Lone Wolf Fists: Required reading in RPGs

Reading the setting is always boring. The more anyone (player, GM, anyone) has to read, the worse it is. Your best bet is damage control; write less of it, stupid.

For once I’m not going to pick on Exalted here because, despite having an incredibly bloated setting, the stuff in the core books was generally brief and good (especially first edition, but even my reviled 3^rd edition conveyed the setting through stories rather than bland description)

I am however going to pick on another game that I spent an unconscionable amount of money on: the Iron Kingdoms RPG.

I made three attempts at this game (which is two more than I ever assume a game deserves, but it was so expensive guys seriously). They went down like this:

ATTEMPT ONE

Undaunted by its bulk, I cracked the minty spine of my book and started reading straight through. “Cool, an introduction to the setting of the Iron Kingdoms! I never really dug into that; let’s check it out.”

“Whew! That was super long and…. Not incredibly informative! Let’s head on to character crea…. W-what? There’s more? O-okay, I guess maybe a few more pages will clarify why I’ve been learning about a bunch of primal gods…”

[It does not]

“… Holy shit, okay, I’ve read this whole goddamn world’s history and… They’re starting another war?! Jesus Christ! How long IS this history?”

Flipping through, there’s still an entire Bible’s worth of text to read on a completely made-up (and BORING) universe.

“Uh… I… Yeah I’ll just come back to this”

[the bookmark is still in the same place to this day]

ATTEMPT TWO

“Skipping ahead…”

I shift the brick wall of pages detailing the worthless backstory aside and skip straight to the mechanics. Turns out it’s just a wargame, not really an RPG at all. Also, they don’t seem to know how bell curves work, despite designing a game around them for decades.

Whatever; system seems to work. Lots of cool, flavorful options and of course the art is wonderful.

“Okay this seems doable, and I can finally get a use for those minis I bought for this game forever ago. Now, I’ve got to… Set this…. Somewhere…”

[eyeing the encyclopedia boretannica]

“Daaaaaammiiiiiiiiiiiit”

ATTEMPT THREE

I just run everybody through character creation and we play. I ignore the setting, substituting my dim recollection of the Witchfire trilogy. I borrow my friend’s copy from the d20 days and laugh for a solid hour as I read the horrible mess.

We play it almost as a joke. I remove the plot-protection from the insufferable Alexia Ciannor and she’s almost immediately killed by the party to my unbridled approval.

It’s… Well, it’s a wargame. There’s essentially nothing else in the voluminous brick, so my players and myself are thoroughly unimpressed. With interest flagging, I shelf the book and never open it again.

In the game’s defense, the death of Ciannor and subsequent mounting of the Witchfire blade on the party’s mantelpiece are still remembered fondly.

…

I kid you not, there are 41 pages of history and 102 pages of setting before you get to the rules. Dear. Lord.

It’s not even something that you can use. Hell, most of it either:

1) Is a description of the afterlife or

2) Doesn’t exist any more!

Take the Orgoth; they were a super-mysterious barbarian race that had weird gods and enslaved everybody. Then they got beaten down by wizards in colossus-sized iron golems because there ARE cool things in this setting, dammit. Now they’re gone.

Aaaaaand they torched all their stuff. They made a point to ERADICATE all evidence of their existence on their way out.

Fucking… What?! Why would you write that?!

I want to explore Orgoth temples and have weird religions and surviving cults and tomes of blasphemous secrets and cursed hell-artifacts from the demon barbarians!

If they were just going to pick up their toys and leave, then why did I just waste ten goddamn pages reading about them? I have better uses for my time than this, people.

This falls neatly into one of my favorite criticisms of setting writing. I’m just gonna post and link this, because nothing I write can more succinctly explain my point than this right here:

“The problem is most setting books are packed with extensive descriptions, in prose, of an RPG world. The world is either:

A) explicitly based on an existing literary, cinematic, televisual, etc. one, or
B) a technically original one.

If A, then that world is better described elsewhere. In the book or movie it came out of. I may not know how many miles Lankhmar is from Quarmaal, but most of what is in a Newhon sourcebook I already got in a much more entertaining form from the Newhon stories that I apparently liked so much that I bought an RPG based on them.

If B, then we have a different problem:

The world must be described. However: the RPG writer who writes about a world (no matter how awesome the setting itself is) is, almost by definition, worse at that than a writer who just writes stories for a living. Or at least writes things for a living that I wanna read.

I want to read maybe 0.001% of all genre fiction ever written by professional fiction writers with reputations in the field. Even assuming I likewise want to read 0.001% of genre fiction ever written in the form of a setting book by an RPG writer, that still probably adds up to maybe 2.1 people in the history of the medium, ever.

In other words: the setting book is full of original writing in a form that is not really the RPG writer's strong suit.

