Roleplaying Carrot & Stick

 So, the algorithm coughed this comic up for me:

This is an example of what can go weird or wrong in RPGs. Let's unpack it.

CONFLICTING EXPECTATIONS

The woman narrating her character's beautiful death is into the Narrative side of things. She gets joy from wrapping up the story she has created through her character.

The man is simply doing the next, natural move in the Game of accumulation. He gets joy from making moves in game that benefit his character, ie acquiring more useful loot.

But as the comic shows in her shocked face and his beaming smile, there is a huge conflict in how they feel about the incident.

WHO IS RIGHT?

Tough question. The game is 'roleplaying', ergo playing your role is what you do. It is also a 'game', and although it breaks many traditional game conventions (ie having a definite goal or end, or having limited moves), making moves is what you do.

HOW SHOULD THE GM RESPOND?

So, we've seen the Narrative take on the situation, as well as the Gamist. Although these two are the central pillars of roleplaying games, underlying both of these are the Simulationist side of the equation. If I were the GM, I would simply let the simulation of the gameworld react to the incident in a natural way.

For example, if the looter were a Good aligned cleric, he might lose his divine gifted powers for desecrating a body instead of giving a decent burial to a comrade. If NPC hirelings were present, they may start to mistrust the desecrating PC and slip away during the night, something native porters have done to imperialists for centuries.

Some may suggest that the GM discuss with the ''offending'' player, but in his ideology he is only doing what is right. I might warn the player about gameworld repurcussions of their acts, but trying to persuade someone their 'fun' is wrong never ends well, in my experience.

Finally, the GM might want to make sure Gamist and Narrativist PCs are not in the same locale or separated by some deux ex machine to let them do their thing. However, this puts lots more burden on the GM and threatens to bore one type of player while the other takes center stage.

This is an RPG conundrum that can never be solved entirely because the tension between Game and Narrative is what makes RPGs work. But both Narrativists and Gamers have agreed to play in the same gameworld sandbox, so it is the GM's job to hold them to this agreement. 

EXAMPLES OUTSIDE OF FANTASY ROLEPLAYING

This comic is a narrow example drawn from the specialized genre of D&D and its derivatives. What about other genres?

Horror - As I related before, players in games like Call of Cthulhu often arm up heavily even before any sign of trouble. This is not how horror movies or novels go. Make sure first that your players are onboard with the genre - horror is all about being powerLESS. If people want to power game, maybe play something else. Also, if they are waving heavy weapons around, make sure NPCs will run or call the police. As I suggested HERE, you can limit PC access to weapons based on the threat level & their experience to better simulate the genre. 

Supers - In superhero games, the monologue of the villian is a Narrative trope, but in Gamist terms it is an excuse for a free attack. Remind players in advance of genre tropes (ie monologues go uninterrupted, heroes are captured not killed), but if players choose to ignore them and become unscrupulous, have the villains do the same and switch to sneak attacks or swarming and doxing with intent to kill.

RESUME

1) Explain genre tropes BEFORE starting the game so everyone is on board.

2) If a conflict occurs, let the gameworld react realistically to it.

3) Be prepared for the game to either fall apart or be strengthened by the experience.

Reading Nephilim

 So, before I quit Japan I picked up the old Nephilim game and all its books for cheap.

(If you have a friend in Japan and want to find cheap vintage RPG books, ask them to check Mercari or OGM for you).

This book and game is a TRIP. I remember reading it in the 90's and not being able to wrap my head around it.

Now, it reads like Foucault's Pendulum the RPG. Also feels like I'm on mushrooms.

I might start a new series...

WTF BRP #1 The SIZ characteristic

So, what is up with the SIZ characteristic? It seems more useless than CHA supposedly was in D&D, but seems to have escaped scrutiny.

Let's take a deep dive.

History of SIZ

Stormbringer upped the ante by adding a Body Type to it, but this was quickly scrapped in Elric! and (so far as I know) never appeared in other Chaosium products. SIZ in Stormbringer is used to determine if there is a damage bonus, but also adds to Hit Points for larger monsters or beasts. It also limits armor one can wear to within a few points of SIZ.

Nephilim dropped the SIZ statistic altogether.

The Big Gold Book (2010), which came out as the official word on the system, has only three pages on SIZ.

