Previous Topics
In RPG Theory

7/1/2003 Aknaton: Issues with repetition
After reading Christopher Kubasik's The Interactive Toolkit I've been thinking a bit. :-) I now think that one of my biggest issues with traditional (and here I'll leave the…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Aknaton, Bankuei, xiombarg, Christopher Kubasik, Marco, M. J. Young, Ron Edwards, Paul Czege, Thomas Tamblyn, John Kim.

6/25/2003 Sylus Thane: Can RPG's be collectable?
Now I don't mean in the sense "I collect rpg's because I like them" but more in the sense of how Magic Cards are collectable. Other card games can be…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Sylus Thane, ethan_greer, xiombarg, damion, Cadriel, Ron Edwards, Jonathan Walton, Reprisal, Adrian Jay, efindel, Lxndr, Jason Aaron, Comte, Michael S. Miller.

6/23/2003 xiombarg: fantasy heartbreakers: a theory
[url=http://www.rpgnews.com/article.php?sid=2509]Working at rpgnews.com[/url] has gotten me thinking about [url=http://www.indie-rpgs.com/articles/9/]Fantasy Heartbreakers[/url] again. Slap me down if this insight is trivial and/or someone already popped out with it and I missed the…
In RPG Theory
Participants: xiombarg, Valamir, Bankuei, Ron Edwards, WDFlores, Cadriel, Marco, John Kim, M. J. Young.

6/20/2003 Jason Aaron: Species/Race/Culture (split)
This is my first post at the Forge, so my apologies if it is somewhat off topic (and heavily biased). I think that something that may help designers, authors, or…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jason Aaron, M. J. Young, contracycle, Matt Wilson, Bankuei, John Kim, Garbanzo, damion, simon_hibbs.

6/22/2003 Comte: To experience is to know CRPGs
Okay it is hard not to notice the recent surge of interest in CRPGs and thier history. While lots of us are talking about them I realized it would be…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Comte, Dr. Velocity, Jack Spencer Jr, Wolfen, Eric J., contracycle, Walt Freitag, lumpley, John Kim, Marco, WDFlores, Ian Charvill.

6/22/2003 Jack Spencer Jr: Interactive Entertainment
The recent threads struck me that the advent of both RPGs and computer/video games was a step in the evolution of interactive entertainment. Unlike passive entertainments; like stage, screen, and…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jack Spencer Jr, talysman, Michael S. Miller.

6/21/2003 talysman: rogue-like games and their influence on pen-and-paper RPGs
I've been pretty busy lately with other projects, so I haven't been around much, but I have been thinking about some questions Ron raised in his Gamism essay; specifically, questions…
In RPG Theory
Participants: talysman, Jack Spencer Jr, Jeff Klein, Mike Holmes, John Kim.

6/21/2003 Christopher Kubasik: The Game Between the Rules
Hi, After reading John Kim and Marco (and many others) going at it on another thread, I was thinking of starting a thread called, The Game Between the Rules. It…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Christopher Kubasik, Jack Spencer Jr, M. J. Young, Dr. Velocity, Mike Holmes, Marco, Valamir.

6/21/2003 Stuart DJ Purdie: Mind control and protagonisation
It's a staple of superhero type games. Player A has mind control powers, and uses them on NPC's to various gains. But the moment an NPC uses such an ability…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Stuart DJ Purdie, Andrew Martin, John Kim, Lxndr, M. J. Young, Jared A. Sorensen, Michael S. Miller, Mike Holmes.

6/20/2003 Palaskar: An history of CRPGs (LONG)
Ron Edwards said: Then again, perhaps my surprise is a matter of my own subcultural limitations, if related hobbies are considered. Gamism remained alive and well among computer games like…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Palaskar, Wolfen, anonymouse, Comte, MadTinkerer, talysman, Hunter Logan, Eric J., Jeff Klein, Jack Spencer Jr, Mike Holmes, Caldis, M. J. Young, contracycle, Walt Freitag, damion, efindel, Tavish.

