"Alpha: n. Software undergoes alpha testing
as a first step in getting user feedback.
Alpha is Latin for 'doesn't work.'"
                                --Anonymous

Well, it seems as though folks are interested in seeing the mechanics that I have prepared for Alyria. So I will accede to their wishes and write a bit about my basic mechanic. In the future I think that I will slide back and forth between mechanics and setting, thus keeping everyone happy and providing me with the maximum catharsis.

As I mentioned in the forum, a character’s stats are derived from his outstanding moral characteristics. Let me begin by defining the four stats that are used in Alyria:

Force: This is the measure of the character’s ability to make someone or something conform to his will. This definitely includes acts of violence but it can also include feats of Strength, threats, intimidation, or other direct acts. Force is rarely subtle but is often effective.

Insight: This is the measure of how intelligent, perceptive, and wise the character is. This encompasses the standard intelligence and perception tests, but this could also be used for various forms of manipulation (bribery, seduction, logic, oratory) by allowing the character to understand what to do or say to get the desired result. Insight also allows a character to avoid being affected by someone else’s attempts at manipulation or subtlety.

Determination: This is the measure of the character’s stamina, motivation, and drive. This can include resisting physical pain but also includes the ability to overcome emotional pain, temptations, and distractions from the task at hand. Determination could be used to resist Force and Insight, depending on the context.

Virtue: This is the measure of how upright and good the character is. Right now I am not completely sure how I will apply this stat (to be perfectly honest); however, it is necessary, as it reflects the overall moral status of the character.

These stats are rated on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the best and 10 being the worst. I know that this scale seems counter-intuitive, but it will make sense in a minute.

Now that the stats have been described, I can describe the effects of the character’s moral characteristics on them. At this point in my design, I envision characters being created with four characteristics. (Why four? Quite honestly, it’s a good starting place. It seems like enough to paint a decent picture of the character without becoming overwhelming. However, as testing goes on, this number could very easily change.) These four characteristics can be literally anything. A player could use “Bold”, “Stupid”, “Cowardly”, “Creative”, “Crafty” or whatever suited the character being made. As a brief test, I sketched out a character (based loosely on Lydecker from Dark Angel, if truth be told) whose characteristics were “Cruel”, “Stubborn”, “Idealistic”, and “Fatherly”. Once these four characteristics are chosen, the player (with Narrator approval) must decide the effects that each characteristic has on each stat, whether positive or negative. So, for example, I said that my sample character’s Cruelty was good for his Force but bad for his Virtue. Conversely, I said that his Fatherliness was good for his Determination and good for his Virtue. A characteristic could conceivably affect each stat but must affect at least one. Once this is done, intensities are assigned to each characteristic. The more intense the characteristic, the greater the effect on the stat. For example, I gave Lydecker’s Cruelty an Intensity of 2, which decreased his Force and increased his Virtue by 2. (Remember that lower is better.)

Once this is all done, the effects on each stat are totaled. Each stat starts with a 6 and is increased or decreased as appropriate. If Lydecker did not have any other characteristics affected his Force, he would begin with a Force of 4.

Now descriptors are chosen for the character. These are short adjectives or phrases that describe various attributes of the character that do not rise to the level of being moral characteristics. This could include “Muscular”, “Adept with a Bow”, “Quick-Thinking”, or even “Talented Scholar”. Descriptors can also extend to important pieces of equipment that are part of the character concept. So, a character might also “Wield a Mighty Broadsword” or “Have a Beautiful Cloak”. I think that a starting character will be limited to four of these descriptors as well, but I am not certain at this point.

So, now we are left with a character sheet with four numbers and eight descriptive phrases. How do we use this to resolve actions during a story? Well, this is the fun part where we get to roll dice. After some hemming and hawing, I have opted to use a dice pool system for Alyria. In order to explain why I made this choice, I have to embark on a brief digression.

In his excellent essay entitled System Does Matter, Ron Edwards introduced two terms into the vocabulary of game design: search time and handling time. Search time is how long it takes to determine what procedure to use to resolve the action, while handling time is how long it takes to determine the outcome of the selected procedure. So, to pick a mundane example from the Storyteller system from White Wolf, search time is how long it takes to determine how many dice to roll as well as the appropriate target number and minimum number of successes, while handling time is how long it takes to tally the successes from the dice roll and determine the final outcome.

I am incredibly demanding of any roleplaying game when it comes to evaluating search time and handling time. Quite frankly, I want a system with search time and handling time measured in split seconds. I want to be able to glance at a die roll and instantly understand what the result is. I want to be able to know what to roll pretty much off the cuff. If either the handling time or search time are too high, it breaks the narrative flow. We’re telling stories, not wargaming, for crying out loud! I want a snappy system! So, as I came to the design of the Alyria system, I decided to build a system that will conform to my strict requirements.