Page 26 tells us some interesting uses - it can be used to resist shoving, increased or decreased temporarily via lifestyle, or permanently via damage. 

Page 277 has a list of SIZ of common objects, and notes that SIZ equals Hit Points for things.

Page 296 just has a long list of SIZ and body weight for creatures, and notes that this is not useful for amorphous or gaseous creatures.

Another Use For SIZ

I've always wondered if there might not be another use for SIZ that could enhance gameplay. Specifically, could SIZ be used comparatively to increase or decrease the chance of spotting or hitting a creature or character? The old Palladium Fantasy Roleplaying Game (a true banger despite the mechanical oddities of the underlying system) allowed smaller creatures a bonus when hitting larger ones.

Why not do the same here?

So, what if we say for every multiple of an attacker or searcher's SIZ that the target has, the attacker / searcher gets +5% to hit or see the larger target? We would have something like this:

        Multiple of Attacker's SIZ                                Skill Bonus to See or Hit

                        x2                                                                +5%

                        x3                                                                +10%

                        x4                                                                +15%

And so on. So, whether we have an ogre hiding behind a tree or someone trying to hit Cthulhu, they obvious should have an easier time of it. There are some caveats - this bonus does not apply when the target is moving at speed (ie a dragon in flight) or using some means of concealment (camouflage or magic). Also, this bonus does NOT increase chance of a critical hit. If you have 40% but get a 10% bonus to hit something large, you still only critical on 01-04.

Conversely, we can also impose a penalty to see or attack something smaller than oneself.

      Factor of Attacker's SIZ                                Skill Penalty to See or Hit

                        1/2                                                                -5%

                        1/3                                                                -10%

                        1/4                                                                -15%

And so on. This makes the game more tactical and realistic, while also giving a bit more weight to statistics than the original rules allow.

References

Durall, J. et al. (2010). Basic Roleplaying: The Chaosium roleplaying system. Chaosium.

Wyatt Earp's GMing Advice

 Just listened to this WILD account by Wyatt Earp of the reality of gunfighting in the Wild West.

A couple of takeaways:

1 If someone got the drop on, 9 chances out of 10 you'll lose.

2 Carrying two guns is not for shooting at the same time, but in case one runs out.

3 People who fan (spam) or quick draw don't always win.

A GM's First Priority Is...

This is not so much a hot take as a tepid opinon.

What is a GM's first priority?

To entertain the players?

No, they have to work just as hard as the GM for this to happen. The modern vogue of GMs as free entertainers rankles me, and leads to games fizzling out.

To know the rules perfectly, and memorize the rulebook?

Again, I dislike the GM as computer school of thought, which leads to clueless players, one person stuck as forever GM, and GM burnout.

To adjudicate the rules fairly?

This is essential, but I would not call it a first priority.

To create compelling adventures?

Again, this is natural but not a first priority. Weak storytellers can rely on published adventures, stronger ones will naturally weave an enthralling tale.

What is the answer, then?

If you ask me, a GM's first priority is to lessen his or her workload. This will prevent burnout, but more importantly, let them enjoy the game, and be fresh enough to improvise when PCs go 'off script' during an adventure. It will also let GMing look like the thrill it should be when done right, and hopefully lead to players taking turns in the driver's seat.

Stormbringer redux # 17 - Abstract Weight and Wealth

(NB: Yes yes, I realize I skipped # 17. Things are ready when they are. This isn't work, there are no deadlines thankfully.)

I've circled back to this post after a long pause because it was daunting. But something has clicked in my brain, so I thought I'd churn it out.

Here are my thoughts on Concrete vs Abstract systems of Weight & Wealth. I will go through Original Rules, Concrete Rules & Reasoning, Abstract Rules & Reasoning, and finally define When To Use them and suggest Other Effects.

1 ORIGINAL RULES

Famously, the old Stormbringer rules had nothing about carrying weight. Players were on an honour system.

As for wealth, there was starting wealth based on character background, stretching from Nobles all the way down to peasant Farmers. There was also a catalogue of things to buy, but nothing on living costs, quality of items, etc.

Let's try to connect these things in useful or interesting ways.

