Satisfying the curious
David Berg:
Hi Tim,
I think this is a big step forward in communicating some of the cool features of the game. I don't think it successfully gets every point across, but I do think it gets close enough to where people can ask fairly specific questions for clarification.
I have a few:
If the niche of Attributes in play is to interact with the physical environment, what is the niche of Descriptors in play? Is it to interact with the social, spiritual, or metaphysical environment? Or do Descriptors and Attributes both get used in play for the same types of interactions, but simply derive from different sources?
FateSphere - do the "underlying relationships" have an impact in play? No need to spell out details, but a hint or example would be nice!
Activity Rating - this measures difficulty, with higher being harder, right? I suggest you include that info immediately upon introducing the term.
Duelled Activities - The last sentence about modifying confuses me. Using an ability/prowess/talent doesn't just "modify", it helps, right? As for roleplay, I'd say either clarify how it helps, procedurally (GM awards bonus, right?), or don't mention it. Different readers will bring vastly different assumptions to your current phrasing (at first I thought you meant you couldn't use a special ability without roleplaying it in).
Thank you for introducing your acronyms in parentheses immediately after the full terms! The material I've read that did not do that was much harder to follow.
By the way, I really like the HeroCycle. From your description here, I can easily envision how it would impact the social landscape of play. "Fred's our best warrior, and tomorrow the alignment of the planets will boost his power, so let's put off the fight until tomorrow, even though today's a good day for our best spell-caster." Yay teamwork!
As for your example, a few suggestions:
1. I would start like this:
Quote
Here's something that happened in play a while back.
I was The Fate (GM).
My five friends played the following Avatars (player characters):
Roq - male assean weaver (spell-caster)
Qarim - female diplomat
Kelvar - male archer
Mal - male warrior
Mando - female warrior, the group's leader
(or however else you'd like to identify the characters in a handful of words; I labeled genders mainly because I got confused about them later)
2. Proofread! Poor punctuation turns off a lot of readers. I wouldn't buy a novel by a novelist whose descriptions of his book were missing vital commas and apostrophes.
3. "The king desperate not to abandon any hope of regaining momentum lets the blade strike, relying upon his armour to take the blow, which it does."
This sounds like a fun and consequential decision you made, so I'd lay it out as such. Something like:
"The king, desperate not to abandon any hope of regaining momentum, lets the blade strike. I, playing the king, opt not to spend pips to oppose the slash, as I'd rather spend those pips to attack. The king has good armor, so I spend from the armor's points to absorb the strike without lowering my Action Pool."
4. "With four companions to choose from to attack the Fate looks to Kelvar’s Ruling sign and compares it with those of the other troupe members. The leylines between Kelvar and Mal are strong, and opposed and so the Fate determines that Mal will be the focus of Kelvar’s attack."
Ooh! Tell us whether the players get to know about it when such influences manifest, or whether the Fate determines and applies them in secret! I know it doesn't matter to the outcome of Mal getting shot, but I think it's important in conveying what it's like to play the game, as player or GM.
5. "The king meanwhile takes the opportunity to level a fate catastrophe against Mal."
You might want to identify that you spend a precious and finite resource in order to do this, and that a Fate Catastrophe is one way to Buy Fate. (This will help people connect the play example to the system you described earlier.)
6. "Roq, having used every once of strength and preparation he had in attempting the killer blow, is left exposed, and the king's blade bites through armour, skin and bone.
. . .
Roq grabs the king's sword and with his other hand swings his own sword into the king's side. This time the king has nowhere left to turn and is helpless to get away from the blade. It cuts deep into his abdomen and he is pinned." (I've corrected the punctuation here -D.B.)
This seems like the turning point in the scene. I think it's an ideal chance to tell us how this came about, mechanically. How did Roq go from "used it all up, exposed" to attacking an opponent who "has nowhere left to turn"? Did the round end, thus refreshing Roq's Activity Pool, but for some reason the king's Activity Pool was not refreshed?
Hope this helps,
-David
tymotzues:
Thanks David
Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you, I'll try to address your questions now.
Attributes and Descriptors are used to resolve all activities, everything else is tertiary. Descriptors are the primary statistics of the Avatar, they represent physical, mental and spiritual strengths. The Attributes are much more personal in their nature; firstly they originate from the Avatar's Archetype so they are a direct influence of the Archetype on the Avatar's life. Also they are what increases and decreases with the flow of the HeroCycle, and as such play a much more dramatic role within the game. To try to distil down the difference; Descriptors are the Avatar's manifest natural abilities, Attributes are the Avatar's ability to influence the world around them conjoined with the metaphysical influences that drive the Avatar's life - they are what colour the Avatar's life, while the Descriptors provide the tone.
