Previous Topics
In RPG Theory

6/22/2004 List: Inertia
I've noticed that it frequently happens that, because games are based around action, PCs end up jumping to action fairly easily. We picture starting a game with: GM: "You come…
In RPG Theory
Participants: List, Andrew Martin, M. J. Young, TonyLB, beingfrank, captain_bateson, simon_hibbs, Mike Holmes, Noon, Halzebier, Doctor Xero.

6/22/2004 Jonathan Walton: Filing Edges: GM as Author
This is the second part of my reaction to Mike Mearls association that roleplaying has not really changed much and his definition of roleplaying inherantly requiring a Gamemaster figure. In…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jonathan Walton, lumpley, ethan_greer, Christopher Weeks, neelk, List, M. J. Young, Andrew Martin, Noon, aplath, simon_hibbs, Rob Carriere, Mike Holmes, timfire, Doctor Xero, Paganini, Asrogoth, John Kim, Ben Lehman.

6/22/2004 Jonathan Walton: Filing Edges: Demigods
I was thinking about Mike Mearls assertion that roleplaying design is just "filing off the edges" (now that I'm clearer on what he means), when I responded to a post…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jonathan Walton, Eero Tuovinen, Christopher Weeks, simon_hibbs, neelk, Zak Arntson, Trevis Martin, Ben Lehman, M. J. Young, TonyLB.

6/21/2004 JackBauer: An Idea for Diceless Play
First of all, let me say that this "system" (if you can call it that), is highly customizable and flexible, and I will try to convey that in this post.…
In RPG Theory
Participants: JackBauer, Noon, Simon W, captain_bateson, ethan_greer, simon_hibbs, contracycle, xiombarg.

6/20/2004 Elkin: Looking for a system to suit a horror adventure
I don't know whether or not does this thread belong to this specific board. I've got an adventure idea in mind, and I'm planning to run it on a con…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Elkin, montag, Eero Tuovinen, smokewolf, Paul Czege, Ron Edwards, Alf_the_Often_Incorrect, Sonja.

6/20/2004 Sir Mathodius Black: 1 Player Play
Hey all, Never posted before on this particular forum so here goes... I am soon going to begin a Riddle of Steel campaign with a longtime gaming buddy of mine,…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Sir Mathodius Black, Jasper, Mark Johnson, SlurpeeMoney, Bankuei.

6/19/2004 Moah: GM-less games
Hi, I'm not sure this is the right forum for this question, hopefully I am not breaching any etiquette. I've been wondering if any of you have taken the narrativist…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Moah, TonyLB, Ravien, Jonathan Walton, Bob McNamee, Ron Edwards, sirogit, M. J. Young.

6/19/2004 Solo: Mass combats in gamebooks
I've recently refreshed my memories from Sagard the Barberian gamebook series. The thing that strikes me most in this series is the way of solving mass combats. It's simple, effective…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Solo, M. J. Young, Pagrin, Noon, Andrew Morris, Mark D. Eddy, simon_hibbs, timfire, Valamir, orbsmatt, dewey, b_bankhead, Precious Villain.

6/19/2004 Pagrin: About the players.
While I read a lot here about characters and rules and GMing, I haven't noticed anything about the different types of player. Amoungst my friends and the locals here we…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Pagrin, M. J. Young, John Kim, Henri, Trevis Martin, WyldKarde, timfire, captain_bateson, Doctor Xero, Ron Edwards.

6/18/2004 matthijs: Looking for inspiration for rule-less character creation
Hi! I'm trying to design a system for chargen that doesn't use rules. That is, there should be as little as possible use of numbers, readily defined traits etc. In…
In RPG Theory
Participants: matthijs, contracycle, Thor, aplath, timfire, buggy, HMT, xiombarg, Mike Holmes, Sydney Freedberg, M. J. Young, Peter Hollinghurst, Moah, simon_hibbs, komradebob.

6/18/2004 Ville Takanen: Story roles
Story roles I have been using a mechanic I generally call "roles" in my bi-monthly (tabletop) fantasy role playing game. The idea behind the mechanic is that every character has…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Ville Takanen, Eero Tuovinen, Jonathan Walton, Ron Edwards, neelk, M. J. Young.

6/18/2004 Noon: Getting a system out of your system?
This link is a thread about making the same character over and over, because certain things with that character just aren't resolved. I was wondering if this could also apply…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Noon, Mojo, Decurio, Ron Edwards.

6/18/2004 Doctor Xero: the value or uselessness of a game master
In every gaming group, there is always an authority which reinforces the Social Contract and concomitant Creative Agendae, accepted Player Stance(s), game mechanics, etc. Sometimes that authority is placed primarily…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Doctor Xero, Ron Edwards, Henri, Noon, dewey, contracycle, pete_darby, Ravien, Marco, M. J. Young, clehrich, Negilent.

