Saying Yes: Dynamic Tests

And I'm finally back to a post about Burning Wheel! I seriously can't get enough of this system... Before I break into some sort of rant, let's have a little summary of the topic to be covered today. It's a rather simple principle that Luke Crane has instilled into Burning Wheel, actually taking the concept from Vincent Baker's Dogs in the Vineyard. It's a strong way to make every die roll meaningful: "Just say 'Yes'."

All Outta Bubblegum: A Brief Review and Design Thoughts

Link -- All Outta Bubblegum

Today, you're getting a look at something that, until about a week ago (shout-out to my friend Christopher for pointing its existence out to me), I was totally unaware existed. It's also possibly one of the most brilliantly simple game designs I've ever seen. It's ultimate balance, in a nutshell. Go, read it, and come back. There's really not a whole lot to read. This is literally the shortest RPG I've ever seen, and character creation is even shorter.

A Familiar Face

So, anecdote time! (This post will be really short, for a change.) I was going through some of my old stuff, when I spied a playmat for the "MLB Showdown 2003" card game that I used to play with my little brother. I remembered that it was made by Wizards of the Coast, and that it used a d20, so I had a look at it. Well, I found the rules looking slightly familiar. Let me go through them, and see what you think...

The Pitch
In the first step of the turn, the pitcher throws the ball. That player rolls a d20, and adds a bonus equal to his Control number, which might be +3, +4, or even +6. Then, you compare the result to the batter's "On-Base" number. If it's higher, the pitcher has the "advantage"; otherwise, the batter has the "advantage".

The Swing
In the second step of the turn, the batter swings at the ball. That player rolls a d20, and then...you check the appropriate "Swing Chart". The batter has one, and the pitcher has one, and you consult the chart of whomever had the advantage. Lower results are worse, such as a strikeout or a ground-out, Higher results are better, such as a home run (sometimes needing an additional boost to even be possible). So, you check the result against the table, and that's what happens, whether it be a fly ball out, a walk, a double, and so forth.

Strategy Cards
This is the part of the game where each player gets cards to "mix up" play, allowing for freak occurrences and a "CCG" element to enter the game. Sometimes, they can boost the result of the Swing, or perhaps let the defense clamp down on a runner trying to get a double.

I'm guessing that the lightbulb went on for most of you when I mentioned that the Control number was a "+X". It's the familiar old system of "d20 + Modifier vs. DC" that D&D and other RPGs use. Hardly surprising when you consider that Wizards of the Coast was behind this game. I thought it was interesting that, instead of a standard "damage roll", the game implemented a system that is far better suited to baseball: a table of different outcomes.

Anyhow, I thought it was cool to find a familiar face in a strange place. How about you, readers? Has playing in RPGs changed your outlook on an old game that you played beforehand?

An Awesome Project

So, I'll have a full links post in on Saturday, but here's a little piece of awesome for y'all to chew over.

Dungeon Dice

You roll the dice. You use the rolled sides to make a dungeon. That's right; you can literally roll the dice and then put them together, and you have a randomly rolled dungeon right in front of your eyes. Is that cool or what?

Dice Profiles: the d20!

Yep, here it is. The ultimate final profile. And of course, it's for the revered d20. Good ol' d20.

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Number of Sides: 20
Shape: icosahedron
Famous For: Do you have to ask? (Okay, for any newbies to roleplaying, the d20 is one of the most famous gaming dice, used by not only Dungeons and Dragons, but also spun off into a number of systems, like the d20 System (D&D 3.5 Edition, without some of the rules), d20 Modern...well, pretty much d20 anything. There's a True 20 system, an Inverted 20 system...Mutants and Masterminds...I think I've made my point.
Element: Water. It's flexible, flows everywhere, and is smooth and elegant. Yup.
My Take: What's not to love about the d20? Because there's 20 sides, it can be easily mapped to percentages, with each number representing 5%. A 65% chance of something happening translates to a 13 on the d20, unless I did my math wrong. The d20 is also used everywhere...and there's nothing more satisfying than rolling a natural 20. Possibly nothing more disheartening than rolling a natural 1, too.

Long live the d20!

