Previous Topics
In RPG Theory

8/15/2002 Ian Charvill: Free Will in the Middle?
What I am trying to articulate here is the source of my current dissatisfaction with gaming: the limitations placed on player choice during a game. I’m aware that I will…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Ian Charvill, Le Joueur, jburneko, GreatWolf, Andrew Martin, contracycle.

8/14/2002 Christoffer Lernö: Talking about Skills again
I'm (as usual) running into trouble because I can't accept the common way of solving a certain mechanic. Actually, this is the mother of all mechanics. I'm talking about skill…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Christoffer Lernö, Le Joueur, Ron Edwards, ks13, Ian Charvill, M. J. Young, Andrew Martin.

8/13/2002 Brad: Twist on the Skill+Attribute Dice Pool Mechanic
Many systems out there use a common Skill+Attribute system for determining the number of dice the player gets to allocate to his dice pool. The issue I have with this…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Brad, Ron Edwards, Mike Holmes, Matt Snyder, efindel, Andrew Martin, Le Joueur, Jeremy Cole.

8/7/2002 Le Joueur: What's a Metaphor Phor? Metaphorically Speaking. [LONG]
You know how it is; you think you've just about got it. Everyone keeps telling you to sit down and write your darn system, it's done. So down you sit,…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Le Joueur, Ron Edwards, Seth L. Blumberg.

8/5/2002 Christoffer Lernö: Using the tool of "Character Class"
There's already a discussion on character classes, but this is not going into the theoretical stuff. I want to sort out how character classes can be used to assist in…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Christoffer Lernö, kamikaze, ADGBoss, M. J. Young, Paul Czege, simon_hibbs, Bob McNamee, jdagna, Mike Holmes, Jeremy Cole, Le Joueur.

8/2/2002 Kenway: Solo rpgs?
Besides the typical Tunnels & Trolls/ Fighting Fantasy/Choose Your Adventure "solo" adventures, are there any real solo rpgs?
In RPG Theory
Participants: Kenway, Zak Arntson, Ron Edwards, jrs, Uncle Dark, Jack Spencer Jr, James, unodiablo, efindel, Eric J..

8/2/2002 Gordon C. Landis: Interesting General Game Design
Just noticed that back in March, some new stuff went up on www.costik.com - PowerPoint presentations that are quite fascinating. More computer game (of various stripes) oriented, but "Game Design…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Gordon C. Landis.

7/31/2002 jjkahrs: The Status Quo
Take a look at Bruce Baugh's nobilis weblog and read the post for Thursday, July 25th. I found it very encouraging, and it inspired me to take the things…
In RPG Theory
Participants: jjkahrs.

7/31/2002 Christoffer Lernö: Throwing an idea for magic metaphysics
I don't know if this is useful for anything, it's more of a random idea I thought of and well, wanted to share. Maybe it can spark some ideas so…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Christoffer Lernö, Valamir, Andrew Martin, Bailywolf, Victor Gijsbers, Le Joueur, simon, Sleeper.

7/24/2002 Ollog Herder: class control
maybe, if we want to keep using classes, there's a way for advancement to make sense. however, you have to bend over backwards for it to work, and in light…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Ollog Herder, Clinton R. Nixon, Ron Edwards, Skippy, Valamir, Andrew Martin.

7/22/2002 Ron Edwards: The class issue
Hi everyone, I finally had the chance to sit down and parse out this issue. To give you the short form, the term "class" in role-playing design has entered that…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Ron Edwards, Le Joueur, jburneko, lehrbuch, Andrew Martin, Skippy, damion, Mike Holmes, Don Lag, Victor Gijsbers, Paul Czege, Clinton R. Nixon, Ian Charvill, contracycle.

7/21/2002 Scratchware: I have an awesome idea.
Have you ever had a game master that ran out of ideas during a session? Why not have 2 gamemasters? they can create a fun plot for the players and…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Scratchware, Ron Edwards, Trav, Mike Holmes, Bob McNamee, Clinton R. Nixon, Matt Gwinn, hardcoremoose, Andrew Martin, Paganini, xiombarg, efindel, Bankuei.

7/19/2002 Paganini: What can the dice determine?
So, I was bored this evening, and thinking about the bent my game-design thinking has been developing along. I appologize in advance for the rambling nature of this post. :)…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Paganini, lumpley, Mark D. Eddy.

7/18/2002 tdenmark: What is a role-playing game?
How far can you push the envelope and still be called a role-playing game? Can a board game with a character you control be an RPG? (Talisman?) Can a card…
In RPG Theory
Participants: tdenmark, Jared A. Sorensen, Valamir, Ring Kichard, Paganini, Le Joueur, contracycle, Stuart DJ Purdie, Jürgen Mayer, Zak Arntson, Mike Holmes, Victor Gijsbers, Wolfen, Jack Spencer Jr, Ron Edwards.

