Game Mechanics
Much of this page may be difficult to understand for first-time roleplayers. But rest assured that Rocket League contains information on what roleplaying is and how it works for those who are new to these types of games. The rest of this page is mainly for those who know a lot about many other roleplaying games, and are wondering how the rules compare to games they have played before.
One of the first things a lot of roleplayers will wonder about any new roleplaying game nowadays is, "what system does it use?" Firstly, we should point out that we're not selling a system - we're selling a game. There is no name for the system that we use, just as there's no name for the "system" that Monopoly uses. If you want to play Monopoly you read the rules, and the same applies to Rocket League. So, at best, it could be called "the Rocket League system". That's not to say that Playus Maximus might not create other roleplaying games in the future that use the same or similar rules, but we feel that a system should match the feel the game is attempting to create.
This approach would probably not be feasible, were it not for the fact that Rocket League's rules are very quick and easy to learn. This "rules light" system is designed to be compatible with the lighthearted "tongue-in-cheek" style of Rocket League adventures.
We'd prefer not to explain the full system here on the site - after all, the book itself should be what players use to play! But we can answer a few questions. For one, it uses all six-sided dice. Usually each skill roll will require only 2 dice be rolled, except for a few special abilities which allow you to roll one extra die and select the best two.
Character creation is pretty fast and simple. You get some starting skill levels based on your specialty, which includes options such as Pilot, Scientist, Space Trooper, Mechanic, and so on. Then you get a number of rocket points to customize further. Levels get more expensive as they raise. Many people have a 0 in a lot of skills, but they can still use them. There is no upper limit, but to see skills in the 10+ range for players would be rare indeed. A level of "6" could be considered professional, although that's merely descriptive of the number.
In addition to skills, you get at least one special ability because of your specialty. It is important to us that some characters are able to do a few special things that others can't - no matter how many points they spend. You also get to choose one starting "gift" to further customize your character. Lastly, there will be some skills in which you have a "talent" or "limitation" in, which means that the point cost for increasing these skills will be higher or lower than normal. Which skills these are is partially a matter of specialty and partially a matter of choice. All characters will begin as "space cadets" and after meeting certain conditions will eventually be able to roll for rank advancement between missions.
As for combat, Rocket League is not a wargame. Therefore, combat is designed to be deadly and dangerous. If you get hit with a revolver, expect your character to be hurt badly - If it's a ray gun, you should expect worse. There are no health points in Rocket League. Our system uses descriptive levels of health, which cause more penalties to your abilities as you are injured further. Rocket League isn't about assaulting hordes of aliens as in an action movie. Instead, the feel is more similar to a horror or suspense film. In other words, the successful characters will be those that manage to get away, analyze weaknesses, and form a plan of action. This will generally be more fruitful than charging a slimy Oculen with guns blazing. In fact, some maniacal monsters and aliens are so hideous and terrifyingly powerful, that to defeat them in all out combat would be hopeless. Think of the types of plots you've seen in 1950s science fiction and you'll have a good idea. Rarely were the problems solved merely through the use of brute force.
That's not to say that good combat skills aren't beneficial. For those in fisticuffs with others of equal ability, or those daring or unlucky enough, combat can and does happen in Rocket League. When it does, we feel we've got a pretty neat system. Combat is played on a hexagonal map. For characters the scale is 5 ft per space. Vehicle combat is assumed to be at 50 ft. spaces, and Spaceship combat takes place with 100 mile spaces.
Some will undoubtedly see some similarities in some features with a wide variety of other game systems. It can safely be said that we have learned from playing everything from d20, fudge, d6, FASA stuff, Ghostbusters, and so on. We feel we've included good elements for what we're trying to accomplish and come up with some new elements, creating a solid system that works well for quick and easy play.
Please feel free to join us on our forums for more game design discussion!
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