I've been itching to put together my "Attention Points*" system, but I haven't thought of a good game to apply it to. I suppose I've been turned into too much of a purist, reading around The Forge as I have-- the mechanic must be guided by the goals of the game, and none of the game ideas I have floating around my head were really conducive to a mechanic that deals with relatively ordinary people in conflict resolution.
So, sitting down and thinking of it from the other way 'round (saying "What sort of plot would lend itself to such characters and situations?"), I came up for a rough outline for The Ordinaries. It's not the most original thing in the world, but what is. It is a bit of an angle on the usual, though (I think... hope...), in that your characters aren't the Big Supernatural, nor are they trying to hunt down and destroy it (well, not necessarily) -- you coexist.
Here are first notes:
- Premise: Rare people have the ability to bend reality, introducing new objects, altering physics, or interacting with the world in supernatural ways. See: every damn superhero/modern-magic cliche around.
- Premise: Characters are part of one underground group or another, and are ordinary people who track down these people, in order to keep them from causing problems, endangering others, and for their own safety. The characters have no supernatural powers of their own, but should have enough backing and ability to wage a fair fight.
- Unlike many magic systems or superhero cliches, the power that a common supernatural, especially one less familiar with their power, holds is rarely controllable or predictable enough to be used as a weapon. It often manifests in ways like:
- Real-world appearance of dreams, hallucinations, or daydreams
- Loosely-focused force or effect blasts in times of stress or emotion
- Unguided, reactionary effects that are not consciously controllable by the effector
- Minor controllable effects with a large effort
- The abilities are (a la Mage, Matrix, etc.) based largely on the person's ability to let go of their preconcieved notions of reality. However, unlike Matrix, reality-warping ability is not universally achievable-- it is a chance power, granted only to some, and in different degrees.
- Powers tend toward an ability to make imagined objects or states real. The backend driver (not necessarily mentioned, even in play materials) is, in essence: the shared perception-- reality-- is "shared" by some a little more strongly.
- People with abilities likely had: Vivid dreams or imaginings, vivid daydreams, nightmares, lucid dreams, constant strange happenings, aura of weirdness.
- Dangers include:
- People with mental or emotional problems and the ability to turn their thoughts or outbursts into reality.
- A chaos cult of some sort could be made along these lines, a counter-force that believes that these people are the future, or the will of some god, or some-such.
- Untrained people who unconsciously/unknowingly cause chaos or disturbance through their manifestations.
- The usual bunch of assholes, jerkoffs, dipshits, etc, only this time they have supernatural abilities.
- Old Master types that have honed their abilities to become seriously badass.
- Characters may take many roles (although mixed-role groups will likely be discouraged... this ain't D&D):
- Paranormal investigators with a secret branch of the government, looking to isolate and study these people.
- Ditto, only in more of a "social worker" role that introduces and integrates them, or finds others who can help them.
- Ditto-ditto, only in more of a "clean up the mess, find the bad guy" police role
- An government-independent "X-Men Academy" style organization that seeks to find, educate, help, and advocate for the people.
- A religion based around the abilities-- similar to the Academy bit, but religiously oriented.
* Attention Points system: A (theoretically, possibly, playtest-pendingly) diceless mechanic where tests are made based upon point comparison alone. A limited pool of points (represented by chips or coins) can be distributed among all stats (limited by "maximums" and "requireds") at the beginning of any given turn, or at any point in non-combat play. This simulates the character dedicating attention to a given task at a given time. Just as in real life, if they are fixed on the task at hand, and they have the ability (represented by their maximum stat), then they should succeed. If not, they're either blindsided, or not up to the task. Exciting, no?
