Zev Mir 🐹

thanks for the LÖVE! in every way!

This week: @eisenfuchs.bsky.social is turning their tabletop RPG into one you can play on the computer!

As a game designer, I have opinions on crunch vs "flavor". If a game unifies too excessively, and all characters play EXACTLY the same, I don't consider it an interesting game. It might play fine, and make good stories (my own GOSS game is like that), but dedicated mechanics for subsystems is nice.

who is coming to #Graz #GameDevDays #GDDG25?

I’m coming! @ramiismail.com when did we meet, was it 2023 or last year?

also, unrelated:

meanwhile I have my own flat, a well paid job and an amazing partner. just remembered the pain I went through back then. glad this is all in the past! yay.

here's a quick sketch of a character sheet. the character sheet of games is their centerpiece. it is a vital piece of design, and should obviously have inspirations and references on it, to ease play. for this game, I'm use a "menu" approach. you can configure your loadout by filling dots on it

Some abilities need two slots to work or have requirements.

For stats I think I'd use a similar system to what I like in PBTA or how D&D does its modifiers:

+3, +2, +1, +0, +0

and a free floating +1 you can place yourself

you can go for a +4, but you could also go for +3, +3... or improve your spread further.

Each +1 gives you a single slot

Maybe we can also give every character reasons to use stats that previously were deemed unhelpful. Wisdom on a Fighter?

Well!

Spot Opening is a Hunch for Instinct!
Anatomy is a Knack for Genius!
Evasion is a Move for Agility!
Daunt is a Gambit for Charm!

give you something to use!

I want my high Might low Genius character to play drastically differently from a high Genius, high Instinct "rogue".

Insight, Sixth Sense, Acute Hearing, Survival, See Spirits, Trap Sense = Hunches for Instinct

You get the idea. Mechanically so far, all sound similar, but the way characters play is widely different depending on the actual loadout you pick.

Sneak, Dash, Swim, Climb = Moves you need to "equip" using your Agility

Bluff, Disguise, Persuade, Intimidate = Gambits you can equip using your Charm

Heavy Armor, Heavy Weapons, etc = Equipment you use/carry according to your Might

Heal, Lockpicking, Arcana, ... = Knacks for Genius

Generally I like my games to have limited loadouts, because you have an easier time remembering your capabilities if it's not an overwhelming amount of them.

so Charm equips Gambits
and Genius equips Knacks
Might equips Load
Agility equips Moves
Instinct equips Hunches

Instinct gives you willpower, helps you resist temptation and manipulation, discover things and intentions, find clues (but not interpret them)

Charm helps with all social encounters and allows you to "equip" henchmen/sidekicks; you have a loadout that is based on your Charm

High Might gives you more health, more carrying capacity, more damage, better endurance

Agility allows you to cross bigger distances, do more actions in combat, be swift

Genius covers all things spells normally do, but they can be mundane tricks like competencies

my own system uses MAGIC

Might, Agility, Genius, Instinct, Charm

Might relates to health, inventory and combat
Agility with your movement and combat
Genius with effects (spells, knowhow, capabilities)
Instict with mental health, perception, insight
Charm with social encounters and sidekicks

You know, we don't want hard to learn rules for every subsystem. But it makes sense for characters to *feel* differently, simply because they have different stats.

E.G. in systems that use typical stats, I like when each has its own value in the game, with core systems attached to them.

As a game designer, I have opinions on crunch vs "flavor". If a game unifies too excessively, and all characters play EXACTLY the same, I don't consider it an interesting game. It might play fine, and make good stories (my own GOSS game is like that), but dedicated mechanics for subsystems is nice.

YouTube video by Zev Mir How to make a Vampire the Masquerade style Map of an existing City using Google Maps & Photoshop

Since I mentioned it in German

If you want to learn how to make a Vampire the Masquerade type Map for your own online games, I made a tutorial on my youtube; it's basically my only good video

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZirS...

Nowadays I use Affinity Photo instead of Adobe tools.

here’s a German video of me showing my playset, and yes, for my home game I’m using AI for the scene art.

if I were to sell such a set online, I’d not use that, but it genuinely improves my game and makes running games easier for me.

I do think with a dedicated artist we could create it acceptably

The fun thing is also that we can technically play remotely if someone wasn't available in Graz, so they could log in via Foundry and still participate, while the rest of the group shares snacks and we all play together.

It's a great experience.

I recently recruited my fiance and he loves it!

Foundry is such an amazing engine/VTT, I can really recommend it, although I use it in conjunction with Forge VTT because that improves my "runability" of my games drastically. Now I can work on my games from any computer with a working internet connection and my players can edit their PCs from home

I have a Vampire the Masquerade 5th Edition home game that uses my Scene Based design, where I will build a playset to reuse over and over, and slowly expand from week to week.

It is a low maintenance design that really enables me to run dramatic engaging games.

We play in person, but w Foundry

*Gear Slot System

Sorry, should be specific. Michtims can swap active Callings (up to three can be attuned at a time) and there's a Tool, a Cloak and an Accessory slot on your character sheet, and they all work differently.

And you start at level 5 distributed among two to three classes. It is a very nice system. I have so much fondness for JRPG design language; which you probably know if you played Michtim. My Slot System and Job System are basically JRPG inspired too!

I really really love Legend in the Mist / City of Mist, but every character works really similarly and I want my players to be able to toy with their mechanics a bit more, while not being locked into high complexity and leveling systems like in D&D.

FU unlocks perks with each levelup.

For that endeavor I asked:

Games that allow flexible multiclassing, allow me to virtually play any ancestry I want, have easy to learn resolution mechanics. Each player should be able to contribute something useful. Mechanically interesting enough not to be too homogenous. Bonus points for German.

I really adore #FabulaUltima, and you wanna know how I got to that game? By describing my #TTRPG kinks to #ChatGPT and letting it recommend me games. That works surprisingly well. If you already know what kind of game mechanics or concepts you're into. Anyway. Fabula Ultima is even available in DE.

Please give me an unironic list of things that have gotten better over the last ten years because I’m spiraling.

I’ll start: you can buy an enormous TV from Costco for like $100 bucks now.

We could be 5 to 10 years from toothpaste that can regrow tooth enamel.

The scales are beginning to tip in favor of Mars once sustaining life. We’ll potentially know for sure by 2040.

The blue macaw is up to 160 individuals from an all-time low of 7, and confirmed to be breeding in the wild.

yeah, I went into a psychiatric hospital to not end up on the street