Hello there, Forge! I'm Will, and I'm getting into RPG design in a big way, currently (possibly due to the fact that I don't have any real gaming at the moment). Right now, I'm developing a multi-part fantasy game, Seasons, as a kind of experiment in design and concept; the idea is that each game can be played in its own right, or you can continue a campaign from one to the next, keeping some of the basic ideas and assumptions, while the details of the mechanics change to represent the different themes.

But I'm getting a little ahead of myself, aren't I?

Seasons: Spring is a game about Childhood, Exploration and Relationships. The basic assumption is that you are playing a group of friends (or at least peers) in a relatively isolated community, discovering and building relationships with the people of the village and the world in general. The basic rationale of the game is that only things that are important to your character should warrant mechanics, and what is important is determined by your Relationships; these could be to your parents, a rival, the forest surrounding your village, the religion and the gods, or even to festivals and other abstract concepts. I'm going to post a link to the initial draft of the rules later in this post, but at the moment I'm going to just do a brief rundown for simple consumption.

Each character in the game has four attributes, which generally represent how they interact with their Relationships

• Help allows you to interact with them in a positive manner (assisting, healing, encouraging, protecting etc.)
• Hurt allows you to interact with them in a negative manner (fight, betray, argue with, decieving etc,)
• Use is how you can manipulate your relationships to your advantage
• and Trust is used for building relationships, as well as forging temporary ones.

A Relationship itself is made of three things

• the Perusasion is whether the relationship is positive or negative; negative relationships are easy to Hurt and hard to Help, while positive ones are the opposite.
• Depth is how important the relationship is to you
• Meaning is (obviously) what the relationship means to you; one person could see the local Militia as Opressors, while another could see them as Authority Figures

To interact with a relationship, you take a number of dice (Fudge dice, with 2 plus signs, two minus signs and two blank sides) equal to the attribute you are using and the Depth of your relationship, and roll them. If you roll more minus signs then plus signs and blank sides combined, then you fail, otherwise you succeed (particularly difficult tasks can remove dice from your initial pool).

I could go on, but I think it would be better to give you the link to what I have written so far (or, alternatively, you can email me at will.edgegames@gmail.com), but the brief rundown is that the full rules thus far include

• Chararcter Creation
• Trust, and how to use it to Strengthen, Overcome and Forge relationships
• Memories and Scars, the 'damage' system of Seasons: Spring
• Changing Relationships
• and the different types of Relationships

At the moment, it's only rocking about about 6 pages of rules, but this is still in the new, barebones stage of development; I want to get all my ducks in a row before I start adding uneeded complications to the rules. I would greatly, greatly appreciate feedback on this project so far, as well as advice and ideas for expansion. I'm hoping to start playtest soon, but unfortunately, I don't have any players around here at the moment, so it's making things a little difficult.

Anyway, I await (with more than a little dread) and comments on Seasons: Spring in its initial stages!

Cheerio
Will Edge

Because I'm an idiot, I forgot about the wonders of Google Docs, so here's the link without needing to download anything

Sorry...nothing much to add at this stage, but this sounds like it could be a really nice starting point for a game.

Even if you don;t get much further advice, keep us informed of your progress.

V

Well, I'm going to take the slightly optimistic 'no news is good news' view on this so far (though I've seen that the pace of discussion here on the Forge is a touch more... relaxed than other forums). So, I'm going to write some thoughts I've had on the supernatural in Seasons: Spring

As with anything, the supernatural is what your character makes of it; I've imagined so far that if a character wants some amnner of supernatural influence, they would take a Tradition relaionship with it, so let's take a look at three example relationships, Wood Witchery, the Harvest Festival and the Cave of Bats, all possessed by a random character, Fionn, to explore this.

Wood Witchery (+)
Depth 2
Flow of the Forest, Responsibility

Some sessions ago, Fionn began to learn the tradition of the Wood Witches from a mysterious young lady who appeared in a deep glade in the forest. Since then, she's been clandestinely sneaking out to get lessons, despite the dangers of the deep woods at night. The lessons, so far, have mostly been ethical; she has been learning of the Flow of the Forest, the natural cycles of nature, both overt and covert, and the Responsibility she will have in the future to keep the cycle of the forest turning.

