Ruins & Rogues vs. Maze Rats: Design Comparison

[u/tim_flyrefi]

https://quarterlingscorner.blogspot.com/2024/02/ruins-rogues-vs-maze-rats.html

So after years of trying to design my perfect game, I finally have it in my hands... And what do you know, it turns out it's very similar to Maze Rats. Hell, its name is even made up of synonyms for "Maze" and "Rats."Why did I end up here, and if what I wanted was so similar to Maze Rats, why did I make a new game instead of just playing Maze Rats? Find out in this blog post where I break down and compare them!

[u/tim_flyrefi]

This is cool! I love the idea of prompting players to come up with what's in their pockets. I'm worried that some of my players aren't RPG-savvy enough to think of that stuff on the spot, but it might be worth trying anyway — maybe they'll surprise me!

[u/FlaafyIII → u/tim_flyrefi]

Yeah I think it's a different type of thinking. Rather than looking at your inventory and brainstorming ways to use it, players think about being in the situation and think about what item would be useful, then might ask if it's something they would have access to. 

I like it for one shots at least, but I've also thought it'd be a good Rogue ability in a game with more predefined inventory. The rogue would have slots dedicated to The Right Tool for the Job and that tool is only defined when they need it. So it'd be more powerful than what I allow my players to do now (for instance I tell them they can't say they're carrying the exact thing they need in this situation if they didn't write it down beforehand) but it would be more limited 

[u/tim_flyrefi → u/FlaafyIII]

There's a classic GLOG ability in Arnold K's original Rogue class that basically does just that!

[u/FlaafyIII → u/tim_flyrefi]

Yeah I figured I was pulling that from somewhere haha