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In RPG Theory

2/7/2004 Librisia: Yes, MORE on religion and role playing
Salutations, At the urging of my genius game designer spouse, I recently read Mr. Lehrich's article on RPGs as ritual. I was inspired to post my own article to all…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Librisia, clehrich, Christopher Weeks, cthulahoops, Thuringwaethiel, greyorm, John Kim, james_west, M. J. Young, Mike Holmes, Valamir, contracycle, S'mon, montag, James Holloway, C. Edwards, Rich Forest, pete_darby, Ron Edwards, Bankuei.

2/6/2004 Paganini: Technique and setting
It's a given that Setting is fundamental. The existence of Characters depends on Setting; so does Situation, since Situation is an interraction between Character and Setting. The core of Narrativist…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Paganini, Bankuei, Valamir, coxcomb, M. J. Young, Ron Edwards.

2/6/2004 timfire: Idea for card-based combat mechanic.
I don't know if this is the best place for this post, but oh well, here goes. I've decided to design a hack-n-slash dungeon-crawl with a card-based resolution system. You…
In RPG Theory
Participants: timfire, Pelinderian, Harlequin, Scripty, M. J. Young, Hereward The Wake, Lxndr, Ulmus, clehrich.

2/5/2004 hermes: List of Indie Superhero RPGs?
It's been a while since I posted anything (though rest assured that I have been lurking in the background) so I feel compelled to contribute something. Sadly, I have nothing…
In RPG Theory
Participants: hermes, Zak Arntson, Clinton R. Nixon, Anthony I, Jeph, Michael S. Miller, Bob McNamee, hardcoremoose, gobi, HMT, M. J. Young, Ian Charvill, xiombarg, Grex.

2/4/2004 james_west: Ritual Discourse in Role-Playing Games
I've just read Lehrich's new article, "Ritual Discourse in Role-Playing Games." The thesis of the article appears to be that Role-Playing Games are ritual in nature, that their primary social…
In RPG Theory
Participants: james_west, clehrich, John Kim, Walt Freitag, RDU Neil, contracycle, Emily Care, Gordon C. Landis, M. J. Young, Ron Edwards, chadu, Librisia.

2/4/2004 CplFerro: Ferro's General Theory of Roleplaying
Updated version available at the link below. Thanks for the help in refining it: http://www.thelarper.org/issue_summer_2003/manifesto.html
In RPG Theory
Participants: CplFerro.

2/4/2004 ross_winn: Motivations...
In my own little theory of how RPGs work the motivations of the characters are critically important. Important to the dynamics of the play group and to the dynamics of…
In RPG Theory
Participants: ross_winn, Zoetrope10, Alan, Lxndr, jhawkins, Doctor Xero, joshua neff, M. J. Young, RDU Neil, Bankuei, Valamir, clehrich, Gordon C. Landis, Christopher Kubasik, greyorm, Jonathan Walton, contracycle, Ron Edwards, Rich Forest.

2/4/2004 coxcomb: Setting, Metaplot, and Context
I have noticed some disdain for setting-heavy games here at the forge, and have been wrestling with the topic for quite a while now myself. In this post, I would…
In RPG Theory
Participants: coxcomb, Rob Carriere, Technocrat13, Ron Edwards, M. J. Young, Doctor Xero, RDU Neil, Gordon C. Landis.

2/4/2004 Scourge108: Universal and established systems
I wanted to know what the general consensus is on designing games for universal and established systems. I usually design things using an existing system already to known to my…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Scourge108, coxcomb, Trevis Martin, Autocrat, Andrew Martin, M. J. Young.

2/3/2004 shehee: Dice mechanic help
The dice mechanic is this: When you roll, either opposed (like fighting) or unopposed (like driving), you count the evens as successes and the odds you discard. Any roll that…
In RPG Theory
Participants: shehee, Harlequin, Christopher Weeks, M. J. Young, orbsmatt, talysman.