7/18/2002 xiombarg: Forum-Style Play
[This all comes from the tail end of [url=http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2761]this thread[/url]] So, it seems that more and more people are engaging in roleplaying on internet fora. These are usually pretty freeform…
In RPG Theory
Participants: xiombarg, Ron Edwards, Valamir, Mike Holmes, jburneko, blackmanxy, Blake Hutchins, Ring Kichard, Michael Hopcroft, contracycle, wyrdlyng.

7/18/2002 Valamir: Origins, much bigger than I thought
Origins this year felt very small to me. A number of people I was there with mentioned the same thing. Perhaps it was the nearly always empty food court that…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Valamir, Ron Edwards, Mike Holmes, Jake Norwood, tdenmark.

7/16/2002 contracycle: tight framing
How tightly can we frame a game, as play event rather product? Assuming a fair amount of GM/player distinction, if I as a GM said something to the effect of…
In RPG Theory
Participants: contracycle, amiel, Ron Edwards, Gordon C. Landis, Mike Holmes, Michael Hopcroft.

7/16/2002 contracycle: treason by the book
Well, I'm not entirely sure about the appropriateness of this post, but I've come across a marvellous book for historically interested gamers. I'm not sure it is actually RPG theory,…
In RPG Theory
Participants: contracycle, Ron Edwards.

7/14/2002 Ron Edwards: Druine, Dunnar, and Half-dead
Hi there, I was looking through the Fantasy Heartbreaker games again, comparing various features of Deathstalkers. Deathstalkers has been released this year in hardback form (called "second edition" by the…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Ron Edwards, hardcoremoose, Walt Freitag, Clinton R. Nixon, Jack Spencer Jr, simondale, damion, J B Bell, amiel, Paul Czege, contracycle, Mytholder, Valamir, Matt Gwinn, Le Joueur, joshua neff, Mike Holmes, jburneko, Paganini, Jared A. Sorensen, Gordon C. Landis, greyorm, Tim Denee, xiombarg, hive, Jesse Paulsen, RobMuadib, TSL.

7/11/2002 amiel: Use of Blackjack as Mechanic
Could one of you statistics (the science not the RP term) junkies out there do some breakdowns on odds as they pertain to the popular game of Blackjack. Yes, I'm…
In RPG Theory
Participants: amiel, Matt Snyder, Jared A. Sorensen, Ron Edwards, Ring Kichard, Jack Spencer Jr, Mike Holmes, damion, Mighty Platypus.

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Subsequent Topics
In RPG Theory

8/18/2002 Christoffer Lernö: Why Skill Resolution in a Sim game?
Digging into the skill resolution thing, I'm starting to question the fundamentals. I guess some would say this is a good thing. I think there aren't any Simulationist games out…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Christoffer Lernö, Le Joueur, Andrew Martin, Marco, M. J. Young, Mike Holmes.

8/18/2002 Christoffer Lernö: On to something? About Skills, a new scheme
I was lying in bed trying to sleep when this came to me. It's a simpler variation of the other skill system I presented, with more flexibility built in. Ultimately…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Christoffer Lernö, Eric J., Andrew Martin, Ron Edwards, damion, Valamir, Walt Freitag, Le Joueur, M. J. Young.

8/20/2002 Andrew Martin: Paying for the Villain's flaws
I've just been musing over my Star Odyssey game, and it's Token mechanic, which is used to balance PC 'vantages and simulates karma in the game universe. Normally, players get…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Andrew Martin, Walt Freitag, Le Joueur, Ron Edwards.

8/23/2002 Balbinus: Advancement: Effectiveness v. Connectedness
Hi, the following comes out of my thinking on an advancement mechanic for politics heavy games, but is of more general applicability. I posted it initially over at rpg.net then…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Balbinus, Mike Holmes, Valamir, Uncle Dark, Ron Edwards, Tim C Koppang, chaosvoyager, Bob McNamee, Jeremy Cole, contracycle, GB Steve, Seth L. Blumberg.

8/24/2002 Christoffer Lernö: Defining "realistic" setting & mechanics
I feel I'm lacking some well defined terms to describe consistency in setting and mechanics. Even the term consistency seems to be unclear. In an attempt to contribute a little…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Christoffer Lernö, Le Joueur, M. J. Young.

8/26/2002 kaworuiskool: Question about precursors of my idea?
First of all, any of this may have been done before, and in a way that isn't so hideously impractical. In fact I would prefer if that's so, and then…
In RPG Theory
Participants: kaworuiskool, Jared A. Sorensen, Ron Edwards, Valamir.

8/27/2002 Paul Czege: character vs. character: dealer-room demos at GenCon
Hey everyone, I've been thinking a lot about the demos I played at GenCon over the past couple of days, the ones with pre-generated characters, Jake's Riddle of Steel demo,…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Paul Czege, Clinton R. Nixon, Mike Holmes, xiombarg, Ron Edwards, Rich Ranallo.

