Previous Topics
In RPG Theory

8/11/2003 pete_darby: "Bluff" mechanic in RPG's
In This thread, I asked: Question: has there been an RPG that uses a Perudo like device where you can "bluff" your results? Could there be? (Thinks: Perduo Rune... time…
In RPG Theory
Participants: pete_darby, Mike Holmes, Walt Freitag, Michael S. Miller, iago.

8/11/2003 Dev: Bringing In your Angsty Past: ad hoc or pre-fab?
That is to say: a mechanic in my game/setting will be invoking a past "event" to modify some in game event. It would almost be akin to a flashback, really:…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Dev, Windthin, contracycle.

8/11/2003 Seidaku: Skill System Woes
I'm part of a team in the process of designing a skill structure for a MUSH. Some fairly unique problems have cropped up; I'm hoping you guys are able to…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Seidaku, iago, HMT, Mike Holmes, Shreyas Sampat, M. J. Young, Andrew Martin, Walt Freitag.

8/10/2003 CplFerro: Defining Published-Style RPGs
Ferro’s General Theory of Role-Playing Version 1.02 1 The /idea/ of /published-style role-playing games/ (RPGS) is a meaningful genre, expressed negentropically. That idea causes the hobby worth of specific games…
In RPG Theory
Participants: CplFerro, Mike Holmes, contracycle, Ron Edwards, Valamir, M. J. Young.

8/10/2003 M. J. Young: In-game Fear
I've got a bit of a problem with a scenario, and Fruitsmack's thread on Suspense in RPGs was very close but not quite on it, so I'm starting this…
In RPG Theory
Participants: M. J. Young, jdagna, Cemendur, Marco, Jake Norwood, Windthin, Mike Holmes.

8/10/2003 Dune: help out the newbi
i've been really intreasted in making my own RPGs. and i've actually got a ton of ideas, but i'm not quite sure how to actually start the process of creating…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Dune, M. J. Young, Alan, Ron Edwards.

8/9/2003 Sir Thomas: 'Crunchy' scene-resolution
Hi, I'm a long-time lurker at The Forge, and have seen many great ideas that have got me thinking about my game. For a long time now I've GMed a…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Sir Thomas, cruciel, HMT, Mark Johnson, Windthin, ethan_greer, Ron Edwards, Comte, Clinton R. Nixon, Jack Aidley, Lxndr, Mike Holmes.

8/8/2003 Jack Spencer Jr: a perspective on roleplaying
This was originally going to be a reply to the RPGs and related media thread, but I'm going to talk about all kinds of things that would most likely derail…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jack Spencer Jr, simon_hibbs, Mike Holmes, John Kim, Jonathan Walton, M. J. Young, Ron Edwards, Windthin, ejh, Emily Care.

8/8/2003 M. J. Young: In-game Courtroom Drama
Back somewhere in the incredibly long and multiply derailed Sharks With Lasers On Their Heads thread, I commented that I thought it possible to do courtroom drama if you…
In RPG Theory
Participants: M. J. Young, Smithy, pete_darby.

8/7/2003 FruitSmack!: Suspense in RPGs
Hey all, One thing I’ve been thinking about recently is suspense in role-playing. In most games I’ve ran/played in, suspense is a hard, if not impossible thing to accomplish. Usually,…
In RPG Theory
Participants: FruitSmack!, Troy_Costisick, jdagna, Valamir, Alan, contracycle, Ian Charvill, simon_hibbs, Jonathan Walton.

8/7/2003 Dev: Blurring attributes and skills
Most RPGs do have a relatively standard attribute / skill dichotomy. I was recently tooling with my system of choice when I realized that it was very easy mechanically to…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Dev, Andrew Martin, gobi, Ron Edwards, Clinton R. Nixon, HMT, Mike Holmes, Valamir, iago, Windthin, M. J. Young.

8/5/2003 ejh: System and the Lumpley Principle (split)
I notice also that in this particular formulation of the Lumpley Principle, game rules as written in a book are a subset of System. And in this formulation, the Lumpley…
In RPG Theory
Participants: ejh, Jack Spencer Jr, lumpley, Ron Edwards, C. Edwards, Gordon C. Landis, Alan, Cemendur.

8/5/2003 Ian Charvill: Examples of the Lumpley Principle in By-The-Rules Play
Over in another thread... Please don't make assertions without some kind of argument to back them up. How is it universal? It does not describe what happens…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Ian Charvill, Alan, Valamir, John Kim, Marco, kamikaze, C. Edwards, contracycle, Nicolas Crost, lumpley, Ron Edwards.

8/5/2003 Jack Spencer Jr: RPGs and related media
Over in this thread, the topic of things that may or may not be RPGs cropped up again. A by-no-means complete list of such things are as follows. Solo RPGs…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jack Spencer Jr, James Holloway, Mike Holmes, ejh, John Kim, Ron Edwards, Paganini, M. J. Young.

