diff -r 3164c82ac16e -r bdef1afd1170 draft/wind21jan02.txt --- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000 +++ b/draft/wind21jan02.txt Wed Aug 30 21:32:44 2006 -0400 @@ -0,0 +1,247 @@ +RPGnet + + + + Reviews Forums +News & Press Columns & +Info RPG Wiki + RPG Shop + + + + 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? + +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. +