In a period of time in which it was difficult to play tabletop games with our friends due to time and distance, my partner and I made up a game where I GM'd her adventures as Penny, a master thief who would take jobs for fun and profit. We used Scarlet Heroes, whatever maps I could find, and a large amount of random tables to allow Penny to play in a fairly open sandbox.
The name of this blog comes from this game.
Many of my interests in RPG design and GMing were developed, if not sparked, by Penny's Ventures: one-on-one games (which Kirk Johnson-Weider, in his excellent series of columns on RPGnet, called -duets-), player-focused prep (ie; trying to create only what would matter to the player--especially important when there is only one), timer mechanics for pacing (very much related to fronts from Dungeon World and the clocks in Blades in the Dark) and--most enduringly--the use of several random tables mashed together to quickly generate a number of hooks and encounters.
Penny would receive criminal job offers in dead-drops she had secreted throughout the world. Each job would be from a patron (that she either knew already or was someone new) and included broad details of the nature of the job, potential rewards, and how far it was to travel from her current location. She could choose whichever one caught her interest, at which point we would use the selected job, a few more random tables, and the current context of the gameworld to set up the details of the game session--either right there at the table (in a quick and dirty manner), or well beforehand if I had texted my partner with a list of jobs and they picked one for the next session.
I want to dig into how I generated Penny's job offers, because it was key to make them interesting and fun as well as tie in to Penny's background and the gameworld.
It started with researching patrons and jobs as used in sci-fi freelancer games like Traveller. The patron-job structure needed for Penny was a clear analogue and I figured I didn't need to reinvent the wheel when I could just reskin a sci-fi one for the generic fantasy realm Penny played in. I ended up choosing the Mission Generator from Thunderegg's OSR Sci Fi GM Screen they made for running White*Star--it was freely available (at the time--I'm unable to find the pdf they offered now but the blurb on the RPGGeek page confirms my memory), very simple, and very hackable.
It boils down to 5 random tables:
1d4 to get a patron. (Corporate, Criminal, Government, or Military)
1d10 for what they want. (ie; Smuggling, Escort, Con, etc)
1d6 for the risk (how many encounters it will entail).
1d6 for how distant the job is. (your current planet, in the next star system, etc)
1d6 for the reward.
I liked that the "what they want" roll was modified by the type of patron. -1 for Criminal, +1 for Military or Government. The table is written so that the extreme outcomes (and therefore, certain kind of jobs) are more or less likely depending on the patron. Some of the tables made certain outcomes more likely by giving the same result for a range of rolls (ie; a roll of 1-3 gets a certain result).
Also, the reward was a) not always monetary (one outcome was "favour owed" which I LOVE), but also b) proportional to the Risk roll+Distance roll, which is a neat way to automatically ensure that harder jobs are worth more.
The thing that -really- caught my attention was the reward table result for rolling a 6: "Roll again, plus add +1 to Reward Risk for all future missions". Over time, missions get more difficult and take a longer time, in a way that is disconnected from the PC's level. That is, on the assumption that this is actually permanently increasing the Risk roll (AKA nudging upward the likey number of encounters the mission will entail), and not just inflating the Reward on its own (because "Reward Risk" is not explained).
In any case, the idea that the result of a roll on a random table could alter future rolls on that table is -very cool-. The use of nested random tables is long-established, where a certain result on a top-level table gets you to roll on a different sub-table. There are also results like "roll again on this table" or the more interesting "roll again and combine". But here we have random tables that are -recursive-; that not only refer to themselves but can -alter- themselves.
Has anyone seen recursive tables before? Let me know--I couldn't find any in a cursory skim of bookshelf.
***
The table determining the patron offering Penny a job is as follows:
1d6: Patron
1-2: criminal
3: noble/merchant
4: government
5: military
6: former patron
If the result is 6, we roll on the Former Patrons subtable. Every time Penny accepts a job from a new patron (1-5), they're added to the Former Patrons subtable.
As the game progresses, Penny's list of former patrons grows, and she will receive job offers from people she's worked for before. This gives a nice sense of continuity, and the potential for some interesting decisions and mechanics. What if refusing to take enough jobs from a former patron culls them from the table? Or if choosing between two former patrons will cause conflict between them--say, if one patron asks Penny to steal from another?
Next time, I'll talk about how I flesh out the patrons and their jobs, and experiment with the structure of the tables.
Monday, August 5, 2019
Thursday, August 1, 2019
In My *DREAMS
After some time away (during which OSR turned within and G+ died), I wanted to see what was going on, and found SWORDDREAM (which for my own reference, tounge-in-cheekly backronyms to Second Wave of RPG Design, DIY Rules Everything Around Me).
(I found this post most helpful in understanding what *DREAM is and might be and what it isn't and shouldn't. Also the splat is there because not everyone dreams of swords.)
There are nine principles that people have pinned to the door and I wanted to put them here (again for my own reference have you seen how many fucking blogs are in my roll I can't keep track of anything) and jot down some thoughts on each one if I had any.
Copied from a post on Fish in the Pot, with my notes under each one:
THE NINE PRINCIPLES OF *DREAM
1. *DREAM stands against hate & prejudice in all forms. We seek to actively oppose bigotry & harassment in gaming communities. We create kind spaces.
The less people like Pundit and Zak in the scene the better, and the more diversity among designers and players the better. Even if this started as a kneejerk reaction to the shitheads (which it really doesn't feel like), it's important to make this value crystal clear.
2. *DREAM works to be radically inclusive. We seek support and encourage creators, GMs, Players, and organizers from marginalized groups. And we seek to get better at this all the time.
