Alternate Idea for TO & ST in Combat

[Morfedel]

Frankly, I don't really like dice pool mechanics, and it was a negative when I considered getting TRoS - but despite that, I like the game, hence why I hang out here.

The only dice pool game mechanics I truly like is "Godlike."

What I find amusing, though, is that i'm working on a game mechanic myself that is slightly dice-poolish. I wonder what that says about me? :/

Heh.

Speaking of (slightly off-topic here), in the Articles section of The Forge, in article by Mr Ron Edwards about game mechanics making a difference, he made a reference to an RPG called Zero and how it revolutionized dice mechanics for task resolution.

He wasn't referring to Spaceship Zero, right? Does anyone know what game he was referring to, and what was so revolutionary about it?

[Mike Holmes]

Zero is a game where you are a member of a Hive mind and "wake up" one day. Very Matrix-esque in some ways. Frankly I forget how the mechanics work, but it might be a Fortune in the Middle (FitM) thing.

Mike

[Ron Edwards]

Hi there,

Zero resolution is grossly Fortune-in-the-Middle. This is the game that introduced the "free and clear announcements" and order-set-by-resolution-roll concepts which I adapted for Sorcerer. It also has a very unusual, well-designed improvement system which I am pretty sure no one understands except for people who've played the game over the long term.

The game is not called Spaceship Zero, but just "Zero." It was written by Lester Smith and illustrated extensively by Stephen Stone (in fact, the game was in part designed based on the illustrations in the first place). It was published in 1994 by the short-lived company Archangel Entertainment, along with another brilliant game called Extreme Vengeance by Tony Lee.

Best,
Ron

[Morfedel]

Ah, thanks. I know what game you are talking about now, and at one point I ALMOST picked it up.

[Durgil]

I just DID for $9.00 at half.com.  Man, I'm such an RPG junky!

[Morfedel]

Give some feedback once you get it :)

[Durgil]

Not a problem.  I just got the confirmation saying it will take 5-15 days to get to me.