Category Archives: Experimental Mechanics

I’m waiting for a set of blank dice to come in the mail.

Why?

Well I’m glad you asked. You see, I’ve always loved the way d20s roll, the way they fit in your hand. My old space opera Galactic Legions (unpublished) used a d20 for resolution. I like how d100 works in a game though and the options it gives because of it’s granular nature.

Okay I like both.

There are some d20s that have 0-9 printed twice on them. These are the really old style d20s. When the two sets of 0-9s are colored differently they can be used as a d10 or a d20. You can then use two of them as a d100. That seems pretty cool, but I have one niggle with that. You’re still rolling two dice, visually tracking them and then figuring out the result. I still want to try it though.

So then I ran across some dice within dice, it’s a clear plastic hollow die with another die of the same kind inside it. I ordered a d10 set and a d20 set (I’m not sure why the d20 other than to have one). That will be interesting to try, maybe it’ll scratch my itch.

I also had the idea to make a d20x5. A regular d20 but each face is an increment of 5 instead of 1. The low side is a 5 and the high side is 100. It’s a d20 that’s very nearly a d100! I have one problem with it for the fraction column system. If you’re rolling for a stat of 30 or less you can’t actually roll the character’s eighth. I’m not worried about that for NPCs but it could rob a PC of a really good roll. I could start out at 0 and go to 95 but rolling 0 would be weird. I could start out at 1 and go to 95, but that would be a non-linear die. Why would that matter? It seems, odd. While I’m at it I could number the sides 1, 5, 10, 15, 20 – 80, 85, 90, 100 but that would give a 10% chance at rolling a 100.

Then I thought about a 0-95 numbered d20 and a 0-5 labeled d6. That would work for a full d100 from 0 to 100 (d101?) but that would introduce a second die to the roll and thus defeat my purpose.

I’m fine with a d20x5 for NPCs, I don’t care if they don’t roll the lowest possible value they can get so I’m going to make one. I’ll post pictures when I get one made.

Chainsaw Aardvark over at 1KM1KT has proposed a design challenge on how to make a RPG mechanics so that play centers around stealth. It’s a good thought experiment because there’s something wrong with using stealth in most games.

My players have lamented that they try to operate in a stealthy way but as soon as they fail a roll, they’ve given themselves away and are now going to have to rely on more explosions to get through the rest of their mission. If anything, stealth only holds off the devastation and they reason, “Why try? Let’s stick with what we’re good at.”

This is actually very telling. It means that the players perceive that they cannot actually use stealth as an effective strategy.

Why is this? What the players are recognizing is that this is a save or fail situation. Save or fail situations are exciting in small doses but are not fun when prolonged for more than a handful of turns.

For example, I could model combat by saying you get to roll for your defense but if that fails you roll vs your Constitution. If you make your roll, you live. If you fail you die. This may be an accurate way to model wounding but it’s also not fun. Statistically the system might be designed to give the PCs exactly the same life expectancy as a hit point system but the first time the group’s tank drops on the first roll, the players will loose faith.

This is essentially what happens when trying to sneak around. Sometimes the players sneak around for a dozen turns and it all works out. Other times the player flubs a roll on the first turn. The players lose faith in their ability to use stealth.

The first thought is have some kind of Stealth Points like Hit Points. I don’t particularly like that solution for games in general because it’s a limited use stat to track. Some characters would use it all the time while others would never use it at all. Then it sits on the character sheet taking up space. If it was the core of the game, yes, it would be fine.

Advanced Stealth Rules For The Artifact

The Artifact has several skills that could play into stealth rolls, so let’s look at what could be done to tie them together into a more robust stealth system.

Preparation

A character can roll on their Surveillance skill and store the fractional successes for sneaking around. This surveillance effort can be made by the same character that’s doing the sneaking around or by another character communicating with the character doing the sneaking.

Rolling multiple times does not add Fractional Successes to the total but higher roll results replace lower results. The character doing the surveillance can roll as many times as needed to get the desired result but each roll takes 15 minutes of time.

