Call to Adventure (Power 19)

[WorkingMan]

1.) What is your game about?
Call to Adventure is about finding Truth in a world of illusion. Once discovered, Truth is the mechanism by which change and transfiguration may be applied not only to the Heroes of the Story, but to the world at large. It explores the concept of the Hero's Journey and the Monomyth as put forth by Joseph Campbell.

2.) What do the characters do?
Characters leave the world of the Mundane to adventure in the world of the Heroic by following their Beliefs and the Path of the Hero through the Heroic Cycle in search of Truth. They will Tempt Fate to fulfill their Destiny while trying to avoid Hubris.

3.) What do the players (including the GM if there is one) do?
Players act out the role of their Character while taking turns narrating Scenes within the Heroic Cycle and presenting Challenges for other players as they collectively create a Story of their Adventure. They also manage and spend Hero Points to overcome Challenges and direct the course of the Story so their Character can fulfill their Destiny.

4.) How does your setting (or lack thereof) reinforce what your game is about?
The illusionary world of the Mundane, much like the world which you and I inhabit, and the symbolic world of the Heroic - the Labyrinth, like that of our dreams, are separated by the thin veil of perception. Heroes are able to slip back and forth between the two in their quest for Truth. This layered setting mimics the archetypical elements of  the realms of adventure and provides the backdrop against which aspects of Campbell's Hero's Journey are played out.

5.) How does the Character Creation of your game reinforce what your game is about?
Character creation is about choices, just like the choices the Hero must make while walking their path. Characters are created by prioritizing Mythic Archetypes - Leader, Mystic, Warrior and Knave - and defining their Abilities and Advantages. Both Abilities and Advantages are either Mundane or Heroic, relating to the world which they can influence. There is nothing random about this process.

6.) What types of behaviors/styles of play does your game reward (and punish if necessary)?
Following the Hero's path is like walking a tightrope; it is very easy to fall off. Therefore, Actions that lead to gaining Hubris (falling off) are more greatly rewarded than those that are more selfless. It is in this way that the temptation that is Hubris is mimicked for the play and they must weight which is more important to them. However, too much Hubris and the Character is removed from play. Players are also rewarded for Narrating a scene.

7.) How are behaviors and styles of play rewarded or punished in your game?
Rewards are in the form of Hero Points which are used to participate in Scenes, Temp Fate and advance a Character that has completed his personal Journey.

8.) How are the responsibilities of narration and credibility divided in your game?
Narration passes from player to player and is one of the primary means of recovering Hero Points. This allows for dynamic storytelling with minimal preparation.

9.) What does your game do to command the players' attention, engagement, and participation? (i.e. What does the game do to make them care?)
Each Hero is on his own Journey. Actions taken during various Stories advance the Character along that path. Each Character's path is personal and centers on their Beliefs. A Character's Beliefs are chosen by the player to allow for maximum involvement.

10.) What are the resolution mechanics of your game like?
Challenge Resolution is two-fold: Rolling the Bones and Tempting Fate. Rolling the Bones involves rolling a number of dice based on the governing Archetype and totalling a number of those based on the appropriate Ability. This total is compared to the Challenge's Difficulty to determine success.  Instead of leaving outcomes up to chance, players may choose to Tempt Fate. Tempting Fate involves card-play to ensure or increase the chances of success in performing Actions. It will often lead to increased Hubris.

11.) How do the resolution mechanics reinforce what your game is about?
As with other elements of the game, Challenge Resolution provides a choice to Players; it allows them to choose how they walk their path. Rolling the Bones represents the hand of Fate in the Hero's endeavors. Tempting Fate represents the Character trying to control their Destiny.

12.) Do characters in your game advance? If so, how?
Characters track the progress of their personal Journey as they travel through their Stories and Adventures. Once they have completed a Cycle, they may spend Hero Points to alter their Character. New Abilities related to the Character's adventures may be gained while ratings in the various Archetypes can be shifted about to represent more of a focus in a specific role.

13.) How does the character advancement (or lack thereof) reinforce what your game is about?
Like geometric patterns of circles within circles, each Hero is on a personal Journey of discovery within the larger framework of Stories and Adventures. Advancement doesn't happen until a Character passes through a personal Ordeal and comes to a profound realization (completes one Cycle). In this way the Heroes Journey is emphasized.