6/19/2003 xiombarg: Pretender Revised
IIRC, this is the correct forum for "open comments" on a game, because Indie Design is for talking about more specific design questions. Well, I incorporated the proposed changes, and…
In RPG Theory
Participants: xiombarg, lumpley, Mike Holmes.

6/19/2003 Jack Spencer Jr: mainstream appeal: What, exactly, does it mean to roleplay?
from No More Incoherence! - A Rant Call me strange; call me an outsider, someone who doesn't understand the hobby. But allow me this much: role playing games…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jack Spencer Jr, Matt Wilson, Marco, Ian Charvill, Dr. Velocity, Fairie Princess, jdagna, contracycle, Michael S. Miller, Bankuei, ethan_greer, Paganini, M. J. Young, Comte.

6/18/2003 taalyn: Reward factors
I'm just looking for people's ideas for how they reward players with experience points and the like. For example, one factor I've seen is the "cool feat" point, granting the…
In RPG Theory
Participants: taalyn, Lxndr, jdagna, cruciel, M. J. Young, Mad-Eye Moody, Ben Morgan, Matt Wilson, Hunter Logan, Mike Holmes, Jack Spencer Jr.

6/17/2003 Thierry Michel: Theme and mechanics
In this thread , the recommendation for a budding game designer is to "imagine the scene in your head and play it out as a game but without…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Thierry Michel, Mike Holmes, John Kim, damion, contracycle, Hunter Logan, Walt Freitag, Lxndr, pete_darby.

6/16/2003 Opsimath: Whence comes effect-based design?
I've been hearing the term "effect-based" being used quite a bit in some game design circles over the last couple of years. Different people seem to use the term to…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Opsimath, Shreyas Sampat, Valamir, Thomas Tamblyn, Mike Holmes, Ron Edwards.

6/16/2003 Emily Care: Calling all Rants
Hey there, Could we get links to all the Standard Rants in one thread? Or would the universe compress to a single point if we did so? Point this to…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Emily Care, jrs, Jared A. Sorensen, xiombarg, damion, cruciel, Le Joueur, lumpley, Matt Wilson, Heather Manley, taalyn, Mike Holmes, Bankuei, quozl.

6/15/2003 Eric J.: Planescape Conversion
What's this? Eric's sole purpose on this site isn't to ask for help on his Star Wars gaming sessions? Hah! Of course it is. I just happened to have some…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Eric J., Mike Holmes, xiombarg, Wormwood, Sage of Shadowdale.

6/15/2003 Michael Hopcroft: Religion in Game Design
This may seem like an impertinent question, but do any of you who design games find that your personal beliefs affect what you design? I'm a farily recent convert to…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Michael Hopcroft, Jack Spencer Jr, lumpley, jdagna, damion, Christopher Kubasik, greyorm, Jared A. Sorensen, simon_hibbs.

6/13/2003 Jack Spencer Jr: Gamist Article-inspired character advancement: SCORE!
Thoughts on Gamist character advancement. I can't help but note that in RPG that character advancement is taken, more or less, as read or necessary. Consider other games with a…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jack Spencer Jr, John Harper, Mike Holmes, Lxndr, Paul Czege, Valamir, Thierry Michel, Jack Aidley.

6/13/2003 anonymouse: Gamist Article-inspired character advancement mechanic.
Specifically, this question/bulletpoint: How tough and effective should a starting character be? If it's too high, then there's no reason to improve; if it's too low, the early stages of…
In RPG Theory
Participants: anonymouse, Ian Charvill.

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Subsequent Topics
In RPG Theory

7/4/2003 Cadriel: The Party Principle.
This is something that has always bothered me in roleplaying games: there almost instinctively a "party" or general group that becomes the collective protagonists of the game. For the most…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Cadriel, BPetroff93, M. J. Young, Marco, Dr. Velocity, RobMuadib, Ben Morgan, Lxndr, Jack Spencer Jr, Bob McNamee, pete_darby, Ron Edwards, SFEley, Christopher Kubasik, simon_hibbs, contracycle.

