Echoes: Beta Version

[WiredNavi]

I've devised a little horror RPG called 'Echoes' which I've playtested a few times with some success in the last month or two.  The game's changed and developed over those playtests, and I think it's mature enough to expose to the light of day and see what people make of it.  The system is described in my LiveJournal http://www.livejournal.com/users/wirednavi/18562.html">here, and you're welcome to leave comments either there or here (though here might be better for actual discussion.

Fire away!

Dave

[Ben Lehman]

Hi, Dave.

Do you have any specfic questions or difficulties about your game?
For the benefit of the audience: Why does your game rock?

yrs--
--Ben

[WiredNavi]

Ahem.

My game rocks because of, well, a lot of reasons why many other games have rocked (in particular , but most specifically:

- The Echoes allow you to directly link the issues you want to address in your game to the terrible things that happen; all horror is necessarily meaningful in this game (though to a greater or lesser extent).

- The basic die mechanic often forces you to accept either horror or failure.  This encourages the players to allow bad things to happen to their characters and to buy in to the 'horror' nature of the game, instead of fighting tooth and nail for their.  However, the nature of the game is such that you can't be instantly killed or seriously reduced in effectiveness, so you can still participate in the game when bad things happen.

- You can, explicitly, narrate anything you want.  However, if someone challenges that narration, you can only keep it if you control an Entity with traits that are applicable.  This encourages players to narrate in aspects of the world that they want, but requires buy-in from the other players.

- Finally, it gives the players direct control over the themes of the setting and situation.  GMing this game was much more improvisational than I'm used to, because I didn't know what the scenario would be like until the players came up with their Echoes.  However, having the Echoes themselves provided enough of a framework that I was able to continually come up with thematic and relevant material even though I didn't know exactly what was going on.

As far as specific difficulties go:

- I don't think the Echoes are linked enough to the heart of the system.  They do what they're supposed to do, but I wish they had a bigger impact on the gameplay (which is what Echo Traits are trying to accomplish).  I'm also not sure I've been clear on what Echoes are supposed to do.

- I wish there were better rules for when traits are applicable, or at least who gets to decide which traits are applicable when there's a question.

- I have qualms about the XP system, since all the other XP systems I've used have had to be modified into this one.  Yet I feel that the Trauma -> XP system is necessary in this game, as it gives another reason to accept some Trauma.

- Edit to include:  I really, really would like some method of limiting GM resources, like DitV has, or at least some nice explicit mechanical guidelines for how to make the game feel certain ways (forgiving, harsh, deadly, etc.)  The system is forgiving enough that a few overpowered, or underpowered, NPCs aren't going to break things, but I feel it's something the game really wants to have.

- I apparrently can't write flavor text worth a darn.

- Anything else that someone sees which could use further explanation and/or changing.