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12:01, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Interest check - Death Race RPG

Posted by Lord Caladin
Lord Caladin
member, 314 posts
It all about the journey
Wed 17 Oct 2018
at 21:11
  • msg #1

Interest check - Death Race RPG

After the "World Crash of '79", massive civil unrest and economic ruin had occurred. The United States government was forced to restructure into a totalitarian regime under martial law. With the general populace at extreme unrest, the government to pacify the population organized the Transcontinental Road Race. This was a race where a group of drivers traveled across the country in high-powered cars, infamous for violence & gore where innocent pedestrians could be struck for bonus points.

In the year 2000, five drivers assemble for the 20th annual Transcontinental Road Race, also the known as "The Last Open Death Race" of its kind. A resistance group led by Thomasina Paine, and the rebels against 'Mr. President' and his regime set out to sabotage the race, succeeding in killing most of the drivers, and taking the first Frankenstein hostage as leverage.

Despite a pirated national broadcast made by Ms. Paine herself, the resistance's disruption of the race is covered up by the government and instead blamed on the French, who are also blamed for ruining the country's economy.

In the end, Annie Paine and Frankenstein marry as Frankenstein becomes President that November beating Al Gore and abolishes the race. For years they plan and try to rebuild the country.

In 2012, the second collapse of the US economy devastates the country and the subsequent increase in crime rates leads to the rise of privatized prisons. One such prison is Terminal Island Penitentiary.

Warden, Claire Hennessey, restarts a new version of the Transcontinental Road Race which is Dobbed "Death Race" She profits by broadcasting a modern gladiator game participated in by the prisoners. In the game "Death Race", the racers, along with their navigators, compete in a three-part race over three days on a closed track. Any racer winning five races will be granted freedom.

Within 3 years Death Race owner Weyland has been forced to sell the rights to Niles York, a British billionaire who acquired the rights by hostile takeover. York revealed that he intended to relocate the Death Race to the deserts of Africa.

Goldberg is a ruthless bookie, in the wildest, bloodiest, Death Races ever. After several failed attacks on inmate and legendary driver, Frankenstein, the government send a Black Ops specialist Connor Gibson infiltrates the super-maximum federal prison with one goal - enter the immoral and illegal Death Race and take Frankenstein down. Connor takes the place of Frankenstein & Jane his lover become his number two. Connor will now have to fight for more than his life in this brutal world of no guards, no rules, no track, and no fear.

It now 2018 and Death Race is still illegal but running strong on the Dark Web.

Hi thanks for reading this, I'm looking to see about any input on building with this idea.
GhostShipBlue
member, 116 posts
Punk rock joy!
Molotovs in stemware.
Thu 18 Oct 2018
at 15:47
  • msg #2

Interest check - Death Race RPG

A couple of thoughts.

1: OK, so this sounds like you've reiterated the movies nicely - so now what?

2: Who are the player characters? How's it going to work with Navigator and Driver in the race?

3: What kind of a system are you looking at tackling this with? Some things seem to make more sense than others. I'm a big fan of Autoduel Champions here but that's pretty map and mechanics intensive for PbP. Savage Worlds might work well - but how to address the mechanics and construction of cars?

4: Blood Drive
Lord Caladin
member, 315 posts
It all about the journey
Thu 18 Oct 2018
at 19:37
  • msg #3

Interest check - Death Race RPG

In reply to GhostShipBlue (msg # 2):

Thanks for the interest.

I was thinking the players are all new characters, and the movies are the history of the Death Race.

I was thinking d20 for the system. Heavy skill base with Feats designed for the actual race.

RPing is all before the race (and during), the players work their way through building or joining a group. Designing a car, putting together a pit crew. If enough interest two groups against each other for the win.

NPCs would be Frankenstein his crew, other challenges would be the government, and the infrastructure of the prison itself. Object is to win and become the next 'Frankie' or even just live through a race to try gain.

Players can be the Driver or Navigator, BUT also players can be support like a mechanic.

I don't have any material for any game system other than asoiaf Green Ronin, and D&D 3.5e and some random d20 material.

