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In RPG Theory

1/26/2003 Jack Spencer Jr: Damn the continuing story
All of the recent discussion about Heartbreakers and I had re-read the GNS article and for the first time felt like I got it from start to finish (yep, first…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jack Spencer Jr, b_bankhead, cruciel, Shreyas Sampat, Bankuei, clehrich, M. J. Young, Eric J., Christopher Kubasik, Thierry Michel, Marco, contracycle, Jake Norwood, John Kim, ThreeGee.

1/23/2003 Jack Spencer Jr: special kind of Heartbreaker: Universal/Generic
Now, like all of his articles, the Fantasy Heartbreaker articles do boil down to basically "what Ron thinks" although he has taken pains to make it something that most people…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jack Spencer Jr, Marco, Shreyas Sampat, Valamir, talysman, cruciel, Le Joueur, Ron Edwards, M. J. Young, Rod Phillips, John Kim, Mike Holmes, contracycle, Sylus Thane.

1/22/2003 Clinton R. Nixon: Can an advancement system change an entire game?
All this Heartbreaker talk has got me thinking about game design in a furious way. In sketching out my own, I've gotten inspired about a game that I don't know…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Clinton R. Nixon, Valamir, Matt Wilson, M. J. Young, Tony Irwin.

1/22/2003 Sylus Thane: You Gotta have Faith
I've been reading the threads on religion in rpg's as of late, especially as I am nearing the point in which I will be needing to write how it applies…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Sylus Thane, Kester Pelagius, Le Joueur, Ron Edwards, M. J. Young, Johannes, clehrich.

1/22/2003 M. J. Young: Building Religions
Kester Pelagius started an interesting thread, Is religion really that much of a mystery?, which inspired this one rather by accident. Jack Spencer Jr., an avowed atheist, posted what…
In RPG Theory
Participants: M. J. Young, contracycle, Paganini, Jack Spencer Jr, greyorm, John Kim, Valamir, Mike Holmes, Christopher Kubasik, clehrich, simon_hibbs.

1/21/2003 zaal: Son of Fantasy Heartbreaker
Ron says: It's very, very hard to break out of D&D Fantasy assumptions for many people, and the first step, I think, is to generate the idea that protagonism (for…
In RPG Theory
Participants: zaal, Jack Spencer Jr, Ron Edwards, Paul Czege, Valamir, contracycle, Marco, John Kim.

1/21/2003 Kester Pelagius: Is religion really that much of a mystery?
Greetings All, I see the debate about religion is still raging. So, if I may, my 2 cents here to offer... What is religion? Is it merely a set of…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Kester Pelagius, Nick Pagnucco, Jack Spencer Jr, greyorm, Ron Edwards, Christopher Kubasik, talysman, clehrich, John Kim, Le Joueur, Valamir, Walt Freitag, Tony Irwin, contracycle, M. J. Young.

1/20/2003 Paul Czege: "Everyone should write a Heartbreaker"
Hey, In a Dimension Syncopatic with Ours, a short tour of my fantasy heartbreaker, written two decades ago. I was itching to do it up like this after Ron's…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Paul Czege, Clinton R. Nixon, Jared A. Sorensen, Ron Edwards, Walt Freitag, Andrew Martin, Jack Spencer Jr, Mike Holmes, talysman, clehrich, Shreyas Sampat, Henry Fitch, jrients.

1/20/2003 John Kim: Successful approaches to religion in RPGs
OK, It seems to me that there has been a lot of effort at discussing what is wrong with religion in RPGs. It seems to me that a more productive…
In RPG Theory
Participants: John Kim, Andrew Martin, clehrich, Jack Spencer Jr, ThreeGee, greyorm, Nick Pagnucco, M. J. Young, Mike Holmes, Ron Edwards, Christopher Kubasik, Eric J., contracycle, Johannes.

