Some Thoughts on Sasuke-based RPG

The Ultimate Competition

There is a competition to see who is the strongest, fastest, most dexterous person. It takes the form of an obstacle course with four stages of increasing difficulty. It happens twice a year. The prize is $20,000 and a world-wide reputation as a hero. One hundred contestants enter, and most of them fail. Only three people have ever successfully completed the course in its twelve year history.

The players make characters (PCs) who will compete in the course for various reasons, hoping for fame, fortune (small as it is), hoping for a chance (a first one or a second), looking to prove themselves in front of the audience, in front of the world.

Players choose a name for their PC, decide on their place of origin, on their family and job, and why they have come to the competition. Players choose who is important to the PC - who is watching them from the sidelines - and what they hope to get from completing the course and write these down.

Players have 16 points to distribute among a PC's three stats: Muscle (MUS), Speed (SPD) and Knack (KNK), which stand for the strength, quickness and dexterity of the PC in moving through the course. No stat may have less than 3 points. Players then choose four traits for their PCs to start with. Traits are born from the PCs' training and preparations for the course and can be used to give bonus dice. Traits are assigned a stat to supplement and should be specific to a body part or a kind of movement. Players choose a die-size for the trait (d4, d4, d6, d8) and are encouraged to elaborate on their PC's training at some length. For example, Thadius practiced hanging and swinging from pipes at a local construction site every day for months, and this gives him a bonus to his Knack for actions similar to this. When invoking a trait, players must give a short flashback to their training so everyone can see how it is finally paying off (or not). Each trait can invoked once per stage.

There are two basic resources that determine the success or failure of the PC. They are Time and Balance.

Time shows how much time the PC has to complete the course. The PC begins each stage with a pool of time which the player spends to get dice for completing actions. Time is always decreasing and cannot be regained. If the PC runs out of time before completing the course, he fails and moves to the exit interview and the fallout.

Balance is an abstract indicator of the boundaries of the course. Failures and suboptimal die rolls and quick movements detract from and reduce the balance score. The score starts at ten and once it reaches zero, the PC has fallen out of the course in some manner or other, thus failing and moving to the exit interview and the fallout. In play, each player will have a d10 set on their character sheet turned to the highest face; as the PC's Balance decreases, players turn the die lower and lower. Balance can be recovered by spending time (3 seconds per point) or by using a Recovery Die.

PCs act in the course by spending Time to buy dice. Each different stat has a separate cost and can be bought at different sizes, d6, d8 and d10. Speed dice are the least expensive, (d6 - 5 seconds; d8 - 4 seconds; d10 - 3 seconds) ,but they reduce Balance when used (by 1, 2, and 3, respectively). Knack dice cost 4 seconds, 6 seconds and 8 seconds, and d10s add 1 to Balance. Muscle dice cost 5 seconds, 7 seconds and 9 seconds. Speed dice must be used to move between obstacles.

After a stat die is used, it goes into the PC's stat pool. The number of dice in the pool represents the endurance of the PC. A d6 is a one, a d8 is a two and a d10 is a three. When the number in the stat pool exceeds the PC's stat, they receive a penalty of minus one per extra die to their rolls in that stat. So, Thadius with his Muscle of 7, has used 2d8, 2d6 and 1d10 for a total of 9; this gives him a minus 2 to all his strength rolls. Neither Trait nor Support dice are added to the pools.

Players should take care to record the numbers rolled on dice they have used; when these total twenty, the PC can receive the benefit of a Recovery die. Recovery dice are d20. Players can use them by to either restore Balance without spending Time, and to remove dice from their stat pools. Thadius' Balance has fallen to 2, but he has no time to recover if he hopes to complete the stage. He uses his Recovery die and rolls a 13. He resets his Balance to 10 and he can remove 3 points of dice from the stat pool of his choice (in that order; pool recovery takes place after Balance recovery). Neither Trait nor Support dice contribute towards Recovery dice.

