Monday, September 22, 2014

Perilous Intersections, v. 1.0

Okay, I made it! This one sat on my hard drive for a long while before I had the chance to clean it up. Nevertheless, I present to you, Perilous Intersections.


Perilous Intersections
Doubtless, this will not be my final version. If anyone has any comments, criticism, typographical issues, please post them and I'll consider them for my next revision. Part of this new solo rpg engine didn't sit well with me as I dwelled on it...the interpretational issues of scene framing, which are at the heart of PI, seemed slow and too ponderous. I felt that it got in the way of play.

However, after giving it some time to season, I think I am happy with the result. At least, there are parts of it that I really like. If you happen to play it, send your thoughts and comments.

10 comments:

  1. From a quick read PI seems interesting. I'll give it a better read later.

    The one note I can make now is about the Space Marines story idea. Keep the why, just twist it a bit. Why did the aliens invade? Why did the hero become a marine? Why are the humans fighting?

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    1. Those are dials for you! Totally modular and interchangeable. Go for a tender space marine game with lots of backstory...however, the Big Questions will always answer things about an antagonist plot. They're not for backstory details of the PC (unless you can somehow tie it to that plot).

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  2. I have had a skim of it and it loos very good. I cannot see me getting around to some solo RPGing before next year, but I have definitely got this on my radar to look at. It definitely provides structure I have been looking for in solo RPGing.

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  3. This is awesome in too many ways - tying up storylines, unpredictable but directed setup, wide range of play styles and methods are workable...

    Do you have any further thoughts on the ordering of the big questions? Mysteries tell the who at the end but what about other genres? Action/Adventure seems to be all about the 'how' as in "How is Indy going to deal with this?" Or at least it seems so, to me at this point. I feel like I need a better perspective on it. Any ideas?

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    1. Thanks for your comment! I feel like the "why?" is often a good conclusion...to know the motivation behind the villain. I haven't given a whole lot more thought on ordering. In fact these days, I don't give it any consideration at all, just answering them as seems naturally directed by the fiction. I may have to give some more thought on it...

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    2. I'm more concerned with the possible final big question for a given genre than any specific story order. It seemed to me that there might be a key question for each genre like Crime Mysteries always being about the Who in the end.

      On thinking about some examples a little more... it probably just isn't that simple for every genre. Whatever the final question, the important thing that happens is the characters taking decisive action on the answer.

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    3. You might find that an absolute restriction on the final question might put a cramp in your fun. Too much strong arming might not fit all situations.

      I'm always happy to know that people are looking into PI. Have you tried it out, or just read through? I'd like to know if you've had any issues with it. Hope it's brought some fun to you.

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    4. Only a read through (or several,) so far. I have a project-in-progress with solo play in mind and I started researching games whose story/play is governed outside the player's full control but directed by the player.

      Perilous Intersections gave me some great perspective on how that could be handled but more importantly, the big questions drive meaningful play along an unpredictable yet guided storyline. I'm not sure I could name another solo ruleset that does the same. Too much randomness is bad for the style I prefer. It wrecks the mood, you know?

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    5. I've been derailed too many times in Mythic sessions in a way that's made it not so fun, so I think I know what you're talking about. Hopefully you'll have a chance to really try it out and see if it meets your expectations.

      Thanks for your comments!

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  4. By Crom! I just realized that this is a perfect system to use my Everway cards with! Sweet! Thank you!

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