kathanaksaya: middle earth

[Green]

After using a group of friends for an on-the-fly Kathanaksaya game, some remarked to me that it would be great to create or adapt Kathanaksaya to a Middle Earth setting. Now that I am running a Silmarillion game online (which forced me to get very acquainted with Tolkien's works), it occurred to me that they have a point.

For those that don't know about it, Kathanaksaya is a narrative-style game that utilizes the Story Point mechanic. Story Points are given not for what your character can do, but how well-developed he or she (or it) is. Players bid Story Points to determine how their characters influence the world and/or the story, accompanied by narration of what the character does. You can find Kathanaksaya here.

Currently, I am co-Narrating a Kathanaksaya game set in the Matrix, and one of the more interesting aspects of the game for me is adapting certain elements of the game to the setting. It has absolutely no influence on how the mechanics run, but it is somehow more satisfying to see AI characters described in terms of learned functions, programmed functions, purpose, size, bugs, glitches, etc (as opposed to skills, abilities, theme, Story Points, flaws, and quirks).

I doubt that I will do so much renaming for a Middle Earth setting, but there are certain things that I believe should be defined and expanded upon, especially Theme and Conflict, to make the effort of adapting the setting worthwhile. Although it seems contradictory, doing this does have tangible benefits in that it would be easier for players (especially those new to Kathanaksaya or roleplaying in general) to develop three-dimensional characters that can contribute to the story and fit in the setting. You pick and choose these things instead of coming up with them yourself.

So, my main questions for this endeavor (not Kathanaksaya-specific) would be:

Aside from good vs. evil, what conflicts are central to the unfolding of Middle Earth's history? What were the driving conflicts of the 1st Age? The 2nd Age? The 3rd?

What overall themes are crucial to Tolkien's works?


My questions specific to Kathanaksaya would be:

What suggestions do you have for Specialties? Valour is one that immediately popped into my head, although I am sure there are many more others could name.

I am thinking of replacing Hook with something called Doom. From my understanding, in Tolkien's work, doom did not mean death per se, but any kind of inescapable fate. However, it may be better suited as a Specialty. Which would you prefer?

How would you rename some of the character aspects (if at all)?

I really appreciate your consideration in this. It means a lot to me.

[Mike Holmes]

Oooh. Fun.

Aside from good vs. evil, what conflicts are central to the unfolding of Middle Earth's history? What were the driving conflicts of the 1st Age? The 2nd Age? The 3rd?

What overall themes are crucial to Tolkien's works?

Ambition breeds disaster - this one is key, and what makes Tolkien very like the Greek Myths, actually. Hubris is rampant. Usually it takes a more specific form: Investment in Middle Earth ends magic. Feanor makes the Silmarils, and they end up causing the kinstrife and other problems. Morgoth builds Angbad, and tortures the very earth of Arda, leading to his doom. Celebrimbor wants to make nifty magic rings, leading to evil. Sauron makes the One Ring to control them all, and that leads to him getting laid out, once temporarily, and once for good. Saruman forgets where he came from, inhabits some musty tower, and starts breeding orcs - resulting in him getting thrown down by Gandalf.

It happens over and over. If you make things from the stuff of Middle Earth, you'll get your ass kicked.

Technology is like this, too. It represents ambition. When it's a hobbit waterwheel, no big deal. When it's grond, you're asking for trouble. Power in general. If you're the king of Arnor, then if you get hold of the ring, you'll decide not to destroy it. Heck, if you're the Numenoreans, you'll decide to invade the West, and make the gods drown your entire civilization.

Tolkien grew up in a quiet community and saw industrialization and suburbanization destroy most of the kinds of places in England that he enjoyed. He saw wars that killed on unprecedented scales. No surprise that his work embodies the idea that trouble comes from people with ambition. They destroy nature, and lead other men to their deaths.

What suggestions do you have for Specialties?

(I'm probably the worst person to be answering this) What time period will the game be in? Who will the characters be? Have you condsidered that ME may be problematic?

