MANDATORY USE OF RULES Not all rules will be applied in the same way by all gaming groups: table preferences and biases derived from other gaming systems are all external elements that, as a designer, you cannot control. To this must be added the observation that, even if a rule is written, it need not always be adhered to rigidly because doing so is not always beneficial. The most striking example is the Check, where the Player narrates the Failures. Experience with long-term playtests has demonstrated that the description is frequently unnecessary, for the simple reason that, in 90% of cases, the description of the action itself makes the outcome of the Failure abundantly clear. It is our responsibility as designers to make sure that the gaming system always provides a straightforward solution to tricky situations. This is accomplished by subjecting the game to stress during the playtest phase, much like how any product that must be released onto the market is tested for a considerable amount of time to determine whether it has any issues. Monad Echo is a system that analyzes storytelling, but each Player will interpret it differently. One group could explore a place by moving inch by inch on a detailed map, and another group could investigate the same place room by room using much more abstract movement rules. Your game needs to offer a set of rules that encourage the kind of experience you want to create: young heroes saving the world, adventurers risking their lives in a dungeon, and survivors of a post-apocalyptic world battling perils are all good examples. As a designer, it is up to you to set up Descriptors, Gifts, and Special Rules to put all these elements on the table, and it is up to each game group to make them their own. The rules, if clear and functional, will only be called into question when truly required. 100 Characters and Game World
CREATING YOUR OWN GAME
THE STANDARD OF 5 Characters in Monad Echo have a number of features that follow the “Standard of 5”. This is because, in general, each Character: Ɂ Follows 5 Background Steps for their creation. Ɂ Has 5 Attributes. Ɂ Has 5 Gifts. Ɂ Has a value of Soma between a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 15. Obviously, as Broken Tales shows, this is not a strict rule (see Playing without Attributes on page 106), and with the proper precautions, you can safely design games using 4 or 3 as your “standard number.” ATTRIBUTES As already mentioned, Attributes represent the way a Character approaches Position and Defense Checks, and provides Base Successes. Standard Attributes in Monad Echo are: Body This attribute represents athletic performance, resistance to stress, and physical power. It is used: Ɂ For actions that include the use of the body and, in general, melee attacks. Ɂ For defending yourself by parrying or taking a hit. Ɂ To intimidate others with the threat of physical force. Ɂ To gauge resistance to hardship and prolonged physical effort. 102 Creating Your Own Game
Reaction This attribute represents readiness, reaction time, and the ability to think quickly. It is used: Ɂ For actions that require dexterity in their execution. Ɂ For ranged attacks or with weapons that require agility. Ɂ To defend yourself by dodging an attack. Ɂ To escape, avoid danger, and, in general, act fast. Presence This Attribute indicates the Character's appearance, charisma, empathy, and ability to relate to others. It is used: Ɂ To have a way with words and connect with others. Ɂ To obtain favors/information/resources of some kind through instinct and insight. Ɂ To charm someone by appearing different from the way you truly are. Ɂ To act discreetly without being noticed. Ɂ To understand the flaws and desires of another person. Creating Your Own Game 103
Mind This Attribute indicates the Character’s intelligence (understood as logical and mathematical reasoning skills), intuition, willpower, and memory. It is used: Ɂ To act with precision, using specialist or unusual knowledge. Ɂ To convince or deceive another person with a logical argument. Ɂ To create, study, and understand. Ɂ To understand a target's hidden powers and Descriptors. Anomaly This Attribute represents the ability to use supernatural powers, resist the powers of others, and intuit when events have become otherworldly. It is used: Ɂ For actions that include the use of supernatural abilities and magic. Ɂ As a defense against magical effects. Ɂ To create and develop using magic as a tool. Ɂ To intuitively understand arcane knowledge. The 5 standard Attributes are deliberately generic and designed to suit any type of setting. They indicate a Character’s ability to resolve problems in different ways. However, they just represent a starting point, which can be completely overhauled according to the mood of the setting and the type of game you want to create. 104 Creating Your Own Game
Thinking about what Attributes a Character has is a fundamental step in creating a game. Example: In Valraven: The Chronicles of Blood and Iron, all the Characters are skilled fighters, regardless of their role in the mercenary company. When that consideration is combined with the Road to Perdition mechanic, we arrived at the following Attributes: Discipline, Charisma, Ferocity, Cunning, and Empathy. These Attributes depict the different ways a Character can react to a situation and do not necessarily represent knowledge, skills, or any learned expertise. Each Attribute can, in this way, be used as a strategy in battle and support how the Character acts: leading troops using Charisma, fighting without thinking about their safety with Ferocity, and so on. Attribute Base Values The initial values of an Attribute are: 4 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 2 This represents a standard profile, which allows you to have a Character with a prominent Attribute (4), three Average Attributes (3), and one that represents a weakness (2). Other functional Attribute variations are: 4 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 2 5 – 3 – 3 – 2 – 2 Creating Your Own Game 105