Looking at the attributes, we can discuss how she would Help, Hurt and Use her relationship with Wood Witchery. She would Help by fulfiling her duties as a wood Witch; she is learning how to tend the wild plants and animals and heal the trees after they have been tapped by the hungry villagers for their sap, and left great rents in their sides. If she continually helps her relationship with the tradition (by taking lessons and fulfilling her duties), she can eventually grow a deeper bond with the ways of the Wood Witch, and have it gain new meaning.

She can Hurt the relationship by abusing her position and knowledge; she can tell hunters where the rare palesnakes lie in hiberation during the winter seasons, or craft vile, forbidden poisons with her knowledge of the plants. She has been told of the dangers of this, however, and should she persist, the woods themselves may hide their secrets from her, and she may plant seeds in her young heart, so she will one day grow into a dreaded Forest Hag.

Finally, she may use her relationship in a number of ways; by following the hidden paths and secret signs, she may lead her friends from the depths of the forest, she may ask the plants and trees to give up their life-giving medicines for her, and she may reveal her tutelage from the Wood Witch to stay the village's actions that may hurt the forest.

The Harvest Festival (+)
Depth 1
The Rite of Bountiful Yield
The Harvest Festival is a joyous time for the village; the farms have yielded fine crops, and the hunters bring in the finest meats. The whole village erupts in celebrations and gluttonous feasts, the last hurrah before the lean winter months. For most, this would be a Season (a temporary, GM-given relationship), but as Fionn is the child of a farmer, this has taken a special new meaning for her, and she throws herself into the celebration, particularly the Rite of Bountiful Yield. However, this is a reasonably minor relationship for her, a chance to celebrate when ti comes, and one she looks forward to each year, but one she rarely thinks about the rest of the year.

She can Help her realtionship by, obviously, helping the Festival; she can assist the bakers with their bread, the brewers with their mead and the elders prepare for the Rite. She can Hurt the festival by acting outside its spirit; she can be miserly and hoard things away, or even actively sabotage the festivities. She can Use the relationship to bring good fortune to her family during the seasons, joining in the Rite and blessing the fields and forests. Also, some of the strange, ancient things that lurk in the woods, tied to the spirit of renewal and food, may be impressed by the young girl's knowledge of the Old Ways...

The Cave of Bats (-)
Depth 3
Taboo, Mysterious Whispers
The Cave of Bats is forbidden to women, and this has always chafed at Fionn, who wishes to learn of the secrets that the Cave holds. Not even her best friends have the courage to break this Taboo and speak to her of it. One day, however, she snuck into the Cave, climbing into it's dark depths, and sought the secrets within. She was immediately assaulted by a thousand thousan fluttering wings, and hundreds of maddened Mysterious Whispers, telling her of terrible things yet to pass. So far noone has learned of her violation of the sacred place, and she stil sneaks down there, to hear the whispers of the future.

She can continue to Hurt her relationship with the Cave of Bats by breaking the taboo and venturing down there. The whispers of the future are often all too tempting for her, and she has occassionally Used them to her advantage, predicting when a hunter broke his leg deep in the forest, and leading some of the villagers to his aid.

Helping her relationship, however, is dangerous, even deadly. She must give offerings to the angered spirits of the Cave, to appease their wrath. In doing so, she may eventually earn their forgiveness, and even gain new, different insights, as the whispers so far have only been of dark, unpleasant things which ahve haunted her nightmares. However, some of the spirits whisper that this offering must be her life itself...

Anyway, I hope that's a biut of a decent description of how I feel that the supernatual should affect characters (and vise versa) in Seasons: Spring. I apologise that it wasn't particularly well written, but at the moment it's too damn hot here to really concentrate.

As always, comments are more than welcome!

It certianly looks like a well thought out and interesting idea.  Certainly the stuff you've laid out looks robust and is an innovative take on a problem many have struggled with, namely systematizing interpersonal relationships.

