[PnP] Powers And Perils And Mythus

[Paul L. Ming]

Hiya.

  Mythus...hmmm. I can say this about it: When DM'ing two players only, 
it's fast, simple and easy. When DM'ing 5 players...it's slow, complex 
and difficult. I know it *shouldn't* really make a huge difference, but 
in my experience, the more people added to a Mythus game, the more slow 
and complex it seems to become. I think it's because there is so much 
depth in the game for characters and choices, each player ends up doing 
something different...and because of the way the game is, there's a good 
chance that each thing they do is going to require a separate flip in 
the book.

  Then again, if anyone kept at Mythus and learned the rules like the 
back of their hands, I can easily see the game flowing as fast as Basic 
D&D, AD&D, Alterity, etc. It's just going to be a little painful to get 
to that point... ;)

  P&P and Mythus do seem to have a similarity in design concept; the two 
that poke out for me the most are the symbiotic relationship between 
'social class', 'upbringing (civilized/barbarian)', and skills. In both 
games, your social class will favor various skills in the game; as will 
your upbringing. I've always like this about P&P...it just makes 
*sense*. Other games have attempted the same thing, but those games 
usually simplify the connection a bit too much. Kinda like "If you are 
civilized and low class, you get Streetsmart; if you are high class, you 
get Ettiquete". This approach basically forces a stereotype on a 
character when it should be forcing 'opportunity skills', but not one 
specific one. Almost like in 3e D&D where all deaf people are Rogues 
(why? in 3e, the skill "Read Lips" is only available to Rogues; so if 
you are a fighter who suddenly finds himself deaf, you are pretty much 
SOL unless you learn how to backstab people and join a theives guild... 
;) ).

^_^

Paul L. Ming