[GroupDesign] - Nailing Mechanics

[Sydney Freedberg]

Thanks for kind comments. I also note Tobias's sig is terribly appropriate in this context...

The mechanics on burn and fade look good. I think we need to flesh out what happens, in the Host's experience, when he acts under Archivist influence, but that's mostly color (although important to leaving the Host). I presume Burn-Out and Fade-Out, in their permanent versions, are irrepairable for both Host and Archivist?

My thought on how to plug that hole:
When the Archivist departs the Host, it snaps back to the Great Library, safe from the assault of the sensual world on its ethereal nature: All accumulated Fade points are gone -- but any Traits lost to Fade-Out stay lost. Any Burn you accumulated, however, stays with you: That assault on your residual human nature is hardly softened by your leaving the human world.
What happened to the Host? Any Traits lost to Burn-Out stay lost -- and, unlike Fade, Burn doesn't go away, so he or she is still stuck with all the points of Burn you left them with. Low levels of Burn will eventually heal; higher levels will turn into lingering illness, permanent disability, or, at worst, slow death.
[And insert handy table of Burn effects which I've not written up yet; but this allows us to have both the "Hollowing-Out" effect and the "you just plain kill 'em" effect]

Is there a 'levelling up' for the Archivist? (I think allowing the Archivist to only gain Transcendental traits as the game processes could be cool).

There's got to be or else the game's one great big Death Spiral -- this is the biggest flaw to what I wrote and I knew it at the time, but I figured once I got the horrible, constricting stuff written down we could always make it gentler later.
I like JediBlack's Great Library quests to gain Transcendental knowledge -- although such research could also be an objective of a real-world mission (pity the host on that one).
As for gaining Human Traits, that should only happen if they "bleed" over from the Host -- and I've not figured out a mechanic for that yet. Thoughts, anyone?

On the taking of actions and accumulating Bonuses and Penalties - at this point the GM steps in at the last moment and tosses in the final modifiers. Did you really intend for it this way?

No, that's just bad writing on my part. GM sets modifiers first, but doesn't tell the player.

[Doug Ruff]

I guess I should be careful what I wish for in future, that's a great big chunk of posting loveliness from everybody - it's beginning to look like we have a game on our hands!

I'm going to make a few observations about the latest contributions - Tobias, please let me know if you still want extra chapters form me afterwards, as I haven't finished these yet.

Archivist creation: If Archivism is a (difficult) choice, this leads me to think that Archivists will co-exist with 'regular' humans at any given time (unless the optional Time-Travelrules are invoked.) Is this correct?

Human and Transcendant Traits: perhaps the circumstances of your Archivism determine the number of Human and Transcendant Traits; someone who died for a cause may have more Human Traits, but less Transcendant Traits. The surgically-created Archivists of the distant future may have greater Transcendant power, but less Human Traits.

I also think we need to limit the scope of the Transcendant traits - if Archivists can use these traits to affect the world physically, then much of the point is lost - see my previous suggestion about 'telepathic' and 'energetic' powers, couldn't these be the two main Transcendent Traits?

Time Travel: Why not just decide whether or not Archivists can travel in time, and leave it at that? I'm not sure this needs a numerical rating.

The Great Library: I think the exact nature of the Library can be tweaked to fit different settings. For a time-travel campaign, it could be The Library at the End of the Universe, or a place Outside Time. Perhaps Archivists have perfect memory, and are their own Libraries. Perhaps the Library is a massive biological computer that the Archivists can 'possess' a part of, gaining access to the vast store of knowledge imprinted upon it's 'brain'.

Nemesis: I like the idea of this being a free choice as well, either by the players or as part of a setting.

Human 'Neutral Traits': These sound like physical features and skills to me. I'd suggest that there are 4(!) actual categories of Traits available.

