[Feats] A Game of Heroic Storytelling, first time

[Demada]

This is my first attempt at anything like this. I can't tell you where I came up with the idea, just kind of struck me. Anyway, it's a bit rough right now. Typed it on a spurt of energy. Thank you for reading.

Feats: A Game of Heroic Storytelling (Working Title)

Goals: A competitive storytelling game with elements of strategy

Premise: Players create characters via defining their reputations, then take turns telling stories which attempt to improve their character's reputation, or damage another's. One player acts as a judge and does not tell a story. This role rotates.

Creation:
First, the players get together and discuss the setting that will serve as the backdrop for play. The setting should be one where larger than life heroics are possible, i.e. Ancient Greece, most fantasy worlds, a pulp WWII. After this is decided character creation can begin.

Characters are defined by their Reputations. Applicable Reputations can make a story more believable, and thus have a higher Popularity. There are three Reputations: Dynami, Eidisi, and Omorfia.

Dynami: Power, Strength, Brawn, Bravery. This is the characters Reputation as a user of brute force, as a warrior. A famous man of strength or master swordsman has a high Dynami. High Dynami characters are famous for great expressions of power, such as defeating many times their own number in combat, or wrestling animals many times their size. Some uses of magic can be held under Dynami, using it as a raw destructive force is a good example. More subtle, large-scale, or complicated use of magic falls under...

Eidisi: Intelligence, Wit, Trickiness. This is the characters Reputation as a thinker, a manipulator, a planner. A famous military strategist has a high Eidisi, as does a famous scholar or spymaster. High Eidisi characters are famous for their razor sharp thinking, their trickery, their far reaching plans and machinations. A great deal of magic falls under this aspect, especially that involving complicated ritual, subtle manipulation of reality, or haggling with demons.

Omorfia: Beauty, Charm, Charisma. This is the character's Reputation as a charmer, a pretty face, a lover. A famous lover of woman, or exotic courtesan, has a high Omorfia. High Omorfia character's might charm a star from the sky, or seduce a statue guarding an ancient treasure. Magic does not generally fall under Omorfia, although it could if it worked off the character's wonderful personality.

Each character also picks a weakness. Each weakness must be approved by a majority of players as viable, else it doesn't go. If players want, there is an optional second weakness, this is good for describing flawed and tragic heroes.

All of a character's Reputations start at 1. You have three points to distribute to them, and can lower them to 0 for an additional point. Put a "1" by all four of these statistics (Dynami, Eidisi, Omorfia, and Weakness), this is the target number the Popularity of stories involving that Reputation/Weakness must equal or exceed to take effect. It will change during play.
Play:
Players sit in a circle, and one is chosen as the judge for the session. Then, the one left of the GM is given five minutes to think/outline/brainstorm. After the five (maybe ten?) minutes, the player then tells a story detailing the origin of their character. They need to tell something about history, establish some background, maybe flesh out the setting a little. They need to introduce that character's weakness, but not necessarily overcome or succumb to it. This continues around the circle. For now, there are no "derogatory" stories, just stories outlining the background of your character. Before the telling of a story begins, the player must announce the Target of the story (for the first set of stories, the player's own character must be the target), the Focus of the story (Which Reputation or Weakness it will effect), and the Nature of the story (Beneficial, Derogatory, most of the time the first story will be Beneficial). The judge, after the story, gives it a rating (See below) then adds or subtracts the appropriate modifiers. The total is then compared to the number beside a given Reputation/Weakness, and if it is greater than it, replaces it. If it is greater than or equal to the number, and is beneficial, the Reputation goes up by one (no effect, in this case, on weakness), if it is Derogatory, the Reputation goes down by one.

Beneficial Stories-
They can focus any Reputation or Weakness, on any character, although the norm is your own. Targeting a Weakness does not actually improve the Weakness, but it can raise it's target number, and make it harder for other players to use against the character.

Derogatory Stories-
Can focus on anything Beneficial stories can, but if they focus on a Weakness they use the Weaknesses target number, but lower the second focus, and sets the target number for both.