8/4/2003 John Kim: Multiple Reality Roleplaying
OK, I am starting a separate thread on this topic, because it seems like an interesting approach for a game. My idea is to have a game where the intent…
In RPG Theory
Participants: John Kim, Ben Lehman, Julian Kelsey, contracycle, Lxndr, ejh, Walt Freitag, Mike Holmes, M. J. Young, Rob Donoghue.

8/4/2003 Nicolas Crost: Understanding Spiritual Attributes
I was thinking about using a broadened mechanism of Spiritual Attributes (The Riddle of Steel) in my game. Therefore I was pondering what Spiritual Attributes are in game terms. I…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Nicolas Crost, Valamir, simon_hibbs, Windthin, Rico, Brian Leybourne, cruciel, Jake Norwood, Ron Edwards.

8/2/2003 Jack Spencer Jr: How to Design a Fantasy Heartbreaker.
[i]note: although there is a system contained herein, I am posting this more as a matter of general theory. Any comments about that design, if any, should go in the…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jack Spencer Jr, Ben Lehman, AnyaTheBlue, Hardpoint, kamikaze, Ron Edwards, Comte, Valamir, Jeffrey Miller, madelf, contracycle, Mike Holmes, Chris Goodwin.

8/2/2003 Paganini: The Lumpley Principle Goes Wading
Ejh posted to this old thread: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/viewtopic.php?t=6537 And here is my reply: Ejh, I think you're on the right track, but are in semantic danger. The thing is, it really…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Paganini, kamikaze, ejh, John Kim, C. Edwards, Jack Spencer Jr, lumpley, Lxndr, Marco, Valamir, Matt Snyder, contracycle, Mike Holmes.

8/2/2003 ClaudeC: Are there any rpg games that...
... Allow you to play it with dices or diceless? And what would be the pros and cons of this kind of game? ClaudeC
In RPG Theory
Participants: ClaudeC, gobi, Shreyas Sampat, efindel, kamikaze, mike wiemholt.

8/2/2003 Paganini: Finding Characters
This reference thread: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/viewtopic.php?t=4738 Is pretty much a theoretical description of a practical approach to creating thematic play. In a nutshell, the goal was to create characters that would produce…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Paganini, John Kim, Windthin, Ron Edwards.

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Subsequent Topics
In RPG Theory

8/12/2003 madelf: celtic mytholgy in RPGs
Some may remember a while back I had a thread going where some debate cropped up about pagan religions, their inherent morality/amorality, and the impact of religion on society. I…
In RPG Theory
Participants: madelf, taalyn, simon_hibbs, contracycle, Ron Edwards, ejh, Windthin, John Kim, James Holloway.

8/12/2003 Jack Aidley: Developing Mr. Jack's Crunchy Combat System.
This is a sort of follow on from 'Crunchy' scene-resolution, in which I suggested I figure the basic reason D&D combat gets dull is because of it's take turns standing…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jack Aidley, kregmosier, M. J. Young, HMT.

8/12/2003 Marco: More illusionism
[b] This was split from a thread about players modifying dice results in Actual Play.[/b] Assuming that the GM ran a game "straight" (pinball-sim, here's a map, go explore ...…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Marco, Ron Edwards, Mike Holmes, Walt Freitag, cruciel.

8/13/2003 anonymouse: Smacked Upside the Head with a Guitar:
or, FLCL-inspired play design. (FLCL - pronounced 'Fooly Cooly' - is a six-episode anime series from Gainax. i watched it again after a space of a few years this past…
In RPG Theory
Participants: anonymouse, Paul Czege, Mike Holmes, gobi.

8/13/2003 Hunter Logan: Benefits and Uses for Metaplot
I think the ongoing discussion of metaplots is pretty counterproductive. Metaplots are tools, and they can serve a purpose. They can provide a more dynamic background for a game world,…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Hunter Logan, xiombarg, AnyaTheBlue, Valamir, contracycle.

8/13/2003 Hunter Logan: The problem with published rpgs (rant, long)
I've been following some of the more recent threads in rpg theory and I haven't really wanted to say anything. Then, over the weekend, I went with my friend to…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Hunter Logan, Dr. Velocity, Alan, John Kim, pete_darby, Bankuei, Mike Holmes, Jack Spencer Jr, contracycle, WDFlores, Gordon C. Landis, Wolfen, M. J. Young, Jeph, Clinton R. Nixon.

8/14/2003 GB Steve: Narrative rpgs make good card games
In this thread, I propose that MLwM would make a cracking card game. Now thinking about this a bit more, it seems apparent that much the same could be said…
In RPG Theory
Participants: GB Steve, Mike Holmes, Valamir, Wolfen, iago, Ron Edwards, gobi, contracycle, simon_hibbs, RaconteurX.