[*] Physical Traits - These describe physical attributes (Strong, Ugly, Fast) and are solely the preserve of the Host.
[*] Knowledge Traits - Skills and learning. Both Archivist and Host have access to these, and over time they can learn these from each other
[*] Personality Traits - These are the 'Human Traits', both Archivists and Hosts have these, and the differences between these wil generate conflict.
[*]Transcendent Traits - As discussed.[/list:u]

This may seem complex, but I don't think a great number of Traits are required to run this game. I'm thinking something along the line of Aspects in Fate - there are relatively few of them, but the ones you have are really important.

Fade: I originally saw this as the Archivist succumbing to the emotions of the Host. I like the idea of taking a point of Fade just for making contact. I also agree that if a Human Trait is activated, then more Fade results. Ditto removing Fade by suppressing these instincts. However, I think that there should be a minimum amount of Fade, that gradually increases as the Archivist remains in the Host. After a long period of Possession, the Archivist should be at risk of 'Fading Out' every time the Host experiences a strong emotional state.

Burn: I think there is a difference between a Host's 'mental Burn-out' as a result of having their head screwed up by the Archivist, and 'physical Burn' as a result of the Archivist's energies coursing through the Host's body.

For 'Mental Burn' I agree that this should 'mirror' Fade. This also means that the minimum value of Burn should increase with time.

For 'Physical Burn' I'd add points every time the Archivist uses a special power. This type of Burn shouldn't go away - the Host pays a permanent (and ultimately, terrible) price for the Archivist's intervention.

Oh, and instead of damaging the Archivist, excessive Fade makes it impossible for an Archivist to leave their Host. This means that they are stuck unless they can somehow reduce their Fade level, or they are rescued by another Archivist.

Secret Human Traits: I like the idea of this, but I'm less keen about having the GM having to keep track of these for each roll. If the Archivist has telepathic powers, Secret Traits are going to be buried fairly deep in the Host. How about having a high-value Trait wth a 'trigger condition'. If the condition is met, the Archivist is going to have to deal with the consequences of the Host's actions, or take heavy Fade.

I think there's more to explore, but this is a hefty post and I think I need to sit back a bit and take more stock, and give you all some time to respond.

[Sydney Freedberg]

Can't resist engaging with Doug's comments, which are as always, well, engaging. Tobias, if you want us to stop commenting back and forth on this rules draft and wait for others to submit "chapters," just give the word (conversely, if you think we should thrash out the proposals on table even more, let's do that).

If Archivism is a (difficult) choice, this leads me to think that Archivists will co-exist with 'regular' humans at any given time ...

Yeah, I think it makes for more interesting stories this way. At least in the core & recommended options, it's better for player-Archivists to come from recognizable human societies, not some emotionally alien transhuman future.

perhaps the circumstances of your Archivism determine the number of Human and Transcendant Traits...

Now that's an interesting idea. Plenty of room for CCG-style options there. ("Oh, you want to come from that century? Okay, you get this Trait automatically plus points to spend on..." or "Okay, here are three options for having been ritually sacrificed, but I have a supplement with more somewhere...")

we need to limit the scope of the Transcendant traits - if Archivists can use these traits to affect the world physically, then much of the point is lost

Agreed, though I may be approaching the same point from a different angle. My thought was that even the most awesome of Transcendent Traits must be exerted through a human Host (mechanically reflected by Burn, and by the fact that you can't even leave the Library without a Host!): Even if the Archivist is using, say, telekinesis, and the Host doesn't seem to be doing anything, the Host's brain is critical to channeling the psychic energy into something that can interact with the physical world.

the exact nature of the Library can be tweaked to fit different settings

Agreed. But the mechanics of it can be identical. The setting stuff is basically chrome.

Human 'Neutral Traits': These sound like physical features and skills to me. I'd suggest that there are 4(!) actual categories of Traits available [:]...Physical Traits ...Knowledge ....Personality Traits -[aka] 'Human Traits'....Transcendent....[/list].

Okay, basic philosophical difference here. I think we should distinguish types of traits solely by game-mechanical function -- basically whether they cause Fade, cause Burn, or cause neither. You attempt to start carving it more finely, you get into the classic RPG trap of trying to include everything in a unified classification scheme, and This Way Lies Madness.

