[Kickstarter Review #1 cont.] "REIGN Enchiridion" (by Greg Stolze): Part 2: Introduction & Character Generation

 Previously ... Part 1: Overview

INTRODUCTION: This chapter explains the One-Roll Engine (ORE) in a concise, straightforward manner.

ORE uses only ten-sided dice (d10). You are hoping for a matching pair (or better) to succeed. This may be modified by increasing the Difficulty (your matching pair must be a pair of 3's or better, for example) or by a Penalty (removing a die or dice). You may not roll more than ten (10) dice; otherwise, you would always generate at least one pair! The number of dice that match is the Width and usually indicates speed and competence. The number on the matching dice is the Height and usually indicates how favorable the circumstances were and how well the character took advantage of them.

There are three (3) different types of Contests which would require you to roll the dice: Static (your character versus circumstance), Dynamic (your character is trying to do the same thing at the same time that another character is trying—and only one can), and Opposed (your character is opposed by or opposes another character).

The chapter concludes with a detailed explanation of the types of dice (Area, Expert, Gobble, Master and Waste) and a glossary with short definitions of the various terms that you might encounter will reading the rest of the book.

CHARACTER GENERATION: This chapter explains the various parts of a character and gives two (2) methods to generate them: (1) Point Buy and (2) One Random Roll.

STATS: Body, Coordination, Sense, Knowledge, Command, Charm. The Stats are pretty self-explanatory.

SKILLS: The Skills are organized under the Stats that they would normally be used with. There is a discussion on using Skills with other Stats. The Skills are also mostly self-explanatory.

Body: Athletics, Endurance, Fight, Parry, Run, Vigor
Coordination: Climb, Dodge, Perform __, Ride, Stealth, Weapon Skill __
Knowledge: Counterspell, Healing, Language __, Lore, Strategy, Student __, Tactics
Command: Haggle, Inspire, Intimidate, Perform __,
Sense: Direction, Eerie, Empathy, Hearing, Scrutinize, Sight
Charm: Fascinate, Graces, Jest, Lie, Plead

There is a brief discussion of Martial Paths and Esoteric Disciplines—narrow groups of techniques for combat and specialized knowledge, respectively.

WEALTH: This is an abstract rating as opposed to a count-every-coin model.

PASSIONS: There are three different types of these personality drives: mission (something your character is determined to accomplish), duty (a way your character lives his life), and craving (something personal, selfish and egotistical). A player may take one of each.

ADVANTAGES: A benefit to your character that does not fit under any other category. A couple of examples are used in the sample character below.

PROBLEMS: A harm or inconvenience to your character that does not cost points but rather earns you XP.

Let's create an example character using Method 2: One Random Roll.

STEP ONE: BASELINE:
Start with 2 in each of the six Stats and one MD in your character's native language.

STEP TWO: THE ROLL:
My sorted results of my 11d10 roll: 1, 2, 2, 3, 5, 6, 6, 7, 9, 9, 10. I have three pairs!

STEP THREE: PROFESSIONS:
Sets = Professions:
2x2 = Petty Thief (+1 COORDINATION, +1 Dodge, +3 Stealth, +1 Run)
2x6 = Foot Soldier (+1 BODY, +1 Dodge, +2 Fight, +2 Parry)
2x9 = Sorcerer's Apprentice (+1 KNOWLEDGE, +1 Eerie, +1 Lore, +1 Sorcery, +2 Spells)

The professions are all low-level but have an interesting spread.

STEP FOUR: UNUSUAL EXPERIENCES:
Waste Dice = Unusual Experiences: Pick either A, B or C from each below. I believe that you are supposed to choose which chart before you roll ... but, what the heck, choosing after is more interesting!

