EMPLOYEE - A Working Adventure Overhaul / Devlog 24.02.2025

Finally, I had the time and moment to sit down and rethinking my beloved games.

Below are several ideas that I had as per 16 June 2025. Based on several thinking, solo playtesting, playtesting with AI (which turnout both Gemini and ChatGPT are a very inconsistant Referee), and late night nicotine boosted night, I present you this devlog. Looking forward for the next update, even me myself looking forward to it.

A. Revamp & Rebalancing Proficiency & Weakness Table

Things that need some attentions:

1. Proficiency’s Buff is way too powerfull. Consider to change the range of the dice results or change the categorization and its modifier (include No additional / +0).
2. Also applicable to Weakness’ Nerf - way too punishing.
3. Consider to remove the nomenclature (Professional, Savvy, Master, No Brainer, Newbie, Limited).

B. Fear Mechanism & Made-Up Fear

1. Make a list of phobias -> make GM and Player easier to generate their character.

   1. At least using d12, use generaly used phobias and had true effect on working / office environment.
2. The Modifier of -3 on Fear (turn out) way too punishing. How about to tone it down to -2?

3. Made-Up Fear / Make-Your-Own-Phobia

   1. (Noun / Activities)+Phobia OR Scared of (Noun / Activities).
   2. Exp: Typo-phobia, Scared of Sound of Typing on Keyboard.

C. Promotion: Buff List and Leveling Up

1. The Performance Buff Table need to be rethink and make some changes. Player could be easily over the Referee’s roll due to additional modifier and new proficiency, especially for those who had high level of Performance / Promoted to certain levels.

   1. Target: to rebalancing and watered down the Buff. Maybe not every Promotion grants Buff?

2. When a Player leveling up, they will get additional Performance and (IN)Sanity Points. This will make them harder to get insane (might lead GM harder to induced horror / mystery theme game) but not for leveling up their Performance level (thanks to overly Buffed Promotion modifier.)

   1. Suggesting that every Performance level up / Promotion, (IN)Sanity Point Slot is getting reduced.

      1. By logic, the higher position you had, the more responsibilities you got, the easier you will get stress.

   2. Instead of additional 2 (IN)Sanity point slots, on every Promotion, there will be modifier for every failure tasks that effecting Player’s (IN)Sanity points. The (IN)Sanity Point Slots will always be remain at a total 10.

      1. Example: A Player got promoted to Level 4 = add 3 Performance Point Slots and attach +3 modifier on (IN)Sanity dice results.
      2. Proposed modifier : n+2, n+1d6, n+2d12.

D. Life Cycle Additional Tasks

1. Maybe we can add more tasks in order for a Phase to be done or finished.

   1. By using dice to determined how many tasks need to be done before the phase can be “marked” as finished.
   2. This might be only implemented on Preparation & Initial (Phase 2) and Main (Phase 3).

   3. The calculation on determining whether the Phase is successfull or not is to be discussed.

      1. The easiest way is by using Average (Total Player Solving Rolls / Total Referee Difficulty Rolls)

      2. is by Using 80% of Total Tasks need to be solved / Player succeeded.

         1. If the 80% is x,5 or above -> round up (exp: 80% of 6 tasks is 4,8 = 5 tasks need to be success).
         2. If the 80% is x,4 and below -> round down (exp: 80% of 9 tasks is 7,2 = 7 tasks need to be success).
      3. Proposing using d6 or d12 for a tasks decider.

E. Ready-to-Work Employee

1. Reminder : create a table for stereotypes for easier access and referencing.

2. Some additional ideas:

   1. Add their own unique set of

      1. Proficiency
      2. Weakness
      3. Fear
      4. Modifier on Proficiency and Weakness

F. Additional Ideas, Remarks, and Possible Expansion

1. Make a list of things below to be put on the end of the rule book

   1. Proficiency
   2. Weakness
   3. Fear
   4. Assigned Tasks (for Phase 1)
   5. To-Do Modifier (for Phase 2)
   6. Rewards and Punishments (Success Hat-trick / Failure Hat-trick)
   7. Job Description / Position
   8. Company Generator (Floor, Business, Size, etc.)

2. Possible Expansion

   1. The After Office Hour Mechanism
   2. Health Bar (effected by (IN)Sanity and Player’s actions)
   3. Psychological level (have to be differ to (IN)Sanity though)
   4. Romance mechanism
   5. Salary & Economy mechanism
   6. Pre-made Campaign / story
   7. Attire Generator
   8. New Archetype / Stereotype
   9. Passion Mechanism (opposite of Fear, might add positive modifier)

3. Make a dedicated section for “For the Referee..”

   1. Make it as a F.A.Q. Section.

   2. No long explanation, straight to the point answers.

      1. the aim is for an easy and quick reference for the Referee.
      2. If need an example, give one example only.
      
      
   
   

===

This post was originally posted here LINK

Hex Map Generator using YuGiOh Card

I found my old YuGiOh cards when I looking for my daughter’s toy hidden in one of dozen transparant boxes. Of course all of it weren’t original cards - it’s all written in either mandarins or japanese, bad printings, overly thin or thick cards and the shining cards are not the cards that supposedly shiny. I got them many years ago, circa I was a high schooler. OG cards are rare in this country until recently thanks to international shipping and the utilization of internet.

The card itself had a lot of attribution that can be used as generator: element, summoning stars, card types (monster, spell, trap), health and defence. This attributes can be (might br) “translated” into specific classification. For example the elemental can be type of land or enemy, summon stars can be number of enemy that will be encountered, attack and defense can be… I don’t know, card type obviously can be translated as ordinary, special encounter and/or trap encounter respectively. And I think it could be better (maybe) if I can combine it with roll of dice.

In generating hexmap for Hexcrawl25 (I still haven’t finished this month region though), oracle thingy and table of generator will become your friend. I looking at you $16-ish d100 Map Generator. Meanwhile, while I gather additional income to check out that beaut, I think I need to create my own method of random generator for this hexmap project and maybe for my next project that already in my task.

Implementing YuGiOh cards as random generator would be interesting. I know this can be considered as ashcan project - it will be shit at first and might become a rotten shit still (I know the worstcase scenario), but it might inspire me to create better handmade random generator.

For now, the classification will be like (this classification is made as I wrote and had a little bit of fine tuning):

• Summoning Stars: (enemy) number of enemy encountered;
• Card Type: (monster) battle encounter, (spell) NPC/ resting area/ empty space/ special encounter, (trap) puzzle/ trap/ risk management/ checks.
• Monster Elemental: type of lands (still thinking about Darkness and Light and Wind elements).
• Monster Attack: (enemy & trap) divided by 100 become health or sustainability.
• Monster Defense: (enemy & trap) divided by 100 become DC or armor.

I need to TRY this method first so I can move forward and improve on what this kind will be and what things that they can provide.

#Hexcrawl25 Region Template & Sub-Hex Table is LIVE!!!

I made this template actually meant for my own convenience. I mainly brainstorm using pencil and paper and with this it might sparks some ideas along the way.

This template is consisting of two main items : the flower hex with 19 sub-hex inside AND a table for each sub-hex that you can fill in with anything that cell could hold. I made the flower hex a little bit low res, so it's either you could retrace it for a better quality or play as it is. And the table was in minimalistic condition, because I wanted to think as simple as possible but yet fulfilling the essence of the sub-hex.

Again, I made this for my own purpose. But if you find this template is useful or not, feel free to use it too!!

Hexcrawl25 - Region Template & Sub-Hex Table is now live on Itch. Click the widget above to download now!

Hexcrawl25 is created by Maatlock of maatlockstavern.com and released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) License.