The Uncanny Chasm

Oh Father Ted, you never let me down.

I'd imagine that many, if not most, of the readers of this blog have heard of the Uncanny Valley, but in case some have not, it refers to the fact that the closer you get to building a robot that simulates humanity, the more "wrong" the robot appears, until it finally hits that point of seamless integration between expectation and reality.

What does this have to do with RPGs?  Well, a game that takes place entirely in the imagination has similar issues.  There is the chasm between the mind of the creator and the mind of the user, and there is the chasm between the mind of the GM and the mind of the PC.  In either instance, the Uncanny Chasm represents the gap between how it is "meant to be" and how it is "perceived to be".

Now, "meant to be" is a loaded phrase.  Some will take issue with it, I'm sure, but at the end of the day, if something is created, that thing has a form.  In order for you to actualize something, you have to conceptualize it, and in order to conceptualize it you have to visualize it.  Basically, the game can inhabit some sort of quantum superposition where it has no direction, purpose or meaning if you like, but as soon as it's actualized, it collapses into a thing, and that thing has form, shape and function.

"Perceived to be" is much easier to to take in - it's the house rules, it's the home-brews, it's the on-the-fly judgement calls that make your game different from any other game out there, regardless of the rules you're using.

So how do you cross that chasm?  How do you get others to play the game that is in your head?

Some will say, "Why would you want to?", and for them, I have no answer.  To me, creation is an act of sharing, and if I'm going to actualize something, I see it as my duty to make sure that my vision is as clear as possible.  So I don't create with these people in mind, and rarely spare them a thought - they will do what they will with what I create, or ignore it completely, as is their right.  My goal is not to create some sort of totalitarian creative space where those who do not use what I have created exactly as I intend are herded into reeducation camps, but rather make sure that those who are looking for something full and alive are able to grok it with as little head scratching as possible.  Basically, if you like what I'm selling, let me make sure you see it as clearly and fully as possible.

So, with that caveat out of the way, the short answer to my question, "How do you get others to play the game that is in your head?" is, "You can't".

No, seriously, you can't.

It is impossible to drag something down from the ether, define it completely, package it and hand it off to someone else without losing something along the way.  Films probably come the closest, but even so, two people can watch the same movie, see the same pictures and hear the same words, and yet come away from the movie with different experiences and understandings.  It only gets harder as you get deeper into the meatspace - two people can read the same book, and imagine the characters as completely different from how the author imagined, or even described, them.  Once you get to roleplaying games, all bets are off.

So it's a matter of expectations - you certainly can't hope that someone is going to play your game exactly as you imagine it, and the world in the GM's mind translating well to the minds of the players is as likely as not.

And yet... and yet... it does happen.  Rarely intentionally, but a thousands monkeys with a thousand typewriters and all that.

How?

I don't think there is a simple answer here, only things that contribute in varying degrees to the ability of a project to bridge the chasm.

Some fall into the trap of thinking that it's the rules.  They're partially right, but not in the way they think.  I'll come back to that.

Art is an easier one to point to.  It allows the reader to peek into the mind of the Creator.  Problem is, unless the Creator is also the Artist, you've actually added another Chasm to be leapt.  Art only gives the feel of a setting, though, not the setting itself.  It can tell you what certain inhabitants and circumstances look like in the world, but it is by no means comprehensive, and it is almost impossible to communicate the "meaning" of a game via the art?  Vibrant colors and strong, clean lines may indicate high fantasy, while drab coloring and heavy shadows may evoke noirish sensibilities, but there are other uses for each, as well - Superheroes use the former, while the latter could also be indicative of horror.  So while not perfect, art does provide a viable, if a bit crumbly, bridge across the chasm.

Another way to go about it is with color.  You know, the little bits of flavor text scattered through the book? They drop you into random parts of the world in question, giving you insight into the Creator's vision, without  the investment of a novel.  If you scatter them widely enough, your reader goes away with a good sense of things.

Then there's background.  This one is tricky.  Done well, it makes you ask questions, and draws you into the world.  World of Darkness is a good example of this.  While the conceptual element of their games are simple (Vampire, Werewolf, Mage, etc), it is legerdemain.  Each game is its own rabbit hole, drawing you further and further from what you think you know about them.  Done poorly, and you end up with an RPG that shall remain nameless.  I grabbed the pdf off of DriveThruRPG, based on an intriguing blurb.  Opened it up, and first had to scroll through a 48 page short story, followed by a 14 page history of this nightmare future, taken decade by decade from the present day all the way to the year 3,450 or whatever.  All just to tell me that it is an Aliens-inspired Lovecraftian Survival Horror game.  It took me all of about 2 pages to twig that, before my eyes rolled back in my skull and the tablet dropped from my hands.

Finally, we get to rules.  I saved this for last, because it is such a fiercely contested topic, one which has given rise to two camps, which do battle regularly with the ferocity of a thousand tigers.  Those camps are, of course, Team SYSTEM MATTERS and Team THE PLAY'S THE THING.  I think that both are essentially correct, depending on how you approach gaming in general.  If you want, you can take any rule set and use it to play any type of roleplaying game you can imagine.  You can play a George Bernard Shaw-esque social comedy using basic Dungeons and Dragons.  You can take the rule set for Classic World of Darkness and use it to play survival horror in space.  You can bend, twist and house rule any system to make it do what you want, if you only want it enough.

Now, with that being said, there are some systems which make it easier for you to do this, and require less acrobatics on your part in order to make it work.  For instance, while your characters may want to play an RPG version of The Importance of Being Earnest, you can either have them roleplay it out, in which case they have to possess the voice and vocabulary necessary to make it feel like an Oscar Wilde game, or make a lot of Charisma checks.  But what if there was a system that was designed specifically to mimic social interaction of that nature?  It allows those who enjoy that sort of thing to play along, without actually having to do it themselves.