And if you're reading--as leisure--something you'd rather not read, you're not going to remember it. So if, as a GM, I actually need toremember that Squealhalla is the capital of Gullgorgica, I'm screwed.

A related problem is that the world is almost always full of concrete setting details which are basically re-skinned and re-arranged versions of things in pre-existing fact or fiction. Like the Holy Grail becomes the Sorcerer's Sphere and there's a faux-England and a faux-Germany and a Tolkienian forest, etc. These things are on purpose and done for reasons I can basically get behind, but the writers then have to waste a lot of wind talking about Great Cataclysms and fuel shortages instead of going, basically "Ok, you saw Mad Max, right? Mutants Down Under is like that, only with mutant kangaroos carrying uzis, ok?" or telling you the comparative population densities of Ilthbone vs. Harnmarr or that the war between the Skorks and the Guelves lasted 1300 years.

This is when I start to nod off. Yes, I'm sure Oerth is a fantastic place, but it's not because the great marsh gives rise to Mikar River east of the Grandwood Forest or because the Lorridges are found at the northern end of the Lortmil Mountains--it's because it has beholders in it.
__________

So how should it go? I think if you want to give the world a setting, don't tell us, show us. RPG writers are good at writing rules--rules that simulate genres--so give us the setting in the form of rules (and monsters and items and all that) and nothing else.

Rather than describe how the Clanward Barrens are different than the Skarrblown Marches, just do this:

Random Encounter table:

Clanward Barrens

1-2 Wild dogs
3-4 Stone ghosts
5-6 Claw merchant
7-8 Monk
9-10 Pilgrim

Skarrblown Marches

1-3 Wild dogs (hungry, 1/2 hp)
5 Abandoned Claw Merchant Cart
6 No encounter
7 Eerie rustling sound
8 Bone vulture
9 Pilgrim
10 Dead wild dog

Want history? Want flavor? Nothing in all of World of Greyhawk beats this sentence:

Relic: Eye of Vecna
Seldom is the name of Vecna spoken except in hushed voice, and never within hearing of strangers, for legends say that the phantom of this once supreme lich still roams the earth...(and now some rules about the Eye).

i.e. Build the fiction out of the tools you give us to run it, rather than worrying about describing each place and then telling us the rules that re-iterate what you already told us in encyclopedia-entry form.

That's how Carcosa does it--character classes, new items, spells, monsters--no big blocks of background info. The closest thing to a traditional travel guide is short hex-by-hex descriptions of points of interest--but even these are done in the form of usable game info. You have to piece it together--yet you could never say that setting wasn't described.

During a game, a GM puts his or her art into the ideas and into making the rules compliment and expand those ideas, not into prose descriptions of interchangeable mundanities. Why not have the setting description do the same thing?

All anybody wants to know about your setting is:

-How is it different from every other setting in the genre? and
-What rules did you come up with to make that happen?

If you are writing a commercial product then, ok, you can write an introduction--for the newbies. Otherwise: Give us a map, give us a picture or two, and give us the rest of the setting in the rules. Trust us, we will read the rules, that's why we bought the book.”

~Zack S. on his blog, D&D with Pornstars

…

Slogging through 100+ pages of backstory is not how you write an RPG. You write it brief, punchy, and preferably in the form of usable rules or game content.

Lone Wolf Fists eagerly embraces this setting philosophy. We don’t waste a lot of words on setting: “World blew up. You’re a kung-fu hero. Go punch tanks”

The wordiest we get is in the Lores, and even those are incredibly brief. I think the biggest wordcount for any of them is under 500 words, and that includes:

·       The clan history

·       Their territory

·       Goals

·       Philosophy

·       Leadership and organization

·       Reasons to play them

So lots of goodies, stuff that gets you pumped to put them in a game and doesn't eat countless hours of free time.

Considering this, I approached the infamous Chi section with considerable trepidation. The secret arts sections of both Weapons of the Gods and Legends of the Wulin are notorious for being unapproachably arcane and dense.

When you mine through that stone, though, there’s true gold in there. My challenge is to bring you the gold without all that pesky mattock-work.

So check it out:

…

Magic

Characters in this world have a special kind of magic that resides in the link between their body and their soul. They learn to use this power to unleash incredible, physics-defying martial arts. This section teaches you about this mystic energy; both how it exists within the World of Ashes and Ghosts and how it is used in the game.

Chakra

Characters have seven mystic nodes where their earthly flesh and divine spirit link; these are the 

Chakra.

In most people, the Chakra begin at the tailbone and proceed straight up the spine. The highest Chakra is slightly above the top of the head.

The Chakra are invisible to mortal eyes, but beings that can perceive magic and the soul can see them clearly.