8/28/2002 contracycle: the scottish play
Somehow I came across this thought while pondering Rons breakdown of classes - there is a link here somewhere with how character presage, bring about, their own actions as it…
In RPG Theory
Participants: contracycle, Mike Holmes, Le Joueur, Demonspahn, M. J. Young, xiombarg, simon_hibbs, GB Steve.

8/30/2002 damion: Patrons and social connections-med long
This thought was triggered by the connections-advancement thread, some of the Ygg threads and plain old experiance. A lot of RPG's have mechanics for Patrons, Connections, people one knows, ect.…
In RPG Theory
Participants: damion, Zak Arntson, Balbinus, Mike Holmes, C. Edwards, Ron Edwards, Jeremy Cole, Stuart DJ Purdie, Paul Czege, Jeffrey Straszheim, Gordon C. Landis, M. J. Young, contracycle, Valamir, Walt Freitag, Bob McNamee, Christoffer Lernö, Le Joueur.

8/30/2002 StormBringer: Mechanics question:
Hello, everyone! I just had a quick question about some mechanics I was mulling over. Nothing too elaborate or detailed, just a starter to get my brain going: I wanted…
In RPG Theory
Participants: StormBringer, Mike Holmes, Andrew Martin, M. J. Young, Christoffer Lernö, Jeremy Cole.

8/31/2002 C. Edwards: Failure=Advancement
There has been some discussion in the Level concerns thread about character advancement through failure. Learning from one’s mistakes takes place in the real world and it seems only natural…
In RPG Theory
Participants: C. Edwards, Ron Edwards, damion, M. J. Young, Robert K Beckett.

9/4/2002 Christoffer Lernö: De-characterizing Effects of Currency
I've been touching on this in my recent threads. In an attempt to discuss it a little more focuse I start up a new thread here. Let's start with an…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Christoffer Lernö, contracycle, Jasper, Le Joueur, Valamir, ADGBoss, C. Edwards, Bailey, Ace, Robert K Beckett, Jeremy Cole, ks13.

9/4/2002 Balbinus: Making Star Wars suck
Or, why simulationism is sometimes an error. Ok, Star Wars is a highly popular universe for gaming. The Star Wars game is a big seller for WotC. I'm willing to…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Balbinus, xiombarg, Mike Holmes, contracycle, Marco, Clinton R. Nixon.

9/6/2002 Marco: Participationism?
From a quote by Mike Holmes in the Actual Play group. Oh, if this was not participatinism, then I think that most likely it was Illusionism (but, hey, who…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Marco, Ron Edwards, Mike Holmes, contracycle, Le Joueur, GB Steve, damion, Valamir.

9/6/2002 Ron Edwards: What "that guy" is called
Hi there, The fellow who goes by "nipfipgip...dip" suggested, in this thread: Is it about time someone drew a list of the names given to the GM role over time?…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Ron Edwards, mahoux, Mike Holmes, Valamir, xiombarg, Walt Freitag, jburneko, Zak Arntson, Clinton R. Nixon, lumpley, Paul Czege, Ian Charvill, hardcoremoose, contracycle, damion, greyorm, Jared A. Sorensen, Tim Denee, Jack Spencer Jr, M. J. Young, Le Joueur, S.Lonergan, hyphz, Mytholder, Seth L. Blumberg, JSDiamond, kevin671.

9/6/2002 Lee Short: The Primacy of Dice
Introduction The release of 1st edition AD&D was the coming-out event for the hobby of roleplaying games. Thousands of people across the nation played the game -- including many future…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Lee Short, Ron Edwards, Le Joueur, Valamir, J B Bell, Mike Holmes, Clinton R. Nixon, Andrew Martin, Christoffer Lernö, Walt Freitag, Paganini, Forlarren, Jeremy Cole.

9/7/2002 Paka: Definitions of Forge Gaming Vocabulary
Could we compile a list of terms that Indie Gamers use such as sim, GNS, and/or narrativist for us newbies. I am intrigued by the gamespeak here but I want…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Paka, kaworuiskool, Christoffer Lernö, Clinton R. Nixon, Ron Edwards, Le Joueur, Paganini.

9/9/2002 Balbinus: Template based character generation
Hi, I'd like some general views on template based character generation. In this case what I mean specifically is where a character is created by taking a number of templates…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Balbinus, Marco, Ron Edwards, Valamir, Matt Gwinn, Mike Holmes, kevin671.

9/9/2002 Balbinus: Inspiration
Hi again, I'd like some feedback on the following concept for a game mechanic, which would be used in a Renaissance setting. Inspiration. This would probably be a stat of…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Balbinus, Mike Holmes, Jasper, Jeremy Cole, JSDiamond, kevin671, simon_hibbs, Bjorn Ludvigsen.

9/9/2002 Valamir: Pendragon, dice, and character actions
[quote="Mike Holmes"] But Pendragon goes one further. It requires the players to "participate" in character decisions through the system. That is, when a player's Bravery trait goes off, they are…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Valamir, GB Steve, Ron Edwards, Mike Holmes, Gordon C. Landis.

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