[Torg] Awards

Thu Feb 26 09:09:19 EST 2009

Well, that could definitely be a major concern.  Even when I had multiple
cosms, I didn't use High Lords, Darkness Devices, Eternity Shards,
Disconnection, Group Powers - even when in the past I played a multi-genre
Torg, it was never about the prepackaged story about invasion - which as I
always say as an interesting story, but with an infinite number of stories
one can tell, I would rather focus on the stories created by me and my
friends.

So I have to grant you your point - a "standard" game, which buys into the
main storyline and all that implies, is probably not compatible.  On the
other hand, I would like to mention that I think Torg is at its best when
freed of any particular story or baked-in plot.

In other words, once you remove all that stuff, in my opinion Torg becomes
one of the best games to run ANY story in, ANY genre in.  I love it.  Its so
freaking well designed, it nigh begs us to strip out the stuff related only
to the prepackaged plots, revealing the amazing core engine, suitable for
any use at all.  In a way, I think of this "universal" gaming engine as the
true Torg, a superset of the Torg-as-sold which got the "Possibility Wars"
story baked in.  But it's really not that difficult to dig past that stuff
to the fantastic core mechanics - the true spirit of the game's systems and
mechanics, divorced from any plotline or pregen cosms.

Cool stuff.  It's why I have continued using it for almost 20 years.

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

> -----Original Message-----
> From: torg-bounces at justintimeadventures.com [mailto:torg-
> bounces at justintimeadventures.com] On Behalf Of John Condon
> Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 8:55 AM
> To: torg at justintimeadventures.com
> Subject: RE: [Torg] Awards
> 
> Unfortunately it won't work in a standard Torg game.
> Your method, which I admit appears to work eminently well in your home
> brew
> Supers campaign does not take into account the very real usage of the
> Reality skill in a Vanilla Torg Campaign.
> 
> Possibilities aren't just a mechanic in the core game, they are a very
> real
> tangible and to some degree measurable energy force. Certain characters
> in
> game have mentioned them and as such they are a known and quantifiable
> resource. The speed and quantity with which PC's spend this personal
> energy
> should have a very real effect on the characters development.
> 
> The various skills that are available to "detect" possibilities, when
> in the
> hands of the PC's, won’t work 'easily' with a shared pool of
> anatagonist
> possibilities.
> 
> Biggest problem, which again I don’t think will cause an Issue in your
> game
> as I recall you stating previously you don't use the mechanic (all one
> reality) is conflicts off of the Reality skill.. Storms!
> 
> One of the major aspects of the one on one conflict of the Reality
> Storm was
> the ebb and flow of possibilities to and from the combatants. Also the
> storm
> isolates the combatants from outside interference. With a shared
> possibility
> pool this isn't possible.
> 
> So while I think your idea is great for your own game I can’t see it
> working
> in the standard milieu for the aforementioned reasons.
> 
> JohnnyC
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: torg-bounces at justintimeadventures.com
> [mailto:torg-bounces at justintimeadventures.com] On Behalf Of Benjamin
> Grant
> Sent: 26 February 2009 13:07
> To: torg at justintimeadventures.com
> Subject: RE: [Torg] Awards
> 
> That's why I think my approach strikes the best balance:  On the one
> hand,
> one doesn't give out possies like candy to the baddie, and the player's
> decisions on how many possies to spend does have ramifications for them
> the
> next scene.  This is made possible because the baddie(s) possibility
> levels
> are kept reasonable.  On the other hand, since the antagonist side gets
> X
> possies each scene from fresh, you don't have to worry about the
> baddies
> being empty for the following scenes, nor do you have to worry about
> figuring out what their "awards" or replenish rate ought to be.
> 
> Its very fair, non random, non capricious, and yields a non-moving
> target
> for the players to work around.
> 
> Again, for clarity's sake:
> 
> "At the start of each scene, the antagonist's side gets X possies where
> X
> equals 3 times the number of p-rated protagonists in a dramatic scene,
> or 1
> times that number in a standard scene.  These antagonist possibilities
> are
> the pool that during the scene any p-rated antagonist can dip into at
> the
> GMs discretion.  Any possibilities unused in the pool at the end of the
> scene vanish, and in the next scene the anatagonist's pool is
> recalculated
> and restocked.
> 
> In addition, if there are any p-rated protagonists (p-rated NPCs
> helping the
> players), they each receive 3 possies for a dramatic scene, or 1 for a
> standard, which vanish at the end of each scene."
> 
> -Benn Grant
> eFix Computer Consulting
> benn at 4eFix.com
> 603.283.6601
> 
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: torg-bounces at justintimeadventures.com [mailto:torg-
> > bounces at justintimeadventures.com] On Behalf Of Sam Frazier II
> > Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 10:14 PM
> > To: torg at justintimeadventures.com
> > Subject: Re: [Torg] Awards
> >
> > >>>>
> > That I actually find unfair - if Wu Han goes from 10 to 3 P-Points in
> > Act One after an encounter with the PCs, having him back at 10 PP
> > when they meet him again in Act Two means all the effort the PCs put
> > into reducing his PP total in the preceeding Act was for nothing. And
> > from the PC point of view, if they only earned 1-3 P-Points at the
> end
> > of the previous Act, why does Wu Han rate earning 7 PP at the end of
> > the previous Act?
> > <<<<
> >
> >
> > Whilst I agree with you that it is unfair, I find I do give
> > the villians more and more PP than the characters if they make it
> away
> > in one act only to return another later act.
> >
> > No where does it say it has to be fair.
> >
> > Though I rate a villian to be a challenge to the players, so in one
> > aspect it may very well be fair. If (using your example) Wu Han only
> > has 3, or say 5 PP in Act Two, and the PCs are able to roll over on
> him
> > because of it. Thus little or no challenge, then I would consider
> that
> > to be unfair to the players. They have little challenge in the second
> > act.
> >
> > This is just my opinion on it. I don't use the suggestions in the
> rules
> > when it comes to this because the experienced players I have in my
> game
> > would literally roll over very powerful villians. So I have to change
> > tactics as a GM running villians to present an ample challenge to
> them.
> >
> > So while I agree it is unfair in numbers and how villians might get
> > more PP between acts or even meetings, in due fairness to the
> challenge
> > the game presents to the players, I am forced to disagree with your
> > point of view.
> >
> > SDF II
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Torg mailing list
> > Torg at justintimeadventures.com
> > http://www.justintimeadventures.com/mailman/listinfo/torg
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Torg mailing list
> Torg at justintimeadventures.com
> http://www.justintimeadventures.com/mailman/listinfo/torg
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Torg mailing list
> Torg at justintimeadventures.com
> http://www.justintimeadventures.com/mailman/listinfo/torg