Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Campbell" data-source="post: 6226001" data-attributes="member: 16586">I honestly don't think that the difference in preference really comes from degree of seriousness. I also don't think there's a high correlation between Story Now gaming and wanting to be a GM. Personally, my interests in Story Now gaming developed over a long period of frustration with setting centered , preplanned adventure oriented play on both sides of the screen. I did not enjoy the experience of 'solving' this week's adventure, felt like beyond color characters were interchangeable pegs, and began to see too much pressure towards optimal play. I felt like I was constantly waiting for some big payoff that never came. I kept seeing characters with no real dramatic needs, grew tired off world building, etc. Then I ran some Mutants and Masterminds and Buffy games, and a light bulb went off for me.I think we've already covered that existing directly in someone else's mind space isn't really a draw for me. I was attracted to RPGs because I could use characters to express something, make hard choices, and feel like I was part of a sweeping narrative. I also really like games. I like being challenged. I like considering my actions carefully and interacting with mechanics. I wanted what 2e and Vampire seemed to promise, but always fell short of.To a certain extent with the right playgroup 4e definitely presses the right buttons for me, but it is by no means my favorite RPG. Right now the game that is taking up most of my RPG head space is post God Machine Chronicles World of Darkness. It has a number of features that promote the type of play I'm interested in:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">An experience system that rewards engaging the narrative and making tough choices: You receive xp for fulfilling player defined aspirations, electing to turn a failure into a dramatic failure, and resolving conditions - little prepackaged complications that are a direct result of mechanical resolution.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Combat that serves a narrative purpose - before initiative is rolled players and GMs declare intent. If a character takes any lethal damage or bashing damage equal to their stamina. They gain the Beaten Down condition. In order to continue taking aggressive action they must pay willpower. This condition can be resolved by giving in - letting your opponent realize their intent. This gives experience and willpower back to the player's character. You can also choose to go for blood which means all bets are off - basically raising a flag saying that in the fiction its either your character or the character you are facing.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The willpower feedback loop. Willpower is the main non-supernatural character resource, granting 3 dice on almost any roll among other things. Every character has a virtue and a vice. When playing your vice you get one willpower point back. When playing to your virtue when it causes harm to come to your character you receive all your willpower back.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Tight thematic content in the individual games: Demon is a game about the tension between using your abilities to fulfill your agenda while staying off the God Machine's radar. You have access to a host of abilities that require you to make compromise rolls to avoid the notice of the God Machine and his agents. Based on the results you choose from a menu of conditions to enter play with interesting results for success and failure.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Meaningful trade offs for high and low morality tracks.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Down and Dirty Combat: Against less significant enemies you can call for a quick combat roll off. Success means you realize your intent. Failure means you don't.</li> </ul></blockquote>

Verification