Sounds interesting. If the city is also divided into different sectors, i.e. a financial district, an entertainment district etc, it could also act as a visual aid rather like a mini-map at the same time. What were you thinking of with the markers, something like glass beads on gradiated lines?

I really should dig out my copy of A|State and read it again *le sigh*

Ash

I envisioned that working in a similar way. Each city section is tied to a character and the traits of the section reflect back on the character as play progresses...

But I think with the a|state map you could do some interesting segment chart kind of thing. Maybe with likely flashpoints measured somehow by relationship of the markers.

-Matt

Realms Publishing

Could there possibly be people and events which sit on these axes and prevent the progress of the community towards a positive/negative state, figuratively speaking? For example, a mobster marked as a location along the canal of Wealth, representing a syphon of finances away from this district? Or an event on the axis of Shift, which shows something which has boosted the levels up, or forced it back down again?

I know, I'm probably off at a complete tangent, but I can see events and personalities sitting on the axes, being added at either end to show how the levels of certain aspects have been pushed up or down over time, with them being removed again once their effects have faded.

But them, I'm picturing some sort of dirty lithograph-looking map, all lines and sepia tones.

Shevaun

NB: sorry to comment on this on both CE and Story Games, I just felt that I had different comments based on what people had said on each board before me.

The City isn't really divided up like that, it's more jumbled and chaotic, rather than being split into easily defined areas, all with a common theme. So dividing the map like that (and naming them as such), wouldn't really fit.

As far as the markers, I hadn't thought of that in much depth, but I do like the idea of actually drawing on the map, making it a unique part of that game experience, something which makes it different from every other map out there.

Yes, I do remember you showing me the map and notes for E&E. The map actually formed the character sheet in some way, if I remember correctly?

Yes! The relationship between the markers was something I noted in my book almsot as soon as I had the idea. You want to keep your markers seperated: if they move into contiguous areas, then that causes a flashpoint. The GM (playing the role of your antagonists) would be wanting to move the markers together, whereas the characters would be wanting to move them towards their goals, but avoid the crisis points.

That's an interesting notion and one that is well worth following up. I think their certainly needs to be a strong ties between [people + place] and the map/graph which shows the effects of event on the community as a whole. At the moment, my ideas on how to do this are all very vague and sparse, but it's a very good though and one that I will certainly keep in mind.

I don't think it's a tangent, I certainly feel there is worth in the idea. As above, I'm not sure how it would be integrated, but it does have merit.

Thanks for all the thoughts and comments so far.

Cheers
Malc

Contested Ground Studios

I'm kinda scratching my head on this one. I think I can see what you're trying to do -- come up with a clever, dynamic way to drive play. But I think that with a|state it would be a huge mistake to try and invent some tree-hugging wacky system to encourage, force or dictate (take your pick on how it's viewed) a particular way to play. The people who bought a|state for the setting and open possibilities will feel like you've kicked them hard in the nuts.

They'll be even more dismayed if it's at the expense of the multi-layered setting detail that they've fallen in love with.

Or is this just some sort of campaign tracking stuff to inform the GM? (A bit like the wonderful Campaign Ratings in Golden Heroes.)

I see what you're saying, but at the moment, this is pretty much an exercise for my own satisfaction. I'm not intending to make it some kind of whacky 'plug-in' for a|state that makes it some weird trad-system + bizarro story driving single element kind of thing.

So, it's not really something that will be part of a|state, it's an exercise to see how such a thing would work, is it possible, mainly because I had this thought and wondered: "Is this, in fact, possible? Or is it a load of horseshit?". All the feedback so far has been very informative and educational (the thread on Story Games had educated me on how graphical representations of things can actually work, which is good).

In short: have no fear, I'm not attempting to shoehorn something into a|state that would diminish the game as it currently stands.

Cheers
Malc

Contested Ground Studios