Players can try to get Support dice for their PCs by courting the audience, trying to elicit excitement, humor or pathos. Friends and family members will cheer them on; fellow contestants may offer advice. This should be provided by fellow players as much as possible. To court the audience, the PCs can do tricks or stunts or other acts before or after obstacles for a Time expenditure. On the first attempt, the player picks a number on their choice of a d4, d6 or a d8 and upon rolling that number, receives that sized die to be used within the stage. For each subsequent attempt, the player may choose an additional number to roll for, so multiple attempts will make it easier to win audience support, at a cost of time. Before using the Support die, the player must announce it and roll the die. Then the player must roll a d10 against their current Balance; if the result is equal to or above the score, the Support die acts as a bonus; if it is below the score, the support has the opposite effect and breaks the PCs concentration, adding to the Hazard of the obstacle at hand. Support dice carry over between stages. The later stages are so difficult and have such stringent Time limits that Support dice become key to victory.

Obstacles vary in size and complexity; a single obstacle may have several sections, each of which must be contended with. An obstacle has a challenge rating (CR) for each stat. Some obstacles are more easily overcome by Muscle, or Speed, or Knack, and thus have a lower rating in that stat. Additionally, obstacles have Hazard dice, which represent all the things that can go wrong for the PC, from slipperiness to bad timing. Each section of an obstacle has its own Hazard die.

To tackle an obstacle, the player declares how they will approach it and what stat they will use. Buying a die and whatever Traits or Support are applicable, the player rolls the dice and adds the total to the PC's stat. Comparing that with the CR, if the PC's total is below, the PC has failed and the difference between the numbers is subtracted from Balance. The PC may try again. If the PC's total is equal to or greater than the CR, then TA rolls a Hazard die, as the unexpected occurs. If the Hazard die when added to the CR is equal to or less than the PC's total, the PC passes unscathed. If it is greater, then the difference is subtracted from Balance and the PC must purchase another die and try to beat the Hazard. The new die gets compared just against the Hazard die. Secondary dice may be from other stats to avoid minuses. If there is a second or third Hazard, TA will roll it after the PC has cleared prior Hazards. Traits and Support may be brought used it the middle of a challenge. TA may judge whether the obstacle allows for a chance for the PC to rest in the middle and restore Balance at the cost of an action die - some obstacles may not.

A wall-lifting obstacle, for example, has three walls, each heavier than the last. It has the following ratings: MUS - 8; SPD - 18; KNK - 16. Speed and Knack will be next to useless in tackling this obstacle. The first wall Hazard is d4; the second is d6; the third is d8. These are non-cumulative. Thadius' player announces Muscle, MUS - 7, and Trait of lifting big jars of pickles everyday at the restaurant where he works, 1d4, purchases a d6 and rolls a 5 and a 2 for a total of 14. TA rolls the first Hazard, 1d4, and gets a 3 - no problem for Thadius. Thadius approaches the first wall and heaves it up. At the second wall, TA rolls 1d6 and gets a 2 - Thadius hefts the second wall as easily as the first. TA rolls 1d8 for the third wall and gets a 7. 7+8=15, 1 point higher than Thadius' 14. Thadius' player turns the Balance down one point from 5 to 4. Time is very short so the player buys a d10 of speed, reducing his Balance to 1, and rolls 7, just enough to beat the Hazard and allow Thadius to slip under the falling wall.

PCs who pass all the obstacles on a stage and press the buzzer at the end within the Time limit will move on to the next one until they reach the fourth and final stage. Those who are successful there will have their rewards. Between stages, PCs can have the benefit of two Recovery dice. Upon passing a stage, the PC gains a free Support die, 1d8.

PCs will likely fail, for the course is very difficult. For those who do, there is the exit interview where they can examine their run and see where things went wrong. Players should describe how their supporters respond to the PCs' failure. At the end of play, when all the PCs have either been disqualified or completed the course, players determine the fallout. How do people at home regard them? Did they gamble on themselves, or did their families bet on them? How does this change their lives? Some may want to return and try again. The player may take the maximum level of Support dice that they had at one time in Experience Points (4 Support dice = 4 XP), and use them to upgrade their PC. New Traits cost one point for a d4, two points for a d6, three points for a d8, or existing traits can be improved at the same rate. Stats increase at a cost of 2 XP per point. Stats max out at ten.