Dice Profiles: d8

Number of Sides: 8
Shape: octahedron
Famous For: You use a d8 to get a ranger's hitpoints (in D&D), as well as rolling damage for a longbow and longsword. I guess that really makes it the ranger's die. Other systems (such as the Cortex System) use it as a step above the average d6.
Element: The smooth d8 was assigned the element of air, presumably because it's pretty decently powerful, but also subtle.
My Take: The d8 is nice. Nothing special that I see about it, though maybe I'm not giving it enough credit. If nothing else, it works well as a "boost die" to replace a d6 with for a special ability.

Dice Profiles: d10

Number of Sides: 10
Shape: pentagonal trapezohedron (wow, that's a mouthful!)
Famous For: Ah, the d10. Though it's got uses in Dungeons & Dragons, like fighter hitpoints and longbow damage dice...it's far more famous in another context. That would be the Storyteller System, invented by White Wolf, used in games like World of Darkness and Exalted, where you roll a whole pool of a bunch of 10-sided dice. Also, d10s are used for percentile dice.
Element: Nada. It's not a Platonic solid, and so it doesn't have an associated element. So, really, take your pick. If anything, this is the White Wolf die, however that works for you.
My Take: It's fun, especially because it works with the World of Darkness system. The d10 is nice for percentage-based systems, with really easy-to-calculate dice odds. I like that. My vote: good, solid, and classy.

Dice Profiles: d12

Number of Sides: 12
Shape: dodecahedron
Famous For: RAWR! Barbarians LOVE d12 for hit point and big choppy axe! Sadly, it doesn't see much other use in Dungeons and Dragons, although Dominion Rules is a system based entirely around the d12. BoardGameGeek has a very short list of RPGs, most of which I'd never heard of, that use the d12 primarily.
Element: There's no exact correspondence of element here, as Plato neglected to give the dodecahedron a corresponding element. He mentioned, however, that it was used to "arrange the constellations", and there is also a fifth element (besides the traditional four) introduced later on, called "aether", which deals with the heavens. So, "aether" is a fairly good fit. Mysterious, up there, not one of the big guys.
My Take: I actually like the d12. It's not quite as massive as the d20, but it's got a nice shape, and isn't as tiny as, say, the d8. He's a nice little fella, and there's still potential there. I'd love to see more uses found for the d12.

Dice Profiles: d4

Yup, it's time for a light-hearted look at yet another die, this time it's the pointy d4. Small...but powerful?

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Number of Sides: 4
Shape: tetrahedron
Famous For: The d4 is usually used to roll for the hitpoints of magic-users in earlier editions of Dungeons and Dragons. It's also used as the damage die for daggers and other tiny little weapons. Really, it doesn't see much use outside of those, so its reputation seems to be largely limited to "wimpy and dinky". On the other hand, it's a very pointy die. It makes an excellent caltrop, as many gamers have noted, and can be used to inflict stabbing damage more effectively than any other die.
Element: Fire is associated with the d4, despite its low damage output. I would've thought something associated with fire would yield more impressive results, but I guess fire does have a tendency to burn out fast.
My Take: I guess the d4 is nice to have around, particularly if you need to determine a small random number (like the amount of days the heroes have to stop a Doomsday Apocalypse from happening...), but alas, I have not seen very many impressive uses of it. Although I am plotting an RPG system that utilizes the d4...

An Epiphany

The Article That Started It All (TATSIA)

You know, I'm surprised that I've been in roleplaying games for this long without realizing an important fact. I'd like to warn my readers that what I'm about to say may come as a bit of a shock. Hopefully, though, in the spirit of this Thursday, you can manage with it. Let me know if this upsets you at all, I'll do what I can to assuage your concerns. But it's still a pretty big paradigm shift.

I'm quitting RPGs.

See, up when I read TATSIA (see top of page), I found it to be really, really shocking. You know me: I'm a sucker for good story. I looked to RPGs as a source of interactive adventure and storytelling. I really, really liked the idea that you could have an interactive story that has an uncertain outcome, where players and a game master work together to make a cool story. TATSIA took that idea...well...

It kinda threw it for a major loop. I'd assumed that you could come up with a story outside of the game, where you didn't need to rely on rules for a cool story. In fact, part of the appeal of RPGs, to me, was that you can't really make a good story without human effort. That there's something there, something that can't be qualified by rules or dice or Wizards. It was really cool that, in an age of the machines, an age of the digital, an age of rules, restrictions, people telling you what to do...that the human spirit still clung to something greater. I believed in that something greater.

I believed in the power of love.

