Writing Mechanics


You probably know by now that Rock of Ages uses Lester Burton's GROK?! game mechanics... if not, you just learned it!

The basic of that mechanic is that when a Rockstar is required to take Action, it takes the die value of its relevant Attribute (Physical, Mental, Social), roll it and check on the Outcome Table to determine... well... the Outcome (duh!).

There are three possible Outcomes:

No, And: Worst case scenario. Not only did the Rockstar did not manage to achieve what they were attempting but there is also an additional Complication added to the narrative. A great example of this would be trying to put out a fire. That result would mean that not only the Rockstar did not succeeded in putting out the fire, but they actually spread it even more!

Yes: A good Outcome. It means that the Rockstar achieved what they were attempting: They actually put out the fire!

Yes, And: Best Outcome! The Rockstar achieved what it was attempting AND things turned out even better than expected: They actually put out the fire and damage were only superficial!

Of course, there is a little crunch to make things more fun! Traits, Conditions and Resources on the Rockstar's Sheet can add Advantages and/or Disadvantages. There can be as much as five of each. An Advantage adds another die of same value to the roll while Disadvantage substract a die of same value (Minimum 1). In the case of Advantage, the Player keeps the best result, when Disadvantaged, the Player keeps the worst result.

There are more things that can influence an Action check such as Effort but we'll keep the info to a minimum for today!

What I'm currently trying to do is to add powers to the game. Since the Rockstars will be facing all sorts of threats.

Singers will have The Voice, Guitarists, The Riff, Bassists, The Slap and Drummers... well... I don't know yet. Probably something like The Chops (slang for technical skills) or The Tempo. My current goal is to make these powers work in unison with the Fame of the Rockstar: The more famous The Rockstar, the more they can do with their Power of Rock!

In the optic of keeping things simple, it will be as easy as comparing your level of Fame (one to five stars) to the power description to see what you can do. For the rest, it will be as easy as making an Action Check to determine the Outcome!

Speaking of Fame, you start with Zero Fame (no stars) and slowly earn them according to the narrative and Outcomes of Gigs, PR and Contracts! So much more to add to this game!

Working alone does slows things up... but this game will be so good! I can feel it in my veins!

Have a great day and let's meet next Sunday for another DevLog!

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