Game Mechanics – Page 2 – the Dee Sanction

Careful Preparations

May 17, 2015August 17, 2016

As I have UK Games Expo in less than 2 weeks time and a session to run tomorrow evening, a little prep appeared in order for The Dee Sanction. I have spent some of today doing just that – having spent yesterday assisting with more general event prep. Today, I have: … Continue ReadingCareful Preparations

Game Mechanics Playtesting

Token Fiddliness

March 22, 2015August 17, 2016

We playtest to make games better. You accept feedback to allow that process to progress and allow a game to grow. I have been running games of 214 for that very reason – and I hope to run more. I have games at Seven Hills and UK Games Expo over the … Continue ReadingToken Fiddliness

Game Mechanics Playtesting

The Me in Team

December 9, 2014

Teamwork. What is it good for? That’s a tough one. In the session of The Dee Sanction I ran at Dragonmeet on Saturday, I found the teamwork dynamic of the group worked quite well. When someone faced a challenge and they rolled outside their success threshold, the team generally jumped … Continue ReadingThe Me in Team

Game Mechanics

It’s In the Cards

December 4, 2014

I’m running a session of The Dee Sanction at Dragonmeet (visit the website to discover more) in London this weekend. The morning session, somewhere in the big new Ilec Convention Centre. Don’t ask me – I’m sure someone will point you in the right direction on the day. Anyway, in preparation, I have … Continue ReadingIt’s In the Cards

Game Mechanics

Skills Don’t Recharge

November 23, 2014

One thing that has come from my reading and through player feedback has been a bit of confusion and even dissatisfaction with abilities that recharge. If you know how to do trick shooting, forensically search a room, or break a safe, why would that ability not work every round? From … Continue ReadingSkills Don’t Recharge

Game Mechanics

One-off Adventures

November 18, 2014

I had one of those inspiration moments again last night, though this one took place out in the garage on my exercise bike. Those thoughtful moments alone seem to be a fertile time for interesting thoughts. Key amongst those thoughts, I have decided to focus on 214 as a system … Continue ReadingOne-off Adventures

Game Mechanics Playtesting

Narrative Results

November 11, 2014

Dice in the pair used for Complex 214 and The Dee Sanction have symbols on them, intended to help focus the story. The symbols include: equipment, surveillance/vigilance, access, the system, them, and mutation/magic. In practice, when you roll the dice initially, the symbol rolled can help understand – plotwise – … Continue ReadingNarrative Results

Game Mechanics Playtesting

Inspiration Strikes

November 10, 2014August 17, 2016

I have written before, probably elsewhere, on the matter of inspiration and the spawning of new ideas. People have different ways of sparking their creativity, or find ideas coming to them in specific situations. It’s that principle that causes writers to keep a notepad by their bed, in case they … Continue ReadingInspiration Strikes

Game Mechanics Playtesting

The Counter Economy

October 29, 2014

When I ran my playtest session of The Dee Sanction this week, I handed out a bunch of counters – but, by the end of play, not many had moved from their starting position. I can see why – I do need to more firmly state the existence of challenges … Continue ReadingThe Counter Economy

Game Mechanics

Embrace the Dark Side

October 25, 2014

Mindful that I have to get running playtest sessions with all of the essential components in place, I have been working on the cards for The Dee Sanction. I don’t need a complete set, but I need enough to make the process of character generation straight from the deck a … Continue ReadingEmbrace the Dark Side