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Vincent Baker on mechanics, system and fiction in RPGs
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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 9197547" data-attributes="member: 42582"><p><strong>Equipment, encumbrance, treasure: working through some examples</strong></p><p></p><p>Consider the following elements of classic D&D:</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px">Equipment - which is a category of stuff in the fiction, recorded on the PC sheet - provides <em>effectiveness</em> (eg a tinderbox, or some rope) and also <em>resources</em> (eg some rations, a light source). So the rules that govern how equipment is acquired and carried are currency rules between effectiveness and resources.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">Treasure - which is a category of stuff in the fiction, recorded on the PC sheet as (or adjunct to) equipment - provides <em>effectiveness</em> (eg success on "I buy the <X>" or "I bribe the <Z>" action declarations) and <em>resources</em> (eg for succeeding in evasion of encounters with treasure-hungry monsters; or for upkeep) and <em>position</em> (in the form of XP).</p><p></p><p>The relationship between treasure as effectiveness and treasure as resources is mutually exclusive. The relationship between treasure in these capacities and treasure as position is more complex, because treasure accrues XP once taken out of the dungeon (so it has to be hoarded for a little bit) but then can be spent (as effectiveness or resources without loss of position.</p><p></p><p>Treasure competes with other equipment under the encumbrance rules, creating a complex set of currency interrelationships. So it is to be expected that classic D&D will produce a focus, in game play, on tracking what is carried, what is left behind, etc. "Bean counting."</p><p></p><p>Torchbearer largely emulates classic D&D in the above respects, but with two changes. One is technical: it uses a "slot" system for tracking encumbrance which makes the bean counting easier and (I would argue) more aesthetically evocative. I think this is best understood in terms of the evolution of RPG game design: more elegant solutions to the technical challenge of tracking encumbrance have been invented.</p><p></p><p>The other change in Torchbearer is not technical in the same way - it is a deliberately different currency rule. Namely, treasure in Torchbearer is largely unrelated to position. So characters can develop, and (given the conceits of the game) advance in position (eg gain levels, make allies) even if they do not succeed in bringing treasure out of dungeons.</p><p></p><p>That doesn't mean that treasure becomes irrelevant: developing/advancing a character's position in Torchbearer does require succeeding on some action declarations, and that depends in turn on effectiveness and resources, and treasure is an intricate component of these. But by making the connection more indirect, with treasure as just one element of effectiveness and resources, the game does (in my view) create a more permissive "space" for play in which the characters are a bit more cavalier about gaining and losing their treasure as they adventure. I think this encourages more "light-hearted" play of a S&S-ish or The Hobbit-ish nature.</p><p></p><p>Now consider Burning Wheel. Like classic D&D and Torchbearer, characters have equipment lists. These contribute to effectiveness in the same sort of way. Equipment may occasionally serve as resources, but not systematically as is the case in classic D&D or Torchbearer. Treasure is similarly a component of effectiveness. The lifestyle rules can make it a component of resources also, but again not with the same rigour as D&D or Torchbearer. And like Torchbearer, there is no direct connection to position.</p><p></p><p>Burning Wheel has no encumbrance rules: what a character can carry is established purely qualitatively. So there is no equipment-based currency system interrelating effectiveness and resources with treasure in the mix. And a consequence of all these ways BW differs from Torchbearer and D&D is that "bean counting" isn't a part of the game at all. So a change in currency rules means that we can have a game that places the same level of fictional attention on what a character is carrying - equipment lists in BW absolutely matter - but doesn't generate a "bean counting" play experience.</p><p></p><p>I'll consider two more RPGs to finish this post.</p><p></p><p>Cortex+ Heroic (Marvel Heroic RP, but I think of it more generally as I've played more of this systems adapted to fantasy via the Cortex Hacker's Guide than I have in its original super hero form) permits gear to be part of the ongoing effectiveness of particular characters (eg a magical sword; or Captain America's shield), or as more short-term effectiveness acquired by spending a "plot point" to obtain (what the game calls) a Resource. Plot points are earned easily as part of play, as part of the resolution mechanics, and on their own do not count as position, effectiveness or resources.</p><p></p><p>To make a permanent change to a character's equipment list (eg to <em>gain</em>, on an ongoing basis, a magical sword or a vibranium shield) requires expanding XP, which are earned via changes in position which are in turn established purely qualitatively (by doing certain character-specific actions - eg in one of my fantasy games the Dwarf PC had to return to Moria or another ancient and abandoned homeland).</p><p></p><p>So it's pretty much the converse of classic D&D - position can => a change in equipment which => effectiveness. This means that there is no bean-counting of gear in this RPG; nor do characters even have D&D-style equipment lists. It's a completely different approach to how equipment matters to characters.</p><p></p><p>Finally, classic Traveller. This game has D&D-style equipment lists. It has no XP rules, so gear and treasure do not factor into position in that fashion. Nor do they really contribute to position in other ways, except indirectly - eg being wealthy might permit performing actions (like buying things) that make a character more socially acceptable.</p><p></p><p>Gear contributes significantly to effectiveness. It does not really serve as a resource (eg the game doesn't use "medi-patches" or similar sci-fi healing potions). Money <em>is</em> a resource, because it feeds into upkeep/lifestyle rules; but money doesn't weigh anything and so there is no encumbrance trade-off in this respect. Encumbrance is used purely to keep track of gear.</p><p></p><p>The upshot, in my view, is that the encumbrance rules are rather over-engineered, and fiddly in play, relative to what they deliver which is a modest constraint on effectiveness by limiting how much gear can be carried. I think the game would have done better to adopt the Burning Wheel approach of treating carrying stuff in purely qualitative terms.