Jam Packing With Goodness

Rather than leaving the page count at 80 (which is what I have kept defaulting to), I’ve decided to expand Mythweaver: Legacy a little (though I’m still restricted to no more than 100 pages, so I can get that price breakoff for the print edition on RPG Now and make this quite economical for everyone); this means that I have been able to plug in a few things that were going to wait for the supplements. More game for your buck (and I mean that literally. It’s going to be a buck in pdf)!

Want to know what you’re getting that you weren’t going to?

- Psionics! Rules for psionic characters, monsters, and for adjudicating these. This also means that the Messari will finally rear their ugly heads in actual statistical form, and not just as background creatures. I particularly love that psionics are soaked (unlike other things) by Resolve... the fundamental thing that sets you apart as a heroic mortal is the thing that is toughest for the messari and their ilk to harm. It’s a great game/world synergy.
- Mass Combat. Want to hold that huge battle and get it done in an hour or two? I can help!
- More Spells. I was originally going to include a handful of starter spells to get you going. I keep writing spells up, and they keep going into the book. This has been a truly wonderful surprise, since the simplified game engine makes writing spells with unique effects easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy; the core mechanic dictates the logical direction for spells, but also leaves open a wide variety of possible effects.

Full Circle

I'm moving towards the final leg of my fantasy rules revision journey. I'd say over 90% of the game is written, much of that has been revised and edited, about half of the book has layout complete, and the finish line is in sight on this project ... a big part of the process has consisted of reviewing the material that I've created in the past, looking over previous editions, all my old (and older) artwork, going through folders of adventures and background material, and reading through each of the game books I've published.

The thing that I've realized about this edition is that I have come full circle. The game you are going to see in a few weeks has more in common with the first fantasy game I published in 2002 - ten years ago - a pdf called just "Mythweaver", before I started attaching subtitles throughout that game's history. All of the ideas I first laid out in that first game and started to play with, many of which I abandoned over the last few years but have recently returned to, have made it into the new game. This game has the newest incarnation of the Resolute engine running it (with a few tweaks), but its spirit is the same spirit that infused that game a decade ago.

So, my next game is going to be Mythweaver: Legacy. It will be out in a few weeks. I'm looking forward to seeing what you think of it.

Fight with a Dragon and Magic Musings

I put up results of a mid-level play test for a dragon fight on the forums. It turned out quite well, and I learned a few things... one of these is about magicians and spell books.

One of the things a magician can do is cast a spell from his or her spell book during combat by spending a Resolve point. This begs the question- how many spells can a magician have in his or her book? Casting from your book is different than casting from a scroll; a scroll also requires the use of a resolve point, but it destroys the scroll in the process. Once you copy a scroll into your book (which also destroys the scroll), you infuse that magical energy permanently into the tome.

My instinct is to keep this relatively low, and to tie it to one of three things: level, arcane bolt rating, or lore rating. Here are my thoughts:

- Level keeps it pretty uniform, and makes sure that you don't get too ahead of yourself too early. I don't like this, because this is a step towards 'all level 3 magicians are created equal'. If all level 3 magicians have 3 spells in their book,

- Tying it to Arcane Bolt is better, but Arcane Bolt is already pretty powerful as it is. I'd rather...

- Tie it to Lore. This makes the most sense. Lore is your 'secondary' ability as a magician, but it reflects your care of study and the craft of magic, whereas your arcane bolt rating more directly reflects your quest for pure power. The best magicians will balance these two things, but you definitely get to choose where you put the focus. I'd think that the scholarly types would be more likely to have gathered a wider range of spells and to have thicker spellbooks. Another one of those world synergizes with game synergizes with characters moments.

Hmmm. By the ways, this is post #192 for the blog. I think that post 200 should be for the release of the game... I either need to pace my blog entries, or pick up the pace of writing (or I could just accept that the release might be at post 250, and post like CRAZY until then).

Magical Items

There's a funny synergy that happens between the game world and the mechanics of the game. When you key in properly, things start to align that you didn't expect... to whit:

In reviewing material for the game world, it's become clear that magic items should be, almost exclusively, relics of the lost world. No one can make magic items anymore; this makes them rare, powerful and prized.

In reviewing material for the game system, it's become clear that proliferation of magic items works against the very fundamentals of the game. The game is all about the abilities of heroic characters, not about how much cool stuff they can wield. The only places where the mechanics continue to break down for me is when I try to have multiple layers of magic items with various bonuses and modifiers. I can simplify everything else about the game, but I cannot get this cleaned up to support large levels of magical buffs, potions, armor, weapons and items granting multiple bonuses. It's almost like the game defies these sorts of efforts.