8/15/2003 John Kim: Handling Detail and What it Means
In the thread on escalation, Gordon thought that the stuff on detail escalation should be split into a separate thread. So here it is... Going back to the comment that…
In RPG Theory
Participants: John Kim, Alan, Jack Spencer Jr, Windthin, M. J. Young, Mike Holmes, Gordon C. Landis.

8/15/2003 sirogit: Personality mechanics that work(for you)
Thanks to Ron for the GNS essay which I grabbed this phrase out of and may even have have mislabeled for something else entirely. Thanks Ron! I've always found personality…
In RPG Theory
Participants: sirogit, Alan, gobi, Valamir, Mike Holmes, Rob Donoghue, Ron Edwards, John Kim, talysman, AgentFresh, M. J. Young, Windthin, Emily Care, Zheng He, Jack Spencer Jr, Andrew Martin, James Holloway, kamikaze, Walt Freitag, Lxndr, Hunter Logan, Paul Czege, RaconteurX.

8/15/2003 Marco: The gap between CRPG's and Pen and Paper breached!
Check this out: http://www.gamespy.com/fargo/august03/realrpg/ It's a joke (a pretty good one, IMO)--but it does raise issues with the pervasiveness of trends of dysfunction in the RPG experience. My own experience…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Marco, Windthin.

8/15/2003 talysman: an approach to multiple simultaneous GMs
over in the Smacked Upside the Head with a Guitar thread, which I just now noticed (having just gotten back from a trip,) Michael (anonymouse) raised the idea of swapping/reversing…
In RPG Theory
Participants: talysman, gobi.

8/15/2003 Jonathan Walton: The Limits of Roleplaying: Solitaire
Reflecting on a bunch of the stuff that was brought up in this thread, I was especially drawn to the idea that roleplaying necessarily involved "shared imaginative space." This goes…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jonathan Walton, M. J. Young, Mark Johnson, ejh, Tim Alexander, Jack Spencer Jr, simon_hibbs, RARodger, Noon.

8/16/2003 Jack Spencer Jr: generic genre?
I continue to pick up games when I find them Scored Top Secret & Star Frontiers for $2. Not bad. Browsing the Top Secret book, I noticed something. the Foreword…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jack Spencer Jr, AgentFresh, Mark Johnson, Marco, M. J. Young, kamikaze, simon_hibbs, John Kim, Cemendur, Mike Holmes.

8/17/2003 jdagna: The System's Role in Exhaustion Escalation
I've been lurking on Exhaustion Escalation in Illusionist Play but I've never been a part of enough illusionist play to contribute much there. However, system got only a small…
In RPG Theory
Participants: jdagna, Jack Spencer Jr, M. J. Young, Rob MacDougall, Windthin.

8/17/2003 Jeph: Character sheets as the equivalent of plot webs?
So yeah. Do you remember, back in elementary school, when your fourth grade teacher told you how to start planning a story? You made a little blurb in the center…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jeph, Andrew Martin, jdagna, M. J. Young, Ben Morgan, gobi, iago, Ron Edwards, Nathaniel, Windthin, David Chunn, Mike Holmes, WDFlores, ross_winn.

8/20/2003 bcook1971: Bag of Questions and a Dilemma
Some questions. (This starts out RPG Theory and turns GNS. Wasn’t sure where to post it.) I’ve been trying to find a comprehensive glossary of terms and acronyms with no…
In RPG Theory
Participants: bcook1971, Jack Spencer Jr, Andrew Martin, Alan, ethan_greer, Garbanzo, jburneko, M. J. Young, Bankuei, Emily Care.

8/20/2003 Windthin: Proficiency and Pitfalls
Well... I've been thinking about how to show mastery, proficiency, in skills, and these are some thoughts that occured, and a possible solution I'd like feedback on. First off, I've…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Windthin, iago, bcook1971, Ron Edwards, M. J. Young, Andrew Martin.

8/20/2003 Dev: Pure Probabilty mechanic
(Just an idea, no game attached.) Imagine if you just had a big index of probabilities for lots and lots of stuff that might just randomly happen, and whenever something…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Dev, MachMoth, M. J. Young.

8/23/2003 Dave Panchyk: Social software considerations
When I pointed this article out to Ron, he suggested I post it here. This article focuses on groups on the Internet and how they behave (and have always behaved)…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Dave Panchyk, lumpley, Bankuei, cruciel, John Kim, Valamir, Marco, Mike Holmes.

8/25/2003 Lxndr: Stumbling Around A Rebuttal
This is in response to Erick Wujcik's recent article that he submitted to the Forge. I'm not sure if I've got my thoughts in order, but I wanted to put…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Lxndr, Alan, Jack Spencer Jr, Noon, Tony Irwin, Hunter Logan, lumpley, Mike Holmes, M. J. Young, Halzebier, C. Edwards, Erick Wujcik, Cemendur.

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