Category Archives: Blog of Legend

Spark RPG – The Kickstarter

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I am very happy to announce that I have launched the kickstarter for the Spark RPG right over here.

It’s been more than a few years of work, and it’s taught me an incredible amount. The game evolved drastically over the years, and the hundreds of hours of playtesting really helped refine the game into what it is today. This process has taught me how to kill my darlings and accept constructive criticism, which I know will help me over the years to come. The game is finally ready, and as close to perfect as I can manage.

If you back the kickstarter at any amount, you will get full access to the nearly final version of the text. It needs some layout, additional art and extra content from the kickstarter backers, but it’s otherwise complete.

Now I just wait, and hope that enough of you fine ladies and gentlemen are willing to support me during this campaign.

Thank you very much.

SparkRPG-KSCover

Dresden Files RPG – A Magic System Hack

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I am a fan of Fate and the Dresden files RPG system in specific. That said, I have noticed that there are some rough spots in the magic system from my perspective. I found that the absolute dependence on the three existing magic skills was less than idea. This post consists of my little hack to the magic system to meet my personal preferences, in hopes that it broadens the discussion. I would love your comments and thoughts!

 

Changes to Powers

Evocation (-2)  (Wizard Requirement)

Evocation: You’re able to use evocation in all of its forms, as described on page 249. You gain five new skills, rated at Mediocre (+0), representing the different types of evocations that you are capable of performing. These skills are typically Fire, Air, Water, Earth, and Spirit/Force, for those trained in the classical western tradition. Underline these skills on the character sheet to keep track of them.

Specialization: Gain 5 Evocation Skill-points, which can only be spent on increasing your Evocation skills.

 

 Thaumaturgy (-2) (Wizard Requirement)

Evocation: You’re able to use Thaumaturgy in all of its forms, as described on page 261. You gain five new skills, rated at Mediocre (+0), representing the different types of thaumaturgical spells that you are capable of performing. These skills are typically Summoning and Binding, Conjuration, Divination, Veils, and Wards. Underline these skills on the character sheet to keep track of them.

Crafting: You can craft Items and Potions, which you may possess by purchasing the Focus Item, Enchanted Item or Potion

Specialization: Gain 5 Thaumaturgy Skill-points, which can only be spent on increasing your Thaumaturgy skills.

 

Refinement (-1) (Wizard Requirement)

Gain 5 skill points which may only be spent to increase your Evocation or Thaumaturgy skills.

 

Focus Items (-1) (Wizard Requirement)

A focus is simple. Whenever you cast a spell with the appropriate focus for the appropriate skill, you gain a free aspect of “Focussed” for that spell, including a free tag.

 

Enchanted Items (-1)

You gain 4 Enchanted Item slots.

 

Potions (-1) as normal

Channeling (-2)

Pick a specific thematic specialization of Magic. You can cast Evocations with your Conviction, within the limits of that thematic specialization.

 

Ritual (-2)

Pick a very specific Thematic area of magic. You can cast Thaumaturgy with your Discipline, within the limits of that thematic specialization.

 

Sponsored Magic (-1)

Gain the Channelling and Ritual rules, at no cost but incurring 1 Sponsor Debt with each casting.

 

Casting Evocations:

Follow all the normal procedures for steps 1,2 and 3.

Roll your appropriate Thaumaturgy Skill to control the power. You can apply aspects to this roll, including the free invoke of the “Focussed” aspect if you have a relevant focus item.

If you fall short, you will succeed but you will have to pay a price. Count the number of shifts that you are missing. Those will strike you as backlash, unless you can mitigate enough of them by….

  • Drawing on power outside yourself, taking on Sponsor Debt from other willing creatures or things beyond reality in exchange for two shifts.
  • You can cause fallout and damage the environment for two shifts.

Anything left over deals physical stress damage to you.

Rote spells work as normal.

 

Casting Thaumaturgy:

Follow all the normal procedures, except that your maximum number of shifts per roll is determined by your  Discipline instead.

Roll your appropriate Thaumaturgy Skill to control the power. You can apply aspects to this roll, including the free invoke of the “Focussed” aspect if you have a relevant focus item.