The seven Chakra, from highest to lowest, are:

·       Sahasrara the Heaven Chakra

·       Ajna the Metal Chakra

·       Vishuddha the Wood Chakra

·       Anahata the Air Chakra

·       Manipura the Fire Chakra

·       Swadhisthana the Water Chakra

·       Muladhara the Earth Chakra

Mortals generally use their Chakras subconsciously, as they use their hearts or ears or digestive tract. The heroic characters that players create learn to unlock the slumbering energy in their Chakra, using it to accomplish wondrous feats. This energy is called Prana.

Prana

There is a magic underlying reality; a proto-energy, parent of all matter, energy and physical law. This underlying energy is called Prana. It’s responsible for life and consciousness; it originates and nourishes the soul, both of mortal beings and the universe itself. Some call it “the blood of Dharma”

Mortals need Prana flowing through their soul the same way they need blood flowing through their body. Much as their lungs breath air and distribute it to the muscles through the bloodstream, their Chakras breath Prana and distribute it to the body and soul.

Those who learn mystical fighting arts learn to draw on their body’s Prana, using it to power their magical kung-fu moves.

Elements of Chakras

Chakras have two elements: Recovery and Pool

Recovery is how much Prana they generate per round in Action scenes. Higher Recovery means more magic to use.

Pool is how much Prana the Chakra can store. When you draw on it for power, this is the maximum it can give you (although you can draw from the pool of more than one Chakra to pay for something). 

In Real-Time scenes, the entire Pool refills with Prana every turn.

Pool is always equal to five times Recovery. If the Recovery is 1, the Pool is 5. If it’s 2, the Pool is 10, etc.

Characters have three types of Chakra: Closed, Slumbering, and Open.

Closed chakras are inaccessible to players. They’re not injured or anything, the character simply hasn’t achieved enough self-mastery to access their magic.

Open chakras, on the other hand, are totally mastered by characters. Players can always access the Prana stored in them.

Slumbering Chakras are also accessible to character, but they don’t yet have complete mastery of them. They must be Awakened to be used.

Using Chakra and Prana

You’ve got to be eager to tap into your mystical powers. Let’s teach you how.

Tracking Prana

Prana is tracked with beads or other counters on the Chakra section of the character sheet, like so:

There are seven such sections on the sheet, one for each Chakra. Note that the Recovery is drawn in it’s respective box, as is Pool.

• To spend Prana, remove counters from the Pool.
• To recover Prana, add counters equal to Recovery to the Pool
• No more counters than the Pool’s maximum may be in the Pool at once

Prana is spent to power Techniques and other magic. The amount of Prana needed is equal to the Cost of the Technique.

Using Prana in different scenes

Prana is tracked, spent and recoded slightly differently depending on the speed of the scene.

Action Scenes

These scenes have the most fidelity, so they have the most detailed rules for Chakra.

Open Chakra begin with a Recovery of 2 and a Pool of 10 completely full of Prana. Prana can be spent freely from these Chakra with no consequences.

Closed Chakra are dormant, as always. They have no Pool nor Recovery and don’t do anything.

Slumbering Chakra begin with no Recovery nor Pool. They can be Awakened with a Rank 2 or higher Spirit action during your turn. To Awaken a Slumbering Chakra:

·       Use a Rank 2 or higher Spirit action

·       The Rank of your action becomes the Recovery of the Chakra

·       Pool is equal to Recovery times 5

·       

      Note the Facing of your action

The Pool of an Awakened Chakra begins empty. During the Recovery stage of the round, it fills with Prana equal to the Facing of the action which Awakened it.

When a Slumbering Chakra is Awakened, it causes a Power Flare

Power Flare: Slumbering Chakra are not mastered; when they’re Awakened and when Prana is spent from them, there is a burst of colorful magic discharge and an audible thrum of energy.

In addition to being a clear giveaway that the character is using magic, the flare makes stealth impossible.

Additionally, the shockwave of Prana unleashed by the flare alerts every being that can sense Prana (including all beings with Open Chakra) within the same and neighboring Locations of your presence. They get a kinesthetic sense of both your location and general power level.

On the flip side, players get this information as well. When an NPC Power Flares, tell them the Degree and Location of that character.

Recovering Prana: During the Recovery step at the end of the Round, each Chakra regains Prana equal to its Recovery. Simply add that many counters to the Pool.

Remember, the Pool is the maximum amount of Prana that a Chakra can hold.

Real-time Scenes

Because of their relaxed pace, there’s less to track in Real-Time scenes.

Open Chakras completely refresh their Pool at the end of each of your turns. As in Action scenes, you can spend from your Open Chakra freely.

If you need more Prana, you can take a special action called Powering Up. This Awakens all your Slumbering Chakra at Pool 10 each. Unfortunately, this also causes a Power Flare.

Montage Scenes

There’s no need to track Prana Pools in Montage scenes: they take so long that it’s assumed you can charge up any Technique you like.

