Travelling the Horizons

A world covered by buildings is not easy to traverse. Much of the surface of the ground never sees the sun and is covered by colonnades, covered walkways and conjoined features. As a consequence, knowing which direction you are travelling is almost impossible in most locations and really doesn't matter that much either – passages are known by name rather than a compass direction. Not only that, but right of way is blocked in many areas or you have to tramp through someone's private property or home to progress further on your journey. In short, there are very few simple journeys, distances travelled in a day are tiny compared to external locations and the number of features you pass through can be intimidating to describe. So don't. Unless a feature or location progresses an ambition, is important to the resolving of a problem, or has an immediate relevance to the party (such as an ambush by bandits) then do not describe everything that the party passes through. Be sure to give a general impression of the area or differing geographical and architectural details, but don't mention every turn of a corridor or type of stonework that they pass by. That becomes boring quickly. The difficulties faced by travellers makes the work of Trailblazers, Stone Trawlers and Cartographers particular important in opening up new areas to explore. If you can, have your characters buy some maps or you could be wandering around forever. Which brings us nicely to the next problem...

To Map or Not to Map

I'm digging this part, Dan!

-clash

Quote from: flyingmiceI'm digging this part, Dan!

-clash

The View From the Horizon section has been the easiest part to write, frankly. Not everyone will agree with the advice that i give - but they can draw their own conclusions once they've read it.

Quote from: One Horse TownThe View From the Horizon section has been the easiest part to write, frankly. Not everyone will agree with the advice that i give - but they can draw their own conclusions once they've read it.

Which is - I think - just about perfect.

-clash

Loonngg time, no post. A combination of writing for money and moving have meant that i have hardly touched this for a while. I was whittling away at it nicely for a long time - now it's been untouched for close on 3 months.

Needless to say, this has pushed things back a bit.

However, the break has meant that i've been able to come back to it fresh and appraise it with a new perspective.

I want to change some things and i thought that i'd canvass you most excellent people who have been following along.

I was going down the route of multiple uses for each skill, explanations of what can be done with each skill and also reams of 'Special Abilities' for characters to use.

I wanna ditch that and concentrate on the environment and the characters.
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Before you go, arrggh! Let me explain. At the moment each skill in the game has a parent stat. If you have a skill, then you add that numerical value to the parent stat to see how many dice you roll on the skill attempt. This i want to keep the same. However, i want to streamline things, so you don't need to do d&d levels of looking stuff up whilst you play.

My new thoughts are - Each Stat covers all the skills you can think of that would be governed by it. So Physique covers fighting, running, jumping, climbing, etc, Pragmatism covers fire-building, searching, making stuff etc. These skills are no longer going to be covered (other than some guidance on how to impose difficulties to skill attempts etc). Instead, each feature is going to have a small list of what i will call Occupational Skills. So someone from the laboratory will still have Alchemy, Research ect, but they are named Occupational skills. I don't plan to have big descriptions, even of these. Instead i want to add a new catagory called Tricks. This is one or two things that you can use the skill for that is both out of the ordinary and actually covered. Tricks will be an almagum of the RCOs & RSOs i was doing for each skill and the Special Abilities that each feature gets. I plan to remove Special Abilities from the game. Tricks also serve the function of implying what else can be done with the skill - giving ideas and guidance on difficulties and making up your own Tricks for use with the skill.

Some of the general special abilities like Credit, Protected, Local Knowledge etc will still survive, but can instead be bought as a one-off advantage at the start of play.

The above will greatly streamline the skill/special ability system and hopefully return things to the setting and characters.

Any thoughts you have would be welcome, as would requests for clarification.

Quote from: One Horse Town;268310Loonngg time, no post. A combination of writing for money and moving have meant that i have hardly touched this for a while. I was whittling away at it nicely for a long time - now it's been untouched for close on 3 months.

Needless to say, this has pushed things back a bit.

However, the break has meant that i've been able to come back to it fresh and appraise it with a new perspective.

I want to change some things and i thought that i'd canvass you most excellent people who have been following along.

I was going down the route of multiple uses for each skill, explanations of what can be done with each skill and also reams of 'Special Abilities' for characters to use.