Mike

[Green]

What time period will the game be in? Who will the characters be? Have you condsidered that ME may be problematic?

Basically, what I'd like to do with Kathanaksaya: Middle Earth is adapt the game system for playing characters in Middle Earth in just about any part of its history aside from the creation of Eä and Arda.

Off the top of my head, I was thinking about dividing things chronologically and giving a basic rundown of the events, themes, and major conflicts particular to each Age and Race.  I also might rename some of the character aspects and possibly So, I'm thinking of dividing things like this:

Example:  
Ages of the Trees (Ages of the Stars)
Insert text giving the players an idea of the tone, themes, etc. of this point in time.
Major events: Rekindling the Stars, Awakening of the Elves, the Great Journey
Possible PCs: Valar?? (very dubious about this), Maiar?, Elves (Vanyar, Noldor, Teleri)[/list:u]

I am considering that, instead of Racial templates, I may redo everything for each Race involved in each time period.  Of course, I can do a "look on pg. XX" for things that repeat themselves.  

One thing about Tolkien's works that would translate very well into a Kathanaksaya setting is the idea of a shared fate for a people.  I may very well change things like Hook into something like Doom.  I am also thinking of giving race-specific names for the different character aspects, for aesthetics if nothing else.  Therefore, a Noldor being portrayed in the 1st Age would have essë, hröa, fëa, kurwë; and anna in lieu of name, appearance, personality, skills, and abilities.

As far as potential Themes and Specialties, I have updated the Kathanaksaya site to include things I gleaned from Tolkien but put them in more general terms.  In particular, I added: friendship, duty and privilege, power corrupts, nature of heroism, providence, redemption, struggle against evil (in Middle Earth will be called "struggle against the Shadow"), changing times (waning of Elves, rise of Men), and preserving the good to the list of possible themes in Kathanaksaya.  These will transplant very easily to a Middle Earth setting.  As for specialties, I have added specifically from my research into Middle Earth: Valour, Nobility, Justice, Honour, Sacrifice, Darkness, Discord, and Light.

My only problem so far would be adapting things to make them Tolkien-specific.  For the Quendi, this is actually rather easy.  The same goes for Men and Hobbits (and possibly Dwarves).  But for Valar (which can be real possibilities in the Ages between the creation of Arda and the end of the 1st Age), things can get tricky.  Of course, I am tempted to do write-ups for Manwë, Varda, Aulë, Yavanna, Mandos, and Melkor.

[Doctor Xero]

Another major theme is mercy.  Sam's mercy towards Gollum ultimately
enables Frodo's quest to succeed.  The mercy given Grima Wormtongue
later helps end the scouring of the Shire (in the book) or demonstrates
how Aragorn will fight to the death in battle but will not kill someone who
is weaker and no threat (in the film).

This relates some to the theme of hubris in that Tolkien depicts the wanton
willingness to decree who may live and who may die as hubris.  To kill in
battle is one thing; to kill a snivelling terrified creature such as Gollum or
the now-helpless Grima is an act of lethal bullying.

How would this relate to a game?  Simply this: REWARD any acts of mercy
by the players and avoid being like those faux cynical game masters who
always punish any act of mercy by ensuring that the party is later
attacked by the spared creature.  If every person spared in an act of
mercy later attacks the party, the game master is teaching the players
that in his/her game, mercy is idiocy.  However, in Tolkien's LOTR, every
person spared in an act of mercy ends up helping the heroes in their
quest (though often unwittingly).

Another theme is self-knowledge -- and its relationship to "knowing one's
place" (much as such a theme might rankle our American notion of
unlimited upward mobility).  Most of the heroes of LOTR know who
they are and therefore where they belong, such as Sam (this again is
related to the earlier posting about ambition).  Much of the LOTR story
follows Frodo's gradually coming to understand who he is.  Boromir and
Gollum have little self-knowledge, and this makes them particularly easy
prey for The One Ring.