Camouflage skill rolls can also be used to disguise the character doing the sneaking. This can be used in addition to the Surveillance Fractional Successes. Each Camouflage roll takes 15 minutes of work and may include disguises.

Execution

The character sneaking around uses the Stealth skill as normal but may spend Fractional Successes on failed rolls or to bolster rolls. As the Fractional Successes are used up, it represents the characters that the PC is trying to sneak past growing suspicious or becoming more alert to the PC’s presence.

Recovery

At a certain point the character sneaking around may need to recover points that have been spent. To do this, the character rolls against their Hide skill. This represents the character laying low and doing things that are not suspicious. For example, if a character is disguised as a janitor, they’d spend time mopping the floor. If they’re disguised as an office worker, they’d find a place to look like they’re acting as an office worker should. It also might include hiding in the broom closet for an hour or so if that’s needed.

As the character rolls for their Hide skill, they regenerate the successes that were stored up for Surveillance and Camouflage.

What do you think?

One of the first sourcebooks I wrote for The Artifact was an update about what happens five years after the Earthers arrive. Now its writing is somewhat simple to me but that’s not why I haven’t released it.

The update was intended to peel back the curtain of what’s going on with Loc. What he’s been working on.

My problem is that I’ve really bitten off more than I could chew. The whole concept of The Artifact is that it’s a device that does something unimaginable. The whole “sufficiently advanced technology would be indistinguishable from magic” concept. Only I don’t do magic and that would be a copout. I want to be able to explain how this wondertech works or more accurately, might work.

You’ve seen a start to that in The Warp quickstart and the post The Anatomy of A Warp. At first, warps to me were just field effects. Kind of like a force field that does something to the laws of physics.

While working on The Warp, I realized that the effect isn’t a field, it’s an effect on matter. That the only way you’d get an enduring effect like the warps described in the quickstart is to have the distortion be tied to the matter. Then while contemplating the tie between motion time and gravity one afternoon (yes, yes, I really do that kind of thing) I realized that the effect isn’t tied to the matter, it’s that the matter has been altered in its hyperdimensional movement. What do I mean by “hyperdimensional” ? It’s those dimensions that physics math keeps saying are there but we can’t see. If you listen to Brian Greene for any length of time, he’ll talk about math models of our universe pointing to the idea of more dimensions or directions in space than we can see. Dr. Greene didn’t invent the idea he just popularizes it.

Now physicists look at these dimensions and ask “If these dimensions are there, why can’t we see them?”. And I slowly began to reason, “Maybe we do see them, only they just don’t look the same.” Maybe we see matter moving along these “extra” dimensions all the time, recognize the movement but miss attribute it to something disconnected from movement? I got the idea from looking at the relationship between motion time and gravity (thank you Einstein for relativity). If you followed that, and want more look at The Anatomy of A Warp.

So I am speculating but I’m not conjuring up magic. All this is based on real world and theoretical physics.

My next question was, “How would you produce the effects I’m describing in the real world?” The only place that I’m aware of time and space being distorted on a large scale is around a black hole. Now I have a how! If the matter is entangled with matter around a black hole, even for a brief period, it in theory could give a “kick” to the matter, giving it altered properties without the requisite crushing down to oblivion.

So I admit I’m stretching here. I’m reaching into the realm of technobabble where I’m just “inverting polarities”. So I’ll stop there.

This is important though. I need a framework to work off of so that I can develop (in game) the technology Loc has been working on.

Part 2 of a two part series on giving tips to the players. If you haven’t already read How To Be A Good Roleplayer then please go back and read it. I’ll be building on what was written there because you have to be good before you can be great right? I’ll wait for you.

This article is longer than the last. The concepts are more difficult to convey. If you’re ok with being a “Good” roleplayer, turn back now because these tips could change the game for you completely if you implement them.

Immersion

This step is intuitive. Immerse yourself in the story. Immerse yourself in your character. That seems fairly basic, but is it really? How do you really put yourself in character? Do you know who your character is? Sure an elaborate backstory is fine but can you leverage it into what’s happening now without resorting to a flashback or trying to munchkin in some advantage for the character?