2/2/2004 coxcomb: Conflict Resolution vs. Action Resolution
First, I am sorry if this has already been beaten to death, I haven't spent too much time trolling through the posts. I have read most of Ron's essays and…
In RPG Theory
Participants: coxcomb, Ron Edwards, Valamir, simon_hibbs, clehrich, John Kim, Noon, lumpley, Autocrat, Anthony, Matt Wilson, cruciel, Alan, contracycle, aplath, Paganini.

2/2/2004 Doctor Xero: sex, drugs, politics, religion, bigotry, childhood pain
Reading Ron Edwards' links to the Famous Five, particularly the discussion on parallels between how gamer culture relates to mainstream and how gay culture relates to mainstream, made me curious.…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Doctor Xero, clehrich, Lorenzo Rubbo-Ferraro, contracycle, jhawkins, Dev, Noon, Christopher Weeks, Ben Lehman, Thuringwaethiel, Bob the Fighter.

2/1/2004 Scourge108: The state of RPGs
I'm so glad I found this site. I've been gaming since before people decided it was Satanic way back in the good old cold war days. The creative bug does…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Scourge108, Ron Edwards, contracycle, Loki, james_west, Bob the Fighter, MikesLeftHand, gabby2600.

2/1/2004 anonymouse: Quick(?) probability query:
Abe rolls a D6. (He gets a 4.) Barry has to get a number of successes equal to the result, at a TN of said result. (So Barry needs to…
In RPG Theory
Participants: anonymouse, Brian Leybourne, james_west, M. J. Young, Harlequin.

2/1/2004 Doctor Xero: For Magic More Like Folklore/Fairytale/Myth Magic
split from Mysterious Magic http://www.indie-rpgs.com/viewtopic.php?t=9404 I apologize for such a long thread, but I'm interested in efforts to apply a more folkloric form of magic to RPGs. However, first a…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Doctor Xero, clehrich, Shreyas Sampat, Christopher Kubasik, AnyaTheBlue, simon_hibbs, John Kirk, Mike Holmes, Peter Nordstrand, contracycle, neelk.

1/30/2004 kalyptein: universal vs specific systems, for challenge in many arenas
I'm fiddling with a game in which I'd like to allow detailed challenge in a number of different areas. In other words, the kind of gamist-oriented play you can get…
In RPG Theory
Participants: kalyptein, Ron Edwards, Doctor Xero, Shreyas Sampat, jhawkins, Autocrat, M. J. Young.

1/30/2004 Jonathan Walton: Atkins-Friendly RPGs (Shooting Cows Part II)
This came out of my initial response to Ron's "Narrativism" essay, in one section of which he describes games that have Premise-addressing built into their mechanics but then bury it…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jonathan Walton, gobi, Ron Edwards, Jack Spencer Jr, Jere, clehrich, John Kim, ascendance, Shreyas Sampat, Nuadha, coxcomb, Noon.

1/30/2004 Valamir: Shooting the Sacred Cow
I was going to post this in Indie Design, but then I decided to talk more in generalities than about the specific application to my on going Robots & Rapiers…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Valamir, Matt Wilson, ethan_greer, Matt Snyder, Jonathan Walton, Paganini, Jack Spencer Jr, Doctor Xero, C. Edwards, clehrich, Rob MacDougall.

1/29/2004 timfire: Mechanical suggestions for different types of magic?
Hi y'all (sorry this post might be little long), In the fantasy game world I'm trying to develop I want to have different types of magic. I was thinking that…
In RPG Theory
Participants: timfire, clehrich, November Kilo, M. J. Young, Technocrat13, urbanpagan, BPetroff93, Autocrat, tauman, Doctor Xero.

1/29/2004 Umberhulk: "Black Box" Gaming
I've created a diagram that shows the external influences on game play based on the premise that game are simulations. Simulation is defined as: a : The imitative representation of…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Umberhulk, Ron Edwards, james_west.