2 WHEN TO USE CONCRETE VS ABSTRACT WEIGHT & WEALTH

As noted earlier, I think the implementation of 2 styles of play, Pulp vs Saga, would make gaming more enjoyable. Each of these dictate different rules to help emulate the feel of their source material.

PULP PLAY = CONCRETE RULES, ELRIC!

Pulp is when you want to hack and slash through the Young Kingdoms. In this mode, player characters need to face limits, and thus Concrete Wealth and Weight are natural choices. Just like Moonglum in the Elric books, characters are more concerned with actual coin than abstractions, and thus limiting how much they can carry feeds into this aesthetic. The Elric! game also limits the characters to humans, and so is firmly in this camp.

SAGA PLAY = ABSTRACT RULES, STORMBRINGER

Saga play is when characters strive for higher ideals, fighting for a cause, opposing the gods themselves, even if it means destroying worlds. In this case, stopping to count coins in their purse or bank vault seems counter productive. Although Stormbringer toys with this idea of a higher struggle, especially with its Elan and Agent rules, there are no clear rules underpinning this aesthetic.

3 CONCRETE RULES EXAMPLES

WEIGHT

For weight, you can use the encumbrance rules I proposed (HERE), or something from a Chaosium product. This will make players more wary of the gear they choose and any treasure they pick up.

WEALTH

Likewise, the starting wealth and price lists are useful. However, we could add levels of wealth & living costs to give some connective tissue. Here is my previous stab at it.

SOCIAL RANK                        CURRENCY               REAL WORLD

Melnibonean Imperial               Melnibonean Wheel      500, 000 dollars

Melnibonean Nobles                   Silver Dragon (MA)      500 dollars

YK Royalty                                  Large Gold (LG)          100 dollars

YK Nobles                                   Small Gold (SG)          50 dollars

Clergy                                           Large Silver (LS)          10 dollars

Urbanites (Merchants, Rogues)      Small Silver (SS)          5 dollars

Rural Folk (Hunters, Farmers)      Large Bronze (LB)          1 dollar

Dispossessed (Beggars)                  Small Bronze (SB)          ½ dollar


STARTING WEALTH

Starting wealth could thus be calculated in the currency of the social rank. For example, according to the 4E rules, a Young Kingdom noble would 100 x 1D100 LB, and a Hunter with 1D100 LB. You could either keep this, which seems reasonable, or start all characters with 1D100 X INT of their currency to simplify things.


LIVING COSTS

One staple of pulp fiction is the constant need to go find treasure. Conan gets the rich at the end of a story, and is broke and needs to go adventuring again at the start of the next. Living costs help give this impetus for adventure.

If we make living costs 100 - INT in the requisite coins a month for all characters, this would give them a motivation to adventure and try to accumulate wealth. Small currency means characters live cheaply, large means ostentatiously. Note that even Melniboneans live using gold, because their currency is so rare and a result of exploitation that it can never be spent on mundane things. Instead, it is reinvested in keeping the status quo.

ITEM COSTS

The Stormbringer item price list is very limited, as is Elric! By extrapolating costs based on the currency suggested above, we open up the game to an interpretive economics that enriches the whole experience.

For example, a Riding Horse is listed as 100 LB in Stormbringer. Moving up or down the social ranking, we get very different 

SOCIAL RANK                        CURRENCY               REAL WORLD

Melnibonean Imperial               Melnibonean Wheel      A fine dragon with ornate palanquin

Melnibonean Nobles                   Silver Dragon (MA)      A young dragon with simple saddle

YK Royalty                                  Large Gold (LG)          A trained & intelligent warhorse plus retinue

YK Nobles                                   Small Gold (SG)          A fine, fast steed with a pair of mounted guards

Clergy                                           Large Silver (LS)          A thoroughbred trotter

Urbanites (Merchants, Rogues)      Small Silver (SS)          A gentle city trained mount

Rural Folk (Hunters, Farmers)      Large Bronze (LB)          A rough riding horse

Dispossessed (Beggars)                  Small Bronze (SB)          Broken nag a fortnight from the glue factory

The same range of prices and qualities can be extrapolated for all items on the list through discussion between GM and players.

WEALTH GAP

Note that poorer characters should never be allowed to 'piggy back' off the wealth of others. Pulp worlds are dog eat dog, so any rich Noble character would have to pay poorer characters in their retinue, while poorer characters would be constantly forced to work or adventure to make ends meet.