There’s a saying that goes “Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you’re not.” You could slip in being in character to that saying. If you have to tell people that you’re acting in character, then you’re not.

Sometimes adding a unique accent to a character can help put yourself in the mood of the character but it’s not a crutch that you want to rely on every time. It’s better to have a unique goal or philosophy for a character. One that informs you of the character’s core motivations. Sure there are the standard tropes of a driven, angry warrior seeking revenge but those get old fast. What about a character that’s depressed but is driven by duty? That can be a rich character to portray.

Beyond just amassing power, does the character have a goal? Is all this skill and resources for something other than the obvious? Is there that special someone who the character is trying to impress? Is there a need that the character is trying to fulfill? Does your GM know your goal? Does your GM know what aspects of that goal you want to explore and which parts you don’t want to be touched? For example, my character is trying to prove that he’s a real man to impress the girl he’s always pined over. I’d like to explore if my character’s approach would ever really be impressive to her but I don’t want her showing  up as an evil villain at any point.

Summarize your character’s outlook on life in a simple sentence. Immerse yourself in who you see the character to be. Write it down. Now try to imagine the strongest aspects of that outlook. The things that when distorted to an extreme degree would make this character unique. Maybe you want the outlook to be functional but could you make an outlook that makes sense to the player but seems contradictory to others? Could you make an outlook that’s touching?

Most of all don’t immerse yourself in an annoying character. Players that try to make a funny character but that do it at the expense of other PCs are not going to get any laughs. Characters that stop the story from moving forward because of what the player sees as opposing how the character would act or stopping others from moving the story forward are not going to be well liked. Worse, they end up as the opposite of interesting because they stall the game. Yes the character may hate something or someone but how could they find themselves in a situation where they have to live with the situation they’re in? How could they be forced to accept the situation?

Learning The Language of Improv

When telling a story with others as its unfurling in a game has many similarities to improvisational theater. Some games build improv concepts into them to help the GM and players understand where they can be applied to game play. It should be acknowledged that RPGs are not about acting, it can help if players dip their toe in acting but that’s not what most role players are around the table to do. Improv isn’t just about acting either though.

Improvisation is about using what’s available and making something out of it. It often includes concepts of how to take something you’re given by someone else, something you may not have looked for or even wanted and still building with it.

Sometimes the materials that we’re given by our collaborators can head away from the place we wanted to go. To tell what appears to be a coherent story from choices that have already been made we have to be willing to work with what we’re given and not stop the process to complain. The show must go on. Or does it?

It’s true that most of us don’t play our games in front of an audience like improv actors or comedians. We are our own audience though and making a game enjoyable means that continuing the story is just as important for players as it is for a crowd.

One of the tenants of improv is, say yes. Saying no to what another actor or in this case player has just said they wanted stops the story. Saying yes allows it to continue, it allows something to be built. Saying “Yes and” continues what the last player said and adds to it. Saying “Yes but” is contradicting what the last person said and can interrupt the flow of the story even if it’s slight.

Now the player that needs to say “Yes”, “Yes and” and may need to say “Yes but” the most is the GM. Are you giving the GM something they can say yes to? Are you giving the other players something they know what to do with?

To improv requires that people put away their egos and not think of contributions as “yours” and “mine”. Each contribution is simply the next step in the story.

For more, listen to someone who actually knows what they’re talking about explain improv.

It’s About Story

I keep saying “the story” because a game, and especially role playing games are about story. Football games are about the story, who played, who won and how. Monopoly is about the story, who played, who won and how. Role playing games are really all about story.

If you’ve played RPGs for any length of time, you have some quote, situation or concept that you and your group at the table bring up at times and everyone laughs. Everyone that played that game that is. That’s significant for a game because it’s a shared experience.

