(Random) narrativist rule idea

[Christoffer Lernö]

Hi,

I was watching Resident Evil last night and whenever the cop guy was threatened I was thinking: "oh, they can't kill him yet - they haven't revealed his mysterious background yet"

What if it worked like that. Basically you had x points which were your background which you could spend in game to create your character as you went along. While you still had points you wouldn't be able to die because your story "wasn't finished yet".

Or maybe that's how the legend points in my minigame works.

If you run out of legend points you can die from one hit. However, spending legend points helps you do stuff. Now if you used legend points to buy skills and successes and all that too... then it would work like that.

Funny.

[simon_hibbs]

Interesting observation. I think this might work well for some kind of board game, or card game. You have a hand of 'Secret Background' cards, or plot cards or something, which give you bonuses while you hold them (printed on the back?). Revealing them at various points will help (and are necessery for) your progression through the game, but weaken your hand.


Simon Hibbs

[Le Joueur]

What if it worked like that. Basically you had x points which were your background which you could spend in game to create your character as you went along. While you still had points you wouldn't be able to die because your story "wasn't finished yet".

If you run out of legend points you can die from one hit. However, spending legend points helps you do stuff. Now if you used legend points to buy skills and successes and all that too... then it would work like that.

Sounds like a sophisticated Design-in-Play character concept management system.  Personally, I like them so much I put them in our game.

The 'cannot die because their story isn't finished yet' is a game idea that I liked in Scott Knipe's WYRD.  You have a number of stones, to over-generalize, you can't die until your stones are all gone.

I favor a mechanic that powers your return from devastating problems because you are 'fated to do so.'  Your proposal carries the implication that regardless of your fate, you luck will run out.  The worse things get (players not rolling well), the less legend points you'll have left.  Not so much legerdemain, but luck; it forces the player to manage their points and 'flunks them' if they fail.  Personally, I think that what it ought to do it protect the player character so long as they pursue their 'destiny;' if they 'turn their back on it' they get hosed.

Turn your idea inside out; reward them for 'hanging in there' rather than burning up their points for it.  (Would that be punishing them for becoming legends?)  What do you think?

Fang Langford

p. s. I don't think this is link to any GNS mode, Narrativist or otherwise.