6/17/2004 TonyLB: Trust and Communication
Folks asked me to repost this somewhere that it could be discussed without interrupting the discussion it sprung from. Would that I had anything more to add at the moment,…
In RPG Theory
Participants: TonyLB, beingfrank, captain_bateson.

6/17/2004 quozl: "Switch!"
In this thread, the "switch" is mentioned. How would go about implementing it in a game?
In RPG Theory
Participants: quozl, Paganini, Noon, aplath, Luke Sineath, M. J. Young.

6/16/2004 Jonathan Walton: "Fine Art" Column Wraps at RPGnet
Hey Folks, The final piece of my 9-article series was just posted on RPGnet, though it won't be announced on the main page until Thursday. It details my conclusion from…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jonathan Walton, Tobias, chadu, Valamir, neelk.

6/16/2004 Tobias: Find the right color for humanist game
All, You may or may not be aware of a game I'm designing, Your Gods are Dead. Related to that game are a bunch of questions I've been having in…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Tobias, Jasper, JamesSterrett, Eero Tuovinen, Paul Czege, simon_hibbs, Mike Holmes, contracycle.

6/14/2004 ADGBoss: The Campaign Season: Length of Intended Play Affecting Desig
Hello everyone, back again after being away from the Forge and design for a few months. Re to the old timers and hello to everyone new. As usual (for good…
In RPG Theory
Participants: ADGBoss, Valamir, M. J. Young, neelk, Ben Morgan, Nicolas Crost, Andrew Norris, Mike Holmes.

6/13/2004 sirogit: Thoughts on poor taste.
I've been thinking over an idea in my head and wondering if it is's good taste. Not that it's offensive, because I am most sure that it would offend somebody.…
In RPG Theory
Participants: sirogit, Eero Tuovinen, Henri, ethan_greer, Tomas HVM, Andrew Morris, MarktheAnimator, lumpley, Doctor Xero, M. J. Young.

6/10/2004 Halzebier: I have no words but I must communicate
Our D&D group had a brainstorming session for our next campaign tonight. I found it an exercise in frustration, as I was unable to get my ideas across. The others…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Halzebier, ethan_greer, Noon, xiombarg, Ron Edwards, trechriron, bcook1971, M. J. Young, Trevis Martin, Tobias, Matt Snyder, Emily Care, Henri, Caldis.

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Subsequent Topics
In RPG Theory

6/23/2004 Noon: The gaming peers = friends thing
Recently wondering: Does the association of gaming together and thus being friends together (apart from geek falacies) also come from the game content? I mean, a lot of games sort…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Noon, SlurpeeMoney, Jack Spencer Jr, matthijs, M. J. Young, Ron Edwards, Alf_the_Often_Incorrect.

6/23/2004 Ben Lehman: Expanding IIEE
Hi everyone. So I'm designing this little RPG Polaris which has it's IIEE ripped off somewhat from The World, the Flesh and the Devil by way of Otherkind and…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Ben Lehman, Ron Edwards, lumpley.

6/24/2004 Albert of Feh: Cooperative world creation
I haven't GMed anything in a while, but am hoping to change that in the near future. I would like to try a more player-protagonized narrativist game than I have…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Albert of Feh, M. J. Young, hanschristianandersen, ethan_greer, Christopher Weeks, GreatWolf, Doctor Xero, Alf_the_Often_Incorrect, Mr. Sluagh.

6/24/2004 Noon: The basic enjoyment of SIS
Usually a lot of discussion goes on about what you can do with an RPG, taking the Shared Imaginatiove Space involved for granted to do what your interested in. But…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Noon, timfire, Christopher Weeks, Ron Edwards, Doctor Xero, Silmenume, Alan, JackBauer, Ravien.

6/24/2004 Zak Arntson: New Glossary Entry: Character Sheet
I just ran into trouble with the definition of a character sheet over at the Doing Away with XP thread. Perhaps this term should be added to the glossary? In…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Zak Arntson, Doctor Xero, Alf_the_Often_Incorrect, John Kim.

6/24/2004 Alf_the_Often_Incorrect: An alternative to XP
I have had a cool concept sitting in my brain for a while, which probobaly already has been used, but I'll post it anyway. This is an alternative to XP…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Alf_the_Often_Incorrect, greyorm, M. J. Young, Moah, LoreTG, simon_hibbs, Mike Holmes, Ben Morgan, ErrathofKosh.

