Hillfolk is difficult to play, but difficult does not necessarily mean bad. Whilst not crunchy, game sessions often devolve into lengthy interpretations of mechanical terms, especially what constitutes “an emotional concession”.  That’s a turn off for players who like to be perpetually in-character, but debating the thoughts, feelings and emotional needs of a player character IS roleplay. It’s just not the kind you see in most RPGs. Continue reading →

When people talk about “empowerment” in RPGs, they usually mean giving players the ability to own their successes, but I think it’s more important for players to own their failures. When I screw up, I want to know why, and how I can maintain some control regardless; or better yet, know that the failure was MY FAULT, so I can learn from the experience and do better next time. Psi*Run embodies this with one of the most beautifully elegant core resolution mechanics in the history of roleplaying. When you act, you don’t roll individually to see if you succeeded, if you were hurt, or if your superpowers remain stable. Instead, you roll EVERYTHING, all at once, and CHOOSE where to assign successes and failures. Never has a game delivered such power to the players whilst trapping them in awful lose-lose situations. It’s both a delightful and agonising challenge. Continue reading →