While you may love OD&D, how many contortions must you perform to get it to work in a modern day setting?  Clips of ammunition, the relative speed of a car vs. a horse, computers, etc.  Can you do it?  Sure, absolutely.  You can figure out how to use those rules to make all of those things work.  Or, you can use a system that is designed with specifically that in mind, and have it all there, no houseruling required.

So my point regarding rules would be, I think, that SYSTEM CAN HELP YOUR PLAYERS DO THEIR THING.  There is no roleplaying game out there that can only be played by one system.  You can always take your own approach and adapt some other system to do it.  You can dig a ditch with a shovel, or you can dig it with your hands.  Either one will get you what you want, but one is going to make it easier to get it done.    In keeping with the theme of this post, you can build a bridge over the Chasm, or you can tie a rope.

Now that we're past that hurdle, it's worth it to mention that some systems make it easier to leap the chasm.  Some systems operate in such broad strokes that the worlds described are instantly recognizable to almost anyone who plays them.  I believe Dungeons and Dragons' initial success was due in no small part to the fact that the setting was generic enough that you didn't need too much background to be able to play.  You say "Fantasy", and just about everybody thinks, "Dwarves, Elves, Magic, Dragons."  There's no need to cross that chasm, because you're already on the same side.  Pull out BECMI and start talking about the trenches of Verdun, and the Chasm widens between you and your players.

I don't really have any grand idea to wrap this all up with, there is no "solution" to the problem.  There's a problem, and different things you can do to address it, but you'll never do away with it completely.  As a GM, you will always care more about your world than your players will.  As a designer, you will always care more about your world than GMs will.  It's the way of the world - the Uncanny Chasm is littered with the scattered remains of tons of great ideas.  While your ideas are more likely than not to end up there, there are things you can do to make it (slightly) less likely.

FtA: Character Creation (Revised)

This is the beta character generation system for From the Ashes.  It currently only applies to Baseline Humans. Rules for Mutations will follow, as will rules for Mutated Animals, but this is the template on which the other processes will be built.  I ran my wife and I through this process last night, and while we didn't select mutations or equipment, it seemed to go pretty well, and move fairly quickly.  I'm planning on running my home group through the process this weekend, hopefully, and we'll see what happens when professional gamers get their hands on it, in particular, our resident min/maxer Kaye (to give you an idea of his skill, he managed to min/max TRAVELER last weekend).  While I'm not naive enough to believe that this is perfect (I have a feeling Kay will show me exactly how to break it), I think it's a fair beginning - it seems a good mixture of random and custom generation - while you may know what type of character you want to play, if the dice don't roll right, that character just isn't in your future.  One thing that did come up last night was the realization that, while I don't want to have a definite, limiting list of Skills, I probably do need to create example Skills for each Stat - my wife asked me what an Acuity-based skill would be, and I came up blank.  Anyhow, feedback is always welcome!
Stats: There are 9 Stats for each character, divided up into three Stat Blocks.  The three Stat Blocks are: Meat, Mind and Heart.
 

• The Meat Stats are representative of your physical capabilities: Strength, Constitution and Dexterity. Strength is a measure of your muscle, Constitution indicates your general health and physical well being, and Dexterity is indicative of your flexibility, agility, hand-eye coordination, etc.
• The Mind Stats are reflective of your mental capacity: Knowledge, Observation and Acuity.  Knowledge reflects your "book smarts" - it is representative of all the facts that you have learned.  Observation is a measure of your awareness of your surroundings, and Acuity reflects your ability to think on your feet.
• Finally, your Heart Stats show how socially adept you are (or aren't).  Geniality, Persuade and Intimidate are your Heart Stats.  Geniality is basically your all purpose First Impression roll, based on a composite of how you carry yourself, your "neutral" expression, etc.  It's how people react to you when you're not trying to make them react to you in a certain way.  Intimidation is your ability to force someone to do what you want, and Persuade is your ability to convince someone to do what you want.  

Step 1: Discover your Baseline.  For each of your Stat Blocks, roll 1d10.  On a roll of 1-3, you have a Sub Par Baseline in that Stat Block.  On a 4-8, you have an Average  Baseline, and on a 9 or 10, you have an Exceptional Baseline.

• Sub Par - Roll 1d10 to determine each score
• Average - All three Stat Scores are 11.
• Exceptional - Roll 1d4+11 to determine each score.

These represent your natural abilities, as determined by genetics.

Step 2: Determine your Concentration and Dilutias.  This represents the direction you have taken in development throughout your life thus far.  If you have had a Meat Concentration, you have focused on honing your physical aptitudes, while if you've had a Heart Dilutia, you have neglected your social skills.

Choose one Stat Block to be your Concentration, and add distribute an additional five points among the Stats.  The other two Stat Blocks are your Dilutia - subtract three points from the Stats within both.

Alternatively, you can choose to be Well Rounded, in which case all of your Stats remain unchanged.  

Step 3: Choose Skills.  There is no list of Skills.  The Player can choose to have had their character develop any Skill they can think of, provided it is consistent with the environment in which they have been raised.  Each Skill, however, must be tied to a particular Stat.  As far as the actual nature of the Skills are concerned, however, anything goes -  from Seduction (Persuade) to Underwater Basket Weaving (Acutiy) can be selected, provided the Player and the GM agree.  

Each Skill has a Ranking of between 1 and 5 Notches, with one Notch indicative of a basic understanding, and 5 Notches reflecting a complete Mastery of the Skill.

Each character is given Skill Points initially, with which to buy Notches.  

