my first indie game submission: Mageling

[Doctor Xero]

I'm trying to fashion a game that successfully reflects a setting which is a cross between the Magical Adolescent subgenre and the Supernatural Family subgenre (see my inspirations section 1.3 for more details).  I'm not particularly concerned with being either traditionalist or innovative in terms of mechanics -- I just want to work up a game system which fits this setting.  To this end, I've experimented with some of the avant garde ideas I've encountered in these fora.

Here are a few of my specific concerns:
1) Do the mechanics support the setting?
2) Are there any traits (quantified as interests, motivations, and abilities within this system) which I may have forgotten?
3) How works the vocabulary?  I'm concerned that there is too much of an intermix of the slang of different groups and time periods and academe-speak.
4) How might I improve the enchantment system?

However, any thoughts on what I have written are very much appreciated!

MAGELING

1. Background

1.1 setting

Arkham University: academic jewel of Melnibonee, Connecticut, and eccentric historical site.  It was built in 1913 by Adao Addams Arkham to "stop up" the alleged source of his wife Alisson Liddell Arkham's nightmares.  Apparently it worked, and Arkham University became a center for scholars, scientists, writers . . . and other sorts.

People sometimes notice there's something strange about Arkham University.  It's the little things, like Cthulhu Awareness Week right after Jesus Awareness Week, or the campus Steam Tunnels bricked up with the Seal of Solomon, or the Library with floors the student elevators never access, or the Unicorn ++ computer programming language which can only be used by virgins.

Sure, everyone knows the Silver Moon Pub often forgets to check i.d.s, but only a select few know the bartender/bouncer Louie is a second-degree werewolf.  Everyone knows the 24-7 convenience store is open all night, but only a select few know the curmudgeonly woman working the early morning shift is a journeyman apothecarist.  Everyone knows the E.Z. Christianity Crusade is the most powerful religious group on campus, but only a select few know E.Z. doesn't really stand for Epsilon Zeta but for Evangelical Zombies.

(Of course, for something really frightening, students watch the Arkham Gryphons lose yet another football game.)

1.2 player-characters

You are one of the select few, one of the special, one of those unique entities, part-mortal and part-fair folk, a mageling -- and you hope this'll make you shibby for partying once you get to college!

It sucks that your parents had different ideas in mind when they enrolled you at Arkham University.  Shite, they even make you come home every other weekend and still won't buy you a car!  What good is being numinous if your parents are always trying to make you act like a nerd?  Why can't you tell the mortals what you are?  Freshman year sucks!

Still . . . what your parents never find out you're doing at college can't hurt you . . .

At times, (though you just know your friends would laugh at you if you ever admitted it to them, and you'd never give your parents the satisfaction of telling them this), you're scared.  Sometimes college life hurts, and sometimes life at college is a lot of fun, and being numinous only makes the pains and the joys and the goofy times more intense.

Meanwhile, between the babes, beer, buddies, bling bling, bang, and obtaining a G.P.A. your parents will accept, you find yourself using your gifts to stop invasions of elder gods, help a friend who got hold of some bad drugs survive the night, chase off vampires in the dorms, talk a depressed student out of jumping, disenchant a haunted vending machine, cope with being excluded from the coolest party in the history of the campus (by crashing it!), and road trip to other times and surrealities (by way of your parents' cool enchanted artifacts when they're gone,  such as time travel carpets and teleportal DVD players).

Then there are the cool surrealities to visit!  You mean you haven't been to Imagenaria?  Puppetopia?  Halloween Villa?  The Daimyo of the Dinosaur-Riders?  Klowntown?  The Kingdom of Cogs?  Toon Island?  The Cyber-Sea?  The Double-Infinity Cattle Ranches of Venus?  Places of excitement abound to find cool magical devices to help you survive the social shark pit called school.

1.3 inspirations

1.3a setting inspirations

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" * * * * * * This is the ultimate adolescents - deal - with - the - open - secret - of - constant - supernatural - infestations - since - adults - can't - be - bothered - with - it series!

"Bewitched" * * * * * * A surprisingly subversive comedy series -- rich business mortal and powerful witch are both shown to have equally hollow lives in comparison with Samantha and Darrin, who value each other more than the riches offered by Endora's magic or by Larry Tate's hardnosed business practices (tho' it takes Darrin a while to understand this).

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone * * * * * * An excellent film re-creation of a magical school.

Nine Princes in Amber * * * * * * Zelazny's series of novels captures the darker side of what it might be like to be human gods befriending fragile mortals -- also a template series for reality road tripping!

The X-Men movies * * * * * * Power, responsibility, frustration, and trauma all collide for "hero" and "villain" both.

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe * * * * * * A skilled mix of children's fable and adult whimsy.

"Parker Lewis Can't Lose" and "Square Pegs" * * * * * * Two television series spoofing high school cliques and machinations.

Disney's The Sword in the Stone * * * * * * An amusing example of the supernatural mentor.

1.3b surreality inspirations

Voyage of the Dawn Treader
"Land of the Lost"
Puppetmaster series
ANTZ
Killer Klowns from Outer Space
"Re-Boot!"
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
"Firefly"
Lovecraft's Cthulhu chronicles

2. Character Mechanics

Player-characters are represented primarily by three sets of traits.  Interests represent the hierarchy of college life activities -- drinking, romance, school work, etc.  Motivations represent an individual's hopes and fears and drives.  Abilities represent knowledge, ranging from informal know-how about party life and dressing well to academic learning about history and zoology.  Players usually roll 1d12 against a character's abilities to attempt a game action but augment an ability's effectiveness with a roll of 1d12 against a character's interests and/or a roll of 1d12 against a character's motivations.