No longer. TATSIA has seen to that. What is love? I read this article, and I felt the love slipping away, out, trodden beneath a pale of caltrop-like d4s. There is no love. We are all slaves of the machine. Rules, regulations, these are the ways of TATSIA. I believed in a great world of roleplaying. I loved roleplaying. TATSIA has shattered my love...and I'm really just...

I need perspective. To get out, breathe.

I think I'm going to take about a three-month break and go to the mountains, kill a few bears, get out my emotions. Then I can return to this blog.

In the meantime, there will be an automated android taking my place and blogging, he tells me his name is Hal. I really don't care. Just expect a slightly different tone to my articles for some time. I need to go deal with TATSIA. Expect a normal schedule again, starting Tuesday.

Dice Profiles: d6

Starting up now, I'm going to be doing a few blog posts that I call "Dice Profiles". They're a look at those little staples of gaming, those polyhedral solids we call "dice". Our characters literally stake everything they have on rolls of the dice, so I think they're at least a little important. And there's all manner of interesting information about it. Let me know what you think of these profiles, I'm aiming to make things a little more interesting around here.

I've decided to kick things off with one that should be at least a little familiar to all of you...

~~~

Number of Sides: 6
Shape: cube
Famous For: Let's see, where to start? Outside of RPGs, of course, the d6 is the go-to for pretty much any game involving randomness. RISK, Monopoly, gambling...it does all of them. Within RPGs, it still has a pretty big usage. Obviously, it's central to the D6 System, but it also finds usage in the classic game Shadowrun, the roleplaying system GURPS, and the lesser-known Burning Wheel and Mouse Guard.
Element: Interestingly, each platonic solid (d4, d6, d8, d12, d20) is associated with a classic element. For the six-sided die? The element is Earth. It makes sense, because like Earth, it's solid, dependable, and familiar. The d6 is square and solid.
My Take: You can't go wrong with this one. It's been around in games for a long time, you can always grab more from Monopoly or RISK should you need them, and they stack really, really well. Seriously. You could build a house with d6s. A lot of d6s.

The Journey System: Rolling Dice

So, looks like it's time again to delve into that monster known as the Journey System. This time, it's to flesh out and come up with a complete core mechanic. I've given a lot of thought to it, and finally arrived at what I think is an interesting solution. It avoids the cut-and-dry addition of stats algorithm, in favor of a roll-under mechanic. It also takes an unusual approach, of sorts, to the concept of task difficulty, but one which allows for flexibility.

What's in a Statistic?
Like I've mentioned before, two statistics bolster your roll. There's a primary statistic and a secondary statistic. Your primary statistic determines the base difficulty of a task, and your secondary statistic provides a point pool which can be spent to add dice to your roll. To flesh that first one out, however, your primary statistic actually plays directly into the difficulty of a roll.

When making a roll, you first determine the Affinity of a task. This is simply how matched the task is to your abilities. You can attempt tasks with low Affinity, but you're not well suited to those tasks, so you'll do worse. Affinity starts, at its base, with the value of your primary statistic. If, for instance, it's a Strength-based task, and you have a strength of 4, the Affinity of that task begins at 4. This is the number that you must roll beneath in order to succeed at the task. If you match the number, you run into what's known as a Compromise situation, where you pick something to go right, and the GM picks something to go wrong.

Making it Easier
Well, that doesn't strike one as incredibly good odds to undergo when trying to attempt a task. Statistically, pumping extra dice into the equation goes a long way towards helping, but something that can also help is numbers. A Task's Affinity, first and foremost, can be increased when you leverage aspects of your character appropriate to the task. When you take on a task, you may pick one appropriate Skill or Ability (special, innate power) that your character possesses, and add its value to the task's Affinity. Say you're trying to lift a heavy crate, a Strength-based task, you can also add in your two ranks of Athletics, making the total Affinity 2.

There's also situational bonuses that can come in, which individually give bonuses of +1 each. Those are less common to come by, though. And on the flip side, ways in which the odds are stacked against you subtract from a Task's Affinity. Your Wyrd also plays into this. Tasks can have Wyrd values, because some things are suited only to those who have embraced their destiny. Often, these are big, epic quests such as retrieving a magic item or confronting a great foe (Wyrd is always a factor in combat). Your specific Wyrd will also affect, in general, what sorts of tasks are better-suited to you. The higher your Wyrd is, the more specific those Tasks get. (I'll go into exactly how the Wyrd mechanic works later on. It's kinda like choosing class features, though, in an RPG, as you level up.)

