Make Us Cry

[Zahtevnik]

That's really the gist of it. We've been pounding on two RPGs for a couple years and finally have the demos for them up on our website. If anyone had a moment to give honest opinions and brutal critiques on our base system, metaphysics and settings it'd be great.

The two games, Abeo and Anointed, can be found at http://insomniumgames.com

one of our big concerns right now is originality; especially with our Anointed line. Fantasy looks like it has been done to death and we don't want put the same old things out with a different name.

Clarity is another big issue. We want to put up enough about the games without making it moot to buy the actual books. If there is anything you feel should be included to the teasers please let us know.

Overall, this is an "is it good enough to keep going?" post. We want as many opinions from people we don't know as possible. So anything constructive is appreciated.

Give me a yell on here or send an email to jennifer@insomniumgames.com

Thanks,
Jennifer-

[TonyLB]

What are you trying to do?

When I know what you're trying to achieve I can better tell you whether you're achieving it.

[contracycle]

Am I correct in thinking that the two games are located in the "same" world, as it were?  At least you are using the same metaphysics in these two settings, right?

The magic system suggests the book should ship tied by a piece of red string; I like the Grace and Affliction device.  This structure though reminds me a lot of the WOD - a perception reinforced by some of the skill and damage systems.  Am I correct in thinking that all PC's are magically empowered by default?

The personality section was a bit brief but prompts the question: have you read FVLMINATA, which uses a very similar device?

At the moment this reads much like a WOD clone substituting Judaic theology for christian theology.  As such it might appeal to a specific audience, but apart from the Grace and Affliction device I don't think thats going to be enough to attract much attention.

[Zahtevnik]

What Contracycle posted is what I was looking for. Unless I'm misunderstanding your question, Tony.

Thanks Contracycle, it looks like we have tons of clarifying to do on the site.

The two games are independent of each other. We use a similar system and that is supposed to be the extent of it. The metaphysics are intended to be nowhere near the same; one being a game of emotional instability and the other a game of moral consequence.

Anointed runs on the idea that there are three worlds/realms/places with the world you're in a sort of go-between. Your actions strengthen or weaken the others, and in the process affects the go-between and yourself. Characters in Anointed all have the capability to learn and/or advance to the ability to use magic.

Abeo is purely emotion-drawn and is based on a real world setting. We have tried to do research for religious and philosophical theories whenever we came up with an idea for the game we liked; tulpas and the noumenal plane are examples of that. Then we worked around the beliefs to make them fit in the game.

The magic in Abeo is more subtle and unconscious until you reach higher levels of it. When you are capable of doing the more blatant things you're already well underway to becoming something else entirely. Which is where we're incorporating the concept of whatever happening to you is of your own doing. You choose to keep your power and vanish from one plane to the next (where want to have supplements for continued playing), find a balance or seek professional help and become too stable to see or do anything supernatural.

We'll work on modifying and elaborating what we have up to hopefully clarify and distance the games from looking like WoD 3.0

On your question about Fvlminata; it isn't a game I was at all familiar with. I went ahead and did some research before posting this note. From what I read, the personality traits differs greatly. With the only real similarity being the fact that humors are used. We don't use a balancing point and we are hoping to give the humors much more of a game mechanic than it looks like has been done for Fvlminata.

I'm going to look around and see if I can find a copy of the game anywhere to give it a better look through. If for no other reason than because the review I read on RPGnet sounded interesting. Though, I wasn't able to pull a home page for Fvlminata. Do you have a link handy?

Thanks again. The input is extremely helpful.

Jennifer-

[greyorm]

From what I have gathered, Thyrsus Games went out of business after they printed the 2nd Edition of Fvlminata. There is apparently a d20 version of the game as well, though I do not know what relationship the authors of the original bear to it.

[contracycle]

I would not get too hung up on the FVLMINATA similarity; theres not that much in it on the humours, I just wanted to draw it to your attention.  In fact I would like to see that principle developed more, mechanically, so go right ahead.  A solid personality system combined with grace/affliction might produce a genuinely novel game.

[ZeOtter]

Hi, I am still reading you game materials (I am a slow reader) and I am enjoying the ideas of Abeo so far.  I am writing this because of what you said in your post on Wednesday saying:

We'll work on modifying and elaborating what we have up to hopefully clarify and distance the games from looking like WoD 3.0

I hear this all the time and frankly I think it is the wrong thing to say.  Like it or not White Wolf is a extremely successful game company (by our industry standards anyway) and being compared to them in my mind should be faltering.

I remember when I was living in Phoenix and hanging around with the guys who wrote the first Immortal RPG (I thought I was cool then) they were scared to death that using 10 sided dice for their game would mean everyone would accuse them of being a White Wolf rip off.  As it turns out lots of people loved the game (sort of) and they were never accused of ripping off White Wolf that I heard of (and if you look at the rules they followed the White Wolf formula exactly).  

What I am trying to say is, your game has a voice I can see it in what you have already written have the courage to follow it.  Don't worry about being compared at this stage to anybody just come up with a game you would really want to play for hours and hours.  If it comes out like WoD 3.0 call them maybe they want it, if you don't want to do that change what you think you need.

White Wolf brought Narrative storytelling (I know Clinton thinks role-playing is a misnomer and I agree with is logic) to the mainstream and made it popular.  I don't see anything wrong with that and I feel that a lot of people skipped over fertile ground because they think it is too White Wolf'ish or whatever you call it.

Keep up the good work and I will tell what I think of the actually games when I finish reading them.

[tadk]

hello Jennifer

here is the link to the next version of that game

http://www.adamantentertainment.com/fd20.html

I still need to dl the demos for both settings like I had emailed you
Time and life and all that

Tad

[Zahtevnik]

I checked out the link, Tad. The game looks interesting and I found a copy of the old edition for sale. I'm tempted to pick it up to add to ye ole collection.

ZeOtter, I see what you mean about being compared to WW. And believe me, I'd probably faint and/or gawk uncontrollably if someone compared what we have to WW as far as quality goes.

But I would much, much rather someone say "I saw something like that in a WW book. But you've taken it to new heights" than "I saw something like that in a WW book. Different name, same idea."

On a side note, we were able to pick up a copy of WW's W:tF. After reading through it we're really concerned that their new Mage line will be Abeo. ie, the idea that emotion makes/works/etc magic.

If that happens I hope we hear more praising our game than consider it a copy cat product.

Either way, your comment brightened everyone's day out here. If you have any other comments, questions, suggestions or complaints definitely let me know.

Jennifer-