Okay, I've been thinking about my game, Unsung (http://ivanhoeunbound.com/unsung_playtest.html), in light of the recent sacred cows thread (http://www.indie-rpgs.com/viewtopic.php?t=9546) and Ron's newest essay (http://www.indie-rpgs.com/_articles/narr_essay.html).
At one point while playing the game (http://www.indie-rpgs.com/viewtopic.php?t=9329), Mike commented: "Why not just have round-robin Gift giving, and focus on that?"
And, frankly, that's a good question. Perhaps I should concentrate on the core of the game, and get rid of all the other Traits except Responsibility and Instinct.
Should I jettison the Mission system, no matter how cool it is? Does the combat system really need to exist?
And the flip side is I wonder if the Lapse mechanic involves a little too much Force (in the sense of Ron's essay (http://www.indie-rpgs.com/_articles/narr_essay.html)). I'm starting to wonder if I'm not writing a true "Vampire Heartbreaker (http://www.indie-rpgs.com/articles/9/)"? I have to admit that, deep down in my soul, the Lapse and Responsibility mechanics were very much an attempt to do Vampire's Humanity system "right".
In essence, the question is: What sacred cows need shooting in my game? I welcome opinions from people who've played and those who haven't...
Despite my former comments, I think that you may be overanalyzing. Further, if you're going to do changes why not look at altering what you have to better fit instead of just eliminating it all?
Mike
Quote from: Mike HolmesDespite my former comments, I think that you may be overanalyzing. Further, if you're going to do changes why not look at altering what you have to better fit instead of just eliminating it all?
Well, yes, the thing is, it's a matter of player input and editing. I'm pretty satisfied with it as it stands, with perhaps a couple of minor tweaks and a lot more prescriptive text.