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Clinton's Fourth Axiom of Game Design

Started by Clinton R. Nixon, November 18, 2004, 03:31:11 PM

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Emily Care

Quote from: Clinton R. Nixon
And now I know how a game of Jedi Breaking the Ice (or Breaking the Laws of Nature, in this case) ends.

And if you don't want to go down that road, as I see it you've got easy peasy, Han and Leia as the two characters. Leia's conflict is that she wants to save the Rebellion from being crushed by the Empire, Han's conflict is that he just wants to make some dough and go back to his peaceful little gig, bootlegging.  

Saving Leia from the Star Destoyer would be their first date.  Leia getting them out of line of fire would give her bonus dice for that scene, and the "safe haven" being a monster infested trash-compactor would be her re-rolls. Having R2D2 crack into the computer and get the plans for the death star (incidentally saving them too) would pull in dice from her conflict.

Han's conflict obviously gives him his big break with Leia when he gets put in that block of carbonite...

best,
Emily Care

ps I can see a Jedi version of GOG where you are a Sith invading a rebel colony taking out Jedi and you get the difficulty reduced for sacrificing a stormtrooper in some appropriately gruesome and amusing way.  The Gods would be dead Jedi/Sith calling down some aspect of the force on the still breathing characters.
Koti ei ole koti ilman saunaa.

Black & Green Games

joshua neff

Are you guys talking about Splinter in the Mind's Eye? It was, as far as I know, the first Star Wars non-movie novel to come out, between Star Wars ("A New Hope") and Empire.
--josh

"You can't ignore a rain of toads!"--Mike Holmes

Michael S. Miller

Cool topic. I haven't been doing anything but working and sleeping all week, so this is a fun read. I've got TWO for you, and my thoughts on why they wouldn't work:

[insert toungue in cheek] Baron Munchausen--Jedi don't brag [/tongue-in-cheek] Oops, unless they're telling instructional parables. "Tell us, Master Yoda, of the time you brought a dozen criminals to justice on Arbra-Three, where we all know that no sentient being can commit an evil act."

InSpectres--because the game is about *mundane folks* in a weird world and, as previously mentioned, Jedi ain't mundane. Aw crap! Jared has those "weird agent" rules that I never use. Dagnabbit, strike this from the list.

Okay, I talked myself out of them. Twas fun.

Of course, now I want to play a Jedi version of Discernment. The scholars could be Dark Jedi interrogating a prisoner or Jedi Masters testing the character of a new candidate.
Serial Homicide Unit Hunt down a killer!
Incarnadine Press--The Redder, the Better!

Clinton R. Nixon

Michael,

"Discernment" is high on my want-to-play list. Jedi Discernment would just rock.
Clinton R. Nixon
CRN Games

John Harper

Ummmm. Let's see here....

Le Mon Mouri (I have no idea)

Monkey, Ninja, Pirate, Robot (Why do Jedi want plutonium? To power their lightsabers, of course!)

Creeks & Crawdads (Another variation on very stupid Jedi.)

Scarlet Wake (Obvious. And it would rock.)

Puppetland (This Jedi can move things with his mind. This Jedi cannot harm innocent beings.)
Agon: An ancient Greek RPG. Prove the glory of your name!

dunlaing


Clinton R. Nixon

Quote from: dunlaingEnemy Gods?



Star Wars D20?

Enemy Gods - same idea about the "ghosts" of dead Jedi as I've mentioned before.

Star Wars d20 - I'm laughing very loudly right now.
Clinton R. Nixon
CRN Games

jknevitt

Quote from: Clinton R. NixonStar Wars d20 - I'm laughing very loudly right now.

Ditto.

Hm. How about ... Unknown Armies?

I'd toss you a bone and suggest RUN, but that's barely in alpha test. :)
James Knevitt

Clinton R. Nixon

Unknown Armies:

The Force-o-mancer, a postmodern magick type

The Force-o-mancer is a huge Star Wars geek. He's online on the bulletin boards, he reads every book, he's always at the Meetup group. He's dissected the philosophy of Jedi down to a science, and definitely was part of that weird attempt to get "Jedi" recognized as a religion in Australia.

