Petals in the Wind (split from Struggling for a balance)

[Seth M. Drebitko]

[Vulpinoid]

That seems to be a fairly concise and handy game mechanic.

My only question for "kewl powers" and "gear", is whether you are going to base these off form or function.

If a character is projecting a divine energy blast, will the basis of the "kewl power" be the fact that it's a blast that does damage (form)? Or will it be described in the form of a damage effect that comes in the form of a blast (function)?

It's a subtle difference at it's core level, but this kind of defining aspect can really focus the way the remainder of the game mechanics are derived.

If it's a blast, then you'll probably end up with dozens (if not hundreds) of specific powers; for example, numerous blasts that do different types of things. Each of these specific instances will be easy to grasp, but the overwhelming number of them could be off putting.

If it's a damage effect, then you can describe a wide variety of effects by combining a few simpler game mechanics. For example, it's a "Damage" effect, it's a "Ranged", and it causes an "Elemental Fire" impact when it hits. With maybe twenty or so of these general terms, you can mix and match powers to create a huge range of effects with minimal rules explanations. The problem here is that a lot of players don't easily grasp the concepts of mix-n-match powers and the basic forms of the powers aren't as simple as the one off explanations above.

I'm just thinking in text here, but it looks like you've got some good ideas that you're working with...

V

[Seth M. Drebitko]

" If a character is projecting a divine energy blast, will the basis of the "kewl power" be the fact that it's a blast that does damage (form)? Or will it be described in the form of a damage effect that comes in the form of a blast (function)? "

I will probably try and do a cross between the two. For example BESM, and Mutants and Masterminds provide the bases for almost anythign you could possibly imagen, and on the off chance their once something they did not add the ground work for creating it was already in place.

Regards, Seth

[Seth M. Drebitko]

One thing I have been contemplating incorporating is the idea of plot hooks as a way to gain experience, as the game emphases drama, and descriptive growth. What I want is for players to have a pool of resources used to invest in both the characters development, as well as story development.
What I am thinking is that when ever something in the game happens which a player feels is to them important they can invest experience in it. Writing it down and as it appears in future events they will gain experience from it. Now one thing I am having problems with is balance. Obviously the problem of a players investing in story elements for character growth is the potential for to many loose plotlines lying around.

What I am looking to know, are some opinions on what might be a good method for hampering players from creating to many plot lines. So far I am just thinking a max allowance at any given time so that there is only so much influence on the plot from any given player at any one time, but I am not sure how that would fly with people.
Regards, Seth

[lighthouse]

Powers should not be "cool", they should not be added just for the sake of being added, imho. Instead they should be an integral part of the game.

[Seth M. Drebitko]

My bad in the wording. "powers" are in fact very important to game play as they affect the flow of things outside normal action res. One of the key things that I meant by "cool" was more of a descriptive appeal to things. More or less "Kewl Powerz" are nothing special compared to other rpgs abilities, except that they incorporate a need for descriptive elements.

Regards, Seth