There are no routine traits representing physical strength, agility, natural intelligence, developed wisdom, or such.  Characters are assumed to be roughly equivalent unless they have an advantage or problem which represents a trait outside the norm.  For example, the assumed range of intelligence in Mageling is average (the default), gifted, genius, and super-genius (all of which are taken as advantages), with possible lower intelligences taken as problems -- because in most cases, interest and motivation matter more than does a single I.Q. point in battles of intelligence between a 140 IQ guy and a 141 IQ guy!

2.1 interests

babes * * * * * * romance, sex, cruisin', and so on
beer   * * * * * * carousing, partyin', and so on
buddies * * * * * * friendship, popularity, and so on
bling bling * * * * * * ownin' cool stuff, lookin' good, and so on
bang * * * * * * self-actualization, doin' well at stuff one cares about (such as computer game levels), and so on
schoolwork * * * * * * G.P.A. and such

During character construction, the player assigns these six school year interests an individual rating from 3 to 8 however best fits the character.  No interest may have the same number.  Interests may change during the campaign only as a result of specific events or epiphanies within game play and then only with specific permission from the game master.

When an interest is applicable, the player might roll 1d12 against the relevant interest's rating (the game master has final say if there is any question as to the applicability of a specific interest).  Only one interest may be invoked to augment any specific ability roll.

2.2 motivations

desire * * * * * * what the character most wants
dread * * * * * * what the character most fears
disrespect * * * * * * what most makes the character feel belittled
dismissal * * * * * * what the character finds most uncool and really, really stupid
delight * * * * * * what most turns the character on in terms of pleasure and excitement
despair * * * * * * what most depresses the character
devotion * * * * * * what the character is most passionate about and actively supports

During character construction, the player assigns each motivation a description (usually by including a focus) and then assigns a rating from 3 to 8.  A truly conflicted individual might have the same focus or rating for more than one motivation.  Motivations may change during the campaign only as a result of specific events or epiphanies within game play and then only with specific permission from the game master.

When an motivation is applicable, the player might roll 1d12 against the relevant motivation's rating (the game master has final say if there is any question as to the applicability of a specific motivation).  Only one motivation may be invoked to augment any specific ability roll.

2.3 abilities

Each character has 25 routine abilities available, although no character will be skilled at all of them.

Please remember that Mageling is not a game involving a lot of physical combat -- hence, the entirety of unarmed and armed combat is encompassed within one ability.

Each of these abilities is represented by a grade: A+ (13), A (12), A- (11), B+ (10), B (9), B- (8), C+ (7), C (6), C- (5), D+ (4), D (3), D- (2), F (1), and unschooled (0).

Each ability must have a specialization (no character is skilled at all possible aspects of a particular ability).  More than one specialization requires more than one ability grade.  The character takes a -4 penalty to all rolls with his/her ability outside that specialty.  For example, when a player assigns a grade to her/his character's life sciences ability, the player might specify a specialization in botany, zoology, or first aid.

It is assumed that all abilities are at the level of frosh or first year student.

The player gives his/her character one at B+ , three at B , three at B- ,   three at C+ , ten at D.

athletics * * * * * * may involve football, gymnastics, volleyball, swimming, jogging, etc.
fighting * * * * * * this ranges from brawling and wrasslin' to judo to firearms to swordplay to archery to even firing a slingshot
style  * * * * * * what one does to look good
partying * * * * * * including handling alcohol and handling awkward social situations
mischief * * * * * * involves sneakin' around, breakin' in, and generally having the sort of fun which requires dodging campus security
friendliness * * * * * * may involve either networking or genuine amicability
life skills * * * * * * may involve cooking, dumpster divin', simple urban survival skills
trends * * * * * * a.k.a. young adult current events
paperwork * * * * * * surviving the bureaucratic mazeworks
computers * * * * * * may range from programming to computer gaming
art * * * * * * may involve sculpture, oil painting, clothing design, etc.
literature/theatre * * * * * * may involve appreciation or performance/composition
music * * * * * * may involve appreciation or performance/composition
humanities/world culture * * * * * * i.e. how other peoples behave -- may also include philosophy and/or religious studies
world languages * * * * * * i.e. how other peoples communicate
history * * * * * * may be either U.S. history or world history (or both)
social sciences * * * * * * may range from training in psychological counseling to archaeological digs
life sciences * * * * * * may range from zoology to pre-med
earth sciences * * * * * * may involve geology, hydrodynamics, meteorology, etc.
physical sciences * * * * * * may range from chemistry to physics
engineering * * * * * * may range involve electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, aeronautic engineering, etc.
architecture * * * * * * may range from building houses and bridges to carpentry and plumbing
business * * * * * * may involve management, marketing, accountancy, etc.
mass media * * * * * * may involve journalism, behind-the-scenes work, or performance in television, film, radio, newspaper/magazine, or internet
mageling lore * * * * * * including magic relics, faeries, enchantments, etc.

2.4 advantages/problems

Each advantage taken must be balanced out by a problem of equal rating (often combined automatically as a mixed blessing).

Assign a rating from 1 to 3 for each advantage, problem, or mixed blessing.

examples: perceptive, clueless, intelligent, geek, 733+, healthy, muscular, jock, sickly, allergy-prone, skinny, sexy, kyoot, agile, short, tall, brave, trepidations, good family, tragic past, rich family, gay, straight, sexually curious, club membership, adventurous, nosy, neurotic, claustrophobic, nasty kid sister, lifelong tormentor/enemy, mentor, best pal, etc.

