New mechanic system for draws in FLaW

[MathiasJack]

I want to thank both Spooky and taalyn for the great feed back. They have been essential to the development of my game.

Taalyn outlined the relationship map of the Chinese medicine regarding their elements of wood, water, earth, metal, fire. I applied this to my three "elements" of Fate, Luck and Will, using secondary "aids" as support for ranking. In a larger sense, I gave this ranking a hierarchy and a roeshamboe mechanic to the success determination in drawing stones. I also contribute some of the thought process of this system to Alyria.

You still draw the number of stones based off of one of the three stats you are using, Fate, Luck or Will. To make any draw that counts as a success, you need at least three stones. The first force goes to the stones that are the most numerous. FATE, LUCK or WILL draws (see below) are made when you pull all three of the same stone. The "quality" of the three stones then get ranked as follows from best to worst:

fate/luck
FATE (fate/fate/fate)
fate/will
will/fate
WILL (will/will/will)
will/luck
luck/will
LUCK (luck/luck/luck)
luck/fate

A luck/fate draw is the worst draw one can make, normally a failure. The only thing it can trump is if the difficulty or opposing draw is a fate/luck. This adds some random fun!

Difficulties are given a ranking, opposed draws compare draws.

Example:
Jonas is trying to jump across a 5 foot gap, which the GM considers a will/luck (average difficulty, I think). The Will stat covers general body, and Jonas has no traits for any thing athletic so no bonus. Jonas has a Will of 3, so draws 3 stones. He gets 2 Will stones and a Fate stone. That makes his draw a Will/Fate and he makes it across.

This makes a stat average at 3. Most mundanes have 2 to 3 in each stat. Exception humans have 4. Weavers variably spike higher, the limit at 9.

Fate is ranked "higher" because it is seen as a force of order, and thus giving direction to the story at play. Will is seen as the "second" force since it is the individual character's drive in doing something. Luck is "least" with it's randomizing factor - good in general for fun, but not in providing direction.

When ever a FATE, LUCK or WILL draw is made, you get that ranking of success for a draw, plus a refreshed stone to that specific stat pulled. A balanced draw, one of each specific stone, is an automatic success, and the drawer gets two refreshing stones to add to any stat they desire.

Any stat that has over 3 points, 4 to 9, has a higher draw. First choose three stones to provide for your success level. The rest of the stones you get to add narration to the scene depending on what is pulled. This gives Weavers great power in the narration of that scene, and the higher the success gives more "weight" behind their narrations. Fate drives the story forward in a greater sense, and should go for more drama, and is tied to the character's Paranoia (and any Designs). Will gives the drawing character a moment of more self-determination, maybe turning the story towards their own specific goals, tied to their Drives (and any Inspirations). Luck is totally random, and should provide for some surprises, tied to the character's Hexes and Obsessions. The more "extra" stones, the more weight behind what the player can narrate in. And if you have a stat that plays off a multiple of 3, either 6 or 9, then you might be maybe to make another three stones for either a(nother) refreshing point /or/ to provide for more than one success ranking. This matters when going head to head against another Weaver who might also have more than one success ranking as well, or extreme difficulties that require more than one success ranking. (Paranoias, Designs, Hexes, Obsessions, Drives, and Inspirations are still in development, but needless to say they are colorful elements that add to each Weaver.)

Stats below three, such as 1 point or 2 points, are beaten by any three stone draw automatically. 2 stones automatically beat 1 stone. The success ranking goes in order of Fate to Will to Luck, best to worst, with the highest stone counting as your "quality" of your draw. Remember freshing points need three stones to make. Low stone draws get troublesome when doing any draws based off of current ratings and you have spent most of your points.

Invoking has shifted a bit as well.

Fate Invocation:
Those strong in Fate can spend a Fate point to buy anyone a fate/luck draw, the highest success ranking, without drawing any stones. This is like the character having fate on their side, the story on their side, outside forces on their side, and should be narrated as such. A Fate point can be used to "suck" the Fate stones out of any draw, which should be narrated as something "fateful" occuring, and dropping the draw's ranking accordingly. And no gluttons, those "sucked" stones go back in the communal pot, not to your character.

Luck Invocation:
Those strong in Luck can spend a Luck point to make any draw redrawn.  Narration of something random happening. A Luck point can also be spent to drop any draw down one success ranking. This, again, is narrated as something surprising and random happening. While a draw's ranking might be dropped to the FATE, WILL or LUCK level, that does not give that draw a refreshing point, only that success ranking. A FATE, WILL, or LUCK draw dropped to the ranking below does lose its refreshing point. What is real fun too, is with a Luck point, a character can trump a Fate/Luck draw or a Fate point spent to make an bought Fate/Luck, but only in those two instances.

