Previous Topics
In RPG Theory

3/9/2004 timfire: Using Experience points as a resource for other effects?
This came up in another thread in the indie forum, but I thought it might deserve a little more discussion here. In the other thread, I proposed letting players spend…
In RPG Theory
Participants: timfire, anonymouse, brainwipe, Ron Edwards, komradebob, Valamir, John Kim, Mike Holmes.

3/8/2004 thelopez: Controlling Currency Hyper-Inflation
I have found, through my personal gaming experience and reading articles about the failure of CRPGs, that one of the many reasons why CRPGs fail is due to the hyper-inflation…
In RPG Theory
Participants: thelopez, Harlequin, Mike Holmes, Christopher Weeks, Noon, contracycle, erithromycin, Valamir, M. J. Young.

3/8/2004 Jonathan Walton: New "Fine Art" Article on RPGnet
They posted last Friday's article today, since they had a hole they needed to fill and already had another article ready for Friday. This one's about the theories of Joseph…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jonathan Walton, Sean.

3/8/2004 Jonathan Walton: A Brief Design Manifesto: Memory
I have a sneaking suspicion that Dungeons & Dragons will not survive the coming ecological collapse. When we are forced to live in caves, surviving off fungus and 200-year-old cans…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jonathan Walton, Brother Adso, Mike Holmes, John Kim, andy.

3/7/2004 komradebob: Why so little Scenario Oriented Design?
Hello: I got a lot of great responses to an earlier thread, but I wanted to start this new one, to get feedback to a core question that occured to…
In RPG Theory
Participants: komradebob, Valamir, ethan_greer, Jasper, John Burdick, Eero Tuovinen, JamesSterrett, John Kim, Michael S. Miller, Andrew Norris, contracycle, brainwipe, willofgod.

3/6/2004 hix: Establishing a Social Contract
A couple of recent threads here and in the Heroquest forum have started me thinking about the preparation phase for a game. Assuming that everyone in a hypothetical group was…
In RPG Theory
Participants: hix, Ron Edwards, Valamir, Mike Holmes.

3/5/2004 Autocrat: Skills, the grouping and arranging of - Responses?
Alright then, second attempt, this one a little more detailed..... hopefully! SO, my questions are; *If playing this system, how do you think you would find the rules outlined below?…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Autocrat, montag, Shreyas Sampat, Walt Freitag, M. J. Young, komradebob, John Kim, cruciel, Eero Tuovinen, Rich Forest.

3/5/2004 Noon: True GM Vs players, with infinite GM elephants/resources
Ah, I don't know why I bought the AD&D monster manual and GM book. At first it was the crappy artwork to laugh at...but now they mezmerise me. Not in…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Noon, jdagna, Ron Edwards, Valamir, Walt Freitag, Scripty, timfire, anonymouse, JamesSterrett.

3/4/2004 cruciel: Mixing Genres
First, the definition of the naughty word. Genre A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, marked by a distinctive style, form, or content. Mixing Genres Taking elements…
In RPG Theory
Participants: cruciel, arwink, clehrich.

3/4/2004 AnyaTheBlue: Teenage Isolation and RPGs
This is kind of an off-topic post, but I'll try and make it as relevant to the Forge as possible. First, a pointer: Why Nerds are Unpopular One of…
In RPG Theory
Participants: AnyaTheBlue, John Kim, Loki, Noon, Scourge108, M. J. Young, Christopher Weeks, Sean.

3/3/2004 komradebob: A product fantasy-One Consumer's POV
I have a fantasy that one day, I'll walk into a game shop and find a very special gaming product one a shelf. The product is sort of like this:…
In RPG Theory
Participants: komradebob, timfire, quozl, ethan_greer, M. J. Young, Jack Spencer Jr, Alex Johnson, Michael S. Miller, contracycle, brainwipe, Paul Czege, Walt Freitag.

3/3/2004 John Kim: System for a Star Trek Game?
After good responses to Chris' Setting seeks System thread, I thought I'd pose my own dilemma. So I am planning a new campaign which will be based on…
In RPG Theory
Participants: John Kim, AnyaTheBlue, RaconteurX, Valamir, komradebob, newsalor, Nuadha, Doctor Xero, Mike Holmes, clehrich, lumpley, jrs, Alex Johnson, cruciel, erithromycin.

3/2/2004 Sean: Tarot-based mechanics
Weekend before last my buddy and I were playing around with a supplemental tarot-based mechanic for our game. We're still hammering out some details for how the major arcana work;…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Sean, quozl, John Kim, Paul Czege.

3/2/2004 ShaneNINE: Suggest a game system for me PLEASE!
First, I'm not a regular here so I'm not up on all the vocabulary and lingo y'all use. So bear with me. Please, please, please, for the love of all…
In RPG Theory
Participants: ShaneNINE, ethan_greer, John Kim, HMT, Mike Holmes, RaconteurX, Nuadha, cruciel, adamsmith, Lorenzo Rubbo-Ferraro, Ron Edwards, Shreyas Sampat, clehrich, Peter Nordstrand.

