So, I was thinking about statistics.

I don't think I really want to have any. Not only do I consider Rob Donoghue's advice in Not Amber: Stats where he says,

As marginal bonuses in arbitrary categories, they can add unnecessary complication, and if they're just really broad skills, that calls into question the need for them at all.

but I thought for a while of breaking them down and kept running into a few contrary points.

Let's start with the Strength/Body statistic:

Most body statistics seem to be invented for a few purposes that do not relate to the game I want to run (because they don't relate to the game I want to play...)

The first is to suggesting the chance that the characters are not in peak physical condition, e.g., puny magic users using it as a dump stat for low rolls, characters that are smaller than regular humans, and any flavour to gain "disadvantage points," that usually make up for it.

The second purpose is to add to your bookkeeping. These are things like measuring how much you can carry (encumbrance), how long you can go without needing rest (endurance), and even your ability to be put to peril (hit points ... which will be dealt with later).

The third is to add challenges related to this statistic, like lifting heavy things, bending bars, breaking through walls when you can't pick the door lock... that sort of thing. The kinds of things that people in dungeons needed to do. (How many campaigns have I played in where the rule really was, "Take everything that isn't nailed down, and, oh by the way, I have a crowbar?")

On the other hand, I want people to be able to make calls on their aspects that apply specifically to their physical form. The net zero situation is like I said about age - you're presumed to be in peak physical condition.

So I see two choices I like. One, I can specify that you get one or two "free" dice-based aspects for the statistics. For example, I could break it down to, "You have 8 potential stats, and 10 dice, but each of these dice actually relate to a special detail about these statistics."

Or two, drop stats entirely and let the players spend regular "Aspect" dice on stats only if they want to use them.

I've got mixed feelings about both.

I'm still looking for elegant names for the eight potential stats, and for the stats themselves (I just pulled the number 8 out of the air), brainstorming gives me these:

1. Endure/Lift/Carry & Overcome (Physical)
   
2. Endure/Overcome (Mental/Magical)
   
3. Grace (Social)
   
4. Agility/Grace (Physical)
   
5. Lore (Mental/Magical)
   
6. Muscle Memory (Physical)
   
7. ...and I'm kind of out of ideas.
   

OK, maybe 8 isn't the right number. I thought of "Luck," but I don't see that as a reasonable statistic - I am already using dice.

I also note that I'm already using the same couplets for different perspectives that could use the aspect dice (d6) to specify.

The idea would be that you could, say, put an aspect on your Grace (Social) die that says, "All the ladies love me...anyway."

The preliminary poll of potential players says they like the attribute idea, but I'll need to work on better attributes.

My mental energy has been going into other projects recently, so I'm not handling aspects yet. Instead, I have decided to discuss religion and astrology.

The Empire has three Priesthoods. The Priests of the One, the Two, and the Three. It is said that the Three, which only allows women priests, consists of the One and the Two. The Two, which only allows male priests, deny that the One is necessarily part of the Two, but the One, the strangest sect, says it contains both the Two and the Three. Those of the One do not build any Temples, although you will often find altars to the One in the wilderness.

The Erza and the Teimoto have the most Temples of the Two. Arancimar and the Mata mostly have Temples to the Three. The Sole are mostly followers of the One.

There are many songs and stories about men and women who have gone to one or another of the Temples and changing gender. There's even a popular series of books about a Priest of the Two who becomes a Priestess of the Three. ("The Merrill Cycle.") As popular as they are, they are considered heretical in some more conservative areas.

Priests of the Two and Three have sacred robes and the creation of them is a highly profitable enterprise of a Placa Erza family. So much so that the Empress has agreed that impersonating a Priest is a hanging offense, if caught by the Servants of the Law. If caught by the Priests, the Law doesn't ask anything except for the belongings to be sent to the nearest Mother of the family.

The rules of War are a concern of the Three although all struggles are included, from disease to hard childbirth. The rules of Hospitality are the concern of the Two, including the rules of ownership and property. The rules of the natural world are the concern of the One. Relationship problems? Go to a Priest of the Two. Need a field blessed? Leave an offering for a Priest of the One. Looking to heal a summer fever? The Priests of the Three will come around. Only the Priest of the One will do it for free - the Two and Three may charge to improve the Temples.

As no PCs will be Priests, I'll leave the esoteric pieces alone. Most people will know Priestesses as it is considered good luck for a Second Daughter (a "Little Mother") to join the Church. Miracles are less common than magic.

As for Astrology, I am amending slightly what I wrote up for Amber games - no point in a familiar system going to waste.

The first sign (the cold night of winter)is Alsander: The helper.

