[otherkind] Design questions

[dindenver]

Vincent,
  I just had a couple of questions about this design:
1) There are 5 rules about bonus dice, one about adding to the value of those dice and one about reducing the value of the dice. Is this intentional? Are altering the dice that big of a deal that you consistently choosing to use bonus dice instead?
2) How much did you playtest it? What peculiarities did you discover in the mechanics that you did not anticipate?
3) If you were to update it, what would you change?
4) I am thinking of tweaking the TNs (1-2, 3-4, 5-6) any tips? did you try that, how did it go?
5) Do, I understand the system well? almost every conflict should be about Numinus things? Otherwise, it looks like Iron depletes Radiance faster than it can replenish, or is there something I am missing.

  Also, I love it and will see if I can play the full version soon. the only thing I played before was dice only, no bonus dice ro die mods. Any tips?

[dindenver]

All,
  OK, I just wanted to add two things:
1) Vincent, I know it has been played a bunch, but I was curious about how the pdf got into its original form
2) If anyone else has hints, tips or trick, please jump in.

[lumpley]

Actually it hasn't been played a bunch. The basic dice mechanism - roll dice, assign them - has seen a lot of play, and appears in at least a couple published games, but Otherkind proper has seen very little actual play.

-Vincent

[lumpley]

So, that given, and given that I haven't looked at the game in a couple of years, let me see what I can do with your questions.

1) I'm sure it was intentional. I don't remember the rules. These days, when we use Otherkind dice, we sometimes roll additional dice and drop the highest or the lowest of them, but we never adjust the values of any dice.

2) Like I say, I've played with the basic dice mechanism a lot, and very little with the rest of the rules.

The thing that surprises me, continually, about the basic dice mechanism is that it's really unforgiving. It will chew your character up.

3) If I were to update it, I could answer that! But I'm not updating it, at least not any time soon. Here's what I consider to be the current incarnation of the game's rules, but they lose everything that's particular to Otherkind: Otherkind Dice

4) Do. It's fruitful. I strongly recommend that you mix them up a little within the game, too. Like, make "do you get your goal?" miss on a 1-3 and hit on a 4-6, but make "do you get hurt?" be 1-2: badly, 3-4: yes, but not too badly, 5-6: no.

I believe I learned that trick from Psi*Run, but I'm not sure. Certainly Psi*Run uses it to very good effect.

5) I don't remember.

-Vincent

[lumpley]

Oh come to think of it, I hope you've read this: Salt River. It's the most recent Otherkind-dice game I played.

-Vincent

[dindenver]

Vincent,
  That was a lot of good info, thanks man.
  OK, one thing I was thinking about was:
In the pdf, the TN for something "cool" to happen is 5. If you get 5 or higher, you get a cookie. 3-4 is marginal and 1-2 is you lose a cookie.
My thought was to make a stat, and have your stat be the TN. Like, maybe your character has a stat called Destiny, and the other player has to roll higher than that in order to narrate your character's actions in a scene.
  Its still a rough idea, but I think there is the kernel of something cool in there.

  And then, what if those stats are your "radiance" (the points you can spend to change the numbers on the die)? So, if you spend them to alter the die, by lowering their value, you are more vulnerable to the designs of the GM/other players?

  I don't know, I am just brainstorming here. I am going to play a "by the book" one shot tonight and see how it feels. Then maybe next week I will try the web version and see how different it is. I guess what appeals to me about the pdf version is that there is a lot of moving parts, it feels more "gamey" but not overly fiddly. I want to capture that "feel" you get from ditv, the game, narration and player effort tied tightly to each other. And I feel like my idea is close, I just need to refine it then test it.

  Thanks for all the cool info, you rock (as usual).

[dindenver]

All,
  I got to play the "by the book version" of the pdf last night. I only got to play for like 30 minutes, but its a good start. It was still pretty enlightening.
  Some observations:
1) The world of otherkind is awesome!
2) Bonus dice are much more impactful then I expected
3) Iron seems to kick the players in the gut
4) Radiance seems to scarce, but maybe that's just me.

  I did have a couple of questions though:
1) Is this supposed to be a single roll system (like an ability check in TSOY) or a multi-roll system (like BDTP oin TSOY)?
2) How is Stake setting supposed to work? For instance, we had a conflict where an Orc was hunting a hunter (who was hunting a numinus Stag). The player set their goal, but then it sort of put Motion and Life into the same category. I guess I was confused about the conflict between the war against humans and the connection to life.
3) When you open a portal to Elsewhere, is something "supposed" to happen? Or, are the players supposed to wait until the area is secure before opening the portal without interruption?

  I know this is all old news, but if anyone has any insight, I would appreciate you sharing anything you have.