maverick_weirdo: (Default)
maverick_weirdo ([personal profile] maverick_weirdo) wrote2011-10-24 06:39 pm
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A clever new gaming tool

Today I played a demo session (on Google plus) for a collective storytelling RPG. It is called Bhaloidam (which I am told translates into “tell-play-tribe”).

The new tool is an iconograpic character sheet called the “Lifewheel”. Instead of written numerical stats it uses tokens stacked on symbols to indicate the character’s strong suit(s).

Because this game is about telling a story, players are called “spinners” (as in “spinning a yarn”). Each spinner has their own “opportunity” track. When a spinner reaches the top of the opportunity track it is their turn to “perform”. To perform, you choose what influence (skill/ability) you want to use and spend Will Tokens to use that ability. How many Will Tokens you spend help determine how many sentences you add to the story. Typically it is one sentence per Will Token.

The creator of the game plans to make Bhaloidam and the Lifewheel free online PDF’s available next summer, however he would also like to print up some nice cardstock sets with a comic-book-instruction-manual. He has a kickstarter campaign to pre-order sets Here. There is one more week left to pledge.

If you are interested in trying it out first he is doing more Google plus demos this week, you can sign up Here

I recommend checking this out, it was fun to try, and this elegant solution to quantifying story looks like a game tool worth supporting to me.

Board Quality!

[identity profile] corvus elrod (from livejournal.com) 2011-10-25 12:02 pm (UTC)(link)
I had a great time running the demo for you and Angela yesterday. I wanted to clarify that the Lifewheels will be manufactured by Panda GM, the same company that manufactures Pandemic! So the boards and tokens will be nicely finished and quite durable.

Thanks for the write up!