Previous Topics

3/27/2005 TonyLB: [Dulcimer Hall] Another shot at Resolution
Okay, first go read the Hybrid Resolution document to see where I'm starting from. Now go read Crypto-romance Character Development to see what I want to achieve with…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: TonyLB, MikeSands, Doug Ruff.

3/25/2005 TonyLB: Review up at RPG.net
Jeremy Reaban crafted a nice little review of Capes for RPG.net. I like it. It says nice things about the system. He's said over at the IPR forums that he's…
In Muse of Fire Games
Participants: TonyLB, Miskatonic.

3/24/2005 TonyLB: [Dulcimer Hall] Crypto-romance Character Development
Dulcimer Hall characters are super-spies of some stripe. So as I look at character development (i.e. how the character evolves over time as a result of their choices, successes and…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: TonyLB, Troy_Costisick, Bill_White, Doug Ruff, Garbanzo, Shreyas Sampat.

3/21/2005 TonyLB: Where can you talk about "Objective" and "Sub
Over in 20' by 20' Room, we had a fun conversation where we all tried to suss out what we think about objective and subjective rules. The main take-away was…
In RPG Theory
Participants: TonyLB, Silmenume, MikeSands, ffilz, Bankuei, Marco, Lxndr, John Kim, M. J. Young, Noon, Arref, Jasper Polane, Valamir, Simon Kamber.

3/15/2005 TonyLB: [Dulcimer Hall] Task/Conflict Hybrid and Rewards
So here's my take on how to hybridize Task and Conflict Resolution, for one specific game, for one specific genre: You have Conflicts out on the table (presumably on 3x5…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: TonyLB, Doug Ruff.

3/11/2005 TonyLB: [Capes] Following the system
Chrysalis is the space-station at the end of time, from which our characters travel back into the past for our various reasons. Eric got totally on his "presenting adversity" game,…
In Actual Play
Participants: TonyLB, Sydney Freedberg.

3/4/2005 TonyLB: [Capes] The power of explicit conflicts
Despite having written a conflict-resolution game, I have a great fondness for task-resolution mechanics. I've thought, for a long time, that there's nothing structurally that conflicts can do that tasks…
In Actual Play
Participants: TonyLB, Ron Edwards, Miskatonic, Sydney Freedberg, Minx, hix, Noon.

3/4/2005 TonyLB: Free Character Generator Software
Check it out: Flash Character Generator. Features:Print sheets of Click and Locks. Mix and match Powers, Skills and Personae on the same page. Immediate lookup of any module in the…
In Muse of Fire Games
Participants: TonyLB, Miskatonic, Ron Edwards, Christopher Weeks, John Harper.

3/1/2005 TonyLB: Magic by design
In Incoherence... How would a ruleset put "magic" in magic and "spirituality" in religion? I'm curious how that would happen. I'm going to duck spirituality (a harder issue) and handle…
In RPG Theory
Participants: TonyLB, timfire, Sydney Freedberg, John Kim, Vaxalon, Noon, lev_lafayette, Doug Ruff, lumpley, Bill_White, Shreyas Sampat, Valamir, M. J. Young, ffilz, contracycle, Doctor Xero, Dantai, Garbanzo, Silmenume.

2/16/2005 TonyLB: [Dulcimer Hall] In Search of Angsty Loner Cypher Guy
[i]This thread builds on previous work in [url=http://www.indie-rpgs.com/viewtopic.php?t=14305][Dulcimer Hall] How crazy is this?[/url].[/i] So there is this [i]character[/i] that I have never seen done right in RPGs. Michael, from [i]La…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: TonyLB, Doug Ruff, LordSmerf, Ron Edwards.

2/15/2005 TonyLB: [NASTW] Proto-roleplay
I do errands with my young children (oldest just turned four). So when I went to discover my friendly-local-gaming-store today, I had kids in tow. And when I was ready…
In Actual Play
Participants: TonyLB, lumpley.

2/15/2005 TonyLB: GM-task: Test to Extremity
I split this off from Why would anybody want to GM? because it's a little off topic, and I want to take it a LOT further. I articulated it on…
In RPG Theory
Participants: TonyLB, lumpley, Sydney Freedberg, Doctor Xero, John Kim, clehrich, Kat Miller, Emily Care, Mark Woodhouse, LordSmerf, Brendan.

2/13/2005 TonyLB: [Dulcimer Hall] How crazy is this?
So I was playing Dogs in the Vineyard, and I absolutely love the Traits-as-experience system, for its foolproof nature. If you make a mistake and write in a trait that…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: TonyLB, Eero Tuovinen, Brendan, xenopulse.

2/10/2005 TonyLB: [Dulcimer Hall] Grafting two mechanics?
For my next design, I'm looking to create a game where two different activities have important rules support. It will have an explicit system for letting players create facts, theories,…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: TonyLB, LordSmerf.

