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Showing posts from February, 2017

My GV (Gaming Vitae)

In response to this post , here's a list of RPGs I've played (in order, mostly). Maelstrom Dungeons & Dragons Dragon Warriors Rolemaster Vampire: The Masquerade Call of Cthulhu Deadlands D20 Advanced Fighting Fantasy Pathfinder The Dresden Files Microscope The Black Hack Lords of Gossamer and Shadow

No Fighting!

Looking back at my post on Boundaries I had the idea of setting a 'no combat' boundary for a game. In a game that devotes a lot of pages to damage, attacking, healing and defense, I think it would be a major constraint, one that many players wouldn't want to try. The benefit would be the ability to focus on other aspects of the story, including other types of action and danger. There could still be traps, stealth, natural hazards, rivals, enemies, success and failure, just no direct combat. If enemies are massive monsters or whole armies, then it wouldn't make much sense for a small group to want to fight them anyway. The threat of violence can still exist, but we just don't play through any fights. So for example, a scene might find the heroes trying to sneak through the camp of the enemy army. The tension comes from the knowledge that, if discovered, they are surrounded by armed enemies. If they somehow fail to get through undiscovered, they'll have to su