[Torg] Re: A redesigned Possibility War

[Morgan Nash]

On Nov 12, 2007 11:49 PM, Kansas Jim <ksjim at sdc.org> wrote:
> > Core Earth...
> Lots of people have tried this, from reports it's a mixed bag. Making
> it grim may be a more realistic approach to the concept but it also
> runs the risk of being too much of a downer to make for fun gaming.
> (Whenever I've tried introducing a little grim reality into my Torg
> games the players would get uncomfortable and do their best to get away
> from it as quickly as possible so they could get on with the fun stuff,
> bashing the bad guys.) On the other hand, the WTF!? factor can be a
> gripping way of getting a game started.
>
> One thing I've noticed is parties that are predominantly/entirely Core
> Earth characters tend to start feeling a little bland and dull to
> players after they start encountering the other realities. It makes
> sense for the initial group if it's set during the first days of the war
> but probably sooner rather than later some of the players will start
> wanting to play something from another realm because the other realms
> get all the cool stuff.

I *think* we'll be OK on this one. Our style of play these days is to
want to play characters that are more normal than fantastic. The
battle of the common man vs adversity and all that. And we always have
the option of transforming a Core Earther to one of the invading
realities to spice things up.

Reading the "Storm Knights" webpage version of Core Earth, I'm going
to be led by that to a degree. I like the World Laws and the concept
of "heroic Earth" but I'll tone it down just a trifle. So, keeping the
Power of Hope and the Threat of Villainy but adding a different third
World Law: something like the Law of Defiance (Core Earthers don't
like being pushed around and 'resist' things in some sense). In
essence, taking inspiration from films like Con Air, Die Hard, even
real-life stuff like Black Hawk Down. Determined people fighting the
odds but without the need for cutting-edge tech, special powers of
anything. I think that will appeal to my group.

> [Chinese fantasy realm instead of Aysle]
>
> > middle of the Olympic stadium as the opening scene. I'll probably dump
> > the Light vs Dark thing, though.
>
> With an Asian angle, Light and Dark should probably be more of a Yin/
> Yang thing than warring opposites.

Interesting thought - I'll look into that.

Morgan