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In RPG Theory

10/4/2003 Sonja: Magic systems? (spell points, specific spells vs spheres)
I am researching options for magic in a medieval fantasy RPG. I know I don't like the memorization system in D&D. It doesn't make sense. I like the idea of…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Sonja, HMT, Brian Leybourne, C. Edwards, M. J. Young, gobi, John Kim, Bob McNamee, bigsimon, simon_hibbs, Mike Holmes, SumDood, Cemendur, Windthin, Thanaeon, Umberhulk.

10/3/2003 deadpanbob: Focus: Step On Up Topic: Skills
All: Once again, my search-kwon-do has failed me here at the Forge. I swear I don't have this much problem at other sites... In any case, I'm hoping that someone…
In RPG Theory
Participants: deadpanbob, M. J. Young, contracycle, pete_darby, Clinton R. Nixon, kalyptein, LordSmerf, Mike Holmes, Ron Edwards, Christopher Weeks, Walt Freitag, failrate, simon_hibbs, gobi, Ziggy, Noon.

10/2/2003 LordSmerf: The Ever-Elusive "Perfect" Damage System
No, i don't have it. Yes, i want it badly. Therefore i propose the following: This thread's express purpose is the discussion of damage systems. Anything from tracking character damage,…
In RPG Theory
Participants: LordSmerf, Mike Holmes, Heather Manley, Jeph, gobi, Jack Spencer Jr, RaconteurX, M. J. Young, SumDood, Jack Aidley.

10/2/2003 Tomas HVM: Empowerment and elements
Please consider this post a possible framework to develop ideas from, not a provocation for those not aggreeing in the goal of it all. I think these ideas are best…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Tomas HVM, Tony Irwin, Mike Holmes, Valamir, Gordon C. Landis, Ben Lehman.

10/2/2003 SumDood: Blast and Burn Damage Tracking
My system divides possible hit locations into many body parts, all listed on the character sheet with different armor and damage resistance values. One of the major difficulties I've had…
In RPG Theory
Participants: SumDood, Mike Holmes, Valamir, M. J. Young, Christopher Weeks, LordSmerf, contracycle, bcook1971.

10/2/2003 bcook1971: Get What You Play For!
I invite you to use this sheet to dial up and flip on your RPG play preferences. It may even help to articulate preference across your group and lead to…
In RPG Theory
Participants: bcook1971, Mike Holmes, Gordon C. Landis, John Kim.

10/1/2003 LordSmerf: Who we play with
After some consideration over the weekend, i have decided that it is worth discussing the following point which was briefly mentioned in my Evolution of Preferences thread. The question is…
In RPG Theory
Participants: LordSmerf, Mike Holmes, bcook1971, jdagna, M. J. Young.

9/30/2003 Tomas HVM: There is only players in RPG
I've had this recurring idea on RPG's, a new theoretical stance, and it's a very fruitful one: There is only players in a roleplaying game. The so called "games master"…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Tomas HVM, Minx, Gordon C. Landis, MachMoth, Marco, John Kim, Mark Johnson, Ron Edwards, contracycle, Jack Aidley, Valamir, pete_darby, Paganini, Walt Freitag, Mike Holmes, Sparky, M. J. Young.

9/30/2003 Rob Donoghue: Genre Question: Techno Thrillers
Ok, so I'm finding myself at a point in my game where I've realized that I think my players are looking for a techno thriller, a genre I'm almost completely…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Rob Donoghue, xechnao, jdagna, Jack Spencer Jr, Dev, contracycle, Marco.

9/30/2003 Heather Manley: Adults in Wonderland: Mutable Settings
Consider the original Alice in Wonderland (the book, not the cartoon or movie) and Through the Looking Glass. Especially because of the implied "It was all just a dream!" aspect,…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Heather Manley, JimmyB, contracycle, simon_hibbs, Michael S. Miller, Shreyas Sampat, LordSmerf, Mike Holmes.