Although the sum of these starting Attributes is always 15, it’s wise to avoid a profile type where all Attributes have a value of 3. This is especially true if the standard Attributes are replaced with something else – each has a very clear range of application in the narrative. The 3-3-3-3-3 profile means that a Player has no incentive to pick one strategy over another, which usually results in a bland Character or frustrated Player. Having 1 as an Attribute value is also possible but strongly discouraged for the obvious reason that it will make each Check based on that Attribute very difficult. Similarly, Attributes of 6 or more are also to be avoided when creating Characters. Playing without Attributes You can abandon Attributes entirely and use only Descriptors to resolve actions. This choice is optimal for games that require a simpler structure than the “Standard of 5.” Broken Tales, which is specifically designed for a more straightforward playstyle, doesn't use Attributes. Mechanically, it works like this: Ɂ Having a Descriptor related to the narrated action confers 3 Base Successes. Ɂ If you do not have relevant Descriptors, you only get 1 Base Success. Ɂ Because you're already using the Descriptor to get the Base Successes, Soma points can be spent freely during a Check. 106 Creating Your Own Game
BACKGROUND STEPS Background Steps offer an outline for creating Characters in a way that helps Players focus and refine their ideas. When creating Background Steps for your game, keep in mind that this process can also serve as the first introduction to the setting and mood of a game. As a result, each step should encourage Players to choose Descriptors and Gifts that match the tone of the game you want to play. Each Background Step should: Ɂ Provide a description of an aspect of the Character's life and how it connects to the game setting. Ɂ Provide ideas for a Descriptor that fits both the setting and character. Ɂ Provide ideas for the type of Gift to choose. Ɂ Provide a number of Soma points to create the Character's Soma pool. Ɂ In addition: provide all other elements deemed useful for the setting and mood of your game, such as NPC Bonds, Equipment, or other mechanics. Example: Evolution Pulse Rebirth Background Steps: Evolution Pulse Rebirth is a sword-and-sandals fantasy setting where the Characters are humans trying to survive in a world that has been subjugated by powerful alien entities called Hekath. First Step – The Caste: Determines the Caste a Character belongs to and their relationship with it. Creating Your Own Game 107
Second Step – The Role: Defines what the Character does for a living and what skills they can employ to get by. Third Step – Growth: Defines the relationship of the Character with the world, and with any NPCs they have a Bond with. Step Four – The Darkness: Defines the Character's connection to the dark side of the world: the Igisum Duga for the Imperial Castes or the Sintum, the Fairs, and the Hekath threat for the Wild Castes. Step Five – Destiny: Outlines the dreams and expectations of the Character in relation to the future. Example: Valraven's Background Steps: Valraven is a dark fantasy setting in which the Characters are all members of a mercenary company fighting for one of the many factions vying for control of the Valraven continent. Step One – Your Role: Determines their role in the Company and what the Character does. Second Step – The Dark Past: Defines something dark and negative that happened in the Character's past and forced them to choose the path of war. Third Step – The Art of War: Serves to define how the Character faces war, which is one of the pillars of their life as a fighter. Fourth Step – Your Personality: Outlines the inner self of the Character, how they relate to others, and the impression they make in social contexts. Fifth Step – Your Dream: Outlines the Character's future dreams and expectations by imagining a future in which the Character will feel fulfilled in some way. 108 Creating Your Own Game
THE IMPORTANCE OF CHARACTER CREATION The Characters are the protagonists of each story in every game, so it’s important to spend some time on their creation. Everything that you’ve already done to convey the mood and style of the setting must be integrated into the Background Steps so that Players can "tune in" immediately to the tone of the game. Most groups have to learn the lore and tone of a game as they start to play. Additionally, the Player that suggests a game is usually the one most familiar with it and bears the responsibility of explaining the setting and mood. Anything that makes it easier to convey setting information can lighten that burden and make the game more fun for everyone. The Background Steps can “teach” Players about the setting in a subtle but effective way. Properly put together, they can convey essential information "step by step" while also providing guidelines to the Player, so they can create a Character that is ready for the challenges they will face. Creating a Monad Echo Character depends on developing a backstory with depth, so any sort of writer’s block can paralyze Players when it’s time for them to come up with Descriptors. The Background Steps are also a good way to help Players avoid that sort of “blank page syndrome." TIPS FOR CREATING YOUR OWN GAME Here are a few guidelines that can help you stay focused on the finished product and create a game that’s fun to play. They cover everything from conception to actually writing the rules. It’s a different medium Role-playing is its own form of entertainment, distinct from movies, comics, or video games. Role-playing is often the most fun when various narrative elements are “mixed” and fed to the Players, who will then use the game to create a dynamic narrative. Because of this unpredictability, it is useful to be aware of some role-play specific features that should not be overlooked during the design phase. A group of protagonists Numerous stories engage with the world from the point of view of a single protagonist. You may even be drawing from some examples to inspire your own game. However, role-playing is a group activity, and it’s important to keep everyone’s experience in mind. Your narrative won’t have a Creating Your Own Game 109
