1. Racial Unity
   Races are strongly grouped as distinct and uniform. This is particularly interesting given that in D&D, half-elfs and half-orcs are defined as races.
2. Racial Monoculturalism
   There is usually a default culture for non-human races, but not for humans. This is sometimes mechanically explicit, such as in 3rd edition D&D. It is extremely common otherwise, however.
3. Humano-centrism
   There are a number of RPGs that have a default of non-human characters -- such as most of White Wolf's World of Darkness series, or various anthromorphic animal games from Other Suns to Jadeclaw. However, among games where there is an option to pick between humans and other races, then human is the default and usually dominant species in the background.

• bandits and heroines and kidnapping
• renaissance sort of costumes
• almost all 7th graders but possibly some range on the ages (downwards)
• lots of combat
• in the woods somewhere
• E. and her friend have made swords already for everyone (foam ones)

• bandits and heroines and kidnapping
• renaissance sort of costumes
• almost all 7th graders but possibly some range on the ages (downwards)
• lots of combat
• in the woods somewhere
• E. and her friend have made swords already for everyone (foam ones)

Vijay Sethi
Stamina 3 ; Willpower 5 ; Lore 2 ; Cover 5
Price: Arrogant
Demon: Kurthos, a set of keys

1. High-status PCs are given more points, and this is balanced by rotating who gets to play a high-status PC. This is like the approach of Ars Magica, where the magi are overall more powerful than companions, and companions are more powerful than grogs.
2. High-status PCs are given more points, and this is balanced by giving out-of-character perks to the players. This is similar to the approach of the Buffy RPG, where the Slayer or other Heroes get more power but fewer Drama Points than the White Hats.
3. The GM can give extra points to the high-status PCs, without requiring anything in balance. This may cause issues with consideration of fairness, though. In particular, the group must decide whose PC gets to be high status.
4. Status traits like wealth, rank, and fame can be random or otherwise assigned independently of other traits. High status can then give additional bonuses to ability if feedback is desired. This is done in random-roll systems such as HârnMaster, where a high roll on social class gives advantages in other parts of the system for superior nutrition and training than peasants.

zdashamber

zdashamber

Midsummer Mischief is set in PG Wodehouse's absurd world of England's leisured upper class in the early part of the century. This is a place where people shout "Wot ho!" and "You bounder!" and even "That's just not cricket!" A word of warning: this is not the real world. Here follows some useful (and not-so-useful) starting points:

1. It is always hay-harvest weather in England: 54 holes of golf a day, or a swim before breakfast in the lake, morning in the hammocks under the cedars, tea on the lawn, and coffee on the terrace after dinner.
2. Money is something you should inherit, get monthly as an allowance from your uncle, or win at the races.
3. Small dogs bite your ankles.
4. Babies are hideously ugly.
5. Young boys are fiends.
6. Aunts are harridans.
7. Butlers have port in their pantries.
8. All decent-sized country houses have cellars, coal-sheds and potting sheds for locking people in.
9. Most handsome men have feet of clay.
10. No decent man may cancel, or even refuse, an engagement to a girl.
11. Blandings Castle is traditionally infested with impostors.
12. Men and girls in love think only of marriage.
13. Rose gardens turn a girl's thoughts to romance.
14. A bedroom scene is either when you discover that someone has made you an apple-pie bed, or when one or more people come and search your room for policemen's helmets or miscreants hiding under your bed.
15. All married couples have separate bedrooms.
16. It is every young man's duty to steal policemen's helmets.

• Tharda is out of place as a republican Rome compared to Hârn's background, but it didn't grate much here.
• The premise overall spawned a lot of different challenges, including physical threats, mysteries, rivalries, quests, and intrigue. There was something of a divide between the non-fighty characters (the women Judyn and Maban), the craftsman Bowdyn who was in-between, and the fighty characters (the other men Kalrun and Jaroud).
• Play could get bogged down with all the PCs pursuing different goals.

1. Dealt with a secret rival cult, where threats escalated to violence, eventually warding off an assassin and then secretly assassinating their leader.
2. Founded our temple, opposed by the contentious tenant on the prophesized ground for it -- whom we ruined via lawsuit and buying his leased property behind his back.
3. Quested for an Ivashu ally to help us, but instead found it evil, killed it, and used its body to promote the church.
4. Clashed with the city's underworld, slaying one boss who pressed us and then allied with another to take his territory.
5. Contacted and eventually took over the small church of a neighboring city, Shiran.
6. Plotted to free monstrous Ivashu from being used in arena games, freeing one and eventually freeing it again to slaughter the workers and priests of the arena.
7. Allied with an Agrikan priestess and .
8. Backed a populist senator and ambitious general in moving the republic towards an empire.

• Artha: This was by far the biggest difference that we noticed compared to our earlier HârnMaster games. For me, it came across similarly to most other hero point systems -- we had a limited budget to go through. Acquiring them was from matching beliefs, similar to but distinct from awards for good roleplaying of other RPGs.
• Skills Checks: Aside from Artha use, resolving skill rolls was similar in BW to other systems we have played. However, there was a big difference in experience -- i.e. hunting for skill checks. We very frequently will talk as players about what skills we need what checks on.
• Duel of Wits: This was a sticky point for some of us. On the positive side, it did make for some very clear victories and tense scenes. However, several of us weren't very comfortable with the arguing over stakes and compromises. It could get uncomfortably confrontational on a metagame level. For myself, I had built a character who was a lean, mean Duel-Of-Wits machine. I had the somewhat converse problem that I felt I succeeded too well by getting in people's faces and arguing with them -- which was rather contrary to how I pictured my character as a social being.
• Beliefs and Instincts: While the awards from these were similar to other games, I think dynamically creating and changing these helped everyone focus their characters. I'd be tempted to adapt instincts to other games as a useful and flavorful advantage to encourage.
• Circles: This came up quite frequently. It bordered at times on helping players to take control, but in general it functioned like many social skill rolls or contacting rules. It worked fine, but wasn't an outstanding part.
• Fight!: These were quite confusing at times, in part because there were typically several sessions between our using the rules during which we would forget them again. After a while, they worked adequately but no one was really excited over them.
• Resources: These also worked adequately, but for me were plagued by counter-intuitiveness. That is, you need to buy things to get richer (i.e. raise your Resources score), you don't lose anything if you buy things, but rather if you fail to buy something. Also, it felt very arbitrary over when the GM offers the "Gift of Kindness" rule option. They were clear, though, and worked well enough as a balanced game mechanic.

It may be typical of the pro-Obama Dungeons & Dragons crowd to disparage a fellow countryman's memory of war from the comfort of mom's basement, but most Americans have the humility and gratitude to respect and learn from the memories of men who suffered on behalf of others.