A word on genre

February 2, 2001 In my opinion, the rules of your role-playing game are crucial to setting the desired pace. The more rules you have for some aspect of a game, the more time you'll spend playing through it. For instance, most RPGs have detailed rules for combat because the outcome is so important to the players; if the character is dead, you can't play them anymore. In the Orrorsh sourcebook, the author layered more rules on top of the existing ones for Torg. It seems that he was trying to "fix" perceived problems with the game system, but the extra rules (such as Perseverance) also make for a more deliberate, tense style of play, solving mysteries and building to a climax.

The point is that one rules set can't address all genres, at least not very well. The d6 rules, in their simplest form, are best suited for fast-paced action in realms like the Nile Empire, Aysle and Core Earths of the Schwarzenegger flavor. The Living Land, Orrorsh and Nippon Tech need something that slows players down and makes them think things through. The Cyberpapacy is a tough call: fast-and-loose on the surface, but the overall tone is more oppressive and deadly. I can't imagine swashbuckling pirates on Magna Verita, for instance. I have no advice on Tharkold, except not to use it in your game.

World Laws are an important tool for tailoring the rules to a Realm. As you might guess, I suggest a new set of World Laws for the Living Land and Nippon Tech. I've tried to power down Possibilities, to make it easier to present problems the PCs can't spend their way out of. Avoid the temptation to add Laws just because they're cool; keep an eye toward the pacing you want and the things you want players to spend time on.