1 = A: Exiled (+3 Plead, +1 Dodge, +1 Run) / B: Mistaken-Identity Shenanegans (+1 Wealth, +2 Lie, +2 Stealth) / C: Raised Wild (Lose your normal MD in your native language, +3 Hearing, +2 Sight, +3 Language, +2 Expert: Throwing, +2 Endurance)

3 = A: Someone Got Spurned (+1 CHARM) / B: Love Triangle (Beauty (3), +1 Lie, +1 Plead, Mission: Find True Love) / C: Star-Crossed Lovers (+1 Lie, +1 Stealth, +1 Run, +1 Dodge, Beauty (1), Problem: Enemy)

5 = A: Outstanding Cook (+5 Expert: Cooking) / B: Press Ganged (+1 BODY, Craving: Beat On Sailors), C: Stranded (+3 Throw, +1 Endurance, +1 Athletics)

7 = A: Rescued an Injured Animal (+2 Student: Animal Training, +3 Animal Companion) / B: Magnificent Garden (+5 Student: Plants & Herbs) / C: Unlikely Education (+5 in a Student Skill that you don't already possess)

10 = A: Served the Decadent Rich (+1 Fascinate, +2 Graces, +1 Plead, +1 Lie) / B: Diplomatic Incident (Patron (5 points), Problem: Enemy) / C: His Majesty's Personal Cobbler (+4+MD Student: Cobbler)

Wow! Those are some unusual and interesting experiences!

I pick: 1B (Mistaken-Identity Shenanegans), 3C (Star-Crossed Lovers), 5A (Outstanding Cook), 7A (Rescued an Injured Animal), 10A (Served the Decandent Rich).

What choices would you make?

STEP FIVE: ORGANIZE:
The last step is to put what you generated in an order that creates an interesting narrative. If you were creating your character with the other players, you should take this opportunity to tie your characters together.

STATS / SKILLS:
Body: 4: Fight: 2 / Parry: 2 / Run: 2
Coordination: 3: Dodge: 3 / Stealth: 6
Sense: 2: Eerie: 1
Knowledge: 3: Language: Traders' Tongue: 1 MD / Lore: 1 / Student: Animal Training: 3*
Command: 2
Charm: 2: Fascinate: 1 / Graces: 2 / Lie: 4 / Plead: 1

Sorcery: 1 — dependent upon kind of spell being cast

ADVANTAGES:
Animal Companion (2)*: Burton, monkey, trained to steal
Beauty (1)
Spells (2): One spell at Intensity 3 or two spells at Intensity 2

PROBLEMS:
Enemy: Burton of House Cypher

PASSIONS:
Beat on Sailors

WEALTH: 1

* Switched these points!

Jack (sorry, could not resist!) started life well: an apprentice to Zed, Master Sorcerer, in the employ of one of the richest merchants in Traderston, Burton of House Cypher. Unfortunately, he fell in love with the merchant's daughter, Bridget. When this was discovered, Jack barely escaped with his life. He was forced to live on the streets of Traderston as a petty thief, constantly avoiding the guards of House Cypher. Unfortunately, Jack was pressed into service as a sailor aboard The Kracken—a ship in the fleet of House Cypher. He eventually jumped ship in Traderston and took service as a foot soldier for House Raul, a great rival of House Cypher. After a particularly hard night of drinking, Jack discovered an injured monkey—which he promptly named Burton. On Burton, he discovered several shiny items and a letter. As Jack nursed Burton back to health, he hatched and executed a plan to claim the inheritance that the letter promised. Things are looking up for Jack!

How would you organize this into an interesting narrative?

Coming up next ... Part 3: The Players' Chapter.

The (watermarked) pdf is available on DriveThruRPG for $9.99. The book is available on Amazon.

[Kickstarter Review #1] "REIGN Enchiridion" (by Greg Stolze): Part 1: Overview

The first project I backed on Kickstarter was REIGN Enchiridion by Greg Stolze/Arc Dream Publishing/Cubicle 7. This project funded on December 18, 2009. I pledged $15 for the digest-sized softback book and the pdf. This project is old enough that it was created before Kickstarter required estimated delivery dates. My best recollection (It has been four years!) is that I received the pdf in March 2010, the physical book arrived in May 2010, and both were on-time.

What is REIGN Enchiridion? REIGN Enchiridion is REIGN: A Game of Lords and Leaders with the (weird but interesting) setting stripped-out and some of the material from REIGN's (free) supplements added-in. REIGN uses the One-Roll Engine (or ORE) that is used in games like Godlike, Wild Talents, and Monsters and Other Childish Things. What differentiates REIGN from any other standard fantasy role-playing game is the ability to play the leaders of a "Company."