OK so I had no idea what was Blood Drive. I looked it up. That was just crazy, but in horror and gore, that was just classic. SO NO, I'm not looking at a Blood Drive type of game. Much Less Horror and Gore the game will be mature not adult.
cyclopticox
member, 40 posts
Thu 18 Oct 2018
at 21:23
  • msg #4

Interest check - Death Race RPG

My question is:  Driver drives and has these skill checks and things.  What will the navigator do?  Just combat monkey or something?

Secondarily, during a race, there is not a lot for support to do (i.e. Mechanic), so how would you keep their interest?  In PbP, I would assume it would take a while to deal with the combat/race aspect, and so there would be people on the sidelines just sitting there.
Lord Caladin
member, 317 posts
It all about the journey
Thu 18 Oct 2018
at 22:19
  • msg #5

Interest check - Death Race RPG

In reply to cyclopticox (msg # 4):

All very good points. So I think the navigator will be a type of secondary driver, (maybe).....

The navigator could be a spotter, if the Driver gets hurt, they can take over the wheel. Maybe control weapons (some weapons). The driver can control other weapons. Maybe skills that can boost the diver when needed. Yes the Navigator is more support but I think with the right players and GM it can be done so every player has there role to play out.

With the pit crew, they actually have a lot more they can do. They can go on the track and  directly attack the cars (ambush) or something so the other crew don't come after them. Hell maybe even attack a crews garage. The race is over three days so they would be active in-between race days as well.

I also thought of the game as a one shot. But if successful maybe the race is annual so we can gear up for a second race season :)

During off race days, player could try to assassinate other drivers.

I'm just throwing stuff out there.

NPCs bet on races so gangs could try to sabotage or attack crews and or drivers on or off the track.
LonePaladin
member, 768 posts
Creator of HeroForge
Fri 19 Oct 2018
at 02:16
  • msg #6

Re: Interest check - Death Race RPG

Lord Caladin:
I was thinking d20 for the system. Heavy skill base with Feats designed for the actual race.

Dude.

Dude.

DUDE!

You need Car Wars for this. The classic version is free.

http://www.sjgames.com/car-wars/games/classic/
gorchek
member, 6 posts
Fri 19 Oct 2018
at 02:19
  • msg #7

Re: Interest check - Death Race RPG

If you do go for d20, try to find Thunder Ball Rally. It was published in the Polyhedron/Dungeon magazine during the early days of third edition.
Lord Caladin
member, 318 posts
It all about the journey
Fri 19 Oct 2018
at 02:36
  • msg #8

Re: Interest check - Death Race RPG

In reply to LonePaladin (msg # 6):

Wow very interesting stuff. I read the first 10 pages it’s pretty cool. But so far it seems based on the car. Which is great to get a grip on the racing part. I have to read it all. It will help a great deal not sure if it’s designed for RPing. It’s listed as a board game. But very cool, thank you for sharing.
GhostShipBlue
member, 117 posts
Punk rock joy!
Molotovs in stemware.
Fri 19 Oct 2018
at 02:58
  • msg #9

Re: Interest check - Death Race RPG

LonePaladin:
Lord Caladin:
I was thinking d20 for the system. Heavy skill base with Feats designed for the actual race.

Dude.

Dude.

DUDE!

You need Car Wars for this. The classic version is free.

http://www.sjgames.com/car-wars/games/classic/

Given my Autoduel Champions remark earlier - I'll fan boy right along with you, but Car Wars is WAY too fidgety for play by post. Would that it were not so...

Gaslands might work, but it's so reliant on templates that it starts a whole bunch of different headaches. D20 isn't awful but it does lack the innate Chase rules built into Savage Worlds that would handle the race part extremely well. (Not as well as Cars Wars, but impulsed movement, drifts, acceleration, hazard levels... yeah, that's going to need a VTT or VASSAL - and Car Wars has been ported to VASSAL)

On the topic of the fiction: I'd lean against investing a lot of time in the prep of the cars and teams - that's almost always handled in vignettes for a reason. There are the occasional moments when we need to see something, a ram plate, pop-up bullet screen or whatever so that when we see it in the film we're not like, "Blueberries! Where'd that come from?!" In actual play, I doubt that's going to be very much fun. The rules and a GM who arbitrates thing keeps the incredulity out of the mix.

