Previous Topics
In RPG Theory

2/15/2003 Shreyas Sampat: Complex Systems > Play Focus?
I've been wondering this one for a while. Why do complex subsystems (like the WW combat system, say, or the vehicle creation rules in so many technological rpgs) focus play…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Shreyas Sampat, Jasper, Mike Holmes, Rob MacDougall, Ron Edwards, Marco, clehrich.

2/15/2003 Jack Spencer Jr: Player/Character...to-may-to/to-mo-to
This may be little more than a side note but I've noticed that in many RPG texts and discussions that the terms Player and Character are often used interchangably as…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jack Spencer Jr, Mike Holmes, Ron Edwards.

2/14/2003 Jack Spencer Jr: Types of Players
One of the neater things I've noticed about discussion on the Forge is how it helps cut through the typical RPG theory dogma, which rarely get you anywhere. Things such…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jack Spencer Jr, Ron Edwards, Mike Holmes, ADGBoss.

2/14/2003 DaGreatJL: Games with lots of people?
First, let me start out by stating the more or less obvious: I'm new to these forums, and I'm not nearly as verbose as some of those on here. I'm…
In RPG Theory
Participants: DaGreatJL, Andrew Martin, Mike Holmes, xiombarg, Matt Gwinn, M. J. Young.

2/13/2003 arxhon: What are Kickers and Bangs?
I see these terms kicked around here frequently, and haven't been able to really find anything defining them. Could someone give me a quick overview?
In RPG Theory
Participants: arxhon, Mike Holmes, Ron Edwards.

2/12/2003 Ron Edwards: Comparison: Dread / kill puppies for satan
Hello, I've now played two pretty intensive sessions of Dread, and I've just completed yet another guffaw-punctuated read-through of kill puppies for satan, in prep for an upcoming game. So…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Ron Edwards, Maurice Forrester, Clinton R. Nixon, rafael.

2/11/2003 Thierry Michel: Escapists vs "Social" gamers
After reading a few threads, here and on RPGnet, about escapism and "genre", I've been thinking about something that I've rarely seen discussed about RPGs. The goal of many "non-gamers"…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Thierry Michel, Mike Holmes, Jack Spencer Jr, Matt Wilson, greyorm, C. Edwards, Green, arxhon, M. J. Young, Matt Gwinn, Emily Care.

2/11/2003 Bankuei: Me & My Guy: Character Creation
I've noticed that there tends to be a major difference in how effective a player is at communicating a character concept based on whether they describe their character in terms…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Bankuei, Rob MacDougall, greyorm.

2/10/2003 Matt Gwinn: How has gaming effected your life?
I have no doubt that certain people are drawn to roleplaying games and there has always been an association between roleplaying games and geekdom. Scott and I were driving the…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Matt Gwinn, Valamir, Jared A. Sorensen, clehrich, M. J. Young, C. Edwards, arxhon, Mike Holmes, ThunderCheetah, Bogie_71, Le Joueur, John Kim, ThreeGee, contracycle, Ian Charvill, Meguey, quozl, Ron Edwards, Jeremy Cole.

2/10/2003 ADGBoss: A Question of Premise
In the vulgar, unrefined form most people percieve it at, Premise is the idea, the why, and or the motivation for Action. In our case, Premise if the idea, the…
In RPG Theory
Participants: ADGBoss, ThreeGee, Jonathan Walton, Dave Panchyk, clehrich, M. J. Young, Mike Holmes.

2/10/2003 RN3G8 4E: What is "the Budapest Zoo" concept?
I was just reading the "Limits of Sci-Fi" thread and saw this mentioned. Is this literally pertaining to the Budapest Zoo or is there some implied concept I'm not familiar…
In RPG Theory
Participants: RN3G8 4E, Jack Spencer Jr, Christopher Kubasik, Gordon C. Landis, Jared A. Sorensen.

2/8/2003 James V. West: What "that guy" is called (part II)
You know what? I'm about 10 years too late for this thread, but I use "Guide" for The Questing Beast. And if I ever write that over-the-top furry game I…
In RPG Theory
Participants: James V. West, James Holloway, Enoch, Chris Passeno, J. Backman, Shreyas Sampat, cruciel, Ron Edwards, Matt Gwinn, Christopher Kubasik, kregmosier, Dave Panchyk.

