The Thing

[DrumsofWar]

I've pared down the ruleset a good deal but let me know if you want anything else simplified.  This is more or less a hybrid of Mafia games and D&D gameplay.

At the start of each day, you post in public what you'll be doing during the day and night (and if you'll be sleeping at day or night).  Then I  roll my trusty online 12-sided dice and tell you if you have failed or not after everyone's done for the day.  (The Thing's actions are obviously done via PM.)

Combat actions are also announced ahead of time including any special combat items you plan to use.  (I might do live combat in the future for those who liked those old text RPGs but for now, I'll simulate the combat.)

This is based on The Thing movie, the BW UMS Thing Ice, and a little of my own research.


Edit: Those with US IPs can watch the entire Thing movie legally for free on Hulu.

Post below if you're interested or if you'd play with some alterations to the ruleset.  The entire ruleset follows this post but I'll try to post a condensed version.

[DrumsofWar]

Part of an American science team, you have been dispatched to an environmental monitoring station on the edge of the Antarctic ice shelf for long-term duty over the cold winter of 1982.  Unbenownst to you and your colleagues, the widening hole in the ozone has thawed a crashed alien craft that was buried for millions of years.

This hidden secret is unearthed by a nearby Norwegian science team.  It has now cost them all their lives and with the sunless Antarctic winter setting in, it falls to you and the rest of the science station to find out the terrifying secret of...THE THING!

I. The Game

You will pick a role that gives you certain abilities, bonuses, and penalties.  (In previous versions, you also picked items and your beginning stats but I took both out to keep it simpler.) 

This game will proceed in day and night phases.  You can perform actions during the day or night but must sleep during one of those phases.

After one full day and night, each player's PARANOIA score rises by 1.  Paranoia is a penalty to all action rolls which if it becomes high enough, will paralyze you from being able to do anything.

Your other statistic is your HEALTH which heals by 1 each full day and night unless you go outside.  All players start with 20 HP.

II. The Goal
The goal of the human players is to survive the sunless Antarctic winter and kill any players who have become The Thing.  They can attempt to secure an early victory by finding all the VITAL ITEMS required for an escape by helicopter if either pilot is alive.

The goal of the Thing is to kill or infect all other players.  To kill a player, The Thing simply has to deplete their HP but to infect, The Thing must exceed the target's defense roll by 4 without taking damage in that same attack round.

Any infected player becomes the Thing and can work to infect all other players until they can spread and take over all life on Earth!

[DrumsofWar]

III. Roles

All required roles will be filled by NPCs if no one takes them.  If they are killed, their corpses can be cannibalized by the Thing.

Pilot (1) REQUIRED ROLE

• Does not Gain Paranoia* (except from specific actions)
• Can evacuate entire team on helicopter early except Thing if all VITAL ITEMS are found
• Is Always Tipsy (-2 to Attack Rolls)

Backup Pilot/Soldier (1) REQUIRED ROLE

• Does not Gain Paranoia if Accused
• Starts with Pistol (1 Clip only)
• Is Old (-2 to All Defense Rolls)

Doctor (1) REQUIRED ROLE

• Starts at -1 Paranoia
• Special Action: Completely Heal Target Player (-1 Paranoia but consumes full day action)
• Special Action: Inspect Live Player for Traces of Thing
• Hippocratic Oath: Cannot carry any weapon besides Pistol, Wood Plank, or Knife

Medic-Trained Biologist (2)

• Special Action: Heal Half Target Player (Can use item on same day)
• -2 Paranoia if Special Action is Used

Head Biologist (1) REQUIRED ROLE

• Special Action: Create Thing DNA in Test Tube (VITAL ITEM; takes 2 turns to make)
• Special Action: Inspect Corpse (If Attacker was Thing)

Chemist (2)

• Can Perform Head Biologist Actions if he dies
• Special Action: Create Antigen Item (Gives +2 Attack/Defense vs. Thing)

Climatologist (2)

• Special Power: Weather Forecast (Can go outside without losing HP or losing a day action)

Geologist (2)

• Special Action: Snap and Go Crazy (Can Accuse and Attack in Same Day at cost of 2 Paranoia)

Radio Operator (1) REQUIRED ROLE

• Gains 1 Paranoia per 2 Days instead of 1
• Special Action: Repair Radio to CALL FOR HELP (Takes 4 successful actions without Radio being attacked)
• Is Always Drunk (-4 to Attack Rolls)

Technician (2)

• Can repair the radio if Radio Operator is killed
• +2 to Find Item/Use Item Rolls

Dog Wrangler (1)

• Starts with 4 Dogs and -1 Paranoia
• Must use 1 Day Action per 4 to feed dogs

*because he is Kurt Russell

[DrumsofWar]

IV. Actions

Each day or night, you can perform ONLY ONE of the following actions.

1) Trade/Give//Use Existing Item (Does not consume day action but cannot be on same day as an attack)
2) Search for Item (+1 Paranoia if Looking for Weapon; -1 Paranoia Other)
3) Go Outside (+1 Paranoia;-1 Health;+2 chance to find regular item;Can PM your actions)
4) Accuse/Defend (-1 Paranoia;+3 Paranoia to Target)
5) Steal/Destroy Item (+1 Paranoia)
6) Sleep All Day and Night (-2 Paranoia;+2 HP;+1 to Attack/Defense next Day*)
7) Scuffle/Attack (+1 Paranoia to Self)

You search for an item by posting you're looking for it and seeing if your dice roll beats the item's DC.

Robbing items involves you rolling once versus someone's ability to catch you but robbing someone who is dead requires no dice roll unless two or more people rob a corpse at the same time.

