The Power

The fruitful void (which might also be called the creative void) is a gap in the rules where players have to make decisions for themselves. None of the rules in the game specifically address the elements inherent within the void, but it's intrinsically a part of the story developed during the course of the session.  

This ideas was developed by Vincent Baker (back in 2005), and filtered back through various folks across the design community (note the pages here and here). It came into vogue back at The Forge in the early parts of the decade, so naturally that meant there were numerous interpretations of the idea, and a bunch of people claiming that their version was the "true" version. Personally, I thought it was lazy game design for a long time. However, I've kind of come around to understanding how it's a useful concept.

I want to do something like this for the way magical energy flows in the Familiar game. However, I think there needs to be some kind of anchor in the systems of the game. It's a bit like the way a "paradigm" worked in the various versions of Mage: the Ascension. In the earliest versions of that game, the belief that fuels magic isn't regulated in any sense, but it as later editions came through it becaame a bit more regulated and had some vague correlations to events that were unfolding in the systems of play. I think the key agenda here was to avoid limiting the creative potential from the players. If you write up some specific ideas about where things could go, players get the feeling that those ideas are boundaries to work within rather than potential pathways for exploration.

...this group works their magick through a belief that all things are interconnected holistically, and certain plant enzymes interact with animal biology to produce effects that are unknown to science...

...that group believes that all elements of reality are governed by spiritual beings who take notice of the harmonic energies of music and the ancient chants of primordial languages woven into song...

...another group believes that all souls are reincarnated, and at the transition between physical and spiritual (the moments of birth or death), the barrier between worlds weakens and powerful forces for change seep into our world and may be harnessed by those who know how...

...it's all about coming up with a belief system about how magical power can be harnessed and focused in the mundane world. The character needs to believe it, but their beliefs can impact on the way other mystics can harness powers against them. If a character has a narrow understanding of how magic works, they'll be limited in how they are able to manifest their powers, but their limitations will naturally make them resistant to powers that exist beyond their ability to understand. If a character assumes anything goes, then they'll be unable to disbelieve the effects coming in at them. 

A character who works magick through herbalism might undertand that certain herbs allow healing to be enhanced within the body. If they see someone working healing magic by calling on angels, but they don't see the ritual chant, they might think herbs are somehow invoved and it will fit into their understanding of the universe. If they see the chant and music, but don't see any herbs, they might not understand how it's done and their confusing to bring a level of resisance to the effect. It's a clever interplay, but left in the hands of the story except for limited modifications to die rolls.

The foundations of magic in Familiar rely on a desire to change the world, but what prompts that desire? Meanwhile, the methods by which reality could be changed are linked to magical words (we've already got systems to address what words a character might know, and how they might combine into magical effects).   

The narrative explanation is already established, but the question is whether this explanation needs to be codified into rules or left as a fruitful void. If a character sees injustice in the world, there is a chance they'll gain the motivation to chance things in reaction to this. If the injustice affects a group they are linked to, they'll have a higher opportunity to gain this motivation. If it directly affects them, they have the highest chance to gain this motivation. 

Mechanised

If the character simply sees an injustice, they roll a d4. If linking to a group they identify with roll a d6, if they identify in multiple ways, it might go up to d8 or d10. If it affects them directly, it might bump up to the next higher die. The roll of the die determines how much impact the event has on the character.

• 1 - Seeing this injustice has no effect on the character. 
• 2-3 - Seeing this injustice has a gut reaction that must be used instantly, or the moment is lost. Add a temporary magic token.
• 4-5 - The injustce has a minor impact on them. Gain two temporary magic tokens, or a long term token.
• 6-7 - The injustce has a moderate impact on them. Gain three temporary magic tokens, or two long term tokens.
• 8+ - The injustice has a major impact on them. Gain four temporary or three long term tokens.(Any temporary tokens are immediately llost at the end of the scene)    

So, as an example, we might have a character (Annie) who is neurodivergent, and another (Gomez) who is both queer and an immigrant from an ethnic minority. If the two characters are seeing a group of red hats targeting a immigrant, then Annie rolls a d4 to see if it resonated enough to motivate her magic (she gets a 3 and adds a temporary token). Gomez rolls a d6 (getting a 5, he chooses to gain a long term token). Later, in the scene these tokens may be used to enhance magical effects. 

The point is that the more marginalised a character is, and the more they see their marginalised community impacted by the systems and people around them, the more power they generate to push back. Characters choose their own ways to identify, and have more ways to generate power if they are impacted by a wider variety of intersectional marginalisations. To gain the power, they need to identify and step up as a member of the marginalised community, or as an ally. This might direct problems toward them, but that's all a part of the game. If a character chooses not to step up, and avoids confronting an issue that affects a group they claim to be a part of, it will be harder for them to gain a benefit next time.

I don't want it to get any more complicated than this, because I don't want the rules to overshadow the stories being told. It feels like it's getting where I want, but not quite there yet.

Fruitful Void

The other option is to just leave it completly blank, and have the story guide the effects of the magic. Does a player accept that their character is offended enough to take action? What impact does this have? How is the character motivate to react?

Instead of applying specific mechnical die rolls, a player decides for themself. However, it feels like there should be some system of checks and balances to prevent abuse. I'm not sure.

I might have addresed this through old ideas and notes, I'll need to dig through the blog, and through old files for the game.