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11 |
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12 The Impossible Dream |
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13 |
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14 |
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15 Player Goals |
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16 |
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17 *by Hunter Logan* |
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18 Feb 10,2003 |
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19 |
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20 |
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21 *Player Goals* |
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22 The Impossible Dream Installment #3 |
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23 by Hunter Logan |
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24 |
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25 Intro |
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26 |
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27 The topic of the day is player goals and my thoughts about how to |
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28 support those goals in the game design. I suppose this also really |
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29 addresses how to support a player's desired style of play. I know a lot |
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30 of other people have tackled this. It has resulted in some rather large |
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31 and impressive bodies of work filled to overflowing with good ideas. The |
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32 most noteworthy efforts I know of resulted in grandiose three-fold |
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33 theories called GDS, GNS, and GEN. These are among /The Things That |
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34 Shall Not Be Named on rpg.net/, and for good reason. Mentioning them |
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35 often brings about a massive flame war. But before you unleash the |
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36 flames, rest assured I'm not going to discuss any of those. |
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37 |
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38 After a very long campaign of research and discussion, I have concluded |
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39 that those esteemed (and oft reviled) theories don't work very well. |
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40 There are a lot of reasons for this, but I'll save the debate for |
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41 another day. Suffice to say, from my exploration of those works, I |
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42 developed this list of player goals and suggestions for supporting those |
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43 goals. Because we are roleplayers and this is about designing RPGs, I |
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44 formatted the goals on the list as roles that a player can take during |
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45 play. As always, this is the way I conceptualize these things. The list |
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46 is hardly all-inclusive, but I think it covers a lot of the important |
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47 bases and it's a good start. |
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48 |
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49 The Big List |
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50 |
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51 I don't think many designers consciously choose goals to support or not |
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52 support from a list like this, but the list may be a useful tool. Some |
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53 of the names are colorful, but this is out of appreciation, not |
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54 derision. Thus, I present */The Big List:/* |
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55 |
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56 * */Conqueror:/* Wants to kill monsters, smite the unworthy, and |
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57 otherwise demonstrate the character's superiority over the enemy. |
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58 The Conqueror really needs only three things to find happiness: A |
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59 weapon that inflicts heinous damage, plenty of character skill for |
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60 using the weapon, and ample opportunity to put both to good use. |
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61 This is more about what the character can do than what the player |
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62 can do. Also, the field need not be restricted to killing |
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63 monsters. It might include sneaking around and stealing stuff, |
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64 bartering with extreme efficiency, lying glibly, etc, etc. The |
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65 bottom line here is simple: When the Conqueror rolls the dice |
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66 within his character's area of expertise and gets good results, he |
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67 expects to see big fireworks. And I want to see them, too. |
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68 o Players who hold this goal in esteem may try to find what |
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69 they're looking for in just about any game they play. If |
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70 they can't find it, frustration may cause them to bend the |
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71 rules to get what they want. The methods don't have to be |
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72 pretty; they just have to produce the desired results. |
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73 o Designers can support this by writing the game so that great |
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74 expertise and good equipment consistently produce satisfying |
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75 results. |
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76 * */Creator:/* Wants direct control over various aspects of the game |
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77 world and what happens in the game. Creators want to set the scene |
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78 and determine the course of the action beyond the character. |
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79 o Most creators end up sitting in the GM seat and may feel |
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80 dissatisfied when denied the power to make things happen. |
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81 o It's pretty easy to give Creators what they want, but if you |
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82 want to put this in your game, this absolutely has to have |
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83 designer support. Without support, it's really not going to |
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84 happen. At least it hasn't ever happened for me. |
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85 * */Detective:/* Wants to gather clues and solve mysteries. |
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86 Designers can include means for players to find the clues needed |
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87 to solve the mysteries, but mysteries themselves are more a part |
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88 of the game world and the adventure than the game's system design. |
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89 So, designers can support this by writing adventures that include |
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90 mysteries for the player to solve. |
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91 * */Explorer:/* Wants to explore the game world. Explorers want to |
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92 see interesting sights, meet unusual beings, and encounter strange |
