Virtually Real Overview

A Rose By Any Other Name

So what makes this system so special anyway? Most RPGs ask "what is my chance to succeed?" Virtually Real asks, "How well did I perform?"

If the meal you cooked is normally about a 10, then not only do your results average out to be ten, but that you score around 10 most of the time. People make decisions about what they will attempt in the future, based upon how well they performed in the past. Repeatability of results is part of our psyche, so Virtually Real makes sure that your results follow a natural pattern. Your capabilities form a bell curve on a difficulty line composed of all possible achievements. Making your roll results match means you can make more informed decisions and the results feel more real and immersive.

Virtually Real is an attempt to give players more agency than a narrative style game, and more crunch than a simulationist game. It's not a "narrative" or "storytelling" game, because players aren't given narrative control. The system covers social mechanics, intimacies, desires, and cultures, but player agency stops at the actions of their own character. Otherwise, envision a mixture of deep narrative in a world that is meticulously simulated, but without the math and legal-speak!

Rather than being more abstract, Virtually Real reduces abstractions and turns many inside out! By reducing abstractions, Virtually Real gives you more freedom to learn about the world in a logical manner. More importantly, rather than getting in the way, the game mechanics will help you think like your character, not as a person playing a game at a table. There is no combat mini-game. You just role-play faster!

Individual simple sub-systems interact together to model a world where risks and rewards face the same balancing act that they would in our real world. Thirsty for power? This system will tempt you!

Conclusions

The mechanics follow from the decisions of the character, not by the player using a list of "what can I do".

Virtually Real isn't just a new RPG. It's a complete system for role-playing in any genre at any scale. It's more of a toolkit. You decide what elements you need for the story you wish to tell. The book isn't a rule book, but a guidebook to show you how to map the world inside your mind to mechanics that will model it as simply as possible.

I hope you enjoy this system as much as I do!

Specifically ...

• Two book format: 1 Core Rule book + 1 for the Campaign Setting. Easily convert other worlds and settings for use with Virtually Real.
• "Capacity" system for easy control of power levels by controlling the "curve" of results. This core mechanic makes the rest of the system possible.
• Skills have levels, characters don't! XP is earned directly to each skill as it's used; no stopping to level up! Characters grow and evolve in a way that feels natural.
• Simple condition system based on saving dice (so you don't have to remember modifiers). This system also has a unique method of preserving game balance.
• Should advantages and disadvantages affect the same roll, then the conditions fight each other and only one set will win! You get what is called an inverse bell curve! This adds suspense & tension when the stakes are highest.
• "Occupations" replace classes offering all the benefits of a class system, but without the limitations.
• Tactical Combat based on time per action. Guaranteed to be unlike anything you've played before.
• Your combat styles, training, and cultural elements mix and match to tune your combat style to your individual character's identity.
• Special combat environments such as Virtual Reality or a person's unconscious mind! Not everyone is best in all environments!
• Unified free-form Magic & Technology system handles the creation of just about anything from weapons to magic to designer drugs or even songs!
• Simple and fast social interactions that don't get in the way or restrict options, focusing on player decisions but character skill.
• Cultures and Dispositions over alignments, with relative morality that judges no one!

There are unique mechanics in every chapter!

Feel free to preview the book!

Imagine all if all the achievements of humanity are laid out on a number line in order of difficulty. Your skill is a bell curve, sitting somewhere on this line.

Most RPGs ask "what is my chance to succeed?" Virtually Real asks, "How well did I perform?"

If the meal you cooked is normally about a 10, then not only do your results average out to be ten, but that you score around 10 most of the time. People make decisions about what they will attempt in the future, based upon how well they performed in the past. Repeatability of results is part of our psyche, so Virtually Real makes sure that results follow a natural pattern. The majority of your skills would appear as a bell curve on our difficulty line, representing your range of capabilities. As you learn and gain experience, this curve moves forward along this line, slowly opening up higher results and increasing your average.

Skills for which you have no training will have more random results.

Virtually Real is an attempt to give players more agency than a narrative style game, and more crunch than a simulationist game. It's not a "narrative" or "storytelling" game, because players aren't given narrative control. The system covers social mechanics, intimacies, desires, and cultures, but player agency stops at the actions of their own character.

Rather than being more abstract, Virtually Real reduces abstractions and turns many of them inside out! By removing abstractions, Virtually Real lets you more freedom to learn about the world in a logical manner. More importantly, rather than getting in the way, the game mechanics will help you think like your character, not as a person playing a game at a table.

Individual simple sub-systems interact together to model a world where risks and rewards face the same balancing act that they would in our real world. Thirsty for power? This system will tempt you!

Conclusions

The mechanics follow from the decisions of the character, not by the player using a list of "what can I do".

Virtually Real isn't just a new RPG. It's a complete system for role-playing in any genre at any scale. It's more of a toolkit. You decide what elements you need for the story you wish to tell. The book isn't a rule book, but a guidebook to show you how to map the world inside your mind to mechanics that will model it as simply as possible.

I hope you enjoy this system as much as I do!

Specifically ...

• Two book format: 1 Core Rule book + 1 for the Campaign Setting. Easily convert other worlds and settings for use with Virtually Real.
• "Capacity" system for easy control of power levels by controlling the "curve" of results. This core mechanic makes the rest of the system possible.
• Skills have levels, characters don't! XP is earned directly to each skill as it's used; no stopping to level up! Characters grow and evolve in a way that feels natural.
• Simple condition system based on saving dice (so you don't have to remember modifiers). This system also has a unique method of preserving game balance.
• Should advantages and disadvantages affect the same roll, then the conditions fight each other and only one set will win! You get what is called an inverse bell curve! This adds suspense & tension when the stakes are highest.
• "Occupations" replace classes offering all the benefits of a class system, but without the limitations.
• Tactical Combat based on time per action. Guaranteed to be unlike anything you've played before.
• Your combat styles, training, and cultural elements mix and match to tune your combat style to your individual character's identity.
• Special combat environments such as Virtual Reality or a person's unconscious mind! Not everyone is best in all environments!
• Unified free-form Magic & Technology system handles the creation of just about anything from weapons to magic to designer drugs or even songs!
• Simple and fast social interactions that don't get in the way or restrict options, focusing on player decisions but character skill.
• Cultures and Dispositions over alignments, with relative morality that judges no one!

There are unique mechanics in every chapter!

Feel free to preview the book!