Talking Heads

Something a little different this time.

One of the hardest parts I have with GMing is keeping characters distinctive. To remedy this, I had the idea to use something like flash cards.

With just a glance, you could look down and get a rough idea of how to act out each character. The pictures are mainly just for quick identification.

The words are there to bring up the most likely tone of response. GUIDE is encouraging by default, but occasionally lapses into history, being very well educated. If the players elicit a further response, GUIDE's vulnerable side bleeds through.

The cards can't tell a complete story. I knew from the get-go that GUIDE is afraid of dying, even though it's artificial. That's mainly just there as a reminder. If possible, the response will be historical/factual, or encouraging in any way. GUIDE's a good guy.

Mister Fixer is a different story. He's a tough guy, who drives muscle cars and lifts weights. His day job is assassination, something he doesn't hide. If he can't think of a "tough" thing to add to a conversation, he'll tell a little story about his line of work. And, at the very core, his dirty secret- he's a proud father. This adds a little bit of character depth, and as the players get to know him more, he'll probably open up about it. Probably. Maybe. Possibly.

The quotes at the bottom are just a little phrase to help identify the speaker. I plan to have it show up at least once in every conversation, to reinforce the character. Obviously, the phrase is kept as open as possible to let it be spliced into any part of speech.

• MF (see what I did there? =D) Blows up a car: Too easy.
• During a set-up: Anyone else think this is a little too easy?
• Talking about cars: ... Makes it too easy. A child could do it.

It's just a GM aid, ultimately. I have no guarantee this will improve anyone's ability, or concentration. In fact, it might be too distracting. I'll have to find out myself. 

But, if it helps, go for it!

Example EE Plugin: Elvis

Part of the mission statement of the Escapade Engine is adaptability. Like any good evolutionary survivor, it can change and survive that way. So, for a friend who reads the blog, I'm going to make a genre plug-in, as an example.

Not vampires, not nanobots, not magic- this is a plug-in for Elvis impersonators.

So, the best place to put this in is as a skill. It'll be central enough, and this allows for considerable amounts of growth.

The main skill, I'll just call "Elvis." This serves a couple of purposes:

• It's big, visible, and notifies the player their character has Elvis powers
• As a stat, "Elvis" is just the ability for someone to slip into the role, and stay that way for any duration. It's the ability to suspend disbelief that you are not Elvis.

The two sub-skills I'm going to put up are "Guitars" and "Sideburns." If I wanted to be more realistic, these would be "Music" and "Costumes," but this is hardly a realistic skill. It's Elvis, guys! Calm down.

"Guitars" is just what it sounds- the ability to play those rock-and-roll hits just like the King himself. The higher this skill gets, the more your pelvis gyrates during concerts, and I'd also say how accurate you are to the King's tastes in musical instruments.

"Sideburns" is physical resemblance. With enough in this skill, you don't need to do makeup: Just comb your hair back and you're in. Of course you'll need a shiny, brightly-colored suit to get in on any concerts, but you'll manage that.

~

Let's do a test-run with the skill. I've got, say, 12 experience points left that I want to sink into the Elvis skillset.

• 1 XP to buy Rank 1
• 2 XP to buy Rank 2
• 3 XP to buy Rank 3
• 4 XP to buy Rank 4
• 10 XP spent, not enough to make Rank 5. The last 2 XP will get shuffled off into some other skill.

So, I'm a rank 4 Elvis impersonator. I have 4 ranks in the main skill, so I can get 8 ranks in the sub-skills. The obvious choice is to split it 50/50, and have 4 in everything, but I'm not such a fan. Suppose I want a more personable, chatty Elvis? Well, from my 8 point pool, I put 6 into "sideburns," and the last 2 into "guitars," at least enough to hold one properly, or play back-up for someone.

"God Bless, Y'all."

Man on Wire

I don't plan on making a habit of reviewing movies, books, or games on here- there's plenty of other websites you can go to for that. This one is just too important to merit a casual mention, though.

