Shadowdark Shadowdark Discussion Thread [+]

[Fenris-77]

I like it. Ut is simple, which fits the SD paradigm, but still offers some variation.

Yoink.

Here's an expanded and cleaned up take and also an accompanying relationship mechanic (also Blades inspired).

 

[Fenris-77]

I think I can use that same mechanic to also stand in for a reputation mechanic. I like stuff that covers a lot of bases without a lot of overhead.

 

[Mannahnin]

PCs start each session with a luck token. I always forget to award them during play, and this makes one less thing to track between sessions.

I've thought about this one, though worried that it would devalue the results on the Carousing table which give the character a luck token. Do you do anything in place of that?

 

[Fenris-77]

I've thought about this one, though worried that it would devalue the results on the Carousing table which give the character a luck token. Do you do anything in place of that?

I think the luck token economy is an underexplored facet of SD play. CS3 does a great job leveraging it for all kinds of cool character stuff.

 

[Reynard]

I think the luck token economy is an underexplored facet of SD play. CS3 does a great job leveraging it for all kinds of cool character stuff.

It is also a super easy way to move the game along the survival horror to heroism continuum, along with max, average or rolled HP. Give PCs a lot of luck, even letting them hold 3 at a time, and you brighten the game significantly.

 

[Fenris-77]

It is also a super easy way to move the game along the survival horror to heroism continuum, along with max, average or rolled HP. Give PCs a lot of luck, even letting them hold 3 at a time, and you brighten the game significantly.

I have a yen to power cool class features with it, although I'm not sure how I want to do that. You could add some sooper-dooper stuff if you had to spend a luck token to use it.

 

[Reynard]

I have a yen to power cool class features with it, although I'm not sure how I want to do that. You could add some sooper-dooper stuff if you had to spend a luck token to use it.

Hell, I bet you could find a way to make Fear and Hope work in SD pretty easily.

 

[Fenris-77]

Hell, I bet you could find a way to make Fear and Hope work in SD pretty easily.

You don't need to do much (if any) design work to enhance the luck token economy and a more constant flow of tokens means all kinds of opportunities. I think that's how I'd approach some elements of supers play, for example.

 

[Reynard]

You don't need to do much (if any) design work to enhance the luck token economy and a more constant flow of tokens means all kinds of opportunities. I think that's how I'd approach some elements of supers play, for example.

The two pillars of the game design I am working on now are non-binary roll results and a back and forth flow of GM and player metacurrency. The latter is something I add to nearly every game I run.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It is also a super easy way to move the game along the survival horror to heroism continuum, along with max, average or rolled HP. Give PCs a lot of luck, even letting them hold 3 at a time, and you brighten the game significantly.

The Glass Cannon Network, which is otherwise playing a very grim campaign set in the Gloaming, also let everyone carry multiple luck tokens (a carryover from how they run their other actual plays) and it's definitely made the player characters a lot less squishy, although I would still say the PCs' best choice would be to leave the region ASAP.