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Fantasy Flight Games Announces Genesys RPG
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<blockquote data-quote="Jacob Lewis" data-source="post: 7724233" data-attributes="member: 6667921"><p>Still no takers? Alright then. Since I've been thinking on the topic lately, I'll give it another shot while I have some time on my hands. Just keep in mind that this is not a simple process. We are comparing two very different game systems. Since the Genesys rules have yet to be released, I will be referencing the Star Wars RPG from which the new rulebook is directly derived. Before we begin, however, it is important to understand exactly how the two systems work. I'll assume most everyone reading anything on this site is largely familiar with the oldest and most popular RPG system to date, so I will move right into how the narrative dice mechanics of the Genesys/Star Wars systems really work.</p><p></p><p>At first glance, it seems like there are a lot of symbols and dice involved in the game itself. But if you think of it like the Force, there is a Light side and a Dark side. There are, in fact, only three types of dice and three kinds of symbols, and each has a positive (Light) and negative (Dark) aspect. Let's begin with the symbols first.</p><p></p><p><strong>Success </strong>and <strong>Failure </strong>are the most straightforward of the symbols. A single <strong>Failure </strong>symbol will cancel a single <strong>Success </strong>symbol. If any successes remain, your character will have been successful at whatever task he/she was attempting. You only need one showing to succeed, but if there are any extra, it could mean a greater degree of success depending on what was being attempted. For example, a character trying to slice into a computer terminal to open a locked door will achieve that goal with at least one Success result from the dice roll. If he scores multiple successes, he could have done it much quicker than anticipated.</p><p></p><p><strong>Advantages</strong> and <strong>Threats</strong> are where things get a little more tricky and, consequently, harder to grasp. In simplest terms, <strong>Advantages</strong> and <strong>Threats</strong> are the unexpected surprises and complications that can arise during any given situation. The actual outcomes can often vary widely from one instance to the next, and therefore, it is very difficult to pin down as consistent game results. The beauty of the system, however, stems from that freedom to create and improvise these unforeseen events on the spot. The rulebooks provide plenty of examples that can be used as a baseline reference for routine outcomes and interpretations of such results. But it is the moments of pure inspiration and surprise when the game really shines.</p><p></p><p>Going back to our example with the slicer above, let us suppose while he succeeds in opening the door in record time, we see that he also manages to scores two <strong>Threats</strong> on his roll. While this does not affect the outcome that he is able to open the door for his friends, it does invoke some complication. Going by the examples in the book, we could decide that the pressure of the task inflicted two points of Strain on the character. Reasonable, but not terribly exciting. Or perhaps opening the door triggered an alarm and alerting security forces who are now on their way. Certainly reasonable, definitely a threat. And more interesting.</p><p></p><p>That leaves only <strong>Triumph</strong> and <strong>Despair</strong>, which are the rarest and most powerful symbols in the game. In essence, they are a combination of their lesser counterparts. Each respectively adds either a <strong>Success</strong> or <strong>Failure</strong> to the result, which can be cancelled by an opposing <strong>Failure</strong> / <strong>Success</strong>. They also offer a significant <strong>Advantage</strong> or <strong>Threat</strong> that <em>cannot</em> be cancelled by any means. It is possible to score simultaneous <strong>Triumph</strong> and <strong>Despair</strong> results on the same roll, which can make for a very interesting outcome.</p><p></p><p>Back to our slicer who succeeded in opening the door, let's say one of those <strong>Threats</strong> was actually a <strong>Despair</strong>. What could be worse than setting off the alarm? How about finding an unsuspecting squad of stormtroopers on the other side of that door? It doesn't matter if it was predetermined that there would be stormtroopers in that room or not. The dice will allow you take liberty with the narrative in order tell a better story as it is happening.