9/30/2003 Drifter Bob: realism in RPG's
I recently wrote the first half of a two part article about realism in Role Playing Games for Swords Edge Magazine. I'd be interested in any reactions or response people…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Drifter Bob, Ben Lehman, mjk, deadpanbob, JimmyB, Trevis Martin, Andrew Martin, Ian Charvill, simon_hibbs, Jack Aidley, Walt Freitag, Rob Donoghue, xechnao, M. J. Young, Marco, contracycle, Jack Spencer Jr, Mike Holmes, Christopher Weeks, Ron Edwards.

9/29/2003 Ben Lehman: Humor in RPGs / Comedy RPGs
(Not certain if this should be in RPG Theory or GNS... It relates to RPG theory, but also to GNS...) Something which I have harped on for a while in…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Ben Lehman, AnyaTheBlue, xiombarg, Ron Edwards, jdagna, Gordon C. Landis, M. J. Young.

9/29/2003 ejh: Scott McCloud's Four Tribes
I got to hear comic artist Scott McCloud speak earlier this week and as an aside, in response to a question somebody asked, he threw out a fourfold classification of…
In RPG Theory
Participants: ejh, Jonathan Walton, xiombarg, Ben Lehman, Windthin, SumDood, Jasper, Trevis Martin, Alan, John Kim.

9/27/2003 Mark Johnson: Anti-games
I propose a subclass of RPG texts, the anti-game. Whereas most game texts exist predominantly in service to actual game play, anti-game text exists predominantly to make some other point…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Mark Johnson, Jack Spencer Jr, Jonathan Walton, gobi, Ron Edwards, xiombarg, GB Steve, ejh, Michael S. Miller, Comte, simon_hibbs, Ben Lehman, contracycle, pete_darby.

9/26/2003 Jonathan Walton: What Magic Is
I was reading some Forge threads, looking at various magic systems that people were working on, when something struck me: Magic is really just a player-empowerment tool, resisting the GM's…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jonathan Walton, Christopher Weeks, John Kim, Valamir, bcook1971, C. Edwards, damion, Windthin, M. J. Young, contracycle, Jack Aidley, Marco, Walt Freitag, mjk, Comte, simon_hibbs.

9/25/2003 LordSmerf: "Radical" Ideas from Non-gamers
In the When can we stop making "games" thread it was mentioned that often, ideas that people who have spent time gaming find radical, seem rather logical to people who…
In RPG Theory
Participants: LordSmerf, Christopher Kubasik, Jonathan Walton, AnyaTheBlue, bcook1971, Andrew Martin, samdowning, Bankuei, Palaskar, LeftWingPenguin, Ron Edwards, M. J. Young.

9/25/2003 M. J. Young: Setting as an element of System
This is a spinoff from Front-loaded relationship-driven Nar/Sim overlap, in a way--that's what led me to think this way, and it's relevant to the discussion there. I had been…
In RPG Theory
Participants: M. J. Young, pete_darby, Ron Edwards, damion, Windthin.

9/25/2003 GenericAnimeBoy: Computer RP Software
It seems to me looking at computerized RPGs that many of them have static gameplay which revolves either around action and leveling up or around the development of a preprogrammed,…
In RPG Theory
Participants: GenericAnimeBoy, Mark Johnson, anonymouse, xechnao, Ron Edwards, Andrew Norris.

9/24/2003 pete_darby: No Myth PC's
A random paragraph from the article I'm working on for Matt, but I couldn't resist popping it in front of you guys: be warned, ths contains an idea that I'd…
In RPG Theory
Participants: pete_darby, Lxndr, Bob McNamee, Mike Holmes, Andrew Norris, Buddha Nature, deadpanbob, Walt Freitag.

9/24/2003 LordSmerf: The Evolution of Gaming Preference
After an extended hiatus, i was drawn back to the Forge by this discussion on redundant characters. Other than the fact that i saw, at least to some degree, a…
In RPG Theory
Participants: LordSmerf, bcook1971, Ben Lehman, Jack Spencer Jr, John Kim, pete_darby, Ron Edwards, Mark Johnson, contracycle, samdowning, b_bankhead, Marco, M. J. Young.

