Let's build an RPG together.

I feel like some form of Str and Dex are necessary too.

And of course there is always a risk of a psychotic break, but how would you know when it happens? How do you know when the visions are "real" or just imagined?

so now we're starting to wander into call of cthulu

Do we make it a stat or do we say every player characters are part of the few rare humans to be able to see the "others"? Otherwise, why would you even join those cooks? :P

Hey, I'm just throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks. :P

I say have the players just be gifted for some unknown reason. why do they see them? now that you have this knowledge, what do you do with it?

I become a gutter punk and start playing my three-string guitar on street corners telling people THE TRUTH Man.

Also I'm a demolitions expert

Besides, my idea isn't technically CoC... It's more like H.P. Lovecraft tried to warn us, but because he did not quite have the gift, he saw a distorted version of the creatures, which he used to write his stories. Cthulhu might not be the Cthulhu, but a Cthulhu, an army of which currently lies in cryostasis in their mothership R'lyeh which is currently at the bottom of the Bermuda Triangle. :P

I like this.

I also like action.

I liked the time travel idea because I hadn't heard of any games like that before. I've just looked it up; there are a bunch of them. Kinda depressing. Just once I'd like to have a genuinely original idea.

To build on this; do we want a game which you can just break out and play immediately for an evening, or something which requires preparation and lasts multiple sessions?

everything has been done at least once man. This is why you need a "twist" to your games now to differentiate them from the mass.

The time travellers are from the past!

Or not.
:-)

Can't we have a little bit of both? Very fast character creation for a one night pick up game, but the possibility to have long campaigns and optional/advance rules to add depth of play for the people who want a bit more mileage out of their RPGs...

I agree on making character creation simple, But also like being able to upgrade your character. You can play as a resistance member and games can be either mission or campaign based...

Pregens or fast-start guides are good for this kind of thing. Say, "Hey, if you want to do a fast character of _______ type take these skills and this equipment" (D&D 5e has the quick start instructions in every class description)

Allow people who don't love the mechanical character building process to make a well-designed character quickly, while allowing those who want the more in-depth tuning to have their wish as well.

Alright, even if the setting is not completely defined yet, I think we also need to thing of mechanics.

How about distribute 1d4, 1d6, 1d8, 1d10, and 1d12 between Body, Move, Mind, Soul, and Luck?

Then the character gets a handful of character points to buy skills and maybe advantages/disadvantages? Skills would also range form 1d4 to 1d12.

Give starting equipment, gear granting 1d4 to 1d12 to certain actions?

When rolling, attempt to be a TN of 10 for average difficulty? the more you beat your TN by, the more it adds to "victory"? Characters then has the chance of trading a few points of "victory" to cancel a few points of "discovery" at a yet to decide ratio when rolling doubles/triples/quadruples? (so there is still possibility to cover your screw ups to some extent?)

Depending on the length of the campaign, it could last until you reach a certain amount of "victory", in which you win, or "discovery" where you lose...

So Body is like Strength/Constitution and Move is, well, moving. Speed and Dexterity?

How about Physical, Mental, Spiritual, Luck and Other (connection to the Other Plane)?