[TSOTA] Discussion of Mechanics
So, I’ve started a basic discussion on Story Games and the Forge about the mechanics for making The Shadow of the Abyss a game playable outside of my head. I’ve bounced around some ideas and gotten some good feedback and more ideas.
Pools:
Danger – Abilities based on getting into and out of danger
Refreshes by: Sharing a moment of peace with someone
Conspire – Abilities based on conspiring and maintaining conspiracies
Refreshes by: Enjoying a spontaneous act with someone
Abyss – Abilities based on learning the truth and anything supernatural or alien in origin
Refreshes by: Stepping back from the Abyss and becoming intimate with someone
So, here’s something new:
Secret – Shadow of the Abyss
You stared into the Abyss, and it stared back. You now have a contra-Pool for Abyss called Shadow. It will act as a cap for Abyss in that your total Abyss Pool points + your total Shadow Pool points can never exceed 10. You start with 1 Pool Point. Shadow Pool points act as bonus dice for Abyss (or Shadow) Abilities and can be used in conjunction with Abyss Pool points (only for Abyss Abilities).
Shadow – Abilities based on the maddening power of the Abyss
Refreshes by: Inducting someone into the world of the supernatural
Key of the Shadow’s Grip
Pre-requisite: Secret of the Shadow of the Abyss
The Shadow drives you and distracts you from others around you. Gain 1 XP whenever you use a Shadow Ability in front of someone you weren’t supposed to. Gain 2 XP if doing so brings about undesirable consequences. Gain 5 XP if doing so brings about grave consequences. Buyoff: Remove your Shadow Pool by taking as much Harm as the Pool has (total) points. If you have more points than Harm, you’ll have to do it stages.
Ability – Revelation
You can cause yourself or others to see the real universe, if but for a moment. This can be used to gain insight into a mystery, distract someone from their immediate goal, or lead a crowd to a cultish frenzy.
Links:
Forge: 1
[TSOY] The Shadow of the Abyss
On Saturday I ran a game for Eric and Lisa Provost and a new member of our local area, Eric Lofgren. It was intended to be a Conspiracy of Shadows game but ended up being ran through TSOY. We ran a modified version of the Dark*Matter introductory scenario ‘Exit 23′ that I set at an airport in Bozeman, MT which I called ‘Terminal 23′.
Everyone made up characters that would embrace being recruited by the Agency and had a reason to be at this airport. We ended up making it so that everyone had been contacted by the Agency and was pursuing recruitment, which was even better. We all came to the table with the idea that the characters knew each other somehow, but not in some huge kinship way. I did my best to hit Keys, and I think it ran pretty well.
For those of you familiar with Exit 23, then just expand the concept out to an airport sized scenario. Otherwise, imagine an orb that a demon of ice is bound to and the chaos that ensues when ownership is lost at an airport, crowded with a huge wedding party.
It had some issues, it had some awesome, but it mainly had a lot of potential. And that has gotten me thinking.
For now, I’m calling the project: The Shadow of the Abyss [TSOTA].