"Man on Wire," 2008. Currently on Netflix. Go watch it. Like right now. Go to your TV, or computer, and watch it. I'll be here.

If you don't watch it, this post will be harder to understand than usual.















Dude, seriously! Just watch it already! It's a good movie to boot, even if you don't like tabletop games.















Okay, here goes.

~

Man on Wire is one of the most exceptional movies I've ever seen. Not only is it a powerful documentary, it is one of the best examples I've ever seen of a real-life adventuring party. I even made a new label for this sort of thing- IRL.

The "quest" was extremely simple, and so very moving- get to the top, build the wire, and have Philippe walk across it in the morning. This has no tactical or strategic purpose, but is rather a demonstration, and a message about the power of man. It was an epic (you won't find me using that word very much) show of precision and ability, and stunned the eyes of millions. Even now, nearly forty years later, it still makes me shake inside to watch it.

You could argue that it was just Philippe having an obsession to fulfill. In fact, it probably was. But, that's not the message most people left with. To anyone on the ground, he was like an angel, or butterfly- whimsical, but captivating. Separated by a quarter mile from the ground, he acted with complete grace and agility. I believe that act is one of the grandest pieces of performance art in the history of society.

I think the cop in the interview said it best- he saw something so unusual, yet so moving, it was probably one of the greatest moments of his life. As a GM, I'm going to be taking pointers from that whole experience.

GM Tip: Let the players bask in some glory. Even for a little while.

From the ground up, the whole experience sounds like an adventure module. Much better written than anything I could come up with.

• Steal the picture from the dentist's office (Coordination/Reflex)
• Plan the escapade with friends (Science)
• Scout out the building (Observation)
• Make connections, bluff your way to the top (Speech)
• Map the rooftop (Observation)
• Recover from a wire-walking accident (Medicine)

The night of:

• Bluff your way inside the building (Speech)
• Optional: Climb the stairs (Terrain)
• Hide from the guard (Stealth)
• Wait out the guard (Concentration)
• Shoot the arrow across (Ranged)
• Find the cable, using your naked body as a wire detector (Observation)
• Set up the intercom (Education)
• Thread the cable across (Strength)
• Optional: Catch the falling cable (Reflex)
• Set up the lines (Players know Philippe)
• Take pictures (Depends how much film they packed)

This is one of the best non-violent missions I've ever read. It's exciting, dangerous, and requires only one weapon- a bow, to get the fishing line across. A riveting story, with all kinds of problems thrown in to make the player's lives difficult. Mainly guards, but also the issue of contacts, and surveillance.

But, more intriguing than the gameplay, would be the story. Not of the GM, but of the players- I've never seen a group of players motivated to do something like this, unless prompted. It would be easy to just tell the players their characters are all highwire enthusiasts, but that's majorly railroadey.

Also, the story of the inter-group politics would be very interesting. I'm not even sure Philippe would be a player character, he's so over-powered. But, say, the circle of friends he has, supporting him through the whole ordeal? That would be a really fun game, if the GM could put the focus on the characters, not Philippe. And, especially if they feel included at the big event.

~

Ultimately, it's a movie I think everyone should see. Even if you just want to take it at face-value, it's a dazzling success from start to finish. A little campy, a little low-budget, but it has even more emotional draw than any other movie I can recall.

And, yes, I thought about it- I'd put Philippe's Coordination score at about 13 or 14.

Non-narrative game mechanics

I knew this would happen eventually. I finally get to shut up about story structure! =D

Well, kinda. I'm going to be laying out the stats for: Anti-acid, defib shockers, bandages, and ammunition. The narrative purpose behind these is that the players "absorb the power," so to speak, of their enemies. In short, use the enemy's stuff so you can survive longer. That's it. Done.