1/20/2003 Clinton R. Nixon: Heartbreakers on fire (that is, d20)
The exercise of creating your own Fantasy Heartbreaker has got me thinking. I started to design my own (and liked it - I'll put up my initial notes tomorrow), but…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Clinton R. Nixon, M. J. Young, joshua neff.

1/19/2003 Rob MacDougall: hardcore Midwestern U.S. D&D style gaming
This paragraph caught my eye in Ron Edwards’ newer article on Fantasy Heartbreakers: Deathstalkers, from Cutter's Guild, is simultaneously the most deconstructive and most preservative game I've ever…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Rob MacDougall, clehrich, Ron Edwards, Nick Pagnucco, Christopher Kubasik, contracycle, James Holloway, ADGConscience.

1/18/2003 Jack Spencer Jr: Designing your own Heartbreaker
The challenge of designing one's own Heartbreaker intrigues me. I've put a little thought toward it and here it is. First of all, it's tough to consciously make a Heartbreaker.…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jack Spencer Jr, Ron Edwards, Sidhain, Ben Morgan, Valamir, Marco, John Kim, Shreyas Sampat, Clinton R. Nixon, Mike Holmes, Michael S. Miller, M. J. Young.

1/18/2003 clehrich: Fantasy Heartbreakers and Religion
In Ron's new article, he raises a fascinating historical issue. I'll quote at length, because I'd like to take it as the starting point for discussion. My biggest criticism concerns…
In RPG Theory
Participants: clehrich, Christopher Kubasik, Maurice Forrester, Jack Spencer Jr, John Kim, Ron Edwards, erithromycin, talysman, M. J. Young, Henry Fitch, Shreyas Sampat, Rob MacDougall, b_bankhead, Johannes, contracycle, Walt Freitag.

1/18/2003 Tim C Koppang: watershed games
This post is in reference to Ron’s latest article, originally mentioned by Clinton in this thread. Ron, While I’m still reading through your first Heartbreakers article (I just encountered these),…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Tim C Koppang, Ron Edwards, Jack Spencer Jr, James Holloway.

1/16/2003 Christopher Kubasik: Naive and Sophisticated: The Terms
Hi Everyone. Out of the last thread I started I sort of surprised myself with the concept of Naive and Sophisticated. It crystilized a great deal of many matters I've…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Christopher Kubasik, greyorm, Walt Freitag, Marco, Paul Czege, Le Joueur, clehrich, contracycle, simon_hibbs, Jack Spencer Jr, Valamir, John Kim, erithromycin, jburneko, Harlequin.

1/15/2003 Ron Edwards: Four Colors al Fresco
I'd like to propose some discussion about one of the more ambitious games currently available. It's free, at Woodelf's website, The Impossible Dream. I'm putting this into RPG Theory rather…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Ron Edwards, clehrich, Shreyas Sampat, bongert, woodelf, zaal.

1/15/2003 Thierry Michel: Rationale for random numbers in rpgs
Could anyone point me to a discussion on the rationale of the use of random numbers in rpgs ? What does the roll of a die represent exactly ?
In RPG Theory
Participants: Thierry Michel, Le Joueur, Ron Edwards, Emily Care, clehrich, Walt Freitag, Bankuei, Cassidy, talysman.

1/14/2003 Jasper: A crunchy problem
I'm tinkering with mechanics for a science fiction game now; specifically the rules for warring starships, and the damage calculation for the guns. Now, there are three different "inputs" that…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jasper, Le Joueur, szilard, Shreyas Sampat, contracycle, simon_hibbs.

1/13/2003 Drew Stevens: Mush/Mux Design- musing at work
Ah, I love when my boss isn't in, leaves me a little to do, and I'm done before noon. Time to muse and await a Muse. Anywho :) I've been…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Drew Stevens, Kiriath, wraeththu, contracycle, Clay.