A Little Goodie
I've also put together an Excel spreadsheet to calculate exactly what sort of odds you can expect while working with the Journey System's "roll and replace" mechanic. This shows the average die roll, which is very helpful to know as a straight probability counter. Later on, I'll probably update it with even more data, although at the moment, I'm needing that data to crunch numbers.

A Twist of Fate

There's always an interesting little element in adventures which can often serve to counter the simplistic "I succeed/I fail" approach found in many systems. That's an element called "twists". See, not every situation is cut-and-dry success or failure, at least not in the World of Drama. There's always some fun little detail that defies the flow of events. Maybe, even though your shot misses the Big Bad, it manages to strike the Doom Machine ™ behind him, damaging it and delaying his evil plans for world domination. Maybe, even as you strike the fatal blow to the evil spider demon, she jabs you in the wrist with a venemous spike, threatening your very life.

But how to model these little twists of adventure? Well, it gets to be a little challenging in a d20 system, but it's still doable. The trick is to make it something that doesn't happen all that often, yet still often enough to make it a part of the game.

Getting Complicated
The term I'll use for negative Twists is "complications". They generally make things a good deal trickier. Those familiar with the Mouse Guard system will recognize this idea. It's not necessarily a flat penalty, just a further challenge. Sometimes that can be a penalty, but other times it means that the challenge has gained a new aspect. It's now more difficult to complete the task, because of some factor, and here's where creativity comes in. Here's some examples...

Fighting an Enemy: The enemy gains an additional ability. Maybe one of its existing abilities is slightly toned down, to make way for its new ability, which it now exhibits.
Negotiating: Some new information enters the picture, and it's not necessarily good.
Information-Gathering: Things don't start to line up very cleanly, and a new character enters the picture.

A Bit of an Edge
On the flip side of complications? Edges. Any little thing which gives you a tiny bit of an advantage. It's not necessarily a straight bonus, but something which lets you get a new angle on the situation...or maybe a little side benefit that makes things easier down the road.

Stealth: You happen to notice an important detail.
Information Hunting: A new avenue of research unexpectedly opens up to you.
Diplomacy: You find out a helpful little bit of information that informs your continued attempts.

Implementation
So, how do these twists come into play? One easy way of tracking them is by odd and even rolls of the dice. (If you're not using a d20, it's far easier to track.) Of course, when you roll odds or evens, that's a 50% chance there. That's a bit too often for twists to come into play. If, though, you roll odds/evens three times in a row...well, there's only a 1/8 chance of that happening. (12.5% chance, for you math nerds).

So here's how it works. When you roll an odd or an even, you essentially move one step closer to a twist. Once you move three steps in a row towards one direction, you trigger such a twist. What that twist is can vary, but it shouldn't be completely game-changing. Use the suggestions here as a guideline. They should add a fun little bit of flavor to your adventuring, however.

The Journey System: The Main Idea

We now come to the time where I technically "officially" begin my work on something called the Journey System. I suppose that, first and foremost, I should talk about exactly why the system is called this. That's because of the main design philosophy behind it. This system is supposed to focus on something called "The Hero's Journey", yet not in the familiar form proposed by Joseph Campbell.

What is the Hero's Journey?
Campbell, who is one of the most famous studiers of mythology and folk tales, claimed that all heros in myths followed the following pattern: 1) a call to adventure (and refusal of the call), 2) a descent into the "underworld", a fantastic world separated from the normal world, 3) an ultimate low point, "the belly of the whale, 4) the learning of special skills/powers, 5) the return home, and the bringing back of a "boon".

There's a few problems that I have with his basic model (not to mention his later elaborations), but I won't be going into that now. Rather, I'd like to propose my own take on The Hero's Journey, serving as the core philosophy for the Journey System. It goes as follows:

1. A hero is born with a destiny (some purpose to fulfill, however big or small)
   
2. The hero grows into a stable life
   
3. Something upsets the stability of the hero's life
   
4. The hero is given opportunities to accept or reject their destiny
   
5. The choices of the hero have far-reaching consequences: either causing the downfall of the enemy (accept destiny) or a costly victory against the enemy (reject destiny), or even a costly defeat at the hands of the enemy (rebel against destiny)
   