What is a "Company"? A Company is any group of people who have common cause ... for example, a business, a group of mercenaries and/or thieves, a religion, or a secret conspiracy. The Company is created very much like you create a character.

The book is digest-sized (6" wide x 9" tall x 1/2" thick) and softbacked. The cover is glossy and a darker red than the image above. The interior is black and white and well laid out with illustrations only between chapters. It is worth noting that the pdf has hyperlinks in the extensive table of contents but not in the index.

The (watermarked) pdf is available on DriveThruRPG for $9.99. The book is available on Amazon. Indie Press Revolution carries REIGN but not REIGN Enchiridion?

Coming up next ... a more detailed review of the contents of REIGN Enchiridion: Part 2: Introduction & Character Creation.

Reviews of Games Backed on Kickstarter & Indiegogo

It has almost been two years (!) since I put any new content up on this blog. One of my summer projects is to review the role-playing, board, card, and dice games that I have backed on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. This is going to take more than a bit of time.

I have backed 119 (!) projects on Kickstarter and two on IndieGoGo as of the writing of this blog entry. Of those backed, only one failed to fund. I have only withdrawn my pledge from one project. I have only been unable to fund one project. My damn credit cards refused to pay to an English company—even though I had successfully paid the same company before. I ended up paying through PayPal. The vast majority of the projects are role-playing games.

I have had (mostly) success with the projects that I have backed. I have only had one project where the creator still has not delivered on the stretch goals even though the project funded almost three years ago. I have had another project that went belly-up after funding—but another developer picked up the ball and is making progress towards completing the project. Although I will probably just end up getting a pdf even though I backed for a book. The vast majority of the remaining projects were/are late on their promised delivery dates. So, my advice for you is to expect the projects to be late—sometimes up to a year or more late! Stretch goals seem to be the main culprit in making a project late to deliver.

I am going to start reviewing with the first project I backed on Kickstarter: REIGN Enchiridion by Greg Stolze/Arc Dream/Cubicle 7. This project funded on December 18, 2009. I pledged $15 for the softback, digest-sized book and the pdf. This project is old enough that it was created before Kickstarter required estimated delivery dates. My best recollection (It has been four years!) is that I received the pdf in March 2010, the physical book arrived in May 2010, and both were on-time.

Coming up next ... a review of REIGN Enchiridion by Greg Stolze.

Kickstarter: "Better Angels"

Arc Dream Publishing has just launched a Kickstarter for Better Angels by Greg Stolze. The Kickstarter ends on Sunday, August 26th, 2012. It will use a variant of the variant of One-Roll Engine (ORE) used for A Dirty World by Greg Stolze.


You play a supervillain. At least that is what everyone thinks. Actually, you are just a good person who voluntarily lets a demon ride him. You do this to try to reign in the evil that the demon could do if left unchecked. You come up with these ridiculous, over-the-top plans that the superheroes (possessed by angels!) can easily thwart but satisfy the desires of the demon riding you.

Wild Talents Tutorial

Greg Stolze, creator of the One-Roll Engine (ORE), has started a tutorial series for Wild Talents called Wild Talents Made Easy: The Simple Path to Ultimate Power. The first two parts of the tutorial have been posted and I am finding them extremely useful.


Lesson 1: Qualities 
Lesson 2: Hyperstats and Hyperskills

You can purchase the pdf of Wild Talents: Essential Edition for $5.00 ($3.75 until July 29, 2012!!) from DriveThruPRG or the book + the pdf for $9.99 from Arc Dream Publishing.

Elves at War

Luke Crane (creator of the Burning Wheel Fantasy Roleplaying System) posted this article, Elves at War, on the Burning Wheel forums. 


Now, Burning Wheel is one of my favorite RPGs. Luke's article takes all of the background information implied in the Elven lifepaths and puts it into a brilliant cohesive whole.

Dramatic vs Iconic Heroes

This was stolen from Robin D. Laws:

Dramatic vs. Iconic Heroes: 

A dramatic hero follows a character arc in which he is changed by his experience of the world. Examples: Orpheus, King Lear, Ben Braddock. 

