Pipe Dreams

[kingandy]

Having read some of the discussion on Pagga about how any magic rules you have in an LRP should be an integral part of the game world rather than just a point-and-click overlay, I am tempted (as all LRPers seem to be in this modern climate) to write my own system.  It would revolve around astrology being a real and quantifiable force in the world - people born in certain months would have predispositions towards certain careers.  Sort of a cross between SoS's Multiplier system and more traditional class-based RPGs.  People born in Month X would find it cheaper to buy Skill Y, more expensive to buy Skill Z, and so forth.  There could also be a bunch of skills (only available at character creation, merit-style) based on what specific day of the year you were born on.

Now that I think it through, the system would also lend itself quite well to "times per day" skills - the universe ebbs and flows, so "magic" revolves around determining the best place, day, and in its most refined form, moment to perform an action - there may be only three or four moments in any given day, for example, when a strike with a particular sword, wielded by a particular person, deals a mightier blow than normal.  Or whatever.  It would be a high book-learning campaign in which the learned would wield all the power.  Probably no gods save Science (though some may consider the reading of the stars an art).

I don't know, it's just an idea.  I have an image of white beards and stained glass.  For some reason.

Comments

[nyarbaggytep.livejournal.com]

That's kind of a part of how astrology in GD works. I think there's room for it to go further though in a different system. Go ferit.

[wulfboy.livejournal.com]

Do it. I like the "per day" justification. Even if it goes nowhere, everyone should write at least three LRP systems in their life.

It's a bit of a digression, but one of the cool things about the Earthdawn setting is that it takes standard ideas (classes, skills and dungeons) and weaves them into the gameworld. Likewise, a LRP game where classes and per-day skills are part of the IC world, as well as the OOC world, would be interesting to see.