2.5 auras

Each mageling begins play with a maximum of two auras.

An aura is an attunement with some form which has an iconic mystical quality to it: faerie type (e.g. gem dwarf, pookah, dragon, ice elf, basilisk, etc.), animal or plant self (e.g. house cat, serpent, preying mantis, mouse, platypus, oak, poison ivy, etc.), fantasy trope (e.g. wizard, ranger, barbarian, beast master, etc.), item spirit (e.g. mannequin, puppet, television set, automobile, etc.), and so forth.  

Auras arise from the mageling's own fascinations and desires and dreams.  They affect the mageling's appearance, so a mageling with a gremlin aura might be a tad short and have a startlingly wide grin, with either hacker interests, a mechanics savvy, or a hatred of modern technology including a joy in seeing it fail.  Similarly, a mageling with a frog aura might have slightly larger eyes than normal, an inordinate degree of patience, a tendency to stand perfectly still, and love of swimming underwater.

Auras are manifestations of a mageling's passions and therefore expand his/her abilities.  Thus, a mageling brilliant at earth sciences and engineering might develop a gnome aura, and a mageling with a barbarian aura might have particular skill at fighting and athletics.

A mageling may invoke his/her aura for magical effects: the gnome mageling might use it to walk through dirt walls while the frog mageling might grab a fleeing figure with a suddenly prehensile and incredibly elongated tongue.

All magelings automatically have the ability to sense magic although their personalities will determine with which sense they do so.  Some magelings might sense through sight (greatest forward depth), scent (greatest degree of accuracy), hearing (widest 360-degree range), a tingling sensation (least distractible), etc.

Some magelings use a minor pet/familiar or item as a focus.

2.6 other basics

Name, Nickname * * * * * * obvious
Gender * * * * * * may include sexuality and/or gender identification as well as anatomical sex
Race * * * * * * a human race!
Age * * * * * * must be no younger than 16 years of age and no older than 19 years of age except with specific game master permission!
Year in College * * * * * * automatically frosh/first year for any beginning player-character
Major * * * * * * be realistic!
Height * * * * * * be realistic!  however, this may be affected by the character's auras as well as by any advantages or problems
Weight * * * * * * be realistic!  however, this may be affected by the character's auras as well as by any advantages or problems
Physique * * * * * * i.e. how does she/he look?  for example, there's a connotative difference between being svelte, skinny, waifish, emaciated, feather-weight, or thin even though these terms all technically denote the same thing
Birth Order * * * * * * middle child syndrome?  eldest?  baby of the family?
Parental Disapproval Rating * * * * * * game master assigned, this trait ranges from 1 to 9 and shifts throughout the life of the campaign -- this rating modifies all rolls involving direct defiance or disputation of parental authority (but not indirect!)
Player's Name * * * * * * obvious
Character Level * * * * * * all beginning characters start at 1st level
Experience Points * * * * * * all beginning characters start with zero experience points
Background/Description * * * * * * what about the character's history, appearance, mannerisms, etc. are relevant to who she/he is when the campaign begins?

3. Game Mechanics

The ruling idea of the game mechanics for Mageling is that a character's personal interests and motivations matter almost as much as her/his abilities when it comes to success in the conflicts of modern university life, even those for a numinous being.  A player must succeed with a roll of 1d12 against the character's ability grade for a minimal success, but this is followed by a roll of 1d12 against any one applicable interest (if any) and a roll of 1d12 against any one applicable motivation (if any).  Thus, it is impossible for a character to have more than minimal success at any effort which holds no interest for her/him and no motivation.

3.1 lucky pennies

Each game session, players will be given lucky pennies with which to alter dice rolls and influence the campaign world somewhat.

3.1a spending lucky pennies

A player may "spend" a lucky penny to turn a die roll of "1" from a minimal success into a spectacular success.  This die roll does not have to be the player's roll.

A player may "spend" a lucky penny to turn a failed die roll into a minimal success.  This die roll does not have to be the player's roll.

A player may "spend" a lucky penny to turn any NPC(non-player character)'s die roll above "1" from a minimal success into a failed roll.  No player may do this to another player's character, even if that character is possessed or operating under a geas.

A player may "spend" a lucky penny to turn a disgruntled NPC into a cooperative one.  This will not change outright enmity, however, and only delays the wrath of irate parents.

A player may toss down a lucky penny and quickly exclaim "No she doesn't!" to veto immediately any one action the game master has just declared an NPC has taken or begun to take.  However, the game master may choose to return the lucky penny, simply stating "Yes, she does" and overruling the veto if the game master deems this is truly necessary.

3.1b earning lucky pennies

Each player is given at the start of the game one lucky penny per character level.

Player-characters may also "earn" lucky pennies as gifts from a character's parents, as rare praise from a professor or employer or other authority figure, or for overcoming certain challenges presented by the game master (e.g. a riddle war).  The game master should also consider giving a single lucky penny to any player who provides the group with that evening's snacks, contributes to the campaign with valuable logs or artworks or such, etc.

A player may "earn" a lucky penny by turning a die roll of "12" from a failed roll into a spectacular failure.  This roll must be the player's own die roll.

3.1c unspent lucky pennies

At the end of each gaming session, all unused lucky pennies are exchanged for experience points at the rate of one experience point per lucky penny.  No, no lucky pennies may be carried over from one gaming session to another.

3.2 general mechanics

Roll ability or less on 1d12 for minimum success.  The character takes a -4 penalty to all rolls with his/her ability outside a specialty.