single point of view but as many as there are Characters. This applies not only to the story but also to the characteristics of the roles/classes and the setting. If your game is inspired by The Witcher, and the role of the Witcher is the only one able to excel against the creatures that the group will face, don't be surprised if all the Players want to be a Witcher. A non-linear plot Unless you write an adventure module or a campaign when playing a role-playing game, the story will follow the actions and choices of the Players, not a set plot. For this reason, it’s crucial to focus on the type of stories that will be played and not on their precise unfolding. Descriptors, Gifts, and Background Steps are a great way to convey the right mood. While playing Valraven: The Chronicles of Blood and Iron, you can’t help but tell the tale of a mercenary company, hardened by pain and strife. However, the specifics of the story you tell, and whether it involves field battles, espionage, or fights against demons, will be unique to the choices your group makes. 110 Creating Your Own Game
What is not in the Scene does not exist You can write three hundred pages of worldbuilding, create detailed atlases, and bestiaries packed with creatures. However, in practice, anything that doesn’t appear in the Characters' adventures does not exist. This is very important in the creation of the game. If there is a theme, a location, or something else that is fundamental to the game you want to play, it should appear in the Sessions or be featured during Character creation. Coming up with Keywords Keywords are not only a good way to get to the heart of the game during the creation phase, they are also a good way to quickly convey mood and information while writing the setting. In descriptions of locations, creatures, and stories, adding Keyword lists is a great way to better communicate information and the mood of the game. Describe what you want to see in the game It all starts with the game you imagine playing. Visualizing what you want to happen during a Session will help you understand how to make it happen through the rules. This applies to every element of the game, including Gifts, Descriptors, and how adventures are created. Rules have an impact on the decisions made by Players Every time Players interact with the rules, they will be pushed toward a specific approach to the game. If you are going for a fast, action-focused, and heroic style, you could look at a very fast recovery of Wounds or Gifts that can significantly impact the overall Scene. If you want Players to be afraid of certain creatures, you could make them powerfully intimidating while leaving a weakness that can be discovered through exploring the narrative. The Divine Hekaths of Evolution Pulse Rebirth have frightening statistics, but discovering their Fulcrum gives Players the knowledge Creating Your Own Game 111
they need to eliminate them. Discovering that crucial piece of lore will change the way the Characters and these powerful beings approach each other during the story. Turn what you do during playtests into procedures While designing and testing your game, you’ll find that you unconsciously create procedures to manage adventures, the creation of NPCs, and changes in the setting. As your procedures become more efficient and helpful during playtest, remember to formalize them so that they are included in the game’s final version. A serious mistake in the writing of role-playing games is underestimating the work necessary to create a Session and, consequently, manage a game campaign. Preparing for a Session is an essential aspect of play that shouldn’t be overlooked. Just as Character creation helps Players get into the game's mood, the creation of adventures and Scenarios helps the Narrator introduce situations that make their game shine. When the game works for your table, make sure it works for others’ too Many people may follow this tip without really thinking about it. It’s crucial to establish a clear course that Players can follow to fulfill the promise of your game, even when they’re not at your table. You won’t be able to do that if you simply provide lists of unconnected rules. Valraven: The Chronicles of Blood and Iron tells the stories of mercenary companies fighting for the final victory in a war. The rules for the Seasons (four per cycle, each exploring specific themes and situations) were created to lead the group through different aspects of the game as they pursue that goal. Rather than introducing new mechanics as needed, the Seasons mechanic provides clear guidelines for organizing the scale of play and change in tone as the Characters progress towards success or failure. More broadly, “Rules” aren’t just instructions for doing a Position Check or how to establish the effect of a Gift. They provide a framework that guides the game from beginning to end. 112 Creating Your Own Game
To summarize: Before you begin writing your game, you should address the following issues: Ɂ A description of the setting we want to see at the table, as well as sources of inspiration from other works that we believe will help us better understand the mood. Ɂ A list of Keywords describing everything we believe is essential to our game: who the main characters are, what powers they have, and what adventures they go on. Ɂ What happens in the world, what happens in Sessions. Examine the Basic Rules, Additional Rules, and Special Rules in light of how we want to modulate the game experience and the table aesthetics we want to convey. Creating Your Own Game 113