14.) What sort of product or effect do you want your game to produce in or for the players?
I want to produce Stories where Choice has an impact on the Path of a Hero; where choice has an almost tangible effect. I want to see a more intimate understanding of the Character and their role in the Story rather than a list of stats.

15.) What areas of your game receive extra attention and color? Why?
The focus is on Heroic Stories and Adventures with rich and vibrant Characters. Attention will be focused on providing a simple means for all participants to interact equally and provide dynamic story possibilities. The Heroic Cycle is designed not as a rigid track to follow so that all Adventures are the same, but rather a dynamic and fluid set of guidelines for creating varied and exciting Stories. Being based on the works of Joseph Campbell, it will emphasize that while certain elements are part of all stories, it still leads to vibrant and infinite possibilities.

16.) Which part of your game are you most excited about or interested in? Why?
I am most excited in the dynamic style of storytelling with no primary Narrator. With little free time, RPG's can be daunting to run because of all the prep work involved. This game will allow folks to sit down and play with minimal prep and maximum enjoyment.

17.) Where does your game take the players that other games can't, don't, or won't?
Call to Adventure will give players a versatile and user-friendly set of tools to tell heroic stories with interesting and rich characters. It spreads the burden of RPG adventuring on all the shoulders of those playing. It provides a means of Character advancement tied to the Story.

18.) What are your publishing goals for your game?
I would like to see Call to Adventure published for purchase in PDF and print formats. I see the core game encompassing the full rules and default setting (Labyrinth). I plan to have the basic aspects of the Character, Scenes and Challenge Resolution broken out in its own PDF for free download. Ultimately, I would like to produce other settings that take advantage of this system as well as custom Fate Decks that support each of the settings in a unique fashion that normal playing cards cannot.

19.) Who is your target audience?
Call to Adventure is targeted to fans of heroic adventure and interactive storytelling. It will be of particular interest of fans of the works of Joseph Campbell.

First, a thanks to Troy for clarifying Power 19 for me.

Second, personal observation: This was difficult to do. I thought I had this all worked out, much of it written. It still caused me to pause and reflect. In that alone this was a valuable exercise. Some of the elements feel like they will be in flux for a while as I work this out. I imagine I will be returning to these questions not only as a guide for my vision of the game, but to also rework and rethink each aspect as it comes to fruition.

Lastly, my request for feedback based on the questions I found most challenging:
# 2-4, My greatest fear is that I'm retreading something someone has already been done. There are so many games out there it is virtually impossible to keep up. Obviously this game is personal to me but that doesn't mean that someone hasn't done this before. The other side of this is that we don't live in a vacuum. Everything I've ever read or experienced is probably in some way shaping this game. As such, there are definite inspirations, but I hope there is not blatant stealing. Any feedback on how this relates to other games people have played or other sources of inspiration would be great.

# 7,8, I feel these are weak as the process is still fluid. I have not read Universalis, but I have Mortal Coil for it's story-based rewards. I will probably update these answers as more work is done.

#14 This was the hardest question to answer for me. I have a vision in my head of how play will go. I have a feeling in my gut that equates to "this is how a fun RPG should play". That's the feeling I want to produce, but I don't know how to put that into words.

#17 I don't like this question because I feel it requires a degree of confidence to answer. I don't have a broad enough scope of knowledge to say with any confidence that this or that element is not offered in any game out there. I know that to put myself and my product out here requires some degree of confidence to stand up and be noticed. I completely understand why Troy put this question here: Am I putting out something that had not been done before or that isn't done to death? This goes back to my first request about # 2-4. I feel I will be wrestling with this one for a while. So my request is, if anyone can help point out what aspects they find provided here that are not in other games, I would appreciate it. This may be easier as the game fleshes itself out.

#19 I think my target audience may be puting me outside the realm of gamers. Am I shooting myself in the foot?

Thanks in advance to any feedback folks can provide.

[Mike Sugarbaker]

Hello, and welcome to the Forge if no one's welcomed you yet. This looks like a hugely ambitious project; that's always exciting to see!

To answer your questions:

# 2-4, My greatest fear is that I'm retreading something someone has already been done. There are so many games out there it is virtually impossible to keep up. Obviously this game is personal to me but that doesn't mean that someone hasn't done this before. The other side of this is that we don't live in a vacuum. Everything I've ever read or experienced is probably in some way shaping this game. As such, there are definite inspirations, but I hope there is not blatant stealing. Any feedback on how this relates to other games people have played or other sources of inspiration would be great.