Roll motivation or less on 1d12 and/or roll interest or less on 1d12 for a success greater than a minimal success.

Consider any applicable bonus/penalty effects of auras, advantages/problems (including mixed blessings), and the character's parental disapproval rating.

Any die roll of "1" automatically achieves a minimal success.  Any die roll of "12" automatically fails.  There are no critical successes nor critical fumbles in this game except when lucky pennies are involved.

3.3 enchantment system

Magelings don't cast spells; magelings enchant.  They don't wield magic because they are magic, and mageling magic is expressed according to the mageling's skills, talents, and personal fascinations.

A mageling enchantment is the result of his/her abilities.  A mageling savvy at life skills might be able to enchant garbage into edibility if cooking is a pursuit (always useful when dining at the campus cafeteria!).  A mageling strong at earth sciences might be able to summon fog if meteorology is her/his emphasis.  A mageling brilliant at history might be able to navigate through time with far greater finesse than provided by his/her parents' time travel carpets.

The game mechanics for mageling enchantments handle control and potency separately.

To determine the control over the effects of an enchantment, roll the relevant ability or less on 1d12.  Any of those rolls might be modified by the mageling character's auras as well as by other modifiers.  A failed roll means the mageling has been unable to enchant.

To determine the potency of an enchantment, roll an applicable motivation (if any) or less on 1d12 and/or roll an applicable interest (if any) or less on 1d12.

Thus, no mageling can manage an enchantment of any force for which she/he has no interest nor motivation!

No successful potency rolls will result in a weak enchantment -- on the level of turning garbage into bad food.  One successful potency roll will result in a middlin' enchantment -- on the level of turning garbage into decent food.  Two successful potency rolls will result in a strong enchantment -- on the level of turning garbage into delicacies or a feast.  No level of potency rolls will enable the world-shaking magicks found in many fantasy roleplaying games; Mageling is a game of subtle enchantments not magical superpowers.  Even a simple low-powered lightning bolt would require two successful potency rolls in addition to the successful ability roll.

Any die roll of "1" automatically achieves a minimal success.  Any die roll of "12" automatically fails.  There are no critical successes nor critical fumbles in this game except when lucky pennies are involved.

3.4 combat system

Hand-2-hand and weaponry combat work off the Fighting ability as per the regular game system mechanics.  Magical combat works according to the Enchantment System and does not involve the Fighting ability.

Damage is roleplayed, not quantified with a diminishing pool of numbers.  Only the game master will know a character's condition -- a player must discern her/his character's health through game master description.

Magelings use the Life Sciences ability for all healing enchantments, although healing wands and rings and such are always more efficient.  To heal an illness or serious injury usually requires a road trip to a surreality from which to obtain the proper healing herbs and/or items.

3.5 experience points & levels

Experience points are determined by degree of roleplaying, success at meeting gameworld challenges, and difficulty of those challenges, most often rewarded by lucky pennies.

One experience point for simply showing up.
One experience point for roleplaying.
One experience point for roleplaying well.
One experience point per unspent lucky penny.
Loss of one to five experience points for disrupting the game with squabbles, poor roleplay, etc.
(It is recommended that any player who consistently earns experience point losses should no longer be invited to the game.)

An average game results in 3 experience points.

0 to 30 experience points  . . . . . . frosh /first level
31 to 65 experience points . . . . . . sophomore /second level
66 to 100 experience points  . . . . . junior /third level
101 to 135 experience points . . . . . senior /fourth level
136 to 170 experience points . . . . . grad student /fifth level

Once the character reaches a new level, the player may choose a new aura and raise seven of the character's abilities by one grade level (e.g. an A may become an A+, an unschooled may become an F, etc.) -- the player may apply this improvement multiple times to the same ability.  It usually takes a number of games before an increase in character level occurs.

4. Game Mastering / Campaign Advice

4.1 thoughts on ambience

Mageling is my effort to play with a few themes and motifs.

The primary theme is the theme of transition -- the rite of passage from dependent child to self-responsible adult.  Part of that transition involves achieving the balance between imagination and real world practicality, in this game represented through the motif of enchantment.  Pure practicality can be seen in the realistic incidents (such as drug use and campus violence), pure imagination can be seen in the visits to the surrealities, and the balance can be seen through enchantment: the application of the gifts of the surrealities to the real world lives of the characters and the merging of the real world and magic.

The magical motif also provides a viable game excuse for adventuring almost anywhere.  Through magical road trips and quests into the various surrealities, the game master can take player-characters into any setting she/he wants -- a land of living cartoon characters, a world in which 1960s Carnaby street secret agents still battle with free love and cold war uber-technology, a classic genre fantasy pseudo-medieval realm, a place based off any anime' series enjoyed by players and/or game master, etc.  This magical motif provides a mechanism to incorporate any commercially sold or freeware roleplaying game setting that interests the game master and/or players!

Mageling begins during the first year at university because that is a time of transition.  College is a time for a person to reconcile and balance youthful idealism and creative imagination with adult responsibility and seriousness.  A person who overdoes growing up and discards all aspects of childhood will become a gray little cubicle dweller (if passive) or a joyless greedhead (if active); a person who overemphasizes his/her inner child and fails to grow up will become a slacker (if passive) or an impractical "lost child" with wonderful ideals that he/she will never figure out how to implement (if active).  Mageling focuses on the frustrations, failures, and successes of that time of transition.

