Re: [spoon-discuss] Where do we go from here?

["Baron von Skippy" <bvs@xxxxxxxxxx>]

>> I've got a fairly rough idea for a direction to go
>> in which is (I think) pretty revolutionary (read: It
>> comes with a whole new slew of problems). I'd like
>> to see things get a little more abstract and
>> precedent-based in this game. This idea came to me
>> back when we were talking about putting Aes Sedai
>> into this game - instead of having set powers (Force
>> Grip, Push, Pull, Catch, Kickthecrapoutof), everyone
>> gets a certain number of mana points (or some like
>> term) in each of the five variants of the True
>> Source and whenever you want to use them, you tell
>> the Minister of Aes Sedai what you're trying to do
>> and they, DM-like, determine a) whether it works, b)
>> what it costs, and c) what the effects are, and then
>> records all of that information so that others can
>> do the same later. In this way, we avoid having to
>> propose every single thing and the rules get a
>> little more flexible and the game gets more
>> interesting to play.
>
>My preference would be White Wolf's Mage system (nine
>spheres instead of five), but that's just because it's
>what I've worked with.
>
>Along those lines, though...if someone does X using a
>certain sphere combination, is it really best if
>everyone is then able to do it?  I'm thinking in terms
>of (a) research and/or reverse-engineering, since,
>just because someone sees something done doesn't mean
>he immediately knows how to do it, and (b) shtick,
>inasmuch as there are things that one person has
>figured out to do because he has a natural knack for
>it, something no one else might. (For the moment I'm
>discounting (c) patent, because there are no secrets
>in nature, and magic and science are both, strictly
>speaking, products of nature.)

-Well, in the WoT series, channelers who saw a trick used could usually sort out how to reproduce it, unless they were completely useless in that area of magic. I was thinking we'd still have a series of levels to this - for example, you /cannot/ use balefire until you're a fully trained and, indeed, advanced Aes Sedai / Asha'man. Also/instead, I was thinking that maybe the more you use one of the five areas, the more skill you have in it, so just because you can afford to create a rainstorm doesn't mean you won't end up injuring yourself because of it.-
>
>> So if we had a number of different Ministries that
>> had that sort of mutability, and a central set of
>> checks and balances (Dave can veto anything that's a
>> Bad Thing (TM), for example), would that be good for
>> people? I mean, this can be applied to a lot of
>> things. I also had an idea featuring a huge list of
>> simple materials which can be combined by players to
>> make complex objects - for example, you could buy a
>> lot of pipe, some sheet metal, parts of an engine,
>> four wheels, and weld it all together into a car to
>> cruise around the Grid on. If someone wanted to
>> cause that car problems, say by throwing a Can of
>> Whoopass at it, it would be up to the Minister to
>> figure out the effects, as opposed to the thing
>> simply vanishing (for example, a car might be
>> smithereenized, but a tank might keep going, albeit
>> with a brand new window on one size, and then you'd
>> need to buy materials to fix it).
>
>So the objects used as components would have to be
>invented through rule proposals?  Or would they go
>through your Invention Minister, much like the rotes
>would go through the Magic Minister?

-They'd go through the Invention Minister, or could be proposed (although it's easier just to make them), although new components would have to be proposed.-
>
>And...what about combining magic and science? :)

-Now we're cooking with gas... this is part of what makes this flexible system better, that you could do something like that (provided the two Ministers see no problems with it). I can't think of any such mixes offhand, but I can easily see how it would be useful to have the option available.-
>
>-- Glotmorf
>
[[BvS]]
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