The Wild's Modified Pot Read

[Nathan]

For those of you who are not familiar, the Wild can be found here" http://www.mysticages.com/wild">http://www.mysticages.com/wild.

The system is beyond simple -- but it needs something. It doesn't work perfectly and is hardly elegant. I've thought about dice, but it just doesn't fit. So here we go, the new modified pot system (heh.. pot..)...

Bowl of Fate (?)
A non-clear bowl filled with about 40 stones, 20 white and 20 black. White stones represent victory. Black stones represent failure.

Five white stones per player will also be needed in addition to those in the bowl.

Readings
Any time an action is attempted by a Beast, a reading is taken from the bowl. Readings are always 5 stones -- always. You draw 5 stones from the pot and look at them to determine the outcome of the action:

All White: Miraculous Success!
4 W, 1 B: Easy Victory!
3 W, 2 B: Bare Success
2 W, 3 B: Bare Failure
1 W, 4 B: Outright Failure!
All Black: Disastrous Failure!

Example:
Ted, the Bear Who Wishes to Be a Fish, pads along the stream bed quietly, when low and behold, a glitter from the stream catches his eye. The object, whatever it is, is floating and rushes by. Ted pauses and leaps instantly, knowing that this object may be a clue to the disappearance of creatures within the forest. Ted's player takes a reading and draws 3 Whites and 2 Black. Success, but barely... Ted manages to grab hold of the object but is slammed against a nearby rock as the current pulls him.

Skilled Actions
According to the Beast's character sheet, certain actions are skilled or unskilled. For example, Ted (above) has "Wants to Be a Fish" on his character sheet. Therefore, Ted gets an extra bonus on his action. Ted's player, if he chooses, can discard any number of black stones and draw that number again. So above, if Ted's player decides that a Bare Success is not enough, he may discard the three blacks (return them to the pot) and draw three more stones. The new result of the action is then determined.

If an action is unskilled, in other words, if it does not fall under something listed on Ted's character sheet, then the player cannot redraw.

The Switch
Other players can assist in action, as long as they declare how they helped. Switching means that a player may trade a stone from his character's pool for one in the current action. This can either aid or dampen a Beast's chances. Usually, this should be done only in important instances.

Example:
John is playing a parrot called William, who is following Ted on his quest to free the forest animals. But Ted runs into trouble. He cannot pick up the trail of the humans again -- he takes a Reading and gets 2 W, 3 B. A bare failure... Ted thinks he finds it but is still not sure. John announces that William helps him by gaining elevation and trying to spot tracks. John takes a white stone from his parrot's pool and gives it to Ted, taking a black in return. Now, John's parrot has a Beast Pool of 4 W, 1 B. Ted now succeeds in the action with 3 W, 2 B.

A Beast's Pool
At the start of play, each player will be given five white stones to represent the fact that the Beast is at full health, mind, and spirit. During the course of play, the Beast may have to do Readings of its own pool, to determine whether the Beast clutches on to its will to live or passes on to the spirit world.

Other players can switch when a Beast's player does a reading of its pool.

Example:
Ted stands, displaying his ferocity to the final human, blocking the bear's way from smashing open the gate. The human responds with a mean smile and suddenly pulls a dart gun from his belt. In an instant, the dart flashes forward and hits the bear. The GM tells Ted's player to take a reading on Ted's pool, for the dart is poisoned. The player sighs and looks at Ted's pool - 2 W, 3 B. Ted fights the poison, attacking the human in blind rage but the dart has done its damage. Ted is dying.



So there she is... at least in the basics..

What do you all think?

Copyright Mystic Ages Online, 2001

--Nathan

[ This Message was edited by: Nathan on 2001-10-04 11:42 ]

[Mike Holmes]

I assume that stones drawn are returned after the reading? Given that, I'd probably use dice and read evens as black and odds as white. Or high low. That way you can just pass around five dice. As it stands the only avdantage to using a pot would be stylistic.  Unless I'm missing something.

Mike

[Nathan]

Blasphemer! :smile:

Okay, that would work too I suppose. There is no real point other than stylish, but stylishly, wouldn't it be so much more fun to use stones? To me, dice have nothing to do with heroic stories of animals taking over farms, crossing mountain ranges to find their masters, and kicking human butt... On the other hand, stones are of nature and therefore afford some, however small, link with the idea. Plus, I want the game to have a sort of epic/primal feel to it. I don't get that with numbers. I have taken numbers completely out of this game.

Thanks,
Nathan

On 2001-10-04 11:49, Mike Holmes wrote:
I assume that stones drawn are returned after the reading? Given that, I'd probably use dice and read evens as black and odds as white. Or high low. That way you can just pass around five dice. As it stands the only avdantage to using a pot would be stylistic.  Unless I'm missing something.

Mike

[Mike Holmes]

Nathan,

I see your point. But consider: as long as you are already going that rout, why not capitalize on the nature of the system to enhance it. Your system is a lot like Scott Knipe's Wyrd, but in Wyrd the stones act in a unique fashion that dice could not. If you haven't read it, check out Wyrd. You might get some ideas as to other methods that you could use to make your game unique.

Mike

[Nathan]

Yikes! I checked out Wyrd and you are so right.

They are very similar. Plus.. the names.. Wyrd/Wild..

*sigh* There truly is nothing unique anymore.

Thanks,
Nathan

On 2001-10-04 12:31, Mike Holmes wrote:
Nathan,

I see your point. But consider: as long as you are already going that rout, why not capitalize on the nature of the system to enhance it. Your system is a lot like Scott Knipe's Wyrd, but in Wyrd the stones act in a unique fashion that dice could not. If you haven't read it, check out Wyrd. You might get some ideas as to other methods that you could use to make your game unique.

Mike

[hardcoremoose]

Hey Nathan,

I feel your pain, man.  It's hard to find something clever and original in this crowded field of ours.  But if it makes you feel better, I think the Wild predates Wyrd (I'm not sure - I didn't discover The Wild until after I had already begun work on Wyrd).

Great minds, eh?

- Scott