I wanna ditch that and concentrate on the environment and the characters.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Before you go, arrggh! Let me explain. At the moment each skill in the game has a parent stat. If you have a skill, then you add that numerical value to the parent stat to see how many dice you roll on the skill attempt. This i want to keep the same. However, i want to streamline things, so you don't need to do d&d levels of looking stuff up whilst you play.

My new thoughts are - Each Stat covers all the skills you can think of that would be governed by it. So Physique covers fighting, running, jumping, climbing, etc, Pragmatism covers fire-building, searching, making stuff etc. These skills are no longer going to be covered (other than some guidance on how to impose difficulties to skill attempts etc). Instead, each feature is going to have a small list of what i will call Occupational Skills. So someone from the laboratory will still have Alchemy, Research ect, but they are named Occupational skills. I don't plan to have big descriptions, even of these. Instead i want to add a new catagory called Tricks. This is one or two things that you can use the skill for that is both out of the ordinary and actually covered. Tricks will be an almagum of the RCOs & RSOs i was doing for each skill and the Special Abilities that each feature gets. I plan to remove Special Abilities from the game. Tricks also serve the function of implying what else can be done with the skill - giving ideas and guidance on difficulties and making up your own Tricks for use with the skill.

Some of the general special abilities like Credit, Protected, Local Knowledge etc will still survive, but can instead be bought as a one-off advantage at the start of play.

The above will greatly streamline the skill/special ability system and hopefully return things to the setting and characters.

Any thoughts you have would be welcome, as would requests for clarification.

Let me see if I can get this straight - you want to leave many of the skills as folded into the corresponding stat, so rather than rolling stat+skill dice, you roll stat dice. Occupational skills would be less tightly defined, but would have one or two "tricks" associated with it to help define it. Some special abilities will be purchased at chargen, with others dropped entirely.

Is this correct?

-clash

Quote from: flyingmice;268314Let me see if I can get this straight - you want to leave many of the skills as folded into the corresponding stat, so rather than rolling stat+skill dice, you roll stat dice. Occupational skills would be less tightly defined, but would have one or two "tricks" associated with it to help define it. Some special abilities will be purchased at chargen, with others dropped entirely.

Is this correct?

-clash

Hi clash. Yeah, that was a bit rambling wasn't it?

Let's see if i can tackle it again, with a Feature as an example!



Existing Feature Entry Minus Description

16Laboratories

The glassware was late. Without it, the sublimation of the essential oils could not take place and that wasn't...good. The laboratory had ground to a halt for Mizzlewish to conduct his experiments and now that his supplies were late he was the victim of a number of stares that could have cut glass better than any diamond - if he had any of the damned stuff, of course.

Normally, the Tunnel Wardens were prompt, so it occurred to Mizzlewish that something had happened in the transfer between the warehouse and the laboratory. There were miles of tunnels to navigate to get to the laboratory, miles of dangerous territory where anything could happen.

As if reading his thoughts, a boiling mass of coiling centipedes emerged in a terrifying tumble from the nearest tunnel entrance, heading straight for the labs. Without thinking Mizzlewish picked up his essential oils and lobbed the concoction at the swarm. It exploded in a ball of fire, frying the vermin to black ribbons and jetting a column of black smoke up the walls.

"What was in that beaker Mizzlewish?" asked the duty leader in hushed tones.

Mizzlewish's mouth was a silent 'o' of sudden terror. "Damned if I know," he sobbed at last. "Nothing important. Carry on." His weeping could be heard echoing up the corridor as he tottered from the laboratory towards the dormitory.
 
Player Character Information
Stat Mods: Reasoning +1
Skills: Alchemy 3, Research 2, Lores (one) 2
Special Abilities: Concoctions 2, Artefact Mastery 2
Status: 2

Example New Feature Entry Minus Description

16Laboratories

Player Character Information
Stat Mods: Reasoning +1
Occupational Skills: Artefact Mastery (Reasoning) 2, Alchemy 3 (Reasoning) , Research 2 (Reasoning) , 1 Lore (Reasoning) 2
Tricks: Concoctions (Alchemy), Activate Artefact (Artefact Mastery)
Status: 2

Under the first scheme, the character could try any skill in the game by rolling a number of dice equal to the parent stat. The skills were defined soley by those found in the feature entries. If he was attempting a skill that he had a numerical rating in, he added that number to the parent stat and rolled that number of dice. He also had a choice of Reflexive Combat and Reflexive Social uses for those skills. He also had a fairly complex special ability or two that he could achieve several different things with. He rolled a number of dice equal to his numerical rating to attempt them.

