Tynam

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In The Beginning Was The d20. Daniel is a long-time computing geek who spends his days spreading this good word. Interests include painting, medieval swordsmanship, and every conceivable form of game design.

	5,888 reputation	bio	website		visits	member for	2 years, 7 months
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Feb 22	comment	What is a good mechanic for a test of will power? @DerekTomes: What you say is completely true, but there's a difference between favouring skill and favouring natural ability. LARP fighting favours those who train, but anyone can practice and get better, and you stand a small chance even against a stronger opponent. Beware of contests which don't have that much variation, because then in a match between the same two players the same one will always win - which is probably not the game design you wanted.
Feb 22	comment	How do I help my players get past an obstacle I didn't intend? @leokhorn is completely right. Make sure there's some other limit on the power of the well, and let the players know it! Once they realise they can get one NPC to wish, they'll realise they can get one hundred NPCs to wish...
Feb 19	comment	What is a good mechanic for a test of will power? @DerekTomes: ...as an asthmatic who prefers to play wizards, I don't. A physical contest system needs to take into account that some people are inherently unable to compete on even terms. (Tests requiring colour-recognition have the same problem - a small percentage of your players just can't do it.) Of course, if you have a small group it may be that it's not a problem for any of your players. In which case go right ahead.
Feb 18	comment	Crime Investigation in a fantasy world +1 This is a very good point; fantasy world have very different forensic capabilities. (It's worth remembering that Necromancy didn't originally mean "magic for affecting the dead". It meant magic for gathering information from the dead. "-mancy" implies divination... and if your fantasy world allows people to speak with the dead in any way, the judicial system will have someone who can.)
Feb 12	comment	Should I read the Dresden Files fiction before I get the RPG? @thatgirldm: Oh, sure, if you're going to read the whole series, you should go back and fill in Storm Front. But if the aim is to start with a book or two to get the feel of the character and universe, it's not quite a representative start, and it's definitely not the best novel. Fool Moon and Grave Peril give a much better picture. And even later on, the "how I learned Fuego" short story introduces that big-spoiler-plot-arc much better than Storm Front does.
Feb 6	comment	GMs and MCs, When do you say, 'No,' to your players? Wow. A beautiful answer, neatly encapsulating what's different about Dungeon World. (Notice that my entire answer fits inside case 2, with room to spare!) +1 for you.
Feb 5	comment	Should I read the Dresden Files fiction before I get the RPG? A perfect summary; +1. If you only care about the Fate rules, then DF YS is the best book to read until FATE core comes out. If you care about running games in Dresden's world, the books are not completely necessary - but they'll be a huge help.
Feb 5	comment	Should I read the Dresden Files fiction before I get the RPG? A side note... if you want to read one of the books first, you don't have to start with Storm Front - it's a clumsy early work by comparison to the rest of the series. Fool Moon (the second novel) gives just as solid a picture of the world, and is a better novel. The plot proper starts in the third, and anything after about book six will make no sense unless you're reading the entire series.
Feb 4	comment	How does a skill modify another skill? DFRPG still uses restrict and complement, but they're relegated to a sidebar of useful terms - it's on YS p214.
Feb 3	comment	What is an example of a “Pure” Simulationist system? An excellent analysis of why there are so few simulationist games. +1.
Feb 2	comment	GMs and MCs, When do you say, 'No,' to your players? Good point @SevenSidedDie; it's implicit but not explicit in my answer. You want to edit that in, or shall I?
Feb 2	comment	GMs and MCs, When do you say, 'No,' to your players? Hmmm... That's an excellent alternative approach to the same basic situation. "Make them show you" is exactly what I was trying to get at. +1.
Jan 29	comment	How to build a Secret Base without killing the builders Regardless of the physical headquarters, this is an important approach. +1 for defence in depth.
Jan 26	comment	Dresden RPG - How easy is it to avoid First Law violations? @psr: The penalty for breaking the First Law is: there's a +1 bonus to all skill rolls that would break it in the future. (This is a stunt, so you're forced to pay its 1 refresh cost.) It's brilliant. A temptation to do it again in future that tempts the player, not just the character, while giving you less fate to avoid compels and tricky situations.
Jan 25	comment	Looking for Role playing games with interesting social mechanics Especially as in this regard the Fate Core system is fundamentally similar to Dresden Files... which I was about to mention myself if Simon hadn't brought up FATE. (I think the kickstarter status actually helps with an idea trawl, since questioner can get the rules text for a $1 pledge instead of buying the full book.)
Jan 25	comment	How do you make the PC scream: “I wish we had a mage!”? I agree with @TimothyAWiseman, except for one key point: do not drop an NPC comment even vaguely similar to "oh yeah, you needed a mage". If you've set up the mage-would-really-help challenge right, they'll spot the obvious value without prompting. If you haven't, the argument won't be convincing just because you had an NPC say it. Definitely a case of show, don't tell. Still, good answer. +1.
Jan 25	comment	Dresden RPG - How easy is it to avoid First Law violations? Ooh, good question. (Side note: the rules penalty for violating the First Law is one of the cleverest bits of game design I've seen in a long time.)
Jan 20	comment	How can I keep track of Aspects and Powers? Oooh, good idea. I'll try this out next time I run Dresden.
Jan 20	comment	How can I keep track of Aspects and Powers? @SevenSidedDie: It's possible you read in the 90 seconds between when I posted and when I realised I'd missed that out and edited it in. I'm guessing that you read just fine, and also quickly. ;)
Jan 20	comment	How can I keep track of Aspects and Powers? @BESW: I have some reassuring words on that subject, but we should take this to chat, because it's no longer a direct answer to the question.