A story is, at it’s core, a shared experience. When you read a book, you share the experience of that story with everyone that has ever read that book. When you watch a movie or listen to a song, you can refer to the experience that story carries with anyone who has shared it. It is a mental point where people can convey complex concepts to each other, often with only a few words. It’s also an emotional link that can be very powerful.

RPGs are unusual in that they produce a story experience but usually only those that play will ever share it. It’s like a movie that only you and your group of players will ever know. An exclusive club where only the players are allowed access.

In the end, the shared experience is why we play.

It’s not about experience points or treasure. It’s about sharing the story. It’s about the mental bond that forms between people. When a player understands that, they transcend the barriers of their own desires and start to explore experiences that can be shared with their table mates. They stop worrying if their character will fail, will die, will strike it rich. As long as those things tell an interesting story, they’re happy.

Know Your Game

Lastly, knowing the game you’re playing is important. Although people tend to think of rules as limiting, the rules of an RPG can also give a player authority to accomplish the things they want to do.

For instance, “Bang you’re dead!”, “No I’m not!”. No one has authority to say who’s right unless there’s a rule that effectively arbitrates the conflict between players.

A player that knows the rules of the game can envision what is needed to tell the story they want to tell. A player that doesn’t know the rules, has to rely on other players to allow them to do the things they want by spoon feeding them the rules.

If you played a game of chess without knowing the rules but you played the moves a grand champion told you to make, in the end when you checkmate your opponent, did you win or did the grand champion? Relying on others to feed you the rules means that you’re not playing to your potential.

Rules are tools to tell a story. They’re also the story’s validation. Anyone can sit down with a few friends and make up a story together if they want to. They don’t need rules. However nothing stops them from telling the wildest most unbelievable story imaginable. There is no accomplishment in the story itself. A game challenges the player to accomplish and through that challenge comes validation that the player actually accomplished something.

Comments?

After nearly thirty years of RPGs I’m still learning. These are the things that I try to do when I play. Is there something that you do? Some bit of insight that has made your play transcend what it once was?

There’s plenty of GM advice out there. What about the players? How can you be a good roleplayer? How can you not stink in front of your friends? The answers are sometimes intuitive and sometimes surprising.

Be An Active Participant

Nothing is going to happen unless the players at the table do something. The GM can present plot thread after plot thread but it’s up to the players to make it happen. Without your involvement and acting in the game, it will not be as great a game as it could be.

Is it okay to sit back and let other players run the action? Sometimes, but even when it seems like someone else is on fire and doing awesome, don’t bow out and just watch.

Be Ready To Fail

Without failure, what kind of a game would this be? Sit back for a moment and think about that for a moment. For a while, it might seem like fun but in the end, it all becomes meaningless without a chance of failure.

Where is a game without challenge? What is a challenge without failure?

Now, instead of looking at failure as a necessary evil, can you make failure awesome? A small failure means it’s time for the hero to buckle down. A major failure means heartbreak. Instead of venting that heartbreak at the GM or the other players at the table, channel it into the game and make the story a hundred times richer. Are you angry that the dice didn’t roll your way? Translate that feeling into what your character would feel and really revel in it for a moment. Now, instead of it being a negative feeling that sours the game, it becomes part of the game. Have your character raise their fists to the sky and scream “Nooooooooooooo!”

Now you’re enriching the game and everyone’s experience.

Cooperate With the GM and Players

When a game allows you to do anything, does it mean you should? Not if you want to be a good roleplayer. Most other games are competitive but role playing games are often cooperative games. Even the GM, who embodies everything that opposes the PCs is more often cooperating than competing. If the GM wanted to compete, no player could ever win.

Cooperate with the GM by picking up interesting leads. Cooperate with the other players, even when their plans don’t seem like they’ll work.

Players that don’t cooperate look for ways to hurt the other players. They reason that if their character is a thief, they have license to steal from the other PCs. They pick fights with other PCs just to prove their character is the best. They stall the game by arguing about plans even when it’s clear everyone else wants to move ahead. They split the party.