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Subsequent Topics
In RPG Theory

2/7/2004 Itse: Something I cooked up, a model if you like
I've been doing some thinking, about roleplaying discussion and the existing theoretical models. I've also been doing some writing. I could do this forever by myself, but since that wouldn't…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Itse, M. J. Young, MikesLeftHand, Sean, Mike Holmes, Eero Tuovinen, pete_darby, Valamir.

2/9/2004 Librisia: Huge digression - Note on ethnographic data
I will respond to all of your post later, M.J., but I want to be clear about what ethnography isn't: Krista, as I read your questions and answers for the…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Librisia, John Kim, james_west, M. J. Young.

2/9/2004 ascendance: What should the D20 awards recognize, and why?
Recently, the call went out on ENWorld for ENnie judges, and like a moth drawn to a flame, or like a geek drawn to a huge and unending pile of…
In RPG Theory
Participants: ascendance, Doctor Xero, M. J. Young, Walt Freitag, S'mon.

2/10/2004 Jack Spencer Jr: detailed settings? nah.
from Atkins-Friendly RPGs (Shooting Cows Part II) It is an interesting setting, not a detailed one, that is a plus. Detail does not correlate with interesting, either.If I read…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Jack Spencer Jr, clehrich, Mike Holmes, neelk, Ron Edwards, Dav, M. J. Young.

2/11/2004 james_west: Feminist Game Design [split from Religion in Role-Playing]
Hello, all ! Some discussion in the 'more on religion and role-playing' thread made me think about what a game meant to address feminist/race issues would look like. I surveyed…
In RPG Theory
Participants: james_west, Ron Edwards, Nick Pagnucco, Bankuei, timfire, John Kim, GB Steve, Doctor Xero, sirogit, pete_darby, Thuringwaethiel, inthisstyle, Matt Wilson, Emily Care, clehrich, lumpley, KingstonC, Librisia, contracycle, Christopher Weeks, Itse, AnyaTheBlue.

2/11/2004 timfire: GM as arbitrator and opponent - conflict of interest?
Does setting up the GM as both an arbitrator of the rules and explicitly as an opponent create a comflict of interest? I did a search but didn't find anything…
In RPG Theory
Participants: timfire, jdagna, Doctor Xero, Loki, Noon, John Harper, talysman, Mike Holmes, Emily Care, Shreyas Sampat, contracycle, Nuadha, Rich Forest, bcook1971.

2/11/2004 Palaskar: Playing a complete RPG game in under 20 minutes?
Hi there, I've been assigned in my psych class at college, along with four other people, to develop a game illustrating some aspect of psychology. Naturally, I fell back on…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Palaskar, Zak Arntson, quozl, jdagna, Paganini, pete_darby, Marhault, Michael S. Miller, xiombarg, Scourge108.

2/12/2004 Morrius: Sell me Universalis
I've been hearing a lot about these collaborative-storytelling games like Universalis. But I'm curious as to how this sort of thing actually functions in practice. Let me put forth a…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Morrius, Clinton R. Nixon, clehrich, Mike Holmes, Ron Edwards, Valamir, james_west, Don D..

2/13/2004 John Kim: Gender/Racial/Other Bias in RPG Texts
[quote="Librisia"]I'll be posting revised statements regarding my hypothesis about the male dominance in rpgs tomorrow or the day after. As veterans of the Forge's culture, can you please advise whether…
In RPG Theory
Participants: John Kim, Doctor Xero, Bankuei, clehrich, greyorm, Dev, Ron Edwards, cruciel, gobi, S'mon, contracycle, M. J. Young, Green, Thuringwaethiel, Librisia.

2/14/2004 Autocrat: General views on Universal systems ?
Alright, I've been to a couple of forums, I've answered other peoples posts, I've helped, explained, I've started threads, asked questions and questioned answers....... Yet I get a very strong…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Autocrat, james_west, Valamir, John Kim, timfire, clehrich, Ron Edwards, Shreyas Sampat, M. J. Young, Mike Holmes, Mark Johnson.