• Someone who is Well Rounded receives 15 Skill Points to buy Notches for each of their Stat Blocks.
• Someone with Concentration and Dilutia will receive 25 Skill Points to buy Notches for the Concentrated Stat Block, and 10 Skill Points for each of their Dilutia Stat Blocks
• The more Notches the Player wants in a Skill, the more Skill Points it costs.
• 1 Notch = 1 Skill Point
• 2 Notches = 3 Skill Points
• 3 Notches = 5 Skill Points
• 4 Notches = 7 Skill Points
• 5 Notches = 10 Skill Points
• For every Skill that has 5 Notches, the Stat associated with that Skill should be increased by 1
• Remember that Weapon Training is a Skill.  Any sort of Ranged Weapon training should be tied to the Dexterity Stat, but Melee Weapon training can be tied to either Strength or Dexterity, depending on the manner in which the Character is trained to use it.  

FtA: Genotypes

I've been on the fence regarding different genotypes for From the Ashes.  At first, I went full out, and was talking about mutated animals, mutated plants, the whole nine yards.  Then I swung all the way back around and was thinking only mutated humans, no mutated animals, no mutated plants, nothing.

I think I'm going to settle into somewhere in the middle - there are mutated animals, but no mutated plants.  Further, Mutated Animals are rare, so there will have to be explanations made if the party is comprised entirely of Mutated geckos, or whatever.

The idea is, just as Humans were affected by the miasma of chemicals and nanites that caused such devastation during the Last War, so too were the various animal species, and just as a select few humans have been changed by the experience, a small number of animals have stepped forward as well.

Key to making this work, though, will be enforcing the idea that these are not humans with animal traits, but rather animals with human traits.  Playing a mutated animal should feel different than playing a mutated human.  They should have different goals and ideas on how things should be run, and the direction things should go in as life struggles from the wreckage.

For instance, a mutated cat should be a loner by nature, with a bit of a hedonistic twist.  A little lazy until a target presents itself, at which point it adopts a laser-tight focus, hunting and stalking.

Mutated dogs are loyal to a fault, obeying orders unquestioningly.  Favored as bodyguards, they will never allow harm to come to those they have sworn to protect, so long as they live.

Mutated bovines tend towards labor.  Plodding and slow to anger, they tend to be taken advantage of by the more quick witted.  If they discover that they've been tricked, however, their anger can be terrifying to behold.

Mutated eagles are arrogant.  They see themselves as apex predators in a world full of prey.  They claim a broader, wider vision than "groundlings", as they refer to anything earthbound.

Snake-men are shy and reclusive.  They defend their homes, but otherwise prefer to talk their way out of most trouble.  Back them into a corner, though, and you'll feel their bite.

Further, Mutated Animals, while having certain advantages in terms of stats (Mutated cats are quicker than humans, mutated bovines are stronger, etc), their mutations tend to me more endemic to their nature, as opposed to Mutated humans.  All mutated animals possess the following: intelligence higher than what is normal for their race, speech, and some sort of opposable thumb-type apparatus which allows them to work tools.  They also possess mutations, of the more esoteric sort, but these are fewer, and less powerful than those possessed by the humans.

If a player wants to play a mutated animal, the GM should talk them through the decision, asking questions like, "What traits do you see as typical of this animal?", and "How do you plan to let those traits shine through as you play?"  Remember that From the Ashes is, at its core, about the development of this new world - what would your animal see as the best possible future, the best type of society that could be built?

FtA: The System: Skill Checks and Combat

The last System-based post dealt with the System as it relates to Opposed Rolls and Attribute Checks.  Following up on that, I wanted to run through some scenarios that deal with Skills, and then walk through Combat.

Each player's Skill Level has a Rank between 1 and 5.  When an Attribute Check intersects with a Skill, the Skill Rank is subtracted from the roll.

Marcus is attempting to track a fugitive through the woods.  This is a Wisdom based activity, and Marcus has an 11 in Wisdom.  The fugitive is more interested in getting away than hiding his trail, so the fugitive's Dexterity is used as the opposing roll.  The fugitive is not terribly agile, having a Dexterity of only 6, but he rolls a 2, resulting in a Distance of 4.  Marcus rolls a 9, making his Distance a 2.  Ordinarily, this would result in a Difference of 2 in favor of the fugitive, and a Degree of Minimum Failure for Marcus.  However, Marcus has 3 Ranks in Hunting.  As such his modified roll is a 6, giving him a Distance of 5.  This changes the Difference to 1 in favor of Marcus, and a Degree of Minimum Success for Marcus.  He is able to catch sight of the fugitive at the edge of the treeline.

Skills also allow for the result of a roll to enter into the negative, increasing the likelihood of higher Differences, and thus higher Degrees of Success.

Marcus attempts to take a shortcut to head the fugitive off at the other side of the treeline.  This requires an Intelligence check.  Because Marcus has been focused on the fugitive and not so much on where he is, the GM rules that this will be a more difficult check.  Rather than make this an opposed roll, he decides that there is a Target Number involved.  He sets the Target Number at 12, and rolls a 2, for a Distance of 10.  Marcus is of middling wit, with an Intelligence of 11.  Ordinarily, this would present a problem for Marcus, for even if he rolled a 1, it would result in a tie, forcing him to try again the following round.  However, fortunately for Marcus, he also is skilled in Navigation, possessing 4 Ranks in the Skill.  The fates smile upon him, and he rolls a 2, and then subtracts 4, giving him a modified score of -2, and a Distance of 13.  The Difference is 3 in Marcus' favor, giving him a Degree of Average Success.

Combat works in much the same manner.  Per usual, Strength is used to determine Melee attacks, while Dexterity is used to determine Ranged attacks.

Once the manner of Combat is chosen, the Player rolls an Attribute Check, per usual.  Anyone can attack with any weapon, with no penalty.  However, Players can choose specific weapons, and become Skilled in their use, in which case the rules above apply.  Just as with other Skills, rolls can be modified into the negative.