6. The choices will involve increasing effort and sacrifice on the part of the hero, if Wyrd is accepted
   
7. The hero returns home, and must learn to cope with the change at home, the change within himself, or both
   

As a quick note, I don't believe this is the pattern that all heroic stories fall into. Rather, this is one type of hero, the main type that will be encouraged in this system. There is definitely room for other types, however, and the interaction between all of them will be something to add interest and variety within the course of gameplay.

A Touch of Wyrd
The Old English word "wyrd" is one of my personal fantasy favorites, particularly in conjunction with the above concept of The Hero's Journey. In a nutshell, it roughly corresponds to the English "fate", or "destiny". Wyrd is a guiding force, of some supernatural origin, which shapes and guides the life of someone. Within the world of the Journey System, I would go a bit further.

I propose that wyrd, here, is something which (in the tradition of Robert Jordan) can shape and direct events, when a person is acting in accordance with their own personal wyrd. Thus, when someone continues to act in accordance with their Wyrd, they gain more and more ability to shape important events around them. Not in a flashy, overt way, but a more subtle way. Maybe things just "line up right", or maybe a critical strike turns aside, or a foe stumbles at just the right moment. Anything to help turn events in accordance with Wyrd.

Wrapping it Up
You may have, if you were looking closely, noted that one of the steps in my Hero's Journey was that of effort and sacrifice. This keys exactly into the sort of system I was talking about: a system that rewards you for expending effort. I also had another thought while writing this up: what if you replaced Experience with Wyrd? Thus, you get rewarded for sacrificing much in order to accomplish goals. What do you think?

The Journey System: Core Mechanic

Well, this post is actually going to tie into one of my previous posts, particularly "A Modest Proposal" (Part I, Part II). For reasons that I'll explain later, I'm naming this the Journey System. I figured that I should probably explain exactly where I want to go with the core mechanic, and see what my readers think of it. Like I mentioned before, I'm going to be using a d12, which isn't exactly unheard of. I can actually think of a couple smaller RPGs that use it effectively as their main die. With that set out, it's time for me to work through exactly what sort of system I'm going for. I've already waxed descriptive on core mechanics previously, and that means I'll be pulling a lot of that into here.

What I've Said Already
First and foremost, in A Modest Proposal, I decided that my approach to the system would be one that rewards you for expending resources, with more of a reward coming if you don't decide to immediately replenish those resources. I spoke of a "pool" system of sorts, where you spend stats. This will probably lead to a system whereby each stat has a value, which is permanent, and that value denotes how many points are generated to be spent from that stat to improve your odds.

I've also said that I'm a big fan of the dice pool mechanic for games. That being said, I don't exactly like the idea of mimicking the Storyteller System (of World of Darkness fame), because that just feels cheap to me. At the same time, I do want to introduce the idea of relying on two of your stats, and not just one, for whatever task you attempt. So here's what I'm planning. First, there are two stats involved in any roll: a primary statistic and a secondary statistic. The primary statistic is the bonus given to the roll, and the secondary statistic is the one with a point pool you can spend. I'll clarify it here below. First, though, the question--what does spending points do?

A Pool...Kinda
The thing is, rolling a bunch of dice in a pool just screams World of Darkness to me. So, how else can you use the idea of a dice pool in conjunction with the game? Well, there's one fun and interesting solution that came to mind. What if you rolled a dice pool, and then picked the best die out of the pool to be your roll? I took that, rolled it around a little, and here's the idea I came up with, in the end.

You have your stats. They have values. Starting out, each Stat also comes with an equal (or maybe 1/2 value, rounded up, we'll see) pool of Heroic Points to be spent. When you want to do a task, figure out the Primary and Secondary stats. The Primary stat is added to your roll. You roll one 12-sided die. Alternatively, you can burn any number of points in the Heroic Points pool for the Secondary stat, to roll an additional 12-sided die for each point burned. The end result? You roll a bunch of dice, and pick the best one. So really, it offers you the opportunity of control over your luck, to a small extent.

Example
This is essentially what the system would look like. This is for the character attempting to move aside a boulder burying an ally.

Primary Stat: Strength Value 7
Secondary Stat: Passion 6 Heroic Points

Your character really wants to succeed, so you burn 4 of those Heroic Points. You roll 4d12, and they come up with 4, 6, 2, 9. You pick the 9, and add in the Strength value, for a total roll of 16. You now have 2 Heroic Points in Passion.