Talked with Stef and Josh tonight about The System... came up with some more classifications and such... some scattered notes so I don't forget:
(Further list of) Character Motivators
- Motivators:
- Joy
- Wonder
- Anger
- Madness
- Grief
- Futility
- Adventure
- Quest
- Displacement
Background: Franklin's Methodologists
Franklin's Methodologists are an outcast sect that believes in a heretical, completely numeric filing system, known as Franklin's Methodology. The Methodology, developed in System Time 1502, was a single unifying method of classify all forms, requests, and pieces of information, by using specific numbers for any given subject. However, Franklin and his team stood in direct defiance of the universally-used letter-number classifications of the day, and Franklin's new system was flatly denied. Not to be defeated, Franklin attempted to surreptitiously inject his filing algorithm into the software of the Master Informational Database, but he was discovered.
Franklin was tried and sentenced to execution for the crimes of Data Tampering and
Greivous Malicious Misclassification. However, on the day he was to be executed,
he was instead freed from detention, as a result of a clerical
error. (Believers consider this the First Proof of the Fallability of the Common System, 509.1239, and consider the day a high holy day.) Franklin and his growing group of followers fled to the lower floors and back alleys of the Complex. Franklin and his Methodologists were sentenced to exile, to be arrested on sight if they should ever be seen. The group continued to grow for years underground, and developed into an ideologically-charged
group of shadow terrorists and saboteurs. They
often use the mark "103/119/578.4", which loosely translates to
"Humanity, memory, violent protest", and pass around rare pages of "Proposal 12094-UXP-1502-91: Franklin's Methodology of Classification".
I've been trying to get the gaming/writing bug again. I've been working on this phone system for so long that I haven't touched writing or gaming much at all in the past few months. Thinking about putting together that office-building D&D game, The System... the one with a long lost magic and the oppressive bureaucratic dystopia... that one. Loose thoughts...
- Characters gain magical awareness and tear themselves free of their own mundanity through a gift, slipped to them by The Consciousness (working name). This would be an appropriate trinket that speaks to one of a limited set of magical foci, akin to a character class or Tradition. See: earlier drafts of the IF version.
- I hadn't quite figured out how to explain the semi-sentient nature of the magic background in this story. Even in magic, I like things to be interconnectedly explainable. The idea I'm liking right now is that the magic energy gains strength, goals, and some degree of self-determination by imprinting from the personalities and, for lack of a better term, souls, of generations of practitioners. It doesn't need to be explained in depth, but some hint should be there if needed in the narrative.
- Another trick is going to be presenting to just what degree the everyday people have devolved, without overburdening the introduction. The average person should be timid, boring, uninterested, foggy, willfully stupid and naively following and unquestioning of the system . No one has a social life, no one has goals or dreams, and this isn't sad or depressing because, goals, dreams, and social lives are ideas that have been bred out of the human ideal.
- An idea I really like for the introduction, if I can pull it off: A monologue presented by the Consciousness struggling to speak through the noise and clamor of a sea of bureaucracy. The introduction is constantly interrupted by pointless forms, references, diagrams, etc. Thought: The perspective could be "I am the Consciousness, the voice you hear in your dreams"...
- I still don't have a real idea for a system for this game. I'm thinking that the meager abilities of the characters could lend itself to something card-based. I may just cave and play it with an interim system.
- Idea snippet: Children are taught by a full curriculum presented in ancient, ageless video/interactive media, not by teachers.
- Character/Consciousness-given driver ideas:
- Madness - with whatever low threshold that involves. Managed to slip away and keep their wits enough not to get caught. Would be called "individuality" in a saner time. (Trinkets: many options)
- Beauty and Discontent - Experienced something moving, and now sees what is missing from their lives (Trinkets: Music, art, poetry, a book... something of beauty)
- Futility - The System has placed the character in the functional version of an infinite loop, a Catch-22, or a divide-by-zero, and has goaded them to realize the greater futility of their existence. (Trinkets: The fatal form)
- Disorientation - Ended up lost or aimless for some reason (likely engineered by the Consciousness). (Trinkets: wayfinding device, keycard, the event itself)
- Drive/Solemn Quest - (Often futile) This person is single-mindedly driven by a solemn quest that may be unlikely to ever be fulfilled. (Ex: deliver X to Y, trace the miles-long power lines to find a fault, etc.)
