How to Beat Fried Worms
Disclaimer: Worm is owned by Wildbow, and we're all thankful for that.
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Chapter 1: Character Creation
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Hey, hey, hey! You got a minute?
Maybe. Why? What do you need?
I just got my hands on the Earth Bet Builder's Kit!
Oh. Fun.
And I've been working on it all night! I've got this great idea for a Gamer system I want to try and implement!
What is it with you and Gamers?
It's our version of reality tv.
...Okay. Fair. So, what's the deal with this one?
Well, I want to pitch an idea to a few others and see if I can't drum up some interest for a collaborative effort. But...
But?
But I kind of need a 'proof of concept', y'know?
Alright. And where do I fit into it?
As my proof of concept!
...I was afraid you were going to say that. Why, exactly, should I help? I'm kind of busy at the moment.
You're always 'busy at the moment'. You think I haven't seen how stressed out everything has been making you? Why not think of this as a vacation!
...A vacation.
Yeah!
On Earth Bet.
Uh...
Just... walk me through whatever you're thinking.
Uh... right! Okay, well, first thing would be the character creation menu!
An actual character creator? It's... pretty freeform, actually. Hair, skin, height, age, gender... and if I hit 'default' it just shows me.
Aww, not gonna try and be a lady this time around?
If I do that, I go from being autistic to bipolar. Besides, I've always been comfortable in my skin.
...You're a literal shapeshifter.
Between a small handful of definite, concrete forms. Yes.
...Eh. Fair enough.
Alright. Next up is... vocation? Student: Locked to characters aged between 7 and 17. That's actually kind of nifty.
Thanks! I heard that a lot of others kept on losing viewership since they'd let their drop-ins turn into, like, fifteen year old CEOs of whatever company. So I tried to expand the vocation system to have a correlation between age and advancement.
Hmm... Welder, Diesel Mechanic, Unemployed, Delivery Truck Driver... I'm seeing a notice next to most of these- Metalworking + 1, Repair + 1, that sort of thing.
Yeah, that's there for a reason. Just pick something!
Ugh, fine... Scrub lord.
...Janitor? Really?
It gets an extra + 1 to Repair and Cleaning.
Yeah, but, like... Ranger? Bonus to axes and rifles? Or how about Cop? Bonus to blunt weapons and handguns!
And it's Earth Bet. The more social the position, the more likely it is for someone to be discovered as an imposter when they drop in, which ends with the Public Relations Committee getting called.
I think you mean the PRT.
I know what I said.
...Alright. Running a simulation actually shows Unemployed and Diesel Mechanic as being the vocations least likely to run into a Master/Stranger situation.
Huh. Alright then. So, Vocation gives me a salary and I can pick a handful of options based on that salary. House, vehicle and pet?
You can actually go into a deficit; start off with more than you can afford and try to keep from going into debt.
It's already Earth Bet. No point in borrowing trouble.
Lame!
So... studio apartment at $300 a month, which leaves me room to get a step van as my personal vehicle.
Why a step van?
It's basically the same as having an extra room. Between the size, the manual transmission and how unexciting they look, the odds of it getting stolen are pretty slim.
Ugh! Why are you so boring!?
Boring doesn't die on the streets inside of his first week.
Boring doesn't get the ladies, though.
Boring doesn't care. The only lady that wasn't a screaming pile of issues was Armsmaster's Canadian Girlfriend. You know, the chatbot?
Wow. Not even wearing your dragon skin and you're spitting fire.
...So, twenty-two year old janitor living in a studio apartment with a rusty old step van. With a Gamer system? What's the premise, here? If it's just 'I go into the zomble I.D. and grind infinitely!' I can't imagine this thing would actually hold someone's attention for very long.
Nope! No I.D.! No Gamer's Mind, no Gamer's Body, no Game Shop, nothing!
Nothing?
That's right! No Observe. No Skill Create. No Power Slash or... all of that. That's been done to death, that horse corpse has been beaten, the whore cannot be unscrewed so it's time to do something new!
Alright. Lay it out for me.
First off? No base skills! Not even an inventory! Just the status screen, skills, abilities and traits. The Gamer power is an overlay, not a replacement. HP stands for Hit Points, not Health Points, and functions as a shield. Once someone runs out, they start taking actual damage to their weak, squishy organs.
Alright. Not the first time I've seen that done.
Then we've got SP, skill points. Yeah, it fuels your special abilities.