I'm not the most broadly read gamer here, but I can't think of any recent games that have attacked Campbellian themes so directly. I mean, you get a lot of tragic, doomed heroes, which is not exactly the same. OTOH, your #6 says you plan to reward people for not taking the Hero's Journey... ??

# 7,8, I feel these are weak as the process is still fluid. I have not read Universalis, but I have Mortal Coil for it's story-based rewards. I will probably update these answers as more work is done.

I am certainly not getting any clear pictures from those answers, yeah.

#14 This was the hardest question to answer for me. I have a vision in my head of how play will go. I have a feeling in my gut that equates to "this is how a fun RPG should play". That's the feeling I want to produce, but I don't know how to put that into words.

Yeah, this is the hardest question of all IMO. It's certainly a good barometer of how well-defined the rest of your answers are. (Note to self: find a ref to that thread about writing a fictional transcript of play and post it here)

#17 I don't like this question because I feel it requires a degree of confidence to answer. I don't have a broad enough scope of knowledge to say with any confidence that this or that element is not offered in any game out there. I know that to put myself and my product out here requires some degree of confidence to stand up and be noticed. I completely understand why Troy put this question here: Am I putting out something that had not been done before or that isn't done to death? This goes back to my first request about # 2-4. I feel I will be wrestling with this one for a while. So my request is, if anyone can help point out what aspects they find provided here that are not in other games, I would appreciate it. This may be easier as the game fleshes itself out.

I don't think any of the Power 19 have right answers. If your game is evolutionary rather than revolutionary, that's cool. Don't fall victim to the cult-of-novelty thing; it's mostly just a cult of personality anyway. But if this is super important to you, I think the point about story games' preponderance of tragic-failed-hero arcs is worth considering WRT your answer for #6.

#19 I think my target audience may be puting me outside the realm of gamers. Am I shooting myself in the foot?

Very much the opposite, I think. The most important part IMO of getting new gamers is making things that people who aren't gamers yet will really like! (And I also don't think you're aiming too far from gamer-ish interests.)

[WorkingMan]

Hello, and welcome to the Forge if no one's welcomed you yet. This looks like a hugely ambitious project; that's always exciting to see!

Thank you, Mike. Your reputation preceeds you; I've enjoyed your commentary on OgreCave Audio Reports for over a year now. I have to admit to being a lurker here for a short while. The Forge was introduced to me thru podcasting. After I've had a chance to demo the games of, meet and interview some folks who have contributied here, I really saw that this was the place to bring this type of game up.

I'm not the most broadly read gamer here, but I can't think of any recent games that have attacked Campbellian themes so directly. I mean, you get a lot of tragic, doomed heroes, which is not exactly the same. OTOH, your #6 says you plan to reward people for not taking the Hero's Journey... ??

Clarification: All Heroes in the game are on a Heroes Journey, regardless of the outcomes. There has to be an element of choice or the game would be very boring. Campbell talks about what happens to heroes when they refuse the Call as well as those that try to cross the Threashold and are not ready. Obviously, Heroes can fail in their Ordeals as well. What I want to portray is the slippery slope of Hubris. King Minos did not sacrifice the bull when he needed to in order to signify his submission to the will of the gods, he put himself before his community and the community paid the price.

Partaking of the Hero's Journey will be rewarded, but I'm thinking it will be less then when the player Tempts Fate and gains Hubris. If the higher reward is not the best way to portray the slippery slope then I am open to other mechanisms.

Yeah, this is the hardest question of all IMO. It's certainly a good barometer of how well-defined the rest of your answers are. (Note to self: find a ref to that thread about writing a fictional transcript of play and post it here)

I would appreciate that. Thank you.

I think the point about story games' preponderance of tragic-failed-hero arcs is worth considering WRT your answer for #6.

I don't want it so sound like this is all about the doomed hero, but I want to create tension. For a hero it is a struggle between selfless and selfish goals.

I feel like I have a good start. This exercise had definitely brought to light the areas that need more attention. I also have another request of anyone that might be able to help. I'm not well versed in probabilities. I'm wanting to chart the probibilities of dice roles, but can't find a good refference. I'm not looking for the typical bell-curve approach. I'm looking at a roll Xd6 total Y where X and Y are the equivalant of Attributes and Skills with the goal to get as high a total as possible. For example it might be roll 3d6 total highest 2. The ultimate would be a formula for this that I could plug into a spreadsheet to chart outcomes.

Thanks again.