TALES FROM DIMENSION X!

(Because we haven’t done an anime-style group game in forever.)

Premise: the PCs are living in the north American city of Port Wakerfield. With a population of 250,000, the city is one of the smallest to have its own subway system and that it, pretty much, the only claim to fame the city has. It’s not a bad place to live and pretty quiet as far as cities go. Or at least it was until today. Because today is when another dimension meshed into our own. Only at this place, so far as anyone knows, and certainly not in the past.

The people who know of it is small. Growing, but small. One moment you are you. The next touched and imbued by something both more and other. There is transformation, knowledge, power without limits save those you allow. The world isn’t what it was yesterday. No one knows what it will be tomorrow.

Concept: magical-transformation fun! System still will be below, but the general idea is that Dimension X tapping this world causes people to overlap with it. And Dimension X is far different from this one, because of the energies that swirl through you. You have power you didn’t before; what is done with it, and how the story is shaped, is determined by the PCs.

System: Risus, normal version. First you build your normal character using 10 dice divided as you wish between at least two clichés/traits. Try to cover relevant occupation, skills, hobbies.

Then there is the Transformation. Again, 10 dice. Decide on base abilities (ones that can grow during the game), how the transformation works etc. Dice are divvied up as follows:

Attack, Defence, Utility. Utility is for uses of your power(s) that are entirely non-combat in nature.

EX: A character who is invulnerable could have Defence (10) for example.

Each PC also has a Stamina of 15 + any relatant (normal) cliches. Stamina is damage that is wearing you out, close calls etc. (as determined by attack - def = damage total). Once Stamina is depleted, the PC has 10 Health. Those are actual, visible wounds. After that is death. It takes more time to recover from health damage, but it won't be something excessive.

Thoughts: at least one PC (or NPC) will have the ability to cloud minds, rendering the effects of people who have transformed Doing Things as explainable in the real world, if only in ludicrous senses. The goal is more for a light-hearted/fun game but it won’t preclude serious stuff from going down.

Session 0: PC creation as a group. Determine character ages, how well they know each other, connections before the game began etc. If everyone wants to do ‘we all work at the same McDonalds’ or ‘we’re all in ’ etc. or make a family, that’s up to everyone.

As far as characters go: consider TV shows. Make a character who, if they were on a TV show, you’d be tuning into the next episodes for. As importantly, half the effort should be making a PC who supports the other characters, who interests and compels them – and the GM – as well. You want to be invested in your character, but you also want everyone else to be as well. Give the character reasons to care about the other PCs and their goals and who will be willing to bend for the group and work together toward common goals.

From then: powers! The level and type of abilities players want will determine a lot about Dimension X, NPCs etc. As this is a group creation session, the other players will know what your PC can generally do. Their characters will not. 

Game Time: Fridays ideally.