The Riddle of Power

[Ace]

After OBAM and TFOB and SATF are wrapped up may I suggest the next book

The Riddle of Power

I will admit to having more than a few simulationist cravings left and it occurs to me that something like a TROSified Pendragon Lordly Domains or Harn Manor would be very interesting

TROS already has a great "equipment system" and it would be nifty to see it expanded with more gear up to say the late 18th century or so

Pipe Organs, Muskets and Small Swords Oh My

Also rather than JAMS (Just another manoral system)how about an expanded look at old time economics, heck even include trade.

LInk this together with issues of Power and control of land and assets. Not only is it an expanded gear list its also a guide to getting and having temporal power

Of course we musn't forget the potato. You see unlike on Harn there are root crops on Weyerth

Most importantly The Riddle of Power talks about wealth and power issues, how to get it, how to spend it and use it  and most importantly how it affects Passion

What do you all think?

[Ron Edwards]

Hi Anthony,

(looks left, looks right)

I think this is great idea. Social status is given a lot of character-creation oomph in TROS, in that one sacrifices quite a bit to have any. The usual effect is to have a bunch of low freemen running hither and yon in play.

But what about the special benefits and special risks of choosing A or B for status, or for gaining exceptional status during play? I think it's an excellent source of conflict concerning Spiritual Attributes. I also think it's an excellent way to "ground" characters in sociopolitical Weyrth for people who aren't so versed in history as to do so automatically.

Best,
Ron

[Ace]

Hi Anthony,

(looks left, looks right)

I think this is great idea. Social status is given a lot of character-creation oomph in TROS, in that one sacrifices quite a bit to have any. The usual effect is to have a bunch of low freemen running hither and yon in play.

But what about the special benefits and special risks of choosing A or B for status, or for gaining exceptional status during play? I think it's an excellent source of conflict concerning Spiritual Attributes. I also think it's an excellent way to "ground" characters in sociopolitical Weyrth for people who aren't so versed in history as to do so automatically.

Best,
Ron

I overlooked the Social Status part Ron. It would be a great addition. I think it should be noted that pick A and pick B mean very different things in different societys.
To players used to dealing with the default psuedo fuedal/ medieval societys present in most RPG's the differences between high status in say an Aztec or Egyptian one can come as quite a shock

[Jake Norwood]

This is a wonderful idea...something I always wanted to see for TROS, but never quite felt qualified ot handle. I even brought in an economist to help with the whole money and equipment section in book eight (really!). Anyone want to write it?

Jake

[Nick the Nevermet]

As one of the people stupidly drooling in the Birthright thread a while back, of course this sounds interesting to me.

And as much as I want to say "i want to write it," I know better (now).  And besides, having a sociologist whose been reading too much Foucault would be a very poor choice to write a book about power in an RPG. (Trust me, you don't wanna know.  If you already do, I empathize)

A few things, though

1) I'm seeing three different but interrelated things being discussed.  First, mechanics for a manoral system.  Second, setting information with a grounding in the class structures of societies in TROS.  Third, information (maybe mechanics?) on firmly connecting the role of class and institutions in society to a character (the suggested anchor was to SAs).

I think all of those things are REALLY cool (especially).  However, I think its important to consciously think about how these are supposed to be linked together, and also what are the priorities of the book.  Having less developed setting information is forgivable if the priority of the book is on a definitive system rules that would dictate how all in power act and interact.

For the mechanics
Ron (accurately IMO) describes the mechanics of TROS as being sim with a narrativist drift.  Should it be a goal of whatever is developed to mechanically also be sim w/ a narrative drift?  I don't have a clear opinion on this

For the setting
Its sad how many gamers think they understand the social world of the Middle Ages or the Rennaisance. (Its sad how many gamers think they know everything, but thats another rant).  The biggest bugaboo for setting info is that there is soooooooooo many different cultures.  It would be a daunting task to make meaningful generalizations about social structure in just Mainlund, nevermind the rest of Weyrth.  Going back up to the mechanics issue, a question would be could the same mechanic be used for different lands (Xanarium and, say, Picti).  I'm not beinging this up to be a doomsayer, just to make sure tradeoffs are addressed.

For the relation to the character
This, Ace, is I think the best possible question to ask for such a game.  I own harn manor, birthright, lordly domains, and even the supplement with the attempt made for Fading Suns.  I love questions on how vast resources can be brought to bear on an RPG, and I think you got it exactly right when you ask how it affects the characters involved.

I still haven't had my coffee, which is why I don't have many opinions yet, but I hope this thread doesn't die or get diluted any time soon