In the new scheme, trying a skill you don't have remains the same, as does trying a skill that you have a numerical rating. Skills aren't defined by those found in the feature entries. However, instead of skills opening up Reflexive options that are laid out, the character has one or two 'Tricks' laid out. These are in effect, Stunts for use with his Occupational skills (meant to replace huge amounts of options currently found in skill descriptions and act as inspiration in coming up with your own Tricks during play).

The main difference is that how skills can be utilised wont be laid out at all, other than in the form of Tricks, and Special Abilities will disappear (although many will become Tricks in one form or another).

So, the Reasoning stat might be explained by a paragraph and then some examples of the sorts of skills associated with the stat will be mentioned, but there won't be an entry such as this for a defined skill -

Spot (Reasoning) (Gen)

(RCO) Spot Weakness: In combat, you can spend a Reflexive action to spot an injury that your melee opponent is suffering from. If he is not currently suffering from Health point damage, you cannot use this skill. If you gain 2 successes in the Spot test, you automatically inflict 1 point of Health damage on your opponent without the need for a weapon skill test as you take advantage of his impediment by feints, manoeuvres and the like. Use of this skill does not stop you from making a normal attack.

(RSO) Empathy: When engaging in social situations, you can spend a Reflexive action to spot telltale body language. If you gain a number of successes equal to or greater than half of your opponent's Bearing statistic, then you gain a general idea of his emotional state. This could be a state of panic, deviousness, or the single most prominent emotion exhibited by him.

Perception: This is your general skill to notice things, whether it is an ambush, the colour of someone's shirt or the number of apples on a tree. These are Free tests.

Search: When you are searching for something in particular, such as ransacking a mattress or looking for a sliding panel, then you make an Extended Spot test. The GM sets the difficulty of the test.

Instead it might look like this -

Feature - Eyries gain the Occupational Skill Spot 3 and they have the Trick - Spot Weakness. The above Spot entry will not exist, but Spot Weakness will under the lsitings of Tricks.

The only time there is an explanation of games mechanics for skill usage will be with Tricks, which are designed to be prompts for players to come up with their own usages for skills. There will be guidance for assigning difficulties to tasks etc, but not the level of detail currently found.

Dunno whether that was all that much clearer, actually.

Quote from: One Horse Town;268345Dunno whether that was all that much clearer, actually.

Actually, I think it was:

1: The base skill is undefined, allowing group definitions and definition from center rather than definition from boundary.

2: The Tricks are salvaged from selected existing Social & Combat reflexive actions, and are defined, giving implied definition of the base skill by example. They are used as stunts.

3: Use of the skill or trick is always skill rank + stat rank = dice, with a skill rank of 0 giving no bonus to the stat rank.

I like it - lots! I always am in favor of devolution to group level where possible, and of definition from center, on principle.

The only thing I am not enthusiastic about is tying tricks to features, as this implies that only people with a trick can use it. I would prefer tricks being available to anyone. You've already tied skill ranks to features, which is cool, and which should limit trick utility by itself.

-clash

Quote from: flyingmice;268354Actually, I think it was:

1: The base skill is undefined, allowing group definitions and definition from center rather than definition from boundary.

2: The Tricks are salvaged from selected existing Social & Combat reflexive actions, and are defined, giving implied definition of the base skill by example. They are used as stunts.

3: Use of the skill or trick is always skill rank + stat rank = dice, with a skill rank of 0 giving no bonus to the stat rank.

I like it - lots! I always am in favor of devolution to group level where possible, and of definition from center, on principle.

The only thing I am not enthusiastic about is tying tricks to features, as this implies that only people with a trick can use it. I would prefer tricks being available to anyone. You've already tied skill ranks to features, which is cool, and which should limit trick utility by itself.

-clash

If only i was as succinct as you Clash! Yes, exactly!

Perhaps there can be a master list of Tricks for inspiration (not that many, but to be used as implicit guidelines for skill usage and as inspiration for coming up with your own in play) and the player chooses a set amount when he makes his character? Signature moves, if you like. As you say, the skill rating makes some more useful to some features than others, but this way it isn't tied specifically to them and gives players some choice in chargen that is lacking at present.

