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+ Wind in the Flowers: Re-inventing a Game
+
+
+ The Changing of the Guard
+
+*R. Sean Borgstrom*
+January 21, 2002
+
+I'd like to show you the backstage view of the reinvention of a game
+system and setting.
+
+*Nobilis* became available to the public in late 1999, but a number of
+distribution and printing problems made it very hard to obtain. Hogshead
+Publishing obtained the rights to *Nobilis* and intends to release a
+new, better-distributed version in early 2002. As part of this
+transition, it seemed only appropriate to incorporate the feedback and
+reactions of those who /did/ manage to get their hands on the game.
+Thus, the development of a new edition of the game began.
+
+The Hogshead edition of the game is not a "version 2.0." The game spent
+eight months on the shelves between initial release and my diving back
+into the text. Although the new manuscript is extensively playtested,
+*Nobilis* hasn't had enough time out in the world to grow.
+
+Rather than guessing at the future opinions of the gaming world, we
+changed the rules and setting very little, and only when necessary. We
+did not seek incremental changes but rather a transformation: from a
+difficult game to approach to an easy one. Most of the changes take the
+form of new supplementary material, intended to help people run the game
+smoothly.
+
+This column provides an overview of the changes and what's going into
+Hogshead's *Nobilis*. I intend to write about five more going into
+detail about specific additions and modifications.
+
+Looking over the online reviews of *Nobilis*, from the review on Pyramid
+to the reviews on rpg.net, I see one fairly consistent complaint. I've
+been very pleased at the tone and contents of the reviews, and consider
+them quite favorable overall, but many reviewers noted that they would
+find the game hard to run -- that they aren't sure what to /do/ with it.
+
+We took a three-pronged approach to this problem. (In other words, we
+jabbed it with a pitchfork.) First, I've replaced the sparse advice on
+running *Nobilis* with a meaty section on the matter. It lays out what
+the player characters do with their time, what obstacles they face, and
+how to solve them. It discusses non-player characters, story plotting,
+and campaign development in depth. There's a lot more. Very little of
+this is standard boilerplate that applies in any roleplaying game -- I
+mean, yes, one has to go over keeping the players happy and standard
+descriptive techniques, but most of this section focuses specifically on
+running *Nobilis*.
+
+Second, on the advice of James Wallis -- actually, a lot of this is on
+the advice of James Wallis, or Bruce Baugh; they're driving the new
+edition as much as I am -- I've added a sample campaign. Normally,
+sample campaigns are things that players shouldn't read, which made me
+nervous about including one in the core book for the line. The high
+concept for this campaign, accordingly, was a setting and storyline that
+the players could read without spoiling the game experience. I'll talk
+about how we tried to achieve that in another column.
+
+Third, the old example of play was about 1250 words long, less than 1%
+of the length of the manuscript. I own up to an error, here. There are a
+lot of unusual concepts in *Nobilis*, and a fair number of unusual
+rules, and the example didn't suffice to show them off. The new example
+of play should greatly clarify how a typical game might go.
+
+James Wallis, who runs Hogshead, requested that I write about using the
+*Nobilis* setting and general rules structure in a live-action game. As
+those who have involved themselves with LARPs know, this kind of thing
+isn't easy -- it'll take me a column just to scratch the surface of the
+issues involved in translating tabletop *Nobilis* into something
+suitable for live play. For right now, I'll just say that you'll be
+seeing the results in an early supplement, and that /I'm/ happy with the
+translation.
+
+Discussion on the Nobilis list suggested a few more areas meriting
+adjustment. Most of the things the player characters do using the
+Nobilis rules are called "miracles" -- and it's usually a pretty
+accurate term. However, the old manuscript shoehorned normal actions --
+the things you or I do daily -- into the system as level 0 mental and
+physical miracles. Some people constructed fun metaphysics based on
+this, but most people felt it just complicated the world.
+
+In the new system, mundane actions are just that -- mundane actions,
+normal things that people do. We've given characters a free mundane
+action to use instead of or together with their normal miraculous
+action; added a new defense against mundane attacks, since the standard
+defenses against miracles no longer work against them; and created a new
+very small sort of miracle for the level 0 mental/physical miracle slot.
+(If you haven't read *Nobilis* and the discussion above confuses you,
+don't worry. I'll hardly ever dip into technical issues of game
+mechanics without a more detailed explanation.)
+
+Other people mentioned that the wound system confused them. We've
+replaced it with something cleaner. I'm not terribly big on combat, but
+I think that the new system is nicely dramatic and playable.
+
+I won't go further into the rules changes here. Instead, I'll move on to
+some of the most important things: what happened /after/ it left my
+hands. (Although my hands kept sneaking back in.)
+
+Bruce Baugh, author, coauthor, or developer for a number of World of
+Darkness products -- including *Wraith: the Great War*, *Ends of
+Empire*, and *Adventure* -- agreed to edit the Hogshead edition of
+*Nobilis*. I will be frank: it needs, and has always needed, an editor.
+It didn't have one for the Pharos edition because of Pharos' limited
+resources, but /every/ author needs a good editor looking over their
+shoulder. I'm fortunate to have someone so eminently qualified to
+perform this service. He's also going to handle line editing duties in
+general for future products in the *Nobilis* line.