More interesting than expanding this into other areas, like the supernatural, though, would be to gain an understanding of how you see an instance of play of this game working out.  Where the problems the characters face come from, how their their relationships to each other are handled, how the initial situation (not character creation) is established, what sort of things you expect would comprise a session, and what would constitute a plot/story arc/campaign.

contracycle wrote:
It certianly looks like a well thought out and interesting idea.  Certainly the stuff you've laid out looks robust and is an innovative take on a problem many have struggled with, namely systematizing interpersonal relationships.

More interesting than expanding this into other areas, like the supernatural, though, would be to gain an understanding of how you see an instance of play of this game working out.  Where the problems the characters face come from, how their their relationships to each other are handled, how the initial situation (not character creation) is established, what sort of things you expect would comprise a session, and what would constitute a plot/story arc/campaign.

The Sample Adventure
Current Seasons: The Warriors Gone (-); recently, the warriors of the village have been fighting a series of skirmish to defend their territory. This is a strain on the village as, though those left in the Hunter's Lodge are keen to defend the village, people are nervous about their loved ones and their own safety.
Current Strangers: None.

Before the game begins (preferably giving the GM some time to consider), each player gives the GM one of their relationships that they would like to explore during the game. Aithne opts to explore The Things in the Forest, Briac the Hunter's Lodge, Caedmon The Crown Weighs Heavy and Diedre The Old Ways.

1.Briac has been invited by one the hunter's lodge to accompany them in tracking some deer. Eager to help, Briac does so, opting to Help his relationship with them. He's successful and his sharp senses pick out a good sized stag for them. The GM makes a note that this goes a way to improving his relationship with the Lodge.

2.They follow the tracks carefuly, Briac Using Gelert's sense of smell, before his dog suddenly begins growling. The discover that the Stag has already been killed, torn limb from limb, and it's skull impaled on a young sapling. The Hunter goes quiet and tells Briac to leave. Briac wants to know what's going on, but the hunte ris insistent, and eventually Briac goes leave.

3.The GM introduces a new Stranger, The Creeping Killer

4.Joining up with the others, Briac describes what happens, and Aithne suggests that they have to do something, with Diedre objecting, saying it's too dangerous. Caedmon, in the end, suggests that even if they don't do anything, they should at least know what's going on.

5.Diedre and Caedmon go to talk to the Village Elders about the situation, but they are intially reluctant. Diedre decides to Use her relationship with them to get them to explain, at least in part, what is going on. Caedmon Helps her, and succeeds, allowing him to transfer some of his Trust over to her. Because of that, Diedre succeeds, and the Elders explain that the depths of the forest contains creatures that are like men, but not. There are hidden places that are known to house them, but they are dangerous, and children should not go – it is forbidden by the laws.

6.Meeting up, Aithne and Caedmon decide that, with so few of the hunters lodge remaining, and the warriors gone, it is their duty to help investigate this Creeping Killer. Briac, on the other hand, is torn – the hunter gave him an express instruction to remain in the village, but he can't just abandon his friends. He rolls to Hurt his relationship with the Lodge, and thereby overcome it, and fails. Rather than him sitting out the investigation, though, he gains the temporary 'Guilt' Scar.

7.Justifying it by her conversations with the Elders, Diedre forges a temporary negative relationship with the Forbidden Places, and opts to Use it to find the likely one it would be. They eventually come to a caern hidden deep in the imposing forest, and a short, slightly, grey-skinned figure capering around it, pulling stones off. Gelert growls again, recognising the smell, and the creature turns.

8.Without hesitation, Aithne leads the attack, Hurting her relationship with 'the Things in the Forest', Briac Hurts his relationship with the Creeping Killer, firing an arrow, and Caedmon opts to actually Help Diedre, who decides she's too scared to attack. Both Briac and Caedmon succeed, while Aithne fails, and the GM narrates that the Creeping Killer moves faster than Aithne expected, intercepting her rash attack and cutting her with a wickedly sharp knife. It takes a while for Briac to draw a bead on the Killer as it and Aithne are locked in melee, but eventually manages to shoot the creature to the ground with a well-placed arrow. Due to the failure, Aithne gains the 'Knife Cut' Scar

9.The creature is heavily injured, but still alive. Aithne Uses her relationship with her Heirloom Spear, holding the tip to the Killer's throat as they question it. The creature says that it is Perrelini of the Faulks, an ancient people forced into the depths of the forest by the village generations ago. He says that the Queen of the Faulks has declared war on the village, and that “More will come.” With that, he dissapates into a pungent grey smoke.