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93 things. The dedicated explorer is probably more interested in the |
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94 setting than in the game system. So, the designer can support this |
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95 by providing a great setting for the game. |
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96 * */Facilitator:/* Plays the game with the goal of helping other |
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97 players realize their goals for the game. This is most often a |
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98 goal for the GM, but players can choose to help the GM by playing |
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99 along when needed. The designer might want to consider providing a |
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100 bit of /Facilitator Training/ for GMs programmed to rule their |
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101 games with iron dice. |
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102 * */Gambler:/* Wants to take risks and experience the thrill of |
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103 rolling the dice. This is easily supported with mechanics that |
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104 provide a high degree of randomness in the outcome |
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105 * */Gatherer:/* Plays the game to gather as much reward as possible. |
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106 This may include experience points, levels, money, power, special |
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107 equipment, and other measures of increasing character ability or |
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108 character prestige. |
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109 o It's easy for designers to support the Gatherer by including |
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110 rules for character advancement and supplying items like |
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111 experience or levels that the player can gather. |
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112 o Further support can be included in the setting. A |
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113 never-ending supply of improved weapons, treasure, and other |
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114 specialty items will help keep the Gatherer hooked on the game. |
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115 o A word of caution: It's my experience that players often |
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116 build up a whole lot of goodies in a fairly short amount of |
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117 time. It seems that after a while, players reach a |
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118 /breakaway point/, a point where they have gathered so much |
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119 experience and so much good stuff that their characters are |
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120 unstoppable juggernauts unleashed on the game world. If you |
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121 plan to support the Gatherer's desires, you may also need to |
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122 plan for what happens as the characters become better, |
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123 stronger, and faster. |
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124 * */Negotiator:/* Plays the game to parley with NPCs and other |
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125 characters in the game. The assumption here is, the player |
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126 actually wants to do some of the talking for his character. The |
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127 designer can support this in rules and in the setting. In the |
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128 rules, the designer can pay attention to parley as an important |
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129 process in the game. In the setting, designer can provide lot of |
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130 interesting NPCs who want to negotiate. |
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131 * */Passenger:/* Wants to see the story unfold and find out what |
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132 happens next and hopes for a wild ride. I don't have much to say |
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133 about this, except to note that any player may choose to take this |
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134 position. |
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135 * */Personator:/* Wants to portray the character as fully as |
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136 possible from the comfort of the gaming table. From my own |
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137 experience and from talking to others, I think some players really |
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138 want to mentally /be/ the character. This touches on the ideas |
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139 about immersion. It's an exercise of the imagination, an attempt |
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140 to experience life in the game world from the character's point of |
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141 view. |
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142 o The player tries to put himself in his character's mindset |
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143 and contemplate events in the game as the character would |
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144 contemplate events in the game. Of course, this means that |
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145 the player's decisions and declared actions should be |
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146 exactly what the character would do in the same situation. |
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147 It's not perfect, but it's as close as a player can get to |
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148 "being there" from the comfort of the gaming table. |
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149 o I have read much discussion about the validity of immersion, |
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150 and I am not fighting that battle. I accept the intent |
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151 within its context. I have tried it. I never forgot I was |
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152 still me sitting at the gaming table, and I had fun. It is a |
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153 demanding way to play, so it is not for everyone. But it |
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154 certainly deserves some consideration for designer support. |
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155 Whether or not you choose to provide that support in your |
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156 game is up to you. |
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157 o There is one other danger with supporting this goal. Some |
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158 GMs may expect the players to be personators. A lot of |
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159 times, it's true and works very well; but other times, it |
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160 doesn't work. A guy who wants to play a smooth or suave |
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161 character may play the character because he's not smooth or |
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162 suave. Designers might want to include mechanical solutions |
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163 to this sort of problem. You can also handle this with notes |
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164 and examples. |
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165 * */Puzzle Solver:/* Plays to solve the puzzles that come up during |
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166 game play. |
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167 o Support for this is primarily written into scenarios for the |
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168 game. The designer can add puzzles to scenarios thus giving |
