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Monday, October 19, 2009

[RPG] Other Bits-

Friday, we began to buy-back the Fight Dice and Attack Bonus purchases and then allowed re-purchases of Fight Dice.

Fight Dice now are based on creature Frame, a new minor characteristic, with Human-sized creatures rolling d6s; smaller: d4s; and, larger: d8 or higher.
--There was a slight trend toward an increase in combat prowess as a result of the (FD# = +AB), but the cost of FD becomes pretty steep and I don't think anyone has more than 5FD, even though we have at least two 6th Magnitude characters.
---When a Strike is successful, the Attacker is entitled to add +1dx to Effect. Likewise when struck, +1dx to (as of yet not cleverly named) 'soak' (Armour) rolls.

Dynamic Pool: DP are now Dynamic Pool rather than merely Damage Pool, as DP empower Aberrations, Blood, and Powers.

Magnitude is the new replacement for Level, because I hate the confusion created by Level-this, level-that, level-down, level-up... Float those bubbles in the centre of the yellow window to assure everything is plumb. Ick.
--Magnitude gets a prominent 20-space track on the character sheet, with space to record purchased increases via the integrated Point-Design system. This will aid in tracking suppressed Magnitude from Undead and other debilitating effects, without resorting to 'level-losses' and concurrent 'HD'-loss.

Blood receives the promised integration with characters, and it becomes clearer that Blood, Abilities, Critical Tests, and Combat Data are all interrelated (and based on the modified Ability Scores)
--Still working out the Blood effects/mechanisms, but I hope it will more suitably gel with the setting-feel and the Psychedelia James Hargrove correctly identified as the perpetual soundtrack to the milieu.

Abilities re-named: Conviction, Psionic Index, Scope, Agility, Fighting, and Body. Discussion?

Aberrations & Powers: Ya'know, mutations and stuff like that. More at 11.

Environmental, Primary and Secondary Backgrounds: Tags that aid the Referee quickly gauge the capabilities of a character based upon their backstory and their geographic origins without resorting to game mechanisms. This is essentially the (Ability/Friend/Knack) stuff, expanded in pure narrative elements that provide a +1 or so to a governed action.

Training: Technical Skills (Secret, Silence, Tracking, Hack Spell, etc.), but I am thinking of condensing some of the Percentages into Bands of success --still in the werke-- and perhaps replaced with 2d12 rolls --dunno--

That's about it, so far.

More Finnish News ** UPDATED **-

Link to the original

Urutsk and cosmic Finns

(I have hastily written this translation to English because I have learned that people are using Google translator to read my yesterdays post, and that program pretty much mangles the meaning of what was written and it doesn't of course understand idioms, I really don't claim to write very well in English but this might give better idea. The passage I quoted and translated has been put here in original English form so it can been seen what I have quoted.)

In comment section of my earlier writing author of Urutsk campaign world and roleplaying game passed over to write some comments, where quite an interesting detail was revealed. Apparently one of the important peoples of the fantasy world are based on Finns. Fantasy world in question is more like Barsoom than Lord of The Rings, more Tékumel than Greyhawk. That earlier writing of mine has also been linked in her blog.

What the rulebook says about these cosmic Finns is actually pretty interesting reading, here's it after about a quarter of an hour of translating:

"Yirinn are a short, stocky ethnicity; both male and female Yirinn stand around five feet tall and typically weigh around 150 pounds. Their long hair tends toward dark brown or black, but turns grey or silver with age. They have a pale to ruddy
complexion, but most have blue eyes. Yirinn have stout frames and a strong, muscular build. They are rugged and resilient, with the capacity to endure great hardships.

Yirinn are typically practical, stubborn and courageous. Culturally they are introspective, suspicious and possessive. They have an average lifespan of over one century."


That is to me quite flattering and somewhat hilarious characterization if you connect it with Finns. Some could easily see that as troubling and even get indignant if intentionally wanting to get it wrong. I don't find it troubling at all, these Yirinn clearly are not Finns but fictional people whose origin of inspiration are Finns. It should be clear to all that this is just playing with wide stereotypes.

Finns have already been influence or made impression in fantasy across the pond. For example Forgotten Realms and other old D&D-campaigns are filled with details that are for example inspired by Kalevala but the influence has been through so thick cultural filter that their origin would not be easily guessed if familiar or familiar sounding names wouldn't be used. Even so called standard fantasy could be seen as pretty exotic version of medieval central Europe. Urutsk though has no qualities that could be described as standard fantasy, which is why it may be so fascinatingly different.