Stickguy, a eulogy and ressurection.

   

you have never heard of Stickguy.

    well, you might have, but probably not in the context i mean. yes, everyone's seen a circle-stick-carrot-V contraption of a person, but i mean the 2004 beer & pretzels game by 1KM1KT. due to my lack of being in the loop, i have no idea how many people have seen 1KM1KT, but they are irrelevant anyways.

    you see, stickguy is one of the best, one of the worst, and one of the most interesting rpgs out there. due to the simple rule-set (and lack of good lawyers), i can write the whole rpg down below so you know the deal.

    roll 1d4 for your stickguys POWER (a stat used on every roll) and write it down. 5-POWER equals your KARMA (you can spend one point of karma to do or stop any action). then write two beneficial traits (like strong or pretty) and two detrimental traits (like slow or unmotivated). when a stickguy tries to do stuff, roll 1d4, add POWER, and add a +1 for each beneficial trait that is relevant, and -1 for every bad trait that applies. if you have a useful item, add +1. if you have a useful and neat item, add +2.

    when a stick guy is injured, erase one limb of a standard stickguy on your character sheet, and take a corresponding detrimental trait (for example, a one-legged stickguy might have "wobbly"). if you are ever forced to erase the body or head, your stickguy dies.

    see? simple, fast, and completely unplayable! there are some basic exp and equipment rules, but nothing that you couldn't think of yourself in thirty seconds. really, though, when i read stickguy i just wanna hack it into something usable, like the love interest in the movie who thinks the tough, proud protagonist can really be softened up one day.

    so, rather than sitting around all day just pissing about it, I've decided to make a functional hack of stickguy called "Stickaxe" that hopefully fixes the problems with the original.

THINGS I WILL NOT CHANGE

    there are aspects of the original stick guy that i don't like, and there are some i'm neutral towards, but in the aspect of keeping things stickguy-ish, i will keep the following things completely untouched

1. the one-stat system. this one stat is charming, useful, and i will be keeping its iron reign on action

2. the vaguely defined semi-dystopian city setting. its funny, and i think it is a good setting for a gonzo game like stickguy.

3: the damage system. this is all that actually makes stickguy a game about stickpeople.

THINGS I WILL CHANGE

    there are some major issues with stickguy, and i want them gone. here is a short list

1. the stupid katana rule. this is not important, but the game technically says that katanas add +3 to every roll. bad move, and bad mechanic.

2. the swingy power stat. because power goes from 1-4, the highest challenge for a low stat character is auto-solved by a high-power one. i will manage to make one-stat interesting, i swear.

3. detrimental stats for losing body parts. look, you already can't use that arm for anything cool, so why bother also giving a downside trait.

    everything else that isn't on this list (about half to a third of the remaining rules) might go, and might stay. who can truly know.

so without further ado, i present to your waiting eye-holes, STICK-AXE V 0.1

    roll 1d6, divide by two and round-up. this is your stickguys ACTION. you have 4-ACTION luck points. a luck point can be spent to have anything very lucky or very unlucky happen to just about anybody. draw a stickguy to represent your character, and draw on two beneficial traits and one detrimental one. if you aren't artistically minded, or if you are, then also write them down.

    at this point, you should have a weird stick-person, three words, and two stats on your character sheet. the basic mechanic of this game is that when something neat will happen if you succeed or fail something, and your GM doesn't know whether you succeed, you roll 1d6+ACTION. you may add 1 to this roll for every relevant good trait and every relevant item, but subtract one if your detrimental trait applies.

    your GM can decide how high you need to roll to succeed with this handy reference!

 

    something most people can do: 5

    something some people can do: 7

    something only experts can do: 9

    something no one has done: 11

    your stick-person may acquire various items along their journey to do whatever it is they do, but can carry no more than 6 at one time. items can help by adding 1s to rolls, but they can also be used to do new things (a stick-chap with no matches can't try to light a fire, but one with matches can). you can basically just pick up any appropriate item for where you are (you can get a banana at a fruit factory) but if something is hard to find, you need CASH.

    CASH is gained by giving people goods and or services. an average stick-laborer earns 1 CASH a day for their trouble, but you're something more of a stick-mercenary, or stick-bounty-hunter. when you do a tough job most people can't do, you'll get 3 or 4 CASH. this may have to be distributed among a stick-team unless you commit stick-larceny.

    1 CASH must be spent to get a basic item (gun, book, matches, crowbar, sack of apples) or 2 CASH for something big or special (truck, night-vision goggles, flamethrower, bodyguard)

    when a stickguy is hurt (the horror!), you must erase one of your body parts from your character. a missing arm or leg means you simply can't use that arm or leg. missing both legs means your stickguy can walk or run, and can't move except by crawling (unless you have a vehicle!). a stickguy with no head can't do most heady things, like talk, chew, spit, sneeze, see, or yodel. however, the stick-soul is in the stick-heart, not the head, so as long as you have that torso line, you are still alive.

    you can buy a new limb for 1 CASH.

    i replaced the original systems experience points for money, as i thought it fit the game better. keep in mind most stick-NPCS you meet carry some amount of moolah, so always be on the lookout to steal!

    in all seriousness, i think this first delve into the world of stickguy revision has been a major success, but i think that I'm not judge of that. tell my what you think in the comments (link to original stickguy http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/stickguy-the-role-playing-game)