3/2/2004 Zak Arntson: Characterization of Monsters?
This is split from Are non-humans neccessary in FRPGs?. To keep this thread on topic (the race threads keep diversifying, which is no bad thing, so long as new…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Zak Arntson, jdagna, pete_darby, John Kim, Mike Holmes, Jack Spencer Jr, Ron Edwards, Scourge108, Sean, james_west, M. J. Young, timfire, jrs, Valamir, erithromycin, b_bankhead, Latigo, quozl.

3/2/2004 Trevis Martin: Comparitive data thread: Reward and Reward Mechanics.
Hi everyone, I found myself interested in the comparing of dwarf stats in the Dwarfs, Dwarves and Small People thread and I think it would be a good thing to…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Trevis Martin, Mike Holmes, M. J. Young, Lxndr, Michael S. Miller.

3/1/2004 Doctor Xero: thesis : the two approaches to RPG player enjoyment goals
After reading (and participating in) the various posts involving cooperative and competitive gaming, the purpose of fantastical races in FRPGs (and SFRPGs), and some of the G/N/S concerns, I think…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Doctor Xero, RDU Neil, Mike Holmes, John Kim, greyorm, contracycle, Ron Edwards, ethan_greer, Andrew Norris, Valamir, clehrich, Itse, Alan, Christopher Kubasik, Gordon C. Landis, M. J. Young, Walt Freitag, Caldis.

3/1/2004 RDU Neil: Simplistic GNS examples...
As I've attempted to plow through the varioud GNS articles and the like, I find my non-academic brain needing some clarification. (I have to look up words like brachiate and…
In RPG Theory
Participants: RDU Neil, Ron Edwards, Valamir.

2/29/2004 Wenlock: No limit ?!
Hello, I'm a newbeee and I wondered a short time in which forum I could put this thing...... Well, in case I made a mistake, let me know. Here's the…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Wenlock, Jack Spencer Jr, Ron Edwards, Noon, Lorenzo Rubbo-Ferraro, Doctor Xero, M. J. Young, Nathan P..

2/27/2004 sirogit: Obtrusive mechanic details?
It's to my understanding that several games have considering using certain mechanics, but didn't include them in the game as it would slow the game down to a certain degree.…
In RPG Theory
Participants: sirogit, Doctor Xero, Harlequin, Mike Holmes, John Kim, coxcomb.

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Subsequent Topics
In RPG Theory

3/9/2004 thelopez: Dynamic Character Missions
In the MORPG that I want to design I want to include missions that characters can attempt. There are several problems, IMHO, with the mission systems that have been implemented…
In RPG Theory
Participants: thelopez, Peter Nordstrand, Christopher Weeks, Mike Holmes, Tavish, Doctor Xero.

3/9/2004 RPGuru59: Diceless Combat Resolution
I am designing a storytelling game called SAGE (Story Advanced Game Engine) that uses diceless combat resolution. I use a point based system, allowing the characters to give away points…
In RPG Theory
Participants: RPGuru59, M. J. Young, Michael S. Miller, RaconteurX, simon_hibbs, Lxndr, Ron Edwards.

3/9/2004 John Kim: Got my Solmukohta Book
I just wanted to say that I got my contributor's copy of the book "Beyond Role and Play" that Jonathan Walton mentioned in this thread. Thus far, I…
In RPG Theory
Participants: John Kim, Jonathan Walton.

3/10/2004 Asrogoth: Streamlining Design
Since I opened the can of worms regarding "Streamlining the Creative Process" (see this thread http://www.indie-rpgs.com/viewtopic.php?t=9943) and have accepted the challenge of making my "vision" come to life, I am…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Asrogoth, thelopez, lumpley, Mike Holmes, andy, Ole, timfire.

3/10/2004 taalyn: Systematic challenge, or "How the party met an untimely
One of the things that really impressed me with Dunjon was the method for gauging how many or what level to make NPCs so that they would be a consistent…
In RPG Theory
Participants: taalyn, M. J. Young.

3/10/2004 thelopez: Elves Comparative Study
It would be interesting to do an average height, weight and age comparison for Elves from a variety of FRPGs or similar styled RPGs as Brian asked for in his…
In RPG Theory
Participants: thelopez, Ron Edwards, Mike Holmes, Scourge108, Ben Morgan, Tavish, Harrek, Valamir, HMT.