However, if you spend more total Prana than the combined Pools from your Open Chakra, you’ll still cause a Power Flare.

The Seven Chakra

In the World of Ashes and Ghosts, the Chakra are more than a boxes on a character sheet: they’re real, magical things. Characters discuss them, deal with them, and think in terms of them. They are equal parts religion, branch of science, philosophy and superstition.

Because the culture and metaphysical underpinning of the setting are so deeply informed by the Chakra, we’re going to give you a bit more to work with beyond the mechanics.

This next section discusses the Chakra from the point of view of an inhabitant of the World of Ashes and Ghosts. You can use this meditation on the Chakra as inspiration when you’re creating new magical, artifacts, curses, blessing, kung-fu techniques, etc.

Sahasrara the Heaven Chakra

Called the “Mouth of the Soul” and the Heaven Chakra, it is believed that this Chakra drinks the heavenly nectar of the cosmos, nourishing the spirit. This isn’t entirely accurate; all of the Chakra absorb ambient energy from Dharma to feed the soul. Sahasrara simply eats the most.

It is associated with light, the color violet, and the Spirit skill. It is favored by those seeking spiritual purity and is renowned for its healing energy.

Sahasrara is opposed by obsession with physical attachments.

Unlike the other Chakra, Sahasrara can be inverted to its opposite through wicked efforts. Inverted, it is called the Hell Chakra. Its associations become darkness and the absence of color (or black). It is favored by those seeking power, but it is shunned by most because it is an unhealthy, polluting power. It is reviled for its putrefying energy.

Ajna the Metal Chakra

Called “the Gateway of Though”, Ajna governs the mind.

It is associated with metal both physically and metaphysically as a ductile, strong and mysterious element. It is associated with insight, the color indigo and the Intellect skill.

Ajna is opposed by confusion, both genuine mistakes and the deliberate confusing of fact with opinion which mortals find so seductive.

Vishuddha the Wood Chakra

Called “The gateway of Strength”, Vishuddha governs the muscles.

It is associated with the might and firm suppleness of wood. It is associated with truth, the color blue and the Power skill.

Vishuddha is opposed by anger, which consumes its integrity as flames devour the flesh of wood.

Anahata the Air Chakra

Called “The gateway of Sensation”, Anahata governs the senses and sensory organs.

It is associated with the ever-shifting force of air, both in its roll as sender of messages and as a medium for the senses of hearing and touch.  It is associated with proactivity, freedom, the color green, and the Senses skill.

Anahata is opposed by sorrow, which thickens and calcifies its momentum as surely as a cold fog smothers a spring wind.

Manipura the Fire Chakra

Called “The gateway of Motion”, Manipura governs the blood and the energy it gives to the body.

It is associated with fire as a force of motion and expression of energy through consumption. It is associated with willpower, the color yellow, and the skill Agility.

Manipura is opposed by shame, smothered like flame under a wet cloth.

Swadhisthana the Water Chakra

Called “The gateway of Health”, Swadhisthana governs the digestive organs and their balancing effect within the body.

It is associated with water as a force of balance and change-as-stasis. It is associated with satisfaction, the color orange and the skill Endurance.

Swadhisthana is opposed by guilt, solidified and made brittle like water turned to ice.

Muladhara the Earth Chakra

Called “The gateway of comradery”, Muladhara governs the generative organs and the bones.

It is associated with the benevolent and attractive power of earth, in the sense of its worth and its power to nourish and encourage the creation of societies. It is associated with wellness, the color red, and the skill Heart.

Muladhara is opposed by fear, it’s solidity disintegrating like dirt beneath the monsoon.

***Callout box: What is this for?

You’re certainly wondering why we just made you read a whole bunch of vague metaphysical gibberish we largely made up. That’s fair, we definitely owe you an explanation.

Let’s explain with an example; say one of your players had their Earth Chakra blocked by getting a Fear emotional Imbalance. They want to recover, so they seek out some sage wisdom. They quest a bit, find a sage, and then ask them for some advice.

What advice do they give?

You’d have to pull something out of your… Well, your imagination if we didn’t give you a bunch of associations and metaphysics to give you ideas. Check out Muladhara up there; looks like it’s got some associations with the generative organs, the bones, the color red…

Use that to inform your thinking. Maybe you’ve got a zanier idea of fun than us and the sage tells them to wear red underwear until their humors balance (generative organs, red).

Or maybe you like things a bit grimmer, and only soaking their teeth in fresh blood can wash their fear out of their Chakra (bones, red).

It might even be esoteric; maybe meditating on the sunrise in their homeland can balance their spirit (red, earth)

By giving you a bunch of metaphysical mumbo-jumbo (mixed with some authentic stuff, in our defense) we’ve given you somewhere to start your thinking when magic starts showing up in your game***