The recipient of an attack has three choices.  They can Dodge, they can Soak, or they can Parry.

Dodging means exactly that - the player attempts to get out of the way of the attack.  Dodging is a Dexterity based maneuver, and is handled per usual.  Minimum Successes result in half damage, Average Successes result in  no damage, but the loss of the next action, and a Great Success results in no damage, and no loss of action.

Grog, you will recall, has an 18 Strength, and is attacking Marcus with a street sign, a chunk of concrete still attached to its base.  Marcus is quite nimble, however, and has a Dexterity of 15.  Grog rolls a 12, resulting in a Distance of 6.  Marcus rolls a 4, resulting in a Distance of 11 - a Great Success.  Marcus is able to dodge out of the way of Grog's lumbering strike, unscathed.

Soaking means that the player will allow their armor and natural toughness to attempt to mitigate the damage of the attack.  Soaking is a Constitution based defense, but allow the player to modify their roll by their Armor score.  Armor is rated between 1 and 5, with 5 being the equivalent to full body armor.  Minimum Successes result in Half Damage, and the loss of 1 points of Armor Rating.  Average Successes result in no damage, but still the loss of 1 point of Armor Rating.  Great Successes result in no damage, and no loss of Armor Rating.

Marcus strikes back at Grog using a long shank of jagged metal, which he has put 3 Skill Points into.  Unfortunately, he only has a Strength of 9.  He rolls a 4, resulting in a modified roll of 1, giving him a Distance of 8.  Grog steps into the blow, determined not to let Marcus get away.  Grog has a Constitution of 14, and  rolls a 7, giving him a Distance of 7.  However, he has a stop sign hung around his neck, which has an Armor Rating of 2.  His modified roll is a 5, giving him a Distance of 9, resulting in a Difference of 2 - a Minimum Success.  Grog's stop sign is damaged, and now only provides an Armor Rating of 1, and he takes half damage from the attack.

Parrying is a maneuver only available when using melee weapons, and even then, the Player must be Skilled in the use of that weapon in order to use the maneuver.  It is a Strength based maneuver, and any Skill points put into the use of that weapon are applied.  In the event of a Minimum Success, the defender takes half damage, while an Average Success indicates no damage.  A Great Success results in no damage, and the defender is allowed a counterattack, and the victim of that counterattack may only Soak the damage.

Grog gives a yell, enraged by the sight of his own blood, swings the street sign over his head before bringing it down in a crushing attack.  He rolls a 17, resulting in a Distance of 1.  Marcus raises the metal shard above his head in an attempt to divert the blow, and rolls a 4, and with the 3 points he put into the weapon's use, he has a modified roll of 1.  His Strength is a 14, resulting in a Distance of 13, and a Difference of 12 in his favor, a Degree of Great Success.  The pole meets the blade and skitters down its length before crashing to the ground beside Marcus, who is able to use the momentum to swing at Grog's exposed side.  He rolls a 4, applies his 3 Skill points for a Modified roll of 1, and with his Strength of 9, he has a Distance of 8.  Grog rolls a 12, though, and his stop sign's remaining Armor Rating of 1 gives him a Modified Roll of 11, resulting in a Distance of 3 compared to his Constitution of 14.   The end result is a Difference of 5, in Marcus' favor, an Average Success.  Grog's stop sign bears the brunt of the blow, but Marcus still draws blood.  Grog suffers half damage, and the stop sign is now useless as armor.

FtA: The System

Awhile ago, I mentioned that a mechanic I had been playing with as a mini-game within a module seemed to be more robust than I had anticipated, and it might work as a core mechanic for From the Ashes. Having toyed with it for a bit, I figured I'd throw it out there to gauge reactions.

The system has been built around the idea of opposed rolls, but can be adapted to meet what would typically be unopposed checks as well.  It's based on three key ideas - Distance, Difference and Degree.

The process is as follows: each party involved would roll a d20, and compare the result to their appropriate Attribute Score.  The Distance is the number rolled, subtracted from the Attribute Score.  The greater the Distance, the greater the Success, as compared to their own capabilities.  The Difference is the lower Distance subtracted from the higher Distance.  The greater the Difference, the greater the Success, as compared to the opponent's Success.  The Degree is the in-game, non-mechanical measure of that Difference, so a Difference of 1 or 2 results in a minimal Degree of Success, while a Difference of 10 creates an exceptional Degree of Success.


So let's say that Avery, with a Strength of 9, and Grog, with a Strength of 18, are arm wrestling.  Grog the man-mountain rolls a 16, while Avery the noodle armed choirboy rolls a 2.  Grog's Distance is 2, while Avery's is a 7.  Grog's effort is not his best, while Avery puts forth a herculean effort, and manages to defeat his much stronger opponent.  The Difference is five, which is an Average Degree of Success - after some hard work, Avery is able to beat Grog at arm wrestling.

If, however, Grog had rolled a 17, while Avery rolled a 1, Grog's Distance would be 1, while Avery's would be 8, so there would be a greater Difference of 7.  Perhaps Grog's elbow slipped in a puddle of beer, thus creating a more decisive victory for Avery.


If one party rolls above their attribute, they automatically lose, and the the winner's Distance alone is used to determine the Degree of Success.  Without an opponent's Distance to offset their own Distance in determining the Degree, an Exceptional Degree of Success is much more likely.

This time around, Grog rolls a 3, while Avery rolls a 12.  Avery fails his roll, and Grog's Distance of 15 is used to determine the Degree of Success.  With a Degree of 15, poor Avery doesn't stand a chance.  Grog slams Avery's arm to the table with a resounding, "THUNK".  Avery thinks his arm might be broken.

A tie means the challenge is at an impasse, and continues on to the next round, with each player taking a +1 penalty to their roll from the strain of continued challenge.  This puts a greater burden upon whichever has the lower score, as it should be in sustained challenges.