3/11/2004 b_bankhead: Hot Lead and Hypocrisy: a rant on guns in Call of Cthulhu
Note: This article is an extension of the threads, Drifting to R'lyeh and Cthulhu's clues. It will be best understood by reading those posts One of the most nagging anomalies…
In RPG Theory
Participants: b_bankhead, Valamir, Noon, Andrew Norris, Ian Charvill, Itse, GreatWolf, John Kim, madelf, Gordon C. Landis, Ron Edwards, Trevis Martin, Ole, komradebob, Halzebier, simon_hibbs, Mike Holmes, pete_darby, GB Steve, ChefKyle, Russell Impagliazzo, James Holloway, JDJarvis, DannyK, M. J. Young, Storn, Castellanus, contracycle, CPXB.

3/11/2004 Storn: Characters that Click! Or don't.
No. I'm not talking about HeroClix. And I'm fairly new to these boards, only been here a few days. But I'm struck by the wonderful deconstruction and re-construction of gaming…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Storn, Mike Holmes, John Kim, Valamir, RDU Neil, Alan, aplath, Nuadha.

3/11/2004 Grex: IRC bots, Shakespeare, and relationship maps
I'm not quite sure if this has any practical application to RPGs, but it is an interesting read anyway: http://www.jibble.org/shakespeare/ Perhaps this PieSpy bot could be modified and put to…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Grex, contracycle, pete_darby.

3/12/2004 Noon: Wanna look at some gamist design bits of mine? (long)
I've got a few questions on a gamist system that I'm putting together (One I mentioned I was going to do in another post). I'll start with its goals, to…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Noon, Mike Holmes, Harrek, Ron Edwards.

3/12/2004 anonymouse: [design sketch] apocalypse now
This is a design sketch. I don't have any mechanics in mind right now, just have a stumbling block at the moment. so, I was watching this special on International…
In RPG Theory
Participants: anonymouse, erithromycin.

3/12/2004 Scourge108: Blue-booking
While I've tried just about every other roleplaying-related activity, I've never actually participated in a game that involved blue-booking. I'd like to know more about what this is like. How…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Scourge108, Ben Lehman, contracycle, Ron Edwards, ScottM, Valamir, Dev, HMT, John Kim, madelf, Alan, M. J. Young, xiombarg, Blankshield.

3/14/2004 Jack Spencer Jr: mystery
Originally posted in Why so little Scenario Oriented Design? Do the "Host a Murder Mystery" games provide an example of a single-adventure RPG product & rules? (I've never seen…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jack Spencer Jr, Asrogoth, Noon, komradebob, M. J. Young, Jack Aidley, Ian Charvill.

3/14/2004 ShaneNINE: Fate & Exalted
[quote]Zaal sayeth[/quote] I'm eager to run ... Exalted (with the goal of making a mythic story) games with Fate rules. [/quote] Me too! Well, sort of. What I'd like to…
In RPG Theory
Participants: ShaneNINE.

3/14/2004 Noon: PC motivation/character and inadvertant GM authorship of it
Hey all, This is a quick one to address GM techniques like 'keeping em poor keeps em motivated'. Not the stingy part of it, but that identification of motivation and…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Noon, komradebob, CRScafidi, Bankuei, Silmenume, John Kim, M. J. Young, Scourge108, simon_hibbs, Blankshield, Mike Holmes, Storn, Doctor Xero, Tomas HVM, age_of_dissent, contracycle, karolusb, Rexfelis, TonyLB.

3/14/2004 komradebob: Does anyone remember divided dice rolls?
The thread on Call of Cthulhu firepower reminded me of an old Dragon magazine article about divided dice rolls. This article must have been at least ten or more years…
In RPG Theory
Participants: komradebob, Walt Freitag, montag, Jeph, Christopher Weeks, Mike Holmes.

3/14/2004 taalyn: Myth of Opposed Rolls in action
This may be more appropriate for the design forum, since I'm talking about a specific manifestation, but I am open to discussing the relevance in other systems as well. So,…
In RPG Theory
Participants: taalyn, talysman, Halzebier, Mike Holmes.

3/15/2004 xiombarg: too many choices
Check out this article: http://www.newyorker.com/critics/books/?040301crbo_books I think the thesis of the book reviewed, if true, has some interesting implications for RPG design. For one thing, it certainly explains why a…
In RPG Theory
Participants: xiombarg, Nuadha, Scourge108, pete_darby, Thierry Michel, Ron Edwards, Doctor Xero, simon_hibbs, willofgod, clehrich, Walt Freitag, Bankuei, M. J. Young, Lorenzo Rubbo-Ferraro.

3/15/2004 Walt Freitag: On the term "Interactive": A Rant
On this thread Doctor Xero wrote: But in the name of sanity, please make a comment which has nothing to do with the use of the term "interactive" in…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Walt Freitag, Valamir, John Kim, clehrich, Doctor Xero, Alan, Tomas HVM, M. J. Young, Christopher Kubasik, Mike Holmes, Caldis.

3/16/2004 Christopher Weeks: Questions about a kind of fortune mechanic
Are there games in which the player has a pool of dice from which she must allocate some number for each task resolution roll and the pool regenerates through some…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Christopher Weeks, Ron Edwards.

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