Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="woodelf" data-source="post: 953355" data-attributes="member: 10201">You're right, none of their terminology matched the &quot;generally accepted&quot; terms in RPGs.&nbsp; However, if you weren't already brainwashed by previous RPGs, the terms were, if anything, clearer.&nbsp; Let's say you come across the term &quot;alignment&quot;, and can't find the definition in the gamebook--so you go to a dictionary.&nbsp; Good luck.&nbsp; With Aria, the equivalent terms are Personality Trait, Motivation, Passion, and Obsession.&nbsp; If, again, you don't have access to the game's definition, and pull out your dictionary, you'll end up with almost exactly the game definitions of the terms.&nbsp; Ditto almost all the rest of the terms in Aria: they break with RPG tradition, in favor of English.&nbsp; [One major exception is the magic chapter, where part of the problem is pressing into service a language [English] that simply doesn't have the right terms to talk about these sorts of things.] With most RPGs, the larger your vocabulary, the more confusing the RPG is (V:tM was particularly bad that way).&nbsp; With Aria, the larger your vocab, the clearer it is.&nbsp; As for the writing style: yes, it's very complex and specific.&nbsp; It is *not* transparent, but it is clear.&nbsp; Contrast with, say, the D&amp;D3E PH, which is written quite simply--and very confusingly.&nbsp; Simple writing is not always best.&nbsp; Should Aria have been written with a simpler style?&nbsp; Sure.&nbsp; But it hardly requiresa college education to read.&nbsp; It's not incomprehensible, just dry.&nbsp; Heck, it's easier reading than the AD&amp;D1 DMG.&nbsp; Oh, and it's nothing compared to even undergrad-level sociology texts.Well, don't forget that all a &quot;critical success&quot; means is that you get to roll again, and possibly move the result one step more favorable.&nbsp; Because of the 10 levels of failure/success, a crit success is rougly equivalent in actual game impact to beating the DC by 5 [in D&amp;D3E]--it might have an impact in some situations, but rarely a huge one.We had problems with the chargen--it *is* fairly intensive, and requires a fair bit of math.&nbsp; But play wasn't a problem.&nbsp; In fact, once you've got a finished character, it's one of th eeasiest games to actually play that i've used--right up there with BESM.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="woodelf, post: 953355, member: 10201"] You're right, none of their terminology matched the "generally accepted" terms [i]in RPGs[/i]. However, if you weren't already brainwashed by previous RPGs, the terms were, if anything, clearer. Let's say you come across the term "alignment", and can't find the definition in the gamebook--so you go to a dictionary. Good luck. With Aria, the equivalent terms are Personality Trait, Motivation, Passion, and Obsession. If, again, you don't have access to the game's definition, and pull out your dictionary, you'll end up with almost exactly the game definitions of the terms. Ditto almost all the rest of the terms in Aria: they break with RPG tradition, in favor of English. [One major exception is the magic chapter, where part of the problem is pressing into service a language [English] that simply doesn't have the right terms to talk about these sorts of things.] With most RPGs, the larger your vocabulary, the more confusing the RPG is (V:tM was particularly bad that way). With Aria, the larger your vocab, the clearer it is. As for the writing style: yes, it's very complex and specific. It is *not* transparent, but it is clear. Contrast with, say, the D&D3E PH, which is written quite simply--and very confusingly. Simple writing is not always best. Should Aria have been written with a simpler style? Sure. But it hardly requiresa college education to read. It's not incomprehensible, just dry. Heck, it's easier reading than the AD&D1 DMG. Oh, and it's nothing compared to even undergrad-level sociology texts. Well, don't forget that all a "critical success" means is that you get to roll again, and possibly move the result one step more favorable. Because of the 10 levels of failure/success, a crit success is rougly equivalent in actual game impact to beating the DC by 5 [in D&D3E]--it might have an impact in some situations, but rarely a huge one. We had problems with the chargen--it *is* fairly intensive, and requires a fair bit of math. But play wasn't a problem. In fact, once you've got a finished character, it's one of th eeasiest games to actually play that i've used--right up there with BESM. [/QUOTE]

Verification