Real small side nit:
""Capability" is a matter of how old the character is and never the player's ability to RP"
I wanted to make sure that other measures of success were included as sources of XP (in fiction success, and OOC staff-like/GM type rewards for being an organizer, or plot runner, if applicable). Most all actions can fall under "RP" but I wanted to add these in as measures of value to the game.
@tek Not that it wasn't included up there, but:
@hobos (only sorta, your post did prompt this, but I am not sure if it's really as reply)
Added: It seemed to me the point was that things of ephemeral nature lead to actual action and creation, and that Dee, atop being a completely solipsistic that nothing and no one has any intrinsic value, is wounded and obsessed that because lies exist, anything that isn't concrete is a lie. Someone should have told him that his sense of vision is especially a lie, but whatever. He is the living aspect of the damaged ruby's potential.
It's basically "I think you are kind. That won't stop me from killing you in the least."
And to be fair to you and the comic, it was written when comics got all dark and broody and full of pockets.
This is the opening text from the RPG Stealing Stories for the Devil (where in you have mage like reality altering powers where you fight in partitioned zones of unreality like in X 1999 where some entity has altered the rules like the Unbidden, in order to gather true nuggets of story structures like the Gentry) and it seemed relevant:
"Actors? Liars.
Writers? Liars.
Roleplayers? Liars.
We all think lying is wrong. We teach our children not to lie. Lying
can get you fired from your job. We label it a sin and even a crime.
But then, at the same time, our lives are willfully and intentionally
full of lies. We pay money to sit and watch a movie that is nothing
but two hours of lies. We eagerly buy the latest book of lies from
our favorite novelist. We love lies because we love stories.
And we’re right to feel that way. Stories are vital to us as humans.
In many ways, stories are the way we relate to each other.
Sure, we tell each other about some exciting event that happened
yesterday, but that’s not what I’m talking about, because
(presumably) that kind of story is true. I’m specifically talking about
action. We teach lessons about who we were in the past through
action: myths about gods creating the Earth or folktales about
George Washington chopping down a cherry tree (that somehow
informs us of what it means to be an American). Fables and fairy
tales tell us as much about history as, well, actual history. Not
because they offer facts and dates, but because they display the
essence and emotions of the people. We understand the people of
medieval Europe because we read tales like Beowulf, the Kalevala,
or the Arthurian saga.
We also reveal who we are today, and maybe even who we might
be in the future, by presenting these ideas as stories. These are
fictional stories, yes, but we use them to convey truth."
@Hella I haven't seen the episodes yet, but Calliope has sexual assault as part of slavery.
I am just a Kickstarter Backer. Sorry for the confusion.
Anyone knowledgeable about military peeps and seeking mental healthcare about? Or have an idea where to look online?
From the Kickstarter (I was a Backer):
"A note from April:
At Gen Con this past weekend, Thirsty Sword Lesbians won “Best Game” and “Product of the Year”, taking home two Gold ENnies. The ENnies are a people’s choice award for RPGs and over 28,000 people voted on this year’s entries. Taking home double gold is a spectacular follow-up to winning the Nebula Award for Game Writing. TSL is the first-ever tabletop roleplaying game to win a Nebula, the most prestigious award for science fiction and fantasy writing in the English language.
We couldn’t have done this without all of your support, and I’m overjoyed that the game is continuing to build momentum over a year past release. I love hearing about how you’ve made new friends through the game and seeing all the amazing characters you come up with, and I love the fantastic new playbooks and adventures that people are making with the Powered by Lesbians license. I maintain a collection of them on itch that is well-worth checking out!
I truly did not expect the wins at the ENnies. Although judges decide which games are eligible to win, the awards are given out based on a popular vote, which gives the advantage to games connected to an already-popular franchise like D&D or tie-in products for well-known books, movies, and other games.
I never set out to make an RPG that would have the broadest possible appeal and we never toned down the message of Thirsty Sword Lesbians to make it more palatable to cis or straight people. Plus, the game outright tells bigots to go away.
On reflection, though, maybe one of the lessons of Thirsty Sword Lesbians’ success is that the way to make a broadly appealing game isn’t to placate an imagined ‘typical’ gamer who happens to be cis, straight, white, male, and sensitive about all of these identities. You can instead make a game that celebrates a wide range of people who are left out of mainstream stories and repels the kind of player who would gatekeep the hobby.
I love hearing about people whose first RPG (or first non-D&D RPG) is Thirsty Sword Lesbians, especially when it prompts them to explore other indie RPGs, too. We all win when we grow the hobby and show that RPGs really are for everyone who wants to play!"
Well, that's some fine lawyerin' there.
@il-volpe wouldnt that be the same thing, more or less, as saying xp are rewarded at a diminishing rate? EG lets say +votes are still used. 1-20 are worth 20xp, 21-40 are woth .5 xp, 41-60 are worth .25 xp (feel free to replace with any set of decreasing actual xp values).
Or are you think that something would slowly transform earned xp into spendable (like time passing)?