That necessitates a die pool. I think that rolling a dice pool against a target number has a much better handling time than a linear die roll. Once the dice hit the table, all that the player (or Narrator) has to do is count the dice that met or exceeded the target number. There is no math involved, which we all know has the potential to bog down a play session. Search time is not negatively affected, either. In my experience, the major delay ends up being the scrounging of dice, which is not a problem if the dice are all the same type and the number required is low. So, a dice pool it is.

I am now going to be so bold as to introduce a new term that has aided me in my game design. The concept is that of “dials”. Envision a game mechanic as a real machine. At one end is a hopper where you put the current situation. At the other end is a tray to hold the outcome of the mechanic. On this machine, though, are several dials. The outcome that the mechanic produces will depend on the settings of those dials. Twist this knob to the left, and the outcome is nearly always positive. Twist this knob to the right, though, and I refuse to be responsible for the outcome. A “dial” for a game mechanic is a variable that can be adjusted during play to adjust the potential outcomes. Let me use the Storyteller system as an example again. From what I can see, this system has three dials. The first is the difficulty number, which can be adjusted up or down to increase or decrease the success probability. The second is the number of dice being rolled, which sets the maximum number of potential successes. The final dial is the minimum number of successes required to complete the action successfully. Each of these can be adjusted to affect the outcome of the mechanic.

Let’s return to search time and handling time, shall we? Each dial adds to the search time of the mechanic, as well as making it more complex. Since this is the case, the game designer should only include enough dials to make his mechanic do what it needs to do. Too many dials slow the game down needlessly. So, for example, I think that Storyteller has too many dials. Do we really need three ways of adjusting the outcome? I think that any one of those dials would be sufficient. I might even go so far as allowing for two dials, but the three dials are overkill, at least for the style of play that the Storyteller system seeks to promote.

In light of this, the Alyria system is only going to have two dials: the number of dice in the player’s dice pool and the number of dice in the Narrator’s dice pool. It will work like this. The player will start by taking two ten-sided dice. (Aside: why ten-siders? Well, I happen to like them for aesthetic reasons.) Then he will add one die for each positive descriptor that is applicable to the situation and subtract one for each negative descriptor that is applicable. Meanwhile, the Narrator sets the difficulty of the action by gathering somewhere between one and ten dice in the case of an unopposed roll. (Opposed rolls are figured slightly differently.) Then they each roll dice against a target number. The Narrator rolls against a 7, while the player rolls against whichever stat is appropriate to the action. So, for example, if the Lydecker character were in a fight, his Force stat would be used, which would mean a target number of 4 or better. (See! Now you see why the lower stat is better.) Both sides count successes with victory going to the side with more successes. However, the final result should be narrated based on relative success. This is left up to the discretion of the player and Narrator.

An opposed roll works exactly the same, except that the Narrator should use the stats and descriptors of the NPC opposing the player character’s action.

Seems straightforward to me. Here is the one twist. Once per session, a character can choose to trump a roll. This is based on one of the character’s moral characteristics. Rather than using the result of the dice roll, the character is assumed to get a number of successes equal to the number of dice rolled times the Intensity of the characteristic. So, let’s say that Lydecker is rolling 4 dice on a torture attempt (not a nice thing to do, I know). He decides to use his Cruelty to trump the dice roll. Since the Intensity of his Cruelty is 2, he gets 8 successes to compare with the Narrator’s roll. The narrative result must incorporate the use of that characteristic. So, Lydecker uses some incredibly cruel techniques to get his way.

Trumping dice rolls also contributes to the intensifying of the characteristic. Let’s use a more heroic example to explain this one. (Lydecker isn’t very nice.) Let’s say that a character named Belois is fighting a nasty Misbegotten monster from the wilderness. Belois is Courageous (among other things) with an Intensity of 1. Belois decides to trump his first combat roll with his being Courageous. In addition to any effect on the die roll, Belois gains one development point in Courageous. Once Belois gains 5 points in Courageous, its Intensity goes up to 2. Now Belois needs 10 development points to increase to Intensity of 3. The change in Intensity will have its effects on Belois’ stats, based on how Belois defined his Courageous nature.

So there it is, in a nutshell. This is the mechanic that I plan on using to run Alyria. I know that there are probably holes in it that need to be addressed. There are also other elements that need to be added, such as rules for the Blessing or any metagame elements. However, this should be enough to evaluate and discuss. So, let’s get some discussion going. What do all of you think?