Aldarc
Legend
The past few pages have been an enjoyable read. Thanks, @Manbearcat and @prabe.
I've found that a lot of the GM principles from DW/Blades are pretty widely useful for running any system, if that kind of game experience is what you're after. You have to make allowances for system of course, whether that's 5E or whatever, but I run mostly run games like that regardless of system.I'll point out that none of those principles are, that I can see, strictly incompatible with 5E, at least as I run it. The two that would be most likely to cause problems would be "Act Now, Plan Later" (because I don't have a hack in place to replicate Flashbacks) and "Embrace the Scoundrel's Life" (because I prefer for the PCs to be willing to be heroes). In neither case do the problems seem insoluble--hacking in something like Flashbacks seems possible, and "Embrace the Hero's Life" seems to work roughly as well.
I thought I remembered you talking about such a hack in the past. I had figured that if I felt a need to use such rules, I'd ask you for advice/links. Still might.I've found that a lot of the GM principles from DW/Blades are pretty widely useful for running any system, if that kind of game experience is what you're after. You have to make allowances for system of course, whether that's 5E or whatever, but I run mostly run games like that regardless of system.
There is also, should be interested, a hack for 5E of some Blades stuff including Flashbacks that someone did up to scaffold running Dragon Heist. It's called Here's to Crime, and I approve. The inspiration system can be hacked to all manner of wonderful things.
Traditional skilled play of the fiction is fairly important to me, even when it comes to Story Now play. I think it's a big part of my preference for games with more open ended (snowballing) resolution and a decent amount of prepared scenario design over no myth play. I suspect I am probably a more strict referee than Manbearcat when it comes to running Dungeon World (although I would almost always prefer Freebooters to Dungeon World). I would also suspect that when I run Blades I put somewhat more emphasis on the negotiation stage (determining position and effect).
From a player's point of view I would say the biggest difference for me (compared to anodyne D&D) in something like Apocalypse World, Dogs in the Vineyard, Freebooters, or Sorcerer is that the social environment is included in the model and skilled play is seen within the context of first playing an individual character (who has a well developed agenda and place in the world) with integrity. The scope of challenge is defined by the scope of that agenda, but the adversity must be honest.
I'll point out that none of those principles are, that I can see, strictly incompatible with 5E, at least as I run it. The two that would be most likely to cause problems would be "Act Now, Plan Later" (because I don't have a hack in place to replicate Flashbacks) and "Embrace the Scoundrel's Life" (because I prefer for the PCs to be willing to be heroes). In neither case do the problems seem insoluble--hacking in something like Flashbacks seems possible, and "Embrace the Hero's Life" seems to work roughly as well.
I'll have more later, but when it comes to Dungeon World / Freebooters I tend to be pretty strict about the fictional positioning required for moves. It's been awhile since we played together though so I cannot be sure, but I find I have a stronger referee bent than most GMs I have played under when it comes to Dungeon World.
I'll have more later, but when it comes to Dungeon World / Freebooters I tend to be pretty strict about the fictional positioning required for moves. It's been awhile since we played together though so I cannot be sure, but I find I have a stronger referee bent than most GMs I have played under when it comes to Dungeon World.
3) I'm very curious about your thoughts on skilled play of the fiction and prepped/encoded scenario design vs No Myth play. For instance, my thoughts are as follows (you can tell me if you agree/disagree/how):
a) Skilled Play of the fiction orbits around how granular the spatial and temporal relationships of the system/play-space are. For instance, Torchbearer's dungeon is procedurally generated and much less "myth-ey" than your typical map and keyed Dungeon Crawl. However, because all of the relationships work holistically, skilled play is extraordinarily high (honestly, higher than classic D&D for sure).
If the game's encoded units, spatial relationships, temporal relationships, and/or/either the referees framing and telegraphing (not too much...not too little...provocative but no more) have disagreements, you'll have a (let's call it) "skilled play leakage" that damages the competitive play environment (possibly to the point of no recovery).
b) Once you get into a situation where granularity of spatial, temporal, game unit relationships change, skilled play changes. What is the biggest example of this in TTRPGs?
Leaving the dungeon.
Now here, GM framing, the game's encoded pressure points, deft GM deployment of those pressure points (in both framing and complication rendering), and the action resolution mechanics are absolutely paramount.
There is not much use for heavy myth/prep here in my opinion (in fact, I suspect it can serve as an impediment in many cases).