2/15/2004 Doctor Xero: a definitive definition of roleplay?
[quote="in response to one of Doctor Xero's questions clehrich"]I'm not sure what you mean by "roleplay." This is such an open concept, especially here at the Forge, that without my…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Doctor Xero, Paganini, neelk, Christopher Kubasik, Jack Spencer Jr, M. J. Young, Noon, Shreyas Sampat, clehrich, Rich Forest, Ron Edwards, pete_darby, Itse, Jonathan Walton.

2/15/2004 talysman: GMless gaming techniques
Michael's thread on GMless play was slightly derailed by a technical discussion on how to do it, and he asked that technical discussed be moved elsewhere. I agree that it's…
In RPG Theory
Participants: talysman, Valamir, clehrich, Ron Edwards, Noon, Emily Care, Mike Holmes, M. J. Young.

2/16/2004 sirogit: Roleplaying as a place to pick up chicks
To clarify abit, I'm thinking of the possibility of a roleplaying game/environment designed as a place that adults can meet people, with an emphasis for the possibility of a sexual…
In RPG Theory
Participants: sirogit, james_west, Noon, Doctor Xero, clehrich, John Kim, S'mon, Walt Freitag, Christopher Weeks, AnyaTheBlue, Scourge108, Ron Edwards.

2/16/2004 Itse: Visual aids
I was reading an old thread which started with Ron Edwards talking about page45 comic stores and how "alternative" and "mainstream" are sometimes seen a little upside down. There…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Itse, clehrich, Marhault, james_west, coxcomb, Lxndr, Nathan P., talysman, contracycle, Jack Aidley, brainwipe, Technocrat13, Doctor Xero, Andrew Norris, Michael S. Miller, Peter Hollinghurst, Mike Holmes, Green.

2/17/2004 artofmagic: how
[quote="iago"] At any rate, the basic idea here suggested that, since a character's flaws are often just as interesting if not more interesting than his capabilities, why not make it…
In RPG Theory
Participants: artofmagic, iago, Ron Edwards.

2/17/2004 Peter Hollinghurst: Art Styles
hmm-I seem to be finding interest in some rather old and possibly 'dead' threads. Oh well. This is of particular interest to me since Im an artist as well as…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Peter Hollinghurst, Ron Edwards.

2/17/2004 Scourge108: Solo Gaming
I decided not to hijack the GMless gaming thread to ask about this. I know I started with Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books before being introduced to D&D. I recall many different variations…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Scourge108, Ron Edwards, Nuadha, Mike Holmes, Jack Spencer Jr, Walt Freitag, talysman, M. J. Young, Noon, Gordon C. Landis, Emily Care.

2/17/2004 iago: Impossible Romance (Pyramid poll & rpg.net thread)
I've been having an interesting time chatting on this thread over on RPG.net: http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=102754 I'll quote what someone said as the opener: ..Looks like something that should be discussed here…
In RPG Theory
Participants: iago, Ron Edwards, Rob MacDougall, jburneko, talysman, Scourge108, Paul Czege, artofmagic, Michael S. Miller, jrs, Lxndr, Mike Holmes, John Kim, M. J. Young, Tomas HVM.

2/18/2004 Librisia: Male Dominance in RPGs
Still gettin' the hang of the Forge Culture, so please ignore the other cross posts on other threads. Here's what I've slapped together based on the conversations here and reconsidering…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Librisia, james_west, talysman, John Kim, Ravien, S'mon, Valamir, jrs, Mike Holmes, AnyaTheBlue, sirogit, clehrich, Scourge108, Itse, Taina, inthisstyle, Bankuei, Doctor Xero, M. J. Young, Christopher Weeks, RaconteurX, Ben Lehman, Minx, contracycle.

2/18/2004 artofmagic: loose skills
I really like the FATE's idea of Aspects. Player desides his aspects, not game rules or GM. They can be anything. But what happens when you read FATE rules a…
In RPG Theory
Participants: artofmagic, Mike Holmes, Noon.

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