairly straight-forward yet Can be time consuming for the benefit of making a character who has experienced any number of worlds, being a World-JumpChaining Player coming into my Savage Worlds adaptation, Ultra Multiverse. Also, If we gather enough players for a game, able to run any world that we would want. (Shows, Books, Movies, Games, Odd Abstract Jumpchain pdfs....)
This also means that when You make a Jumpchain character, I can convert that into a Savage Worlds stat block that is usable in any other world, whatever is being played at the time. There are, however, limits to the "World/Jump Tokens" that are taken into worlds, in my game:
Pokemon and most peaceful worlds are "Tier 1~2".
Most Pulp, low power anime and Four-colour stories are Tier 2~4.
Things Like tower defense games and RTS(4X and resource management games), High Fantasy and most Video Game Worlds tend to be Tier 3~5.
Really Dark and Brutal stories, Noir, Post-Apocalyptic and just plain Unfair Worlds are Tier 4 and 5.
So this all means you can play in a world and when you "Accomplish Something" get a "World/Jump Token" that is Tiers 1 through 5, designating their Level of Power.
What Is Affecting this game for Balance: I will only allow a certain number of tokens in Tiers 1~4.
Tier 1: 2 Token Max, Rank of Token doesn't matter.
Tier 2: 3 Token Max, Tier 5 Max (1), Tier 4 Max (3).
Tier 3: 4 Token Max, Tier 5 Max (2), Tier 4 Max (4).
Tier 4: 5 Token Max, Rank of Token doesn't matter.
Tier 5: "Anything Goes!!"(edited)
JumpChain (by itself, with NO Savage Worlds use) is the "Single Player" version of my game and sets up a piece of the Character Creation and Planeswalking (Multiversal) Systems: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B1qb0_OLhDrDYVVpbllIREdOczg
So, if you decided to take on DragonBall Z and WarHammer 40k and somehow win at start, you would have two "Tier 5" "Jump Tokens" that would then both be able to be used in a manner of:
- )Bringing that character's abilities into the character that you are making for a world, combining them to take all of their combined abilities, but only picking and choosing the best of eithers individual stats.(Warhammer 40k "Vigor" with DragonBall Z "Strength" and "Spirit" and the created characters' "Agility", "Smarts" and "Charisma", for example) No Stacking stats, sorry.
- )Just importing that character and having them be the new character, carrying over their XP and Abilities. This tends to function as the "Drop-In" option mentioned on most Jumpchain pdfs.
Notice, however that "Tier 2" is the dip that would force our theoretical Super-Player to choose between their WarHammer 40k character or their DragonBall Z character, as it will only allow (1) "Tier 5" Token, despite allowing up to three total. Tier 5 opens the flood gates for full JumpChain Builds. Avoid this until you are more experienced in both Savage Worlds, JumpChain and RPGs as well as the players are more experienced RolePlayers and less of Wargamers, for this can obiously have poor interpersonal results. That doesn't mean you can't have Multiverse-Spanning Slug-fests! Just try to keep the tone of the game friendly and, I personally suggest, teamwork-based.
- Note: The Equipment is handled entirely separately, with the "Cosmic Warehouse" and its' additional supplements for expanded play, though those can be simplified with a template or two I'll provide later on.
discord: https://discord.gg/7FTvHzZ
Intro: https://steemit.com/gaming/@chrismartin424/savage-worlds-ultramultiverse-module
Jumpchain CYOA: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B1qb0_OLhDrDYVVpbllIREdOczg
(Wallpaper: "Nanode a.k.a. Metatronaut - Waveform Warrior")
System: https://www.peginc.com/store/savage-worlds-deluxe-explorers-edition/
Jumpchain compatible: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1qb0_OLhDrDYVVpbllIREdOczg
Any system convertible!