The Inside Scoop on Gaming

I'm a story-driven gamer. Always have been. I believe that the key to having an enjoyable game is to work cooperatively with the GM to build a good story. So to me, a diceless RPG sounds almost too good to be true. No random elements, just a story.

Now, diceless RPGs are like nuclear power. In the right hands, they can be great. In the wrong hands, they can destroy the world. In a diceless RPG, the players are completely at the mercy of the GM. If the GM wants to rip the PCs apart, he can without needing die rolls to do so. Diceless roleplaying requires a great deal of fairness on the part of the GM, as well as skill at improvising.

I was first exposed to diceless roleplaying with Theatrix. The idea seemed nice, but there was still too much number crunching. I found that I was still getting bogged down in charts and graphs.

Enter Heritage Storytelling, the result of “18 years of roleplaying experience,” according to the author. The system is very minimalist, bringing the grace and style of Theatrix with the simple system from Over The Edge. The whole system is about 10 pages long. Heritage Storytelling can be downloaded for free at http://www.landshut.org/bnla01/members/BulletShower/herirule.htm

Heritage Storytelling focuses on the player characters. It does away with as much of the rules as it possibly can, creating a minimalist system that still keeps the emphasis on the PCs. There are no charts and there are no numbers. The idea is to free the player from the constraints of traditional RPGs, and to focus on the character as a concept, rather than a handful of numbers. I have two words for this: THANK GOD! I’ve lost count of the number of games I’ve seen where people had great ideas for characters but couldn’t make them come alive due to system restrictions. I hate it when someone says “I have 15 Strength” rather than “I’m very strong”. Finally, a game that focuses on the character, rather than the numbers.

Character creation consists of three positive abilities, one negative ability, a secret, a motivation, and signs, or descriptions for each ability. Over The Edge, anyone? That’s okay. Over The Edge is a great game, one of my all-time favorites. I love the character creation rules from OtE, so why change what works? Heritage doesn’t have the dice rules that OtE has, but that’s about the only difference between the two systems. Hell, use this system instead of the one in the book, and you’ve got OtE diceless.

The resolution chapter can be summarized by its three-word title: Action is Drama. The first and foremost method of resolution is by determining the needs of the plot. If the plot requires that the PCs find a secret door, then they should find the secret door. If it doesn’t matter to the plot whether or not they find the secret door, use the good or bad abilities to decide.

One of the things I think the Heritage system could benefit from is the use of Plot points from Theatrix or Story points from the Story Engine. Character advancement is a bit nebulous, and I think Plot points would fit the bill quite nicely. I also like to use my Fortune Deck from Everway to help give me ideas to improvise with.

I love the idea of a story-driven system. If you can put your trust completely in the hands of a responsible, fair, and talented GM, you can make quite a story for yourself.

Heritage Storytelling
Heritage Storytelling Capsule Review by Peter Johansen on 14/02/02 Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 3 (Average) A minimalist, diceless system that brings the focus of the game back to the PCs. Product: Heritage Storytelling Author: BulletShower (BulletShower@landshut.org) Category: RPG Company/Publisher: Free RPG Line: Cost: Page count: Year published: ISBN: SKU: Comp copy?: no Capsule Review by Peter Johansen on 14/02/02 Genre tags: Diceless Generic	I'm a story-driven gamer. Always have been. I believe that the key to having an enjoyable game is to work cooperatively with the GM to build a good story. So to me, a diceless RPG sounds almost too good to be true. No random elements, just a story. Now, diceless RPGs are like nuclear power. In the right hands, they can be great. In the wrong hands, they can destroy the world. In a diceless RPG, the players are completely at the mercy of the GM. If the GM wants to rip the PCs apart, he can without needing die rolls to do so. Diceless roleplaying requires a great deal of fairness on the part of the GM, as well as skill at improvising. I was first exposed to diceless roleplaying with Theatrix. The idea seemed nice, but there was still too much number crunching. I found that I was still getting bogged down in charts and graphs. Enter Heritage Storytelling, the result of “18 years of roleplaying experience,” according to the author. The system is very minimalist, bringing the grace and style of Theatrix with the simple system from Over The Edge. The whole system is about 10 pages long. Heritage Storytelling can be downloaded for free at http://www.landshut.org/bnla01/members/BulletShower/herirule.htm Heritage Storytelling focuses on the player characters. It does away with as much of the rules as it possibly can, creating a minimalist system that still keeps the emphasis on the PCs. There are no charts and there are no numbers. The idea is to free the player from the constraints of traditional RPGs, and to focus on the character as a concept, rather than a handful of numbers. I have two words for this: THANK GOD! I’ve lost count of the number of games I’ve seen where people had great ideas for characters but couldn’t make them come alive due to system restrictions. I hate it when someone says “I have 15 Strength” rather than “I’m very strong”. Finally, a game that focuses on the character, rather than the numbers. Character creation consists of three positive abilities, one negative ability, a secret, a motivation, and signs, or descriptions for each ability. Over The Edge, anyone? That’s okay. Over The Edge is a great game, one of my all-time favorites. I love the character creation rules from OtE, so why change what works? Heritage doesn’t have the dice rules that OtE has, but that’s about the only difference between the two systems. Hell, use this system instead of the one in the book, and you’ve got OtE diceless. The resolution chapter can be summarized by its three-word title: Action is Drama. The first and foremost method of resolution is by determining the needs of the plot. If the plot requires that the PCs find a secret door, then they should find the secret door. If it doesn’t matter to the plot whether or not they find the secret door, use the good or bad abilities to decide. One of the things I think the Heritage system could benefit from is the use of Plot points from Theatrix or Story points from the Story Engine. Character advancement is a bit nebulous, and I think Plot points would fit the bill quite nicely. I also like to use my Fortune Deck from Everway to help give me ideas to improvise with. I love the idea of a story-driven system. If you can put your trust completely in the hands of a responsible, fair, and talented GM, you can make quite a story for yourself.