tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737331211018613722.post1935354996644282437..comments2023-04-28T10:46:14.916-04:00Comments on Run a Game: God Machine Chronicle System ReviewRun a Gamehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12555528519708213579noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737331211018613722.post-76991919139089193212015-01-29T11:41:52.652-05:002015-01-29T11:41:52.652-05:00Good point about Integrity. It's better-worse...Good point about Integrity. It's better-worse like that. You have to really want to focus on the mechanical outputs of the integrity system -- conditions. And you have to want a system that feels objective but is actually 90% GM Fiat, since modifiers to Integrity rolls can doom just about anyone to failure. Yeah, I can see your point.Run a Gamehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12555528519708213579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737331211018613722.post-81400148344018955092014-01-04T23:07:20.296-05:002014-01-04T23:07:20.296-05:00This is a really good review of the system and it&...This is a really good review of the system and it's helped me a lot to wrap my head around the game and the decisions made inside it.Shannonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00456068019298922261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737331211018613722.post-81543559375513331932013-11-28T20:05:22.044-05:002013-11-28T20:05:22.044-05:00I find that games that try to have meta rules for ...I find that games that try to have meta rules for insanity and horror always end up taking away from it in the end.<br /><br />I've played a lot of CoC and that the insanity rules were just frustrating, every horror scene simply came down time dice roles, and failures usually just took control of your character out of your hands. The weakness of the human spirit overplayed until it's nothing but a joke.<br /><br />The best horror scenes I've ever had were in games with either no system at all, or system that only covered the physical side. Allowing you to determine how your character reacted. If people were unable to roleplay their character well, then they usually didn't have fun in that sort of game, and they played something else, leaving you with people that really enjoyed the horror genre and played it well.<br /><br />I liked the WoD system because most of it was about just about if your character could actually get something done. The morality systems gave a guidline for how your character would react, but rarely got in the way of a good scene.<br /><br />The new Integrity system feels like its trying to control every interaction of how your character reacts, and having so many dice rolls interrupt the flow of the game I think will only make for a worse game. I might as well hand control over to the GM in those scenes, or just follow a boolean script.<br /><br />After purchasing and reading through the rules, I have been recommeding against them to my friends and fellow players. If the new games they bring out offer no way around these systems, then I will be moving onto a different game line I'm afaid, White Wolf will have lost my interest.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04965913619887149898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737331211018613722.post-36106308542239287412013-05-10T17:16:02.895-04:002013-05-10T17:16:02.895-04:00A limited feeling of powerlessness is what makes h...A limited feeling of powerlessness is what makes horror work.Run a Gamehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12555528519708213579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737331211018613722.post-1197248054582016722013-05-10T16:01:52.388-04:002013-05-10T16:01:52.388-04:00"I think this system was designed to make out..."I think this system was designed to make outcomes heavily determined by the GM, to make players feel relatively powerless when a Breaking Point occurs."<br /><br />I'm kinda unclear why this is a good thing, Jon. :)Kirt Dankmyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15176693641755312121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737331211018613722.post-43782766874917652052013-05-10T15:35:11.317-04:002013-05-10T15:35:11.317-04:00Indeed. There's really no way to house rule B...Indeed. There's really no way to house rule Beats to be more equitable without drastically accelerating XP progression or killing all the sub-systems that reward you with Beats. <br /><br />Give 1 XP per session, instead of 1 Beat, and then keep the other Beats, so that the difference between wallflowers and active players is much lower. (Almost doubles the XP gain rate)<br /><br />Give 1 XP per session, and ignore the Beat rules. (Kills all the sub-systems that reward actions with Beats)<br /><br />Actually, I can think of ONE way:<br /><br />Audit character sheets at the end of each story (6-20 hours of play) and give everyone the same amount of Experience as one less than the character with the most Experience. Example: Andy, Ben, Claire, and Dave have just finished a scary murder mystery story, the third Story in the Chronicle. Andy has gained a total of 20 XP over the Chronicle so far, Ben has gained 22, Claire has gained 21, and Dave has gained 25 (he's the active one). Everyone advances to 24, so Andy gets 4 free, Ben gets 2 free, and Claire gets 3 free to catch up. Nobody's current total of Beats changes. That way the less active players only fall a little behind, then mostly catch up.<br /><br />Or you can play the Blue Shell. Start making the more active players' Dramatic Failures and Persistent Condition problems really bad, but go easy on the wallflowers. <br /><br />Or, as I suggested, just be a good facilitator. Give the wallflowers more spotlight time with personal plots, etc. to draw them out. Have the guts to signal active players to step back and try hard to draw the less active players out. Naturally, not every GM can do this all that well, so you might need some house rules.Run a Gamehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12555528519708213579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737331211018613722.post-38428354346461070412013-05-10T12:53:00.192-04:002013-05-10T12:53:00.192-04:00I like that you brought up the participation issue...I like that you brought up the participation issues with the new Beat system. I find myself a bit uncomfortable with the idea that I'm compelled to inject my character just to keep parity with the rest of the cast. This probably isn't an issue in a straight World of Darkness chronicle, but I can see it causing problems in games like Vampire and Mage, where experience translates to access to powers and therefore greater player agency.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05050117888158477528noreply@blogger.com