Common Worlds

Fair enough

Almost. see below.

yes.

I think you're trying to be too specific. You don't have to tell the story of how Vaneesha fooled the Axe Sister. But in using an affinity, you need to be able to back up your statement that the god's magic can do whatever it is that you are trying to do.

You do that by explaining a tiny part of a myth story. "I will prove I am alive by being in the land of the living, as Vanesha confused Bronze Fist at the Riddling Gate by ending the Dance of Edges inside the Gate."

You don't have to tell me the whole story. BUT the important idea is that you use some action of the god's to match some action of yours.
Jesus didn't use his "Turn the Other Cheek" feat to win a boxing match, he used it to shame his attacker.

Facing the Purple Giant of 8 arms and 4 swords, Vaneesha didn't use his Edges affinity to confuse the Giant or to sneak past him, he used it to kick his ass.

So don't tell the story of the Purple Giant when you don't want to kick someone's ass..

There's a larger point that you are close to here:
Not all characters are good at all things. "Edges" was just the best choice you had for the contest, but it doesn't mean it was a good one.

Kirk, forget Mike's answers...I think a simple 'yes, you are dense' would have sufficed! :D

If I may interject my 2 cents regarding my personal experience...I had (still have sometimes) the exact same problem of just what I can and can't exactly do. So when Mike says for example 'You do that by explaining a tiny part of a myth story. "I will prove I am alive by being in the land of the living, as Vanesha confused Bronze Fist at the Riddling Gate by ending the Dance of Edges inside the Gate.' I used to go wtf? I'm guessing that you're thinking how do YOU know that Vanesha confused Bronze Fist etc...or better yet, how do YOU know that Garusharp knows? I am probably pushing the edge here with a super sized brush, but I have come to the conclusion that you actually just make it up (play it out/tell the story) but in the context of something that your deity/great spirit would actually do. This is in line with Heroquest's method of using 100 words to make up your character. The myth I wrote about Joraz Kyrem going to the Underworld and finding the Zebra spirit - made it all up. But I tried to stick to mythos/adventure protocol (problem found, call to arms, starting the quest, ending, prologue, etc) and more to the point, sticking to what Joraz Kryem is about - defeating darkness, using arrows, using light, etc. I believe the 'Jesus turns the other Cheek' feat may not be the best example, only because we actually KNOW that feat. To me, this was a very difficult concept to grasp - the making up part. But it isn't required that much - and this is a special instance as we are heroquesting.

Of course, if I have it all wrong - oh what the hey, consider it yin and yang for Mike torturing me with my Reprimand/Browbeat follower!

Brian

p.s. yes, I am waiting for 6 jobs to finish, and I am bored...

This is exactly right.

Exactly.

Keep in mind that you know the story of Turn the Other Cheek. How many christians actually know the feat?

Ultimately, the realization we all need to make is that control of your characters and their backgrounds is much more shared than it is in other RPGs. That extends to your backgrounds, and the backgrounds of your religions.

Mike,
I can understand everything you said about Brian's statements except the last part about being shared. Could you relay more about that?

Actually, Garusharp and Vaneesha are the best examples in the game.

I gave you the character's "first" origin --a brain damaged, tortured captive or horror.

Then I let you define your way out of it.

You wanted a deity of a type that isn't published within the existing material. I let you create one, and we have and continue to share the discovery of Vanesha Kan Sa's background and powers.

Remember how I mentioned that back before you discovered who you were, you could, at any time in the game, declare that you recalled a skill, relationship or magic appropriate for the situation at hand?

That's what I mean by shared.

Here's another take on ad libbing feats.

When your character needs to do something that is clearly similar to a feat that your god gives, but isn't a feat you have, then you don't need to make up a story.

Example: Orlanth's Movement affinity often includes a feat of Run Over Mud. If you want to Run over Waves, I won't ask you to give me the story where Orlanth did that. It just happens at a -3 to the Affinity.

Remember that for almost every theist, this is how it ALWAYS works. Almost every theist is an initiate, and they ALWAYS ad lib feats because they ONLY have the Affinity.

