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Why create a "cookbook"?

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  There has often been a debate between "Rules and Written" (RAW) and "Rules as Intended" (RAI). The debate goes back to the earliest days of gaming, and can probably be traced back to the concepts of rules versus rulings. I've indicated a number of times over the years that I'm not a big fan of systems that build convoluted sets of mechanics that detail different ways of resolving different types of task. I prefer an overall system that will basically approximate everything, and keep the complexity of the game to a manageable level. I know it's not as "realistic", but what is "realism" in a session of fantasy escapism anyway. The post above prompted my thoughts on this. It's kind of the reason why I'm developing the "SNAFU Cookbook". Cortex had its "Hacker's Guide", showing ways you could adapt the system for various purposes. A lot of this comes down to issues I've discussed many times here on the...
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Variant RPGaDay - 28, 29, and 30

It's a day late, but lets finish off this run of posts.   Batch 10 (L5R) I love the Legend of the Five Rings setting, as it was one of the first fleshed out fantasy settings I had encountered which wasn't based on a pseudo-Europe. It has a rich combination of elements from various "oriental" mythologies, and it was pretty well thought out. I lost touch with it over the years, especially after the group of friends who shared a love for the CCG drifted apart, and when the game itseld seemed to fade away. (It's probably not surprisong that the clan which I feel the strongest affinity for is the oldest of the minor clans in the setting, the Fox Clan, but none of the prompts really spoke to me as a match for them...) Emotion – Devotion – Fair of Face (Doji Crane) Hanako is a courtier of the Crane Clan, and she was raised to be a diplomat and courtesan who would continue to bring honour and influence to her family and the empire. She is a painter and poet, and knows...
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Variant RPGaDay - 25, 26, and 27

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Another game that has a lot of fond memories for me, and there were dozens of potential options I could think of for the various combinations of prompts, but I've generally gone with some stereotypical responses. I'm intrigued by the changes to the lore in the latest version of Vampire the Masquerade, and certain elements of the new system, but overall hate a lot of the "updates". Here's my batch of NPCs.   Batch 9 (VtM) Instinct – Familiarity – Loving and Giving (Salubri) Bianca worked for many years in an animal shelter, where she helped out as a veterinary assistant. This care for animals attracted the attention of a Salubri who was looking for a child to pass the secrets of the old ways to. Bianca had the powers and curse of vampirism explained to her and she saw it as an opportuity to look after humans in much the same way that she had been looking after animals. (Besides being a big fan of the Salubri, to the point that I have their antitribu symbol as a t...
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Variant RPGaDay - 22, 23, and 24

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When I first started lining up the games and the NPC ideas that I was going to run with for this series, I was actually looking forward to this one. Werewolf is one of my favourite games, and was actually my gateway into the World of Darkness when I first bought the original slashed paperback first edition in 1992. Batch 8 - Werewolf the Apocalypse Werewolf was one of the fiurst games I had encountered that used the cultures of the real world to flavour it's characters... Celts, Russians, Greek Myth, Native Anerican, and others...while a lot of that cultural referencing seems a bit trite now, some have claimed appropriative, even ethnophobic or racist, it made solid attempts for the time and those early steps led to more nuanced portrayals that couldn't have come without it. I still love the game and would love to make a revised version, rather than what we seem to be getting from the new publishers. The old versions of the game, and especially the variant breed books depicting...
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