The FateSphere has two primary sources of influence on the game mechanics, firstly there are the quadrants of elemental affinity, which divide the descriptors and the ruling signs - these can be used to determine elemental affinity for many other aspects of play, such as a particular magic, aptitude, or special ability. It is also the wheel around which the Ruling Signs are devised (in a similar fashion to the zodiac), this is used to maintain the continuity of the HeroCycle and determine where an Avatar sits on the HeroCycle based on their aligned Ruling Sign. How the Ruling Signs are aligned between individuals is what 'suggests' bias, such as personal attraction or repulsion. This can be as simple as someone taking an unconscious like or dislike to a person as they enter a shop, to a combatant 'unconsciously' selecting a single target out of a mob of opponents to attack. This can form a huge influence on the game, not in a manner that prejudices a single Avatar but that also reveals hidden threads of fate and destiny.
Activity Rating - yes, higher is harder. The base mechanics of play are fairly simplistic, with the average Activity Pool being generated from the addition of a Descriptor, an Attribute and an Aptitude. Getting over 50% of the Activity Rating will usually garner a success of some form, but only 100%+ will achieve a full success of the activity being undertaken.
Thanks again for your suggestions David, I'm on the case.
T
David Berg:
I think I get Descriptors/Attributes now, but I'm not sure. I'll try to word it in a way that makes sense to me; please check me on this!
Attributes describe your character's position within the metaphysical influences of the world. They describe the aptitudes that you have due to the Archetype that manifests through you, as strengthened and weakened by the positions of the stars.
Descriptors describe the rest of your character's innate aptitudes. This is who you are apart from your cosmic identity. Regular old genetics and mundane environmental factors.
Yes?
tymotzues:
Ok, so I'm finally able to post this. It is a fairly simplified description of a combat sequence. Based on some of Eric's comments I'm curious as to whether people feel it needs more explanation of actual statistics or whether the more descriptive format presented here is ok. Looking forward to your comments before I post to the game forums.
Thanks in advance.
T
Example of play
The following example of combat takes place in the Ascendancy-Rogue Marshal setting. The avatars have egoids and vocations typical of that setting.
Avatars:
• Mordoc – a brilliant melee specialist and tactician, he has a natural ability for hunting and killing. Mordoc (natural predator talent, precision strike prowess, hunting aptitude) is a powerful ally to have in a fight. His typically employs these skills in combination for an opening attack he nicknames ‘Icebreaker’. He is not egotistical about his skill and remains fatalistic, preferring to take down his opponents swiftly and efficiently. While he can be charming, he prefers to keep to himself and work alone when able. [Human, Martialist]
• Athero – one of the world’s leading specialists in material composites, his passion is for developing new and astonishing explosives. He has a lack of respect for those of lesser intellect (which is the majority) and his love of explosives is only matched by his avarice. Loyal and methodical, he can be relied upon to keep a level head in a crisis – although his first reaction to any situation is to blow something up. [Nazagh, Materialist]
• Raulk – a highly trained combatant, Raulk found himself forced to work as a Rogue Marshal within Ashendrya after leaving his ancestral home. Quickly making a name for himself in the Endless City he frequents the underground pit fighter circuit as this proved more exciting and financially rewarding than the warrants he had been collecting as a Marshal. Lightly armoured, he relies on his magical and specialist combat abilities to end fights quickly. (Lightning reflexes, lightning strike, stormfront assualt and whirlwind attack with a cloak of knives) [Avnasturmn, Sturmnwyrdn]
• Lachlan – Bought up from birth in the Endless City, Lachlan studied arcane lore at the Domswart University, but always longed for the mountain heights of his family. Once he had graduated as an asseath, he spent years in the Eyries of his race before returning to Ashendrya as a hired spellsword. Specialising in elemental arcana, he has honed his combat weaves to a fine discipline. [Avnasturmn, Asseath]
Scene:
• The avatars have reached the remote and devastated avnasturmn eyrie of Karnak’var. The eyrie was destroyed when a Nidarain warcage crashed into the main tower, toppling the crystal city down the side of the mountain thirty years ago. In the years that followed the ruins have become home to various inhabitants.
• Raulk has returned to his home to recover the atema crystal, if it still exists. Each of the Avnasturmn eyries has an atema crystal from which the eyrie grows. If Raulk can recover the atema crystal the city can be rebuilt.
• When the warcage crashed into the eyrie, the captain of the warcage survived the collision and subsequent battle, but was stranded on the mountain. He ate the dead to survive and in the process was transformed into a Gül, a living dead.
• The avatars have made their way to Karnak’var and reached the remote tower of the Sturmnwyrdns, where Raulk thinks the crystal has been hidden. This is also where the captain has sought refuge, leaving only to hunt for food. The avatars discover the captain in an abandoned forge. Unsure of the crouched figure, they surround the captain.
The Fate decides that the captain, knowing he is surrounded will initiate combat. The Fate tells the players that they are in critical rounds. When the captain heard intruders in the tower he prepared by placing three weaves on himself: fatestrike, cowl of deflection and predator breed (agility).
The Fate checks the avatars’ ruling signs and that of the captain. Athero is under the water sign Well, while the captain is under the fire sign of Wild. With opposing elemental signs, the Fate determines that the captain has a natural bias against Athero (as the other avatars have fire ruling signs). The captain leaps up and flings a chakram at Athero, who has come through the eastern door to the forge.