Freshman year at university: a person's first time away from parental nagging, first time away from parental rescue.  A time when one is trying to segue into thinking of adults as future peers instead of as unavoidable authority forces.  A time when one is an adult when it comes to signing away one's economic future to a credit card company contract yet a kid when one's parents want to send a person to one's room for annoying them when one stays with them (or else risk losing their financial support).  And a time when one's parents are driving one insane with their bouts of "empty nest syndrome".

There are other times of transition -- the rising sexual awareness of the mid-teens, transitions for those who leave high school for the workaday world instead of college, the so-called mid-life crisis, etc.  Right now, Mageling focuses on the first year at university.

4.2 examples of challenges and plots

. . . a bloodthirsty spectre is drawn to the campus by a depressed, lonely foreign student (from another country or another U.S. region)
. . . were-cats are slowly turning a friend into a were-cat (often solved through items gathered in one of the surrealities)
. . . a professor's favoritism threatens to flunk out a fellow student
. . . lovelife crash-'n'-burn! (often solved through items gathered in one of the surrealities)
. . . an E.Z. Christianity Crusade rally gets volatile
. . . a powerful squirrel spirit leads the campus squirrels into first cold war espionage and then a campus-wide uprising
. . . a financial aid patron is threatened with bankruptcy, endangering the many scholarships dependent upon this patron (often solved through items gathered in one of the surrealities)
. . . an angel-aura mageling who has lost his invisible-to-mortal-eyes wings climbs the clock tower to jump to his death -- and the player-characters are the only ones who might be able to stop him
. . . the player-characters are caught in the middle of a covert war between an inhumanly, ruthlessly Good fraternity and an inhumanly, ruthlessly Evil fraternity, neither of which care about the mortal bystanders caught in their cosmic war
. . . The Blue Fairy Godmother is visiting Arkham U., her alma mater, and one or more player-characters are her favorite targets for meddling
. . . a dorm friend is in a coma due to a drug overdose (often solved through items gathered in one of the surrealities)
. . . the salad bar of a favorite off-campus restaurant is haunted by three-inch tall lettuce imps -- all wielding magic swords!
. . . surreality road trip!  surreality road trip!  surreality road trip!

4.3 impromptu surrealities (for the brave game master

Players through their characters decide during a game session that they want to visit a specific type of surreality (an undersea kingdom of intelligent fish wizards, a space cowboy spaceport, whatever) or want to visit a surreality for a very specific purpose (finding a healing potion which heals broken legs, learning a pond dwarf's true name to defeat her refusal to allow the local Medieval Faire to take place in the campus park, just indulging Spring Break fever, whatever).

The game master must ad lib that entire surreality on the spot.

Each player may add a complication to the game master's performance at the cost of a luck penny.

This optional gaming activity works well only in groups in which storytelling competitions are part of the fun for everyone.  In such cases, another player might end up game mastering that particular session if the regular game master and players all agree.

[timfire]

Hmm, I can't read. When I first read Mageling, I read it Ma-gel-ing (rhymes with Bagel-ing) not Mage-ling.

Sorry about that drift. I think your basic idea sounds good. I like the college/ school theme.

At first glance I think you need to expand the enchantment rules alot. I assume that the enchanting will end up being a big deal in the game, so the (unimaginative) player will need to understand how it works. I can understand what you're trying to get at, but what you have written doesn't really say what you can and can't do.

The auras manifesting themselves through a character's physical appearance is a great idea, but obviously you will need some sort of list or guidelines on how they do it.

Lastly, you state that there won't be much physical combat, but what about magical conflict? There seems to be potential for a clashes of magical influences.

I guess I should also state the obvious question: Do you intent this for Nar or Sim play? It seems at first glance to be better suited for Sim play.

[Loki]

DrX, this is very cool and lengthy, so I need some time to digest before I can offer real feedback. Meanwhile, a minor suggestion to keep with the aliteration:

babes * * * * * * romance, sex, cruisin', and so on
beer * * * * * * carousing, partyin', and so on
buddies * * * * * * friendship, popularity, and so on
bling bling * * * * * * ownin' cool stuff, lookin' good, and so on
bang * * * * * * self-actualization, doin' well at stuff one cares about (such as computer game levels), and so on
books * * * * * * G.P.A. and such

(Emphasis mine)

It may not be slangy enough. YMMV.

[Doctor Xero]

Hmm, I can't read. When I first read Mageling, I read it Ma-gel-ing (rhymes with Bagel-ing) not Mage-ling.

Dag, Timfire, I'm not certain I'll ever be able to get that sound image out of my mind! <smile>

At first glance I think you need to expand the enchantment rules a lot. I assume that the enchanting will end up being a big deal in the game, so the (unimaginative) player will need to understand how it works.

Lastly, you state that there won't be much physical combat, but what about magical conflict? There seems to be potential for a clashes of magical influences.

I'll work on making the enchantment rules clearer while I give others time to post critiques/commentaries/considerations.

The notion for which I'm striving is that an enchantment results from a negotiation/dialogue between a mageling (or other supernatural entity) and the default reality, sort of like the negotiation/dialogue between an oils artist and the canvas or a writer and the page.  This fits with the "Bewitched" idea that every enchantment is specific to the individual and specific to the situation rather than an enchanter's using the same set magical formula each and every time.

I prefer more character-play than player-play in my games (to the point that I prefer gamers who will forgo tactics which they know their characters would never have come up on their own), so I envision this negotiation/dialogue taking place between character (as acted out by the player) and reality (as acted out by the game master) and not between meta-gaming player and meta-gaming game master.

I'll have to ponder how make this degree of improvisation more accessible to the more unimaginative/overworked players and game master.