For example, what if the Host is rich, or poor, or socially well connected? That doesn't fit into Physical or Knowledge, so you add a Social category; but no matter how many times you add functional categories, there's always something that doesn't fit. So forget functional categories. If it doesn't affect Fade or Burn, it's Neutral. Period.

....there should be a minimum amount of Fade, that gradually increases as the Archivist remains in the Host. After a long period of Possession, the Archivist should be at risk of 'Fading Out' every time the Host experiences a strong emotional state.

I don't think you actually need a "Fade clock" that builds up over time. The longer the Archivist stays in a particular Host, the more stimuli will come up that trigger the Host's Human Traits, which forces the Archivist to make Fade-or-Burn decisions, which will make a stable symbiosis, in the long run, virtually impossible to maintain. No additional mechanics needed.

I think there is a difference between a Host's 'mental Burn-out' as a result of having their head screwed up by the Archivist, and 'physical Burn' as a result of the Archivist's energies coursing through the Host's body.

Agreed, and my current draft doesn't capture this well (even with the little addendum I posted about, maybe your Host gets cancer when you leave), and this is something I'm unhappy about. But in the interests of elegant rules, I'd like the same mechanic to drive both the physical and mental decline. Perhaps force the player to choose whether to maim the Host's body or mind? (Ah, the exquisite agony).

If the Archivist has telepathic powers, Secret Traits are going to be buried fairly deep in the Host.

Telepathy is essential to Archivists, I agree, otherwise they can hardly communicate with each other let alone take a Host. But it is also essential to limit telepathy because, goddammit, it breaks stories too easily. There need to be unknowns for drama's stake. And it's easy to define telepathy as something that gives the Archivist access to surface thoughts but still allows you to be blindsided when you realize "Oh crap, I just possessed an alcoholic/idealistic fool/compulsive RPG designer."

How about having a high-value Trait wth a 'trigger condition'. If the condition is met, the Archivist is going to have to deal with the consequences of the Host's actions, or take heavy Fade.

Okay, I need Doug to explain this one, because I'm not sure I get it.

And finally: Everyone has probably noticed that my draft has a huge, huge, gaping, giant hole, which is, "What are Transcendent Traits and what can you do with them, anyway?" There's room for CCG-style modular packages of options here, but the core needs way more definition than I've been able to think of so far ("uh, Matrix wire fu is cool!"). So here's a big area to thrash out, eventually -- not sure in this thread or elsewhere. (Tobias?)

[Doug Ruff]

Sydney,

Thanks for your detailed (and engaging!) reply. It helps me to realise that we have a similar take on most of this. Which means I'm going to focus on the differences, of course.

Transcendent Traits: There's not actually that much difference here; I agree that we need to flesh these out, so I'm not going to worry about this for now.

Different Trait Categories: This isn't such a difference either, I also agree that the differences should be down to game function only. Difference is, I'm trying to add another function, some Traits can be exchanged between the Archivist and the Host. If I possess Bruce Lee, maybe I'm going to learn a few tricks that I can use in my next Host. Similarly, maybe walking a mile in Gandhi's sandals might make me (the Archivist) a better person. Similarly, if I keep 'suggesting' scientific information to my Host, he may retain some of this knowledge when I depart.

Splitting the traits up into categories is my first clumsy stab at introducing this possibility.

The 'Fade Clock': If I read your previous posts correctly, each point of Fade is equivalent to a point of Burn - when one goes down, the other goes up. This is effectively a 'zero-sum' game. What bothers me about this is that it is possible (although the GM can make it difficult!) to maintain an indefinite balance this way. I give the host his rein, I compensate by using powers, or I get my way next time. I want something that makes long-term possession a priori dangerous. By gradually increasing the total amount of Fade and/or Burn the Archivist has to 'juggle', it gets harder and harder to maintain the balance.

And this is where the 'Secret Trait' comes in. Imagine that my Host has a 4-point Fear of Spiders trait that the Archivist doesn't know about. Any time that Trait triggers, either the Archivist has to take 4 points of Fade, or the Host takes 4 points of Burn. That's gonna hurt, especially if there isn't enough slack to play with.

