November 25, 2022
(Originally posted on Cohost: https://cohost.org/binary/post/173316-total-effect-subsys )
I realized I barely described what the rest of the system is in favor of being a Probability Weirdo. Let’s do that. I also didn’t describe, or even mention any of the three games I’m outlining while I’m writing it somehow. Let’s do that too.
The Subsystems
What’s a core system for the system? Like what parts do you need? You need the core mechanic, which can in turn be expressed through any of the subsystems listed. Basically aside from how to roll, the concept of escalation, and some concepts around level/tier advancement, there isn’t any one system that’s “core”. My big intentions for this system/toolbox/SRD/whatever are modularity and configurability, which I’m defining as:
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November 24, 2022
Session 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
This time, I washed up on Abrus Island!
Agonizing coughing. Heaving expulsions of salt water. Then, finally, a laborious inhale. You live. Wiping sand and blood from your face, you try to piece together the events of the previous night: a sudden severe storm, a giant waves, the crack of the ship’s hull, pain, darkness. You’ve washed ashore here, wherever that might be. Standing, there’s a familiar pull on your soul – a Sigil nearby. Although carved by unknown hands, you feel linked to it. You lash together a simple spear and grab a piece of driftwood as a crude shield before heading off into the dense forest ahead.
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November 19, 2022
Session 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
For this session, I returned to Coral Rock:
The sigil seared into the ground shimmers like the bright, crystalline sea that laps against the coastline. A gulch between two hills fills with water, turning the north end of the peninsula into an isolated landmass.
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November 16, 2022
Session 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
This time, I ran through The Cracks Betwixt, another pamphlet Realm!
When something shatters, it leaves behind cracks. Over time, those cracks fill with all sorts of interesting things. All sorts of filth. All sorts of riches.
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November 14, 2022
Session 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
For this session I revisited my first Realm, Cragcliff Reformatory!
The very name elicits an involuntary response: it conjures up an image of a horrible, nightmarish facility designed solely for the purpose of detaining magic-users of all kinds, run by the infamous former mage-hunter, Inquisitor Tremain. You had thought it to be nothing but legend. You were wrong.
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November 13, 2022
Session 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Next up is Obsidian Brink, another pamphlet Realm.
You are being followed. The instant you set foot in this Realm, something caught your scent.
It’s been hunting you ever since.
The runes carved into your being hum within you, not resonating with a source of power, but urging you to escape this place.
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November 11, 2022
Session 0, 1, 2, 3, 4
Fifth on the list was Castle Blanchard.
This fragment of Obron is like something out of a fairytale: rolling hills provide the backdrop for an imposing castle on the banks of a gorgeous river. But strife rules this Realm: smoke drifts from the green hills hangs over a castle overrun with thorny vines and twisted trees beckon with gnarled branches across the river. Something has gone terribly wrong here.
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November 9, 2022
Session 0, 1, 2, 3
Fourth on RUNEvember, we're entering the World's Grave.
You wake in smothering darkness and claw your way out of a shallow grave. The air hangs heavy with humid decay. In the distance the land cracks into a cavernous maw. You carve the Sigil into your tombstone and set out.
Overview and Realm Mechanics
Another horror-ish one, this one has a unique mechanic: Remains. When enemies die, they (mostly) drop a Remains tile on the map. Enemies interact with these sometimes (consuming them, mostly), and after combat they can be collected for use if they're still on the map. This is a pretty interesting mechanic and gives you reasons to be more aggressive against otherwise not terribly threatening enemies (because sometimes they'll gobble up your precious Remains).
...November 7, 2022
Session 0, 1, 2
On the third stop, we've hit our first pamphlet realm, Obran Express! There are 4 of these right now if my memory serves. These are Realms that fit on a sheet front and back, usually they have 4 points and take like half an hour to play tops.
Glass shatters and screams echo across the Obran Express. Your journey to another realm interrupted, you sigh, scratch a hasty sigil. and draw your weapon. Nothing is ever easy.
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November 5, 2022
Session 0, Session 1.
Second stop in RUNEvember is Bulwark Hollow:
A stiff breeze stirs the trees around you, the only sounds are that of the rustling leaves, the creak of wood, and the nearby rush of water. Towering mountains, tallest to the north, sweep across the horizon, their peaks snatching at the clouds.
With your Sigil carved into the rock, you head out to find the Rune Lord of Bulwark Hollow.
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