2/10/2005 TonyLB: [Capes] Wanting to win
So, I had an increasinglg familiar experience in our first Capes session last night, and would like advice about how to make it more familiar still. Everyone was agreed that…
In Actual Play
Participants: TonyLB, Vaxalon, coxcomb, inthisstyle, Sydney Freedberg, TheCzech, Ron Edwards, LordSmerf.

2/7/2005 TonyLB: [DitV] Dry Gulch Branch
Having gotten a serious good-roleplaying high from Dogs at Dreamation, I gathered together some friends in my gaming group to start the buzz going locally. Those who managed to attend…
In Actual Play
Participants: TonyLB, Sydney Freedberg, TheCzech, lumpley.

2/4/2005 TonyLB: How to pitch the game?
In the Capes thread in the Actual Play forum, Doug wrote: Tony, I'm going to offer some unsolicited advice (again) - you need to find a way of…
In Muse of Fire Games
Participants: TonyLB, Andrew Morris.

2/2/2005 TonyLB: [Universalis] Furry Sixties
So Dreamation was winding down, and Michael gathered us all around for a game of Universalis. I wish I could remember everyone's name, but I can't. Here's where we went:…
In Actual Play
Participants: TonyLB, CPXB, Michael S. Miller, Shawn De Arment, Valamir, Tony Irwin.

2/2/2005 TonyLB: [DexCon 2005] Indie Gaming Explosion 2
DexCon is, as I understand it, Dreamations big brother. Same hotel, same spectacular Double Exposure staff, same Sugarfest and Chocolate Heaven. Wednesday, July 13 - Sunday, July 17. There is…
In Conventions
Participants: TonyLB, Dregg, Michael S. Miller, inthisstyle, Bob Goat, Paka, Tav_Behemoth, RobNJ, Nathan.

1/31/2005 TonyLB: Capes is now on sale
Specifically, at the site you can PayPal me $10 for the PDF copy, if you want. You cannot (yet) go to Indie Press Revolution for the much better deal on…
In Muse of Fire Games
Participants: TonyLB, John Harper, Ben Lehman, inthisstyle, Andrew Morris, red dragon, efindel, Doug Ruff, Ron Edwards.

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Subsequent Topics

4/4/2005 TonyLB: Folding Tables
Yes, the question really is as strange and seemingly trivial as the subject makes it sound. I need to know whether I can get a cheap 90-degree crescent table, for…
In Connections
Participants: TonyLB, daMoose_Neo, jdagna, Tintros, Knave, abzu, Paul Czege.

4/5/2005 TonyLB: Tony's Standard Rant #1: Roleplay/Game Duality
This rant brought to you courtesy of discussion in this thread. There is a misconception that's become a pet peeve of mine, and that I want to debunk: The idea…
In RPG Theory
Participants: TonyLB, Jasper, Vaxalon, Shreyas Sampat, Doug Ruff, Andrew Morris, gorckat, Noon, contracycle, C. Edwards, John Kim, Lee Short, JMendes, James Holloway, groundhog, Ron Edwards.

4/7/2005 TonyLB: [TNaRPG] Dibs! I called it!
Inspired by this thread over on RPG.net, I have thought of a wonderful puff-piece of a game to write: That's Not an RPG!, the RPG I think the way to…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: TonyLB, Gaerik, daMoose_Neo, Aman the Rejected, Selene Tan, Brendan, Mike Holmes, MatrixGamer, killacozzy.

4/8/2005 TonyLB: [ANNOUNCEMENT] Time is running out for a bargain!
All of the first printing Capes books are gone. It's proven wildly popular. Thanks to all those who have made it so! I've had plenty of people commenting in their…
In Muse of Fire Games
Participants: TonyLB, Jaik.

4/8/2005 TonyLB: [Capes] Let's get conflicted!
I got the great pleasure of running Capes at TerpCon (thanks Josh!) out at U-MD last weekend. It was a hoot. Publishers: Do not let yourself get trapped…
In Actual Play
Participants: TonyLB, Noon, Piers Brown, Sydney Freedberg.

4/9/2005 TonyLB: How To: Interpret Charitably
[i]... or 'How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb.'[/i] Capes gives all players tremendous freedom to contribute to the Shared Imaginary Space. Players don't have to justify…
In Muse of Fire Games
Participants: TonyLB, John Harper.

4/11/2005 TonyLB: What are the tools of pacing?
Okay, first off, what this question is not. I am not asking what tools a GM can use in order to effect changes in pacing. I'm asking why one effects…
In RPG Theory
Participants: TonyLB, Shreyas Sampat, C. Edwards, xenopulse, Harlequin, Gaerik, Bankuei, matthijs, timfire, MatrixGamer, Bill Masek, John Kim, Marco, Alan.