Same as above thought. Also: how can -I- be better at this?
3. *DREAM encourages the use of sensible tools for communication and consent.
The X Card comes to mind. Are there other tools?
4. *DREAM opposes harassment and strives for non-toxic discourse. We value best intentions, we call in before calling out, and we start discussions before we make accusations. We seek to empower everyone to curate their spaces.
Thoughts 1 and 2 again. Curating our own spaces is important. Nobody has to listen to shitheads if they don't want to, especially not in their own house. This isn't some rationalist agora. I feel like Principles 2-4 are ways of implementing the broader value expressed in 1.
5. *DREAM values creators & their work. We support equitable pay for professional creators and fair treatment for hobbyists.
"Fuck you, pay me." But also, fair treatment for hobbyists means that if people hack your work, or criticize it--don't go after them.
6. *DREAM values a DIY approach to creation. We question gatekeeping, we take alternative approaches when traditional publishing models fail, and we believe anyone can make great games.
7. *DREAM values experimentation in game design & world-building.
I like this a great deal.
8. *DREAM isn’t defined by, but is interested in: anti-canons, emergent story, generative worlds, kitbashing, non-violent play options, and more. And it is fine if some of these things contradict each other.
So much of these specific interests are my own that I really want this scene to persist (and of course I should contribute to the pile if I really mean it), but to pick out one that challenges my preconceptions: -emergent story-. I have used Fate a bunch and enjoyed many so-called "storygames", but this feels like something different. Is it in the OSRian sense, where the story comes out of what the players actually do in response to the neutral-abiter-DM's in-game situations -as opposed to- having written out a plot and characters etc? Not like to railroad the PCs but like... are emergent narratives the opposite of adventure paths and box text? This, above all, for me, warrants exploration. A delight of OSR/DIY/artpunk(and now *DREAM) is the rich, dense items in random generation tables. For improvisational purposes, a detailed-yet-brief prompt is a strong start... for emergent narrative? I have usually defaulted to very neutral items in my tables (but was I using those for generative worlds? or what even is that if I misunderstand?) and let improvisation and the depth of the setting inspire details. Anyway, there's loads of stuff to explore in this space.
9. There is no one *DREAM. Anyone who commits to these principles is *DREAMing.
Excellent.
I look forward to seeing what comes out of the *DREAMJAM so we can see what up in this scene.
(I found this post most helpful in understanding what *DREAM is and might be and what it isn't and shouldn't. Also the splat is there because not everyone dreams of swords.)
There are nine principles that people have pinned to the door and I wanted to put them here (again for my own reference have you seen how many fucking blogs are in my roll I can't keep track of anything) and jot down some thoughts on each one if I had any.
Copied from a post on Fish in the Pot, with my notes under each one:
THE NINE PRINCIPLES OF *DREAM
1. *DREAM stands against hate & prejudice in all forms. We seek to actively oppose bigotry & harassment in gaming communities. We create kind spaces.
The less people like Pundit and Zak in the scene the better, and the more diversity among designers and players the better. Even if this started as a kneejerk reaction to the shitheads (which it really doesn't feel like), it's important to make this value crystal clear.
2. *DREAM works to be radically inclusive. We seek support and encourage creators, GMs, Players, and organizers from marginalized groups. And we seek to get better at this all the time.
Same as above thought. Also: how can -I- be better at this?
3. *DREAM encourages the use of sensible tools for communication and consent.
The X Card comes to mind. Are there other tools?
4. *DREAM opposes harassment and strives for non-toxic discourse. We value best intentions, we call in before calling out, and we start discussions before we make accusations. We seek to empower everyone to curate their spaces.
Thoughts 1 and 2 again. Curating our own spaces is important. Nobody has to listen to shitheads if they don't want to, especially not in their own house. This isn't some rationalist agora. I feel like Principles 2-4 are ways of implementing the broader value expressed in 1.
5. *DREAM values creators & their work. We support equitable pay for professional creators and fair treatment for hobbyists.
"Fuck you, pay me." But also, fair treatment for hobbyists means that if people hack your work, or criticize it--don't go after them.
6. *DREAM values a DIY approach to creation. We question gatekeeping, we take alternative approaches when traditional publishing models fail, and we believe anyone can make great games.
7. *DREAM values experimentation in game design & world-building.
I like this a great deal.
8. *DREAM isn’t defined by, but is interested in: anti-canons, emergent story, generative worlds, kitbashing, non-violent play options, and more. And it is fine if some of these things contradict each other.
So much of these specific interests are my own that I really want this scene to persist (and of course I should contribute to the pile if I really mean it), but to pick out one that challenges my preconceptions: -emergent story-. I have used Fate a bunch and enjoyed many so-called "storygames", but this feels like something different. Is it in the OSRian sense, where the story comes out of what the players actually do in response to the neutral-abiter-DM's in-game situations -as opposed to- having written out a plot and characters etc? Not like to railroad the PCs but like... are emergent narratives the opposite of adventure paths and box text? This, above all, for me, warrants exploration. A delight of OSR/DIY/artpunk(and now *DREAM) is the rich, dense items in random generation tables. For improvisational purposes, a detailed-yet-brief prompt is a strong start... for emergent narrative? I have usually defaulted to very neutral items in my tables (but was I using those for generative worlds? or what even is that if I misunderstand?) and let improvisation and the depth of the setting inspire details. Anyway, there's loads of stuff to explore in this space.
9. There is no one *DREAM. Anyone who commits to these principles is *DREAMing.
Excellent.
I look forward to seeing what comes out of the *DREAMJAM so we can see what up in this scene.
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