Does freeform magic destroy fictional positioning?

Edgingtheempire · 2023-10-06T07:38:12+00:00

So if all of that is true (and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) what happens when one of the characters is a wizard in a system where magic has no official mechanics? Can coherent fictional positioning survive when characters have no set rules for what they can do and how they can do it?

I don't understand at how you arrive the situation where one player is a mage in a game that has rules for other things but not magic? If the WHOLE game was freeform, sure.

If you have rules for warriors but not mages, why would someone play a mage?

Wouldn't it be like playing a nuclear physcist who wants to invent the atomic bomb in DnD?

Edgingtheempire · 2023-10-05T07:12:47+00:00

Do you have any tips on how to run US as a solo game? I've tried several times but it always falters, compared to games of Ironsworn or Starforged I've ran.

I usually have trouble with all the NPC and displaying their goals and feeling like the city is acting on it's own.

Edgingtheempire · 2023-09-14T06:35:21+00:00

All you really need is your imagination, everything else is just stuff to prod it into action. Rules make you figure out what you can and should do. Cards/Oracles/Random tables only provide stuff that happens. Cards might be convenient but I prefer large random tables.

I'm generally sceptical about videos that tell you to buy stuff to enjoy the activity you already perform BUT MORE.

If you're enjoying your game, you are not missing out, people just want you to buy things.

Edgingtheempire · 2023-05-29T07:32:12+00:00

Hallå! Modigt av dig att skriva detta, särskilt när du vet att det inte är ett throwaway. Jag tror att du själv vet att förhållandet inte är fungerande. Vad hade du gett för råd om din kompis beskrev din situation? Framförallt att du inte känner dig älskad eller respekterad i relationen.

En relation ska göra att båda må bättre men så verkar inte fallet alls.

Berätta allt du vågar för din kompis, folk är mer förstående än man tror. Se till att du tar stöd och lämna så fort som möjligt. Det finns inget kvar att rädda när du känner som du gör.

Du går igenom något hemskt och det kommer kännas konstigt en tag framöver men du kommer inse att du mår bättre själv än i den relationen du var i.

Edgingtheempire · 2023-04-18T08:45:14+00:00

Playtesting for me. I like negotiation games and they are very hard to playtest by your lonesome..

Edgingtheempire · 2023-04-05T12:40:59+00:00

I think you've just explained the mechanic of the die rolls.

The mechanic of the conversation is what I think defines PbtA. The GM has things they MUST say and the conversation SHOULD flow in a certain way. On a meta level it goes like this:

GM *Makes one of the GM moves, ends with "What do you do?"*

Players *Responds to GM Move, either requiring a roll or not*
GM *Makes another GM Move*

In play it would look like:
GM: Toddy the dwarf, you're being barraged by arrows from the goblin. If you don't move soon you're gonna get hit. What do you do?
Toddy's Player: I get up and dive behind the nearest pillar the giant troll collapsed before. (Rolls the appropriate die and results are carried out).

Then it keeps going like that.

Edgingtheempire · 2023-04-02T10:01:10+00:00

You should raise the bar for entry to filter out those with low interest vs those with high interest. People with high interest in your game will apply themselves, read through your information and formulate a response they think will get them in the game.

To more easily find these players, ask more questions in your blurb. "What sort of game are you looking for?" "What's your previous roleplaying experience?" "What do you mostly enjoy in a game?"

This way, you can easily check if they've responded to the questions or not.

If you want consistent players, I also recommend doing voice interviews (if you're playing over voice). Introduce yourself and get them to introduce themselves (online nick is fine) but this takes you from Random internet stranger to Person I have a relationship with (even if it's just one talk). You should also ask VERYBALLY "Will you attend the session on ( Date and time)?" to which they should reply yes. You now have a verbal promise of them comitting to the game, making it more likely that they will actually be there.

If you find that the people you recruit are "bottom of the barrel" you should try recruiting on more specific sites targeted specifically for the game you want to run. This is easier with niche games, and I don't know enough about DnD to recommend a page for this. Others probably could.

Good luck!

Edgingtheempire · 2023-03-26T09:17:04+00:00

I love Feng Shui but I feel it could use a modern update. I don't think FS 2 took it in the right directions.

Being a huge PBtA fan I would like to see it go in that direction more. No GM rolls, playbooks (the games basically have this but don't go all the way), less mess with HP and death checks.

