Previous Topics
In RPG Theory

1/7/2004 hatheg-kla: Mechanic for weak characters to surmount the odds -comments?
Hi there. I'm still juggling with rules and reward systems for a light-weight quasi-simulationist game set in Middle Earth. (I'm tentatively calling it Tales Of Middle Earth at the moment.)…
In RPG Theory
Participants: hatheg-kla, Valamir, timfire, xiombarg, buserian, Noon, M. J. Young, Loki, greyorm, Grex, Marhault, Lorenzo Rubbo-Ferraro, Ron Edwards, Shreyas Sampat, montag, Ben Lehman.

1/7/2004 Noon: More rules = more roleplay! (or 'Perception overload')
More rules means more roleplay! Ah, I love that title. It's quite wrong, yet it's basically what I'm about to suggest. And by suggest I mean in a 'I'm experimenting…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Noon, Mike Holmes, anonymouse, C. Edwards, montag, Harlequin, jdagna, simon_hibbs, wyrm.

1/5/2004 jeffd: alternate reward systems
The reward system in most RPGs is premised around increasing effectiveness in terms of the system (ie, better stats). Usually the currency is experience (or XP or whatever) that is…
In RPG Theory
Participants: jeffd, Jeph, Alan, M. J. Young, Michael S. Miller, Noon, Mike Holmes.

1/5/2004 John Kim: Writing Style, Detail, and Simulationism
The following are comments from the Bad Roleplaying? I blame Tolkien thread. I think the more general question which comes out of it is important, though. most…
In RPG Theory
Participants: John Kim, Matt Wilson, Ben Lehman, lumpley, Gordon C. Landis, M. J. Young, contracycle, pete_darby, Valamir, cruciel, C. Edwards, Ian Charvill, Emily Care, Paul Czege, Mike Holmes.

1/5/2004 johndehope3: Non-Combat Fortune at the Beginning
Let's say you have a combat system with fortune at the beginning. Something like... each guy rolls, the guy with the higher roll picks a battle result, based on how…
In RPG Theory
Participants: johndehope3, anonymouse, greyorm, Lxndr, Matt Wilson, M. J. Young.

1/4/2004 xechnao: Bad roleplaying-> blame fantasy
In the popular thread about bad role-playing and blaming tolkien poster apeiron mentioned: "In D&D it gets harder and harder to make challenges without shattering suspension of disbelief. How do…
In RPG Theory
Participants: xechnao, Ron Edwards, Brian Leybourne.

1/4/2004 greyorm: What is Bad Roleplaying?
Over in Bad Roleplaying? I blame Tolkien, Taina brought up a new subject, so I'm starting a new thread to exploer the issue. Given all this discussion about what influences…
In RPG Theory
Participants: greyorm, jdagna, xechnao, Jack Spencer Jr, Wolfen, Taina, M. J. Young.

1/2/2004 Rob MacDougall: Cthulhu's Clues (split)
In the thread from last November on Cthulhu's Clues, b_bankhead wrote: ....and stay tuned for my next essay 'Chtulhubabe and darkest secret of Call of Cthulhu.' Are we ever going…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Rob MacDougall, b_bankhead.

1/1/2004 Valamir: Bad Roleplaying? I blame Tolkien.
Ok, after several aborted attempts at rereading LotR, I decided to get the books on CD and have them read to me on my long long long drives over the…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Valamir, Mark Johnson, Lxndr, LordSmerf, Paganini, Trevis Martin, Brian Leybourne, M. J. Young, quozl, John Kim, Endoperez, Eero Tuovinen, xechnao, Troy_Costisick, Jack Spencer Jr, greyorm, mark2v, Dr. Velocity, jdagna, Noon, ethan_greer, Calithena, Andrew Norris, b_bankhead, Gordon C. Landis, Caldis, C. Edwards, s3kt0r, apeiron, Matt Wilson, Ozymandias, Taina, Bob McNamee, contracycle, Halzebier, Ron Edwards.

12/31/2003 kwill: theory with comix (contains no graphics)
in the "thinking, talking, gaming" thread I've discussed gaming issues with comix (well, not so much sequential and hardly art, but you get the idea) - and I'd like…
In RPG Theory
Participants: kwill, Ron Edwards.

12/31/2003 kwill: thinking, talking, gaming (PNG graphics, 15kB total)
in some recent discussions in the forums I felt that talk about simulationism, immersionism (simulationism focussing on Exploration of Character in a method-acting kind of way) and IC dialog were…
In RPG Theory
Participants: kwill, bcook1971, Jasper.

12/31/2003 rafial: Monopoly vs. RPGs, rule evolution, and the social contract
I was inspired with the following thought based on Christopher Kubasik's thread on clarity in rule writing, and his choice of Monopoly as an iconic game to represent the world…
In RPG Theory
Participants: rafial, Noon, jdagna, contracycle, Jack Aidley, Bill_White.

12/30/2003 C. Edwards: Social Reinforcement
Over in the Game Rule Clarity thread, Jack Spencer Jr wrote: Perhaps it would work if everyone played "please everyone else most?" I was going to reply in that thread,…
In RPG Theory
Participants: C. Edwards, Shreyas Sampat, M. J. Young, gobi.