Rating:
The story must be Focused on what is stated. If a player states his Focus is Dynami, and proceeds to tell a story about how his character charmed a long haired maiden out of a door-less tower, the judge may Zero it, meaning it has no effect at all. Otherwise, every story that stays on focus gets a 1. It can get 2 if it is a well told, or it is a particularly interesting story. It is a 3 if it is both an interesting story and well told. A 4 may be given, but should be rare, reserved for stories that truly blow the judge away.

Modifiers(Examples are based in the real world):
Story is plausible, but unlikely (i.e. Wrestling a lion and winning): -1*
Story is based off as widespread belief (i.e. Seeing an angel): -2*
Story is based off a belief held by a (signifigant) minority (i.e. Seeing elvis, voodoo curses: -3*
Story is fantastical (i.e. Slaying a whole army single handedly, a dragon attack): -4*
Beneficial Story that Focuses on a Reputation: +Reputation Value
Derogatory Story that Focuses on a Reputation: -Reputation Value
Hero overcomes Weakness (Beneficial focus on Weakness): -2
Hero succumbs to Weakness (Derogatory focus on Weakness): +2
*Note: Players should define what these mean in their setting during setting creation.

The Veto: If all players besides the judge disagree with the judge's decision, they can Veto it. They must, however, agree on the correct decision.

The Session: A session involves each player telling a story, in rotation from the left of the judge. After that, the judgeship passes to the left, and the process begins again.

Note: If the same characters are kept throughout several sessions (and I hope they are), the first story does not have to be an origin story. Just in case that confused people.

Feedback? Comments? Questions? Good for a first time?

[Demada]

Well... I'd like to edit it, but apparently I can't. There are a couple of spots that are unclear. I would post the whole thing again, but as it doesn't seem to be engendering much interest, I'll save the bandwidth till (if) I get some feedback.

[Lorenzo Rubbo-Ferraro]

Well, I am a very inexperienced RPGer so my input is of little value but your RPG it sounds interesting though.

Isn't Multiverser more about story telling than role playing. Have you checked it out?

Dynami, Eidisi, Omorfia? Are these Greek or Latin. Perhaps you favour an ancient Greek setting with these words and if so you could find the greek/latin for Weakness as well.

Sorry I can't help much.

[Demada]

I considered it, but as I said, typed this on a spur. Guess I should have looked it up. I can define the others easily as Greek words, though, sense they are unfamiliar, and wouldn't give the preconceptions "Power", "Intelligence", and "Charm" would. Weakness didn't need to escape from the connotation of the word, so I just kept it. The names of the Reputations more suit a Greek Epic type setting, which I originall envisioned as the archetypical setting for the game, but I've been thinking lately of odd and different settings that could be used.

I have not heard of Multiverser, but I would not be surprised if there is a game quite like this already out there. I've just never heard of one.

[Lorenzo Rubbo-Ferraro]

Multiverser???

Sorry I meant Universalis...

http://universalis.actionroll.com/WhatIsUniversalis.html


:-)

[Demada]

Ah... Universalis, I have heard of that. I thought Universalis was a simple story/narration which all players share in, and use tokens to acquire the narration from each other?

[Lorenzo Rubbo-Ferraro]

Yes it is but I don't know a great deal about it. It just seemed similar to yours in regard to collaborative storytelling.

If you like playing your game and your group is into it then just go for it. Beyond that I can't give a lot of helpful critical input because I am a newbie in these parts and my RPG experience is fairly narrow. Heck, my dictionary doesn't even have half of the words that Ron uses in his essays!

As for bandwith, I think you should re post it if you think it will be a lot clearer, then it may elicit a better response.

[Demada]

It's the "collaborative" that makes it different. Players take turns telling stories that, although they may build off each other, are seperate entities. As for rewriting it... what do you find unclear? What needs clarification in your mind? It makes perfect sense to me because I wrote it...

[Lorenzo Rubbo-Ferraro]

Well... I'd like to edit it, but apparently I can't. There are a couple of spots that are unclear. I would post the whole thing again, but as it doesn't seem to be engendering much interest, I'll save the bandwidth till (if) I get some feedback.

I thought, that you thought, it could be presented better, is all. It's clear enough I believe but there's no harm in trying another post if you think it will help.

There's seems to be some (17 hours?) limit on editing your posts.