One oft-overlooked theme of Tolkien's in most AD-&-D efforts to imitate
LOTR is the idea of the sacredness of friendship.  Aragorn, Gimli, and
Legolas succeed in their quests because they come to love each other.
Sam's love for Frodo and vice versa gives them the strength to carry on
when all else has failed.  Notice that the inability to love another person is
a trait common to everyone in the story who turns towards evil.

Doctor Xero

[Green]

After getting such thoughtful, detailed replies from you, I feel a little guilty for what I'm about to say.  

I did some serious thought about what I wanted to do with Kathanaksaya: Middle-Earth, and what I came up with runs completely counter to the direction it seemed I was going in initially.

The gist of the idea is that the portion of Kathanaksaya that resembles Tolkien's Middle-Earth is not purely the product of Tolkien's imagination.  If JRR Tolkien were the only one to care about Middle-Earth, it would have faded long ago.  Middle-Earth has grown beyond Tolkien, and I want Kathanaksaya: Middle-Earth to represent that element of the growth of stories.

Of course, the spirit of Tolkien's creation remains a vital part of Kathanaksaya: Middle Earth.  Had there not been something universal in the myths and legends he created, Middle-Earth would not have had the impact it did on many people's lives.  The palpable evil, heroism, and other traits we associate with epic fantasy because of Tolkien are still very real and recognizable.  The basic values Tolkien expresses in his works that resonate with readers (such as friendship and the struggle against evil) remain real forces in Kathanaksaya: Middle Earth as well.  The major historical events (those that impact the entirety of Middle-Earth) remain the same as described by Tolkien, although the particular details may not be what Tolkien or Tolkien purists describe.

The films have had a huge impact on Kathanaksaya: Middle-Earth as well.  They have gone a long way toward developing and refining the aesthetic elements of Middle-Earth, especially with regards to the look and feel of the cultures.  In addition, the films have in several cases served to add depth and complexity to several key and supporting characters which, in Tolkien, received only the broadest of brush strokes.  This is especially the case for his female characters.

Side note: I eventually hope to address as a part of the section on Elf-Man relations the idea that the chasm between the two peoples is not one of cosmology but of psychology.  Lack of faith in the future, mistrust towards those who are different, and attitudes regarding what is lasting vs. what is fleeting instead of any intrinsic aspects of mortality or immortality.  

[Doctor Xero]

In that case, I would suggest two themes which have been picked up time and
time again by filmmakers inspired by the good Professor and continued into
Jackson's impressive LOTR films: 1) the sense of loss, 2) the conflict between
a reliance upon pragmatism/sensibility and ending the magical "wrongness" afflicting
the community.

There is an overarcing sense of loss in such films as *The Dark Crystal*, *Dragonslayer*,
*Erik the Viking*, *Legend*, *The Last Unicorn* (the desperate hunger for a
sense of the Magical haunts almost everyone whom the Unicorn encounters), and
*The Neverending Story* (the death of almost everything resonates throughout
the tale with a power which overshadows the final reversal of so much annihilation).
Although all of them have happy endings of a sort, the first four of these end with
the sense of a happy ending achieved at an unjust cost and the sense that
The Magic will continue its thinning until it has vanished altogether from the world.

The conflict between sticking to sensible/pragmatic views of the world and following
the often-self-destructive vision held the savior-hero appears in such films as
*Dragonslayer*, *Ladyhawk* (the practical blinders worn by  Etienne, in which
mundanely killing the evil bishop is the only reaction he can imagine, almost cause
him to lose his one chance to break the curse!), and *Labyrinth* (one of the key
themes of the story about the irrelevance of human logic when it comes to fairness
can be summed up in the following dialogue: Sarah= "That's not fair!"  
Jareth= "You say that so often -- I wonder what your basis for comparison is?").

I'd say the sense of loss and the sense that heroism is impractical and costs
dearly are two themes which continue on to this day (and carry more of a sense
of Middle Earth's inspiration than do trivia about elf-dwarf politics and other cliche's
found in going-through-the-motions fantasy pulp that you and I have had to sort
through in finding good fantasy).

Good fortune with your project!

