Halo: Roleplaying Evolved

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Jason 078

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Good morning, Spartans.

As you might have guessed from the title of this thread, I am in the middle of designing a pen-and-paper RPG. I’m drawing from a couple of existing sources for some of the rules, but this will be a whole new style of roleplaying. It won’t be heavily rule-based like most d20 systems and will be a little more forgiving than some of the pass/fail skill systems. Also, unlike most of those systems, a single firefight can be played through in about five minutes (rather than an hour in some systems).

This is going to be primarily a D6 system. That means you have a set of attributes and skills which are expressed in a number of six-sided dice that you roll to accomplish your tasks. However, it will also have an armor class system and a more forgiving hit point-related system to keep you from dying faster than a lone sleeping minor grunt in the middle of the hallway.

The core book I’m making is pretty much Marine-centric. The main character class will be Marine Infantryman. After playing that class a little, you can choose a specialization class (more on that below). Alternatively, there will be a flight officer class (Navy pilot), a civilian class (more skill-based as opposed to combat), and the reservist (a cross between civilian and Marine infantry).

The core book will cover Halo: CE, Halo 2, and Halo 3 with regards to the weapons and vehicles seen there. I will also be including the Covenant in those three games. What I will not be including is anything Forerunner in origin, the Flood, or Spartans. This game is mostly geared toward the basics.

How can it be a Halo game without Spartans? Easy, they’re too overpowered. If you have a group of 4 Marine Privates and a Spartan, guess who is going to do the majority of the work while the Marines coast through like Terminal Lances? I will be including rules for Spartan GMCs (Game Master Characters, my little take on NPCs). If one is included in the mission, it becomes about like “The Babysitter” in Halo Legends. The mission is too difficult and the Spartan is there to make sure one bad roll doesn’t result in a team-wipe.

With that said, I need a little input from you. Right now, my class system has everyone starting out as Marine Infantry. These are the guys you always see. After a couple of missions, you can gain a specialization. What I need to know from you, is what Specializations you want to see. Here’s what I have so far:

Close Quarters Battle – This Marine specializes in hand-to-hand combat and short-range pistols combat.

Driver – Put this Marine behind the controls of a ground vehicle and they can make it dance around the battlefield.

Engineer – This Marine is your go-to for repair and demolitions.

Heavy Gunner – This Marine specializes in the weapons most Privates can’t even lift, from machine guns to missile launchers.

Medic – Patching the holes and bringing you back to fight some more.

Officer Candidate – Specializes in leadership and buffs. Eventually becomes an officer.

Recon – These Marines are trained to sneak up on you, slit your throat, and fade away without a trace.

Sniper – This Marine knows how to reach out and touch someone, from a long distance, with a bullet.

Advanced Infantryman – This is the first of two advanced specializations. This Marine is the pinnacle of what the Corps looks for in its Infantrymen. I drew upon SgtMaj Johnson for this character class.

Orbital Drop Shock Trooper – This is the second of the two advanced specializations. Anyone who knows Halo knows what this character class is. You drop feet first into hell and can kill things good.

What do I need from you? Am I missing anything? Should I include ONI Operative in the Advanced Specialization list? What else would you like to see in the Specializations?

With that said, I am also writing up a sourcebook to allow Covenant to be played. There will be another dedicated to the Forerunners and Flood. There will be a sourcebook dedicated to Fleet, ONI, and even AI as playable characters. Finally, and yes this is the next one I’ll be doing, a sourcebook dedicated to the Spartans (all types) and their wonderful MJOLNIR.

Other things I’m planning are Sourcebooks covering the various games, novels, comics, cartoons/live action shows, and a couple of fun ideas I’ve been toying around with that have only really been mentioned.

Let me know what you think, if this will be a worthwhile project, and if you have any suggestions or questions. I’m more than willing to answer any questions, even if it is just a deeper explanation of game mechanics.
 
Guys, the thread was made and buried nearly a year ago. Please check the dates before you post, hate to see ya get in trouble for necro'ing.
 
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