Athero has the sixth sense talent, which warns him of impending danger, and the lightning reflexes prowess, which puts him on an equal footing with the captain. However, the captain placed a fatestrike weave on his chakram so Athero cannot dodge the attack. The chakram bites deeply through Athero’s armour and into his shoulder, shattering his collarbone and pinning him against the wall. The blow would have killed Athero, but he chose to expend a fate point to allow his armour to soak additional damage at the expense of future protection (reducing the armour’s bonus rating by 1). He survives the initial attack, but has suffered critical damage (troubling injury).
Mordoc, entering the forge through the western doorway, wields Athlieu, a magical blade imbued with the fatestrike weave, which he can use once per combat. Activating the weave he charges the captain planning a killing blow with his icebreaker combo attack.
The captain has the agility prowess (from Predator Breed weave) that negates the effects of the precision attack prowess, but the fatestrike weave on Athlieu means that he cannot dodge the strike and will take damage. The captain decides to use his sacrifice strike prowess to forgo an opportunity to dodge in order to strike his opponent. The captain also expends fatepoints in order to purchase a catastrophe against Mordoc, meaning that his attack will double against Mordoc’s defence.
As Mordoc strikes, the captain thrusts a short-hafted spear at Mordoc’s chest and finds a weak spot in Mordoc’s armour (from the catastrophe). Mordoc announces that his attack had been a feint, using the feint attack prowess (this will return half the expended CAP of the attack to Mordoc’s total combat pool), but the captain’s attack threatens to be fatal so Mordoc uses fatepoints to call a miracle to counter the captain’s catastrophe. Mordoc slips on the icy slate of the forge floor and twists his body. The captain’s spear shears under Mordoc’s armour and along the side of his ribs, opening a gashing wound. At the same time, Mordoc’s feint strikes the captain’s arm, followed by a hit that drives through the captain’s armour.
Raulk, moving into the room behind Mordoc, cannot attack the captain in melee and decides to use throwing knives. At such a short distance he feels confident in his aim (despite the dangers of firing missile weapons into a melee). Throwing a knife, Raulk’s first knife is turned aside with a spark as it hits the captain’s cowl of deflection weave.
Meanwhile, from the eastern doorway to the forge, Lachlan channels his assea in a healing weave, as he braces Athero and stops his wound from bleeding.
Mordoc, understanding the threat the captain poses to their progress, decides to wager 2 fatepoints on defeating the captain. The other avatars agree and make a similar wager. These fatepoints are removed from their total and the Fate makes note of the wager.
Mordoc, regaining the initiative (with the highest remaining CAP) attacks the captain, making use of his Punishing blow prowess to use Athlieu with devastating force on the captain’s injured arm, threatening to cut it off completely. In a desperate attempt to defend himself, the captain throws up his buckler shield. The only way he will avoid injury is to expend fatepoints and have the buckler soak the damage. He places three fatepoints to soak the blow. The damage is reduced a further three times by the armour bonus rating of the buckler (each time the bonus rating is reduced by 1). Athlieu hits the buckler, shattering it and delivering a numbing blow to the captain’s arm.
With CAP remaining, the captain has the initiative – knowing that he will not survive much longer faced with such powerful opponents – he executes a fear weave and uses his fierce talent to enhance the effect. As the captain screams, a wave of fear washes over the avatars. Each avatar attempts to overcome the fear (based on manifest integrity and gaining bonuses for personality traits such as courageous, determined, disciplined or loyal). Mordoc, Athero and Raulk all are overcome with fear from the gül captain and flee. Lachlan, not as strong as the others, is overwhelmed and passes into unconsciousness.
Combat is over. The Fate tells the players that they are no longer playing in critical rounds. The avatars have failed to defeat the captain and have lost their wagered fatepoints. Lachlan is unconscious on the floor of the forge, at the mercy of the wounded gül captain, while the remaining three avatars flee until the fear weave wears off.
David Berg:
Tim, nice! I intend to come back and give this a more thorough read.
For now, there is one missing element that I'd like to see included: the tracking of a Combat Activity Pool. For just one character, I would like to see where it comes from, and where it's spent, numerically. Shorthand is fine.
"Mordoc starts with CAP 12 (Crit Effec 5 + Melee 4 + Knife 3) . . . Mordoc spends 4 to strike with his sword (CAP down to 8) . . . Mordoc spends 5 to climb the wall (CAP down to 3) . . . Mordoc uses his final 3 CAP to dodge, meaning he can't act further this Critical Round without spending Fate Points . . . As the new CR begins, Mordoc's CAP refreshes to 12 . . ." Y'know, that sort of thing.
The use of weaves makes it harder for me to quickly assess what's going on. I think it's good to include at least one weave, but maybe trim others out to simplify the explanation and make it a quicker read? Or maybe not, if this is indicative of standard play. I dunno; just a thought.
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