</p><p></p><p>Now, without getting into the specifics of the dice and what they represent, let it suffice to know that each die used is tied directly to an aspect or skill of a character, as well as the environment and circumstances of what is taking place in the game as it happens. In other words, each die used in a particular instance is justifiable. Furthermore, the results of any dice pool represents the widest range of probable outcomes from a large variety of influences and factors within the game at any given moment, including the Force. For the sake of brevity and a quicker understanding, allow me to continue using the same slicer example above to illustrate.</p><p></p><p>Our slicer character is attempting to slice past the locked down security terminal. His Computer skill is 2, and his Intellect is 3. His Intellect is higher, so the player begins by adding three <strong>Ability </strong>dice (three green 8-sided dice) to his dice pool. His <strong>Computer</strong> skill is lower, so he upgrades that many dice (two) into <strong>Proficiency </strong>dice (two yellow 12-sided dice). To attempt this action, the character starts the pool with three dice: one <strong>Ability </strong>die and two <strong>Proficiency </strong>dice).</p><p></p><p>The GM determines that the difficulty of slicing the door during lock down will be a Hard task, so he adds three <strong>Difficulty </strong>dice (purple 8-sided dice) to the pool. He then invokes a Dark Side (Force) point to upgrade the difficulty of one of the <strong>Difficulty </strong>dice into a <strong>Challenge </strong>dice (red 12-sided die). He flips the Force token over to signify his intent, which turns the Dark point into a Light point that is usable by the players.</p><p></p><p>The player remembers that his character has a portable data pad which gives him a Boost die (blue 6-sided) when it can be useful during Computer skill checks. The GM agrees under the circumstances and the die is added. Now the dice pool is complete and ready to roll. In this instance, the pool consists of seven dice: 1 <strong>Ability</strong>, 2 <strong>Proficiency</strong>, 1 <strong>Boost</strong>, 2 <strong>Difficulty</strong>, and 1 <strong>Challenge</strong>. Another time, the same character could be attempting the same check under different circumstances with a different set of dice in the dice pool. And the results, as discussed before, can vary greatly even with the same symbols shown.</p><p></p><p>While the example above may not entirely make sense for those who aren't more familiar with the game, it should offer some insight on how the dice are utilized as part of the game itself. It is a versatile, flexible, and elegant system. But it does take some degree of practice in order to achieve any level of mastery. Thus, it is not a game for everyone. That's why we have different game systems. And thankfully, they are very different. Let's keep 'em that way.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jacob Lewis, post: 7724233, member: 6667921"] Still no takers? Alright then. Since I've been thinking on the topic lately, I'll give it another shot while I have some time on my hands. Just keep in mind that this is not a simple process. We are comparing two very different game systems. Since the Genesys rules have yet to be released, I will be referencing the Star Wars RPG from which the new rulebook is directly derived. Before we begin, however, it is important to understand exactly how the two systems work. I'll assume most everyone reading anything on this site is largely familiar with the oldest and most popular RPG system to date, so I will move right into how the narrative dice mechanics of the Genesys/Star Wars systems really work. At first glance, it seems like there are a lot of symbols and dice involved in the game itself. But if you think of it like the Force, there is a Light side and a Dark side. There are, in fact, only three types of dice and three kinds of symbols, and each has a positive (Light) and negative (Dark) aspect. Let's begin with the symbols first. [B]Success [/B]and [B]Failure [/B]are the most straightforward of the symbols. A single [B]Failure [/B]symbol will cancel a single [B]Success [/B]symbol. If any successes remain, your character will have been successful at whatever task he/she was attempting. You only need one showing to succeed, but if there are any extra, it could mean a greater degree of success depending on what was being attempted. For example, a character trying to slice into a computer terminal to open a locked door will achieve that goal with at least one Success result from the dice roll. If he scores multiple successes, he could have done it much quicker than anticipated. [B]Advantages[/B] and [B]Threats[/B] are where things get a little more tricky and, consequently, harder to grasp. In simplest terms, [B]Advantages[/B] and [B]Threats[/B] are the unexpected surprises and complications that can arise during any given situation. The actual outcomes can often vary widely from one instance to the next, and therefore, it is very