-Ammunition

There are 3 different kinds of ammunition: Pistol, rifle/machine gun, big rifle. So, 4 different magazines. A friend once brought up the idea of magazines having weight, instead of doing it video-game style. I like this idea, as it puts more of a focus on strategy and logistics. So, here's what I'm thinking:

• Pistol and BR magazine: 1 pound
• AR magazine: 2 pounds
• MG magazine: 4 pounds
• Grenade: 3 pounds
• 10 rounds pistol ammo (1 mag): 1 pound
• 6 rounds BR ammo (1 mag): 2 pounds
• 30 rounds AR ammo (1 mag AR, 1/4 mag MG): 3 pounds

The players can carry as much ammo as they want outside of their magazines. But, if their mags run out during combat, they have to choose between using a different weapon, and spending a lot of time loading.

Speaking of ammo: The stuff for the AR and MG, the medium-sized ones, are acidic. Every hit gives the target a "burn marker." I'll probably just put the number on a die, and raise it each time they're hit. On their turn, the target takes that number of acidic damage.

-Anti acid

Because dying by acid sucks. Each anti-acid is 1 pound. Players will roll on this table:

Anti-Acid, Medicine Check:

-1: No acid removed

2-6: 1 acid removed

7: 2 acid removed

8: 3 acid removed

Anti-acid is a lot less common than bullets, so I figured I'd give it a boosty. We'll see how this ratio works during the alpha test.

-Bandage

The old, trusty health potion. The Medicine check on this, and the Anti-acid, is going to help players who put themselves into a "medic" role, not a bad option.

Bandage:

Medicine Check + 2 HP to target, maximum 10 HP restored. Weighs 1 pound.

~

The logistics are meant to be another conflict scenario. Players choose between water, bullets, and meds. Not to mention weapons and armor, the two heaviest things. But, they only need one of those.

Blog stuff

I've started to fiddle around with the appearance of the EE blog. Expect some changes in the future.

I've debated putting pictures in each post, to make them more visually-accessible. One of the options for an archive is a bunch of tiles, with each post's picture on it. Not sure how I feel about that one.

As always, I'm not putting Adsense on this blog.

• The EE is a not-for-profit endeavor
• Ads are not the content you came here for
• I seriously doubt Adsense could find anything relevant to this blog.

If anyone has any feedback, feel free to leave a comment. I can't promise I'll respond, or act on it, but I thrive on a diet of creative criticism and French sci-fi movies.

Characters revisited

Just like the Hellhammer idea (scrapped, going to use it somewhere else later), the Burning Wheel needs to be re-designed, and renamed. Just a little too metal.

"sup guys i'm a big powerful alien thing go get my arm back"

Not very compelling. Plus, it brings so many questions to mind with how absurd it is. I like the idea of a pedestal with a ring above it, missing a chunk- that's pretty powerful symbolism, and gets the wheel across as a character very simply.

It needs a name. Chronos seems an obvious choice, but that suggests way too much time-travel. "Wheel" is appropriate. After all, that will be its name once the Drahn learn to speak to other organisms.

Wheel needs its piece back for... wheely things. I'm thinking of a bit involving, "a circle is a representation of infinity- no beginning, no end. It lets me think infinitely far, and see so much. Without that piece, I have limitations, and constraints- both on intellect, and my ability to assist you."

In terms of tone, Wheel is going to be very mythic in proportion. The characters might as well be cavemen for how primitive they are compared to it, and I want to capture the moment of being in the presence of something immensely powerful. 2001 a Space Odyssey comes to mind.

GM tip: Don't force the players to believe something- just suggest it to them. If I pull this off right, I'm never going to say "it's probably powerful enough to..." Instead, I'll use small clues and hints that this thing defies a LOT of physics and entropy.

The basic plot still stands- go through the desert, disable the bunker's pest control, get the piece back, then make a heart-breaking moral decision. Fun fun fun!

~

I'm also having serious second-thoughts about the marine and the little girl. It's a nice bit of scenery, but I'm still not sure what the point comes to. For now I'm keeping them (or, rather, traces of them) in, but the ultimate end is up in the air. I'll probably figure them out more in Sunburn 2.

The desert has no love, and no hate.