Game Design "levels" and other game philosphy discourse
Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2019 3:20 pm
While re-reading my AD&D DMG this morning a comment struck me. The explanation for minute long combat rounds and no critical hit charts was that the game is "heroic fantasy". Further reading reinforced the "keep it general so the game flows well" goal. While character levels and dozens of hit points may not be everyone's cup of tea, it makes sense in that context.
Very different than BRP or Traveller. Those two make it very easy to die. In Traveller you can die in chargen, which is a record, I think. AD&D isn't as dramatic as the R&K system of "7th Sea", which refers to itself as "Cinematic". In 7th Sea the player and DM decide how the PC will die before the game starts. "Old and in bed with someone a third of their age" is an option.
As I sketch out some ideas for a simple 2d6 based game it strikes me that there are at least three "levels" of game. Mentally I'm referring to them as "Realistic" (BRP, Traveller), "Heroic" (D&D), and "Cinematic" (7th Sea). My current goal is to write a Heroic level game that is not easy to over-power.
Acronymicon:
Very different than BRP or Traveller. Those two make it very easy to die. In Traveller you can die in chargen, which is a record, I think. AD&D isn't as dramatic as the R&K system of "7th Sea", which refers to itself as "Cinematic". In 7th Sea the player and DM decide how the PC will die before the game starts. "Old and in bed with someone a third of their age" is an option.
As I sketch out some ideas for a simple 2d6 based game it strikes me that there are at least three "levels" of game. Mentally I'm referring to them as "Realistic" (BRP, Traveller), "Heroic" (D&D), and "Cinematic" (7th Sea). My current goal is to write a Heroic level game that is not easy to over-power.
Acronymicon:
- AD&D Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, published 1978
- BRP Basic Role-Playing, a d100 system that is the basis for RuneQuest, Call of Cuthulu, Pendragon, etc.
- chargen Character Generation, what occurs before you actually start the game.
- DM Usually "Dungeon Master", as a nod to "Dungeons and Dragons". Sometimes "Die Modifier" when talking about game mechanics. Of course, "Die Modifier" refers to some Dungeon Masters.
- DMG Dungeon Master's Guide for AD&D.
- PC Player Character, that part of the story the player directs.
- R&K Roll and Keep; the basis for the original 7th Sea game. Roll X number of d10, only Keep Y.