I've had this roleplaying game idea in my head since 2010 and after twelve years it's become clear I'm never going to do anything with it, so I want to just share it here in case anyone else is inspired to run with it.
It's a core mechanic for a paranormal investigation game.
The party is contending with a haunted house, possessed person, or other spooky phenomenon. Each character has their unique lens through which to understand the phenomenon: psychic, priest, skeptic scientist, detective, resident, and such.
The story starts before the sun sets.
Characters are defined not by a shared set of stats, but by their unique talents. Every talented is tied to the hours.
When the sun is up, talents tied to skepticism, logic, and fact-finding are strongest.
At darkest midnight, they are useless.
As the game proceeds through sunset, dusk, evening, pitch black night, and a return to daybreak, the talents that can help contend with the paranormal phenomenon shift. Everyone feels their hours of weakness and their hours of strength.
The hours dictate what is possible.
It's a mechanic that creates shifting teamwork dynamics and a rotating spotlight, which is always exciting. I think it would work well in a system that cared about linked or cumulative successes.
You're welcome to design this game! After a dozen years, I've realized I won't.
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