What would you think of a person that went over to his friends house for a movie marathon party, most there want to watch a movie but they disagree and decide to go back to their house, taking a few people with them?

Some plot threads are just not to a player’s liking. I’m not saying to play a game that you find offensive. Sometimes though a game or another player’s actions are just not interesting to you. Sometimes a GM may present a social challenge when you wanted combat. As long as this is a temporary situation, roll with it.

Even better, try and find something in the situation that you do like.

Amplify The Story

Now, don’t just sullenly cooperate. Find something that you can make the story even better with. This challenge sounds boring? Make it even more exciting. If you can do better, then do better. RPGs aren’t just about you being entertained, they’re also a way for you to entertain your friends. Can you do that?

If a player is really doing awesome this game, try and figure out how you can help them. Make the game even more awesome for them. Be someone’s wingman. Even if it’s just you cheering them on, do it.

Some of the most memorable games involved the players coming up with a ingenious, wild, improbable or bizarre course of action. Sometimes it’s premeditated, often it’s an off the cuff choice to spice things up. Look for these opportunities, act on them and channel it when they fail.

Communicate, Especially When It Hurts

In a lot of life’s struggles, it’s difficult to know how and when to communicate what we’re feeling. It’s hard to turn a negative emotion into a constructive experience. This is one of those skills that not only helps a person in a role playing game but in life. If someone is doing something that bothers you, don’t talk about it behind their back, communicate the problem with them.

Keep calm. As soon as people get upset, including you, the chance of making progress in fixing the situation drops precipitously. A calm, respectful and thoughtful approach makes the chance of you being heard far better. Arguments don’t get resolved by yelling and calling people names.

Be ready to drop it. For now. Say what you need to say and then, if it doesn’t immediately get the result you want, stop arguing the point. Later, when the game is over, in a calm and respectful tone bring it up again. Sometimes it’s easier to write what you want to say than to confront someone face to face, especially when it’s an emotional subject.

On the flip side, remember to tell people when you like something. Did some part of the GM’s delivery make you smile, get you excited, vividly paint the scene for you? Write it down and bring it up at the end of the game. Did another player come up with a great plan? Tell them! Let them know it improved your enjoyment of the game and why. Did a player role play well? Congratulate them on it.

Next up, How To Be A Great Roleplayer

• Immersion
• Learning The Language of Improv
• It’s About Story
• Know Your Game

We tried this in our last go round of character generation. Even though my players didn’t get much out of it due to poor rolls, I think it could save a number of players from having to play a character they’re not interested in.

What we said was, that if a character starts the game with an attribute 20 or lower the player gets to roll on a bonus table of their choice for each low attribute.

That could be on bonus table one or bonus table two. It’s up to the player.

If an attribute is raised by using a limitations table roll it does not count for an extra bonus table roll. The player has to start the game with the attribute 20 or lower.

Of course the bonus table roll has the potential to raise the attribute above 20. That’s fine, it doesn’t recursively remove the roll which thereby removes the bonus which allows the player to roll on a bonus table. We’re not going there.

I’d feel bad about this not being in 3rd edition if it wasn’t a very difficult rule to explain, especially with the three different character generation methods. Let’s just say that if the above makes sense to you and you want to use it, enjoy.

We’ve played with the new rules for 3rd edition for a while now but just last week I was able to see one of the rules play out. This was the rule that running (more specifically sprinting) acts as a defense, just like dodging does. The players have focused on their dodge skill for defense for so long. It’s been an part of play for many years and now it’s been upended.

For the longest time, it frustrated me that when faced with overwhelming danger, players would stand their ground and defend themselves. It occurred to me that when faced with danger, players concentrated on the safest course of action. That used to be dodging attacks and hoping to give as good as they got. It really was their only mechanically sound choice.

In the last few games the players have picked up sprinting to defend. That’s right, they ran away from a fight and it was marvelous. The reason it was so enjoyable is because by giving the players a mechanical advantage to running away, they were able to change their long ingrained behavior.

It’s very gratifying to see a mechanical change deliver the results they were intended to.