They don't fit because... well... because they don't fit. They don't belong. I've gone back to Lord of the Rings, looking at the few magic items that make their way into the world, but all have character, history, and value. In D+D, everyone needs a +1 weapon, because a lot of creatures after the first few levels can only be hit by +1 weapons; the same holds true in a few levels for +2 weapons, and a few levels after that for +3 weapons. You better not think about taking on a powerful demon without at least a +4 weapon by your side (since traveling between realms is going to knock it down a + or two right away). As long as the monsters don't require magical weapons (and traditional monster lore only requires a handful of monsters to require magical weapons to strike - thinking here of Vampires and Werewolves mostly), you don't need a lot of magical weapons and items in the game. Sure, the Ringwraiths are a big deal in large part because you need a magic weapon to face them; however, I can pretty much guarantee that every hero will have some magical weapon by level 5 when Ringwraiths (or something comparable) could first appear as a viable option to fight. This doesn't mean that each hero will be on his fourth magical sword at that point...

Shields

Shields have been an ongoing bugaboo for me... I end up with them being either awesome or negligible. Here are some of the thoughts for how shields could work. Shields were going to be a trait (costing 2 CPs), linked to your weapons. The options for this included:

- Add your shield rating to one evade roll each round. This would have been a bit unbalanced against foes with a single attack; the huge worm has a mighty bite attack that it uses every turn, attacking at +10. However, you have evade +4, weapons +9, and shield use; you get +13 to evade against every attack this mighty beast takes; you often turn aside his attacks, and you made little investment (2 CPs) to be able to do this.
- Add +1 to a number of evade attacks each scene equal to your weapons rating. This makes each use of your shield almost negligible; you rarely will have to turn aside more than 5 attacks a round (making higher ratings of shield virtually useless) and it doesn't follow intuitively that a huge shield gives the same protection as a small one, only it gives protection more often.
- Scale the numbers differently. Basically, your shield gives protection all the time, but at half your weapons rating; with weapons +7, you can carry a shield +4. This feels most balanced and is the option I like best, but it's the only game system that operates under this rule; there is nothing else that operates has a half-rating bonus. It doesn't align with the other game mechanics exactly, but is instead a 'new rule' for a different situation. I want to avoid this as much as possible.

However, shields could be a unique ability that stacks with evade; this is not a bad option. This means that few people will bother purchasing shields much beyond their evade rating. Evade is more useful because you can use it more often (shields only apply against attacks you know are coming- surprise attacks ignore your shield), BUT you can elect to share your shield with others, giving an ally your bonus as long as you are in the same unit. I can't see anyone bothering to purchase shields upwards of +10 (as in ever) but I could see someone who is very defensive-minded purchasing evade +4 and shields +4; for a 12-CP investment, you get 20 CPs worth of defensive ability. This is a good tradeoff for a defensive character, and makes the shield worth something. It's also easier to track, which I like.

I LOVE the concept of pools, but in play they become quite unwieldy... you have 3 points left in your shield pool, 2 points left in your resolve pool, 5 points left in your 2-handed pool... it's too much to track. I'm saving the pools for the abilities where they REALLY are needed, and making sure that other abilities give appropriate bonuses in appropriate ways to limit the number of pools to track.

Going forward, I'm jumping over to the idea of shields as a unique ability; you can carry a small shield +1 for a minimal investment, and you can carry a larger kite shield +4 with a moderate investment, and get a substantial return on your investment. If you want to be the ultimate shield bearer, go ahead and purchase shields +8 and let everyone beg you to stand next to them and guard them. Shields are a simple, clean way for a fighter or cleric to serve a broader team role; a fighter with a shield +3 can spend combat standing next to the magician and blocking arrows once in a while, making him a more versatile member of the group.

From the Hard Drive: Temple of Elemental Evil

To give you a sense of the stuff hanging out on my computer, here's a journal I started about the Temple of Elemental Evil... I just cut and pasted it in its entirety, but it's got some things in it I particularly like... note that the heroes I have stats for are for an older game version, and will not be compatible with the new RTSR...

I constantly have a hankering to stat up some heroes and take them on an epic dungeon crawl. I want to be surprised, but it’s hard to surprise yourself… so I figured that I could accomplish a whole bunch of things by taking a group of level 1 Resolute heroes through the classic Temple of Elemental Evil (which I downloaded last year before Wizards pulled their products from RPGNow). I can read through a classic dungeon crawl for inspiration while also seeing how Resolute holds up and getting to play as well.

I’ll start by reading through the module from the start, and create characters where it seems appropriate.

The Cover: Man I want to adventure here! (I’m using the 1987 edition for those following along at home).

Table of Contents: So as not to ruin the fun, I’m just perusing this very briefly … but this seems a bit ambitious for starting at level 1! The appendix has information on demigods. I can’t expect we’ll be hob-nobbing with them, but you never can tell.

Page 4. Right away, the Gygaxian prose is a bit inflated. Here’s a taste:

“Hommlet and Nulb are two small villages, which squat in the vales between these great powers like two dark and tiny eyes, surrounded by the ancient wrinkled hills on the face of some evil demiurge.”