Either that or i don't list any at all but have a reasonably sunstantial section explaining what they are and laying out guidelines for their usage and coming up with them during play.

Quote from: One Horse Town;268364If only i was as succinct as you Clash! Yes, exactly!

Perhaps there can be a master list of Tricks for inspiration (not that many, but to be used as implicit guidelines for skill usage and as inspiration for coming up with your own in play) and the player chooses a set amount when he makes his character? Signature moves, if you like. As you say, the skill rating makes some more useful to some features than others, but this way it isn't tied specifically to them and gives players some choice in chargen that is lacking at present.

Either that or i don't list any at all but have a reasonably sunstantial section explaining what they are and laying out guidelines for their usage and coming up with them during play.

I like a compromise between these two - a set of guidelines for making your own Tricks, and a short but representative list of examples for inspiration. Pundit did a nice job with this in FtA! for his stunts.

Here's an idea - make use of tricks open entirely, but give bonuses for signature maneuvers, which cost during chargen and advancement. This would change resolution to Stat + Skill + Trick = Dice. This would massively open up creative use of skills, yet reinforce signature moves as character-linked abilities.

-clash

Quote from: flyingmice;268389Here's an idea - make use of tricks open entirely, but give bonuses for signature maneuvers, which cost during chargen and advancement. This would change resolution to Stat + Skill + Trick = Dice. This would massively open up creative use of skills, yet reinforce signature moves as character-linked abilities.

-clash

Nice idea.

*thinking cap on* :hmm:

Quote from: One Horse Town;268391Nice idea.

*thinking cap on* :hmm:

Let us know the results, Dan!

-clash

Quote from: flyingmice;268439Let us know the results, Dan!

-clash

Will do, mate.

I know the design of the game has dragged on a bit, but i think it has been for the better. A little lapse between spouts of design seems to suite me better. Sorry to those who have been looking forward to it but i truly think that these little gaps will result in a much better game!

Here's a very brief draft on my thoughts as to how chargen and advancement have changed to include binning Special Abilities and including Advantages. The idea is that now each player has a choice as to how his character starts off instead of every person from each feature starting off almost identical. Affiliations will now not be a set number for each character and now you do not choose Rivalries, but the GM creates one for each Affiliaion created. Let me know what you think!

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Advantages
Organised – 2pts
Canine Companion – 1 pt
Handle Weapons – 1pt
Guildsman – 1pt
Blind Navigation – 1pt
Endurance – 1pt
Protected – 2pts
Resistant to Disease –1 pt
Connections – 2 pts
Local Knowledge – 1 pt
Estimation – 1 pt
Authority – 2 pts
Credit – 1 pt
Maps – 2 pts
Cool – 1 pt
Cosmopolitan – 1 pt
Chameleon – 1 pt
Mother of Invention – 1 pt
Diplomatic – 1 pt
Noble Rights – 3 pts
Craft (Feature) – 1pt
Artistic – 1 pt

Chargen

At chargen, once the player has decided on which feature he hails from, he has 4 points to spend in making his character distinct. He can spend these points on Advantages, Signature Moves (see Tricks), Affiliations (see Affiliations & Rivalries), or by rolling on the Background Table. He can spend his points in any combination among these categories.

Advancement

If a character has gained a level through solving a problem, he has 2 choices. He can remain in his current feature and increase his Status by 1 point and spend 3 points in increasing the skills offered by his feature (maximum increase of 1 point per skill) or he can choose to move to another feature and gain 4 points to spend in the skills offered by the new feature. However, he does not improve his Status score. (Note: In an Exploration type game, the character can choose which feature he gains his skills from. In this case he can spend 3 points on Skill improvement and does not increase his Status score).

If a character has gained a level by achieving a Goal (see Goals) he gains another Signature Move (in conjunction with the GM) and can create a new Affiliation (this can be used to bring a new NPC into play if the player wants to and does not need to be spent on existing NPCs). He increases his Status by 1 point.  

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Another thought i've had is on Tricks. How annoying will it be to have a section explaining them, but only having generic examples and then having one or two example Tricks that would fit each Feature in the Feature entries?

One Horse Town, you may want to have a look at this...