4/11/2005 TonyLB: April get-together in DC
We organized a Forgite Dinner in DC, way back when, and people wanted another incarnation. It's happening this Saturday, April 16th, starting at 7p.m. in Alexandria, Virginia, just across the…
In Connections
Participants: TonyLB, Sydney Freedberg, xiombarg, Vaxalon, Nathan.

4/13/2005 TonyLB: Why narrate at all?
In Takes some getting used to, Ralph wrote: Tony. What do you perceive the purpose of the narration to be? To express your personal creative input (i.e. "because you…
In Muse of Fire Games
Participants: TonyLB, Vaxalon, Nicolas Crost, Noon, Valamir, hyphz, inthisstyle, Gaerik, Miskatonic, Mike Holmes, John Harper.

4/15/2005 TonyLB: Why have conflicts at all?
In Takes some getting used to, Andrew raised the following solid general question: Okay, I've been following this Capes thing very closely because I'm interested in the game. I'm…
In Muse of Fire Games
Participants: TonyLB, Gaerik, Miskatonic, Vaxalon, C. Edwards, John Harper, Valamir, inthisstyle.

4/15/2005 TonyLB: "Thematic Causality": What, why and how?
In Why have Conflicts at all?... The choice itself is important, but without a pattern of what I'm going to call "thematic causality", it has no meaning. Capes is…
In Muse of Fire Games
Participants: TonyLB, xenopulse, John Harper, Vaxalon, Paganini, C. Edwards, Valamir, Miskatonic, Jinx.

4/16/2005 TonyLB: NJ Local: DexCon booth design
Okay, we're nattering away on a variety of issues over on the Indie Game Explosion 2 Forum, but booth design is clearly going to be a task. I know, for…
In Connections
Participants: TonyLB, Andrew Morris, RobNJ, Helvetian.

4/16/2005 TonyLB: Reciprocity of interest
[quote="Vaxalon"]Why do I get the impression, then, that you don't like it, that I feel that Capes is a great start, but needs a little work to be perfect?[/quote] I…
In Muse of Fire Games
Participants: TonyLB, Vaxalon, John Harper.

4/17/2005 TonyLB: [MLWM] The minions of Otto von Kubir
I got a chance to run a four-hour session of My Life With Master last night. It was a blast to be the Master... but I know that I only…
In Actual Play
Participants: TonyLB, Sydney Freedberg, Miskatonic, Ron Edwards, GB Steve, Paul Czege, Victor Gijsbers, Adam Dray.

4/18/2005 TonyLB: [Dulcimer Hall] Fallout Scene Mechanics
So close... so very, very close. Sydney sent me a brilliant email a little while ago (yay Sydney!) in which he pointed out that you could (for some purposes) modify…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: TonyLB, Doug Ruff.

4/19/2005 TonyLB: Meaning at the beginning, middle and end
In "Thematic Causality": What, why and how?, over in the Muse of Fire forums, we hit some very interesting general-purpose questions. Folks reckon, and I agree, that it might be…
In RPG Theory
Participants: TonyLB, Ron Edwards, Troy_Costisick, xenopulse, Miskatonic, Valamir, Ben Lehman, Noon, Simon Marks, JMendes, Sydney Freedberg, Silmenume.

4/21/2005 TonyLB: [Capes] Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
Eric was playing two characters: Orobouros, a trans-temporal entity that masquerades as a God, and Saura Gul, his lizard high priest. He'd been playing these guys on and off for…
In Actual Play
Participants: TonyLB, Miskatonic, TheCzech, Sydney Freedberg, James_Nostack, Valamir, Michael Brazier, daMoose_Neo, Victor Gijsbers, Lxndr, John Harper, Christopher Weeks, Jaik, Noon, Doug Ruff, Gaerik.

4/23/2005 TonyLB: Rules-Recommendation: Responsive Conflicts
In Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal... I'd be interested in hearing what you think of being able to start Conflicts as a reaction to narration. That's hardly rewriting…
In Muse of Fire Games
Participants: TonyLB, Sydney Freedberg.

4/27/2005 TonyLB: (Accepting/Rejecting) x (Text/Meaning)
Recent discussions have led me to think a lot about what it means to tell people that they cannot reject anything that another player contributes to the narration of a…
In RPG Theory
Participants: TonyLB, Vaxalon, Shreyas Sampat, xenopulse, Brendan, Walt Freitag, Noon, Troy_Costisick, charles ferguson, Victor Gijsbers, John Harper.

4/28/2005 TonyLB: [That's Not Roleplaying!] Draft mechanics
Okay, after a productive rambling-session with Selene this afternoon, workable mechanics are starting to come together. That's Not Roleplaying is a game of simulating (at break-neck speed) the evolution of…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: TonyLB, Noon, killacozzy, Vaxalon, Miskatonic.

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