Kirin, I'm not finding _any_ of the DM tools around the site - I can refer what the Arena types mean, but can't find any docs. Are there some, and I'm missing them?

I'd love to run a playtest with our regular group, but Sarah is one of those people who simply doesn't want to be put on the spot. How do you handle the story-gameness with a player who sits back a bit?

That said, I think this is a brilliant project and I'm proud a friend of mine is doing work of this quality.

scyldsceafing said:

I'd love to run a playtest with our regular group, but Sarah is one of those people who simply doesn't want to be put on the spot. How do you handle the story-gameness with a player who sits back a bit?

I'll speak to my experience running the game.

The basic combat options available don't require spotlighted narration. You can make it through this game fine by simply doing Shoot, Focus, Move, Attack type stuff. You'll still contribute to the group's overall success.

That said, Awesome Points do fuel a lot of stuff in the game. They provide you with (effectively) extra hit points, more damage, special abilities and the ability to cast more spells. That's kind of a big deal.

One of the guys in my home group is a pretty casual gamer and doesn't like the spotlight. He earned less Awesome Points than the other players did in our small game the other night. BUT he still earned some because he still did some pretty awesome stuff just using the basic combat options. When he tossed the Spider Queen right off the bridge to her death in the early rounds of the combat, that was simply awesome. And the other players rewarded it.

So I guess I'd say that there are still plenty of chances to be awesome without overtly "whoring for Awesome Points". But will there be some inequalities? Probably.

I'm not big on the notion that we need to train players to have a particular playstyle. But in a case like this I'd probably try to remain aware of the spotlight averse player doing anything that was even a little awesome and take the opportunity to award that. And the rest of the players will probably tend to do the same because the leveling mechanic requires that EVERYBODY spend 10 Awesome Points before the party goes up a level.

scyldsceafing said:

Kirin, I'm not finding _any_ of the DM tools around the site - I can refer what the Arena types mean, but can't find any docs. Are there some, and I'm missing them?

No DM tools yet, although Rel's posted some monster generation tools that are basically identical (but more refined) from how I ran monsters at GC. Awesome Point economy has been explained as well, though I'm not sure whether that's in these forums or in the thread at CM.

I'm making a big push on getting all the DM stuff into the playtest package this Labor Day weekend. Dunno if I'll finish, but I'll probably post another WIP document for people to look at and critique.

You rock dude.

My next confirmed plans to run OSH aren't until WNCGD, starting September 23rd. If I can get a hold of the revised class sheets by then, I'm golden.

Some milestones have been reached, so time for a new list!

High Priority:

• Combat Crib Sheet and Cards - These need to be updated and at least for the crib sheet I need to put in some clarifications and other details on the more fiddly parts of the combat rules. The cards need to be brought up to the level of quality of the Hex Tracker. That being said, it feels great to have the system locked down. DONE!
• Monster Generation and Running Combat page - Putting together clusters of Arenas under the same theme, with some examples, and how you'd adjudicate Attribute checks for moving around in them. The different Monster Categories and how to play them and roughly calculate a challenge level. A sampling of Monster powers "purchasable" in-combat for Awesome Points.
• Awesome Points & Leveling Up page - A look at a strong economy, and a good sense of how to mete these out, and encouraging your players to reward each other. Saying Yes, how to Encourage Awesomeness instead of defaulting to "It's not in the Rules, you can't do it". Thoughts on how people who aren't being very awesome can get points. And so on. Leveling up is important, and what you get (new talent, new attribute bonus, etc.) Thoughts on Questing to get out of the Basic Game. DONE!

Mid-level Priority:

• Landscape-izing the Weapons & Arenas and the Armor & Healing sheets - These just need to be re-laid out lengthwise for consistency's sake. Also a few things on them need to be clarified. DONE!
• Treasure & Magic Loot - A sample of basic Magic Items, and how to create your own. What to do with earned gold. How reputation (and Scars) will effect your player's world.
• Rethinking the Attributes (Yet Again!) - This is still something I think is worth looking at. I just feel like we're at a point where the Attribute system is "good enough" but isn't necessarily perfect. This is something I keep waffling back and forth on changing.
• Sandbox Generation - The hex-outward method of playground creation, working the visible threat and the invisible threat. Playing with diversions. Some fun Adventure Creation tables. The importance of the Tavern.

Low Priority (If this stuff never gets done no big whoop)

• A sample map setting and a basic Adventure Idea.
• An Example of Play, maybe one page on creating a character and one page on a combat being run; great way to encourage the "flavor" of Old School Hack play.

I can't help but feel that we're getting really close to a solid, 24-page playtest book, and all the exciting announcing that that entails. I'm super jazzed about how far the game has come, and I can't wait to sit back and start thinking about the Heroic-level game, and coming up with the next chunk of Talents and ways to make the game "broader".
Thoughts?

kiznit said:

Thoughts on how people who aren't being very awesome can get points.

Be awesomer.

-Hyp.

Hypersmurf said:

kiznit said:

Thoughts on how people who aren't being very awesome can get points.

Be awesomer.

-Hyp.

Well, yeah!

So I realized today that I was missing a page to be created.

Nowhere in my rule map did I have a place where I explained, you know, making Attribute checks. I guess that since that's kind of important to the game, I'm throwing together a "Going Adventuring Page".

This has thrown off my anticipated goal of a succinct 24-page bundle. Damn it.

Just thought I'd mention that these forums have earned a spot on my Always Open Firefox Tabs for easy refreshing. That is all.

For now.

Definitely let me know if any of the game revisions force you to (gulp) move your bookmarks.

JCrichton said:

Just thought I'd mention that these forums have earned a spot on my Always Open Firefox Tabs for easy refreshing. That is all.

For now.

This is pretty much true for me as well.

Kiz, I don't know why 24 pages would be a magic number. I mean I suppose if you're thinking of bindery but other than that it's just a number. This content is too awesome to fit inside that number of pages!