12/30/2003 sirogit: Types of mechanics?
What different types of mechanics can a game system have? Immediately, I can think of: Task-resoloution Metagame-quality management Resource management Character creation In-game creation:Items, spells, etc etc Narrative Structure Personality-tracking…
In RPG Theory
Participants: sirogit, M. J. Young.

12/29/2003 Christopher Kubasik: Game Rule Clarity: Monopoly vs. any RPG
Hi All, On my way out to my cousins on Christmas eve, I listened to a NPR program. The theme was games: computer games, board games, old tactical wargames from…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Christopher Kubasik, rafial, anonymouse, Ian Charvill, efindel, jdagna, C. Edwards, M. J. Young, Paul Czege, Noon, Jack Spencer Jr, Scripty, James V. West, Ron Edwards, Andrew Martin.

12/28/2003 Palaskar: Applying Martial Arts Theory to RPGs
I've been studying Tai Chi for about 6 years now, and it occured to me that there are some interesting parallels between martial arts theory and RPG theory. The two…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Palaskar, Jasper, Andrew Martin, cruciel.

12/28/2003 doubtofbuddha: Social Context (split from older thread)
I just found this thread and thought I would go ahead and reply to it... 1. Consider yourself and the people you role-play with. Do you ever socialize with…
In RPG Theory
Participants: doubtofbuddha, Ron Edwards.

12/27/2003 Jody_Butt: Re: When Can We Stop Making "Games"?
[quote="Jonathan Walton"]I find myself increasingly frustrated, not by the expectations of those outside of the gaming community, but by the expectations that gamers and designers have set for themselves. To…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jody_Butt, Troy_Costisick, Ron Edwards, Palaskar, quozl, Noon, contracycle, neelk, M. J. Young, Mike Holmes.

12/26/2003 gobi: The Fun of Game Design
In response to the What are your goals as a game designer? thread, I'd like to ask slightly different questions. It is often said among big-time movie production crews that…
In RPG Theory
Participants: gobi, Lxndr, M. J. Young, ethan_greer, Palaskar, jdagna.

12/21/2003 Endoperez: Advice wanted for a Percentile system
A long time ago, I found free rpg rules system called Knights of Legend from internet. It is a percentile system, and it has main attributes, attributes counted from them…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Endoperez, John Kim, Andrew Martin, Anthony I, M. J. Young.

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Subsequent Topics
In RPG Theory

1/7/2004 timfire: What are some RPG's that use playing cards?
I was curious about games that use playing cards instead of dice. I had a thought about a game that would work exactly like a dice-game except players would choose…
In RPG Theory
Participants: timfire, jdagna, Ron Edwards, Grex, Aknaton, rafial, Adam, Zathreyel, beholdsa, Lxndr, clehrich, xiombarg, Mernya, jhawkins, JamesSterrett, Doctor Xero, apeiron, AlecAustin, M. J. Young, Hereward The Wake, Nuadha.

1/7/2004 hatheg-kla: Bit off topic - trying to remember name of game...
I came across a game a while back which had some interesting concepts. I was hoping that someone might be able to identify it from the following terse description! It…
In RPG Theory
Participants: hatheg-kla, Aknaton, Michael S. Miller.

1/8/2004 Sparky: Prince Valiant mechanic help?
I'd like to explore this as an opposed roll mechanic, but I need a formula for figuring out the percentages (if it can be had.) I hand wrote a result…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Sparky, Ian Charvill, Eero Tuovinen.

1/8/2004 sirogit: The different stages of preperation when running a game?
This is an attempt to create a model of the "phases" one would use for preperation while running a game. The main reason for doing so is that I've been…
In RPG Theory
Participants: sirogit, Noon.

1/9/2004 RobNJ: Action vs. Danger vs. Character complexity
Be it resolved that: 1. Role Playing Games are almost always action stories, involving fighting and bodily peril. 2. You want a sword to be able to kill someone. Anyone.…
In RPG Theory
Participants: RobNJ, Valamir, C. Edwards, Lxndr, Gordon C. Landis, kalyptein, Christopher Kubasik, M. J. Young, Mark Johnson, John Kim, cruciel, Noon, Shreyas Sampat, Paka.

1/9/2004 quozl: What are your favorite RPGs and why?
List a top 5, 10, 20, or whatever. Then tell us why you picked these games as your favorites.
In RPG Theory
Participants: quozl, M. J. Young, Ron Edwards, anonymouse, Zathreyel, ross_winn, pete_darby, Bob McNamee, Matt Wilson, contracycle, Umberhulk, Paul Czege, Jack Spencer Jr, hatheg-kla, Anthony, talysman, ADGBoss, Comte, Dauntless, urbanpagan, clehrich, MikesLeftHand, Scourge108, Doctor Xero, RDU Neil, Nuadha, hermes, ascendance.