7/6/2003 Jack Spencer Jr: Sharks With Lasers On Their Heads!!
Over in this thread I wrote the following: Side note: I am disturbed, but not surprised by your suggestion of the dead body in the trunk. It seems to be…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jack Spencer Jr, Marco, Cadriel, jdagna, Comte, Christopher Kubasik, RobMuadib, Roy, BPetroff93, M. J. Young, ross_winn, Mike Holmes, John Kim, Bruce Baugh, pete_darby, komradebob2, Jared A. Sorensen, Ian Charvill, Lxndr, SFEley, contracycle, Ron Edwards.

7/7/2003 Christopher Kubasik: Action, the Core Resolution or Just a Dull Habit?
Hi all, This thread is picking up a new trail from Jack's Shark/Laser thread. Ross asked, "I heartily agree. Do you have any ideas for resolution systems that are not…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Christopher Kubasik, ross_winn, Marco, ethan_greer, Mike Holmes, John Kim, John Harper, Thomas Tamblyn, Ben Lehman, Lxndr, M. J. Young, Jeph, Mortaneus.

7/8/2003 SFEley: The Anti-Party Principle
Hi all, This is a tangent (at nearly 180 degrees, okay, but a tangent nevertheless) ]8-] to the Party Principle thread. I initially posted it there, but was informed that…
In RPG Theory
Participants: SFEley, Ben Morgan, Comte, mythusmage, Ron Edwards, jrs, Mike Holmes, Lxndr.

7/8/2003 Comte: Party-based play
Okay I have lost sleep over the topic of this thread. This is for two reasons, one of them is my competence as a GM, and the other is the…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Comte, Ron Edwards, Dr. Velocity, Bankuei, mythusmage, Ben Morgan, SFEley, Mike Holmes, Marco, Sparky, M. J. Young.

7/8/2003 mythusmage: Understanding Roleplaying Games
Nota Bene: This is more in the nature of random scribblings. Feedback will certainly affect the final thesis and how it's presented. First to present a description of RPGs. A…
In RPG Theory
Participants: mythusmage, Alan, lumpley, Bankuei, John Kim, M. J. Young.

7/8/2003 mythusmage: Game or Roleplaying, Which is More Important?
Over in a thread I started on the G/N/S forum the question was asked, Which is central to the experience, the game or the roleplaying? Neither. What's central to the…
In RPG Theory
Participants: mythusmage, Bruce Baugh, Kester Pelagius, Jared A. Sorensen, Mike Holmes, ADGBoss, Bankuei, Heather Manley, Ron Edwards, Jeffrey Straszheim, Christopher Kubasik, M. J. Young, John Kim, simon_hibbs, epweissengruber, DarkKingdoms, pete_darby, Paul Czege, Ian Charvill, Marco, Jeph.

7/8/2003 Gordon C. Landis: Protagonism and openness
[quote="Mike Holmes"]Well, other than the simple idea of keeping the numbers low, another way to make splitting more palatable is to ensure that all the players are interested in all…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Gordon C. Landis, SFEley, Bankuei, M. J. Young, Mike Holmes, Piers Brown, Wolfen, jrs, Emily Care.

7/10/2003 Peter Nordstrand: Show Me Scene Framing!
Hi, I am looking for threads/discussions about Scene Framing. Can anybody point me in the right direction? Thank you in advance. Best, /Peter N
In RPG Theory
Participants: Peter Nordstrand, jrs.

7/10/2003 pete_darby: Approaching the mundanity levels of TV drama
this is followoing on from the Laser Shark thread... also references This RPG.net thread, which references a discussion on the Herow Wars mailing list, and a huge amount of fantastic…
In RPG Theory
Participants: pete_darby, Bruce Baugh, Ron Edwards, John Kim, gobi, Comte, M. J. Young, contracycle, James Holloway.