difficult to pin down as consistent game results. The beauty of the system, however, stems from that freedom to create and improvise these unforeseen events on the spot. The rulebooks provide plenty of examples that can be used as a baseline reference for routine outcomes and interpretations of such results. But it is the moments of pure inspiration and surprise when the game really shines. Going back to our example with the slicer above, let us suppose while he succeeds in opening the door in record time, we see that he also manages to scores two [B]Threats[/B] on his roll. While this does not affect the outcome that he is able to open the door for his friends, it does invoke some complication. Going by the examples in the book, we could decide that the pressure of the task inflicted two points of Strain on the character. Reasonable, but not terribly exciting. Or perhaps opening the door triggered an alarm and alerting security forces who are now on their way. Certainly reasonable, definitely a threat. And more interesting. That leaves only [B]Triumph[/B] and [B]Despair[/B], which are the rarest and most powerful symbols in the game. In essence, they are a combination of their lesser counterparts. Each respectively adds either a [B]Success[/B] or [B]Failure[/B] to the result, which can be cancelled by an opposing [B]Failure[/B] / [B]Success[/B]. They also offer a significant [B]Advantage[/B] or [B]Threat[/B] that [I]cannot[/I] be cancelled by any means. It is possible to score simultaneous [B]Triumph[/B] and [B]Despair[/B] results on the same roll, which can make for a very interesting outcome. Back to our slicer who succeeded in opening the door, let's say one of those [B]Threats[/B] was actually a [B]Despair[/B]. What could be worse than setting off the alarm? How about finding an unsuspecting squad of stormtroopers on the other side of that door? It doesn't matter if it was predetermined that there would be stormtroopers in that room or not. The dice will allow you take liberty with the narrative in order tell a better story as it is happening. Now, without getting into the specifics of the dice and what they represent, let it suffice to know that each die used is tied directly to an aspect or skill of a character, as well as the environment and circumstances of what is taking place in the game as it happens. In other words, each die used in a particular instance is justifiable. Furthermore, the results of any dice pool represents the widest range of probable outcomes from a large variety of influences and factors within the game at any given moment, including the Force. For the sake of brevity and a quicker understanding, allow me to continue using the same slicer example above to illustrate. Our slicer character is attempting to slice past the locked down security terminal. His Computer skill is 2, and his Intellect is 3. His Intellect is higher, so the player begins by adding three [B]Ability [/B]dice (three green 8-sided dice) to his dice pool. His [B]Computer[/B] skill is lower, so he upgrades that many dice (two) into [B]Proficiency [/B]dice (two yellow 12-sided dice). To attempt this action, the character starts the pool with three dice: one [B]Ability [/B]die and two [B]Proficiency [/B]dice). The GM determines that the difficulty of slicing the door during lock down will be a Hard task, so he adds three [B]Difficulty [/B]dice (purple 8-sided dice) to the pool. He then invokes a Dark Side (Force) point to upgrade the difficulty of one of the [B]Difficulty [/B]dice into a [B]Challenge [/B]dice (red 12-sided die). He flips the Force token over to signify his intent, which turns the Dark point into a Light point that is usable by the players. The player remembers that his character has a portable data pad which gives him a Boost die (blue 6-sided) when it can be useful during Computer skill checks. The GM agrees under the circumstances and the die is added. Now the dice pool is complete and ready to roll. In this instance, the pool consists of seven dice: 1 [B]Ability[/B], 2 [B]Proficiency[/B], 1 [B]Boost[/B], 2 [B]Difficulty[/B], and 1 [B]Challenge[/B]. Another time, the same character could be attempting the same check under different circumstances with a different set of dice in the dice pool. And the results, as discussed before, can vary greatly even with the same symbols shown. While the example above may not entirely make sense for those who aren't more familiar with the game, it should offer some insight on how the dice are utilized as part of the game itself. It is a versatile, flexible, and elegant system. But it does take some degree of practice in order to achieve any level of mastery. Thus, it is not a game for everyone. That's why we have different game systems. And thankfully, they are very different. Let's keep 'em that way. [/QUOTE]
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