1/10/2004 RfC_Pyxis: Dice in General
Most gamers are probably old-hands at figuring out probability distributions of dice rolling systems (Ye Old 2d6, 2d10, 100d100, etc.), they know that in a roll of 2d6, the most…
In RPG Theory
Participants: RfC_Pyxis, montag, Mark Johnson, Andrew Martin, M. J. Young, Mike Holmes.

1/10/2004 Jack Spencer Jr: diffusing the drama
I have been wondering about a roleplaying phenomenom. PC: "Can I go down that corridor?" Me: "Sure" PC: "Okay, I go. Does…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jack Spencer Jr, Shreyas Sampat, montag, Bob McNamee.

1/11/2004 Michael Hopcroft: Building systems to help with relationships
In the process of designing The Kevin & Kell Roleplaying Game for Seraphim Guard, I am facing the design problem of relationships as a vital -- in not the most…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Michael Hopcroft, Ron Edwards, Mark Johnson, jdagna, M. J. Young.

1/13/2004 realms_creator: Armor rating
I would like to have some imput on the armor system for our game setting. Please post only honest replies. Thanks Protection Type Armor Rating Armor Points Leather Armor 30%…
In RPG Theory
Participants: realms_creator, Andrew Martin, Calithena, Jack Aidley, Gordon C. Landis, Drifter Bob, Dr. Velocity.

1/13/2004 Lorenzo Rubbo-Ferraro: Character Creation
I have discovered an interesting, and as far as I know, unique (surely it’s been done before) form of character creation that could be used for many RPG’s – especially…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Lorenzo Rubbo-Ferraro, Andrew Martin, xiombarg, Lxndr, The Benj, Jeph, Mike Holmes, Zak Arntson, Maarzan, inthisstyle.

1/13/2004 sirogit: How do you make a situation a character cannot walk out of?
I'm very intereasted in capturing what Valamir calls in a RPG.net post: http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=88152&perpage=10&pagenumber=1 Situation-driven play. I read the thread a few pages across but it seemed to be very largely…
In RPG Theory
Participants: sirogit, Paganini, pete_darby, Valamir, Matt Wilson, Ron Edwards, Mike Holmes, Noon, John Kim.

1/14/2004 Steve: Task Resolution Systems
Hi. I'm new to the Forge and I wanted to know what are the basic dice task resolution system?
In RPG Theory
Participants: Steve, Valamir, Jasper, John Kim, M. J. Young.

1/14/2004 pete_darby: Why people find it fun to be sick...
[size=18px](This post has been rated 15 for language. And C-, must try harder, for content).[/size] So, in a sleep deprived state, and somewhat pleased (though not totally satisfied) from the…
In RPG Theory
Participants: pete_darby, Loki, Noon, Ron Edwards, Wolfen, lumpley, Matt Wilson, M. J. Young, inthisstyle, Calithena, Valamir.

1/14/2004 anonymouse: making a game out of character creation: Scrabble!
Random bit of system piece.. So, random chat over in #indiegames and I hit upon the idea of using Scrabble, or a similar system, for character generation. You'd get a…
In RPG Theory
Participants: anonymouse, Lorenzo Rubbo-Ferraro, gobi, GB Steve.

1/16/2004 s3kt0r: Using Charts In Task Resolution
In deciding what type of dice mechanics I was looking for in my RPG, I decided the best method would be using different sided dice and progressing the size as…
In RPG Theory
Participants: s3kt0r, Valamir, Paul Czege, Mark Johnson, M. J. Young, Jack Aidley, Walt Freitag, Lxndr, Mike Holmes.

1/18/2004 sirogit: Character Creation/Advancement and "Character Type"
"Character Type" meaning profession, race, faction, or whatever such seperated character options that a game has. I want a system combining Class-like options and point buy systems that has a…
In RPG Theory
Participants: sirogit, Lxndr, HMT, M. J. Young, Andrew Martin, Autocrat, Doctor Xero.

1/19/2004 Grover: Combat Rules
Y'know, roleplaying games frequently have much larger rulesets for combat than for other activities. This is often explained as a throwback to wargaming roots, or because the game is focused…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Grover, Andrew Martin, gobi, Ron Edwards, Mike Holmes, Noon, Umberhulk, John Kim, Lorenzo Rubbo-Ferraro, pete_darby, weeble, M. J. Young, Jasper, Maarzan, montag, Shreyas Sampat.

1/20/2004 Calithena: Making a Game out of Magic
This is the kind of thread I never know whether to put here or in RPG theory. I want to discuss some issues relating to RPG magic systems in a…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Calithena, Lxndr, gobi, Umberhulk, Shreyas Sampat, Valamir, GreatWolf, Jack Aidley, Christopher Weeks, apeiron, M. J. Young, Paul Czege, BPetroff93, RaconteurX.

1/20/2004 MachMoth: Character Depreciation
I had a very vague idea, and instead of butchering it myself, I thought I'd share it. Character depreciation. In some way, characters have a set (or not *shrugs*) lifeline.…
In RPG Theory
Participants: MachMoth, Lxndr, Bob McNamee, Jack Spencer Jr, anonymouse, gobi.

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