I hadn't considered actual enchantment-versus-enchantment conflicts.  Off the top of my head, I imagine this would involve Level + Motivation/Interest die rolls versus Level + Motivation/Interest die rolls.  In the "Bewitched" television series and the Harry Potter movies, we see no real evidence of defensive magicks or opposed spellcasting, more of a supernatural detente, but I don't think would translate well into an RPG setting  . . . hmmmm, maybe it would . . .

DrX, this is very cool and lengthy, so I need some time to digest before I can offer real feedback. Meanwhile, a minor suggestion to keep with the aliteration:

babes * * * * * * romance, sex, cruisin', and so on
beer * * * * * * carousing, partyin', and so on
buddies * * * * * * friendship, popularity, and so on
bling bling * * * * * * ownin' cool stuff, lookin' good, and so on
bang * * * * * * self-actualization, doin' well at stuff one cares about (such as computer game levels), and so on
books * * * * * * G.P.A. and such

(Emphasis mine)
It may not be slangy enough. YMMV.

Loki, thanks for the suggestion.  To be honest, I had originally had books as the final Interest trait, but then I thought having the name for college work violate the alliteration would replicate the way many frosh think of college work only tangentially compared with all their other priorities in college life.  What do you think?  Or might there be an even more dismissive non-alliterative term for college work than "school work"?

Doctor Xero

[Loki]

DrX, this is very cool and lengthy, so I need some time to digest before I can offer real feedback. Meanwhile, a minor suggestion to keep with the aliteration:

babes * * * * * * romance, sex, cruisin', and so on
beer * * * * * * carousing, partyin', and so on
buddies * * * * * * friendship, popularity, and so on
bling bling * * * * * * ownin' cool stuff, lookin' good, and so on
bang * * * * * * self-actualization, doin' well at stuff one cares about (such as computer game levels), and so on
books * * * * * * G.P.A. and such

(Emphasis mine)
It may not be slangy enough. YMMV.

Loki, thanks for the suggestion.  To be honest, I had originally had books as the final Interest trait, but then I thought having the name for college work violate the alliteration would replicate the way many frosh think of college work only tangentially compared with all their other priorities in college life.  What do you think?  Or might there be an even more dismissive non-alliterative term for college work than "school work"?

Aha, that subtlety was lost on me. Could be if I'd been reading more carefully I'd have caught it.

As for an even more dismissive term the only one that popped into my head is alliterative: bulls**t. ;^)

[Doctor Xero]

For your perusal and comments:

3.3 enchantment and aura system

Magelings don't cast spells; magelings enchant.  They don't wield magic because they are magic, and mageling magic is expressed according to the mageling's skills, talents, and personal fascinations.

A mageling enchantment is the result of his/her abilities.  A mageling savvy at life skills might be able to enchant garbage into edibility if cooking is a pursuit (always useful when dining at the campus cafeteria!).  A mageling strong at earth sciences might be able to summon fog if meteorology is her/his emphasis.  A mageling brilliant at history might be able to navigate through time with far greater finesse than provided by his/her parents' time travel carpets.

3.3a enchantment procedure

Enchantment involves the following procedure:

First, determine the desired effect.  Is the mageling summoning or manifesting something?  Is the mageling trying to change something into something else?  Is the mageling trying to transform herself or himself?  Or is the mageling attempting to bypass limitations of time, space, matter or material concerns?

Next, determine which ability and specialization most fits the desired effect.  For example, if the mageling is attempting to unlock a locked door, this would obviously involve the mischief ability.  If the mageling is attempting to scale a wall, this would probably involve the athletics ability.  If the mageling is attempting to charm another person, this would involve either the style ability or the friendliness ability depending upon the type of charm.

Sometimes the relevant ability is more easily determined by the target of the enchantment as well as the effect.  For example, if a mageling is attempting the gift of tongues, this would involve the world languages ability.  Time travel is hard to initiate without a device, but controlling it involves the history ability.

Sometimes specialization is very important: if the mageling is attempting to heal a living creature, this would involve the life sciences ability, but whether the specialization is zoology or botany makes a difference when the mageling is trying to enchant a plant.  The complexity of character background and the situation requires that the game master, as Keeper of the Campaign Realities, make the call whether or not the specialization affects an attempted enchantment.

After this, roll off this ability to control the numinous power of the mageling enough to begin to enchant.  After that, roll to determine how powerful the enchantment is.

The game mechanics for mageling enchantments handle control and potency separately.

To determine the control over the effects of an enchantment, roll the relevant ability or less on 1d12.  Any of those rolls might be modified by the mageling character's auras as well as by other modifiers.  A failed roll means the mageling has been unable to enchant.

To determine the potency of an enchantment, roll an applicable motivation (if any) or less on 1d12 and/or roll an applicable interest (if any) or less on 1d12.

Thus, no mageling can manage an enchantment of any force for which she/he has no interest nor motivation!

No successful potency rolls will result in a weak enchantment -- on the level of turning garbage into bad food.  One successful potency roll will result in a middlin' enchantment -- on the level of turning garbage into decent food.  Two successful potency rolls will result in a strong enchantment -- on the level of turning garbage into delicacies or a feast.  No level of potency rolls will enable the world-shaking magicks found in many fantasy roleplaying games; Mageling is a game of subtle enchantments not magical superpowers.  Even a simple low-powered lightning bolt would require two successful potency rolls in addition to the successful ability roll.