2/8/2003 Renard d'eau: Gaming as initiation ritual, mysticism as accessed by gaming
This is a sub-thread of “Mystical Role Play : Myth Or Reality ?” in the same forum. So, Simon mentioned the Merriam-Webster. I’ll quote it, so everybody has it and…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Renard d'eau, C. Edwards, clehrich, Emily Care, M. J. Young, Ron Edwards, simon_hibbs, Matt Gwinn.

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.

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.

2/7/2003 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 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.

2/6/2003 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.

2/5/2003 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.

2/4/2003 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.

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Subsequent Topics
In RPG Theory

2/17/2003 JMendes: In Search of a Fortune Mechanic
Hey, all, :) Lately, I have found myself questing for a mechanic that would comply with a series of design specs, and I thought I'd put those specs to consideration…
In RPG Theory
Participants: JMendes, Ron Edwards, Walt Freitag, Jack Spencer Jr, Mike Holmes, ThreeGee, cruciel, M. J. Young, Rob Donoghue.

2/17/2003 Drew Stevens: Star Wars meandering
So, I'm honestly not sure if this should go here or on the Theory forum, so I'm erring on the side of indie game design. Anywho. I've been tinkering with…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Drew Stevens, Walt Freitag, Mike Holmes, Ron Edwards, szilard, ThreeGee, Clinton R. Nixon, Jack Spencer Jr, clehrich, Jeph, M. J. Young, John Kim, Jeremy Cole, JMendes, erithromycin, contracycle.

2/18/2003 M. J. Young: Benefits of Undefined Premise
In the thread Premise on a Platter on the GNS Model Discussion forum, There?s a lot of issues here I?d be interested in discussing, which may…
In RPG Theory
Participants: M. J. Young, Ron Edwards, Bankuei, clehrich, Mike Holmes.

2/18/2003 hyphz: The amazing adventures of RoboPlayer
Introducing the new Inuwatabetai RoboPlayer 2000! Yes, this fine device can sit in as a player in YOUR RPG sessions. Its operation is perfectly simple: - Using GM's descriptions and…
In RPG Theory
Participants: hyphz, ethan_greer, Le Joueur, Marco, Thierry Michel, Walt Freitag, Ron Edwards, xiombarg, Mike Holmes, clehrich, JMendes, M. J. Young, C. Edwards, weeble, Jeph.

2/19/2003 jburneko: Cons And The Psuedo-Campaign
There's a rather strange phenomenon I've noticed at my con that I don't know if it's local to this con or if it happens at other cons. That phenomenon is…
In RPG Theory
Participants: jburneko, Ron Edwards, Valamir, Clinton R. Nixon, Mike Holmes, Bob McNamee.

2/19/2003 Drew Stevens: A more formalized Social Contract
So, while I'm sure that several people have already seen this, I imagine some haven't. And in any case, it's an interesting read on a way to formalize a social…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Drew Stevens, Ron Edwards, Mike Holmes.

2/20/2003 wyrdlyng: Overly rules dependent?
[size=9px][I think this is where this should go. If not then please feel free to plop it where appropriate.][/size] I was reading posts on another board and found a sentence…
In RPG Theory
Participants: wyrdlyng, clehrich, Comte, Ron Edwards, Alan, Ben Morgan, Valamir, Walt Freitag, Mike Holmes, Bankuei, Cassidy, lumpley, Gordon C. Landis, M. J. Young.

2/20/2003 James Holloway: Historical wargaming and the development of RPGs.
Over the last couple of years, I've been getting increasingly involved in historical miniatures gaming. And, although I'm just a young 'un and wasn't around for the early years of…
In RPG Theory
Participants: James Holloway, Ron Edwards, Thierry Michel, b_bankhead, Kester Pelagius, contracycle, Walt Freitag, Mike Holmes, talysman, Valamir, Jack Spencer Jr, clehrich, M. J. Young, Wulf, Ian Charvill, arxhon, Rob Brennan.

