Player's Lite Rules as Advertisement?

[robject]

So here's a question for you market-savvy people. If hooking new players is a matter of production quality, then what about a product geared directly towards that? A "Lite Rules" for players, that's whiz-bang glossy and arted-up?

I know, you'll probably tell me that that product might sell if it's done right, but that related products that are more old-school will continue to fail to attract young players, because they are for all intents and purposes not using modern media style.

See how much trouble I'm having wrapping my brain around something so fundamental to the newer generations?

 

[aramis]

So here's a question for you market-savvy people. If hooking new players is a matter of production quality, then what about a product geared directly towards that? A "Lite Rules" for players, that's whiz-bang glossy and arted-up?

I know, you'll probably tell me that that product might sell if it's done right, but that related products that are more old-school will continue to fail to attract young players, because they are for all intents and purposes not using modern media style.

See how much trouble I'm having wrapping my brain around something so fundamental to the newer generations?

That product, fundamentally, is ALREADY partially promised, in the guise of the T5 player's book...

 

[mike wightman]

How many times have I suggested Traveller lite...

anyway, try this.

Pick the most interesting professions, scout, agent, (ethically challenged) merchant, soldier.
For each one produce a 4 page pdf that can be printed as a booklet.

page 1 and 2 Character overview - stats,background, events in service
Skill names - keep the broad skill names so you don't have to explain them
Simplified task and combat resolution
page 3 Equipment list
Ship deck plan
page 4 - sample adventures

You could hook people with different equipment on each booklet - soldier has lots of gun options, agent has some intrusion stuff etc - and ship deckplans on the relevant careers.

You could do a 4 page referee's booklet to cover world design, encounters, animals and robots.

4 page aliens booklets...

 

[David Johansen]

I always feel GURPS Lite is too little. It's great that it covers the whole core system but it needs to provide setting specific material too.

I think Mike's idea is cool, I'll come back to it in a minute

So, T5 Lite probably needs to be focused. That is to say let's just put a single career in there. Scout or Citizen would be my vote. Then you'd need a page for tasks roll nd6 under stat +skill doesn't need more depth in a lite book.
Characters probably gets 4 -12 pages depending on how many careers you want. Combat 4 pages, Gear 4 pages, Ships 4 pages 4 pages of ships, Ship Combat 4 pages, Worlds, here I'm going to suggest how to read an UPP, a subsector and data, Patron Encounters and Amber Zones 4 pages. All told about 32 pages.

So back to the cool idea. Why not career based folios with character generation and data for each career with a page for tasks and combat and a character sheet? Everything the player needs to play that career. Follow it up with a referee folio for setting and adventure.

 

[lostscout5]

I always feel GURPS Lite is too little. It's great that it covers the whole core system but it needs to provide setting specific material too.

I think Mike's idea is cool, I'll come back to it in a minute

So, T5 Lite probably needs to be focused. That is to say let's just put a single career in there. Scout or Citizen would be my vote. Then you'd need a page for tasks roll nd6 under stat +skill doesn't need more depth in a lite book.
Characters probably gets 4 -12 pages depending on how many careers you want. Combat 4 pages, Gear 4 pages, Ships 4 pages 4 pages of ships, Ship Combat 4 pages, Worlds, here I'm going to suggest how to read an UPP, a subsector and data, Patron Encounters and Amber Zones 4 pages. All told about 32 pages.

So back to the cool idea. Why not career based folios with character generation and data for each career with a page for tasks and combat and a character sheet? Everything the player needs to play that career. Follow it up with a referee folio for setting and adventure.

One thing I found with GURPS lite. It made a good hand out reference for players. Especially new players. Just a thought.
But I agree about T5 lite, what you suggest sounds good. But maybe it could be stretched to 48 pages with lots of artwork and maps. Which is were the thread about layout and great art comes in!

 

[Ackehece]

A lite version should not be 48 pages, a lite version should not be 10 pages...
a good lite version rests in the middle of to complex and to simple. Gurps Lite... to simple and doesn't explain the system, 48 pages... scares the rule haters away. A good 20 to 30 pages is a nice middle ground.

I would give some background to the game world (4 to 5 pages) Flavour text to drag them in

Introduce basic character creation with 3 classes Merchant, Scout, Marine
They are the basic archetypes: scout/rogue, merchant/spacer, Marine/Army
Leave out Education Phase! Risk/Reward could be left out as well.
(skill descriptions need to be added here)
(10 pages)

Mechanics - explain difficulty targets, explain the skill + Characteristic system and the cautious and hasty mods, (I would leave out difference between skills and knowledge, plus THISISHARD! for the lite version ) This would probably be max 5 pages (if it can make 1 page! that would be a miracle )

Basic Ground Combat! (1 page)
Basic how do I hurt, heal, die! (1 page)

Basic Space Travel rules
ground to orbit, orbit to jump, jump, and inverse from the jump. I would abstract out the orbit to jump time into three time rings...
(1 page)
Basic Space combat (no ecm, no missiles, no spinal or irregular mounts) (1 page)
Basic Damage to vehicles (1 page)


~ 19 pages a4, letter

 

[flykiller]

the best "lite" version is a referee ready to run a simple game.

 

[Ackehece]

the best "lite" version is a referee ready to run a simple game.

Absolutely!

 

[whartung]

So, what do folks think are the things that attract someone to a ruleset?

I, personally, don't think it's the mechanics.

I think it's the setting.

While we have many passionate "Just rules, no setting" advocates here, but look at GURPS Traveller.

Obviously, GURPS is a "generic ruleset", by definition.

So, the "traveller" part of GT is, basically, setting. It's Lorenverse Imperium.

Most of the books tied directly to the Imperium. The Alien Races describe the races of the Imperium and surrounding environs. Behind the Claw, Rim of Fire, and Sword Worlds are all about the Imperium.

First In is about the IISS. Far Trader is the economics of the Jump model, not tied to the Imperium per se.

Raw Gurps, Gurps Space, Gurps Vehicles -- those are generic. They're "just rules".

But then consider what (most) every other RPG out there is selling. Not mechanics, at least, not "just" mechanics, but mechanics applied to some domain -- whether it's Zombies, Aliens, Orcs, Megacorps, Hackers, or My Little Pony.

T5 Lite doesn't do anything. Like GURPs lite. They don't do anything. They're great aids to get players rolling. But pretty much nobody just buys mechanics. Especially not impulsively. They buy fantasy, a place to escape to.

I'm curious how well The Traveller Book and Traveller Adventure fared. Because the book was complete, and the adventure was rich and detailed.

If you want to make a "Traveller Lite", bundle it with something like the Traveller Adventure. A light weight campaign that shows off the Imperium over about 6 weekly sessions. That would give players about 2 months of play. It gives them a fantasy to project in to, places to go, things to see, things to do, and mechanics to manage it.

As the GT page says "Marc Miller's Traveller is one of the most fully realized game backgrounds ever created . . . a vast empire of over 11,000 systems, with a turbulent history dating back thousands of years."

So, show it off! Run the players across the Marches bouncing off of some Aslan and Zhodani while trying to get a USB Thumb drive stolen from a Noble to Norris.

Settings sell, rules don't.

 

[Ackehece]

what I advocated as well... I think that the flavour of the world is what brings the system to life. Is why I said that at least 20-25% of the lite should be setting.