I actually have to hit dictionary.com to tell me that a demiurge is a mythological creator god, the artificer of creation. Wow. We’re only going to be level 1- shouldn’t the imagery be a little more low-key? As I continue through page 4, Frank and Gary recommend that each player has a copy of the PH, and the DM needs the DMG, and all three monster books would help. Can’t my players just share a book or two between them? I’m struck now by the marketing, but at 12 I would have shrugged and told my mom I needed some more players’ handbooks… I could have up to eight people playing some time, and I should extra copies on hand just in case. I have to chuckle. Before we get to the players’ information, there is a warning that it’s a bit long-winded, but you’d better get used to it. It’s going to be a long adventure.

Editorial comment: It’s a bit early to start ragging on Gary and Frank too hard, but I have to marvel at their design sensibilities. They have this whole method acting approach to design that astounds me. Your characters are going to feel bored and tired and worn out, so we want you (the player) to feel the same way. I’ve written about Gygaxian doors before, but the design sensibility comes down to this: I’ll keep throwing so much mundane stuff at you (the player) that when you hit something important, you get sloppy (read ‘bored’) and give up going through your step-by-step process, and then I (DM) will nail you (player) through your character (thing you’ve invested a lot of thought into but now that I’ve bored you for two hours you are ready to take greater risks with).

The players’ introduction carries through to most of page 5, and I have to say- it’s worth the time it takes. I can see why Greyhawk amassed so much acclaim- it really feels like a genuine locale. The whole place feels very lived in and organic, just based on a few paragraphs’ description. Design note to self: you adventure in specific places, not general locations. This is pretty well done.

The DMs introduction reinforces what I’ve already come to understand- Gary and Frank really believed in method acting. The advice here feels right out of Hamlet (his advice to the players before the Mousetrap)… notes for acting. In general, this is pretty good advice, although the bit about having the PCs robbed by thieves to balance them out is – well – horribly unfair. Basically, if the heroes start with good gear or have a few magic items, make sure these get ‘lost’ on the way here. Ouch.

I think it’s time to make my heroes, by the way. It suggests one each of the four core types, so I’ll follow that advice. Since we’re starting at level 1, I’ll go with the straight-up starting stat blocks for 10 CP heroes in the core rules.

Charity, Human Cleric of Yahalla (10 CPs)

Fighting +2 (Shield Use); Healing +2; Stamina +2 (Armor); Resolve +1 [+1 racial shift]

Mace +3 (attack +2/damage +3); Ring Armor +3; Shield +3

Cinder, Forge Gnome Wizard (10 CPs)

Flame Bolt +2; Focus +2 (Warding); Intuition +2; Lore +2

Wand of Flame +3 (attack +2/damage +5/range 2)

Glower, Dwarf Myrmidon (10 CPs)

Battle Acumen +2 (see below); Fighting +2; Might +2; Stamina +3 [2 CPs +1 racial shift] (Armor)

Axe +3 (attack +2/damage +5); Chain Armor +4

Vesper, Moon Elf Stalker (10 CPs)

Evade +2; Fighting +2; Intuition +2; Precision +2; Stealth +2

Short Bow +3 (attack +2/damage +5/range 2)

The DM section concludes with suggestions for expanding the adventure into a larger campaign. While all good advice, this is pretty much useless to me right now- the whole point is to play the module as written, not to generate new stuff for the world (at least not for this one!).

Page 8: The Adventure Begins!

The introductory text makes it clear that interacting the residents of the town is going to be a part of the adventure. The problem here is that I am both referee and player. I think that I’ll give each hero a default ‘setting’ for how he or she interacts with others.

Charity assumes the best of everyone, and she always trusts people, taking them at their word.

Cinder assumes that everyone (even the most humble beggar) possesses wisdom and insight that can be of some use. He likes talking to everyone.

Glower likes no one, and he prefers battle to sitting around and talking. Companions are only for protecting your weak side in a fight.

Vesper trusts no one, and feels that everyone’s motives (including those of her allies) are suspect.

In reading through the first place description, I’m struck by two things:

1. We get details about everything- this is pretty helpful for running this family. I know what they are like, and how they will react in most situations.

2. They are LOADED! Seriously, just killing this family and taking their stuff can net 57 platinum (!) and a gem worth 200 gold (!!). This is 770 gold- split four ways, this is almost 200 gold each- for butchering a humble farming family. I’m sorry but NO ONE could be sitting on this kind of cash- even the modestly rich (i.e. ‘prosperous farm’ as indicated) are not going to have this much money just sitting around. All of the work on veracity of the setting goes right out the window when you have this much cash just sitting around. 40 silver buried in the back yard and a gemstone worth 12 gold for an emergency I might accept…

Needless to say, my heroes don’t butcher the family… although even Charity is sorely tempted considering how much money they have stashed. If we get really desperate later on, we can always come back and knock them off.