Now, if you worship Orlanth and want to use his Movement Affinity to ad lib a Dance So the Pretty Girls Notice feat, then I will probably ask you to cite some story where Orlanth did just that. That's because there isn't an existing feat similar to that that we know of.

And all you have to say is "When Orlanth challenged Yelm to the Three Contests, at the contest of Dancing he did his war dance and Ernalda noticed how strong and vital he looked."
You DON"T have to tell me the whole story.
You DON'T have to know that the story already exists.
You DON'T have to know how the story ends.
It DOES have to be an action by the God that is similar to what you're trying to do, and ended in the way you want your action to end. Which is typically "successfully."

So don't give examples of some time when the god failed at something as a time when you can try it and succeed.

Example: If your Orlanth worshipper is trying to keep the peace with his host, don't cite the story of Orlanth in the Dark Lord's Keep, where Eurmal broke hospitality and it was the Storm God's responsibility, ending in his imprisonment.

Here's another example.

Hero points are your votes about what is important in the game.

When you spend one on a roll, you're saying that it is important to your view of the narrative that you succeed, or at least not fail too badly.

When you spend Hero Points on improvements or new skills and such, you're saying that the changes you put on your sheet are important to the ongoing narrative of the game.
Sometime those changes are easy and cheap, as when your hero improves due to some session related thing.
Sometimes they are hard and expensive, as when a player decides that it is important for his character to develop something new that wasn't related to the game.

Think about that last bit--it is a game mechanic which encourages you to have your Hero do all the important things in game.

So, if Rasa went back to Pavis and decided that he wanted to build a sorcerous secret society, Brad has two basic choices:

1 Talk to me about it a session or two ahead (hopefully), explaining that he intends to pursue this on his return. Give a few examples of what he wants to do and how he's going to go about it. I run an adventure, and if things go well at the end of it I may direct a new relationship onto his sheet, or ask him to pay 1 point to start a relationship to that new sorcerous secret society. He probably
gets HP for doing it this way.

2 Tell me he wants to build the same thing he mentions above, and spend 2X the points for new things unrelated to game sessions.[/b]

See?

But I didn't want to start another topic just for this. Plus, rereading the above won't hurt any of you.

http://www.indie-rpgs.com/_articles/system_does_matter.html

Greetings Mike,
Is the hero quest you mentioed with 1) Pavis, 2) control over a space and 3) an ally a documented case or is it a title that still needs to be written about in order to be used in a game?
Jonathan

Jon,
I've read the above twice, and all I can respond with is "Huh?"

I'm not sure what you're talking about. Some rough outline of a quest that I mentioned?

OK - It is the quest that you suggested we use for retaking the Champion's Hall from the Zorak Zorani Trolls. I guess it needs to be written up, but it sure sounded appropriate at the time.

Here's the rough outline as I recall describing it.

Pavis recognizes a Magic Place as worthy of interest. The ruins of Robcradle.
He discovers that it has a powerful guardian. The giant Thog.
He seeks a powerful ally to defeat the giant. The Faceless Stone Statue, resident at Throne in the Shadows Dance troll lands.
He learns to control the statue and uses it to defeat Thog.
Other allies (the mostali) take the defenses built by Thog and turn them to Pavis' use. They enchanted the great, giant built walls.
Pavis founded his city within.

Try plugging your options into the italicized text.

Greetings,
Will recognizes a Magic Place as worthy of interest. The Zorak Zorani Temple formerly the Champion's Hall.
He discovers that it has a powerful guardian. Great Trolls (plus the potential for Great Troll Spirits and other Darkness Spirits).
He seeks a powerful ally to defeat the Zorak Zorani. The Kagkrokka Clan or the Oakfed Fire (or both).
He co-operates with the powerful ally and uses it to defeat ZZ.
Other allies (the mostali and/or Kagrokka) take the defenses and turn them to Pavis' use again. We rededicate the temple building to Pavis. Pavis has its Champion's Hall back (and a new champion).
Jonathan