2/21/2003 b_bankhead: Never Enough Rules:Manifesto of a rules-lite convert
Taken together the two actual rulebooks (PHB &GMG) of 3ED&D are about half the length of Lord of the Ring or Atlas Shrugged. This mind you is for a GAME.…
In RPG Theory
Participants: b_bankhead, M. J. Young, Valamir, Thierry Michel, quozl, Le Joueur, Ron Edwards, Mike Holmes, clehrich.

2/21/2003 marknau: Thinking about Rules
I have a ball. I bounce it against the wall. There is a rule that states that a ball thrown against the wall will bounce back. My 3-month-old daughter sees…
In RPG Theory
Participants: marknau, Le Joueur.

2/21/2003 Jack Spencer Jr: Is meaningless detail really meaningless?
I'm going to talk a bit about one aspect of my friend's game that I just don't get but since we really won't be discussing it with him, let's address…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jack Spencer Jr, Gordon C. Landis, Mike Holmes, Ian Charvill, clehrich, contracycle, greyorm, Bob McNamee, b_bankhead, M. J. Young, weeble, Johannes, Thierry Michel.

2/23/2003 cruciel: The FooFoo Factor
The FooFoo Factor is my pet name for measuring how "heroic" a game's system is. I'm primarily talking about the damage system, but rules for things like fear, pain, and…
In RPG Theory
Participants: cruciel, RobMuadib, clehrich, contracycle, Ian Charvill, Le Joueur, Ron Edwards, Thierry Michel, Marco, b_bankhead, Fletcher, Mike Holmes, Walt Freitag, Bankuei, erithromycin.

2/24/2003 Paka: Turning it Over to the Players (at times)
My Sunday D&D game just hasn't been popping. I have a lovely group, a lovely set of alternate games that feed my other gaming needs. It has occurred to me…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Paka.

2/24/2003 Kester Pelagius: Holographics: A Possible Future Evolution of Gaming?
Greetings All, While reading the thread on Historical Wargaming I was suddenly struck by a very interesting thought and was wondering what your opinions of it might be. My thought…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Kester Pelagius, Mike Holmes, Drew Stevens, contracycle, Walt Freitag, Jack Spencer Jr, RobMuadib, greyorm, Le Joueur, M. J. Young, Ron Edwards.

2/24/2003 contracycle: RPG as set text
I just wanted to canvass opinions on this thought, an approach to sim gaming. It's inspired by my current reading, The Isles: A History, by Norman Davies. Bity of a…
In RPG Theory
Participants: contracycle, clehrich, greyorm.

2/25/2003 bowlingm: Rights of Narration
Hi all, One of the things that's interested me most about all of the indie games I've just recently discovered is the rules for who narrates when. As just being…
In RPG Theory
Participants: bowlingm, Jared A. Sorensen, Ron Edwards, Le Joueur, Emily Care, lumpley.

2/25/2003 Airshipjones: Character improvement concepts
Hey, new here, so forgive if I offend. Looking at the this topic has brought a couple ideas to mind. First is the idea of creating the experienced and inexperienced…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Airshipjones, clehrich, Valamir, Ron Edwards, M. J. Young, contracycle, JMendes.

2/26/2003 Thierry Michel: Hidden Information
One way to classify games is to use the criterion of what information is accessible to the player. Chess is an example of complete information game (everyone knows exactly all…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Thierry Michel, Drew Stevens, clehrich, Andrew Martin, Mike Holmes, Le Joueur, Ron Edwards, bowlingm.

2/26/2003 Matt Gwinn: Miniatures, props and other visual aids
Over the years I've found that I've used a variety of visual aids in my roleplaying. Maps and miniatures are the most common, but I've gone as far as taking…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Matt Gwinn, clehrich, Jack Spencer Jr, Kester Pelagius, Walt Freitag, cruciel, arxhon, M. J. Young, James Holloway.

2/26/2003 Dave Panchyk: Play-by-Mail RPGs--development issues
I'm planning to develop a play-by-mail role-playing game that I intend to hand-moderate for a small player base. I'm in the very beginning stages right now, and would like input…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Dave Panchyk, Jack Spencer Jr, Andrew Martin, M. J. Young, Mike Holmes.

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