[Torg] Improving Attributes in play: Edges

[Benjamin Grant]

>>> >>Why? What is achieved, in terms of improving the experience
>>> of the game
>>> >>for
>>> >>the participants, in allowing people to "do a little minor
>>> tweaking"?
>>
>>[snip lots of system analysis stuff]
>>
>>Benn, nothing you wrote before the quote that follows this paragraph
>>pertains to my question at. Mine was a simple question that has very
>>little
>>to do with the game system. Analysis of system goes to how, not to why.

I thought it was pertinent, but that doesn't mean you are required to pay
attention to it, I guess.  :(

>>> I also think that only after playing a character for a bit
>>> can one sometimes discover where the character stats are "soft".
>>>
>>> I think that's my motivation.
>>
>>Okay, so you recognise the issue of character concepts possibly being
>>not
>>fully formed at the start of play, and you wish to improve the game
>>experience by allowing players to overcome this issue - keeping their
>>characters not-quite-finished until they have at least a little
>>experience
>>playing them.

It's not just about character concepts that aren't fully formed though,
although that's part of it.  I guess I simply value the opportunity for some
small character growth at the attribute level.  I can't really promise that
I can come up with enough reasons to satisfy you.

>>Now, several approaches to achieving this occur. We have:
>>
>>1: "Edges" - 5P for the first attribute increase, 10-15 for the second
>>2: Tell players they will get a free attribute increase at the end of
>>each
>>of the first two sessions.
>>3: Give an extra 10 Possibilities at the end of each of the first five
>>sessions, telling players that these represent things they are only
>>just
>>discovering about their characters, rather than new abilities as such
>>4: Run the first few sessions in a very system-light style, so that it
>>doesn't matter if stats get rearranged a little as they discover who
>>their
>>characters are
>>5: Run a White Wolf style prelude for each player, to help familiarise
>>them
>>with their characters before they have to have hard stats for them.

Some interesting thoughts there, for which I thank you.  Idea 2 would be
fine and is more or less numerically equivalent to what I am doing now,
although what I would actually do is grant them an extra attribute point and
the end of each Arc, not session, for the first two.  Idea 3 off the top of
my head seems like overkill - 50 extra possibilities, wow?  4 and 5 are a
little too front loaded for my taste, though creative - what if the
character realizes only later in its life that it wants to buff, say,
Spirit?

What about something like this - each player gets two or three "coupons" for
attribute increases.  They can only spend them at the end of an Arc, not
session.  Each coupon raises an attribute by +1.  At the end of an Arc, if
they so choose, whether or not they have any coupons left, they can move a
coupon point from one Attribute to another.

So, for example, Cad at the end of his first Arc drops an extra freebie
Attribute point into Spirit.  At the end of his second Arc, he drops his
second freebie Attribute point into Charisma.  At the end of his third Arc,
he decides he is not using Spirit much, and moves his freebie Attribute
point from there to Charisma.

Something like that?

>>(Don't try telling us that players ever won't buy edge with their first
>>5
>>Possibilities. For that much, they might be able to get two skill adds.
>>Woot. Don't insult their intelligence by suggesting they can't work out
>>that
>>this is not of comparable efficiency.)

I wouldn't dream of suggesting otherwise.

<snip some personal criticisms>
>>
>>Travis Hall

Thanks for the advice, and again, especially for the concrete suggestions.

-Benn Grant
eFix Computer Consulting
benn at 4eFix.com
603.283.6601