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A perilous exploration-focused, quick-playing pulp adventure game system.
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CPA is a rules-medium and fast-playing adventure game system focused on swashbuckling exploration. It is designed for low-power, anything-goes adventure play in worlds of science-fantasy. In this game, you might:
- navigate a dangerous, haunted ruin to recover ancient artifacts,
- sneak aboard an enemy star-cruiser to rescue a captive psionic sage,
- go on a great journey across the land to gather allies in a crisis,
- perform mercenary infiltrations of corporate towers and secret labs full of mad science,
- chart and survey strange new worlds and new civilizations,
- and more.
This role-playing game is:
- GM-Led: Players are immersed as characters working towards ambitious goals in a dangerous and unknown universe built and improvised by the Game Moderator (GM).
- Rules-light for speed and adapatability
- Core mechanic is the player decision. In risky situations, 2d8 + skill is rolled, versus variable target numbers. Degrees of success and complications may take place.
- Low-HP - Player HP ranges between 10 and 30
- Classless and level-less: Advancement is minimal and skill-based. Player character focus, skill & talent combinations are limitless.
- Low-to-medium-magic or no-player-magic Science-Fantasy. Spells are risky and mages are delicate.
- Low-Power Level: Ordinary person to city hero power level. Veteran player characters will be about as tough as "Batman" universe heroes and villains.
- Perilous science fiction, fantasy, and science fantasy - strange fantastic worlds, desperate plans, magic and psionics beyond mortal understanding, legendary super-weapons, and incomprehensible godlike entities
- Dangerous exploration - in other words, a gameplay focus on using skills and tools to negotiate obstacles and locate a goal in dangerous terrain
- Quick, deadly, tactical combat - too dangerous to be overly frequent between rests, but can be more as is enjoyed by the group
- Freeform social roleplay - Players' characters are not bound by tropes or drama mechanics, they are free to play out dramatic scenes or focus on the goal as they wish.
- Sandbox-oriented - Players will be exploring strange and unknown places and choosing their own goals and approaches for the most part.
- Solid balance between fighter, mage, and utility characters, at every level. Fighters are the best at fighting, magic gets much harder as it gets stronger, and skill users are excellent with skills.
- Combat is not the solution to every problem - varied, flexible skills help make every challenge open-ended and solvable peacefully. Low hitpoints and chip damage disincentivize combat.
- Fast play - Numbers stay low and abilities stay simple no matter how long your campaign goes on.
- Creative approaches and degrees of success for everything - No matter how well or poorly players roll, something different and interesting can happen, and players can always use creativity in every skill and attack. They can always attempt things.
- No narrative metacurrencies - Players' characters are mortals in a mysterious and challenging world and must find their own path through it. There are no godlike meta-narrative powers, or tv-imitating cycle mechanics to break immersion in the grit and excitement.