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Friends, Gamers, Editors, Lend Me Your Ears! (New Rules)
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<blockquote data-quote="TiQuinn" data-source="post: 9582332" data-attributes="member: 4871"><p>This is going to sound harsh but it’s very confusing to me.</p><p></p><p>I got as far as the Fighting Tactically section and lost track completely. There’s no through-line with the system. It’s got a lot of system jargon but it really doesn’t help describe what the player is trying to do or that the GM is trying to run for their players. Because it’s generic, I think you’re making it really difficult to demonstrate the rules in each section. Before you’ve fully described a mechanic and how it works, you are starting to describe other mechanics, but also sometimes making it sound completely optional.</p><p></p><p>Here’s the section that baffled me:</p><p><em>“An extended conflict begins when the Guide calls for an Initiative Contest, <strong>and some campaigns have special code words to add to the mood and see if you’re paying attention!</strong>”</em></p><p></p><p>What does that mean? Why do I need to know about the exception before you’ve even described the mechanic? It has no context.</p><p></p><p>You then say the player can act at any time…then why have the initiative roll? Just for ties?</p><p></p><p><em>You can combine actions on your turn.</em></p><p></p><p>You haven’t described an action. I still don’t really know what basic things my character can do yet and you’re already describing how I can combine actions? Casting a magic spell apparently takes more than one action. Why? This is a generic system so what if the game is a sci-fi space opera with no spells? I still don’t know what kind of actions require multiple actions.</p><p></p><p><em>The Guide will tell you if your idea requires more than one action.</em></p><p></p><p>Okay, take away the arbitrariness of that from a player’s perspective, how do I as the GM decide whether something takes one action, or two actions, or all three actions? Maybe it explains this later in the document but I’m five pages in and it’s just feeling way too difficult and arbitrary - not rules light.</p><p></p><p>Other items of note:</p><p></p><p>Getting started - The rules really put a lot of weight on the GM to decide how the game will work without really giving them all of the decision points. Leveling is up to the GM. Difficulty contests are up to the GM. Whether a player’s idea takes multiple actions…up to the GM. Results of a contest roll…up to the GM. There’s no framework there that actually makes the GMs job easier. In your dogfight example, what does it mean “You make the dogfight look easy?” I mean, that’s not giving the GM information about how to scale combat. Does the player blow up the Greywing? Wound it? Chase it away? Outrun it? Immobilize it? I know…I know…it’s up to the GM. But also from a player’s POV, I have no idea if that dogfight is a life or death battle or a little fight that I can shake off if the dice don’t go my way.</p><p></p><p>Skills - What are the possible skills? You mention Linguist, Armed, Archery, Archeology, and these are fine, but some skills are going to be more useful than others. What if I just create a skill called Armed Combat and decide that covers any weapon I can get my hands on? Okay. I’ve now created a skill that covers Rocks, Sticks, Slings, Archery, Swords, Guns, Laser Rifles, Lightsabers, and Rocket Launchers. Good to go.</p><p></p><p>The ruleset is running before it can even walk, I’m afraid. It’s written in a way that just creates questions rather than builds on the reader’s understanding.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="TiQuinn, post: 9582332, member: 4871"] This is going to sound harsh but it’s very confusing to me. I got as far as the Fighting Tactically section and lost track completely. There’s no through-line with the system. It’s got a lot of system jargon but it really doesn’t help describe what the player is trying to do or that the GM is trying to run for their players. Because it’s generic, I think you’re making it really difficult to demonstrate the rules in each section. Before you’ve fully described a mechanic and how it works, you are starting to describe other mechanics, but also sometimes making it sound completely optional. Here’s the section that baffled me: [I]“An extended conflict begins when the Guide calls for an Initiative Contest, [B]and some campaigns have special code words to add to the mood and see if you’re paying attention![/B]”[/I] What does that mean? Why do I need to know about the exception before you’ve even described the mechanic? It has no context. You then say the player can act at any time…then why have the initiative roll? Just for ties? [I]You can combine actions on your turn.[/I] You haven’t described an action. I still don’t really know what basic things my character can do yet and you’re already describing how I can combine actions? Casting a magic spell apparently takes more than one action. Why? This is a generic system so what if the game is a sci-fi space opera with no spells? I still don’t know what kind of actions require multiple actions. [I]The Guide will tell you if your idea requires more than one action.[/I] Okay, take away the arbitrariness of that from a player’s perspective, how do I as the GM decide whether something takes one action, or two actions, or all three actions? Maybe it explains this later in the document but I’m five pages in and it’s just feeling way too difficult and arbitrary - not rules light. Other items of note: Getting started - The rules really put a lot of weight on the GM to decide how the game will work without really giving them all of the decision points. Leveling is up to the GM. Difficulty contests are up to the GM. Whether a player’s idea takes multiple actions…up to the GM. Results of a contest roll…up to the GM. There’s no framework there that actually makes the GMs job easier. In your dogfight example, what does it mean “You make the dogfight look easy?” I mean, that’s not giving the GM information about how to scale combat. Does the player blow up the Greywing? Wound it? Chase it away? Outrun it? Immobilize it? I know…I know…it’s up to the GM. But also from a player’s POV, I have no idea if that dogfight is a life or death battle or a little fight that I can shake off if the dice don’t go my way. Skills - What are the possible skills? You mention Linguist, Armed, Archery, Archeology, and these are fine, but some skills are going to be more useful than others. What if I just create a skill called Armed Combat and decide that covers any weapon I can get my hands on? Okay. I’ve now created a skill that covers Rocks, Sticks, Slings, Archery, Swords, Guns, Laser Rifles, Lightsabers, and Rocket Launchers. Good to go. The ruleset is running before it can even walk, I’m afraid. It’s written in a way that just creates questions rather than builds on the reader’s understanding. [/QUOTE]
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