At the start of the competition, The Announcer introduces each PC and lays out the stage ahead. TA creates the course ahead of time, naming each obstacle and creating their stats. A list of obstacles is provided, but players should feel free to design their own. At the end of the competition, TA gives a summary of the game's event, highlighting exceptional moments, and then wishes everyone the best of luck next time.

SAMPLE OBSTACLES: (from Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_SASUKE_stages)
First Stage: (9 obstacles; Time: 70-120 seconds)

Barrel Climb
The competitor must jump over a small pit onto a staircase of logs that each freely rotate on a lateral axis, then climb to the next obstacle.

Quintiple Step
The competitor must jump across 4 platforms that are angled 45° degrees toward the center of a water pit, and then jump to the platform at the end. The platforms are positioned right and left, across the length of the pit. They are each 60 centimeters (1 ft, 11.62 in) wide, and the total length of the obstacle is 6.2 meters (20 ft 4.09 in).

Hill Climb
The competitor must cross over two small hills which are at a 60° incline.

Prism See-Saw
The competitor must jump over a small pit onto a large triangle which is supported by an axis in the center. The weight on one side of the triangle will tilt it into the water, so it must be crossed quickly.

Cone Jump
The competitor must cross two large cones that are spinning and jump to the next platform.

Hurdle Jump
The competitor must cross three pits, while also clearing the bungee-rope hurdles located at the end of each intermediate platform (excluding starting and landing platforms). The first platform is shaped like an opening quarter-pipe, the second is flat and inclined to about 30°, and the landing platform is inclined to about 45°.

Sextuple Step
Essentially the same as the Quintiple Steps, but with 5 intermediate platforms instead of 4.

Rope Glider
The competitor must hold onto a rope as it slides down a track, and then let go to land on a mat floating in the water.

Duodectuple Step
Essentially the same as the Quintiple Step and Sextuple Step, but with 11 intermediate platforms instead of 4 or 5. To add difficulty, each step is at a slightly different angle.

Butterfly Wall
The competitor must jump and grab onto a vertical wall that spins around a central vertical axis to reach the platform on the other side.

Spinning Log
The competitor must cross a horizontal log that freely rotates around a central axis parallel to the course. The log is about 3 meters long and 20 cm in diameter.

Log Slope
A modification of the Spinning Log, the log is now on an incline of about 15°, and the exit ground is placed above the log. It is also positioned like a platform rather than a balance beam and requires an additional climb to a platform leading to the next obstacle.

Rolling Log
The competitor must straddle and cling to a log 40 centimeters (15.75 in) in diameter before kicking the ground to begin its roll down a 15° decline. There are two drops added to the supporting rails in order to jar the competitor and make it harder to continue straddling the log. The log is also notorious for coming off the tracks or halting its spin midway.

Log Grip
The competitor must hold onto a vertical log with their arms and legs while it slides down a track to the next platform. The log contains small indentations to provide some grip. The track is similar to the one previously used for the Rolling Log, but the drops are bigger and the track is longer. In addition, the drops are closer together, almost eliminating a chance to recover from the previous drop.

Circle Hammer
The competitor must grab onto a rope that's suspended from a circular frame that's angled downward and land on a platform at the end of the track.

Curtain Slider
The competitor grabs on a sheet and slides down a track, the sheet can also move freely on the track making it more difficult and tricky as well.

Rapid Descent
Exactly the Barrel Climb in reverse, the competitor must jump over a large gap.

Balance Bridge
The Balance Bridge is a large board that freely rotates along an axis parallel to the course. Along with this, there is a piece along the axis that protrudes perpendicular to the bridge.

Big Boulder
The competitor must jump onto a very large boulder-like sphere floating freely in water and leap across to the other side.

Dance Bridge
The competitor must traverse a bridge made of 12 individual boards that each spin individually on three lengthwise axes, and then jump to the next platform.

Plank Bridge
The entrant must jump off a piece of wood similar to a gangplank to the other side. The board is un-anchored, and falls as the contestant runs across it.

Cross Bridge
Like the other bridges, the Cross Bridge rotates freely around a central lengthwise axis. It has six sections, three on each side, with each section 45° from horizontal.

