Do we need Ding in our RPGs? Part I
Since the early days, we’ve had character advancement in our role-playing games. The classic example goes something like this: The players stumble upon an encampment of some sort of designated monster race – say, goblins – and then the players proceed to attempt to slaughter them. After a dramatic combat, when the players emerge “victorious”, each killed goblin nets the players a certain amount of “XP” or “experience points”, as does any collected treasure. And the players are hungry for as much XP as...
commentScott Pilgrim, or Dare to Fail
[Multiple spoilers may follow. Just sayin’.] Recently I watched Scott Pilgrim vs. the World for the second time and roundabout the same time I had a friend telling me how very much he didn’t like the movie. But as I was watching it I was mesmerized by the approach to storytelling the movie took. It may well be, at least in this writer’s opinion, the most authentic translation of a comic book/video game to film – certainly the most ambitious. It was a unique and fascinating experience. And yet, for all its...
commentPaving the way versus “earning” it
I was working on a facet of the Dream Factory 2.0 improved Boon system, talking it over with some of my friends and playtesters, when the subject naturally turned to how the acquisition of a new Boon, such as increased wealth, a new magical artifact, or a powerful ally, is justified. And quickly I was presented with one of gaming’s most common conflations – paving the way for a story event or change versus earning it. There are quite a few gamers out there (you know who you are, grin) that are all about the pursuit of...
commentTo sim or not to sim…
I touched on this a little in the previous post, but I wanted to go a little more in depth. Now I could write a whole essay, a whole series of essays, about this. But blog posts are supposed to be easily digestible in a limited period of time, right? So I should probably just hit the high points for now. My thought is this: if a game (a roleplaying game, of course, that’s what we are talking about) tries to be realistic via its ruleset then it’s trying to Sim – that is, it’s trying to simulate what would...
commentAnd so it begins… again…
There is a hole in your mind… What do you want?… No one here is exactly what he appears…. Nothing’s the same anymore…. Commander Sinclair is being reassigned…. Why don’t you eliminate the entire Narn homeworld while you’re at it?… I see a great hand reaching out of the stars…. Who are you?… President Clark has signed a decree today declaring martial law…. These orders have forced us to declare independence…. ...
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