Grog rolls a 16, while Avery rolls a 7.  Both of their Distances are 2, so they roll again, this time with a +1 modifier to their roll.  This time Avery rolls an 8, while Grog rolls another 16.  Including the modifier, Avery did not roll below his score, and so he loses the challenge.

For rolls that would not typically be considered to be opposed, the GM sets a Target Number.  The Player makes their roll, corresponding to the appropriate Attribute, while the GM makes the opposing roll.  The Target Number represents the objective level of challenge of the task, while the die roll factors in the random events that can occur. The easier the task, the lower the Target Number.

While Grog is very strong, no-one has ever accused him of being terribly agile.  Faced with a chasm, he decides to leap across, although his Dexterity is only a 10.  The GM determines that the chasm is not terribly wide, and assigns it a Target Number of 6.  Grog rolls a 7, while the GM rolls a 2.  Grog's Distance is 3, while the GM's Distance is 4, resulting in a Difference of 1, in the GM's favor.  Perhaps a strong gust of wind catches Grog as he jumps, or he does not gauge the distance correctly, but either way, he does not make it across.  A Degree of 1 indicates a Minimal Failure, so perhaps he stumbles as he lands, and loses a turn as he recovers his balance.

I have to look at probabilities and such to develop a table that would standardize the Degrees, for right now I'm winging it a bit, but it seems to me that this could be a workable system.

Curse the Player, Not the Character

****Warning - If you Haven't played Bioshock, this post may contain spoilers which will severely inhibit your enjoyment of the game.  Turn back if this sort of thing concerns you - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED****

I'm a huge fan of Bioshock.  I think it might be my favorite video game, no scratch that, I think it might be my favorite game period.  In general, I don't play first person shooters.  I find them dull and repetitive, and the idea of lining your sights up on a two pixel tall figure to try and kill it before it kills you just doesn't appeal to me.  I heard good things about Bioshock, though.  A horrific first person shooter with philosophical overtones?  Well sign me up!

It did not disappoint.

It was horrific, it played with the ideas of Ayn Rand, it presented you with serious questions of ethics and morality.  Oh yeah, and you blew stuff up.  The thing that sealed the deal for me, though, was THAT PART.  If you've played it, you know what I'm talking about, if you haven't, seriously, this is your last chance to turn back.

Okay.  So when it turned out that you had been doing the bidding of the bad guy, not your character, but YOU YOURSELF.  You, lulled into complacency by video game tropes, not even thinking about what the missions were accomplishing, were mind controlled just as much as your avatar by faceless being with a sunny sounding brogue and a, "Would you kindly..."

Mind.  Blown.

Seriously, I put down the controller, and, all alone in my apartment, said out loud, "Damn.  DAMN."

I can honestly say that is the only time that a game, video or otherwise, has had that kind of impact on me.  So before I continue, hats off to 2K Games.

Now, to the point.  I got to thinking, how to replicate that experience in an RPG?  Specifically with regards to cursed items.  Traditionally, in games that I've played, when somebody gets a cursed item, it usually goes something like, "Bad news, bro.  That sword you picked up has a -1 modifier, and you can't ditch it until you find a priest."

Fair enough, that's accurate, but that's a player's description, and draws a bold line between the player and the character.  Whenever I can, I'd rather blur that line, and force the player into the mindset of the character, so why not mess with the players a bit, rather than just the characters?  Here are a couple that  have come to mind.


Bloodthirsty Weapon

This one is a direct homage to Bioshock - the weapon appears, for all intents and purposes, to be a weapon of speed, allowing the user to strike first in combat.  Who wouldn't want to use that weapon?  It works fine, doing just what it says on the tin, until the  party finds itself in a social setting, when the weapon leaps into the hand of the person who has been wielding it, and it strikes at the nearest noncombatant NPC.  That's when you realize the weapon has been controlling you all along, not vice versa.


Weapon of Misdirection -1

This sword radiates strong magic, and the DM should tell the person wielding that it is a +3 weapon.  Then, simply increase any foe's defense/AC/whatever by 4, without telling the player.  If the player gets frustrated and tries to switch weapons, the DM secretly rolls a Wisdom check/saving throw/whatever.  If it's failed, the character thinks they have switched weapons, while still holding the same cursed weapon.  If they pass the check, they realize the weapon is cursed.

Deck of Many Curses

See who the degenerate gamblers in your group are.  It's a Deck of Many Things, with all the good stuff taken out.  With unlimited draws.

Ring of Inner Truth

Ring of +1 Wisdom, but at the GM's discretion, table talk is actually spoken aloud by the character.

Tent of Paranoia

This tent aids in the healing of the characters, and is big enough for the entire party.  Any who sleep within it double their normal healing.  For the following 24 hours, however, all NPCs appear to be monsters or other demonic creatures.  Any speech will be heard as threatening, and movements observed will promise violence.  The illusion persists until they are dead, at which point their true form is revealed.  Actual monsters and other demonic creatures appear and act as normal.


The point is, you're the GM - nothing says that you have to be a reliable narrator!  It's something gamers tend to take for granted, but it doesn't have to be that way - keep them on their toes and make them question everything!

Devil's Advocate Theater: Skills

Welcome to the first installment of Devil's Advocate Theater, where I argue both sides of an argument, because I'm ornery.

The first item up for debate is Skills.  A fairly divisive topic in the OSR, there are no shortage of folks ready to line up and argue one side or the other in this debate, but how many are there that will argue both for AND against them, eh?

Introducing our two debaters today, we have the Grognard and the Munchkin.

Grognard:  I'm pleased to be here today, and would like to thank From the Ashes, and James MacGeorge in particular, for moderating this debate.

Munchkin: I would like to thank them both as well.  But more powerfully.