+
+Readers of the Pharos edition may have noticed that it had, essentially,
+no art. (To see this, flip to a random page. If there is no art there,
+take one gulp from your drink. When you are drunk, stop.) The Hogshead
+edition of *Nobilis* has art. Moreover, this art is good. I'm quite
+happy with most of the pieces actually /used/ in the Pharos edition, but
+I'm looking forward to a richer presentation. James Wallis intends to
+produce a lush, beautiful book, and from what I have seen, he is
+succeeding.
+
+In future columns, I intend to talk about the sample campaign; the rules
+changes; the editing and production; the major new setting element; and
+the live-action rules. Not necessarily in that order.
+
+R. Sean
+
+
+ What do you think? <http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=88>
+
+Go to forum! <http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=88>
+ Go to Top <http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=88> | New Topic
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/post.php?f=88> | View Threads
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=88&collapse=0> | Search
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/search.php?f=88>
+
+ Topics Author Date Latest Reply
+ James and the Small Caps
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=81&t=81> (2) new Kibo
+08-20-2002 16:29 02-10-2003 01:23 new
+ Art <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=77&t=77> (1) new Lxndr
+04-26-2002 07:36 04-26-2002 07:36 new
+ The Original Nobilis Club
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=76&t=76> (3) new Bret Gillan
+04-17-2002 11:28 03-17-2003 17:48 new
+ Questions & Thoughts
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=64&t=64> (3) new Pyske
+03-20-2002 18:31 05-01-2003 13:03 new
+ Noble Buddhism?
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=61&t=61> (9) new Tlaloc
+03-20-2002 12:17 12-10-2004 01:20 new
+ Noble Suicide <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=58&t=58> (9) new
+Eric Christian Berg 03-20-2002 07:43 01-18-2005 16:27 new
+ Art Notes <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=54&t=54> (4) new R.
+Sean Borgstrom 03-14-2002 16:31 03-21-2002 03:44 new
+ Ack...you just lost my sale
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=45&t=45> (10) new SteveD
+03-14-2002 04:06 03-15-2002 06:29 new
+ Onomastikon working URL
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=36&t=36> (4) new Jorge
+Hernández 03-06-2002 12:51 08-20-2002 16:10 new
+ Why do angels change names ?
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=33&t=33> (10) new philippe
+tromeur 03-06-2002 10:13 12-10-2004 01:34 new
+ R. Sean, some examples?
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=32&t=32> (3) new Arref
+03-05-2002 08:17 03-13-2002 20:28 new
+ Sounds great, BUT...
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=28&t=28> (2) new Kane
+02-27-2002 16:43 02-27-2002 17:30 new
+ Sort of backwards?
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=21&t=21> (8) new Eric Finley
+02-20-2002 14:25 02-28-2002 09:35 new
+ Programmer nature slips out!
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=20&t=20> (2) new Sean
+McCarthy 02-20-2002 13:18 02-21-2002 10:30 new
+ Object Lesson Damage
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=15&t=15> (1) new Darren
+Miguez 02-13-2002 12:45 02-13-2002 12:45 new
+ How about this?
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=12&t=12> (2) new Kristian
+Lund 02-13-2002 11:30 02-14-2002 01:17 new
+ Now, this was strange!
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=9&t=9> (7) new access.denied
+02-13-2002 07:44 02-16-2002 21:44 new
+ Briefs on the other two?
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=5&t=5> (5) new Eric Finley
+01-31-2002 18:39 02-13-2002 10:36 new
+ Forum now works <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=4&t=4> (1) new
+Sandy Antunes 01-31-2002 17:36 01-31-2002 17:36 new
+ limited series <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=1&t=1> (2) new
+Sandy Antunes 01-21-2002 17:41 01-31-2002 17:36 new
+
+ Go to Top <http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=88> | New Topic
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/post.php?f=88> | View Threads
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=88&collapse=0> | Search
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/search.php?f=88>
+
+ Newer Messages
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=88&t=81&a=1&> | Older Messages
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=88&t=1&a=2&>
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+ * Editing, Development, and Production
+ </news+reviews/columns/wind27mar02.html>
+ March 27, 2002
+ * Affiliations </news+reviews/columns/wind20mar02.html>
+ March 20, 2002
+ * How to be a Hollyhock God </news+reviews/columns/wind13mar02.html>
+ March 13, 2002
+ * Naming Conventions </news+reviews/columns/wind06mar02.html>
+ March 6, 2002
+ * Art Notes </news+reviews/columns/wind27feb02.html>
+ February 27, 2002
+ * Dynamic Nobilis </news+reviews/columns/wind20feb02.html>
+ February 20, 2002
+ * Systems Change </news+reviews/columns/wind13feb02.html>
+ February 13, 2002
+ * Treachery </news+reviews/columns/wind06feb02.html>
+ February 6, 2002
+ * The Emperor to Come </news+reviews/columns/wind31jan02.html>
+ January 31, 2002
+ * The Changing of the Guard </news+reviews/columns/wind21jan02.html>
+ January 21, 2002
+
+
+ Other columns </news+reviews/columns.html> at RPGnet
+
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