System
From PatchworkWiki
(Ported from the main patchwork site SYStem)
Simple Yet Subtle, the system explained. This document is divided into three sections. The first addresses the system for storytellers, the second explains how to use the stats in cases of conflict and the third deals with special cases.
Contents |
Storytellers
If all the players involved in an interaction can agree on how it should proceed there is no need to consult the system stats. In writing the interaction players should bear in mind that other members of the group may be in possession of secret information or powerful items. Descriptions of the scene should take account the nature of characters’ originating patches and any powers they possess as a result.
System Hackers
The system is administered using power ratings for the different characters. You can find a table of current ratings listed in the Players/Characters document. This current system is an evolution of the one used during the Beta Test. The GM team is currently exploring further stat modifiers, but until this power stat has been put into effect, we're holding back on using more.
For more detailed information on the system consult the pedants document.
Selecting the Local GM
In cases of conflict players should take note of the characters present and their effective power levels.
This is calculated by dividing each character's power level by the distance from their patch (the patch is counted as one).
The player with the strongest effective patch stat is counted as the Local GM. (In cases of a tie between patch stats the patch owner decides which of the players becomes the Local GM).
Any players involved in a scene, including those playing NPCs and the patch owner, is eligible for the role of local GM. (See the pedants document for an explanation of when an item can be Local GM.)
Role of the Local GM
The role of the Local GM is to clarify any uncertainties about what should happen during a scene. This should take into account the behaviour of any special effects (e.g. magic, powerful items, patchwork peculiarities), the narrative style of the players and the relative character stats of those involved.
The Local GM may be the most powerfully rated character in a scene, but this does not mean they should automaticaqlly 'win' a conflict to the detriment of the story.
Objecting to a Local GM Decision
If players object to a call by the Local GM they can contact a Game GM for resolution, or consult the rules for Pedants below.
Pedants
Follow the rules listed in the section on System Hackers for determining the Local GM. Then consult these additional rules for unusual cases and detailed stat related information about weighting and all sorts.
The purpose of this document is to quantify in part all of the stuff in the previous sections about how the presence of other patch ‘paradigms’ should be taken into account. It makes reference to various specific patchwork game terms that have been used to explain these effects in the past.
Losing to Another Paradigm
Any character in a scene whose effective Power rating is between that of the Power rating of other characters in the scene or of the current patch, and one-quarter of this value, will generally be able to function ‘normally’. This includes making use of any unusual abilities they have, even if they are not normally present in the paradigm of the Local GM.
Paradigm Crush
Any character in a scene whose effective Power rating is four times smaller than the Power rating of another character or the patch itself may be subjected to ‘Paradigm Crush’. This means that the character is entirely subject to the paradigm of the Local GM, even if this means that they lose access to any abilities that are not allowed there or experience other side effects. (See also Re-interpretation.)
Special Items
When a special item has a higher effective Patch Stat than the characters present in a scene, in certain cases the owner of the patch in which that item was created may become the Local GM. This does not apply to items that have been modified or changed association (the link between the item and the patch or character must be clear).
Example: Snark Sinistre's staff has a consciousness and acts as a unique NPC in a number of scenes. When Snark's staff was stolen, it played a role in scenes in which Snark was not present. If at any point during a conflict the effective power rating of Snark's patch had been higher than any of the characters involved, Snark's player would have become Local GM for the scene.
Re-Interpretation
If a character or object becomes subject to paradigm crush in an environment where it cannot reasonably exist, it will change its nature to the closest approximation of itself in the dominant paradigm. The precise nature of this change is generally subject to the judgement of the Local GM, but as a guideline, living things will become other living things, but complex machines will simply stop working.
Anti-Fields
Officially there is no such thing as an anti-field in a player patch. Patches may not have a background that forbids another type of paradigm unless this is the result of a ‘positive’ effect in the patch’s own ruleset. E.g. The Wildwood is classed as anti-intellectual by virtue of its emotionally charged paradigm.