So, I know this is a bit rambly for a post, but hopefully it gives a bit of insight into what I've got in store. I'll really be introducing the system proper in a following post (either Thursday or maybe Saturday), and then it should start to make some more sense.

Something We Can Relate To

This week's "Crunch" post comes as a bit of a fun way to varietize your character. A lot of times, even if players have some well-developed characters, they give little thought to exactly how those characters have come together into a group. I'm sure a lot of you enjoy weaving together backstories for your different characters, but here's a little bit of houseruling aimed at giving a dose of inspiration...or giving your character relationships a shot of variety, if you find yourself in an old, familiar rut.

(By the by, these techniques work best when applied to distinct PCs who haven't had their backstories linked just yet, although they can also work to add additional layers of intra-party relationships into the mix, too)

Step 1: A Little Chat, You Say?
This is the step where you figure out the general attitude your character has towards all the other characters. It's done pretty simply. Outline six different ways that your character could conceivably feel towards someone else, preferably someone working with him. Here's an example:

1: Disappointed in
2: Angry with
3: Amused by
4: Enthralled by
5: Shy around
6: Happy with

You'll note very quickly that these distinct attitudes will go a long way towards characterizing your PC. You determine how many positive and negative attitudes are there (which defines how well your PC works with others), as well as the strength of these attitudes (which shows what your PC's outlook on life is, from misty-eyed romantic to rock-jawed cynic). This in itself can be a fun way to give your character depth. Here's where the real development begins, though.

Once each player has done this, you then determine how each other character in the group feels about you. How? Well, that's simple. Roll a d6, and let them tell you what option you rolled. That's how their character feels about your character. If it's workable, stick with it, and you now have the basis for a relationship between those characters! Do this, obviously, until each character has attitudes towards every other character. This, on its own, can provide a good bit of spark for character relationships.

Step 2: Remind Me How This Happened?
If you want to add another layer on top of things, make another list of six. This time, it's a list of six ways that this attitude towards that particular character could have happened. I provide a generic list below; you may see fit to alter it per character or in general.

1: You just met the character, and have sized them up
2: You did something with the character
3: The character did something to/for you
4: You've done things with the character before
5: You have a history with the character
6: You are connected to the character

Both players roll, but only one relationship, obviously, can be chosen, unless you opt for a path of secrecy ("I know you, but you don't know me..."). Usually, the higher roll is the one chosen, but it's all up to the players.

Some may be more appropriate than others, depending on the situation. Remember: use this as a guide, and everything should work just fine. As you might have guessed, you take one of those attitudes, and make this roll, to clarify and explain exactly how it happened. Remember, use it as a springboard, a hook, a way to generate interesting stuff. You could probably theoretically start with a bunch of character concepts, roll dice according to this, and start generating enough character material to really flesh backstories out.

Step 3: Cull the Details
This is probably the trickiest part: you need to cut that list of things down. Not everything is equally worthy of mention, and if you have too many things, they can bog down gameplay/storytelling, as you try and keep that many plates spinning. I'm not saying that you have to get rid of some of these relationships, but you should definitely pick one or two to focus strongly on. Without that, you'll quickly find yourself descending into a good bit of character chaos.

Hypothetical Example
Okay, then. Let's say we have two characters: Aelyss the Cleric and Baube the Rogue. Aelyss is supposed to be a female human, battle-hardened, with an affinity to nature. Baube is supposed to be a male dwarf, with a bit of a taste for alcohol, and a nice, easy manner. They write out their Attitude Lists:

Aelyss
1: Wary of
2: Scornful of
3: Saddened by
4: Ignores
5: Bashful around
6: Hopeful for

Baube
1: Happy around
2: Very friendly with
3: Stricken by
4: Trusting in
5: Curious about
6: Cautious of

They roll up to see how things are...Aelyss' player asks Baube's player how his character feels about hers. She rolls a 5, which means that Baube is curious about Aelyss. No doubt he's not run into a lot of clerics, especially those close to nature, and he wants to know what it's like, finding so much beauty in trees and other plants. Baube's player likewise asks Aelyss' player the same thing, and she rolls a 3. Aelyss is saddened by Baube, because she's seen far too many adventurers like him fall on their quests, in very unheroic ways.

