Need some advice on terminology

[Nev the Deranged]

Okay, recently I've been working on an arena combat system for a MMORPC that I am sometimes on. I've run a few previous versions of the system there, this particular version is a new approach from a different direction, which I'm hoping will meet with some success. Whether I get players or not is somewhat academic, this is mainly self-absorbed system-design excercize for me with the added bonus possibility that it will attract players or at least discussion.

Aaaanyway. I posted on the mailing list for this project, but there are currently only two people on it, so I don't expect much feedback. And then I realized I could probably post here (legitimately for once) and get actual useful advice.

So, here's the post from my mailing list:

***
Okay. I need some advice on what to call the single variable the
system is based on. Veterans of the original DA will remember this as
"die level", a term which I hated but couldn't think of anything
better at the time. Well, we're going to think of something better
now. For one thing, it's no longer appropriate since the variable is
in 10 point incremements rather than die faces. For another, it's just
a lame name.

Here's the thing. Every character, when playing the Advanced rules,
starts with 50 (for a short battle) or 100 (for a long battle) points.
In most games, these would be called "Hit Points", but I don't really
care for that term either, although I may fall back on it.

I've been calling it "Vitality" in my notes, but as I polish the
rules I'm realizing that doesn't work either. I'm toying with "Will"
but that doesn't really inspire me.

See, these points don't necessarily represent the character's health,
or stamina, or life- although they do. But they also represent the
character's willpower, fighting spirit, morale, energy, commitment to
the fight, etc. DA vets remember my many long winded explanations, I'm
sure.

Basically, as far as the rules of the game are concerned, what the
number represents is how effective the character is at fighting at the
moment. A character at 100 points has a better chance to succeed than
a character at 70 points, and a way better chance than one at 30
points, because a character always rolls a die that's the same size
(number of faces) as their current "points". So a character at 80
points rolls 1d80, whereas a character at 40 points roll 1d40. It's
that "effectiveness scaling" thing I talked about in my first post.

So, the number isn't just how close a character is to losing (by
running out of points) but how effective they are in the fight (by
having a bigger or smaller die to roll). Characters can both gain and
lose points during a fight. This CAN represent physical damage and
healing, but it can also represent tiredness, broken weapons,
exhausted magical energy, etc. in the case of losing points, and
restored fighting spirit, repaired, borrowed, or improvised weapons,
magical transfusions, or whatever in the case of regaining them.

So... I need a catchall term that encompasses "fighting
effectiveness" in general, and can apply to any possible REASONS for a
warrior's fighting effectiveness to increase or decrease, and
preferably that sounds snazzy.

Any suggestions?
***

So.. um... any suggestions?

Thanks!

Dave

[Adam Cerling]

In my recent game design I have found this resource invaluable:

http://www.thesaurus.com

Look up all those words you've been considering. You'll find many promising synonyms. Beware popups.

[SPDuke]

Yep, I use www.thesaurus.com all the time when I'm designing.

I think of the words you offered, Vitality seems to fit most.  I think Vigor would also work.
I'm not familiar with your game at all, but if it happens to be set in WWII, you could call it "Moxie", that was a popular word back then--these days its a delicious beverage people who live in New England drink.

Stability, Gusto, Oomph.

Energy.

Any of these help?  I like the idea of tying in health to how well a character fights!  Good luck to you!

Peace,

-Steve

[Nev the Deranged]

Hmm. I hand't thought of using the thesaurus, that may be helpful...

It's a mostly fantasy setting, although in my arena any milieu or genre of character is acceptable, so it's got to be a pretty generic term.

Maybe "Stamina"... I don't know. There are a lot of phrases that *almost* fit, but just don't quite do it for me.

[Nev the Deranged]

Here are the fruits of a quick Thesaurus search or three:

Vitality, Energy, Stamina, Will, Endurance, Spirit, Hit Points, Life, Guts, Power, Constitution, Skill, Drive, Fortitude, Mettle, Nerve, Resolve, Prowess, Ability, Puissance, Health, Condition, Fitness... etc.

Some of these are more fitting, some less, but the main point is that the term I need encompasses ALL of these things, therefore using any one of them would by synechdoche. Unfortunately that's probably going to be impossible to avoid, so I will just need to pick the MOST appropriate one.

