The Four Scales of Playstyle Evaluation

Nearly two years have passed since my first public attempt at a music band TTRPG. At first, I joked that it would be included in the Runehack as a new focus of the system in the April Fools post a year ago, ... and then I did it anyway. Well, kind of. These rules are included in the Seeker minigame of the Jobs pillar of experience.

Why am I talking about my games when I promised you with the title that I'd discuss the playstyle evaluation? Because the four stats used for the musical performances (as well as other creative performances) could be used to evaluate a group's playstyle, with a bit of interpretation here and there. Let's have a look!

Look, two people playing a board game! That counts as relevant art, right?
Promotional art from the Cavern Tavern Kickstarter. I'm in no way affiliated with them, I just needed an artpiece for the article, so in exchange, they get a tiny bit of free advertising on a blog barely anyone reads.

Intensity - Difficulty

How hard is your game? This stat required some reinterpretation, since "loudness" or "physical strength" don't make sense in most TTRPGs. Low intensity means you're playing a casual, non-difficult game, while a high intensity game suggests that players have to optimize their characters and play smart to succeed.

Tempo - ... this one's self-explanatory

How fast do you want your game to proceed? Low tempo stands for a slow game, where everyone takes their time with things, be it by processing them emotionally or mentally. A fast tempo represents a game in which stuff happens. Bear in mind, this doesn't suggest that every fast tempo game is a speedrun and every slow tempo game is a still life. Games in general should have their fast and slow moments. This only discusses their frequency.

Authenticity - Emotional Depth

How emotional do you want your game to be? Low authenticity game is there just to amuse the players, with jokes and humorous happenings, and cool moments. High authenticity game is a game that tries to evoke more emotions in the players: sadness, fury, fear, perhaps even awe.

Creativity - Adherence to the Rules

How much do you stray from the rules? This one's simple - low creativity means RAW/RAI is preferred, resorting to house rules and rulings only when necessary, while high creativity games are full of rulings, Rule of Cool, house rules, and homebrew.

Important note: A good game can exist on either end of these scales. No, you are not any worse for enjoying a "low authenticity low creativity" game, and you are not cool just because you are into a "high intensity high tempo high authenticity high creativity" game.

While these scales talk about playstyles mainly, some rulesets lean towards supporting one end of the spectrum over another. A difficult game leans more to the high Intensity playstyle. A crunchy game will have a hard time being played at a high Tempo (or so I assume). And a soup stone game would probably suck without high Creativity, since that's what makes it good.

Thank you for reading, and have a nice day!

THE Soup Stone RPG

Time for another experimental game. Definitely not a joke I've heard a hundred times by now.

THE Soup Stone RPG

Every problem you try to solve can be solved by making a proper meal.

Your stats are listed below. Distribute 36 points among them (minimum 2, maximum 12).

• Filling. A filling meal can give you tons of energy, which helps you in speed and endurance.
• Stylish. Good-looking meals are good for your creativity.
• Tasty. A tasty meal is good for your mind. This makes you more sociable.
• Healthy. A healthy body means you're gonna move well, therefore, this is good for physical matters such as strength and agility.
• Digestible. Your body doesn't need to focus on digestion, therefore, this is good for smarts.

Whenever you attempt something relevant to the stat, roll 1d12. You succeed on a roll less than the stat (not equal).

When you attempt to make a meal, roll 5d12 and distribute them among the stats. Each roll that's less than your stat successfully causes that quality to manifest within the meal. If more characters are cooking the same meal, they may choose to roll fewer d12's and then select which stats they contribute with for the final meal. Why choose fewer? Because too many cooks will spoil the soup - if two or more characters contribute with a success in the same quality, it's considered a failure.

Different characters might require different qualities, and the players will have to guess which ones exactly based on the characterization of NPCs provided by the GM through role-play.

Woohoo, the soup stone game is finally out. It's a rushed job done mostly within the last 10 minutes of the April Fools, but it's something.