Mental vs Physical Burn: Maybe I'm being a bit Sim about this, but I don't see the connect between these. I see mental Burn as being incurred through the Host's exposure to different feelings and knowledge (Multiple Personality Disorder) and Physical Burn as the irrevocable 'radiation' cost of the Archivist's powers. However, I think this is also a separate topic, and fully appreciate why it could be handled differently (choosing between mental or phsysical damage for the Host, ouch! I like that.)

[Tobias]

I've got a meeting of a couple of hours first, so won't be able to post anything long, but I'll notice these things:

1.  Transcendent powers do need to be fleshed out, but since they're likely to be similar to traditional superpowers (unless we come up with something new and innovative), I think it'd be ok to leave them alone for a while while we hammer out these basics.

2. I DO want people to post their own chapters, please. Sydney's contribution is great, but it's one vision. Let's at least have one to compare it with (and I need to write one myself, I realise).

3. ALSO continue with sparring on Sydney's version. Why? Because, basically, the energy we've got going will die out if we don't.

4. I'll also say I think both Sydney and Doug make some excellent points. It's like having 2 menu's to choose from (for me) at this stage - I'll toss my own ingredients in the mix soon.

5. Note that there's a innate difference between archivist-dom through tech (limited to an advanced future... or a forgotten past, or secret technological knowledge from that forgotten past), or through mystical means present throughout all time. The CCG thing on traits is impossible (imho) with the tech-option (as currently written).

[Sydney Freedberg]

(1) Redefining Traits

Having pondered Doug's thoughts on (1) different trait categories and (2) physical vs. mental burn, I've come around to the idea of rejiggering Trait categories myself. Here's a tentative thought, essentially renaming Transcendent Traits and Human Traits (though the overall terms Transcendence and Humanity should remain) and splitting the bland "Neutral Traits" in two -- and allowing the Archivist to have some too, as emotionally neutral residues of their human selves alongside Human Traits:

Logoi (sing. logos), an ancient Greek term meaning variously "word," "reason," and "the governing principles of the universe" :  the mighty Knowledge that only Archivists can posses. Take effect in play only by the player's choice, reducing Fade but increasing Burn.
[theological digression] The Gospel of John uses the singular term "Logos" for Christ's divine (rather than human) nature, i.e. "the Word [of God]."[/theological digression]

Passions : the drives that, for good or ill, make us distinctly human. Take effect in play automatically, increasing Fade (and either increasing or reducing Burn depending on whether it's the Host's or the Archivist's Passions in play) -- unless the player chooses to Suppress them, reducing Fade but increasing Burn.

Abilities : Mundane positive attributes of a character -- skills, talents, natural gifts, etc. If they belong to the Host, or if they belong to the Archivist but are substantially similar to those of the Host (e.g. Archivist has "Sniper," Host has "Soldier"), they can be used at will without any cost in Fade or Burn. If they belong to the Archivist and are not congruent with any Ability of the Host, they can be used at will, but only a cost in Burn to the Host, and without any benefits vs. Fade to the Archivist -- these are not Transcendence-enhancing traits, but emotionally neutral vestiges of the Archivist's human past. (N.B. That this is my attempt to incorporate Andrew's idea of differing costs for Archvists doing things that in-character vs. out-of-character for their Host).

Disabilities: Mundane negative attributes -- areas of below-average skill, physical handicaps, injuries or illness. They come into play automatically as penalties unless Suppressed (the Archivist forces the Host to overcome his/her limits) at a cost in Burn, but no gain in Fade.

For each point by which Host's Burn exceeds his/her Humanity limit, the player must choose: remove one point from one the Host's Passions, permanently, hollowing him/her out spiritually and emotionally (this is the only option in the current rules, and equates to Doug's "Mental Burn"); or add one point of Disabilities to the Host, sickening and ultimately crippling him/her physically (this is a new option, and equates to Doug's "Physical Burn").

Note that Humanity still equals total Passions only; mundane Abilities, even those possessed by an Archivist as a legacy of its human past, don't count towards Humanity because they lack the emotional power.