7/11/2003 Cadriel: Something by way of a counterpoint.
Sorry, I'm a bit on the edge about game stuff this morning. And I downloaded the free Tri-Stat DX core rulebook, and the first thing I saw was the following…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Cadriel, Valamir, Bruce Baugh, Marco, Matt Snyder, Blake Hutchins, Mike Holmes, greyorm, Thomas Tamblyn, cruciel, jdagna, efindel, Bankuei, ross_winn, M. J. Young, Gordon C. Landis.

7/11/2003 Marco: Continued Play as a goal
A msg I saw on another board got me thinking. The post said words to the effect of "PC's should never die--setbacks are fine. Take all the gear. But don't…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Marco, Mike Holmes, Ron Edwards, M. J. Young, Thomas Tamblyn, Comte, ScottM, contracycle.

7/11/2003 John Kim: How to Handle Legal Dramas
The sharks-with-lasers thread is getting pretty excessive, so I've decided to split off a particular subtopic: The question is, how do you game a legal drama in a satisfying way?…
In RPG Theory
Participants: John Kim, Marco, Ron Edwards, Ian Charvill, contracycle, pete_darby, James Holloway, gobi, WDFlores, M. J. Young, ScottM.

7/12/2003 Cadriel: In the beginning, there was dysfunction...
This is split from the thread Something by way of a counterpoint because, well, I got intrigued by one of the thoughts that was going on. Specifically, in Justin Dagna's…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Cadriel, Bruce Baugh, Marco, Comte, Dr. Velocity, Bankuei, Andrew Martin, hyphz, cruciel, efindel, jdagna, Tony Irwin, Jack Spencer Jr, talysman, Mike Holmes, Lxndr, Green, Jack Aidley.

7/13/2003 Ben Lehman: [rantish] Interactive Fantasy and Dysfunction
There is a very strong "our way or the highway" vibe at the Forge, and I don't like it particularly, mostly because I think it alienates new people. I've had…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Ben Lehman, Cadriel, Bankuei, Dr. Velocity, talysman, Mike Holmes, Gordon C. Landis, Thomas Tamblyn, Andrew Martin, pete_darby.

7/13/2003 Bankuei: Social Contract Decisions for Coherency
Hi guys, I've been doing a lot of thinking about Coherency in games, and Incoherency as well. I'm coming more and more to the conclusion that Incoherency(in design, at least),…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Bankuei, M. J. Young.

7/15/2003 Nick Pagnucco: help w/ vocab
I've been trying recently to understand other issues discussed here other than strictly dealing with the three categories of G, N, & S. Specifically, I've been trying to hunt down…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Nick Pagnucco, Jack Spencer Jr, Bankuei, Paul Czege, Marco, Mike Holmes, WDFlores.

7/16/2003 madelf: help with magic?
Greetings to all! I'm new here (my first post). I've noticed some familiar names from RPGnet, so some of you may recognize me from there. Anyway, to get to the…
In RPG Theory
Participants: madelf, talysman, simon_hibbs, contracycle, Kester Pelagius, Mike Holmes, Ron Edwards, M. J. Young, greyorm, John Kim, permacultureguerilla, taalyn.

7/16/2003 Jonathan Walton: Cool & Clever?
[quote="On the Nobilis List, R. Sean Borgstrom"]Why do the rules exist? Today I think it is "to get the players to feel cool and clever on a regular basis."[/quote] Wow.…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jonathan Walton, Christopher Kubasik, contracycle, WDFlores, Alan, pete_darby, Shreyas Sampat, Jared A. Sorensen, adaen, Ben Lehman, Marco, Jeffrey Miller, SFEley, Ian Charvill.

7/18/2003 Jack Aidley: GM, DM, referee, storyteller, storyguide, etc., etc.
I've been thinking lately about what to call the GM in my games, as you can guess from the prior sentence I've always tended to use GM. But I'm wondering…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jack Aidley, pete_darby, Cadriel, Ben Morgan, Bob McNamee, jdagna, Marco, Ian Charvill, efindel, John Kim, Blake Hutchins, Matt Wilson, xiombarg, M. J. Young, Sylus Thane, Andrew Martin, Levi Kornelsen.

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