Disappointed in the title..

By That Blasted Samophlange, in Genesys

Really, they could have called it NarDS - for the Narrative Dice System. Instead, genesys.. sigh.

But, generic sounding name aside, I am quite excited. From what I can tell, the dice have the same symbol distribution as the Star Wars themes ones making them compatible. Though the lack of the force die is sad, it is not surprising.

I will be very interested to see any magic system implemented for the game, as well as if and how they will use the career/specialization system.

I was wondering about the lack of a Force die. The Destiny points in Star Wars are so key to the experience, I wonder if they're going to have a different method of generating them? Maybe something on the character sheet ala Fate CORE? I can't imagine them getting rid of Destiny points entirely.

Careers/Specializations seem to fall under these new "archetype" things. I'm guessing that's the new name for careers, and each one will come with a number of specializations depending on the rules. (And if that's the case, I claim all credit for the name "archetypes." I've been referring to the Star Wars careers as archetypal for years. Obviously they thought it was a great idea and copied me. That's okay, Sam; you can have that one for free.)

I'm really interested in seeing if they have rules for creating your own archetypes. If they expect people to build their own themes, I think it'll be required. More to the point, I'll be interested in seeing if you can take those rules and apply them to Star Wars to create your own specializations. Not because I want to do that -- I'm happy overall with what we've gotten there -- but because I want to see how backwards-compatible the system is.

13 minutes ago, CaptainRaspberry said:

I was wondering about the lack of a Force die. The Destiny points in Star Wars are so key to the experience, I wonder if they're going to have a different method of generating them? Maybe something on the character sheet ala Fate CORE? I can't imagine them getting rid of Destiny points entirely.

If you check the product page , it mentions "story points." It seems that each player and the GM all generate one point per session, but they otherwise work the same.

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Careers/Specializations seem to fall under these new "archetype" things. I'm guessing that's the new name for careers, and each one will come with a number of specializations depending on the rules. (And if that's the case, I claim all credit for the name "archetypes." I've been referring to the Star Wars careers as archetypal for years. Obviously they thought it was a great idea and copied me. That's okay, Sam; you can have that one for free.)

Not necessarily, as the product page also mentions careers in the same paragraph as the archetypes, and are definitely distinct. My guess is that archetypes offer you the base stats, like species do now, while careers work the same or in a similar manner.

I, too, noticed the lack of Force die…or Magic die…or Power die.

As for career/spec, the still have careers. The archetypes are a stand-in for species:

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It all begins with character creation. Genesys allows you to create a character using four different archetypes that can be applied to many different settings. These archetypes provide the basis for your character, whether they are a skilled laborer or a haughty intellectual, an aristocrat or average human. These archetypes can be found as different jobs in a modern setting, or as a different species on an exotic alien world. Next, your character selects a career to give them a greater focus. This career can be generic, like an entertainer or trader, or be more setting specific, like a knight or mad scientist. From there, your character develops their special skills and talents before diving into the narrative dice system of Genesys .

Official Genesys Description

13 minutes ago, Blackbird888 said:

Not necessarily, as the product page also mentions careers in the same paragraph as the archetypes, and are definitely distinct. My guess is that archetypes offer you the base stats, like species do now, while careers work the same or in a similar manner.

That's even better.

Is that stuff only on the product page? Not even in the announcement? I should check those things more often...

I'm not to worried about destiny/story points. That seems fairly straight forward. I am curious to see how they handle powers, as the Force Dice system isn't necessarily appropriate for every system. There are genres where you expect to be able to call up your spell (or whatever) nearly every time. Having to generate the proper number of Pips doesn't fit, especially given there's not always going to be a light/dark balance to further muddy the dice roll.

3 minutes ago, Split Light said:

I'm not to worried about destiny/story points. That seems fairly straight forward. I am curious to see how they handle powers, as the Force Dice system isn't necessarily appropriate for every system. There are genres where you expect to be able to call up your spell (or whatever) nearly every time. Having to generate the proper number of Pips doesn't fit, especially given there's not always going to be a light/dark balance to further muddy the dice roll.

With the ability to use DS pips for a strain cost, using the mechanics for spells works well, IMO. Sometimes casting spells drains you, and sometimes it doesn't (DS vs LS pips). In a more generic system it doesn't have to be the dichotomy of light vs dark, but rather easy vs strenuous.

But it's a moot point, I guess, since the Force die doesn't appear in the official Genesys dice set…unless it's going to be a separate purchase for the fantasy genre…but FFG wouldn't do that to us…

I hadn't noticed the lack of a Force Die equivalent in the pack. It makes sense though. I guess we'll just wait and see.

Okay good, they did mention that they're called "Story Points" in this system...

I like the name... It's not the best name but it sure is better than NarDS. ;)

3 hours ago, That Blasted Samophlange said:

Really, they could have called it NarDS - for the Narrative Dice System. Instead, genesys.. sigh.

Yeah, but calling it NarDS makes it sound like something the wolfman should have .

10 minutes ago, DanteRotterdam said:

I like the name... It's not the best name but it sure is better than NarDS. ;)

Yes, "Nards" sounds like a slang word for "testicles".

GENE ric SYS them. Genesis= the origin (of a new RPG series). The name does fit the concept.

gns02_preview.jpg

Not sure I like blueprint grid design for the art and such. It feels like my local hardware store should be carrying those dice packs.

1 minute ago, Robin Graves said:

GENE ric SYS them. Genesis= the origin (of a new RPG series). The name does fit the concept.

gns02_preview.jpg

Not sure I like blueprint grid design for the art and such. It feels like my local hardware store should be carrying those dice packs.

I love it; all the art seems to have that "unfinished storyboard/concept art" feel to it.

It really conveys the "here's the framework; go make it awesome" theme of the product.

I agree. Love the art design. Blueprinty and art deco all at once.

Somehow it embodies fantasy, steampunk and sf all naturally and non forced.

Geniesys. The system where you can play a Genie?

1 minute ago, Split Light said:

Geniesys. The system where you can play a Genie?

That would really drive most GM's mad.

What's wrong with the name? ;)

Afbeeldingsresultaat voor genesis bible

Bible expansion, anyone? :)