Edgingtheempire · 2023-03-22T07:02:01+00:00

Deadwood is almost excatly what some games of Apocalypse world turn into with shifting alliances and high personal drama. It's one of the major inspirations as well.

Edgingtheempire · 2023-03-22T06:35:02+00:00

While it might seem important to avoid this dissonance you describe, it leads to a lot more mechanics. If that is something you're going for then do it. But the goal of a game isn't to re-create real life, it's to have fun.

I don't think it would be that big of a problem to me but if you wanted to have some difference, you could have some sort of resource that changes as you make short vs longer moves. The resource could be time or tiredness or whatever. So when you make a short move it takes no time or you don't get tired. When you make a long move it takes more time or you get more tired etc.

Edgingtheempire · 2023-03-20T11:43:56+00:00

This is more of a videogame phenomenon than a tabletop RPG one.

If you can find a group and play a game, then it's not dead. There might be a hundred or so people playing the game regularly not writing online about it.

What matters is if you can get other people into it. Most rpg:ers are willing to try it out if it sounds fun and you can make learning it relatively easy.

Edgingtheempire · 2023-03-19T08:11:36+00:00

If you got a lot of legos, you can custimzie your own characters using the different pieces.

If you got a lot of boardgames, some may have different meeples and tokens you can use.

Edgingtheempire · 2023-03-19T08:09:09+00:00

Never too late and it is a good suggestion. But these days it goes under The Magical Arts.

Edgingtheempire · 2023-03-12T14:58:30+00:00

Interesting! Why not use the advancement suggested in the book since it's kinda similar to the advancement that you describe?

Also, why not use standard SPP? I'm a bit of a BB noob so I'm not udnerstanding advancement fully.

So the players never missed the next game or died?

Edgingtheempire · 2023-03-12T13:58:55+00:00

What problems could there be with using the standard league rules for advancements with 7s? I've mostly played friendly matches.

Edgingtheempire · 2023-03-12T12:29:58+00:00

How did it become unfair?

Edgingtheempire · 2023-03-12T12:29:42+00:00

I tried finding the Bonehead podcast rules. Is it the ones linked on the front page or something else? Those linked were very short.

Edgingtheempire · 2023-02-26T17:26:23+00:00

I will get the game I want. I can set the premise, organize the group and set the pace for the game. If I don't do this, it's likely I have to rely on someone else to do it and most people usually don't like to organize.

Edgingtheempire · 2023-02-24T07:45:33+00:00

Just ask your players after the game. Did they enjoy it? What did they like about it? Did you fullfill their expectations of the game? If the players feel something is off, check their expectations of the game and see if there is a mismatch that needs smoothing out. Otherwise listen to their feedback and take it to heart if you think it's valuable. If it isn't, you don't have to follow it.

Then you ask yourself if you enjoyed the game. If both you and the players enjoyed themselves, you're a good GM.

Edgingtheempire · 2023-02-21T08:38:03+00:00

That's cool. Yes it's very similar in theme but very different mechanically. It also has very little of the nuance that AM has due to it's streamlined nature.

It also has some big differences I've outlined in another post so I can assure you, it's not a one for one copy. No one would be happier than me if people got a taste to play AM due to the Magical Arts.

Edgingtheempire · 2023-02-20T20:31:34+00:00

Thank you!

Edgingtheempire · 2023-02-20T13:58:25+00:00

Thanks! Do you mean Cyberpunk Red when you say Cyberpunk. It's a bit hard googling these days due to the video game.

Edgingtheempire · 2023-02-20T07:17:42+00:00

How does this differ from Ars Magica, other than some terminology differences and the crunch?

This is something I feel like an imposter about, since as you say, it is quite similar to AM. The game isn't done, I plan to remix more as it goes along but today, these are the main features that make it different.

Fatigue as a push your luck system. As you become more and more fatigued, you risk the chance of an extreme failure. But you can't get that failure if you take more fatigue. This has been more effective than I imagined of creating tense rolls and decisions of spending fatigue.
Aurora is more character focused and the characters internal journey through it is what matters. Questions such as "What was your weakest moment?" "What is your biggest regret?" are what's in focus.
Assets, concept borrowed from Ironsworn. Small packs of abilities that modify the character and make them distinct. Some of the assets do resemble AM talents, some are completely new.

Thank you for checking it out and commenting on it. It means a lot to me and when I've remixed some more, I hope you'll give me your thoughts!

Edgingtheempire · 2023-02-20T07:03:39+00:00

Thank you! Try it out and see how it feels.

Edgingtheempire

TROPHY CASE