What motivates you to write proposals?
The rule book should be seen as one of the entryways into the game. I want the rule book to better convey and set accurate expectations for the way the game is played, in a simple and straightforward manner. I write proposals I feel will reduce the number of misunderstandings, unspoken rules, nebulous meanings and close known loopholes. My goal is to write simply worded, broad and inclusive rules, instead of creating lists of edge cases that focus on what is not allowed. I also want to see better balance in the spellcasting system that allows for more creative character choices.
Is there a particular aspect of the game’s mechanics that particularly interest you?
The spellcasting system is the aspect that is of the most interest to me. It's one of the things LARPing provides me the ability to play with that other activities do not.
You probably have written more proposals than anyone else this year. Do you have any personal favorites?
I do for different reasons and in different categories.
What about proposals written by other people? Are there any that you find particularly interesting?
I don't view proposals as having owners but evaluate them on their own individual merit.
After looking at the list I can't really say I have favorites but there are many so far I would love to see passed that I think would clean up the rulebook or enrich the game overall. Since I of course like all of my proposals, otherwise I wouldn't put them up, I'll instead highlight the proposals that others have put forward I'd most like to see pass.
Clarify Armor thickness
Clarify Regeneration
Combine purity
I like the idea of the wizard blade options but I just don't think they are quite there yet.
By "wizard's blade", did you mean Sorcerer's Blade 2.0, or Invoked Weapon?
Both. I like the idea of it but I think both needed more balance work. I haven't checked this week to see if they are in a better place now.
Do you have any suggestions for the authors of those proposals? Or any other authors of proposals?
I think it's important to think through all the ramifications your proposal may cause even beyond their current scope. Then if possible enumerate them and explain why those changes are good or how they are mitigated by your proposal. For example moving a spell up or down one circle changes not only the spell, but any build that contained or could contain that spell, and any choice of spell in both the new and old circle. Ask yourself does it add or remove a playstyle? A new loophole? Are there any unintended consequences? Are there other proposals that may alter the end result? Can you mitigate or prepare for those possibilities?
Really it comes down to putting as much thought as you can into each proposal and utilizing other players and the draft boards to bounce ideas around and check for angles you may have missed.
When altering spells ask is there something else that can already do this? Is it better here? Should it be removed from there? What is the value of each possible choice when compared to others at this circle? What does this add to the game? Why will this make things better?
If you had the power to change, add, or remove anything from the Omnibus, what would you do?
I would reorganize the rulebook to first address what is needed to make a character and get playing and move the crunchy mechanics, calls, and construction rules in their own sections at the back. Much like you would see in modern day rulebooks, where character creation is one of the first sections and crunchy combat rules is one of the last.
I would also rewrite it to focus on what is allowed within the system instead of what is not. When I first read through the rulebook as a newbie I was afraid of a game that had so many rules devoted to how players should not act, which lead me to believe that the game was rampant with people that required these things to become specifically stated. I would work on pairing down a lot of the specific exclusionary rules and verbose examples to instead use more common language and simple rules. If your example provides more insight than the wording of the rule itself, you should revise the rule text until the example is no longer necessary. If you have lists of exceptions players will always find a new loophole to make a new exception for, where a stronger and broader rule can provide coverage and allow for positive exceptions in specific cases by focusing on “you can” instead of “you can’t” in a specific cases.
I also believe the burden of knowledge on how the game works should be shared by everyone playing the game and not a select group who want to focus on one thing over the other. I would remove all references that specify or hint that any person or group playing the game does need not read the entire rulebook. Just because fighters don't cast spells, does not mean they should not know what they do, how they work, and what options are out there. In the same way all casters should know how armor calling works and what a legal blow is.
I would also do an overhaul on the spell power balance.
By first comparing and ranking all spells with similar effects mathematically based on speed, short term effect and long term effect per spell slot filled. Then comparing the player desire against every spell at the same level, level above, and level below to determine where each spell effect belongs in comparison to the others in the power structure. Then I would do this again with any combinations of spells that can feed off or interact with each other. This would go a long way to highlight and remove false choices without gutting the spellcasting system. Once the strength of spells are properly cataloged we can then create rules to allow for specific play styles or fix specific needs of the game. For example the strength of heal limb is much greater than any other second circle spell as shown by the fact it's an auto take for nearly every spellcaster, yet it remains there because it's integral to the way the game functions. I would prefer that we call it out as a special rule instead of a 2nd circle spell to balance other 2nd circle spells against.
Is there anything else you'd like to say before we wrap up?
I would love to see more voices, feedback, and opinions involved in the proposal process, specifically the drafting board. I have learned quite a lot about the current rules and the reasoning behind them by participating in the discussions found there.
Justin Mitchell took second place in the 2019 View From Valehaven Award for "Best Newbie" and has written an overwhelming abundance of proposals over the past few months. To see his and other proposals, visit https://www.realmsnet.net/proposals.