tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post8414721635902637856..comments2023-05-27T11:14:02.426-04:00Comments on Some Space to Think: Two More Obscure Ideas Worth StealingAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14216103531396452644noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-46142433546781126802010-02-16T19:49:55.929-05:002010-02-16T19:49:55.929-05:00I did the seriously silly experiment of trying to ...I did the seriously silly experiment of trying to RP on WoW. (On RP servers, but apparently this is shocking to the sorts of people who play on "RP" servers.) What made it so sticky was I found a community that had a culture of doing these "player contributions" habitually: journal entries, diaries, song mixes, etc. It really enriches the experience when, after a night's session, you can read 3-4 diary entries of wildly different takes on the evening. (Unreliable narrators are wonderful.)<br /><br />I think the rewards should be token at best (note that we were doing it for the pleasure of the act itself, with absolutely no mechanical rewards) but if there is some way to encourage your players to contribute in this way, it really deepens the game experience.<br /><br />Ultimately I found RPing in WoW to be more frustrating than rewarding because it's so discouraged by the general player population, but the habit of keeping journals and writing stories and IC letters is one that I will take with me to future games.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-18821269444513459382010-02-16T19:23:16.526-05:002010-02-16T19:23:16.526-05:00@jason Any game where boasting is an essential par...@jason Any game where boasting is an essential part of play already has sold me!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14216103531396452644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-76939447616251138642010-02-16T19:23:15.833-05:002010-02-16T19:23:15.833-05:00@jason Any game where boasting is an essential par...@jason Any game where boasting is an essential part of play already has sold me!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14216103531396452644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-38654125654185247152010-02-16T19:21:36.197-05:002010-02-16T19:21:36.197-05:00*laughs*
Blame it on my attempt to write more con...*laughs*<br /><br />Blame it on my attempt to write more concisely these days.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14216103531396452644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-77700195455929504362010-02-16T18:32:18.379-05:002010-02-16T18:32:18.379-05:00@biff -- thanks for pointing that out. I hadn'...@biff -- thanks for pointing that out. I hadn't seen the older post, and it was delicious.John Hawkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09129330628281972846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-60599829924100701942010-02-16T16:42:13.815-05:002010-02-16T16:42:13.815-05:00The ASGARD ADVENTURES game I worked on with Thadde...The ASGARD ADVENTURES game I worked on with Thaddeus Rice had the experience progression be characterized as a council of gods (played by the players, distributed randomly or by choice) who would ask the claimant what they had done to earn progression. <br /><br />Thus, the player had to boastfully proclaim his worthiness to the gods for advancement in a particular skill or ability. If I remember correctly, we also allowed for sacrifices (in game) and proper obeisance to the gods to influence the decision. <br /><br />I really, really need to finish writing that game and get it published.Jason Durallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00898598084539851320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-46371831350134139292010-02-16T15:48:14.434-05:002010-02-16T15:48:14.434-05:00A year ago you found 10 things worth stealing. Has...A year ago you found <a href="http://www.evilhat.com/home/2009/02/06/" rel="nofollow">10 things</a> worth stealing. Has the <i>downturn</i> hit the gamming industry as well? This year you only have five things... so far.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-13787738345593561752010-02-16T14:49:58.683-05:002010-02-16T14:49:58.683-05:00There's absolutely a potential balance issue, ...There's absolutely a potential balance issue, but it's very much a function of the game: in amber for example a lot hinges on points vs. Ranks<br /><br />That said, this is a reason I dig currencies like fate points as rewards. The benefit is real, but limited to a given session.<br /><br />-Rob DAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14216103531396452644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-77018130260082667592010-02-16T14:09:32.025-05:002010-02-16T14:09:32.025-05:00Fairly recently this kind of effort-based contribu...Fairly recently this kind of effort-based contribution system has gotten a lot of flack. The arguments I tend to see are, um, one-and-a-half-fold:<br />1) It rewards people disproportionately.<br />1a) It rewards people who have more time to devote to the game.<br /><br />The second part may be harder to argue against - indeed, people with more investment generally get better things out of the play (and sometimes, as noted, the system). There is nothing wrong with this in general - some places reward even quips and great roleplay immediately with feedback points. <br /><br />The first part, however, is where the problem is - when you start NEEDING the points to maintain a balanced experience (not necessarily character) and you have children or a job that keep you from writing that minimum for whatever length of time the contribution is required (arguments go from "unlimited" to "whatever pays off 10 points in regular game sessions") you're losing ground in a game ruled significantly by GM favor. (I should mean fiat, but I've been an Amber GM for more than 15 years. As unbiased as I try to be, I think there's issues there.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-60568325493354131862010-02-16T12:14:52.118-05:002010-02-16T12:14:52.118-05:00I'm really enjoying this series, Rob. I read ...I'm really enjoying this series, Rob. I read many of these games when I was a kid. But since I was a little bit too young when they came out, and since my friends were into RPGs enough that I could coerce them to play, but not enough that they would get fired up about it independently, it was only in my head that these games got to stretch their legs at all. And some of the games you're discussing I never even saw.<br /><br />Marvel and Amber were both awesome, and nobody but me cared. Yet even I didn't really grok at the time why the experience system or point systems were unusual or awesome.<br /><br />I encourage you to continue this line of exploration!John Hawkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09129330628281972846noreply@blogger.com