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BTW, here is a thing I like about FF7 that merits tabletop use.
Most magic comes from widgets called "Materia", but you can just consider them widgets. Each widget does one thing, sometimes in degrees. So it might boost your HP, or it might allow you to cast three fire spells.
Most magic comes from widgets called "Materia", but you can just consider them widgets. Each widget does one thing, sometimes in degrees. So it might boost your HP, or it might allow you to cast three fire spells.
Each widget is pretty self contained, which is good, because there are a lot of them, and getting them is mostly easy, with a few edge cases that are difficult. Net result, VERY WIDE range of choices for the player.
The limiter on this is the number of "slots" you have - you can only use widgets you have slotted.
Now, none of this is revolutionary, but what makes it interesting is that the widget economy is *so* generous that you have an excess of choices.
Now, none of this is revolutionary, but what makes it interesting is that the widget economy is *so* generous that you have an excess of choices.
So the constraint of slots does not feel stingy, it instead feels "just one more!", which is a good trick.
And because each widget is quite simple in and of itself, complexity is very easily throttled by interest.
And because each widget is quite simple in and of itself, complexity is very easily throttled by interest.
This intrigues me as I think about hybridizing it with games that are made up of similarly small rules units, like Powered by the Apocalypse & Forged in the Dark games.
The mechanical structure of slotting moves like widgets seems pretty powerful, if one can give it good fiction
The mechanical structure of slotting moves like widgets seems pretty powerful, if one can give it good fiction
I want to emphasize: the economy is what caught my eye more than the slots themselves.
I’m early in the game, so 20-30 options feels like a lot, and historically the problem with such systems is eventually you’ve explored the whole space (excepting oddballs).
I’m early in the game, so 20-30 options feels like a lot, and historically the problem with such systems is eventually you’ve explored the whole space (excepting oddballs).
Having a deeper bench of potential widget effects could expand that curve, which interests me.
The risk, of course, is that there may be an overload point. Where there are just too many. I *suspect* the widget improvement model could lessen this though.
The risk, of course, is that there may be an overload point. Where there are just too many. I *suspect* the widget improvement model could lessen this though.
That is, if you get the "Fire" widget, you can cast a weak fire spell. After a while, you can cast a stronger one, and after a while an even stronger one. And you might eventually get a "scorch" widget which does even better fire, and is a costless upgrade.
"Costless" is, I think, the key for this. Upgrades with tradeoffs give us reasons to hang onto old stuff, just in case, which inflates complexity. True upgrades are smoother.
Of course, the danger is that they may not feel enough like leveling up, but that's another issue.
Of course, the danger is that they may not feel enough like leveling up, but that's another issue.
Early on in fiddling with 4e, I wondered if it might be streamlined with more of an upgrade approach, with your various slots getting better rather than adding stuff.
It worked ok, but 4e had a lot of other barriers to experimenting in this way.
It worked ok, but 4e had a lot of other barriers to experimenting in this way.
Anyway, I should also call out that materia is also totally awesome as materia. Physically manifesting magic and turning it into an inventory minigame is genuinely brilliant and tabletop friendly too. I'm just following the thread in a different direction.
(Stealing ideas from Final Fantasy games being one of the great modern traditions of the hobby.)