10.Returning to the village with the dread news, the children are confronted by many angry adults – they have disobeyed direct commands from their surperiors, and are asked to explain themselves. Aithne and Caedmon step forward to explain, as Briac feels too guilty to even look at the Hunters. Aithne Helps her relationship with her mother, Shylha, showing her scar and Caedmon actually overcomes his The Crown Weighs Heavy relationship, not shirking from his responsibility. They say that with the warriors gone and the hunters spread so thin, it would be shameful of them not to help in any way they can.

11.With the successes, the Elders decide that though it was a foolhardy thing for them to do, finding out about the Faulk's return is suitably pressing that the children's punishment will be light.

12.Ending the session at this point, the GM shows the players the Season relationship that wil drive the plot of the game – The War with the Faulks, to go hand-in-hand with the Warriors Gone season.

Sample Campaign
Plot:
Seasons: The Warriors Gone (-), the War With the Faulks (-)
Strangers: None

Chapter 1, “The Creeping Killer”
Seasons: The Warriors Gone (-)
Strangers: The Creeping Killer (-)
The young ones have to discover the truth behind the mysterious creature haunting the forests, but the older people aren't talking to them.

Chapter 2, “What We Sow”
Seasons: The Warriors Gone (-), The War With the Faulks (-)
Strangers: Old Woman Braede (+)
The children, as punishment for their misbehaviour, must assist the Old Woman Braede in whatever way she sees fit. They quickly discover that the seemingly random tasks have a deeper meaning, particularly for the young mystic Diedre...

Chapter 3, “Shadow Stealer”
Seasons: The Warriors Gone (-), The War With the Faulks (-)
Strangers: Seanna of the Stolen Shadows (-), Old Woman Braede (+)
As they accompany the Old Woman into the forests to gather 'important herbs', she admits that there is more to the forest than meets the eye, and asks their help in dealing with a dangerous Faulk spirit, Seanna of the Stolen Shadows

Chapter 4, “Alone”
Seasons: The Warriors Gone (-), The War With the Faulks (-), the Naming Rite (+)
Strangers: The Fox Totem (-)
The characters are thrust into the beginnings of the Naming Rite, as the Elders decide that the situation is too potentially dangerous for them to wait. The children have to overcome their fear and pride if they want to get out alive.

Chapter 5, “Together”
Seasons: The Warriors Gone (-), The War With the Faulks (-), the Naming Rite (+)
Strangers: Seanna of the Stolen Shadows (-), Drewe, son of Tristain (-), the Ancestor Spirit (+)
Having finaly found one another, Caedmon must overcome his reluctance for leadership if he is to protect the rest of the group in battling Seanna of the Stolen Shadows. This is easier said than done, however, as one of the group sees himself as a leader, but could lead them to disaster.

Chapter 6, “The War God's March”
Seasons: The Warriors Gone (-), The War With the Faulks (-)
Strangers: Queen of the Faulks (-)
As the strange, fae Faulks begin their attack on the Village, the meager resistant must hope against hope to drive them back, and the children are at the forefront of the battle...

I hope this demonstrates my thoughts on arcs and plots a little, but in short, a good rule of them is:
A Plot finishes when a Depth 3 relationship is either resolved or created
An Arc is a Depth 2 relationship
And a Chapter is a Depth 1 relationship.

The adventure and campaign above is, perhaps, a little on the darker side, but this shows neatly a solid opening story (in my estimation at least), 3 story arcs (Old Woman Braede, Seanna of the Stolen Shadows and the Naming Rite), and 2 plots. Is there anything anyone would like expanded on?

Will