Wings Over the Pyre - March 1st, 2004

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Mar. 1st, 2004

03:54 am - [Gaming Theory] The Trouble With Supers

Alright, so I'm debating the construction of chargen for Supernals. Of course, the basic bits are easy ... Sorcerer makes core character construction trivial so it can focus on the implications. Very well, I can go for that. In fact, I embrace it. The problem is the same as it is for all superpowered character-centric games:

Powers.

We're talking issues at the basal level of the mechanics, here. How do you rate their strength? What kind of detail do you provide? Where should the focus fall? Detailed point accounting or broad stroke sketches? Where do the breakpoints exist?

Its a beast. Worse, its an unruly, ugly beast where your choices will inevitably have far reaching structural consequences. (Just consider the differences in GURPS and Champions -- any editions -- and how they change the very underlying feel of how things resolve. And those are two heavy point-accounting systems; how much worse for systems with different aims?) There are no right answers and there are no safe answers; you need to know where you're going to begin with.

And this is a problem, especially for me and Supernals. Do I try and emulate the now-hyper-traditional Power Framework structure the mainstream supers games use? Do I use the Demon Power system almost unchanged? Where, particularly, do I focus? The rest of the system I can grind out in my sleep, truth be told. The ideas exist, they just need to be captured. But the powers system ... oi vey. Not something you can just assemble overnight, much as I might want to.

Current Mood: drained

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04:02 am - [Gaming Review] Cthulhu Dark Ages

Just a short review, because I'm tired -- and, sadly, there really just isn't much to say.

If you're a long time aficionado of Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu work, you've seen BRP. You know the issues about it. You've seen the Sanity system, and likely went mad a few times. You've seen it. You've likewise seen Chaosium's rather dry and strangely focused overviews of various historical periods, particularly the 1920's.

So, for CDA, just imagine that, save with the first chapter about the years 900-1100AD, rather than the '20's, and you're set. There's really nothing much new in here save the opening bits on the historical period and a timeline of odd events. The rest is pretty much cut-n-pasted directly from various CoC tomes. There's not much in the way of innovation here -- not that one expected it, mind, but it would have been nice, nonetheless.

Ultimately, I think I have to give this a solid C -- with the wish it would have been higher.

Current Mood: disappointed

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07:14 am - My New Personal

Which, you know, should get me laid. After all, chicks dig honesty.

Current Mood: thoughtful

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07:34 pm - Frustration

There is very little as frustrating as working for half an hour to get the security tape and wrapping off a DVD, poking three holes in your skin in the process (hey, you do it with a dental tool held in your toes and do better) and then to find out you'd accidently bought the full-screen, not widescreen, version.

Of all the goddamn ...

Current Mood: angry

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09:48 pm - Its Not Paranoia ...

Scared shitless, aren't you? Eeekcrazy, you: get a
life, not EVERYONE is out to get you (just me).


Fucked up, any?
brought to you by Quizilla

... if they really are out to get you.

Current Mood: amused

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