(2) Other, smaller things:

If I read your previous posts correctly, each point of Fade is equivalent to a point of Burn - when one goes down, the other goes up. This is effectively a 'zero-sum' game.

Actually, there are a few places where you can make both Fade and Burn worse, notably when the Archivist allows its personality to override the Host's, i.e. the Archivists uses one of its own Human Traits (aka Passions). There isn't an option that makes both better. That's on purpose.

Imagine that my Host has a 4-point Fear of Spiders trait that the Archivist doesn't know about. Any time that Trait triggers, either the Archivist has to take 4 points of Fade, or the Host takes 4 points of Burn. That's gonna hurt...

But it's only going to be a surprise once. And sorry, sloppy writing on my part: Once the GM invokes a Secret Trait against you, that trait is no longer secret, you get to choose whether to Suppress or not before it takes effect, and you can see the Fade/Burn incurred.


(3) Unresolved issues:

Defining specific Transcendent Traits aka Logoi aka Kewl Powerz. Not urgent for now.

Trying to think of how to scale up all these mechanics to entire civilizations so we can portray the global-level effects ("Oops, giving that peaceful tribe advanced technology, centralized government, and a sense of manifest destiny imparted them with the trait 'Imperialistic Bastards level 7.' Better travel back in time and fix THAT one.") Probably should wait until we have the individual-level mechanics fairly clearly defined so we can simply scale up with as little change in system as possible.

Figuring out how Hosts' and Archivists' traits rub off on each other. This is a really cool thing and it needs a mechanic... and I'm blanking. Help?

[Sydney Freedberg]

Having just posted that I didn't think we should worry too much about Transcendent Traits (which I propose renaming Logoi) right now...

...there's a innate difference between archivist-dom through tech (limited to an advanced future... or a forgotten past, or secret technological knowledge from that forgotten past), or through mystical means present throughout all time. The CCG thing on traits is impossible (imho) with the tech-option (as currently written).

I'm not so sure. Let's set aside formalized magic as essentially a form of technology -- you can have different techniques developed by different societies, past or future, which tend to produce different kinds of Archivist . Instead just look at mystical ascension in terms of self-willed ascension (either conscious or subconscious) by someone who sacrifices his/her life for knowledge without any magical/technological assistance. I.e. in my "chapters," the explorer who keeps on going, or the detective who keeps on investigating, in the face of certain death. Surely the different circumstances of ascension should affect the kind of Archivist you become (as somoene pointed out previously, I forget who).

So, taking my cue from another Tobias post:

having 5 1's as human traits (weak human traits) does feel a bit counter-intuitive with the 'burning quest for knowledge' thing.

I agree, and this got me thinking. I'd been thinking of Human Traits (aka Passions) as residues of the old self. Perhaps the drive that made you sacrifice yourself for The Truth should show up on the Archivist's character sheet not as a Human Trait/Passion but as a related Transcendent Trait/Logos.

Examples make this much clearer:

The detective won't be deterred from his investigation and gets bumped off. He turns into an Archivist with the Logos "See Through The Lies" -- his mortal obsession to investigate has transcended into a superhuman ability to discern hidden motives and deceptions. (This Trait still causes Burn to the Host when used because it's the Host's senses and brain that are being used to gain these insights, which are inhumanly clear and intense).

The explorer won't turn back and dies trying to see what's beyond the next mountain range. She turns into an Archivist with the Logoi "See Beyond the Horizon" (i.e. clairvoyance) and "Inhuman Endurance."

A stone age tribesman offers himself to be ritually sacrificed to watch over the tribe as a guardian spirit. He becomes an Archivist with the Logos "Danger Sense" (to use the classic gamer terms).

A cyborg quantum physicist allows her brain to be destructively uploaded so he can better pursue his quest to understand the cosmos. She becomes an Archivist with the Logos "Perceive atomic structure."

[Doug Ruff]

Sydney,

I'm going to stop short of adopting Logoi permanently for now, but I'll use it in this response as it's a useful abbreviation of Transcendent Traits.

