16: MOVE
How an RPG determines initiative and movement can say a lot about it.
Some RPGs divide actions by how quickly you can do them. The percentile system FASA used for their Star Trek and Doctor Who games had a point-based initiative system where you had so many points to share between moving and various actions, which felt like a nice idea for a skirmish wargame but not really suited to either setting. Conversely, Cubicle 7’s Doctor Who has initiative based on what kind of thing you’re trying to do, so Talking always goes first, then Running, then doing anything else except fighting, and then Fighting.
Likewise, does movement come with numbers to connect to grids and maps, or a series of guesstimates for actions like swinging from chandeliers?
Bonus round:
Tribute - I’ve run a variety of “tribute” adventures in various games. I’ve dropped a reference to Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines into my last few Vampire games on the session closest to its anniversary, varying in size from an appearance by an NPC to a full session riffing on the Ocean House Hotel mission. I’m also upfront about cribbing some wild ideas from their sources. I freely admit that I’d seem that episode of Eerie Indiana before running that episode of The Watch House.
Villain - What makes a good villain? Having managed to create a few, the big one is screen time. This is tricky with a combative game, of course. A confrontation in a public place where the PCs can’t just start a fight is a good place to start.
Fiend - In a fantasy or horror tinged setting, you can go beyond regular villains to demons, devils and avatars of evil. And since Milton at least, people have been looking at Devil figures and asking what their deal is. Right now a light-hearted TV procedural starring Lucifer is gearing up for its sixth season. You might want to keep some monsters morally okay to fight, but some of them could still be fun to hang out with.
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