Pole Maze
The competitor must grab a pole leaning against the first platform, and swing to the other side. The pole is anchored in the middle of the water pit, and the top of the pole must be guided through a track above.

Circle Slider
The competitor must jump from a springboard and grab onto a large hoop on a long declining track that they must slide across. At the end, the hoop hits a large object on the top of the track, and the competitor must use the momentum built up on the descent to swing to a platform.

Jump Hang
The competitor must leap forward off a trampoline to grasp the underside of a declining cargo net, then either climb over or underneath it, taking care not to touch the water below the obstacle if they choose the latter.

Jumping Spider
A combination of the Jump Hang and the Spider Walk from the Second Stage, the competitor must jump from a trampoline into a shaft of parallel walls that they must traverse by wedging themselves in between and crawling through.

Bungee Bridge
The competitor must cross a bridge of 4 pieces with a gap between each. The pieces are made of many thin strips of a stretchy material so they provide little support and very unstable ground.

Rope Reverse
The competitor must take a rope and swing off the side of a high platform. When the rope swings back, the competitor must swing and jump onto another platform below. There is a bungee line that limits the rope's movement.

Reverse Fly
The competitor must jump into a large vertical trampoline, slightly angled, and then land back on a platform adjacent to the one they jumped from. A wall divides the two platforms.

Crooked Wall
The competitor must run up a twisted, concave wall and jump off the side to grab a rope that then descends and leaves the competitor onto the path to the next obstacle. The wall is curved more on one side than the other. The rope is called the Seesaw Rope, however it is not considered its own obstacle.

Halfpipe Attack
In a fashion quite similar to the Crooked Wall, the competitor must run up across a vertical half-pipe. Then, they must make a leap from the half-pipe about halfway through to reach a rope to swing themselves onto a narrow landing pad. A deceptively simple obstacle, many have grasped the rope successfully only to botch the landing.

Hill Climb 2
The competitor must climb a large wall of similar height to the Warped Wall, but flat and at a 60° angle.

Warped Wall
The competitor must scale a concave quarter-pipe by running up and grabbing the top of the wall. The wall is 5 meters and 20 centimeters (17ft).

Great Wall
A combination of the Warped Wall and the Crooked Wall, the Great Wall is taller than the Warped Wall, but also adds a rope hanging over the edge for contestants to grab and climb over with.

Flying Chute
The competitor must slide down a giant chute and then grab onto a horizontal rope suspended some distance away from the chute. They must then transfer from that rope to a cargo net directly under the chute, and then to the path behind the net.

Slider Jump
Basically a combination of two previous obstacles, the Stick Slider and Jump Hang, the competitor must slide down a track while hanging from a pipe. When at the end of the track, the competitor must jump from the pipe and grab onto a cargo net and either climb over or under the net.

Log Fall
The competitor must hold onto a vertical log, which is fixed on the ground, and slide down to the mat on the bottom.

Tarzan Rope
The competitor must cross a series of 5 elastic, vertically hanging ropes to the Rope Climb.

Free Climbing → Wall Climb
The competitor must climb a wall with hand- and footholds to reach the buzzer at the top. The first section of the wall (Free Climbing) is on a conveyor belt that moves slowly downwards as the contestants climb, and the second one (Wall Climb) is a fixed wall.

Tarzan Jump
The competitor must use a rope to swing to a wall to the rope climb.

Rope Climb
The competitor must climb up the wall with the rope to press the buzzer before time expires.

Tarzan Rope 2 → Rope Ladder
The competitor must take a rope and swing to a vertical cargo net, then climb up the net and cross a short bridge to press the buzzer before time expires.

Second Stage: (6 Obstacles; Time: 50-80 seconds)

Spider Walk
The obstacle requires the competitor to traverse the 1.2m-width space between two parallel walls without touching the ground. The third set is called the "Moving Wall" which is a segment moving up and down, usually requiring a shift in direction. The sixth to eighth set are the ascending portion called "Spider Climb". A can of adhesive spray is available at the start of the obstacle.

Tackle Machine
The competitor must push a 50kg weight down a tunnel to reach the exit to the next obstacle.

