Thread by @TheDovetailor, Is this gonna be a Pammu Live Reads a Game thread yes, [...]

Is this gonna be a Pammu Live Reads a Game thread yes, yes, it is.

Diving into Best Left Buried today, for design readings. I've always wanted to check this game out! Hewwo @JellyMuppet I'm doing a thing for our thing uwu

Loving how BLB does its three stats. Layering any kind of attribute with more than just one dimension is tbh a lot more "realistic" than attempting to be hyper specific. My favorite one in the set is Will, because its social dimension is ace.

And on that note, I do like Grip a lot. The text reads that it is a "coagulated mix", yet the individual components that make its whole are elegant on the level of system and feeling. Excellent name choice for a game attribute too, if I do say so myself.

Mmm more sexy gear and weapons tables. NTS make something like this, only Filipino.

...Pretty sure @john_errwin and @liquorcanini could do so much better than I could with this sort of thing though, and from what I remember of my chatter with my bros they already have. ouo

*chef's kiss*

Okay. Any game that lets me unironically say "I'M THE PROTAGONIST" is a win for me.

Love the punchy, witty way that the archetypes were done for this game. Also @coilingoracle I see ur the editor for this project. Just when I thought that I couldn't crush on you more!!!

Am deeply enjoying how this game leans hard into being simple, punchy and dark, with a clear penchant for taking heroic/high fantasy anything and turning it on its head. Generally, I'm a fan of design that tries to do this without apologies or pretense.

Wait, cat break. Mallow does not want Best Left Buried, only play.

Escaped from my sweet prince. @diwataMANILA and I have determined that he gets nippy with me more often because it is a PLAY WITH ME oAo thing.

Hi I'm Pammu, a big cat apparently, not a game designer.

Anyway wanted to say that I fucking love the use of Zones in BLB combat.

Breaking things down into radiuses and systems of measurement can get messy, to say the least. The simple breakdown that this game puts down on what you can hit, what you can, and how characters move in and out of spaces is a breath of fresh air.

Am enjoying the push & pull represented in Grip, Consequences, and Afflictions. Wish I had gotten a chance to read BLB before doing a panel on accessible horror, because this is a good example on how to do a sanity/ sanity-like mechanic without being harmful to ND folks/ableist.

It basically going "yes, any Grip lost is a permanent thing, so you take Consequences in order to prevent this", which is a good simulation of how we develop coping mechanisms and strategies, for better or for worse, to anchor ourselves.

The only thing that is missing here is the chance at redemption and healing, which is something that came up in the panel discussion. So, depending on where you stand, that can be the shortcoming of this attempt, or a deliberate design decision to maintain the game's flavor.

Also liking how BLB categorizes its Afflictions. The division of Character Flaw, Special Affliction, and Growing Affliction is elegant, and retains the elegance of the overall game. The use of Trigger is much better than other systems (games tend to wield the term irresponsibly).

And on that note: the Afflictions are both evocative AND useful, which can be IMMENSELY hard to achieve in a game. TTRPGs can fall too easily into the trap of creating/imposing conditions that aren't interesting on a narrative level OR don't translate well into the mechanics..

I think it's because when a lot of us started designing, we were taking direct inspiration from video games, particularly those old turn-based ones. And also, most of us just don't think about stuff like this at length when we do our own stuff.

Let me double back on the meaning of "useful" here. When I say "useful", I mean to say useful to the playgroup as a whole, and also to whoever is facilitating the game. Does it actually have a bearing on the character in an impactful, mechanical way?

Games, in my opinion, are interesting when they present their players with interesting challenges - which is a fine but IMPORTANT distinction from adversarial gaming (aka, player vs. GM). So when you're considering usefulness, consider what could help GMs make things interesting

for their players, and/or what could give a player inspirational hooks for their character plus what helps them AS PLAYERS think and consider creative solutions. Few things can match the happy rush we can get whenever we figure out little hacks and solutions in a session.

So, I think as a note for design: it would be good to consider HOW and WHY we create special conditions/consequences in our game and consider:

+ How are they useful/interesting?
+ Why are they there?

Because if we can't answer those clearly, why have them in the first place?

Okey, I am done reading. Best Left Buried has joined my personal list of "things to recommend to people who want to consume/understand more OSR designs". It is clear, intentional, elegant, and evocative. It struck out to do just one thing, and it did it damned well.

On a final note: BLB gets major ups for navigating *away* from problematic tropes and ways of thinking, from its aesthetic/flavor down to its mechanics. Dark, horrific, and creepy things DON'T have to be anti-queer, ableist, racist, or harmful towards neurodivergent players.

Also, for anyone looking to get into an ideal plug-and-play system for some old school, high stakes dungeon crawling OR any designer hoping to understand how other designers do dungeon crawls in ttrpgs, check this game out. ouo (end)

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