Brett's Blog Maelstrom Plug-In Feb 17, 2011 | 1:42 am I've been working hard on Classic Story Engine Plus for the past few days and I'm finally getting the Maelstrom Plug-In chapter done. This is a tough one. For fans of the Maelstrom Storytelling game, you can expect a major overhaul of the Story Engine 2E plug-in for it. No drastic rules changes, just a serious reorganization and rewrite for better clarity. Well, the whole book is like this actually: major rewrites but the rules remain the same, save for new options like threads, convictions, and the use of alternate aspects (Fitness, Awareness, Creativity, Reasoning, and Influence for genreDiversion and Active Exploits fans). Here's a preview of changes (of course, you've probably already seen them in Story Bones): Conversion from the Original and Revised Rules The Original and Revised Story Engine rules use slightly different terminology from this edition. The rules themselves, though rewritten to be more clear and include new options, remain unchanged. The following changes in terminology are all that are necessary to reconcile between this and older versions of the rules: • Trait Affinities are now called Pursuits. • Prime Affinities are now called Gimmicks. • Short Tests are now called Instant-Takes. • The Hard Rate is now called a Target Number. Easy is now Routine. Hard is now Complex. Very Hard is now Challenging. Extremely Hard is now Formidable. Impossible is now Improbable. 8 Comments | Add Comment | Permanent Link | Return to Overview The Tweaker Commented: Feb 17, 2011 | 10:23 am Great news, Brett. Still looking forward to this one :) DacarthanAdollan Commented: Feb 17, 2011 | 12:06 pm yaaay. i greatly look forward to this. The Tweaker Commented: Feb 17, 2011 | 12:24 pm Will the rules still include several plug-ins (Fantasy, etc.)? Brett Commented: Feb 17, 2011 | 12:42 pm It will include Maelstrom and Six Guns & Whiskey as the previous edition, and I am also trying to complete Less than Human (like Dark Angel), Of Legend (fantasy), and In the 'Zone (sci-fi using Shatterzone background). Remember that the plug-ins are just that, not fully-developed settings, just guides for these genres. In fact, they are what's slowing me down, since they are pretty much the only bits remaining. The Tweaker Commented: Feb 18, 2011 | 4:55 am A Shatterzone Plug-In! Whoa! :D Now I have an excuse to re-read my old Shatterzone books... Thanks, Brett! Just another question: Will it include any conversion notes to/from GD3? Brett Commented: Feb 18, 2011 | 8:05 pm I'm not sure yet about GD3 conversion - probably. I'll try, but it's a matter of how easy it is to convert. It already exists (somewhere), but I have to see how well it fits in this book. Brett Commented: Feb 19, 2011 | 12:22 am I put in the GD3 conversion, but here it is anyway: Although not directly interchangeable, the third edition genreDiversion rules do share some similarities, making conversion possible. The genreDiversion rules can be used when traditional turn-based rather than scene-based action is desired. Aspects -> Abilities The easiest way to accomplish this is to use the optional alternate aspects. genreDiversion ability ratings can be determined by referring to the table below, consulting the appropriate column for the aspect’s value. Aspect Value of 0 = Ability Value of 2 Aspect Value of 1 = Ability Value of 3 Aspect Value of 2 to 3 = Ability Value of 4 Aspect Value of 4 to 5 = Ability Value of 5 Aspect Value of 6 or more = Same as Aspect Value Pursuits Pursuits share the same function in both systems, although they tend to be more focused in the genreDiversion rules. The only change needed is the name of the levels. Weak = Proficiency Mild = Specialty Strong = Mastery Gimmicks Gimmicks serve the same purpose for both systems, but may act differently due to system functionality. They must therefore be adjusted to work with the genreDiversion rules. Descriptors and Quirks may also be converted to genreDiversion’s Ability or Descriptor Gimmicks. The following guidelines can be used for converting Gimmicks for use with the genreDiversion rules. • Extra dice can either be converted to a change in difficulty or bonus to the dice total (each extra die = -2diff or +2 to dice total). • Health levels are treated as one line of health. Additional Health levels are treated as a bonus to health thresholds. • Burning a Descriptor is replaced with gaining one mark of absolute fatigue. Difficulties Converting Story Engine Target Numbers to genreDiversion difficulties is as simple as adding seven to the Target Number. Health Health levels can remain the same by assuming a threshold value of 1 for both fatigue and injury. For more heroic games, the standard genreDiversion rules of the threshold being equal to the fitness rating can be utilized. Damage and Protection Story Engine does not rely on fixed damage and protection values, but each Health level can be translated to one mark of either fatigue or injury at the Director’s discretion. The Tweaker Commented: Feb 19, 2011 | 11:07 am Very interesting. Thanks once more, Brett. Add Comment