Ledge Walk
The competitor must cross two sections of ledge on a wall, with water below. The second section has two short strips sticking out of the wall at about knee height to increase the difficulty.

Chain Reaction
The competitor must ride two perpendicular zip-lines over a pit of water, switching between them in midair. Each zipline has a chain hanging from it by a single point. Competitors must grasp the chain on the first zip-line, ride to where the first chain slams into the scaffold, then switch to the next chain in midair, and ride the second zip-line to the end of the obstacle. During the switch, competitors may kick off a nearby solid wall. The first swing is 9.5 meters, and the second is 7.5 meters.

Downhill Jump
The competitor must slide down a track standing on an snowboard-like object, and then jump to a
rope on a track, which then swings towards a mat which the competitor must jump onto.

Brick Climb
The competitor must climb a wall with bricks protruding from it. The wall is approximately 3.5 meters high.

Salmon Ladder
The competitor must grab a bar which is resting on two parallel walls. The walls have seven sets of notches for the bar to rest on, with the gap between the last two sets larger than the previous ones. The bar is not bound to the wall in any way. Once the competitor's feet leave the mat, the landing mat is taken away. The competitor must use his momentum to climb, raising the bar from notch to notch until to the top.

Stick Slider
After reaching the final notch of Salmon Ladder, the competitor must land the bar onto two declining tracks in a "V" shape. Finally, he must drop from the bar onto a mat below.

Five Continuous Hammers
The competitor must walk across a thin plank, avoiding the 5 large hammers swinging back and forth.

Balance Tank
The competitor must balance atop a large rolling barrel and ride the barrel to a platform across a distance of 5.4 meters.

Delta Bridge
The competitor must hang onto two outward-facing ledges and cross a small gap.

Net Bridge
The competitor must climb across a cargo net to reach the next platform.

Sky Walk
Little is known about this obstacle since no competitor has had the chance to attempt it. The competitor must use only a long narrow ledge and a wall for support to climb across a large gap.

Swing Ladder
A set of monkey bars must be crossed by the competitors. The monkey bars are set on a tilting mount on the scaffolding above, and swing substantially when competitors traverse it.

Unstable Bridge
Competitors are required to cross two boards that hang on the scaffolding above, both can swing freely as the competitor crosses them making it more difficult and strenuous at the same time, also the second board is suspended on two chains, one on each edge making it more unstable and harder to cross, similar to the Delta Bridge as competitors must hang from both edges while crossing the boards.

Reverse Conveyor
The competitor must crawl though a small tunnel with a conveyor belt going the opposite direction. It is 90cm wide and 6.3 meters long, and travels at a speed of 20km/h.

Metal Spin
An array of chains dangle from a horizontal wheel that freely spins, resembling a chandelier, over a water hazard. The competitor must jump to grasp one of the chains, spinning the wheel to the other side.

Wall Lifting
The competitor must lift three heavy walls and cross under them to advance. The walls are 30kg, (66 pounds) 40kg (88 pounds), and 50kg (110 pounds).

Shoulder Walk
The competitor must cross two bridges carrying a bar on his shoulders that has two weighted chambers hanging from each end of the bar, weighing 40kg (88 pounds) in total. The bridges have a small gap between them, and the second bridge is offset to the left.

Third Stage: (8 Obstacles; Time: 120-180 seconds)

Pole Bridge
The competitor must walk across a path of unstable columns.

Pole Jump
The competitor must vault over a body of water with an un-anchored pole.

Propeller Bars
The competitor must cross a series of 3 horizontal, slowly-spinning bars anchored to the top of the course.

Pincushion
The competitor must cross a patch of large, thin, flexible poles that protrude up from the ground, by using arms and legs.

Rumbling Dice
A box frame made of four monkey bars connected by two steel squares, one at each corner and about 30cm apart from each other, which is placed on two bars that traverse a 5m water pit, this obstacle must be overcome by rolling the box frame across the pit by grabbing the top monkey bar in front and pulling it down repeatedly.

Arm Rings
The competitor hangs from two rings on different-shaped sliding horizontal poles and must negotiate several separate rises and dips on each track.

Hang Move
The competitor must cross a series of 6 hanging chains about 2.5m long, each of which has a wooden foothold at the bottom.