Having Logoi that directly represent how an Archivist came to be is remarkably similar to having "Origin Powers" in superhero-genre games. While I like the idea in itself, I'm less than comfortable with having it as a mainstay of this particular game.

I think that's because I've got certain preconceptions (prejudices, even) about how Archivism works - I see it as a natural state within the Setting. This implies that any Archivist should be able to learn any of the Logoi - although actual proficiency will vary, and this could be based on personality or cultural differences (these are psychic powers, after all).

I also think that "how Archivism works" has to be settled before we will be able to agree on a mechanic for representing it - and I'm more than happy for you to challenge that stance as a Game Design Prejudice.

However, it means that I'm feeling a bit stuck right now - I don't feel I can engage with you properly over how to represent something, when I'm not sure that we share the same Idea of what we are attempting to represent. How do you feel about this?

[Sydney Freedberg]

Having Logoi that directly represent how an Archivist came to be is remarkably similar to having "Origin Powers" in superhero-genre games. [BUT] any Archivist should be able to learn any of the Logoi - although actual proficiency will vary, and this could be based on personality or cultural differences...

Actually, I would agree with you here. My suggestion for chargen (and, no, I wasn't fully clear before) would be that each Archivist should get one Logos tailored specifically to reflect his/her "origin story" but also pick other Logoi freely. So in my four examples above, the "origin logos" would probably be a high-value trait, but not the only Logos/Transcendent Trait the character had by any means.

"how Archivism works" has to be settled before we will be able to agree on a mechanic for representing it - and I'm more than happy for you to challenge that stance as a Game Design Prejudice....I don't feel I can engage with you properly over how to represent something, when I'm not sure that we share the same Idea of what we are attempting to represent.

Point well put, and taken. I'd argue not for the opposite perspective (mechanics first, work out world from that) but for what my military R&D friends call an "iterative" process -- in this case, you do a little setting-building, that influences what mechanics you create, which in turn prompts you to flesh out the world, which calls for changes/additions to mechanics, back and forth in a (hopefully) natural rhythm rather than trying to nail one thing down completely and then move on to the other.

Because if you "nail" mechanics without setting in mind, you end up direly constrained in what you can do (I once tried to run a fast-and-furious, darkly comic action game using... GURPS. F*** me, did that not work). Contrarily, though, if you work out your wonderful setting in all its details, and only then try to translate it to mechanics, you may end up with a baroque mass of special rules to cover all the cool stuff you thought of.

Especially since I'm a fan of giving each gaming group considerable leeway to refine, even redesign, the setting, I'm strongly in favor of working out robust, relatively simple mechanics that be put to a wide range of uses. (E.g. Sorcerer, or, in non-game terms, the AK-47 assault rifle). But, as Doug implies, it may well be time for our iterative process to go from a mechanics-focused phase to a working-out-setting phase.

[Andrew Morris]

Abilities : Mundane positive attributes of a character -- skills, talents, natural gifts, etc. If they belong to the Host, or if they belong to the Archivist but are substantially similar to those of the Host (e.g. Archivist has "Sniper," Host has "Soldier"), they can be used at will without any cost in Fade or Burn. If they belong to the Archivist and are not congruent with any Ability of the Host, they can be used at will, but only a cost in Burn to the Host, and without any benefits vs. Fade to the Archivist -- these are not Transcendence-enhancing traits, but emotionally neutral vestiges of the Archivist's human past. (N.B. That this is my attempt to incorporate Andrew's idea of differing costs for Archvists doing things that in-character vs. out-of-character for their Host).

Yup, that pretty much address it. It was just a concept, and you put mechanics on it. Not exactly what I was thinking, but close, and more refined.

Figuring out how Hosts' and Archivists' traits rub off on each other. This is a really cool thing and it needs a mechanic... and I'm blanking. Help?

Maybe we have a list of minor to severe results of Burn/Fade, and this is one of them?

[Sydney Freedberg]

My comments on Andrew's comments on, uh, my comments....

Abilities : ...(N.B. That this is my attempt to incorporate Andrew's idea of differing costs for Archvists doing things that in-character vs. out-of-character for their Host).