It comes time to clarify relationships. Baube's player rolls a 2: Baube is curious about Aelyss because he did something with her. Maybe they've just cooperated to heal a wounded traveler, and he was able to closely watch her methods, contrasting them with the ways of his own homeland, which is nestled somewhere harsh, inhospitable to life. A frozen-North wasteland, perhaps? Aelyss' player rolls a 5, indicating that she has a history with Baube. They agree that the most intriguing backstory is for Aelyss to have had that history with Baube, with him unaware of it, thinking he has just met her. They decide that Aelyss was assigned to watch over Baube as a hidden guardian, to keep him safe, for the sake of his father, who has had contact with the forest peoples before.

And thus you have many bases to build characters off of: what is this homeland of the Dwarves? Why did Baube's father take such pains to keep him safe? Why was Aelyss chosen? Those will invariably lead to more questions, which can help you shape characters even farther.

Hopefully you enjoyed this post...stay tuned for my "Fluff" post on Thursday!

Of Dice and...Well...More Dice

Keeping it rolling in the "Fluff" department, I figured I'd do a little bit of overview about something called the "Core Mechanic". Every system has it, and they all have different takes on it. The Core Mechanic, in a small nutshell, is the bit of the rules which governs the main ability tests and usually also combat. If you are trying to do something, you almost always use the Core Mechanic. So, with that being said, I'd also like to make a mention of the three basic types of Core Mechanics out there.

As a quick note: I make reference to several different types of dice in conjunction with the three Mechanics, but there is no direct correlation between Core Mechanic method and die type. I'm just spouting off the top of my head the different dice that I can think of as being used for that method.

The first one is what I would call "Roll and add". This is what the most well-known RPG, Dungeons and Dragons, makes use of. It's also the most prominent and popular mechanic in RPGs. Essentially, you roll a die, or a few dice, and then add any appropriate modifiers, trying to beat a difficulty rating for the task. For instance, many rolls in the latest edition of D&D take a 20-sided die (1d20), and add in half of your level, then a modifier generated from the appropriate character attribute (such as Strength or Wisdom), and then any other bonuses, such as weapon proficiency or skill training. The 20-sided die is the most common, although some games also use two 6-sided dice (2d6), three 6-sided dice (3d6), or even a 10-side die (1d10).

The second type, which is related to the first, is the "Roll under" mechanic. Found in systems like The Generic Universal Roleplaying System (GURPS), it takes a somewhat different approach to the subject. Instead of trying to roll higher than a set difficulty, you try to roll lower than a certain number, which corresponds to your skill level in the task. The difficulty of the task isn't reflected by a "difficulty level", but rather by negative modifiers to your skill level. Although GURPS uses three 6-sided dice (3d6), other systems use a 20-sided die (1d20), although one game has a 12-sided die (1d12).

My favorite Core Mechanic, though, is the "Dice pool" mechanic. The World of Darkness system is one of the best-known dice pool RPG systems. You roll a certain number of dice, and then compare each individual die to a specific target number. You count how many successes were scored (usually by rolling above the target number on a die), and the number of successes determines how well you did a task. WoD uses 10-sided dice (d10s), and another common size is 6-sided dice (d6s).

At this stage in the game, I'll note that not every game fits neatly into these categories. The RPG A Song of Ice and Fire, from Green Ronin productions, uses a dice pool but its primary mechanic is "Roll and add". Wushu Open uses "Roll under" as a means to qualify die rolls, but it's a "dice pool" mechanic. These three categories, however, showcase different strengths and weaknesses of their respective approaches to character power and randomness. Sometimes, it's not even a question of strength versus weakness, so much as the appropriateness of one approach to the feel of the game.

The "Roll and add" and many "Roll under" systems tend to have a markedly different way of approaching character than "dice pool" systems, interestingly. Because the former methods deal with trying to beat/roll beneath a specific target number, there is often an increasing "bonus" attached to the die rolls. The obvious example here is the classic D&D paradigm, where all of your rolls increase as you level up. As you increase in expertise, you get to the point where more and more challenges are automatically covered by the bonus. In "dice pool" systems, there tends to be a far greater concentration of tasks that are some sort of challenge at any level, because nothing can be guaranteed.

As a side note...I can't believe it, it's the end of 2009 already. Good grief! Stick around, because in a couple of days, I'll be releasing a brand-new feature for a brand-new year!