Look, just list this in bullet point. It'll make things a lot easier to reference.
Ugh, fine.
-HP: How much damage you can soak before it starts to actually hurt.
-SP: How many special skills you can throw around.
-Strength: How hard you can hit and how much you can lift. Fifty bonus pounds per point.
-Endurance: How long you can exert yourself and it determines how much HP you got. HP = End X 100
-Dexterity: Fine motor control, how well you can keep from fumbling and assists in accuracy calculation.
-Agility: Overall movement ability and balance determinator. More agility = faster movement.
-Intelligence: Information retention and recall as well as the ability to pierce Stranger effects. Determines overall SP. SP = Int X 100
-Willpower: Ability to resist Master effects and determines SP Regeneration. You regenerate a percentage of your SP per minute equal to your Willpower.
There, was that so hard? It's simple and straightforward, really. That makes it nice and easy for the average Gamer to comprehend when they're not lusting after Dragon's... hardware.
You're an ass.
You came to me for help.
And I'm regretting it!
Sounds like a you problem. So, what are the parameters and what's special about your Gamer system compared to most others?
Alright. So. All attributes start at one and cap out at twenty. Unless the Gamer comes across a special trait that raises the cap. They get one attribute point per level and one special point every five levels that they can use to purchase a trait or special ability.
Alright. Slower progression compared to the usual breakneck pace. A lot more room for conflict before you need to throw Lung and Bakuda into something, I guess. What are we talking about for traits or special abilities?
Well, instead of beating up Circus, the Gamer could just purchase the Inventory! Or they could buy the basic version of Armsmaster's Miniaturization Crafter special ability. Then they could level it up by working on it. I was thinking of making the Gamer need to level a special ability up to fifteen out of twenty to match what a Parahuman could do with their own gifted ability.
So, the Gamer can gain the abilities of Parahumans? How do they get experience?
Yeah, absolutely! This way, the Gamer is encouraged to go and interact with Parahumans. They can gain a lesser copy of the Shard Power by defeating, killing or forcing a Parahuman to surrender. Experience is a little less restricted, someone gains experience towards a level for defeating, killing, capturing or accepting the surrender of anything.
...Are you open to suggestions?
...Well, I mean, I am talking to you, aren't I?
Alright. Well. Most people don't know who Circus even is. Locking a 'basic' Gamer function behind beating them, or purchasing it, won't encourage many people. Beyond that, I'd suggest you give your gamers 1 free attribute and special point to start with.
...Can you explain why?
People like feeling as though they can progress. Giving them that 1 point to put into their attributes will let them look at how they can grow and it encourages someone to start planning their build around the attributes they prioritize. The same can be said of the Inventory and having one skill point; it gives someone options. Otherwise you're just playing Dark Souls: Earth Bet Edition.
But people love Dark Souls!
People love watching other people play Dark Souls.
...Ah.
Considering most smart people would take a look at the sign saying 'Welcome to Brockton Bay' and go find an exit off the roof of the tallest unsecured building they can find, forcing a newcomer into a corner is kind of a bad idea.
Alright, alright. I get it. Geeze. You don't have to be an ass about it.
If you're asking -me- for advice? Then you want me to be an ass about it.
So... I add the Inventory back and throw in a starting Attribute and Skill point. You think that'll be enough?
I think it's going to depend on whoever you throw in. Survivor: Earth Bet Edition doesn't really sound like it'd be that entertaining, personally. But, like I said, those should give someone a taste of how the whole system works which should keep them thinking about how to move forward instead of doing a two-step tango off a chair.
Mmm... Let's see... The character creation menu works, which is good. Parameters have been set. Attributes defined, traits have been included, achievements properly connected to actions and counters...
You didn't mention anything about achievements earlier.
I think that's everything for an alpha test!
Yay. I'm so happy for-
Have fun!
What? What do you-
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Alec came to sudden, painful awareness inside of a small, open apartment. He looked down to his hands, a bit too young and soft compared to what he'd just had literally moments before.
He was just standing in the middle of the room, right in front of the cheap camping chair that... former Alec had apparently purchased for the sake of having something cheap and collapsible inside of his tiny apartment.
The man, all of twenty-two years old, stared out one of the two windows in the small room he now called home and was met with the sight of old, rusting husks rotting in the nearby bay.
Alec did as any proper Gamer would in his current situation. He opened his mouth and he said-
"Fuck."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