6/25/2004 ethan_greer: Everyone's a Gamer: A Rant
So, here's the basic premise: Everyone enjoys role-playing. Everyone. There are no exceptions. Every child pretends. Every culture has traditions of storytelling. Everyone enjoys role-playing, period. If that's true (and…
In RPG Theory
Participants: ethan_greer, quozl, Lxndr, lumpley, Jonathan Walton, TonyLB, Ben Lehman, sergeant_x, ADGBoss, JackBauer, Erick Wujcik, rafial, SlurpeeMoney, Noon, Mark Johnson, Cephalopod, Ravien, Jack Spencer Jr, komradebob, Rob Carriere, Matt, Dev, Tobias.

6/25/2004 JamesDJIII: Forking the Build and Social Context
From thread http://indie-rpgs.com/viewtopic.php?t=11705... Last night I agreed to return to and continue to GM for our Thursday night group. I made several statements earlier to the group about my desire…
In RPG Theory
Participants: JamesDJIII, ADGBoss.

6/26/2004 komradebob: Filing Edges: Secret Knowledge
First, apologies for borrowing domeone else's title for this post ( but I thought it was such a great heading, I couldn't resist). I've been thinking about this subject ever…
In RPG Theory
Participants: komradebob, TonyLB, M. J. Young, beingfrank, ethan_greer.

6/26/2004 JackBauer: Imagined Space Modules
[quote]Noon wrote: Usually a lot of discussion goes on about what you can do with an RPG, taking the Shared Imaginatiove Space involved for granted to do what your interested…
In RPG Theory
Participants: JackBauer, Jack Spencer Jr, Noon, M. J. Young, Andrew Norris, simon_hibbs, contracycle, ethan_greer, Christopher Weeks.

6/28/2004 ethan_greer: Son of Greer Manifesto
Hello everyone, this is a continuation or new chapter in the discussion started over in this other thread. I've tried to incorporate a lot of the ideas and sentiments expressed,…
In RPG Theory
Participants: ethan_greer, Mr. Sluagh, Erick Wujcik, timfire, Christopher Weeks, Ravien.

6/30/2004 Jinx: Mechanics/System Choice for Virtual Sim Game
I'm working on a campaign involving characters who are themselves players in an advanced, online virtual reality MMORPG, set in the near future to provide for things like neural shunts…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jinx, ADGBoss, John Kim, Mr. Sluagh, M. J. Young, Doctor Xero.

6/30/2004 Emily Care: game design and psychology
I've been thinking about this since I started poking around for examples of psychological examination type role-playing. My search lead me to think about psychological aspects of roleplaying all together,…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Emily Care, Christopher Weeks, ADGBoss, TonyLB, JackBauer, lumpley, ZenDog.

6/30/2004 thereformant: Sacred cows II (split)
i can see your point completely but if everyone shot their sacred cows i have a feeling that nothing really new or revolutionary would ever really happen
In RPG Theory
Participants: thereformant, Balbinus, Ron Edwards, xiombarg, Paganini, Precious Villain, madelf, Noon, MR. Analytical, M. J. Young.

7/2/2004 Noon: Mmm, I think I'll roleplay some roleplay
How well this'll get articulated, who can say. Do you think that it can get to the point where, instead of wanting to play a game so as to enter…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Noon, orbsmatt, sirogit, ADGBoss, Doctor Xero, Jack Spencer Jr, clehrich, LordSmerf, Mike Holmes.

7/2/2004 Emiricol: Players pull strings from shadows, plot against the others
I'm interested in a game in which the participants lurk off-camera mostly or entirely, pulling the strings of events and others, and thwart the plans of the other participants. Those…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Emiricol, Trevis Martin, Jere, Shreyas Sampat, Drew Stevens.

7/3/2004 Noon: How well does this rule carry over its use?
I'm not sure the forge is into discussing house rules. But I will say what I'm about to present is damned likely to end up in anything I write, it…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Noon.

7/3/2004 Jonathan Walton: PUSH comes to shove
Hey Folks, My new RPGnet column, PUSH, just started running this weekend. Just wanted to make an announcement in case people weren't regularly wandering over there. The first article is…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jonathan Walton, John Harper, Shreyas Sampat, montag, neelk, Emily Care.

7/3/2004 komradebob: Dispersed character player gamec designs?
Hi. This is sort of a broad question, but I'm wondering about game design possibilities that disperse character player duties. I've seen a lot of discussion about how Uni disperses…
In RPG Theory
Participants: komradebob.

7/3/2004 timfire: Consensus vs. Individual Spheres of Influence
I apologize in advance, as my thoughts on this aren't very organized, but I've been thinking about it alot lately. I've been thinking about games that are developed by some…
In RPG Theory
Participants: timfire, Shreyas Sampat.

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