The Feature Update

Hey folks! I go by UGLI Games online and I’m creating the Horror Film Simulation Tabletop Role-Playing Game! If this is your first time tuning in, we have an introduction packet to get you familiarized a bit with the system!

This week’s update is what I’m calling the Feature update- and as such, that means we’re gonna be talking all about… well, Features!

So... What is a Feature?

Features are the lifeblood of the HFS in that they are the game’s adventures. Think of this game as a Movie Theater and each Feature as the movies that the Theater plays. The game master is the Director, and the players are its Cast.

This game will have official Features, but it is also highly homebrew-focused. That being said, throughout this dev log, I’m gonna be attempting to create a Feature Concept Guide- or an easy way for Directors to come up with ideas for their own Features. By the time a potential Director is done going through the concept guide, they should have the bare-bones of their Feature figured out. It’s up to the director how much they need to prepare beyond that. Each Director knows whether ythey just need npc names or if they need detailed backstories, that sort of thing. But don’t worry- Directors won’t going to be left all on their own- we’ll provide much more detailed walk-through of the Feature Creation process in the Director’s Cut (Director’s Handbook)- that’s all coming when we begin the official Open Beta (coming soon!).

That being said, today we’re talking all about the fun stuff- the inspiration and conceptualization stage of creating Features.

So, how about we get started?

The Setting

The setting is second only to the Antagonist but we start with it because it is really what is going to set the mood and really contains everything else. When I can, I like to work from the outside in, biggest things to the smallest. It is where the character hurdles will come from, where the mood comes from, and where all the expectation of what’s to come comes from.

Player Roles

One of the unique factors of The HFS RPG is that, like a film, the higher ups (Director) decides the roles that the players will fill - within reason, of course. Players should have the choice to create their own characters but the Director’s job is to supply a frame. For example, a group of twenty-something friends, a documentary crew, camp counselors, etc.

Antagonist

The antagonist is the element that will make or break a session of the HFS RPG. Specific antagonist creation rules are to come, but in this document, we’re conceptualizing more than anything, so we just need to know the basics and any inspiration notes you have. Is your antagonist an unstoppable force (Cthulu, a God, Titans)? Are they mortal beings? What about magical forces from another land? This is where you find out the basic form of the Antagonist as well as their base motivations.

Goals

These will be pretty straightforward, drag-and-drop to your system.

The different goals that I have come up with are…

Destroy The Antagonist: This seems like another straight-forward Goal, but destroying an Antagonist can look a lot of different ways. To be clear, if the Characters will have anything remotely close to a chance to bring a final end to the Antagonist, this should be a Goal for your Feature! If the Antagonist will still be around and can eventually come back, this is not the Goal you are looking for. You’re looking for the Restore Balance Goal!

Escape: If there is a possibility for the Characters to be captured or stuck in some way but not killed by the end, this should be a Goal for your Feature!

Protect Someone or Something: If the Characters will have a creature or item to protect during the course of the adventure, this should be a Goal for your Feature! This is not to be confused with the Spread the Word Goal.

Restore Balance: Restoring Balance can look a lot of different ways. It could be a séance that brings a murderous soul to rest or even a rune that sends a devil back to hell. Essentially, if the defeated Antagonist will be stopped but eventually be able to come back, this is the Goal for you

Spread The Word: If there a possibility of the Characters getting some information out of the setting that could eventually disturb or even destroy the Antagonist, this should be a Goal for your Feature!

Survive: The most straight forward and most used Goal of the bunch. If a player’s Character makes it to the end credits, they have survived the Feature!

Hurdles

To ensure that all of the HFS’s skills get used throughout your session, it’s important to think of some hurdles for each skill early in the process.

Every feature should include:

Grit: Things to challenge them physically/emotionally

• Rubble they have to move to continue
• Flashback that does mind damage unless they make their Grit check

Influence: People to challenge them socially

• Guards who will stop and ask them to leave if they are seen
• Someone they have to convince that something bad is happening

Insight: Things to challenge them mentally

• Hacking a computer
• Deciphering runes or hieroglyphics, etc.

Now that we have the idea of what goes into a concept, you can download the Feature Concept Guide and the Example Features documents that are attached to this post! Note, these are just plain text documents as we are still in Alpha. Things will begin to look more official as we get closer to Open Beta!

If you end up making your own concepts, we’d love to see what you come up with! We are also currently accepting examples to include in the Director’s Handbook! You can send all creations to our email at theugliestgames@gmail.com and we'll be in touch! 



If you've read this far, I just want to extend a huge thanks. Your interest in the system means a lot. I hope we can create something cool together!

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