The Winter-Spring transition is one celebrated in many cultures as the sun begins to be reborn, making its way into longer and warmer days. The second sign is Barclay: The foundation.

The two days before and after the Spring Equinox are known as the Dance Days. Sacred to Priests of the Two and the Three, it is the only time you see Kaleo: the Singer. Babies born here are considered especially lucky.

In Spring, you have the young things, and the signs of eternal youth, the birth of babies and blossoms. Brode: The reflection is the sign of Spring.

Spring turns into Summer, and the transition is sometimes subtle, other times obvious. The sign of this transition is Colman: Maker of peace.

The first part of summer is a bright time, full of festivals and sunshine. Devin: Patron of the arts oversees this time.

However, as summer wears on, things get warm, things dry out. In periods of drought, fields of flowers from spring are mere tinder for fire. This portion of Summer is seen by Fiach: Keeper of the dead. Fiach's celebrations are often pyres, and people light the torches to guide the ghosts during this time.

This time moves us into the transition of Summer and Fall. It is marked by milder temperatures and the beginning of harvest. However, the tempers fueled by Summer have not yet cooled, and Kellagh: Maker of war is often invoked, the stars of his constellation bright in the sky.

The first coming of Fall is a chill breeze, something you can smell in the air. Looking up into the sky now you will see Leon: The catalyst.

The first harvests are in, and in the sky is Maitias: The dreamer.

The Wraith Days are the two days before and after surrounding the equinox. These are the only days where the moon completes the sign known as Imogene: The mirror. It is sacred to Priests of the One. Babies born during this time are considered especially unlucky and are often given to the Priesthoods.

Once all of the fields are plucked clean, or left to the creatures who do such jobs, it is time to prepare them for the next year, and the long growing season. This transition into winter is somewhat less busy, as people enjoy the fruits of their labors. There is a lot of opportunity, however, to get into troublemaking. Reamonn: The activist.

So, we have the racial background of the character handled. (Don't forget to check out the comment that says what Earth region the GM will be lightly mimicking in naming things for each region.) The world is fairly established so except when dealing with nobility, crossbreeding is fairly common, and I'd like players to choose the look of their character. This is the part that's supposed to soothe the player's dress-up needs, after all. I don't think we need a "description" box. If players want to make their characters have physical ailments, they will need to choose aspects for that.

So, now we know a little about who the character is based on the world. Except, what exactly does the character do?

Well, as a profession idea, I had a set of different roles I wanted for the characters' "team."

1. Monster Hunter (a la The Witcher)
   
2. Diplomat and/or Knight
   
3. Sorceror
   
4. Alchemist
   
5. Assassin and/or Courtesan
   

I am, of course, willing to extend and overlap these slightly - a bard/diplomat. A herald-assassin. (I'd even give you a white horse... from Chelonia.)

As you can see, these are all roles that require a great deal of training. This suggests that I should make a rule on age; no child characters. While I like a "minor who has great natural aptitude" story as much as the next guy, that's a background item. (You can always choose it as an aspect.) I don't necessarily want to put in an upper limit on this one (hey, kind of like my OKCupid profile! [snort]) but if someone wanted to run someone more vulnerable (not just venerable) we could definitely work something in... and not just because I'm a fan of Cohen the Barbarian. I don't think "age" needs to be on the sheet, though.

When I say, "team," I do want to have something that shows that they've worked together before, so I may offer some free relationship dice or something. (Bonuses - a +1 for any claimed relationship on a roll, a +2 for any actively described relationship! Or not.)

So, I think the next step is defining how we're using aspects, how many you get, and how far they go...

The commenting feature has been fixed. Oops.

In the world "Skin" takes place, there are many diverse ethnic groups. As the game begins in Arancimar, a city-state to the east of the Margato Expanse (should be a sea, but the Arancimar traders irritated a Sole magistrate who changed the official records) we will start there.

Arancimar. The "Marid" (as they self-style themselves - the epithet is "Rancid") are dark of eye, olive-skinned, and dark-haired. The royal family line has the light eyes of the elf blood that once intermingled, and once in a while a Matriarch has hints of gold or red in their hair from the same source. Elves are not unknown in Arancimar, but while they are less feared than they are in the rest of the Empire, they're still a source of awe and concern. There is a Half-elven faction within the Arancimar Alchemical Institute known as "The Gilded Irios" whose works compete with the best in the Empire. Marid are stereotyped as being foppish and slightly anti-technology.