Arm Bike
On this obstacle, the competitor must use his arms to propel himself across the gap, pedaling in a way similar to how feet pedal on a bicycle.

Body Prop
Much like the Spider Walk, the competitor must traverse an expanse of two walls that are 5 meters long. However, the walls are further apart, so he must position both hands on one side and both feet on the other. Along the way there are gaps in both walls, requiring the competitor to alter his hand and foot positioning as necessary.

Lamp Grasper
The competitor crosses a pool of water by grabbing onto a series of small glowing blue spheres attached to the scaffolding above.

Downward Lamp Grasper
A modification of the "Lamp Grasper" obstacle. In this version of the obstacle, the scaffolding is slightly declined, requiring the competitor to reach downward to each successive sphere.

Rope Junction
The competitor must swing from 6 ropes. All of the ropes are the same height, except the third and sixth ropes, which are longer than the other ropes.

Curtain Cling
The competitor must grapple across a hanging curtain 5.4 meters wide to reach the other side. The curtain is about 3m (9 ft 10.11 in) in height.

Curtain Swing
Four small curtains 1 meter (3 ft 3.37 in) long are hung diagonally, and the bottom of each is within arm's reach. The entrant must swing from one to the next to get across.

Devil Steps
This obstacle is a set of ascending and descending stairs, but instead of walking across over them, the challenger must climb under the steps to reach the next obstacle.

Cliff Hanger
The competitor must traverse three narrow ledges only large enough to be supported by the fingertips (1 inch wide).

New-Cliff Hanger
A modification of the Cliff Hanger.The second ledge was shortened to about 77cm (30.31 in) and inclined to an angle of about 12°, making the gap between the second and third bars 1m (3 ft 3.37 in) horizontally.

Jumping Bars
Competitors must jump a series of bars, each one about 5 feet in front of and 1 foot below the previous one.

Climbing Bars
Competitors must climb across an inclined set of monkey bars.

Ascending Climber/Hang Climbing
It is an acutely angled wall scattered with modern wall climbing artifacts.

Devil Swing
Competitors must swing from a trapeze bar suspended from the scaffolding and to the Pipe Slider.

Pipe Slider
The entrant must hang from a pipe and, by undulating his body, move the pipe across a track to the other side.

Spider Flip
A ledge, much like an I-beam girder where there is a lip to hold onto on either side, must be climbed from underneath. At the end of the first ledge, there is another ledge, aligned perpendicular to the first, that must also be scaled. Once the competitor has done this successfully, he may rest on a small foothold before jumping backwards 2 meters to land onto another setup symmetrical to the first. He then must climb back down and across to the resting bar before the Gliding Ring.

Gliding Ring/Final Ring
Its appearance is similar to the Circle Slider, a first stage obstacle. However, the track is shorter and the ring is smaller. Its function is similar to the Pipe Slider, where the competitor needs to guide the ring to the end position and swing off the ring over a fairly large gap onto the finishing platform to reach the final stage. There is only one track holding the ring, and the ring's final position also is at the same height as the gap, making the jump needed for success quite difficult.

Final Stage: (2 Obstacles; Time: 30-45 seconds)

15m Rope Climb
Competitors must climb a 15m rope within 30 seconds starting in a sitting position. Once they reach the top, they then hit a buzzer to claim total victory. If they do not reach the top in 30 second the rope is cut and the competitor falls back down to the bottom.

Spider Climb
The competitor must climb up to walls parallel to each other, similar to the Spider Walk but you only go in an upwards direction. This lasts for 12.5m and then the competitor is faced with the Final Rope straight away with no break point. If the Spider Climb isn't climbed in 15 seconds the walls start to move apart making it harder and harder to climb and eventually impossible. At that point the competitor fall to the bottom.

Heavenly Ladder
The competitor must climb a 13m rope ladder where they are faced with the G Rope straight away with no break point. The competitor must start with one foot on the ground before climbing. The ladder also has a lot of slack at the ground so it does not move around too much when competitors climb it.

G Rope
The competitor must climb a 10m Bungee Rope. When the competitor climbs the rope, it bounces and is pulled down in order to make the climbing process slower.