4 ABSTRACT RULES

WEIGHT

If we want to step away from the bookkeeping to focus on story, we can tie encumbrance to character occupation. First, we can link carryable arms & armor:

Warriors - Any armor and shield, up to 3 weapons (usually one main, a side, and one ranged)

Soft urbanites - One side arm (ie boot dagger or cudgel), with one more when prepared for battle. Can only use soft armor and small shields (target, buckler).

Hardy countryfolk - One side and main weapon (usually bow), plus one extra when prepared for battle. Can use any armor except full plate, and up to medium shields (target to heater).

For other objects, common sense judgments of weather it is light (no penalty), carryable (fills arms and slows movements), or draggable (so heavy can only be dragged slowly with character exhausted afterwards).

WEALTH

Similarly, we can do away with number of coins and simply use the following descriptors for any equipment or services the character uses.

SOCIAL RANK                       CURRENCY                       LUXURY DESCRIPTOR

Melnibonean Imperial               Melnibonean Wheel          Decadent

Melnibonean Nobles                   Silver Dragon (MA)          Opulent

YK Royalty                               Large Gold (LG)                  Magnificent

YK Nobles                                 Small Gold (SG)                  Ornate

Clergy                                           Large Silver (LS)              Distinguished

Urbanites (Merchants, Rogues)      Small Silver (SS)             Clean, proper

Rural Folk (Hunters, Farmers)      Large Bronze (LB)              Rustic, sturdy

Dispossessed (Beggars)                   Small Bronze (SB)          Squalorous, unhealthy

STARTING WEALTH

Here we do away with costs, and simply decide what a character would have based on their Social Rank. In my playtest last year, we had a Melnibonean noble high priest, who started with a mystical yacht made of strange alloys by lost ancient craftsmanship. His companions were various YK folk, such as a Weeping Waste warrior who had arms, armour, a pony, and naught else.

LIVING & ITEM COSTS & ACCESS

Once again, abstraction does away with all price lists, and characters get the item quality they can afford. The Melnibonean high priest would usually have opulent meals in Imrryr, but would have to settle for lower fare while traveling in the Young Kingdoms. The Weeping Waster would be satisfied with rustic food, such as tartar steak seasoned under his saddle and cooked by his horse's bodyheat.

4 OTHER EFFECTS

One other effect of choosing Pulp vs Saga play is whether the Allegiances system should be used. But this is a tale for a different time.

Why I Walked Away From An OSR Game Offer

Last week, I got offered a spot in an OSR game an old friend was running for his nephews & nieces.

When I stated my preference of 3D6 down the line, I was laughed at and told to roll 4D6, drop the lowest, and arrange to my liking.

I walked away.

What even is the point of playing a broadly competent but unremarkable character?

Why don't you just play 4E, grab your 18, 18, 17, 17, 16, 16 array, and pretend to roleplay when you're just doing an analog simulation of a CRPG?

Am I out to lunch?

Here, let's compare two characters to see which is more compelling to play.

4D6 Drop Lowest

2, 3, 3, 2 = 8

2, 2, 4, 6 = 12

2, 6, 2, 2 = 10

6, 2, 6, 5 = 17

3, 5, 6, 5 = 16

2, 5, 6, 1 = 13

So, you'll either put the 17 in STR for a Fighter or INT for a Mage, 16 in CON for HP or DEX for an AR boost, dump 8 in CHA and call it a day. Other stats go wherever. Ho hum, another Murderhobo. And everyone else in the party will have the same cookie cutter stats, unless they got super unlucky and become the object of derision / scorn, or so high they are envied and reviled. Because we don't play for the individual in OSR / NSR, we play AS A PARTY.

3D6 Down The Line

STR 3, 6, 4 = 13

CON 5, 6, 1 = 12

DEX 4, 3, 5 = 12

INT 6, 5, 1 = 12

WIS 5, 2, 6 = 13

CHA 6, 3, 5 = 14

Wow, got super lucky! No really 'hopeless' stats (a moniker I hate, as I just consider a low stat a roleplaying hook), but that 14 CHA tips me towards taking a Bard, which I LOVE doing in older editions. This gets my juices flowing to see how this character will interact with others with similarly evocative stats.

And that is why I said no thanks.