Monday 30 March 2009

The Explosions in Space Test

Zak S, odd-but-lovable co-creator of the odd-but-lovable Road of Knives art fight (or whatever the bright young things call these pictoral jamboree things nowadays *harrumph*), recently suggested something fun and useful in a comment on noism's Monsters & Manuals blog. To whit, a handy addendum to the "Don't be a Dickhead" rule:

"I propose the "Explosions in Space Rule" which goes like this, and which should be printed at the beginning of every game:

Are there explosions in space in this game--like in Star Wars? Or not--like in real life? We, the game designers have left this entirely up to you.


Before each gaming session, you must get together with your players and decide, as a group, whether--should such a contingency come up--there will or will not explosions in space. If you cannot all agree, or if this conversation goes on for longer than 20 minutes, DO NOT GAME WITH THOSE PEOPLE."


Good, isn't it?

Oh, and for the record: the Vaults game answers the above test question with an immediate and resounding HELL YES! This is not even open for discussion; explosions - spaceborne or otherwise - are an essential part of the game. They are as necessary and fundamental to my enjoyment and creative fulfillment as a DM as...well, hearing the rules whimper or the players yelp. I am a simple creature at heart. :-)

So, esteemed interlocutors, I ask: upon which side of the "Explosions in Space Y/N?" divide does your game fall? And why?

PS: VoN Quickstart ver0.3.3 uploaded to orbitfiles.

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