When September Ends

This past Grandcon was my biggest success with Hostargo. I ran games, and had a blast. All of the feedback was about specific abilities or setting details, rather than mechanics, the character sheet, or rules really much at all. The game is nearly complete, and I need to push that last 20% that will take 80% of the effort. This design blog is no longer a priority as I head into the detailed finale of the project, including a campaign playtest, additional artwork, worldbuilding, and writing the actual book text.

I'm well on my way. I have a group that is going to play every other week on Mondays starting in October. I have no more obligations other than to finish tweaks, organize, and write the book text. We've crested the design hilltop and are sailing down that slope at top speed.

Of course there's the giant hill on the other side, called Kickstarter and self-publishing. Let's just hope I have enough momentum at this point to get my puny kart up that hill.

Cheers!

August Prepwork

August is the time to prep for my local convention, Grandcon. After finishing the uncertainty series, I'll now be taking a blog break as I work on my games. Thanks for tuning in, and we'll see you in a while!

Uncertainty in Games: Meaning

Poorly written rules are frustrating. Ambiguity can lead to disagreements or confusion. But the meaning of specific terms or abilities isn't always a detriment to gameplay.

When a game purposefully uses non-standard terms for standard game mechanics, it's a strain on any player's brain, forced to unnecessarily learn. When left open-for-interpretation, magic or other abilities can be wildly misused, derailing a game from its intended experience. However, the entire concept of tabletop RPGs is based on the idea that the GM is there to make judgement calls. If a designer embraces this concept, and employs the unpredictability of meaning into their game's mechanics, it can create a feeling of empowered ownership for the players interpreting those meanings.

An excellent example of this type of uncertainty at work is the game The Fall of Magic. The entire game is based around the abstract prompts presented by the constantly unraveling scroll. What exactly is a crabsinger? It's completely up to you! This type of mechanic gives the players direction, but ultimate agency in the game, resulting in a completely unique experience.

Tabletop RPGs are all about being creative, flexing your imagination, and using the rule-of-cool on the rules as written. Don't confuse your players with ambiguous mechanics. Include all of the information required to play your game, leaving only purposefully placed blanks for the players to fill in on their own!