One Shot
October 18, 2012
Filed as a Game Design entry
One Shot
One Shot is a two player rpg about sacrifice and revenge by Tracy Barnett (School Daze). This game is about a shooter who is out for revenge. During play one player is the Shooter and the other player acts as the forces of the world and people around and in the way of the Shooter.
The game is based on the Simple Six System by Sand & Steam productions. I wanted to find out how the mechanics worked in the game so I reached out to Tracy for an explaination. The mechanics were created to provide a simple system so that the story drives the game. When the Shooter encounters something where there is a chance of failure, a D6 is rolled. A 5 or 6 means a success. If the Shooter is rolling within their area of expertise, they get a +2 to the roll. The characters also have tags or short descriptions which can and a +1 or a -1 if the tag hinders.
I inquired how Tracy came up with the idea for One Shot. His response is best quoted!
It was inspired by a song. Two songs, really. Bullet in My Hand, and Something for the Pain, both by a band called Redlight King. Conceptually, the two songs combined to give me an indae about someone wronged (the Shooter), and the organization helping that person get their revenge (the Forces). When I started thinking about what system to use, I immediately thought about the system I created for School Daze (that I'm now calling the Simple Six System) and it all clicked.
I wanted the game to be for just two players because revenge is a very personal thing. In the case of the Shooter, a lot of relationships and ties to this world need to be sacrificed in order to get the chance to take their shot. I didn't want the weight of those decisions to be on anyone's shoulders but the Shooter's. As well, since the Forces is playing the parts of those NPCs who are close to the Shooter, the Forces need to feel that emotional weight as well. Having more than two players at the table would diffuse that.
The topic is an interesting one that may not be everyone's cup of tea. I thnk thats the great thing about games - there are games that fall into niches that allow you explore scenarios and emotions that might not be for everyone. If you are interested in finding out more I suggest checking out the kickstarter campaign.
Kickstarter
The game is currently in the middle of a kickstarer campaign with a little over 2 weeks to go. The artwork for the game is being done by Leah Huete and you can see some of the pieces on the kickstarter page. Adam Jury is working on the layout and Tracy is currently working with the editor to refine the text.
The game is being produced under a Creative Commons Attribution-only license. The game is also being developed openly and every draft of the game is available through the Sand & Steam site. If you want to see examples of play you can check out the kickstarter page with three playtest G+ hangout videos.