</p><p></p><p>[USER=6795602]@FrogReaver[/USER], the above is the example I promised!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 9197547, member: 42582"] [b]Equipment, encumbrance, treasure: working through some examples[/b] Consider the following elements of classic D&D: [indent]Equipment - which is a category of stuff in the fiction, recorded on the PC sheet - provides [I]effectiveness[/I] (eg a tinderbox, or some rope) and also [I]resources[/I] (eg some rations, a light source). So the rules that govern how equipment is acquired and carried are currency rules between effectiveness and resources. Treasure - which is a category of stuff in the fiction, recorded on the PC sheet as (or adjunct to) equipment - provides [I]effectiveness[/I] (eg success on "I buy the <X>" or "I bribe the <Z>" action declarations) and [I]resources[/I] (eg for succeeding in evasion of encounters with treasure-hungry monsters; or for upkeep) and [I]position[/I] (in the form of XP).[/indent] The relationship between treasure as effectiveness and treasure as resources is mutually exclusive. The relationship between treasure in these capacities and treasure as position is more complex, because treasure accrues XP once taken out of the dungeon (so it has to be hoarded for a little bit) but then can be spent (as effectiveness or resources without loss of position. Treasure competes with other equipment under the encumbrance rules, creating a complex set of currency interrelationships. So it is to be expected that classic D&D will produce a focus, in game play, on tracking what is carried, what is left behind, etc. "Bean counting." Torchbearer largely emulates classic D&D in the above respects, but with two changes. One is technical: it uses a "slot" system for tracking encumbrance which makes the bean counting easier and (I would argue) more aesthetically evocative. I think this is best understood in terms of the evolution of RPG game design: more elegant solutions to the technical challenge of tracking encumbrance have been invented. The other change in Torchbearer is not technical in the same way - it is a deliberately different currency rule. Namely, treasure in Torchbearer is largely unrelated to position. So characters can develop, and (given the conceits of the game) advance in position (eg gain levels, make allies) even if they do not succeed in bringing treasure out of dungeons. That doesn't mean that treasure becomes irrelevant: developing/advancing a character's position in Torchbearer does require succeeding on some action declarations, and that depends in turn on effectiveness and resources, and treasure is an intricate component of these. But by making the connection more indirect, with treasure as just one element of effectiveness and resources, the game does (in my view) create a more permissive "space" for play in which the characters are a bit more cavalier about gaining and losing their treasure as they adventure. I think this encourages more "light-hearted" play of a S&S-ish or The Hobbit-ish nature. Now consider Burning Wheel. Like classic D&D and Torchbearer, characters have equipment lists. These contribute to effectiveness in the same sort of way. Equipment may occasionally serve as resources, but not systematically as is the case in classic D&D or Torchbearer. Treasure is similarly a component of effectiveness. The lifestyle rules can make it a component of resources also, but again not with the same rigour as D&D or Torchbearer. And like Torchbearer, there is no direct connection to position. Burning Wheel has no encumbrance rules: what a character can carry is established purely qualitatively. So there is no equipment-based currency system interrelating effectiveness and resources with treasure in the mix. And a consequence of all these ways BW differs from Torchbearer and D&D is that "bean counting" isn't a part of the game at all. So a change in currency rules means that we can have a game that places the same level of fictional attention on what a character is carrying - equipment lists in BW absolutely matter - but doesn't generate a "bean counting" play experience. I'll consider two more RPGs to finish this post. Cortex+ Heroic (Marvel Heroic RP, but I think of it more generally as I've played more of this systems adapted to fantasy via the Cortex Hacker's Guide than I have in its original super hero form) permits gear to be part of the ongoing effectiveness of particular characters (eg a magical sword; or Captain America's shield), or as more short-term effectiveness acquired by spending a "plot point" to obtain (what the game calls) a Resource. Plot points are earned easily as part of play, as part of the resolution mechanics, and on their own do not count as position, effectiveness or resources. To make a permanent change to a character's equipment list (eg to [I]gain[/I], on an ongoing basis, a magical sword or a vibranium shield) requires expanding XP, which are earned via changes in position which are in turn established purely qualitatively (by doing certain character-specific actions - eg in one of my fantasy games the Dwarf PC had to return to Moria or another ancient and abandoned homeland). So it's pretty much the converse of classic D&D - position can => a change in equipment which => effectiveness. This means that there is no bean-counting of gear in this RPG; nor do characters even have D&D-style equipment lists. It's a completely different approach to how equipment matters to characters. Finally, classic Traveller. This game has D&D-style equipment lists. It has no XP rules, so gear and treasure do not factor into position in that fashion. Nor do they really contribute to position in other ways, except indirectly - eg being wealthy might permit performing actions (like buying things) that make a character more socially acceptable. Gear contributes significantly to effectiveness. It does not really serve as a resource (eg the game doesn't use "medi-patches" or similar sci-fi healing potions). Money [I]is[/I] a resource, because it feeds into upkeep/lifestyle rules; but money doesn't weigh anything and so there is no encumbrance trade-off in this respect. Encumbrance is used purely to keep track of gear. The upshot, in my view, is that the encumbrance rules are rather over-engineered, and fiddly in play, relative to what they deliver which is a modest constraint on effectiveness by limiting how much gear can be carried. I think the game would have done better to adopt the Burning Wheel approach of treating carrying stuff in purely qualitative terms. [USER=6795602]@FrogReaver[/USER], the above is the example I promised! [/QUOTE]
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