Re: [BNW] Various

[Allan Seyberth <darious@darious.com>]

>I certainly wouldn't mind a better name for them. All suggestions will be
>entertained. 

Templates, archtypes, self-replicating coils of spiralling DNA?  Actually,
I like the DNA explanation offered earlier - it gives a storyline reason as
too the "limited" range of possibilities - but you actually know the
plotline and if that would fit.... but something along those lines.

>I'm pretty set on using the power packages. This is not a game in which any
>kind of hero fits in. There's a distinct power level for one. Also, certain
>kinds of heroes just don't fit the theme well and can alter the game
>substantially. 
>
>This is NOT a generic superhero roleplaying game. This is Brave New World,
and
>it's got its own story behind everything that happens. Some of the secrets
>won't be revealed at first, but when all's said and done, you'll understand
>why things have progressed the way they have. 

Okay.  My $0.02 - first, state this in the very beginning of the book, as
we gamers have become used to being able to completely create our heroes.

A "storyline" reason for the number of archetypes would be sugar to make
the medicine go down, as it were.  But if you go with that explanation,
then you'll have ta find a way to placate those worried about the "limited"
range in villians' abilities as well.

And finally...
I am a great fan of the Feng Shui system.  I think that it's the first
system to completely use archetypes, which sounds pretty close to what you
are using here.  Feng Shui has a limited number of archetypes (10 I think,
in the main rulebook), but gets away with it by allowing each template to
pick their own powers from a list.

If the power packages are going to be rigid, then hopefully you will have a
lot of them - 16-20.  That will also take the sting out of each supplement
having X new power packages that aren't available to people with just the
main book.

Playtesting is always important, but more so with templates.  Feng Shui
suffers because a couple of a lot of the concepts looked good in principle,
but when it came down the actual mechanics, they were less then... well,
some of the archetypes just blew because thier AVs were too low and the
additional abilities couldn't make up for that.  And several of the martial
arts powers are sub-optimal and compare poorly to other powers.

But - I have gone from being "wait and see" to "looking forward to see what
comes out" mode.
-------------------
Allan Seyberth
darious@darious.com

Jane Austen:
Because it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single chicken, being
posessed of a good fortune and presented with a good road, must be desirous
of crossing.