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169 the Puzzle Solver something to do. |
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170 o When puzzles are provided, it might be a good idea to also |
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171 include mechanical means of solving the problem. It's fine |
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172 to include the puzzle, but if the players can't or don't |
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173 want to solve the puzzle, it might be a good idea to supply |
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174 alternative means of resolution so that the game doesn't |
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175 grind to a halt. |
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176 * */Scientist:/* Plays the game as an experiment to see what will |
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177 happen. Scientists do things to evoke responses. They expect that |
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178 sometimes experiments will go awry. They know bad things may |
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179 happen to their characters or the game world, and this is okay. |
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180 The designer doesn't really need to support this sort of thing. |
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181 Players and GMs will do it or not do it as they see fit. Still, if |
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182 the designer does actively try to support it, the results might be |
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183 like Greg Costikyan's <http://www.costik.com/home.html> */Paranoia/*. |
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184 * */Storyteller:/* Plays to tell stories about the character in the |
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185 game world. Some storytellers want to end up with good stories |
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186 that they can reflect on or share with others about their |
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187 adventures in the game world. Others really want to tell the story |
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188 of their characters through play. They may want to show how their |
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189 characters overcome adversity or transform themselves over time or |
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190 something similar. I think there is room in roleplaying for better |
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191 support of the storyteller goal. The actual form of that support |
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192 may be similar to support provided for creators. |
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193 * */Tactician:/* Plays the game to solve tactical problems, outsmart |
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194 enemies, and overcome obstacles. Any resources available to the |
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195 player in the game can be used to solve tactical problems in the |
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196 game. Unlike the Conqueror, the Tactician is interested in using |
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197 his own personal skill to meet the challenge at hand. |
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198 o Tactical play does not necessarily mean wargaming. It's more |
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199 about decision-making and carefully exercising options on |
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200 limited resources in order to meet the player's goals for |
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201 the character in the game. |
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202 o The designer can support tactical play by providing |
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203 resources for the player to manage and tactical situations |
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204 for the player to resolve. |
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205 o I now refer you to Brian Gleichman's article, Elements of |
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206 Tactics |
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207 <http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/columns/elements01nov02.html>, |
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208 for more information. |
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209 * */Wargamer:/* Wants to break out the miniatures and play a wargame |
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210 as part of the RPG experience. A designer can support this by |
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211 including rules for using miniatures and providing a combat system |
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212 system that is really a war game within the RPG. The wargamer can |
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213 roleplay, but he still wants to fight that battle in the most |
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214 traditional way. |
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215 |
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216 Other Factors |
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217 |
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218 * */Design Goals:/* What do you want your game to do? Why are you |
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219 designing a game? If you are reading this article, you probably |
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220 already have answers for those questions. Yet, your goals are |
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221 factors that will impact on your design. If you haven't thought |
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222 about them, you might want to do that. |
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223 o Only you know why you want to design a game. No one else can |
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224 tell you. |
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225 o It's probably a good idea to articulate your goals in |
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226 writing. This will save you time later. Also, you can |
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227 include these notes and all the other stuff that affects |
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228 your thought process as designer notes at the end of your |
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229 game. Doing that will make Brian Gleichman very happy |
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230 if/when he reviews your game. It will also give everyone |
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231 else who looks at your game further insight into the ideas |
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232 behind your game. |
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233 * */Coherence:/* This is all about building a game that supports |
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234 your design goals. For me, /coherence/ is a blanket term. You can |
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235 strive for /coherence/ on several levels. |
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236 o A coherent game plays efficiently. That is, the play flow is |
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237 smooth and the mechanics work. One step segues into the next |
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238 and the players can play through anything that comes up |
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239 during the game. I think my whole column is predicated on |
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240 the idea of achieving this sort of coherence for any game |
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241 you decide to design. |
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242 o A coherent game has clear, comprehensible rules and |
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243 mechanics. The best game design in existence is useless |
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244 unless you write the rules in such a way that a player can |
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245 use your book to learn to play your game. |
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246 o A coherent game has rules, mechanics, and play examples that |
