White Box, Black Box, Colorful Box

Settembrini · May 12, 2007, 05:12:30 AM

Well my three pillars of adventure gaming are highlighting the fault lines in playstyle, especially preparation.

So my approach is categorizing another dimension, they might be of no use to your categorization.

flyingmice · May 12, 2007, 10:13:35 AM

Quote from: beejazzDon't mind me; I'm just lamenting personal experience on the matter. The fetus in my avi thought the picture looked nothing like him... go figure.

You should have sculpted it. Then you'd have fetus of clay....

Yikes! Fetus don't fail me now!

-clash

Pierce Inverarity · May 12, 2007, 12:43:33 PM

Quote from: SettembriniWell my three pillars of adventure gaming are highlighting the fault lines in playstyle, especially preparation.

So my approach is categorizing another dimension, they might be of no use to your categorization.

Three pillars? What are those again? You really should put your thoughts up on some website, then you can afford to be elliptical... or have you done so already?

Other than that, just to rub it in, I found an awesome website:

http://rdushay.home.mindspring.com/Museum/Index.html

The only thing that's wrong with it is the title. "Museum"--pah!

Grimjack · May 12, 2007, 12:47:51 PM

Quote from: Pierce InverarityFrom a conversation I had on another board:

And it's probably almost true. Maybe add RQ to the mix (was it around in the 70s, I mean in published form?), and that's pretty much IT.

No?

IMO there have been worthy games since then but I got all three of the games you mentioned in the late 70's (DnD White Box, Traveller, and EPT) plus Runequest and later BRP and that was some of the best gaming experiences I've ever had. I've gotten some games since then but I keep going back to the "core-four" as it were.

Personally I might also include Arduin in the list but IMO Arduin mechanics-wise sort of combined elements from DnD and RQ. I still buy Arduin material though so it is also a favorite.

Pierce Inverarity · May 12, 2007, 12:54:02 PM

I got Arduin a few months ago, including the 800+pp. setting book. Now that's some gloriously crazy shit. I love it.

Grimjack · May 12, 2007, 01:08:28 PM

Quote from: Pierce InverarityI got Arduin a few months ago, including the 800+pp. setting book. Now that's some gloriously crazy shit. I love it.

Me too. Not to go off on too much of a tangent but I had a few of the original Arduin books in the 80's but only really got into it lately. Emperor's Choice IMO has done a great job of republishing the old adventures and updating some of the classic material. Currently I'm running a MRQ game in the World of Khaas (pricey book, but cool) and I'm getting ready to start the White Roc Inn.

The players are loving it so far. Again though, despite all of that innovation Arduin is too close to D&D to be it's own pillar I think.

signoftheserpent · May 12, 2007, 05:00:05 PM

If you want innovation then check out Golden Heeroes; back in the day this BRITISH shrpg came up with some great ideas for campaign play i've rarely seen bettered if at all since.

And it has art by people such as Alan Davis and Brian Bolland.

That was n the mid 80's.

Drew · May 12, 2007, 05:09:19 PM

Quote from: signoftheserpentIf you want innovation then check out Golden Heeroes; back in the day this BRITISH shrpg came up with some great ideas for campaign play i've rarely seen bettered if at all since.

And it has art by people such as Alan Davis and Brian Bolland.

That was n the mid 80's.

I still have my old boxed set lying around somewhere.

It was full of nifty little twists, like combat being divided into 'frames,' which simulated the panel-by-panel action of an actual comic.

dar · May 14, 2007, 08:09:09 PM

Yea, there was lots of cool stuff back then. And lots of current cool stuff seems derivative to a lesser or larger degree.

The thing for me is how much I missed back then. There really was more to rpgs back then than I'd ever imagined.

Calithena · May 14, 2007, 10:09:04 PM

Champions remains one of the most influential RPGs of all time, both for the point buy and for the character disadvantages system. Its influence is clear in both GURPS and D&D3, for example.

Settembrini · May 15, 2007, 07:50:51 AM

The three pillars of adventure gaming, in distilled form:

D&D = classes, monsters, spells; paradigm: balance & , abstract ressource management

Runequest = skills, roll for defense; paradigm: realism, simulation

Champions = point buy; paradigm: character centered play

Of course there are mixtures nowadays, but you can´t judge a game subsystem according to the standards of a pillar it is not built upon.

See the age old RQ vs D&D debate.