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Subsequent Topics
In RPG Theory

10/6/2003 LordSmerf: The Difference between Published Design and Actual Play?
I was going to post this in another thread, but it was so off topic that i decided to split it before it derailed the previous discussion (again). Ron Edwards…
In RPG Theory
Participants: LordSmerf, Mark Johnson, deadpanbob, Tomas HVM, Ron Edwards, Jonathan Walton, Mike Holmes, RaconteurX.

10/7/2003 xiombarg: concept games footnote, politics in games
As a footnote to the concept games thread and the games as serious art thread, I'd like to note something that's going on in video games, in at least in…
In RPG Theory
Participants: xiombarg, contracycle, John Kim, Tim Alexander, simon_hibbs, Tomas HVM, Jonathan Walton, Mark Johnson, M. J. Young, Rob MacDougall, Mike Holmes, taalyn.

10/7/2003 Brian T: Task resolution system ideas
Hello all I am new to the board and have seen a bit of good feedback and decided to look for some feed back on a task resolution scheme I…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Brian T, SumDood, Jeph, John Kim, Andrew Martin, Jack Spencer Jr, Jack Aidley, Mike Holmes, M. J. Young, Dr. Velocity.

10/8/2003 Jeph: We know the ends. What about the means? (Kyu-Sei-Sha)
Some of you may know about Andy Kitowski's Kyu-Sei-Sha, a narrativist facilitating post apocalyptic game of kung fu and psychic powers. I've been thinking about it a bit recently, even…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jeph, anonymouse, hanschristianandersen, Ron Edwards.

10/8/2003 Thierry Michel: Motif Index for Folktales
I recently heard about the Thompson motif index for folktales. I'm not a folklorist, so I don't know how it's used in practice, but upon reading the desc., it…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Thierry Michel, Mark Johnson, Jonathan Walton.

10/9/2003 C. Edwards: PC Integrity (from Adventures in Improvised System)
[quote="lumpley"]Check this out: Is play really collaborative if it contaminates character integrity? What we're collaborating on [i]is[/i] character integrity.[/quote] [quote="Paul Czege"]When I create my guy, I have a vision for…
In RPG Theory
Participants: C. Edwards, pete_darby, Ian Charvill, AgentFresh, lumpley, Gordon C. Landis, Mike Holmes.

10/9/2003 Tomas HVM: Reality and RPGs
I expect the following notions is to kick in open doors on this forum, but bear with me. Reality There is a lot of talk about "escapism" and "not relating…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Tomas HVM, jdagna, deadpanbob, Jack Spencer Jr, Alan, Mike Holmes, Gordon C. Landis, simon_hibbs.

10/9/2003 Jack Spencer Jr: Typecasting or Character Players.
Typecasting or Character players. Yet another limit on the possibilities of roleplaying When reading PC integrity something struck me. In acting there's a phenomenom called "character actor." This means the…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jack Spencer Jr, Mike Holmes, M. J. Young, efindel, Windthin, Tim Alexander, John Kim, C. Edwards, Tomas HVM.

10/9/2003 xiombarg: metaplot footnote
As a footnote to my original rant and the thread about using metaplot as a tool, I picked up Orpheus yesterday, and I'm pleased by how they're handling the metaplot…
In RPG Theory
Participants: xiombarg, eyebeams, The Solecist, Mike Holmes, simon_hibbs.

10/10/2003 c_stone_bush: Many players, only one character...
Has anyone though about how (and if) a game would work if all the players were controling the actions of a single main character? I stumbled across this idea when…
In RPG Theory
Participants: c_stone_bush, Ron Edwards, Mike Holmes, Harlequin, Czar Fnord, M. J. Young.

