[GB] Discussions from the 1.7 rules edit

[Mike]

1. Path of Travel -- is it possible to leave out path of travel entirely? The only reason we need it is to ensure that no one throws an object through a hex containing a Pillar of Heaven. That's it. Leaving out path of travel functionally means that every third or fourth game, someone's going to have a throw that seems to bend improbably around a pillar. And every 100th game, there's going to be a something that defies all "real world" logic but is permissible in game terms. Is avoiding those situations worth 3 paragraphs of rules? Can we tighten them up to a single paragraph without losing clarity?

2. Pillars -- Do we need pillars at all? This is one of those questions like "can we just combine throw and kick into a single move?" where the answer is that we could do it, but I think the game effects are worth the extra complexity added to the rules. I don't really want to get rid of pillars, but I want it on the table that it's something that could be done.

3. The Terrain rules are a separate distinct section in the rules and they operate very differently from other Miracles. Should we go back to having Terrain as a separate category (and color) of card? We don't have to at all, but it might make the rules easier to follow. I keep going back and forth in my head on this.

4. Beasts vs. Active Tokens vs. Heroes -- the original intent of the terminology is that we should have a term for the PCs (Heroes), a term for the NPCs (Beasts), and a term for them collectively (Active Tokens). But "Beasts" is not very accurate, because it can include actual animals, but also people and demigods and other stuffs that you can't rightly call a beast. The only one that doesn't fit right now is Galatea, but there will be more. Also, the text currently sort of gets mushy on the distinction between beasts and active tokens, when technically heroes are also active. At the moment, I have no problem with just using the terms Heroes and Active Tokens, and then the collective term would be "Heroes and/or active tokens". But active tokens is dull. I would much rather have active tokens as the collective term and then find something that is a more accurate descriptor of "non-hero active tokens". This is a struggle I've been going back and forth on for months.

IF we decide to change, the term for "non-hero active tokens" would have to be able to encompass mortal humans (hoplite warriors, Ajax), demigods, nymphs, mythical animals (Nemean Lion), mythical beasts (minotaur, gorgon, etc):
Beasts
Legends
Mythicals
NPCs
N-HATs (non-hero active tokens)
Agents
Pawns

None of these are quite right... although Legends or Mythicals both work if we leave out mere mortals (like the hoplite example I gave). I keep waiting for the absolute perfect term to appear and it never quite does.

Whatever we decide (even if it's just Heroes and Active Tokens for now) we have to decide it and make the rules and cards consistent with it.

[Mike]

Operative?
Proxy?
Mover?

[My thesaurus is working.]

[Eliahad]

[Mike]

Just so you know, we're totally on the same page. I started from avatars and was working out from there.

Incarnations is great. A god's will made manifest... or incarnate.

[Eliahad]

Woo!!!!!!!!!

[Mike]

Path of Travel: I agree with you, and we'll tighten it up.

Pillars: I don't want to remove them. They're fine.

Terrain: I'm going to give them Green as you suggest and I'll reformat 1.7 to give Terrain it's own section. If we don't like it, we put it back. But I think it will be helpful.

Terminology: Heroes and Incarnations are both subsets of Active Tokens. I like it.

This thread is resolved.