All these actions are publicly declared in the thread with BOLD TEXT but the Thing will private message the GM for Thing actions.

Once you are outside, you get +2 to any attempts at finding any item until you come back inside, which does not cost a day action but still must be announced.  (You can PRIVATE MESSAGE all actions you do outside.)

*You will have an attack/defense penalty if you are attacked WHILE you are asleep however.  You will not get hit with the automatic Paranoia penalty while asleep however.  (If you're asleep, everyone's Paranoia besides the Pilot and Radio Operator goes up by 1 tomorrow except for you.)


V. Items

All items besides weapons and armor require the use of a day action to use but will be in effect until the character is dead or they lose the item.  Weapons, ammunition, and armor auto-equip once found.

WEAPONS
Plank of Wood (+2 Attack/Defense; Infinite Use; +1 to Paranoia on Finding) DC 1
Knife (+4 Attack; Infinite Use; No Paranoia if Kill in one hit) DC 3
Pistol (+8 Attack; 2 Day Actions; Can Dual Wield) DC 6
Shotgun (+6 Attack; Attack Twice; 2 Day Actions) DC 8
M16 (+12 Attack; 2 Day Actions) DC 10
Grenade (+18 Attack on one attack; Single Use) DC 10
Flamethrower (+8 Attack/+4 Defense; Kills Thing With One Hit; 3 Day Actions) DC 12
Ammunition (+1 Day Action to any Firearm) DC 3
Fuel (+2 Flamethrower Use Bonus) DC 6
Dogs (Extra attack with +2 Attack and no Paranoia penalty; Use One per Combat) DC 9


OTHER
Flashlight +4 to Search for Item Roll; +2 to Inspect Roll DC 2
Bandages +2 HP healing; Single Use DC 4
Sneakers +4 to Steal/Destroy Roll DC 3
Holster +2 to Attack Roll with Firearm DC 4
Bandolier +2 to Uses DC 4
Crude Smoke Bomb +4 to Defense Roll; 1 Day Action DC 3
Tear Gas +6 to Defense Roll; 1 Day Action DC 6
Smoke Bomb +5 to Defense Roll; 2 Day Actions DC 7
Knockout Gas -4 Attack/Defense to Enemy; 1 Day Action DC 8
Gas Mask Immune to Gas Defense Items when attacking; +2 Paranoia DC 5
Fiberglass Armor +2 to Defense Roll; Infinite Uses DC 4
Kevlar Armor +4 to Defense Roll; Infinite Uses DC 8
PCP +8 to Attack and Defense Roll; +4 Paranoia DC 4
Crack +5 Attack Roll; -2 Defense Roll; +1 Paranoia DC 4
Cigarette -2 Paranoia; - 1 HP DC 1
Alcohol +2 Attack and Defense Roll; +1 Paranoia; -1 HP DC 1
Protein Shake +2 to max HP DC 2
Batteries -2 Paranoia when offering or calling for help DC 2

VITAL ITEM (Will not be used for this game)
Fuel (VITAL ITEM or Flamethrower Use Bonus) DC 6
Generator Key (Indestructible) DC 6
Radio (Can be Smashed but not Destroyed) DC 8
Thing DNA in Test Tube (Biologist must create in 2 consecutive turns)
Report on Thing in Norwegian (Indestructible) DC 6

[DrumsofWar]

V. Combat

During combat, you make a dice roll to attack versus the other players' defense roll.  After Paranoia, you will do damage equal to how much your attack exceeds their defense.

You can also choose to do the 3 following actions during combat:
(This action works automatically if you have grenades, etc.) 1) Use Item (-2 on next Attack/Defense Roll)
(This action does not work yet) 2) Call Out for Help (-4 on next Attack/Defense Roll)
3) Run Away (+5 to Defense Roll)

Any attacks made on a SLEEPING player gain a +4 to the first attack/defense turn  and +2 thereafter to all attack/defense rolls. 

Any successful attack on an infected player will instantly reveal his identity to the attacking player only via PM.  (They can only tell other players by accusing the player the next turn!)

VI. Thing

• Has 30 HP in Thing form and 25 HP in Human form
• Heals 2 HP in both forms per round
• Secretly "changes" between rounds and targets an enemy with attack rolls
• Is able to attack without Paranoia modifier impeding his attack rolls (in Thing form)
• If seriously hurt in Human form (under 1/4 HP), cannot transform.
• Being accused by anyone in any round will give any human target first attack

Note: If Thing is injured in human form, I'll post as if it has 20 HP.  Once it loses 20 HP and only has 5 HP left, the Thing will automatically transform into his true form just like in the movie.

Impromptu rule changes

The Thing has 4 actions:
- Pass (Do nothing)
- Attack (Attack in Thing Form)
- Infect (If successful, will turn target into another Thing player; all attacks must beat defense by 2 to do damage)*
- Cannibalize ("eats" any dead corpse to heal by half of the corpse's HP; works only once on each corpse)

Remember that players in human form CANNOT auto-flee if the Thing is trying to infect them.

*If Infection is successful, the attack is not made public and the DM will post the night's events as if nothing happened.

[Milldawg]

I'll play if you can simplify it by like 90%.

[mAc Chaos]

Jesus Christ, what the hell did I just look at.

[Lavarinth]

In for blood.

[AA7Dragoon]

This.. sounds awesome!  Sign me up!

[Tramau]

Hell, I'll give it a try.

[DrumsofWar]

That's 3 down.  Anybody else in?

(Starting when we have 6 players.)

[Thalraxal]

Sure, count me in!

[Mucky]

signin dis

[mAc Chaos]

Haha, you always sign up the same way.

[Mucky]

A KEEN OBSERVATION