The Erza live just west and north of the Margato Expanse and are historically likely the progenitors of the Marid, They are split between the Quilha and Placa districts, or island or continent. Quilha are more likely to ruddy hair and skin colours, with eyes just as dark as the Marid's common folk, while Placa tend to lighter skin and hair. It is said that Elves avoided the small islands of the Erza's outer Quilha (the split between the continental mass and the strange islands separated by deep canals) and thus Elves travelling in that region are regarded with suspicion. Erza are stereotyped as being sneaky bureaucrats, with the general thought of, "They can hide anything in those deep straits...and probably do." Western (Placa) Erza tend to think of their Eastern Quilha brethren as fast-talking thieves, whereas the Quilha think of the Placa as slow to speak but likely to have generation-long schemes.

North of Erza are the Teimoto, and home of the Empire's Palaces. The Teimoto live in a land covered with beautiful ghost-lit vistas and the world's most dangerous weather. Proverbs from Teimoto often reflect that if it isn't hurricane season, it must be time for blizzards. Teimoto tend to be taller, light-skinned folk, with red eyes and a trace of epicanthic fold. They're somewhat protected from the light that comes from both sky and stone. Only in Teimoto is the rare glowing Urhante stone mined. (And it's non-radioactive! Awesome pebbles of continuous light!) [Sole's Aubril crystal is the closest cousin, and makes up Sole's (Sol-ay)'s (and thus the Empire's) most lucrative currency.] Teimoto are considered stubborn and large (therefore often clumsy) but often given the backhanded compliment (from those who have been there) that the view is worth it, when, you know, not covered in rain or snow. Or fog. Or ash. Or... well, you get the picture. The First Palace of Teimoto was an Elven city, but while Elves still wander the land after the War of Teimoto Rule, they say it is not time to return.

The large deserts of the Sole and their beautiful dark-skinned people (mostly brown or darker with purple sheen) are to the South of Arancimar. Sole are categorized as extremely hard working, tough, and fair, but somewhat greedy for all that. ("Why would they work so hard if they didn't want...things?" the Erza ask.) Many Sole act as judges and arbitrators for the Empire. There are rumours of "dark elves" that intermingle with Sole, but the land is parched of anything the Elves tend to claim of value. The gentle climate of Northern Sole has the largest population, but new routes to the mostly unexplored and uninhabited Southern Island (really a continent) are the hope of the Empire's Tradesmistress. Sole's many northern states go to ceremonial war with each other regularly - few are killed, much is bet on the results, and each of the states vie for honor points. It is quite a phenomenon for the tourist.

South of Sole it is said there be Dragons.

South of Erza are the jungles of Matanouse. The Mata people gave homes to the Elves and other nonhuman species, which have made them a fairly liberal society of crossbreeds. Mata are smaller folk, skin the color of Sole's sands, with eye and hair colors all over the spectrum due to the large concentration of wild magics there. Many Mata have slightly animal features. The Marid have their rivals in the Mata College for Alchemical Artistry, and the natural bounty of the Matanouse foliage often makes for interesting reagents. The ruling Mata family have a genetic anomaly showing in their four-fingered hands and prehensile tails, and it is said that no Matriarch can rule without these traits. This leads many skeptical of their financial success to say they lie with beasts to preserve their sense of beauty. Mata are often considered promiscuous, and they treat their men as equals, so they are often discriminated against in northern territories. The Empire counts the Matanouse as part of its territory. The Mata do not always agree. The freehold pirates off their eastern coast in Adrazar claim to be Mata, and often the Mata's First Family pays ridiculous fines for their acts. If the Adrazar suffer any retribution for this, northerners do not know.

East of Matanouse is Adrazar, and the boundaries of the Empire. Not much is known of the areas past that, for too much further East lies Southern Sole Isle, and, well, Dragons.

West of Matanouse is the mountainous region of Chelonia, and those of the Chelon are not part of the civilized world. Chelonians are grey-skinned to deathly pale, and their eyes are grey to pure white, said to be the result of black alchemy they practiced in the past. Most Chelons are blind, although they may have compensated through other means. The Empire is officially at war with Chelonia, but not individual Chelon (although they can be arrested at any time.) Chelons are mostly descended from exiled prisoners of the War for Teimoto Rule, but the land has changed them.

South of Chelonia is Takatakastag which is the "place that nothing flies." Not much is known about this place, and if there are native folk here, they must look like some other group. Beware anyone who says they are from anywhere in Takatakastag. They are likely liars.

So, I finally decided that I'd hack to death a few systems to get the kind of characters I wanted for this game. I figured I'd kind of document the process here.

The first thing I should do is at least pin a title on the game so we know what we're talking about... in this case, it's called "Skin of the Naranpelo." We'll call it "Skin" for short, and perhaps humourous opportunities. (The Naranpelo is an alchemical fruit that's very important to the Arancimar royal family, and thus, the characters.)