Moderator: Well, we're off to a good start - both sides agree.

Grognard: Technically, he doesn't agree with me, since he felt it necessary to emphasize the magnitude of his agreement.

Moderator: Yes, well let's get to the matter at hand - Skills.  Valuable tool or bane of all that is good in life?  Grognard, you won the coin toss, so you get first response.

Grognard:  Bane of all that is good.  Hands down.  Role Playing is meant to be a challenge for the player.  Skills act like cheat codes, allowing you to take shortcuts, and dumbs down the game overall.

Moderator: Well, a very strident answer, direct and to the point.  Munchkin?

Munchkin: We're playing a game called Dungeons and Dragons, where people throw fireballs and call down the might of their gods upon those that anger them.  There are already cheat codes built into the game - they're called spells.

Grognard: Exactly my point - spells were built into the game from the beginning.  To borrow a phrase, "I must not use skills.  Skills are the game killer.  Skills are the little-death that bring feats."  Skills were the first step away from dudes picking up swords and venturing into dungeons and the first step towards the superheroes in chain-mail in 4e.

Moderator:  I'm hearing a presupposition there that 4e is an inherently bad game.  Which  is a different debate from this one.  So leaving that aside, we'll say that 4e is a different game than the original, and move on from there.

Grognard: Okay, consider this.  Skills remove the need for player involvement with the game.  It removes all incentive for the player to actually participate in the game itself.  The game changes from a game of skill to a game whose outcome is determined by the roll of the dice.  Chess becomes craps.  Many of the best traps conceived for D&D involve the player working out the mechanism and disarming it, based on observations, asking the right questions, etc.  With Skills, it just becomes, "Roll a perception check".  You got it?  Great, the trap is disarmed!  Where's the fun in that?   Where's the skill?

Munchkin: Look, if I wanted to be a master trapsmith, I would have gone into a life of crime.  I play these games to relax and have fun.

Grognard: You can have fun and still be involved!  If all you want to do is roll dice, there are board games and dice games out there for you.

Munchkin: Those games don't offer the narrative content that I crave.

Moderator: Sounds like we're veering off track again.  Let's refocus.  Munchkin, why do you believe that Skills are valuable tools?

Munchkin: Because not using them is discriminatory.

Grognard:  Discriminatory?  What???

Munchkin: Yes, discriminatory.  If the most your character is able to do is what you as the player can do, then you have certain class skills that just cannot be played by certain players.  How do you play someone with an Intelligence score of 18 if you yourself aren't all that smart?  How does a slovenly, abrasive jerk play someone with a high Charisma?  Nobody would ever be able to play a Paladin, because all the people who already have Paladin-like attributes are out there doing heroic things in real life, not playing games about them!

Grognard: Well first of all, I take exception to your characterization of gamers.  I'm sure there are some paladins in our ranks.  Secondly, that's just ridiculous.  Attributes are different from skills.  Higher attributes allow you to mitigate shall we say... shortcomings within the player.  They enhance what is already there.  Skills allow you to create, whole cloth, abilities which the player does not possess.

Munchkin: Do you know how to use a sword?

Grognard:  I hardly think that's relevant.

Munchkin: Moderator, will you instruct the Grognard to answer the question?

Moderator: This isn't a trial, Munchkin.

Grognard: I'll answer.  I can swing a sword, which is a step towards using a sword.

Munchkin: Okay then, let's go back to casting a spell.  Isn't casting a spell allowing you to "create, whole cloth, abilities which the player does not possess"?

Grognard: Yes, but again, it's a presupposition of the original game.

Moderator:  We're veering off point, gentlemen....

Grognard:  For the record, by the way, I'm not in favor of ability scores trumping player ability, either.

Munchkin: What???

Grognard: Your character is your avatar within the game.  If you're trying to talk your way past the guard, should you get a Charisma roll when you tell him, "I am Vecna, here to destroy you, stand aside little man!"?

Munchkin: Of course!  Maybe the guard doesn't know what Vecna looks like, and if you have a high enough Charisma, maybe you can sell it really well!

Grognard: What if you're a halfling?

Munchkin: I've met some pretty terrifying halflings....

Grognard: The point is, what you say matters, and skills or attributes shouldn't take the place of role playing and common sense.  If you're spouting nonsense, you shouldn't expect that a number on a piece of paper will mitigate that.

Munchkin: But that's ridiculous!  Your rule only makes sense when applied to social and mental attributes.  Should someone prove they can lift a gate in real life if they want their character to do so in game?

Moderator: Again, we've lost sight of our original topic, but unfortunately we're out of time.  I'd like to thank the reading audience for spending time with us this evening, and remember: if you can't be Good, be Neutral!

FtA: Mutations

Crazy thought time.  I've been building a list of mutations for From the Ashes, basically because that's the way that Gamma World did it, and good for the orlen, good for the badder.

But as I'm thinking about it, the randomness doesn't seem to fit with the deliberate nature and theme of the game.  The idea that I"m trying to portray throughout the game is that everything matters.  So why make one of the core concepts random? 

So my thought is this - rather than a chart of random mutations and descriptions of those mutations, let the players pick their mutations, and work with the GM to determine the power levels associated with them.  Each mutation would have a score, like attributes, and the power of the effect generated by that mutation is based on that score.  So even if you say that you have the power to create nuclear explosions with your mind, if your score for that mutation is low, you can only create tiny nuclear explosions that do 1d8 points of damage.  If you have telepathy with the same score, it only operates within 1d8 feet.

Obviously, I need to work out some of the finer points of this to make it usable, but I think it allows some flexibility to the character creation, as well as investing the players in the creation of their characters.  I may still keep the list of mutations and charts, and use them for the levelling mutations - as the PCs increase in level, their cellular structure breaks down, creating new, random mutations as  they go.  I'll have to make sure there are a good number of worthless, negative mutations mixed in with the good ones for that chart.  Hmmm.

