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

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="LostSoul" data-source="post: 5761404" data-attributes="member: 386">A carefully balanced encounter system can provide fertile ground for narrativist exploration of "premise" because one can address "premise" without having to worry about losing your method of agency, ie. your PC.  This isn't a necessary feature of Story Now (ie. narrativist) design; Burning Wheel doesn't use carefully balanced opposition, but that's a feature of the design - it uses failure to address premise.What I think 4E is missing that would make it a good Story Now game is... well, let me paraphrase from The Forge's glossary what Story Now is:Commitment to producing, heightening, and resolving a generalizable, problematic aspect of human interactions through play itself.I think 4E is missing some key components:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">It doesn't "spike" the game with problematic aspects of human interaction the way, say, Sorcerer (demons = dysfunctional relationships) does.  When you make a Dragonborn Fighter you don't have to deal with questions about, say, was Arkhosia's war against Bael Turoth just; should people show you respect or make you pay based on the actions of your ancestors; do you have a responsibility as a Dragonborn to protect those weaker than your kick-ass dragon self, or can you be selfish, even if everyone expects you to be the hero; etc.  The game kind of points in that direction but it doesn't make it a primary feature of play. Now if you had something like a Key of Akrhosia (from The Shadow of Yesterday; this is the Key Conscience), which gave you:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Minor Quest XP of your level every time your character helps someone who cannot help themselves;</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Minor Quest XP of your level every time your character defends someone with might who is in danger and cannot save themselves;</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Major Quest XP of your level every time your character takes someone in an unfortunate situation and changes their life to where they can help themselves;</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Double Major Quest XP of your level when you ignore a request for help, and you lose this Key for good.</li> </ul>In that case you wouldn't be able to ignore the problematic issues brought up by being a Dragonborn Fighter. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The reward system doesn't heighten those problematic aspects.  Again, looking at Sorcerer, the way a PC's Humanity interacts with their Demon's Needs and Wants will tend to heighten the issues brought up by the dysfunctional relationship. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">It doesn't guarantee resolution of those problematic aspects of human interaction, but then again most games don't.  My Life With Master is an exception, where play is pretty much guaranteed to result in an end game that will put your choices throughout play in the spotlight.</li> </ul>My thinking is that players in 4E have too many options that come from their powers to spend much time thinking about "doing something cool."I tried to do this, more or less, with my hack.[sblock]First, you describe your action.  Based on that description, modifiers are determined:You use your strength and raw power - STRYou use your endurance and physical stamina - CONYou use your physical quickness and precision - DEXYou use your mental quickness and reasoning - INTYou use your mental stamina and willpower - WISYou use your social force and presence - CHAYou attack with intent to hurt, maim, or kill - Proficiency (ie. weapon or implement proficiency, including feat, class, and item bonuses)You directly affect an opponent - SkillYou move past an obstacle or hazard - SkillYou take a defensive action - No rollIf the action has a loose association with any other skills the character has, add +2If the character has a situational, tactical, or positional advantage, add +2If the action is following up on the character's last, successful action, add +2Once you have the modifiers you determine the DC.  Once again, the DC is based on your character's action, and you pick the first one in the list that applies:You try to aid someone else’s action - DC 10 + tier modifierYou try to grab, push, overpower, or manhandle the target - FortitudeYou try to touch or tag the target - ReflexYou try to attack someone's mind or convince someone of something - WillYou try to hurt someone physically - Armour ClassYou are matching skills with someone - 10 + their skillmodifierYou are trying to do something else - DC set by LevelIf the target has a situational, tactical, or positional advantage, add +2 to the DCIf you are targetting a specific location without a special power that allows for this, add +2 to the DCIf the target's action is to defend, add +2 to the DCIf you cannot see the target, add +5 to the DCIf the target has superior cover (eg. behind an arrow slit), add +5 to the DCAnyone can determine modifiers but the DM vets them.[/sblock]</blockquote>

Verification