An iconic hero undertakes tasks (often serially) and changes the world, restoring order to it, by remaining true to his essential self. Examples: Beowulf, Sherlock Holmes, Batman.

Making this explicit about your character may prevent some of the problems that seem to occur at the table (at least at my table).


How would you handle character advancement (or experience or ...) for the different types of characters? The dramatic hero seems pretty typical for a RPG but the iconic hero ... 

Apocalypse World RPG

I finished reading Apocalypse World by D. Vincent Baker of lumpley games a week or so ago. I do want to write review—and I am planning on it—but I wanted to give you some impressions and information now.


Backcover blurb

It used to be better, of course it did. In the golden age of legend, when there was enough to eat and enough hope, when there was one nation under god and people could lift their eyes and see beyond the horizon, beyond the day. Children were born happy and grew up rich. 

Now that's not what we've got. Now we've got this. Hardholders stand against the screaming elements and all comers, keeping safe as many as they can. Angels and savvyheads run constant battle against there's not enough and bullets fly and everything breaks. Hocuses gather people around them, and are they protectors, saviors, visionaries, or just wishful thinkers? Choppers, gunluggers and battlebabes carve out what they can and defend it with blood and bullets. Drivers and operators search and scavenge, looking for that opportunity, that one perfect chance. Skinners remember beauty, or invent beauty anew, cup it in their hands and whisper come and see, and don't worry now about what it will cost you. And brainers, oh, brainers see what none of the rest of us will: the world's psychic maelstrom, the terrible desperation and hate pressing in at the edge of all perception, it is the world now. 

And you, who are you? This is what we'vegot, yes. What are you going to make of it?

It was a great read and I would love to play or even (attempt to) run a campaign. Be warned: This is definitely an "R-rated" game due to violence and lots of sex. It is pretty direct on how to play and run the game. The game also redefines many common terms used in RPGs. These are not bad things in my mind. An odd but interesting thing ... the GM, or, rather, MC (Master of Ceremonies), never rolls the dice ...


I like both the role-playing (taking on the role of a character and pretending to be him) and game (using the mechanics by rolling some dice to resolve uncertainty) aspects of role-playing games. This really made me sit up and pay attention:

All these rules do is mediate the conversation. They kick in when someone says some particular things, and they impose constraints on what everyone should say after. Makes sense, right?

Hell, yes! Baker says "roleplaying is a conversation"; so, rules mediate the conversation. Awesome! By the way, the rules are called moves.


Well, this turned out to be a semi-review ...

A Puny But Terrifying Dragon?!

Sage LaTorra (one of the creators of Dungeon World) posted a very interesting article, A 16 HP Dragon, on his website, Syntax Error. He describes how to make an encounter terrifying for the players and yet the monster in question has a puny 16 HP. Check it out!


I do not think that this is unique to Dungeon World (and LaTorra does not claim that it is) but I do think that Dungeon World specifically encourages this in the rules. I believe, with a fair amount of effort, you could accomplish this in the various D&D versions.


It was stuff like this that caused me to back Dungeon World when it was a Kickstarter project. I am really looking forward to getting the book and all of the stuff from the stretch goals.

Godlike in pdf!

I picked up GODLIKE: Superhero Roleplaying in a World on Fire, 1936-1946 by Dennis Detwiller & Greg Stolze in pdf. I already have it in hardback but I wanted the convenience of a pdf plus the revisions and the additional material in the pdf.   

"At the dawn of World War II, a handful of people called "Talents" manifested strange powers that set them apart from the rest of humanity. With these powers man took to the air without mechanical aid, explored the depths of the sea without life support, and touched the rim of space.

To others, Talents seemed godlike in their power. Only the Talents themselves, pushed to the front lines of every battle, knew the truth — that these newfound powers seemed pointless in the face of death.

That their power set them apart from family, friends and enemies.

That it made them more, and yet somehow less.

These fears, like the power that feeds them, are godlike in their scope."

I believe that this is the first rpg to use the One-Roll Engine (ORE).