A mageling can increase the likelihood of success by an impromptu chant (usually in doggerell form), an impromptu drawing, the use of something linked to the target or similar to the effect, etc., with a bonus of 1 to 3 on all three rolls as determined by player vote (with game master breaking all ties).  However, any such method can be used only once.  Repetition dulls the creativity which is the lifeblood of magelings and actually hinders the ability to enchant.

Any die roll of "1" automatically achieves a minimal success.  Any die roll of "12" automatically fails.  There are no critical successes nor critical fumbles in this game except when lucky pennies are involved.

Every time a mageling enchants, that mageling will need time to recover.  If the player had rolled one successful potency roll, the mageling will need to take at least two actions of time before enchanting again.  If the player had rolled two successful potency rolls, the mageling will need a minimum of three.  The amount of time needed to recover triples if the enchantment involved creating energy or matter out of nothingness.

A mageling who pushes past that time limit has a chance for an enchantment mishap.  Roll current level or less on 1d12 to avoid a mishap.  This means that some adults may get away with rapid-fire enchantments, maybe, but a frosh has an 11 out of 12 chance of mishap.

3.3b aura manifestation procedure

It is always easier to manifest a one-time-only numinous effect from a mageling?s aura as this does not require any enchantment rolls to manifest.

To invoke a mageling's aura, the player simply describes to the game master the intended effect and her/his justification for this effect.  As the Keeper of the Campaign Realities, the game master has the right to veto the effect.

An aura will almost always manifest as either a physical ability or as a short-range or touch-only energy or material magical effect.  In other words, a mageling can usually replicate the physical abilities of an animal or plant aura, such as a cat's pounce or an oak's immovability, even to the point of a mageling with a spider aura extruding a stream of webbing.  The same is true for a mageling with an item aura or a faerie type aura, such as headlight beams from the eyes of a mageling with an automobile aura or frost breath for an ice elf aura mageling.

Every time a mageling manifests her or his aura, that mageling will need time to recover before she or he can invoke that particular manifestation again.  If the aura manifestation had been purely personal and physicall, the mageling will need to take at least three actions of time before invoking his or her aura in that way again.  If the aura manifestation had involved creating something out of nothing, the mageling will need a minimum of six.

No mageling of any age can push past that time limit.

Doctor Xero

[Minx]

. . . a powerful squirrel spirit leads the campus squirrels into first cold war espionage and then a campus-wide uprising

First: You´re GOD!!!

Second: Your game sounds great, I really would like to play it, but I´ll never get the players to do so. It´s really, really sad. *cry*

M

[Spooky Fanboy]

I like how the potency of the enchantments works off of the motivations of the characters. In a TROS way, it makes it easier for the GM to make scenarios centered around the character.

I like this game, as it stands. I'm curious though; how do you envision a play session going? How does the experience system work? Do motivations play a part in character experience?

[Doctor Xero]

I guess I should also state the obvious question: Do you intent this for Nar or Sim play? It seems at first glance to be better suited for Sim play.

How does the experience system work? Do motivations play a part in character experience?

Now that I've gotten more of a hang of the vocabulary of The Forge :

I want players to be Actors not Authors (but Actors with creative input).  The enchantment system may seem to have a bit of an Author element to it, but that seeming Author input is always framed within character conception.

I want roleplay immersion most of the time, and anything in this game system or my campaign game mastering which interferes with that immersion whether G or N or S is to be eliminated.  That said, I'm not looking for total immersion -- players need time just to be players with each other and not always their characters.

I want players to focus more on having fun than on earning experience points, which is why baseline experiences points come just from showing up and helping other players to enjoy the gaming experience.  Motivations exist only to help players better roleplay their characters (admittedly, with a game mechanic that enforces it, sigh) and, more importantly, to give me an idea of what sort of scenarios to present to them!

I like the control that Lucky Pennies give to the players, particularly since their use must be framed within character conception, but I worry that they might disrupt the immersion feel I want.

I want GM-cooperative not GM-competitive gaming because I think that more easily promotes immersion.  I want players to cooperate with each overall because, to be candid, the players for whom I have designed this game lose their immersion the moment they become competitive.  However, I don't want to squash friendly rivalry as long as both players enjoy it.  This is the one point where meta-gaming concerns overrule immersion for me.  So I want players to build characters who are innately designed such that cooperation or friendly rivalry are already intrinsic to their character conceptions.

I want to be able to run games in which the characters face ethical questions with no clearcut answer (Narrativist approach) and which the players face but only through immersion in their characters.

I want to be able to run games in which the guiding framework begins with a bit of a genre fiend fidelity to my inspirations (Simulationist approach) and therefore results in characters with a similar fidelity build into the character conception but after which both characters and campaign may mutate in interaction with players and their characters into something which may end up being very different from my original inspirations.  If the campaign mutates to the point of competitive character play but without bothering any of the players, I am willing to game master that sort of campaign as well, because then the competitive element has evolved as part of player interaction with the gaming group's social contract.

I want to be able to run games in which the characters may be tactically savvy and cunning with the information they have or the magical rhymes and connections they utilize in their enchantments (Gamist approach in terms of outwitting the setting) but always framed within the character conception so that it never interferes with immersion.  I want to encourage player tactical creativity (Gamism) within enchantments and parleying with/networking with NPCs not with physical combat, which is why all unarmed and armed combat involves a single boring ability.

Does that help?  Have I fulfilled those goals in general?

Doctor Xero

[Doctor Xero]

I've revised the game mastering section to make clear the themes of Mageling.  The game is not intended to cover Changeling's dreams versus banality ground at all!



4. Game Mastering / Campaign Advice

4.1 thoughts on ambience

Mageling is my effort to play with a few themes and motifs.

