diff -r 3164c82ac16e -r bdef1afd1170 draft/wind20feb02.txt --- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000 +++ b/draft/wind20feb02.txt Wed Aug 30 21:32:44 2006 -0400 @@ -0,0 +1,250 @@ +RPGnet + + + + Reviews Forums +News & Press Columns & +Info RPG Wiki + RPG Shop + + + + Wind in the Flowers: Re-inventing a Game + + + Dynamic Nobilis + +*R. Sean Borgstrom* +February 20, 2002 + +James Wallis requested that I help kick off the new *Nobilis* line by +creating live-action rules. These should appear in the first 2002 +supplement. Right now, we call these rules *Dynamic Nobilis*. They may +see print as *Nobilis LARP* or *Live-Action Nobilis*. This decision +boils down to "pretentious and different" or "boring, awkward, and +clear". I am a pretentious person. I adore clarity. I admit to indecision. + +To translate *Nobilis* into a live-action context, I had to remove the +system's dependence on the Hollyhock God -- the person running the game. +Running *Nobilis* involves a fair number of judgment calls. To allow +players to resolve disputes and use their abilities without an HG on +hand required removing most of these judgment calls from the game. + +One of the major judgment calls comes when one player uses a low-level +effect to indirectly block a high-level effect. One character strikes +another with lightning. Rather than dodge, that character transforms +themselves to rubber -- a substance lightning spirits find too +distasteful to maul. The first player argues that divinely cast +lightning should damage other characters regardless of their material +composition. The second player argues that rubber is not conductive, and +would at most suffer a minor wound. The HG can't arbitrate this if +they're not there. + +Replacing the notion of arbitration, therefore, Dynamic Nobilis uses the +concept of degrees of success and failure. Turning to rubber does not +negate the attack, nor is it useless; rather, because of the +transformation, the attack succeeds to a smaller degree. Instead of the +damage associated with a major success, the lightning induces the damage +associated with a minor success. Conflict resolution then passes this +result normally to the damage system. + +The effect of a miracle ranges from /misery/ -- the character cannot +even begin to accomplish their desire -- to /triumph/, a total and +absolute success. Environmental factors, Gifts, and miscellaneous +miracles affect this result in a straightforward and standardized +manner. Since this is a deterministic system, players that think about +the rules hardly ever suffer /misery/. They can calculate before +attempting an action whether they would fail. This works out in the end. +The characters are half divine and generally certain of their abilities +in the tabletop system as well. + +Having defined the basic system, I moved on to converting individual +abilities into this system. This is harder than it sounds, because +*Nobilis* miracles are not single-purpose abilities. Each type of +miracle has thousands of distinct applications. The main rules define, +for example, two forms of "creation miracle"; these suffice to create +cars, mountains, fire, storms, heat, cities, people, new species, and +radio signals. A rigorous system for creation miracles that does not +require arbitration was in itself a challenge -- and this was only one +miracle type. + +Providing a solid conversion of miraculous abilities quickly became the +core of the Dynamic Nobilis project. I felt that this component of the +system deserved great effort, as it offered an alluring possibility. A +high-quality system for exactly defining miraculous effects would help +/tabletop/ Hollyhock Gods arbitrate the use of miracles. (Incidentally, +this is the first time the phrase "tabletop Hollyhock Gods" has appeared +in the English language.) I wanted Dynamic Nobilis to provide value to +readers, whether or not they ever stood up to play a live-action +*Nobilis* game. + +I'm not sure I have anything to say about the individual miracle +conversions. Rather, they represent a methodical exploration of the +principles underlying the examples in the original rules. For example, +splashing someone with created water and burning them with created fire +both use the same miracle -- a lesser creation miracle. One miracle is +harmful; the other makes one wet. To distinguish these, one must +recognize that /creating/ fire and /burning someone/ with that fire are +conceptually separate actions, even if they occur in the same instant. + +Thus, players resolve this use of fire or water as two miracles in a +row. First, they verify that the creation of fire or water succeeds. If +it succeeds, they then determine the effect of the attack. Here, in this +second phase, using a deadly weapon like fire increases the attacker's +level of success -- making it more likely they will do meaningful +damage. If not intended as a weapon, the water does no damage at all. If +the watermaker tries to spray their victim hard and leave bruises, it's +still less effective than fire. + +In addition to this general project, designed to make life easier for +both tabletop and live-action groups, certain live-action issues +required specific attention. In particular, *Nobilis* effects have a +high communication overhead. If someone fills a region with white mice +and leaves, other characters should not walk in a few minutes later and +have a picnic. If someone shoots down the sun, other characters should +not lie around elsewhere sunbathing. Making a live-action game with +*Nobilis'* power level work meant finding ways to spread information +about the uses of characters' powers. + +Dynamic Nobilis makes heavy use of /region clipboards/. I expect other +people have come up with this idea before. Region clipboards sit on a +table in the various areas of the LARP. People write important things on +these clipboards, such as "A miracle filled this region with weasels" or +"the mortals in this museum have turned into statues." This allows +literate players to quickly identify the prevailing conditions. + +/Lazy notification/ is a more unusual device. The concept is simple. +Since time in the setting runs on mythic rather than causal lines, we +make no great sacrifices to ensure that events happen in the proper +order. Suppose that someone does something that affects the whole game +-- turns day into night or floods the setting with seawater. This +happens "instantly" in the setting, but this sense of instantaneity is +not scientific. + +Basically, the event reaches each region of the game just before the +first player character or NPC that knows about the event enters the +region. The player comes into the room, notifies other players, writes +the information on the region clipboard, and then permits their +character to arrive. + +This temporal structure can yield some odd events -- miraculous night +might last for hours for one character and minutes for another -- but +that's what you'd expect in a mythic universe. True paradoxes hardly +ever happen, and one never has to suspend game play to go tell people +about an event. Lazy notification makes a lot of sense in the setting, +but I'll save the details of the in-character justification for another +forum. + +It is my hope that, through these devices and rules, Dynamic Nobilis +allows fun live-action play at the power level and power flexibility +found in *Nobilis*. R. Sean + + + What do you think? + +Go to forum! + Go to Top | New Topic + | View Threads + | Search + + + Topics Author Date Latest Reply + James and the Small Caps + (2) new Kibo +08-20-2002 16:29 02-10-2003 01:23 new + Art (1) new Lxndr +04-26-2002 07:36 04-26-2002 07:36 new + The Original Nobilis Club + (3) new Bret Gillan +04-17-2002 11:28 03-17-2003 17:48 new + Questions & Thoughts + (3) new Pyske +03-20-2002 18:31 05-01-2003 13:03 new + Noble Buddhism? + (9) new Tlaloc +03-20-2002 12:17 12-10-2004 01:20 new + Noble Suicide (9) new +Eric Christian Berg 03-20-2002 07:43 01-18-2005 16:27 new + Art Notes (4) new R. +Sean Borgstrom 03-14-2002 16:31 03-21-2002 03:44 new + Ack...you just lost my sale + (10) new SteveD +03-14-2002 04:06 03-15-2002 06:29 new + Onomastikon working URL + (4) new Jorge +Hernández 03-06-2002 12:51 08-20-2002 16:10 new + Why do angels change names ? + (10) new philippe +tromeur 03-06-2002 10:13 12-10-2004 01:34 new + R. Sean, some examples? + (3) new Arref +03-05-2002 08:17 03-13-2002 20:28 new + Sounds great, BUT... + (2) new Kane +02-27-2002 16:43 02-27-2002 17:30 new + Sort of backwards? + (8) new Eric Finley +02-20-2002 14:25 02-28-2002 09:35 new + Programmer nature slips out! + (2) new Sean +McCarthy 02-20-2002 13:18 02-21-2002 10:30 new + Object Lesson Damage + (1) new Darren +Miguez 02-13-2002 12:45 02-13-2002 12:45 new + How about this? + (2) new Kristian +Lund 02-13-2002 11:30 02-14-2002 01:17 new + Now, this was strange! + (7) new access.denied +02-13-2002 07:44 02-16-2002 21:44 new + Briefs on the other two? + (5) new Eric Finley +01-31-2002 18:39 02-13-2002 10:36 new + Forum now works (1) new +Sandy Antunes 01-31-2002 17:36 01-31-2002 17:36 new + limited series (2) new +Sandy Antunes 01-21-2002 17:41 01-31-2002 17:36 new + + Go to Top | New Topic + | View Threads + | Search + + + Newer Messages + | Older Messages + + +------------------------------------------------------------------------ + + * Editing, Development, and Production + + March 27, 2002 + * Affiliations + March 20, 2002 + * How to be a Hollyhock God + March 13, 2002 + * Naming Conventions + March 6, 2002 + * Art Notes + February 27, 2002 + * Dynamic Nobilis + February 20, 2002 + * Systems Change + February 13, 2002 + * Treachery + February 6, 2002 + * The Emperor to Come + January 31, 2002 + * The Changing of the Guard + January 21, 2002 + + + Other columns at RPGnet + +[ Read FAQ | Subscribe to RSS + | Contact Us | +Advertise with Us ] + +Copyright © 1996-2006 RPGnet & individual authors, All Rights Reserved +RPGnet® is a registered trademark of Skotos Tech Inc., all rights reserved. +