10/13/2003 Drifter Bob: Realism in RPG's II
I'm am finishing up the second half of my universailly despised article on realism in rpgs, which will be appearing in in swords edge e-zine (http://www.swordsedge.net) in a day or…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Drifter Bob, Marco, Walt Freitag, xechnao.

10/13/2003 Tony Irwin: Men are from Universalis (split Adventure in Impro'd System)
Hey Folks, I split this myself from the Adventures in Improvised System Thread as my questions are quite off topic. Hey Vincent, First off, I agree that Universalis is…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Tony Irwin, simon_hibbs, Jonathan Walton, Valamir, Emily Care, Jack Spencer Jr, LordSmerf, Paul Czege, lumpley, Mike Holmes, Green, hix, Ron Edwards, Bob McNamee, M. J. Young.

10/13/2003 ethan_greer: Sample Scenarios
Simple question: Are the sample scenarios that get included in many games actually valuable? Now, the obvious quick and easy answer is, "yes, of course." Mainly because a sample scenario…
In RPG Theory
Participants: ethan_greer, bcook1971, Marco, Ron Edwards, John Kim, Valamir, failrate, Jack Spencer Jr, Mark Johnson, Ian Charvill, Tony Irwin, Tim Alexander, Mike Holmes, rafael.

10/15/2003 Mark Johnson: The Gender Genie
A while back in Most attractive setting for female players, there was a little consideration of how to make RPG text more palatable to a larger range of people. I…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Mark Johnson, Ian Charvill, Rich Forest, Sylus Thane, Valamir, Emily_Dresner, jrs, AnyaTheBlue, Meredith, Matt Wilson, Sonja.

10/15/2003 Jonathan Walton: Needed: "What is Roleplaying?" Quotes
Hey folks, I'm thinking of writing a new column for PRGnet called "What is Roleplaying?" that examines what we do from a variety of viewpoints (social, aesthetic, philosophical, historical, etc).…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jonathan Walton, John Kim, AnyaTheBlue, Tomas HVM, redivider, M. J. Young.

10/15/2003 c_stone_bush: Single Success Systems vs. Multiple Success Systems
I am working on the mechanics for a new game and am trying to decide on a system for task resolution. Which do you think I should use: a) The…
In RPG Theory
Participants: c_stone_bush, John Kim, Valamir, DNAphil, Mike Holmes, Brian Leybourne, M. J. Young, efindel.

10/16/2003 M. J. Young: Cross-Gender Play, or Walk a Mile in My Stiletoes
I'm often saying that role play can be a way of coming to understand other people, how they think, why they do what they do. I've also said that I…
In RPG Theory
Participants: M. J. Young, Tomas HVM, contracycle, Clinton R. Nixon, AnyaTheBlue, Emily Care, Ron Edwards, jrs, LordSmerf, JSDiamond, Mike Holmes, Mark Johnson, ADGBoss.

10/16/2003 Tomas HVM: How do you explore "being another person"?
It is often said that roleplaying games let you explore being another person. However: I've never seen any real discussion on how we do this (other than the gender issue).…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Tomas HVM, RaconteurX, Mike Holmes, AnyaTheBlue, DNAphil.

10/17/2003 Jack Spencer Jr: From CRPGs: Is that all it is?
I read this review here It's mainly a tactical combat game, but it has enough backstory and character development to merit dual genre classification as an RPG. Characters go…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jack Spencer Jr, Valamir, anonymouse, Comte, Noon, James Holloway.

10/20/2003 Sonja: umbrella term for "NPCs and Monsters"?? help
Is there an umbrella term to include both NPCs and Monsters, i.e. a simple word to cover any and all GM-controlled entities? I can think of terms like Supporting Characters…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Sonja, Andrew Martin, Mark Johnson, ethan_greer, Jack Aidley, Czar Fnord, Ron Edwards, Marco, jdagna, Mike Holmes, Lxndr, ADGBoss, M. J. Young, simon_hibbs, apeiron.

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