Ghost Punchers: the RPG

Several weeks ago on Facebook, I off-handedly mused about running a Ghost Punchers roleplaying game at an upcoming game convention. The Fine People of Facebook thought this was a grand idea, even though the game doesn’t technically exist. If I were to run it, I’d have to write it.

Always a sucker for such things, I accepted the challenge and committed to running the game on August 30 — which means the clock is ticking. I’d better get to designing this RPG. And lucky you, I’m bringing you along for the ride.

Where to Begin?

The first question to ask myself about the project is whether to use an existing system or to roll my own. I’m no stranger to creating RPG systems from scratch (most recently for Anointed), but it’s a lot of work, much of which is reinventing wheels that have been around since 1982: systems for combat, stealth, persuasion, picking locks, weaving baskets, juggling puppies… the list goes on, and it’s all been done before.

No, I’d rather focus my energies on what’s unique and exciting about Ghost Punchers rather than trying to find a new and innovative systems for bending bars and lifting gates. I’d rather build off an existing game system.

I’d rather use Savage Worlds.

Savage What Now?

Savage Worlds, for the uninitiated, is an RPG rules system that’s universal (that is, it’s not tied to any one setting) and explicitly designed to be “fast, furious, and fun.” It’s robust enough to handle all the usual RPG systems, as well as whatever ghost-punching silliness I want to hang off of it.

What’s more, I’m already rather competent in designing for Savage Worlds, since it’s the system for which I wrote the Karthador RPG. When working under a six-week deadline, “already rather competent” is a big selling point.

And Then…?

Since I’m using Savage Worlds, I can skip over 90% of the standard RPG mechanics and dive straight into the rules I need to create or modify in order to bring the Ghost Punchers experience to life…. Which I’ll be glad to go over in my next blog post.