This is in a way a sequel to the to thoughts started on this thread with a different starting point. Instead of hacking something existing, this time I started by deciding what I want the game to be about and which Ludonarrative elements I want present then make only design choices that reinforced that.
I started with the following principles:
Ludonarrative Principles
- The three more important things about a character should be:
- How a character’s identity shapes their myth.
- How a myth’s nature shapes the character yielding it.
- How the actions and changes of the character reflect upon their relationships and communities.
- Every character wields a myth. It gives them power but does not define them: however, using and aligning with it changes you. It is dangerous but easy to change your myth; changes, however, are there to stay.
- Myths make things more complicated: they never make one’s life easier—only interesting.
- Powers are not means nor ends; most problems characters face cannot be solved by directly application of mystical or physical force. Powers create opportunities, not solutions.
- The game rewards civic and social engagement. Most solutions should come from relationship and communities.
- No bad guys. Only people that are enacting harmful changes upon the world and think they are doing good.
- People cannot be erased from existence; characters have to learn how to coexist with others, their legacies and the changes they enacted upon the world.
- Change occurs across worlds: relationships and communities are reflected in the Underworld, Otherworld, Platonic Reams and liminal spaces between.
Ludonarrative Harmonious Design
“How a character’s identity shapes their myth.”
Each character has a core identity that provides their place in the world and major source of wants. PbtA style playbooks are particularly good at keeping those elements point and center; features like keys from Lady Blackbird and FATE actually integrate them into mechanics.
“How a myth’s nature shapes the character yielding it.”
A myth raises a constant mystery, a question that the character is constantly confronted with–and how they deal with it slowly mutates the mythic mystery. Having engagement with this mystery to be heavily rewarded should put it in the center of the action.
“How the actions and changes of the character reflect upon their relationships and communities.”
Urban Shadows has an advancement system that requires interaction with all communities. Dream Askew is deeply about people and the communities they build, both in the token dynamic and the initial setup. Blades in the Dark has a dynamic social system that changes depending on jobs and group interactions.
“Every character wields a myth. It gives them power but does not define them: however, using and aligning with it changes you. It is dangerous but easy to change your myth; changes, however, are there to stay.”
Very little designs are like this. The modular system of the City of the Mist is the closest, with changes occurring as powers are used and abused; the 7th Sea 2e advancement system by story beats can teach some valuable lessons.
“Myths make things more complicated: they never make one’s life easier—only interesting.”
The Pbta way to do this would be with harsh 7-9 results with poignant choices. Blades in the Dark gets the same effect with Devil’s Bargains.
“Powers are not means nor ends; most problems characters face cannot be solved by directly application of mystical or physical force. Powers create opportunities, not solutions.”
How does one uses their power? The mechanics should reward alternative troublesolving; powers should introduce new elements to the story. Moves that introduce rule exceptions and new ways to interact with the rules should be the ideal touchstones for these design choices.
“The game rewards civic and social engagement. Most solutions should come from relationship and communities.”
A solid mechanic backbone that makes dialogue and negotiation the center of story beats; community building as the most fulfilling approaches. Not many systems have it as a peripheric mechanic, much less as part of a core resolution mechanic. Nevertheless, allies and friends should beat hoarded powers any day.
“No bad guys. Only people that are enacting harmful changes upon the world and think they are doing good.”
“People cannot be erased from existence; characters have to learn how to coexist with others, their legacies and the changes they enacted upon the world.”
These two points share the same design space: either a carrot or stick should reward cooperation and reconciliation upon revenge and murder. XP rewards for mercy, Corruption tracks, a expendable resource that must be used to deliver finality through violence; those have been mechanics used on this space before.
“Change occurs across worlds: relationships and communities are reflected in the Underworld, Otherworld, Platonic Reams and liminal spaces between.”
This is an odd one. Dream Askew and Dream Apart used the GM playbooks to involve other worlds with the mundane community. Girl Underground is all about change of the girl place on the world through the adventure. Blades in the Dark create a different world with the Prison and Wanted levels, which through Heat relate with the normal exploits and the growth of the crew.
I wonder which skeleton framework would fit these ruminations. Forged in the Dark is looking one with quite the pros and not many cons.