Doctor Xero

[Green]

I'd say the sense of loss and the sense that heroism is impractical and costs
dearly are two themes which continue on to this day (and carry more of a sense
of Middle Earth's inspiration than do trivia about elf-dwarf politics and other cliche's
found in going-through-the-motions fantasy pulp that you and I have had to sort
through in finding good fantasy).

Thanks.  Now if only somebody could help me convert this to game terms.

[Doctor Xero]

Well, I'm not familiar with the Kathanaksaya system, but I can make a few game suggestions:

The sense of loss can be entered into game through NPCs and the setting as well as
through PC abillities.

Encounters with NPCs who are finding their lives increasingly more difficult because the
Magic is thinning.  (A healer: "Ten years ago, erasing this wound would have been easy
as singing over the poor child; now it's taking all I can to heal the wound, and the scars
will never go away.")  Encounters with powerful, helpful faeries who warn that their time
left here is waning and therefore they can not offer aid much longer.  On a less magical
level, encounters with people in confusion over culture shock as their old way of life
disappears before their eyes.  Of course, these must be tied in to the overall quest.

Encounters with powerful magical creatures driven mad with pain because they are dying.
(A dragon who attacks because there are no more of its kind and it can not handle life
without a mate or others of its kind.)  On a less magical level, encounters with people
whose lives have been disrupted by a great plague or a great war.  Again, these tie in
to the overarcing quest.

For PCs, this can be represented in their own stats by having a specific trait which is
ebbing away.  For example, just as each PC loses life points in combat, every day each
PC might lose one point of magic.  Unless the source of magic is somehow revitalized,
soon everyone will have a magic attribute of zero and there will be no magic anywhere
at all!

The sense of the conflict between practicality and fixing the "wrongness" in the campaign
world can be similarly emphasized.  NPCs can mock the impracticality of the efforts by
the PCs.  More importantly, the game master can set the tasks such that they require
PCs to go against self-interest and survival interests every time, and in a game wherein
the players have no certainty that they will be rescued by a deus ex machina.  For example,
placing PCs in positions where they must choose between wealth and the next task for
their quest, with no way to choose both, while NPCs gleefully go for the wealth option.
Or placing PCs in positions where the only way to complete the quest is to ensure that
the vile villain gets away scot-free.

The difficulty with emphasizing the sense of conflict between practicality and healing the
"wrongness" is that most players know on a meta-gaming level which side to choose.  They
know that magic is real in a fantasy RPG even when their PCs do not.  They know that they
will not have to cope with their PCs losses after the game ends.  So it requires very
skilled roleplayers and/or game-master ability to surprise them by making it unclear
which side to choose.

For example, consider two wildly different systems of magic.  One is more immediate, more
practical, more utilitarian, and it upholds one philosophical perspective.  The other takes
longer, seems impractical, is unpopular with NPCs, yet ultimately the right one for the quest
because it understands the philosophical notions underlying the quest.  If the game-master
can keep from letting on which is "correct" (or if either one is correct depending upon
which philosophical ideal the PCs wish to support), then a variant off that conflict appears
in game.

Doctor Xero

[Green]

Well, I'm not familiar with the Kathanaksaya system, but I can make a few game suggestions:

I am afraid that this is not particularly helpful because my goals with K: M-E and the implied goals in your suggestions are not the same.  It's not running a game in Middle-Earth that is my creative dilemma, but adapting the basic themes, conflicts, and setting to the Kathanaksaya system, especially with regards to creating characters appropriate (thematically and conceptually moreso than situationally) for whatever era the players wish to play in.  So, focusing on one particular historical era or one culture is not really my goal.  Rather I wish to present Middle-Earth as a realm within Kathanaksaya that is adapted to the concepts I introduce in the game.  The dilemma is creating a concise, comprehensive tool for players and DMs to use that will allow them to craft stories that resonate with the themes and ideas expressed in Tolkien's writings (not just LotR; in all actuality, I'm probably using The Silmarillion and the History of Middle Earth series as my main sources).