You could base that decreasing rate on what the average xp are on the game, but that gets weird as that value typically weill just grow, but could drop significantly when groups or long time characters cease play.
Possibilities (these aren't necessarily linked):
Earn XP as desired by designer. Limit XP spending by RL time.
Only be significantly concerned with higher level abilities, in Wod/CoD terms, dots 4-5 (expert) for sure, perhaps 3 (professional). Either give people more XP to buy lower level skills etc to be who they want to be at start, or let them earn and spend on these as much as they like.
Expert and above require approval.
Limit expert dots.
Give players a set number of xps. Thats where they can get to.
Remove all subjective skills, especially ones players have a hard time limiting themselves with.
Only have character change at the end of X, a year, a television/streaming season, campaign arc.
Exceptions: maybe allow some level 1 ability adds, or just limit a change of more than 1, or require any mid-season change to have a strongly (I define this strong as impactful to the character, and involving either players not in the character's immediate circle, staffer moderation, a permanantly lost cost, etc) presented scene or three.
Players lay out desired/potential character arcs, and gain changes only by that means. These arcs can change via PC or ST events, but it should happen where the story can be consumed publicly.
While many RPGs and western fiction pay a lot of attention to the fast growth phase, that phase doesn't have to extend forever. Fiction is often about change of character, not massive fast changes in skill sets. This could be done via some sort of ranking of personality traits that can change (see Pendragon virtues, Spiritual Attributes in The Riddle of Steel, all your traits in Masks, Humanity/Empathy in cyberpunk, Madness Meters in Unknown Armies, etc) but MU* players are like most RPG players and don't want to be held to a standard of IC presentation (see social skills vs writing).
I'd strongly suggest suspending posting in this thread for about 5 days.
I do not recommend permanent locking, ever.
At this point people are just winding themselves and each other up, and that adds no value.
Is that a thing? Suspend posting on a thread? Is it possible people can let something lie for a cooling off period?
Yes, I know how to turn off notifications for the thread. I also know how to just not log in for days or weeks or months.
@ZombieGenesis That's about right.
An example I alluded to in my list would be Chronicle of Darkness' short and long term Aspirations. The player states a goal for their character in one of the two time frames, and if they meet that goal, they get some bonus XP.
The idea is it helps the players (GM as well asregular players) understand a players interests, maybe make that topic a little more interesting (maybe more related detail or opportunities), and perhaps provide encouragement to stretch out in new directions via examples from other players.
I believe in MU* terms, people could put in something like a +request, state the goal, and at some point ask if a given log etc meets the criteria, and staff would give that bonus xp.
Examples might be: (short term) make a good impression at the large event tonight, or (long term) gain control of the docks for smuggling purposes.
Sometimes things like this are a way to create more coherence or to bring up thematic or setting elements more often.
Sometimes it's "... not because they are easy, but because they are hard, ..."
Sometimes it's The Sunk cost fallacy.
I want to hear well-spoken and crafted arguments on many sides of any topic.
I don't care if it changes minds, that is very rare. (Again, RL says 30% conversion rate would be stunning).
It may shape thoughts and expectations, or open new areas for thought in a reader. Sometimes that can take years to percolate through a mind, and it's still worthwhile.
I tend to ignore charged or pejorative language. It feels like begging the question too much.
I wouldn't want to see one specific topic be the only topic forever. And I am one of those dumb people who seems to ask a series of extremely similar questions because it helps me understand something.
I also happen to think (demand of myself) that people can disagree and be in the same place and not do damage to one another.
I think all that and am comfortable posting here. Whatever that means.
@RightMeow said in Not sure what board it belongs on:
it serves my RL trauma (and internet ones) how it needs to.
This sounds like a great place to be. It gives me hope.
I know that's not the main point, but the rest doesn't need my commentary.
Really what I am asking is does anyone have examples they really think worked well for most players, or deserve more exploration.
"Rule based" in this case means something the RPG system in use suggests or provides in some mechanical sense.
RP prompts are a vast range of things.
There are tons. My typical concerns are does it take too much effort to use or set up the prompts, and does uneven use produce uneven power or effectiveness for a character or player.
Alternately, do people play the same "game" everywhere they go, and resent having an experience design intrude on their play?
@reimesu I was going to say that same, but he's been in so many films and shows. He definitely left his mark.
@simplications so avoid discussions critical of players and staffers at games? Or just of attaching any sort of suggestion as to motivation or psychology?
I will say that I understand why anyone would avoid the Hog Pit, but I will also say to characterize it in any fashion without direct knowledge seems difficult. If you want to say (these are made up numbers) that even 10% malicious unfounded statements are too many, that's fine.
How would you like to see someone make a post where they want to say X player on Y game created multiple characters in an attempt to secure RP with them after I told them I wasn't interested? Is suggesting a Queen Bee mentality too far? Is mentioning unwanted contact is for the purposes of sexual RP suspect?
I hope you see what I am asking here. I'm just asking you (though others are welcome to speak for themselves), because you are having an idea, and I'd like to see it fleshed out.