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247 support the designer's goals. Here is the pay off for |
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248 writing your goals: You can critique your own work. You can |
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249 compare what you've written to what you intended. If your |
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250 game fulfills your intended goals, then you have probably |
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251 written a coherent game. If you have doubts or you're too |
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252 close to the project, get someone else to read it. |
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253 * */Complexity:/* Brian Gleichman has written a very good article |
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254 <http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/columns/elements20sep02.html> on |
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255 this very topic. If you haven't read it, I think you should. I |
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256 agree with his statements, and I will be referring to them here. |
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257 Also, I will use his terms without changing them. As Brian says, |
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258 people have a threshold for complexity. I think simpler is often |
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259 better, but other people like more /complexity/. It's up to you to |
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260 decide how much complexity to add to your game. |
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261 o Complexity of Implementation: This is the complexity of the |
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262 actual mechanical steps required to play the game. If a game |
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263 becomes too complex, some players may choose to simplify the |
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264 mechanics. |
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265 o Complexity of Mass: This is the number of options, |
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266 exceptions, and special cases written into a game. Really, |
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267 there is a point of balance for mass. Insufficient mass may |
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268 make for sparse gameplay. Too many options means it may take |
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269 longer for a group of players to master all the nuances of |
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270 the game, or that some of those options will be discarded. I |
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271 prefer a relatively simple implementation with a lot more mass. |
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272 o Complexity of Concept: I agree with Brian that RPGs are |
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273 complex in concept by their very nature. Excessive |
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274 complexity (in implementation or mass) is not the /Kiss of |
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275 Death/ for a game. I have found that when people like a |
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276 game, they will adjust it to suit their own tastes. A simple |
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277 game can be made more complex, and a complex game can be |
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278 simplified. |
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279 |
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280 # */Verisimilitude:/* This is really all about realism and maintaining |
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281 /Suspension of Disbelief/ in your game. I am not going to fight over |
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282 whether or not SoD exists. I accept it within its context. That is, you |
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283 can watch a movie, read a book, or play an rpg and evaluate for yourself |
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284 whether or not the presentation, handling, and outcome of events is |
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285 believable within the context of the source material. This does not mean |
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286 you have lost contact with reality or anything like that, but it is |
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287 important to the perceived verisimilitude of your game. |
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288 |
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289 * I think it's a goal of design to produce a game system that |
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290 produces results consistent with what should happen in the game world. |
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291 * There are many ways to approach the same goal. |
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292 * No game system, no matter how complex or detailed, can perfectly |
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293 model the resolution of events in the game world. The best we can |
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294 hope to do is provide a set of rules and mechanics that allows our |
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295 audience, our players, to produce satisfying results when playing |
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296 our game. |
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297 * Verisimilitude in a game system does not necessarily equal |
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298 realism. I think our purpose as designers of games and game worlds |
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299 is to find ways to present games so that players may play in our |
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300 game worlds and attain satisfying results that sustain their SoD. |
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301 |
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302 Now, I have deluged you with food for thought. Next time, I'll talk |
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303 about resolution mechanics. Thanks for reading. |
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304 |
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305 |
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306 What do you think? <http://trio.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=110> |
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307 |
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308 Go to forum! <http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=110> |
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309 Go to Top <http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=110> | New Topic |
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310 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/post.php?f=110> | View Threads |
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311 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=110&collapse=0> | Search |
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312 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/search.php?f=110> |
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313 |
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314 Topics Author Date Latest Reply |
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315 cooldog cotangent |
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316 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=98&t=98> (1) new |
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317 cranial_index 01-31-2006 20:46 01-31-2006 20:46 new |
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318 CORONA <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=97&t=97> (1) new |
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319 corn_chamomile 01-31-2006 20:25 01-31-2006 20:25 new |
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320 Fendi Spy Bags WHOLESALE@WizardReplica.com |
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321 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=95&t=95> (1) new 514 |
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322 12-02-2005 10:55 12-02-2005 10:55 new |
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323 Designer Handbags Wholesale@WWW.WIZARDREPLICA.COM |
