Sunday, November 22, 2009

More on Traits

I've extended the traits system to system and world generation, as I mentioned in my last post, but since then I've pushed it a lot further. Let's take a look at the Tenderloin system, presenting in the Making Your Own Cluster post, but this time with Traits in place:

Char
Char is a burning quasi-molten cinder, and is unsettled.
World Traits: Searing 3, Hellish 2, Baking 2
Culture Traits: None
Government Traits: None

Light Belt
Light Belt is an Asteroid Belt, and is a Diasporan Community State. There are tens of millions of Humans living in this belt. Tech Level is 9.
World Traits: Sculpted 2, Light-gravity 2, Rocky 2, Heavily-modified 1
Culture Traits: Meticulous 2, Argumentative 2, Jumpy 2, Judgmental 1,
Government Traits: Theocratic 3, Hereditary 2, Honest 2

Hero
Hero is a Gas Giant, and is a SaVaHuTa Colonizer with billions of mostly Human inhabitants living in the clouds. Tech Level is 10.
World Traits: Cloudy 3, Stinking 2, Lovely 1, Windswept 1
Culture Traits: Gregarious 3, Roguish 2, Greedy 1, Sly 1
Government Traits: Corrupt 3, Despised 2, Rapacious 2

Blue Ring
Blue Ring is a Ring System, and is a SaVaHuTa Colony with millions in population, mostly Uplifts. Tech Level is 9.
World Traits: Highly-modified 3, Beautiful 2, Desolate 1, Empty 1
Culture Traits: Spacey 3, Off-kilter 2, Audacious 2
Government Traits: Functional 2, Capricious 2, Disinterested 2, Open 1

Haricot
Haricot is a water world moon, with almost no land. it is a SaVaHuta State, with hundreds of millions of people, mostly Humans and Vantors. Tech Level is 8.
World Traits: Oceanic 3, Windswept 2, Populous 1, Fresh 1
Culture Traits: Officious 3, Bombastic 2, Loyal 2
Government Traits: Popular 2, Bumbling 2, Bureaucratic 2, Overbearing 1

Andalusia
Andalusia is a hot, rocky, and dry moon, and is currently unsettled.
World Traits: Dusty 2, Arid 2, Flinty 1, Baking 1
Culture Traits: None
Government Traits: Mone

Heavy Belt
Heavy Belt is an asteroid belt, and is an Alien Colony, inhabited by Tumuran. Tech Level is 8.
World Traits: Rocky 2, Crowded 2, Rough-hewn 2, Light-gravity 1
Culture Traits: Off-kilter 3, Nefarious 3, Arrogant 1
Government Traits: Tiny 2, Ineffectual 2, Under-funded 2

Quiver
Quiver is an icy water world, and is currently unsettled.
World Traits: Oceanic 3, Icy 2, Sculpted 1, Virgin 1
Culture Traits: None
Government Traits: None

Tinkerbelle
Tinkerbelle is a small iceball moon, and is currently unsettled.
World Traits: Icy 3, Light-gravity 2, Empty 2
Culture Traits: None
Government Traits: none

Now that gives you an excellent picture of these worlds, without too much information. The Traits can be free-form or picked from a list of examples, like these. Even if you don't use them as mechanical devices, which is certainly possible, their utility as descriptors is excellent.

-clash

4 comments:

  1. Interesting, that system could almost describe characters as well.

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  2. Hi Tim!

    That's exactly where it game from - character personality Traits. I've been using this system for that purpose since Blood Games II came out in 2007. My players loved it, so I've been using it in every game I've released since - OHMAS has it, for example. What I'm doing is applying that same mechanic for different things, using a different word list. It works as both a mechanic and as a descriptor, it's free-form, and it's system and setting independent.

    -clash

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  3. Clash, I can NOT wait for this game to become available. It is so very bought already. :)

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  4. Awesome, Rich! Glad you're interested in it! I'm projecting this by early next year.

    -clash

    ReplyDelete