Sense of Wonder

[GreatWolf]

And all of these things, ultimately, are Colour, and the only way to mechanically create wonder is to mechanically encourage wondrous Colour.

But there's only so much that you can do mechanically to do this.  I mean, you could give the typical "bonus dice for good description" to reward good Color, but this doesn't communicate what good Color looks like in this context.  For example, good Color in Legends of Alyria or Nobilis is different than good Color in Unknown Armies.

Here is how I'm approaching the problem in Legends of Alyria.  First, I am trying to write the setting sections of the book in a proper tone that invokes the feeling (Color) that I am looking for.  Second, I am including full-blown stories that provide examples of Alyria-style Color.  Finally, I have a section in the manuscript entitled "Thematics", which addresses both Premise (Good and Evil) and Color (Iron and Mist).  Each subheading has a poetic (well, IMHO) description of the element and then a practical look at how to implement it in play.

As far as mechanics, I tend to agree with Mike.  Your best bet is to ensure that your System doesn't interfere with your Color.  Occasionally, your System can provide some of the Color itself; witness the Moon Dice of Alyria.  However, this is the only Color element of the actual System, and it exists as Color in its own right, not as a mechanical way to encourage Color.

Seth Ben-Ezra
Great Wolf