The paradox is that while you profess a philosophy of power through a peaceful soul, action through inaction, power only comes through the "Dark Side," fury unleashed.

Blast style: Force-o-mancers have two charges. The minor blast is the classic telekinetic blast. The significant blast is Force Lightning.

Get a minor charge: Take an insult to your face, walking away with a smile on your face.

Get a significant charge: Be physically damaged by an attack and walk away, making some Star Wars reference.

Get a major charge: Have a body part severed by someone who hates you.

Taboo: Continue to not succumb to the "Dark Side." While you get charges by ignoring pain and suffering, you have a limited time to utilize that power. Minor charges last a month before they disappear. Significant charges require you crack down on the enemy within a week. Major charges only last one day before you must fly out in glorious anger.

Spells: They're all Jedi powers.
Clinton R. Nixon
CRN Games

jknevitt

Let's call that a practice run.

How about:
Legend of the Five Rings
James Bond
Teenagers from Outer Space
Cyberpunk 2020
James Knevitt

Clinton R. Nixon

Quote from: jknevittLet's call that a practice run.

How about:
Legend of the Five Rings
James Bond
Teenagers from Outer Space
Cyberpunk 2020

You know, you hit four games I haven't played or read in one post. (John might smack me for L5R. What can I say? I like 7th Sea more.)

So, an idea for 7th Sea instead:

The Gnostic Blades

The Church has it all wrong. The world is the devil. Flesh is the devil. Only the spirit is pure. Through meditation and training, you have seen the secrets of the universe, and now you are a Blade, one who defends the heresy against the workings of the Inquisition. Your rapier drips with holy light as you slash through tainted flesh.

It's another magic school combined with a swordsman academy - salt and pepper it as you see fit.

--

And just to try:

Cyberpunk 2020: Jedi on the Edge

Essence is what makes you human, what makes you holy. But, there is a rise of cybernetic psychos, those who have sold their Essence for power. You must touch the same source of power to combat them. Armed with a powerful hand-laser (the sign of your kind) and the Cult of the Light on your side, you use your cybernetic powers to eliminate those Essence-free husks while trying to maintain your own Essence.

(This is culled from some Googling. Maybe I've got C:2020 all wrong.)

Seriously, I've never seen TFOS. But couldn't you just do Teenage Jedi From Outer Space?

And James Bond? Imagine Ewan Macgregor as James Bond. Then give him psychic powers and have him fight evil Cold War psychic spies, who are all led by an ancient Stalin, still alive from his own dark psychic mastery.
Clinton R. Nixon
CRN Games

Vagabond

Ok, looking through my pile of small press stuff I came up with a couple that might be kinda tough:

Pantheon by Hogshead

Zero by Archangel

apparition13

In order of increasing difficulty...?

Lord of the Rings

Buffy

Warhammer (fantasy or 40k)

Call of Cthulhu

Is it still Jedi without the philosophy/cosmology (ie:  light side and dark side;  easy to succumb to the dark while difficult, though not impossible, to be redeemed)?
apparition13

pete_darby

Just thinking... why would Jedi Sorceror be all about the bad guys? I mean, it seems every time the Knights get to whip out the whup ass, they have to whine on about power, responsibility, temptation, yadayadayada, just like them damn sorcerors... "Sure, I'll just use my uber kewl powers to get myself out of a jam this time..."

Jedi Pantheon? We get to write the score script right? Too easy.

Otherwise, are we talking setting or mechanics, because, if it's setting, jedi's tougher. Otherwise...

CoC: You say insanity, I say dark side, let's call the whole thing off.

warhammer: underlying clunky gamy system, but crit tables with limb loss, sounds good to me.

Buffy: Dramatic editing, good. Kewl Powerz, good. Bonuses for snappy lines... replace with gnostic cliche's and you're onto a winner.

LotR: Hey, didn't Peter Jackson adapt the Jedi to become the Wizards in his movies? I don't remember much telekinetic badosity in the books...
Pete Darby

Keith Senkowski

Clinton,

Give me jedified De Profundis and Elfs...

Keith
Conspiracy of Shadows: Revised Edition
Everything about the game, from the mechanics, to the artwork, to the layout just screams creepy, creepy, creepy at me. I love it.
~ Paul Tevis, Have Games, Will Travel