As I typing this, I'm realizing that I'm drifting farther and farther away from Gamma World.  Really, at this point the only core concept remaining is probably the post apocalyptic setting, and the mutations themselves, if not the manner in which they are initiallygenerated.  I dunno, though, the more I get into this, the less that seems to matter to me.  If this game turns out to be less a retroclone of Gamma World and more of a mutation, maybe that's in the spirit of things after all?

FtA: The Cascade

"I can do this!", Abadall grunted, eyes closed, brow furrowed.

"Are you sure?" Sinwise looked doubtful.

Not answering, he reached out with his mind, grasped the boulder that blocked the passageway, and began to lift.  Sweat beaded his bald head, and the veins in his temples began to stand out.  The boulder began to move, slowly but surely.

"I... I think I've got it..."

Suddenly, Abadall's eyes flew open, and the boulder dropped with a thunderous crash.  His mouth opened and closed as he gasped for air, and his hands flew to his throat.  Sinwise stepped forward, saw the gills that had spontaneously formed on Abadall's throat, and stumbled backwards, yelling frantically at the rest of the group to back away.

"He's Cascading!" Sinwise screamed.

Abadall's hand suddenly burst into flame, and his shirt began to flutter and stir, as though something was moving beneath them.  The flesh of his left leg melted like wax, and folded beneath him.  Collapsing to the ground, he began to emit pulses of flame from his hands, growing steadily brighter and hotter.

Sinwise managed to scramble to cover just in time to avoid being roasted alive as Abadall exploded in an eruption of flame and flesh.

Peeking over the edge of a rock, he saw that the boulder had been incinderated in the blast.

"At least he did that right."

The genetic material of the PCs in From the Ashes is extremely volatile,  and generates their mutations.  This genetic instability is also the harbinger of their doom, as it can sometimes unravel with dramatic, and often disastrous, results.

Each level attained increases the instability, and thus the risk of Cascading.  Whenever the character fumbles while utilizing one of their powers, a Cascade check is made.  There is a percentage chance equal to the character's level x5 that they will spontaneously mutate, and slide one level closer towards total genetic breakdown.  Note that this check is performed again each time they fail, making it possible (although unlikely) for a character to slide from Level One all the way to Level Ten as a result of a single fumble.

Workarounds for Demihuman Level Limits

I’m behind on the curve a bit here, I know this was the topic du jour a bit ago, but it was raised by one of my players recently, so it’s been on my mind a bit.  While I understand the reasoning – you’ve got to give players SOME reason to play a Human, it just doesn’t make sense, especially in the context of the long life spans of the demihumans.  How does an elf, that lives for thousands of years, never progress beyond 12^th level clerical abilities?  How do they never get better than a 12^th level fighter?   It just doesn’t make sense.

Now mind you, I’m going to discuss this within the confines of 2e, as that is the game which is presenting me with this problem right now, but I think some of the possibilities could be applied to other games, as well.

The 2e DM’s Guide provides two optional rules, one I like better than the other, and I’ve come up with a third idea.  I’d love to get some feedback before I pitch the ideas at Wednesday’s game.

Option 1: Attribute Based Level Advancement

This gives bonus levels based on the score of the Prime Requisite Attribute.  On a 14 or 15, the demihuman can advance one level beyond the limit.  With a 16 or 17, they can exceed by 2, an 18 gets them 3 levels, and a 19 gets them 4.  For many of the races, a 19 attribute score gets them up to level 19, which is comparable to a human, and there is some attraction there.

Option 2: Slow Advancement Beyond the Limit

When the demihuman hits the limit, they continue to advance, but the requirements to advance beyond the level double.  It allows them to reach the same heights of power as the humans, but it takes much longer to do so.  This almost makes sense, too, in the context of their long lives.

Option 3: Dual-classing Multiclassed Demihumans

When the demihuman reaches the level limit for their chosen class, they can pick another class to advance through.  Their THAC0 and saving throws hit points and such progress at the rate of their current class.  Again, this make sense, when you consider their lifespans.  This is basically 2e’s approach to Dual-Classing for humans.

Any of these are better than 2e’s Multiclassing system, which involves proportional distribution of bonuses, hit points and experience points, and all sorts of nonsense that takes 2 pages to explain.  

Any other ways of doing things?

Distribution of Labor

Last night, as I DM'd my 2e campaign, I decided that I was going to make "passive" hidden doors rolls myself, as opposed to the players.  Elves, for instance, can locate a hidden door on a 1 or a 2 on a d6 just by passing by them.  It just made more sense for me to be doing that, so as not to tip off the players.

This segueued into a conversation about the distribution of labor in RPGs.  The episode of Community ( you know which one) was referenced.  In it, Abed was the DM and he did all the dice rolling.  Players announced their actions, and the he made the rolls to see if they were able to complete this action.

This, to me, is the true Old School.  It removes all of the number crunching, all of the min/maxing from the game, and it becomes all narrative.

But holy crap how much work is that for the GM.  Too much for me, anyways.  In addition, it also makes the players more passive participants in the game, as opposed to being actively involved, as they can be when they're determining the fate of their own character.

I tend to roll for NPCs, unless they're henchmen or hirelings, and let my players roll for themselves and any affiliated characters they travel with.  Honestly it had never occurred to do it any differently, but now I'm curious - what is the distribution of labor at your table?  Does anyone play it Abed's way anymore?  Did they ever?

Enquiring Minds Want To Know

FtA: Preliminary list of human mutations

Originally I was going to make the mutations in From the Ashes be primarily mental, I think I had a vague notion of there being psychic energy leaking from the brains of the PCs, and using that as an explanation for how their actions would have a direct impact on the world.  I still may go that route, but I don't think I'm going to limit the mutations to mental only, but rather use a mixture, in order to NOT BE FAITHFUL TO GAMMA WORLD  IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM.