...Not exactly what I was thinking, but close, and more refined.

Well, except it requires huge GM judgment calls, which I always find inelegant (if your Host is chopping carrots, is his "Cook" Ability congruent with your "Knife-Fighting"?). So there are refinements required, I suspect.

...how Hosts' and Archivists' traits rub off on each other.

Maybe we have a list of minor to severe results of Burn/Fade, and this is one of them?

Yeah, but how do we do that without having a table or lookup chart -- which I personally dislike, a lot. Now maybe can somehow be another option for dealing with excess Burn/Fade points, but where I got blocked on that route was that you'd just spend all the Fade/Burn you could picking up useful Traits.

[Tobias]

Gentlemen,

Your humble foot awaits your needs on what your brains need from me to keep on going on this. :)

I've been really busy because I will go to the US of A tomorrow, for 9 days of work and recreation. My internet access at that time will be varying greatly, so I propose we turn over Foot-dom to Sydney for that period.

If there's anyone out in Washington D.C., cincinnatti or pittsburgh with an evening to spare next week, let me know. :)

[Doug Ruff]

Tobias,

Seconded (sorry Sydney) - and enjoy your trip!

[Sydney Freedberg]

I will go to the US of A tomorrow, for 9 days of work and recreation. My internet access at that time will be varying greatly, so I propose we turn over Foot-dom to Sydney for that period. If there's anyone out in Washington D.C., cincinnatti or pittsburgh with an evening to spare next week, let me know. :)

The honor, and the irony. I live in DC, of course, but I've got my own travel plans, leaving early on Thursday, 21 October and returning late Tuesday, 26 October (just about the time Tobias gets back to Europe, I gather); I'll probably have email access since I'll be in hotels, but my time, energy, and sanity will be limited (travelling with baby across multiple time zones -- eek). So I'm not sure I'm the best Acting Foot for the next couple of weeks, either....

That said, I can identify a few issues that have cropped up that might be worthy of spawning a new thread and getting some clear sense of what we want to achieve before we return to mechanics:

(1) Defining Archivist-ness more precisely, and deciding which aspects of Archivist nature are the essential core, which are merely recommended, and which are entirely customizable.
(1') As a crucial subset of Archivist-ness, defining Transcendent Traits / Logoi more precisely, again looking at core/recommended/customizable.

(2) Looking at the Big Picture: the concerns involved in trying to change the course of history (a) with time travel (b) without time travel, including the possibilities of Burning Out or Hollowing Out entire societies and, conversely, the use of single individual NPCs as yardsticks for success in such change (the "let's help Chen" scenario from the Time Travel thread).
(2') Related to the Big Picture, the idea of finite campaigns -- i.e. you presumably defeat the Nemesis at some point, and then it's over (like My Life With Master rather than classical perpetual-motion D&D). This might require some meta-mechanic that triggers endgame or establishes victory conditions for a campaign, e.g. every successful Archivist mission uncovers some amount of Truth which gives you points towards ultimately averting/defeating the Nemesis.

Now there is probably a (3) out there I've failed to identify; and we can probably also only focus on one of these at a time.

P.S.: Tobias, when exactly will you be in DC, and in what parts of DC? Life is fairly chaotic pre-trip but it might be possible and pleasant to meet in person.

[Doug Ruff]

(1) Defining Archivist-ness more precisely, and deciding which aspects of Archivist nature are the essential core, which are merely recommended, and which are entirely customizable.
(1') As a crucial subset of Archivist-ness, defining Transcendent Traits / Logoi more precisely, again looking at core/recommended/customizable.

(1'') As a second crucial subset, defining Archivist/Host interaction more precisely.

(If we recognise that it's a subset of (1) we may make more progress.)

Other than that, I agree wholeheartedly - and (1'') doesn't have to be urgent anyway.

Don't worry about the Foot thing - I'm sure that we can all be Responsible Citizens for the next few days. Although it would be nice if you could 'set a direction' by starting the two new threads with a 'this is what we need to achieve' type of post. If you're too busy, PM me or post here if you'd like me to do this.