Will Invocation:
Those strong in Will can spend a Will point to make the Will spending character's draw increase in ranking by one. Raise a luck/will to a will/luck, or a FATE to a fate/luck. If a FATE, WILL, or LUCK draw is raised by one, the character still gets that refreshing point for that stat. If a draw is raised to a FATE, WILL, or LUCK ranking, the spending character does gain that refreshing point. Will can also be used to negate any use of a Fate or Luck point used on the Will spending character. Notice that Fate or Luck points can be used on any draw. Weavers can use Fate or Luck points on themselves or others. A Will point is used to shrug off a Fate or Luck point used on themselves. Will points can only be used to on one's own character, with specific narration describing a character's use of drive or determination.

Spending points lowers one's current rating in a stat, not their permanent rating. Basic draws use the permanent rating. Anything else that only Weavers can do, draw off of the current rating. Use too many points all at once, not only do you lose power fast at expediture of your points, but you lose the draw strength of those stats to do anything special.

I'm thinking that the limit for stats are 9. A starting Weaver gets 15 stones. Placement in the stats are based off of perspective, ie, the primary and/or secondary forces they choose. Therefore someone who chooses Fate and Will has to have their most points in Fate, second most in Will, and the least in Luck. Someone who chooses only Will, would put the most in Will and balance their other two stats. No one can choose to have all three stats balanced. Every character starts out with their stats at full, represented by that number of stones on in their personal pot. A matching number of stones for each character is thrown into a communal pot. Basic draws draw from the communal pot and get thrown back in automatically. Points spent to do something special, or a special draw, is taken from the personal pot. Those points get thrown into the communal pot after being used. Points are refreshed either with FATE, WILL, or LUCK draws, or by doing special activities based off their specific perspective. Does this create enough probabilities for the draws? Enough refreshing (I know I didn't go into details about "special activities" but needless to say there are other means of refreshing stats than simply drawing a refreshing draw)?

What does everyone think?

[MathiasJack]

Playtested some elements of the new system with a friend of mine last night.

***** BALANCED DRAWS

Balanced draws are no good, too common, and just don't like them. They're gone!

***** STARTING STATS AND SOME CHARGEN IDEAS

Starting stats will be between a range of at least 10 to 15 at the most, depending on what perspective a Weaver chooses at CharGen, and some other decisions made at Chargen: such as more points on abilities over stats, or extremes (paranoia, obsession, isolation) over stats, or edges over stats, to allow for over all diversity more.

Plus I've played around with a professional package system of abilities, extremes and edges a la tRoS and what Aisling has suggested. Definitely leaning towards that.

With only three stats, I want some open range elements (abilities and edges) as well as some limited options (extremes and packages).

Originally abilities added that type of stone that covered them to the draw. That does not quite work now in the new mechanic. Thinking that they simply add a bonus to the draw number for that covering stat.

*****  NARRATIVE ELEMENTS OF EXTRA STONES

As far as probability goes, the mechanic seemed to work to create some interesting moments. We talked about specifying the narrative elements of extra stones from draws:

Extra Fate stones drawn give narration points towards the person with the highest success ranking. We thought this balanced the urge for people to go with as many Fate stones as possible in their stats for more successes in draws. Either that or we were thinking that they should introduce obstacles for the drawing character, either physical, worldly or internal. These mght be narrated by someone else other than the drawing character, but not sure how that would be determined yet, maybe who ever draw the most extra fate stones. We liked the idea of the more Fate stones you draw, the better chance for success, yet at the same time, less control of narration.

Extra Will stones give narration power to the character, to serve their own needs, based on what the character was attempting to do and their success ranking, but their can add some narration that moves things towards their Drive. We wanted extra Will stones to give more personal direction of narration for that character.

Extra Luck stones give narration power to the one with the lowest success ranking in a draw. We thought this might give some more balance back to Luck. Either that or we were thinking that the extra Luck stones introduce some random surprise or narrative element, with some random decider for who narrates the random surprise. Maybe who ever drew the most extra luck stones, and base that randomness ontheir obsession/hex. We wanted the extra Luck stones to represent those surprise things you don't expect in a scene, the "extra" walking by who loaned you money, or the car that suddenly crashes outside the diner you're eating at.

I really like the extra stones in a draw adding narrative elements. We know the direction that we want the specific type of extra stone to go in. Still indecisive on how that exactly plays.

[taalyn]

sounds good! What did you use for stones, BTW?

Aidan

[MathiasJack]

Little round baubles...
Heard from someone that they're really fun to play with! :)
Blue => Fate
Red => Will
Yellow => Luck