A little more background, in case it helps: In the original Digital Arena system, I went hard simulationist, with long lists of Traits and abilities, each with it's own special rules, to try and mechnically mimic every possible "real" effect. Since there's no computer crunching numbers, players had to personally resolve each and ever mechanical conflict (usually I ended up having to do it myself) which needless to say became burdensome in the extreme. Plus it required tons of record keeping, and constant tweaking and balancing of existing Traits, plus trying to come up with new ones and meeting player requests for Traits and keeping it all fair.

A nightmare.

So, the new version has one set of rules that cover everything, every player has the same set of mechanical options available all the time. However, players have total narrative freedom to describe what the mechanics mean in the Shared Imagination Space.

So, when player A attacks player B and succeeds, player B loses 10 "points" from their score. Which not only brings them closer to defeat, but also makes them less effective, since they will be rolling a die that is ten faces "smaller". That's what the game mechanics say. The PLAYERS on the other hand, can describe it however they want- as a wound, as damage to their equipment, as poison, as magical interference, as entanglement, as loss of morale, or fatigue, or whatever they see fit that takes into account the "story so far" of the fight, IE what's already been narrated.

I can't remember how much of this I explained in the original post, so I hope I'm not totally repeating myself. But that's where I'm stuck.

[DevP]

There is richness to be had in choosing a proper term for this (for some fighters it is Soul, or Will, or Vitality, or Bones or whatever) so rather than sacrifice this richness, what if you allowed players to choose whatever name they saw as fit, and add these up for the battle in question? Such as:

Willpower 20
Hatred of Haus Mekios 30
Steelskin 30

Then in a specific battle against a Lord of Haus Mekios, I add those up to 80. You can call this "Battle" or whatever, referencing that is is specific to an instance of a battle. Or, you can simplify further, allowing only a single stat but phrasing it however the players likes. So:

Combat: Willpower (50)

Saying that the stat is generally named "Combat", but allowing the player to define how that is put into the gameworld (Willpower) and the number attached to it.

[Nev the Deranged]

Hm.

"Combat" is actually a term I hadn't thought of, that might work... although it still sounds too narrow. But since this is a combat game, and combat is pretty much all that's being done, it is very appropriate.

As far as letting everyone name their own... hmm. That bears consideration. But I still need a term to call it in the rules.

You're right about the term bearing the weight of the "color" for this- it's basically the only element of the design that ties together the mechanics and the color of the game. Which explains why it's so crucial to find the "right" word.

The numeric value of this element isn't going to be static though, even from battle to battle. Depending on whether players want a long or short battle they can set the starting value to 100 or 50 respectively. So it's not even really a value that's actually tied to the characters specifically.

thanks for the feedback so far!

[DevP]

FWIW, I believe Trollbabe has just one stat called the "Number", so you can go to something as simepl as that. Refer to is at "the Stat", and have it recorded as "Stat: Endurance" or whatnot.

[ironick]

How about "Steel"?  It kinda plays off of "mettle."

...or Grite, or Force?

Just some ideas.

Nick

[SPDuke]

Few more:

Presence, Efficacy, Value.

I like that last one especially.

Let us know what you go with!  The suspense is killing me!

-Steve

[Nev the Deranged]

Still haven't decided... nothing's really grabbed me so far.

nice to see someone else appreciates a little schadenfreude, tho.

[Adam Cerling]

Stop worrying so hard, name it something that's close but not perfect, and get on with writing the game. Let your subconscious work on it. Once you realize the perfect word, you'll be only a Find and Replace away from having known it all along.

[Nev the Deranged]

Oh, I'm not letting it hold me up. Give me some credit, man, pfft.

Of course I just typed up a long post on Free-form combat rules, and the one time I didn't cut and paste into Notepad while drafting, Yahell ate it.

Gawddamn technology.

[Nev the Deranged]

I think I'm just gonna go with Stamina for now. It's a pretty good fit out of the possible alternatives. If I or somebody comes up with something better down the line, groovy.

[Trevis Martin]

Martial Prowess?

Or Prowess

best

Trevis