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324 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=94&t=94> (1) new 868 |
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325 11-14-2005 19:41 11-14-2005 19:41 new |
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326 REPLICA HANDBAGS LOUIS VUITTON REPLICA WHOLESALE@ |
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327 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=93&t=93> (1) new 794 |
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328 10-20-2005 21:37 10-20-2005 21:37 new |
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329 Death/playing style |
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330 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=92&t=92> (1) new Searcher |
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331 09-22-2003 11:35 09-22-2003 11:35 new |
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332 Death and actual immortality |
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333 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=89&t=89> (3) new Cpl Ferro |
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334 07-19-2003 08:53 01-13-2006 15:22 new |
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335 Non-death death |
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336 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=85&t=85> (5) new Sérgio |
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337 Mascarenhas 07-18-2003 03:07 07-23-2003 02:38 new |
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338 Thanks, Hunter |
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339 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=80&t=80> (4) new Allan |
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340 Sugarbaker 07-16-2003 00:18 07-17-2003 19:34 new |
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341 Realism <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=74&t=74> (3) new |
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342 Robin 06-20-2003 01:23 06-25-2003 02:34 new |
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343 Something you might have mentioned. |
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344 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=65&t=65> (3) new Yamo |
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345 06-19-2003 16:13 06-19-2003 18:11 new |
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346 BTW, excellent column, Hunter! |
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347 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=63&t=63> (2) new flyingmice |
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348 06-19-2003 13:11 06-19-2003 18:13 new |
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349 Armor and Damage Thereto |
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350 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=56&t=56> (2) new The Student |
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351 06-19-2003 08:45 06-19-2003 11:44 new |
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352 Armor <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=54&t=54> (9) new |
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353 flyingmice 06-19-2003 08:29 06-20-2003 06:12 new |
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354 Death spiral and unconsciousness |
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355 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=53&t=53> (7) new Torben |
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356 Mogensen 06-19-2003 07:31 06-20-2003 06:52 new |
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357 lucky or skilled |
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358 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=51&t=51> (2) new rhyme |
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359 05-12-2003 18:49 05-13-2003 09:25 new |
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360 Absolute, unopposed and opposed |
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361 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=48&t=48> (2) new Torben |
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362 Mogensen 04-16-2003 02:19 04-16-2003 09:26 new |
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363 0-9 open ended = brilliant! |
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364 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=31&t=31> (8) new Vibropod |
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365 03-12-2003 10:41 07-18-2003 01:28 new |
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366 Smooth rerolls |
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367 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=27&t=27> (10) new Torben |
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368 Mogensen 03-12-2003 00:47 03-16-2003 23:57 new |
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369 Resolution Mechanics |
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370 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=25&t=25> (8) new Kyle |
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371 Schuant 03-11-2003 22:14 03-29-2003 21:28 new |
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372 |
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373 Go to Top <http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=110> | New Topic |
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374 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/post.php?f=110> | View Threads |
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375 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=110&collapse=0> | Search |
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376 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/search.php?f=110> |
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377 |
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378 Newer Messages |
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379 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=110&t=98&a=1&> | Older Messages |
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380 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=110&t=25&a=2&> |
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381 |
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382 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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383 |
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384 |
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385 Previous columns |
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386 |
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387 * #8: True Death </news+reviews/columns/dream17jul03.html> by Hunter |
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388 Logan, 17jul03 |
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389 * #7: Assessing Damage </news+reviews/columns/dream19jun03.html> by |
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390 Hunter Logan, 19jun03 |
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391 * #6: Putting Theory to the Test |
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392 </news+reviews/columns/dream12may03.html> by Hunter Logan, 12may03 |
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393 * #5: Resolution Mechanics II |
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394 </news+reviews/columns/dream14apr03.html> by Hunter Logan, 14apr03 |
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395 * Resolution Mechanics I </news+reviews/columns/dream11mar03.html> |
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396 by Hunter Logan, 11mar03 |
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397 * Player Goals </news+reviews/columns/dream10feb03.html> by Hunter |
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398 Logan, 10feb03 |
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399 * Balance of Power </news+reviews/columns/dream20jan03.html> by |
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400 Hunter Logan, 20jan03 |
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401 * Play Flow First </news+reviews/columns/dream01jan03.html> by |
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402 Hunter Logan, 01jan03 |
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403 |
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404 |
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405 Other columns </news+reviews/columns.html> at RPGnet |
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406 |
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