OK, what do we start with on every character sheet? Ah yes, Player Name. Why? I mean, I'll know people by character name quickly enough... Is there any other reason than when we pass the sheets back out between games we want to know who has what?

I've slowly grown into the "take them back at the end of the game, pass them out in the beginning" for three main reasons.

1. It allows me to review and revise against my information when I have a chance to look at it. This also provides the option to see, "Oh, X has a specialty in wine tasting. I so need to get that into play."
   
2. It is a central location where it goes with the rest of the "game stuff" and is less likely to be lost in-between sessions. I mean, if my notes are gone, everything's gone. The players don't have to leave it in the car, or accidentally turn it in with their homework or that sales report...
   
3. It prevents any temptation for player fraud. This is a low-priority item for me, but maybe your group isn't quite as liberal.
   

So maybe we'll start with Character Name instead. And I'll let the players choose that... I've been tempted otherwise at times, and I should probably give them some guidelines as to the "feel" or cultural style to names. In this case, Arancimar could have kind of a Mediterranean feel (at least, that's the climate I'm picking for it.) So I'll make some kinds of suggestions along those lines.

Character Gender will actually have an importance in this game - most of the people in power are women. Men are having a bit of a renaissance in authority, and that's a political point the characters could influence, but all the economic influence are in families noted by their matriarchal lineages.

If I want to include Character Race I need to have some differentiation. It's not about attribute bonuses - everyone's human (I might accept a half-elf) but it'd be a cultural designation. I think this is something I might want to tilt towards the aspect side of things, because otherwise it starts to be more pre-game study for the players and, well, PCs are (IMO) exceptional individuals so they might not fall into the various stereotypes of their races anyway. They'll learn in-game about the stereotypes for sure.

Physical characteristics? Hmmm. Maybe in the next segment.

So, I'm starting to write about the "Skin of Naranpelo" campaign, and I get to a place where I say, "No, wait, I need to talk about this first, SRSLY." (Because LOLCat has macro'd some of my basic linguistic synapses.) I mean, I can't even tell you what "Skin of Naranpelo" is because my brain says, "No, stop, blogger time." ("Can't type this." There are just some MC Hammer references that will stay part of the culture.)

Um. I know, I'm not writing Dr. E and concerned about blathering for wordcount. Focus is important, but apparently, getting this topic out of my head is essential.

See, I'm talking about cheating. Not, "He loves the gamemaster more than me," kind of cheating, but the real in-game cheating.

Shaved dice, pencil'd plus attributes, and just misreporting what the results were by, you know, one or two successes at this far end of the table.

THAT kind of cheating.

peer behind the GM screen • • "Player Fraud or Attribute Creep" »

It should go without saying that, really, you should never have to game with people who make you uncomfortable. It also goes without saying that it can be difficult to get a gaming group together, and so we often settle for the dysfunction we have rather than make too many waves (c.f.; "at least we're gaming" and related arguments of desperation.)

The article from the wisdom of Rob Donoghue, "Freeze," has hit my friends' attention (you know, link sharing and essays and such) like a storm, and it's relevant, especially as it touches lightly upon something that got my ire when I discussed being a woman at the table.

I don't think it's all a bunch of fellows being hard on the newb. Like I said in my follow-up, I freeze (or slow) mostly because I don't want to tread past my boundaries. I'm learning to get over it, and I've seen when I've been with my friends that I don't freeze when I know those boundaries.

I guess we'll see the next time I go outside "my group."

That's what I'm really about, actually. When you've got "your group" you're used to the dysfunction. It's your dysfunction and the familiarity is comfortable, even the aggravation of it.

peer behind the GM screen • • "New, Less Flammable Friends" »

[copied to Tumblr]

So, we've moved. Well, I have to say it in past tense because we're living out of the house, and we've got everything out of the four storage rooms and into storage in our place, but really, while the binary switch has been flipped, the act of "moving" has merely metamorphosized from nymph to pupa stage.

We're setting up the front room with the idea that we're going to start gaming again... and while there are social issues ("We can't simply get new, less flammable friends," I explain) involved, I'm of course less worried about that than starting to work on a new campaign.

peer behind the GM screen • • "An Elegant System" »

Disclaimer:

Someone I know chants, "My process is not your process," and that applies. The series is called, "How I Design a LARP," not, "Any Other Way is Unworthy."

Ask me questions, because I'm sure I am missing something integral to the way I will be running these, and I need good co-GMs who understand my whimsical ways.

peer behind the GM screen • • "How I Design a LARP (part three: Bits and Pieces and Props)" »