If you fail any individual roll, the spell fails entirely and there is a price. Count the number of shifts that you have accumulated so far. Those will strike you as backlash, unless you can mitigate enough of them by….

  • Drawing on power outside yourself by taking on Sponsor Debt from other willing creatures or things beyond reality. In exchange, you reduce the backlash by 2.
  • Sacrificing unwilling inhuman creatures during the casting, reducing the backlash by 2. Sacrifice of a more powerful creatures may further reduce the backlash.
  • Deliberately sacrificing humans will reduce the backlash by 4. Enjoy your new title as “Lawbreaker of the First Law”.
  • Drawing from objects that store power to reduce the backlash by 2.
  • Causing fallout and damage the environment to reduce the backlash by 2.

Anything left over deals physical stress damage to you.

Sharing Choices

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Art is a way to communicate experiences.  Every art form tries to convey different kinds of experiences, with a variety of different tools.

Paintings convey human perception of the world and of our own imaginations. When I saw a local Van Gogh exhibit, I was struck by his focus on the smallest gems of nature in a larger context. The individual paint strokes were used to convey a sense of motion, which is impressive in such a fixed media. This art form shares where we come from, and how we view the world.

Dance tells a story with the subtle movements of the human forms. Expressing ideas and concepts through their posture and movements is an impressive accomplishment that still boggles my mind.

Music shares emotion, from a melodious piano solo to an exciting and breathtaking full symphony. The interplay between instruments is a way to make emotions clear to the audience.

Roleplaying games hold a very special niche within the arts, in that our hobby forces the audience (players) to make choices. We create situations that are emotionally powerful and ethically challenging. We place ourselves in other people’s shoes and we make decisions that we could not or would not make in real life. Through roleplaying games, we can experience the agony of a small business owner who has to lay off his hard working staff. We can live the joy of a mother who reunites with her estranged daughter. We can destroy kingdoms, embrace a new faith, lose it all, or crawl up from the gutters. Each of these experiences helps us grow as people, and ensure that we can make better choices in the future in our own lives. That is the power of our art.

Am I wrong? Is there some aspect of RPG’s as an art for that I am missing? Let me know in the comments.

Step Die System Probabilities

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During one of my recent playtests, one of the testers with extensive scientific credentials expressed some misgivings about the statistical underpinnings of the resolution system of Spark RPG.  In appreciation for his concerns, I decided to spend a few hours and produce a comprehensive probability chart so this would be out in the open.

The basic system is that two different people will roll dice and add a static bonus to their result.   The size of die can be D4, D6, D8, D10, D12 or D20.  The bonuses scale from +0 to +6.  This leads to a total of 1764 potential permutations on the chart I have below. For reference, the X axis is the actor and the Y axis is the reactor; with the probability in each cell equal to the chance that X will succeed in the conflict.  I hope this will be of some use to someone.  If you find any errors, please don’t hesistate to notify me so I can make the appropriate corrections.

Spark Probability Tables

 

 

Your First RPG

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This is a section of the Spark RPG that I will regretfully have to cut during the revision process while I prepare version 3.5 of the beta. If anyone is looking for a write up on logistics for new gamers, please feel free to grab this wholesale.

 

Your First RPG

Time

You need to schedule some time when your group would be available. Discuss what day of the week you will be playing on and how frequently you plan on meeting. Try to determine when you plan on starting and finishing each session as well; I prefer 3-4 hour long sessions.

Every group has its own expectations on attendance at games. Some people can reliably block off game night, while others may have personal responsibilities or erratic work schedules.  The system can accommodate players who only participate infrequently but it’s up to you to figure out what’s comfortable for your group.

Play Space

You need fixed and dependable space to play the game. It could be the home of one of the players, the GM’s apartment, a gaming club, or even an online environment. Discuss what the best play space might be for the group. If you are playing in someone else’s space, be polite and help clean up after the game.

Food and Drink

I find it helpful to talk about food and drink before I start playing a game. Try to discuss any meal arrangements, snack foods, allergies, or beverage preferences. Games are much more enjoyable on a full stomach!