1/13/2003 M. J. Young: A New Spin on the Old Magic/Religion Question
This is yet another thread pursuing the popular topic about whether the referee has to understand the reality of the game world in some sense. I say yet another, because…
In RPG Theory
Participants: M. J. Young, Jack Spencer Jr, clehrich, Le Joueur, greyorm, Kester Pelagius, contracycle, simon_hibbs, Gordon C. Landis, Ron Edwards, Drew Stevens, Blake Hutchins, RHJunior.

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In RPG Theory

1/29/2003 M. J. Young: Universal in search of distinctions
The special kind of Heartbreaker: Universal/Generic thread has me thinking about things close to my heart; and a reference within it to an earlier thread from 2001 entitled a…
In RPG Theory
Participants: M. J. Young, John Kim, Kester Pelagius, Le Joueur, contracycle, Marco, Ron Edwards, Valamir, Sylus Thane.

1/29/2003 Ron Edwards: link hunt! for the Finnish Dogma stuff
Hey, Can anyone provide the basic link to Turku role-playing, a.k.a. the Dogma, a.k.a. Elaayj ... agh, can't remember the spelling, hence need the link? Sorry 'bout interfering with the…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Ron Edwards, Jared A. Sorensen, jrs, Jack Spencer Jr, wraeththu, Johannes, James Holloway.

1/30/2003 clehrich: Sympathetic Magic
This is really an historical question, so I'm not sure which forum it belongs in, but this one seems relatively open. I've been teaching Sir James Frazer's The Golden Bough…
In RPG Theory
Participants: clehrich, John Kim, wraeththu, Christopher Kubasik, Jere, Ron Edwards, simon_hibbs, Mike Holmes.

1/30/2003 M. J. Young: The Limits of Sci-fi
Jareth Dakk brought up sci-fi games in Why not more Sci-fi?, and there were some good answers. But a passing comment there sparked a thought in my mind. But…
In RPG Theory
Participants: M. J. Young, clehrich, John Kim, Uncle Dark, Cadriel, Ron Edwards, Marco, Walt Freitag, Sylus Thane, Le Joueur, Harlequin, Jared A. Sorensen, Valamir, Rod Phillips, ADGBoss, Paul Czege, greyorm, Bankuei, Alan.

1/30/2003 Ron Edwards: Dungeons & Dragons role-playing history - help wanted
Hello everybody, I'm working on a great big essay on Gamism, and it's going to include some detailed analysis of Dungeons & Dragons role-playing. I use this title to include…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Ron Edwards, sben, jrs, Paul Czege, Maurice Forrester, Gordon C. Landis, Valamir, contracycle, Christopher Kubasik, Walt Freitag, Blake Hutchins, Rob MacDougall, Jack Spencer Jr, Pramas, M. J. Young, woodelf, Chuck Frizzell, b_bankhead.

1/30/2003 Colin the Riot: Squishing Donjon and the Pool together
I'm a big fan of both the Pool and Donjon, and I'm looking at possibly combining the two in the following way. What I want to do is play the…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Colin the Riot, Matt Wilson, James V. West, J B Bell, Bob McNamee, Paganini.

1/31/2003 Paul Czege: precursors to AD&D2
Hey Rob, ...if discussion moves to the impact of Dragonlance, Unearthed Arcana, and other late 1980s books on AD&D, I will jump in with abandon. I'd love to hear…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Paul Czege, Ron Edwards, Rob MacDougall, Walt Freitag, Jack Spencer Jr, Gordon C. Landis, M. J. Young, Christopher Kubasik, Maurice Forrester, clehrich, talysman, Mike Holmes, arxhon, Kester Pelagius, xiombarg.

2/1/2003 Cadriel: What is different in sci-fi gaming? [The Limits of Sci-Fi]
The question has just occurred to me, based on the (getting to be quite lengthy) The Limits of Sci-Fi thread. What is it that really separates science fiction gaming from…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Cadriel, clehrich, b_bankhead, Le Joueur, Ron Edwards, Andrew Martin, Christopher Kubasik, Blake Hutchins, Alan, talysman, M. J. Young, Gordon C. Landis.

