Interacting with "The World"

We all strive to change the world around us. Sometimes, we sit down at a table and pretend we have more influence than we really do by interacting with an imaginary environment controlled only loosely by a set of agreeable rules. We want to see how, through our character's actions, we can change that made up world.

We play RPGs to find out what happens. That is why they almost always include some sort of random chance: fate is just another player in the world building sessions we indulge in. Fate is one way to make the world interesting. We use our actions, and those of fate, as an input to discover a world filled with mystery, intrigue, and adventure. The output of those actions, of course, is a world that has changed.

In Hostargo, I've put a heavy focus on how characters interact with the world. Their special abilities, roles, and even motivations are all driven by a need or want for change. This enables players to have a visible impact on the game world, rewarding them simply by the act of playing the game. The Cypher archetype, for example, interacts with the world through hacking cyberspace, enabling them to change the way physical machines work. The Socialite has a knack for manipulating the world's NPCs, instantly making the player feel power over those around them. For those with a more mystical side, the Daemon archetype gives the player power over light and the shadows it creates.

Hostargo stresses the need for interesting environments. Players want to use their abilities to shape the events, characters, and locations that surround them. Good adventure design is the key to a good game, and Hostargo aims to be the perfect toolbox for designing those adventures. Defining archetype abilities gives the GMs of Hostargo the ability to populate their adventures with environmental interaction opportunities. Once the environment is set, the rest is up to the players (including the ever-so-exciting fate)!

Characters interacting with the world around them is ultimately what every RPG is about. There are an infinite variety of flavors and styles of this input->output function, which is why there are so many RPGs. Hostargo is my flavor, and its archetypes are my style.