The primary theme is the theme of choices -- intensified in the university life rite of passage from dependent child to self-responsible adult.

Mageling is not about magic versus mundanity nor about the numinous versus mortals.  Mageling is about priorities and passions.  And about the costs and joys of those priorities and passions as their consequences are metaphorically manifested through enchantment.  For example, a mageling who prizes friends highly (a high buddies rating) will do well in enchantments involving rescuing friends but may do poorly in enchantments involving lovers (babes) or even her own creative efforts (bang).  Similarly, a mageling who has a high interest in bling bling may not be as good at enchantments curing hangovers or drug overdoes (beer) but he is exactly the mageling one would want for enchantments repairing dented car fenders and turning rags into nice clothes for the campus clothing drive.

Mageling is a game for exploring through character conception priorities and passions and consequences, not for propagandizing a singular correct list of priorities, so game challenges should involve varyingly the six interests.  

babes -- challenges involving romance, avoiding pregnancy, avoiding venereal diseases, say "no", finding a virgin in this day and age

beer -- challenges involving magical potions, curing hangovers, curing drug overdoses, saying "no", coping well with chemically altered states of consciousness

buddies -- challenges involving helping out friends, enchantments designed to prove one's worth to an alliance

bling bling -- challenges involving repairing broken items, improving mechanical performance, upgrading clothes, recognizing counterfeit magical devices

bang -- challenges involving succeeding at one's passions/obsessions

schoolwork -- challenges involving knowledge, lore, learning, research and all information-gathering enchantments

The magical motif also provides a viable game excuse for adventuring almost anywhere.  Through magical road trips and quests into the various surrealities, the game master can take player-characters into any setting she/he wants -- a land of living cartoon characters, a world in which 1960s Carnaby street secret agents still battle with free love and cold war uber-technology, a classic genre fantasy pseudo-medieval realm, a place based off any anime' series enjoyed by players and/or game master, etc.  This magical motif provides a mechanism to incorporate any commercially sold or freeware roleplaying game setting that interests the game master and/or players!

Mageling begins during the first year at university because that is a time of challenges.  College is a time for a person to reconcile and balance youthful idealism and creative imagination with adult responsibility and seriousness.  A person who overdoes growing up and discards all aspects of childhood will become a gray little cubicle dweller (if passive) or a joyless greedhead (if active); a person who overemphasizes his/her inner child and fails to grow up will become a slacker (if passive) or an impractical "lost child" with wonderful ideals that he/she will never figure out how to implement (if active).  Mageling focuses on the frustrations, failures, and successes of that time of transition.

Freshman year at university: a person's first time away from parental nagging, first time away from parental rescue.  A time when one is an adult when it comes to signing away one's economic future to a credit card company contract yet a kid when one's parents want to send a person to one's room for annoying them when one stays with them (or else risk losing their financial support).  And a time when one's parents are driving one insane with their bouts of "empty nest syndrome".

4.2 examples of challenges and plots

. . . a bloodthirsty spectre is drawn to the campus by a depressed, lonely foreign student (from another country or another U.S. region)
. . . were-cats are slowly turning a friend into a were-cat (often solved through items gathered in one of the surrealities)
. . . a professor's favoritism threatens to flunk out a fellow student
. . . lovelife crash-'n'-burn! (often solved through items gathered in one of the surrealities)
. . . an E.Z. Christianity Crusade rally gets volatile
. . . a powerful squirrel spirit leads the campus squirrels into first cold war espionage and then a campus-wide uprising
. . . a financial aid patron is threatened with bankruptcy, endangering the many scholarships dependent upon this patron (often solved through items gathered in one of the surrealities)
. . . an angel-aura mageling who has lost his invisible-to-mortal-eyes wings climbs the clock tower to jump to his death -- and the player-characters are the only ones who might be able to stop him
. . . the player-characters are caught in the middle of a covert war between an inhumanly, ruthlessly Good fraternity and an inhumanly, ruthlessly Evil fraternity, neither of which care about the mortal bystanders caught in their cosmic war
. . . The Blue Fairy Godmother is visiting Arkham U., her alma mater, and one or more player-characters are her favorite targets for meddling
. . . a dorm friend is in a coma due to a drug overdose (often solved through items gathered in one of the surrealities)
. . . the salad bar of a favorite off-campus restaurant is haunted by three-inch tall lettuce imps -- all wielding magic swords!
. . . surreality road trip!  surreality road trip!  surreality road trip!

4.3 impromptu surrealities (for the brave game master)

Players through their characters decide during a game session that they want to visit a specific type of surreality (an undersea kingdom of intelligent fish wizards, a space cowboy spaceport, whatever) or want to visit a surreality for a very specific purpose (finding a healing potion which heals broken legs, learning a pond dwarf's true name to defeat her refusal to allow the local Medieval Faire to take place in the campus park, just indulging Spring Break fever, whatever).

The game master must ad lib that entire surreality on the spot.

Each player may add a complication to the game master's performance at the cost of a luck penny.

This optional gaming activity works well only in groups in which storytelling competitions are part of the fun for everyone.  In such cases, another player might end up game mastering that particular session if the regular game master and players all agree.

[Doctor Xero]

EDIT: my computer has been hiccoughing a lot lately . . .

[Mark Causey]

If this has been mentioned elsewhere already, I apologize for the redundancy.

You may want to check out the GURPS supplement I.O.U., Illuminati University (no one knows what the O stands for ...) which has almost the exact same Premise.

Hope this helps!

Faithfully Yours,

Aman the Rejected