2/1/2003 Shreyas Sampat: Useless Detail?
This obviously doesn't belong in its parent thread. Anyway, John Kim and I started to discuss the value of the "useless detail", as I've called it. To define, the details…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Shreyas Sampat, Rob MacDougall, cruciel, John Kim, Andrew Martin, Jack Spencer Jr, Le Joueur, Christopher Kubasik, Cassidy, Cadriel, clehrich, greyorm, Walt Freitag, M. J. Young, contracycle, Marco.

2/2/2003 clehrich: Good Taste in Gaming (from Useless Detail)
Christopher, This is a whole 'nother thread, but I'm getting really confused about this. Yes, I think it is probably another thread. Just to recap: It seems to me I…
In RPG Theory
Participants: clehrich, Jake Norwood, Jack Spencer Jr, Christopher Kubasik, Ron Edwards, contracycle.

2/2/2003 Harlequin: Groundbreakers [From Limits of Sci-Fi]
A couple of things got broken out of the Sci-Fi debate which seem to actually be genre-independent; there is a feeling that SF may benefit more from an exploration of…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Harlequin, Le Joueur, Rod Phillips, M. J. Young, ADGBoss.

2/3/2003 JMendes: Request for old threads - resolution types
Hullo, :) Could some soul kindly point me towards threads where I might read up on differences between action, scene and conflict resolution? Also, threads on search time and handling…
In RPG Theory
Participants: JMendes, Ron Edwards, clehrich.

2/3/2003 Renard d'eau: Mystical Role Play : Myth Or Reality ?
Hello everybody, This is my first post, so I will ramble a bit: thank you for this very interesting website, and congratulation on all the RPGs you succeeded in creating.…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Renard d'eau, Jack Spencer Jr, Daredevil, simon_hibbs, Le Joueur, Thierry Michel, Mike Holmes, clehrich, J B Bell, contracycle, M. J. Young, Johannes, Ron Edwards.

2/4/2003 Tim C Koppang: good actual play practices
This is sort of a self-reflective, what I think I’ve learned in the past couple of years, here are my opinions on how to roleplay kind of post. I don’t…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Tim C Koppang, M. J. Young, Ron Edwards, Le Joueur, Bankuei.

2/5/2003 Tim C Koppang: "mysteries of the human spirit" in rpgs
[i]My focus here is on the construction of literary character, and my general argument is that characterization is achieved not through a “pinning down” process but rather through a process…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Tim C Koppang, Bankuei.

2/6/2003 Sylus Thane: Defining the different Verses
Over the last couple of days, especially after the various discussions on defining the differences between the different game engines, I think I have come up with a reasonable set…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Sylus Thane, Mike Holmes, Shreyas Sampat, Le Joueur, M. J. Young, Mark Johnson.

2/7/2003 Michael S. Miller: Narrativist Games with Actor Stance?
I ran Trollbabe for my wife, Kat, and a friend of ours, Michele, this week. They both kinda enjoyed it, but pointed out that the rules "enforce a separation between…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Michael S. Miller, Paganini, Ron Edwards, greyorm.

2/7/2003 Jack Spencer Jr: Be sombody.
Over in Narrativist Games with Actor Stance? the following was posted: I ran Trollbabe for my wife, Kat, and a friend of ours, Michele, this week. They both…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jack Spencer Jr, clehrich, Le Joueur, Thierry Michel, greyorm, Michael S. Miller, ADGBoss, Mike Holmes.

2/7/2003 Jeph: Gun to the Head
[i]"Val! Val, where the [/i]are[i]you!" Jake rushed around the corner--to find Valerie held tightly by the bald man, a .45 pressed agaist the back of her head. The man presses…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jeph, John Kim.

2/8/2003 ThreeGee: pondering further preferences
Hey all, This is an idea that I have been playing with for some time, but I want to run it past everyone here. I will be talking about something…
In RPG Theory
Participants: ThreeGee, JMendes, Mike Holmes, clehrich, Ron Edwards.

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