[Paladin] New to the Forge

[R. Jason Boss]

Hi there, I'm new to the Forge and have been learning a few of the games buzzed about 'round these here parts.  I just wanted to post saying that Paladin looks great and right up my groups alley.  I'm not very good at keeping track of these for post-game reports, though, any tips on making decent Actual Play type writeups?  Also, I'm very excited about some of the things mentioned in older posts about 2e Paladin, any news on that at all?

I actually got pointed in this direction by a friend who recommended TSoY to me which I enjoyed reading up on but which I think might be too much for my group just now.  Paladin seems easily digestible and in keeping with the sorts of characters they enjoy as well.  Thanks for sharing these games with us!

Jason

[Ricky Donato]

Welcome to the Forge, Jason! I'm new here as well (been here a week!), but I think I can answer one of your questions. Click here for a thread discussing what an Actual Play post should contain. Someone please correct me if that information is wrong or out-of-date.

[R. Jason Boss]

Thanks, that is pretty helpful.  Just have to be more actively conscious of what is going on in the game at the time I am running so it sticks with me.  I shudder to think of all the content I've gamed that I can't even remember at this point.

Jason

[James_Nostack]

Hi Jason, Paladin is one of my favorite Forge designs, but it doesn't get a lot of play these days.  I think the last AP thread I saw was our old "Masonic Snipers" game, and that never got beyond coming up with a code and chargen.  (Still, it was an awesome game as far as it got.)

Somewhere around that time, Clinton was talking about 2e, but I don't think anything happened with that.

If you like Paladin, though, you might want to give "Dogs in the Vineyard" a spin, which Clinton once described as Paladin done right, or something like that.  Although the game's incidental color involves pseudo-Mormons in the Old West, it could easily be ported to a medieval fantasy setting, or futuristic space opera.

[R. Jason Boss]

Thanks, James, I appreciate the info.  Dogs looks good, it actually might be the first Forge game I'd heard of (from a friend's livejournal) before ever coming here or knowing what the Forge was. : )  I would like to chech it out as well.  So many games!  This is a challenge for me as my players are not as swift to seek out innovation as I might be, so I'm trying to learn a fair bit about several games to find a decent fit for my group.  I think trying a bit of Paladin first will be fun.

I'm going to end up with a list of "must buys" for sure, I'm so hosed.  Already interested in Sorceror, Dogs, TSOY + Paladin (which do all but Dogs have some free incarnation, but I like buying them too to hold the book and support the authors) for starters. 

Thanks again,
Jason

[R. Jason Boss]

Well, if the 2e Paladin has been shelved I suppose I could try to construct something toward the same end for my game based on the previous comments about it on the forum.  Mostly I'm interested in the ability to "transcend" one's Code and change it.  Perfect for the sort of game I've had in mind, though it wouldn't be pertinent to the gameplay for a while anyhow.

Thanks for the tips on the AP guys, I will try to post something when my group gets 'round to playing Paladin.

Jason

[Christoph Boeckle]

Hi Jason!

I've played Paladin a few times, and here is what I found out:

Transcending a code is not really supported by the system. Sure, you can go against it, but it doesn't distinguish the myriad ways of doing it. Either you're Light, or you're Dark.
I haven't tested The Shadow of Yesterday in play yet, but I'm suspecting that choosing Keys in a pertinent manner will let you do what you want.

Paladin is more about the fight to stay in the Light (...), which it does pretty well. Our mini campaign ended with the destruction of the order. We could have redefined a new code (IF the PCs would agree to one, which was unlikely) and then reallocate the Animus points and change the Marks, but that's a bit heavy. Besides, I think it was a nice thing to stop the story right there, they had transcended the state of Paladin (or died...), their future was open to anything (and it wouldn't have made sense to continue all together).

Whereas with TSOY, you should be able to pull it off with an appropriate use of Keys.


I wouldn't bet on a 2nd edition of Paladin in a long time, Clinton hasn't commented the topic in ages.

[R. Jason Boss]

Thanks for sharing your experiences with Paladin and your constructive comments with regard to TSOY in this vein.  For what it's worth I was not suggesting that Paladin did in fact contain mechanisms to alter one's Code, but rather I was referring to the author's mention of including such mechanics in the hypothetical 2e Paladin.  I'll dig back into TSOY soon, like I said I'm new here and a bit overwhelmed by the array of information available (including new games to try). 

Jason