Maybe the morning of the race as the teams get up, get prepped for the day, check on their cars with (I would suggest NPC) mechanics.

Have the car be part of the character sheet. Maybe something easy like:

40 points to divide in:

Top End
Acceleration
Handling
Armor
Weapons

Might need to add some kind of quick armory that describes how many Weapon points each kind of weapon uses up, but you could be up and running pretty quickly.

Roll+Stat to decide head-to-head challenges of speed and power, roll to hit (with mods for driving skill etc) for weapons.

That's what I can come up with at midnight after a few minute thought, anyway.
This message was last edited by a moderator, as it was against the ToU, at 04:57, Sat 20 Oct 2018.
LonePaladin
member, 769 posts
Creator of HeroForge
Fri 19 Oct 2018
at 03:47
  • msg #10

Re: Interest check - Death Race RPG

GhostShipBlue:
Car Wars has been ported to VASSAL

And locked out due to a DMCA request.
GhostShipBlue
member, 118 posts
Punk rock joy!
Molotovs in stemware.
Fri 19 Oct 2018
at 05:19
  • msg #11

Re: Interest check - Death Race RPG

Wasn't aware. Very like SJG to be sure.

Wish they'd give us an official way to play remotely - something like SFB Online would be great.

Off topic though. Dropping it.
Lord Caladin
member, 319 posts
It all about the journey
Fri 19 Oct 2018
at 15:12
  • msg #12

Re: Interest check - Death Race RPG

Thank you for the input. I have some reading to do over the weekend.

It seems that the current posts feel the game will be focused on the car. Which makes perfect sense. But I wondering how the RPing will be. I mean every adventure will be a race? or does the game advance through smaller adventures leading to that big finish race for the win.

I think there needs to be lvls and exps to lvl up. As you play your car and character can continue to get better. I think there should be more then I kill everyone and win.

Even those that is the very basic idea, but them for that we play a board game or video game. That do you I think, and more important what system will work best.

So for d20 sounds ok for the character and maybe intermix something like Car Wars for the races. BUT yes I said 'butt' I'm thinking that savage world or something designed for an that is the best fit.
GhostShipBlue
member, 119 posts
Punk rock joy!
Molotovs in stemware.
Sat 20 Oct 2018
at 04:01
  • msg #13

Re: Interest check - Death Race RPG

In reply to Lord Caladin (msg # 12):

I don't know that you need to focus on just the car or race, but probably just the drivers.

There is, I'm sure, a way to make the time between races interesting but probably not as prisoners. Once the race is over and everyone's back to locked up, that's a prison film (which the remake of Deathrace didn't delve into) and that's a whole other thing.

Downtime mechanics from things like Blades in the Dark, 5e or 2d20 Conan may offer some insight on ways to make that meaningful butt he RP portion may be hard to get to.

If it was me running this, and admittedly, it ain't, set up for the race would be really abstract - kind of like Hitting the Streets and Legwork in The Sprawl.

One way to make the race part more of a role playing event might be to extend the range and distance from the film and turn it into a kind of survival road rally, where you have to scrounge fuel, ammo, parts and interact with the locals to gan advantage in the race. That way having a co-driver makes a lot more sense, there's needs for mechanical skills, bartering...
csroy
member, 127 posts
Sat 20 Oct 2018
at 16:16
  • msg #14

Re: Interest check - Death Race RPG

Atomic Highway is a post apocalyptic rpg, it is free online and with minor modification can answers all your needs.
sleepwhenimlead
member, 2 posts
Sun 21 Oct 2018
at 22:00
  • msg #15

Re: Interest check - Death Race RPG

Hiya, I would be interested in playing something a little more like car wars. Death Race is a nice back drop but maybe it's a little restrictive.
Lord Caladin
member, 320 posts
It all about the journey
Sun 21 Oct 2018
at 23:57
  • msg #16

Re: Interest check - Death Race RPG

In reply to sleepwhenimlead (msg # 15):

I have been reading up on systems and I feel the same. Death Race maybe a one time game. I’m looking for something to delevope as a GM and player long term.
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