This is the preliminary list of mutations for humans that I've come up with, more to be added soon, and then it's on to the challenging stuff - plant mutations.

Ambidextrous

Amphibious

Extruding skeleton

Armor

Chameleon

Claws

Suction cups

Enhanced Attribute

Perfect Balance

Enhanced Sense

Hear Radio Waves

Sonar

Sound Imitation

Poison Immunity

Luminescence

Third Eyelid

Spray Musk

Pheromones

Photographic Memory

Regenration

Stinger

Hearty

Venomous

Empathy

Empathic Control

Mental Shield

Lie Detector

Energy Absorption

Energy Bolt

Energy Detection

Energy Shield

Psychometry

Analyze Mutations

Clairvoyance

Danger Sense

Postcognition

Precognition

Cryokinesis

Pyrokinesis

Intangible

Density Increase

Matter Transmutation

Matter Warp

Pain Tolerance

Levitation

Flight

Telekinesis

Mental Blast

Domination

Illusion

Telepathy

Blink

Teleportation

FtA: Leveling mechanics

I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out a way of tying experience to the leveling system in such a way that would provide a logical explanation for the growing levels of radiation in the PCs body, leading up to Level 10, where they expire.  I think I may have found a system that works.

The mutations that exist are as a result of an unstable recessive genetic trait, and each time a power is used, it further destabilizes the genetic makeup of the mutant.  As the mutants' DNA deteriorates, more mutations manifest, until they hit critical mass at Level 10.  My thought is that every time a power is used, a box is checked, and at the end of each session, a roll is made, and the number of checks is subtracted from the roll.  If the roll comes in above a target number, the character advances a level and rolls again on the mutation chart.  This penalty stacks, and gradually the PC becomes weaker and weaker, until they hit Level 10 and expire.

I'm also contemplating figuring a way of making skill usage and high stress situations (like combat) factor in as well.  The goal here is to really drive home the idea that actions matter.  I want the PCs to be thinking about what their characters do, putting those actions in the context of their goals, and making cost/benefit analyses.  How important is this task?  Further, by making combat detrimental to their health even if they win, it should force the PCs to consider all options, viewing violence as a last resort.

I think this should add up to a very different gaming experience, one that keeps the PCs thinking about their actions, rather than looking for things to hit.

FtA: Character Generation, cont'd

I'm settling into the Character Generation system.

There will be four stats, initially.  I may expand, but for right now, there will be Toughness, Agility, Intelligence and Will.  To start, you pick your genotype (Baseline Human, Mutant, Mutated Animal, Mutated Plant).  Each genotype will have associated Starting Stats, which represent the minimum stat levels for that group.

Next, you pick your Path - Sturdy, Quick, Smart or Charismatic.  These represent the way you have lived your life until now, and each modifies your attributes - Smart means you have focused on intellectual pursuits, and gives you a bonus to Intelligence, but a fine to Toughness, for instance.

Then you pick your skills.  Each skill is associated with a certain attribute, and you'll have a number of points with which to buy skill.  You can distribute them as you like, the ranks will be between 1 and 5, and ranks will become more expensive as they progress.  1 rank is 1 point, 2 ranks are 3 points, 3 ranks are 5 points, 4 ranks are 7 points and 5 ranks are 10 points.  Once your skills are distributed, the average of your skills (rounded down), including skills you put no points into, determines the final modifier to your associated attribute.  So if there are 10 skills associated with Toughness, and you have 10 points left, you can put 1 rank into each skill and get a 1 point modifier to your Toughness (10 ranks divided by 10 skills = 1), or you can 5 ranks into one skill, and get no modifier to your attribute (5 ranks divided by 10 skills = .5, rounded down = 0).

Next will be mutations.  Each genotype will have its own set of mutations, and for each there will be two charts - Passive and Active Mutations.  Passive mutations are mutations that just exist - a third arm, for instance.  Active Mutations are those that require you to make a decision to use, and have a chance to succeed.  The number of mutations you have will be determined by a fifth, separate attribute, Abnormality, which is rolled randomly, and determines the number of mutations you have.  For each mutation, you roll percentile dice to see whether it is passive or active, and then roll on the table to determine what it is.  The strength of any Active Mutations is determined by the Mutation Attribute.

Finally, pick equipment and you're done!  There are a few other things that I need to work out, Damage Points, Armor, etc.  These will be derived stats, and based on an Attribute, plus any modifiers granted by skills taken.

The way I'm envisioning it, character creation should not take very long.  I should have a formal writeup within the next week or so, and I'm hoping to test out the system with my guinea pi... er, gaming group in two weeks or so.

FtA: Character Generation

I was thinking about Character Generation, and I think that I'm going to go down a different path than the games I've played have.  With most games, you choose your abilities, and based on those scores you get a series of derived stats.  Then you pick the skills for your character, which in many cases are assigned scores associated with the ability scores.

I'm thinking of going the other way around.  While there is a certain amount of inherent capability with regards to some of our attributes, alot of it comes down to what you do.  You may be naturally intelligent, but if you spend your life focused on physical pursuits, it won't progress beyond that.  If you spend your life eating cheetos and drinking coke then your natural physical strength will be wasted.

So I'm thinking of a point buy system, but buying skill points, which are divided into their related attribute.  I'll establish a baseline score for each genotype, and then either the average or the aggregate of your skill scores will modify your attributes.  Similarly, as you use those skills, they will increase your ability scores.

Just like in real life, the more you lift weights, the stronger you'll be.

This seems like a novel gaming concept to me, but I'm interested to know if there are any other games that have adopted this approach to attributes?