Farm #2. This one is more modest, and the description keeps it that way- until you get to the cash! Again, they have 172 ep, 51 gp, and 20 pp. A cupboard in the house holds a silver service worth 1, 300 gp. That’s over 1600 gold value- so for killing these two families, each hero now has over 600 gold in valuables. Holy snap!

Editorial Comment: I’ve never considered fantasy game economics in this light; when your culture is desperate, you make more cash to try to save your economy, and it (of course) has the opposite effect. I’d get what Gary was doing here if the prices in the Player’s Handbook supported this concept, but they don’t. Right now (two ‘encounters’ in) the heroes have access to enough money to fully supply a small army (and I’m not exaggerating) and this is after two encounters- and not even really tough ones- the heroes could distract the family and have their thief rob the house blind in the middle of the night- or just wait until most of the family goes to market and make off with everything. I like the idea that you get excited about all of this money you are making- until you go to spend it. I had this experience when we went to China- 100 Yuan is about 18 US dollars- so you feel like you have a lot of cash in your pocket until takeout dinner at McDonalds comes to 80 Yuan… I could see economies doing the same thing after the Great Reckoning. ‘Gold Crowns’ distributed by the remains of the Great Cavarian empire (actually 90% nickel and only 10% gold) were pumped out at an incredible rate to keep the image of the kingdom in place – if everyone has our currency and everyone is using it, then we’re not so bad off, right? Then the bottom falls out, and these things become comparatively worthless. Congratulations on your 100 gold crowns… however, a dagger costs 50 crowns, and a suit of leather armor costs 90, so you’ll need to so some more saving before taking home starting adventuring gear. You get D6 gold off of a fallen goblin? Big whoopdie doo. However, this has a stronger psychological effect on players- you ‘feel’ like you are making more progress because you are recovering gold instead of silver coins- but they are effectively the same thing. Hmmm. I’ll think more on this one…

Back to the encounter. Before reading on, I have already decided that, should we encounter either of the sons,
Charity and Cinder will do all of the talking while Glower and Vesper brood silently off in the distance.

There is a 3 in 6 chance that Elmo shows up while the heroes are here (I roll 4)- I decide that puts him as a random encounter on the road. The heroes run into him and (according to the text) he tries to join their brotherhood. Hmm. I really don’t want to keep track of another character, and I know that Glower and Vesper would be against it… although Charity would think it’s peachy to have another along. I’m going to have Cinder roll intuition (DR 8). A high roll means that Cinder detects the subterfuge that Elmo employs, while failing (7 or lower) means that Cinder completely buys Elmo’s lame story. Cinder rolls 8+2=10, and gets an uneasy feeling about the story. He votes no, and the heroes continue on without him (whew).

Just for the fun of it, I note that Elmo has several magical items and cash valued at 360 gold… discounting the magic, this brings our total to almost 2000 gold for an industrious and greedy party, of which my group is neither so far. Reading ahead, I see that this sort of description of “common people” with lots of disposable income will continue. I’ll summarize by money…

#3 Woodcutter’s Cottage is another mundane encounter. My heroes won’t kill him or take his stuff, but if they did they’d net another 15 gold. What?! I’m GLAD they didn’t waste their time butchering him… I’m sure the next family will have something worth stealing…

#4 Well Kept Farm. Almost 140 gold buried in the back yard under a tree.

#5 Prosperous Farmhouse. Manure pile has 575 gold in valuables, plus farmer carries 100 more.

Looking Backward and Forward

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I'm undertaking a magical mystery tour of my previous work, looking at what has worked and what hasn't, trying to make sure that I don't leave any stone unturned in my efforts to develop my 'perfect' (for me) fantasy game system.

I've been struck by several things...

1. I've REALLY thought about most of these issues. I have found hundreds of files where I analyze combat sequence, discuss the differences between how armor should work, talk about building caster characters and magic... I've tried dozens of options for most of the rules I have, and I can honestly say that the vast majority of what's making it into the game represents the best ideas I have.

2. I have some great stuff on my hard drive. The campaign starters, character concepts, and game world notes that I've never published are much deeper and broader than I thought. I have a ton of stuff. Most of it is nowhere near publication-ready, and much of it ends up being specific to the game system I was working on at the time, but there's a lot of good stuff here to salvage, clean up, and publish.

3. I've started dozens of playtests, the vast majority of which I've never published online anywhere. I feel bad because I feel like I'm constantly starting my playtests over again (which I suppose I am), but most of the time it's prompted (as today is) by the fact that the game or world undergo sufficient evolution that the old playtest or the things I was trying to get out of it no longer apply. I have some pretty funny notes about the Temple of Elemental Evil that I will put up, just because I had fun re-reading it...