This is great. The idea of magic items having a world relevant history is a very underrated strategy. Symbaroum does a fantastic job of this with its artefacts, giving a small myth for each!
Thanks Luke! I think there's a world where I was a Symboroum GM, based on what I've read from the few books I own. It really ticks all the boxes for me—there's just too much out there that has my attention!
Not a huge shock coming from me, but world-first is my mantra always. If it feels disjointed (and worse, isn't fun) then it can hit the bricks.
This is great! Add two quick comments. Pelgrane Press' 13th Age TTRPG Does nearly all of this exactly the way that you suggest. I run that system and I tend to do give magic items names, and out of the bookl they all come with quirks and there's a limit to how many items a PC can carry before they start getting possessive about the user. However, with all of that. in game play it still comes down to 'I need to disengage so I can use my boots of ferocious charge to get an attack bonus against somebody else' 90% of the time. So I guess high fantasy combat simulation system players are gonna high fantasy combat simulate.
I'd also recommend looking at the solo tabletop rpg artefact by mousehole press as an exceptionally work intensive way of coming up with a magic item's history. In this game you roleplay as a magic item, learning about which users have possessed you over millennia and what you might have encountered and what you might have done. Since I'm running an adaptation of white plume mountain I've thought about using this for Blackrazor to help me know when that poor-man's Stormbringer is going to act out.
I've been meaning to check out 13th Age (missed the kickstarter for 2E)! That's cool they have a similar convention, even if it does end up being combat simulationism in a lot of cases.
As for Artefact, yes! I do have this one and enjoy it immensely. I've used it for some worldbuilding for some projects in the past and it's never steered me wrong.
Have you seen Stonetop's fantastic list of major and minor arcana? As well as brilliantly evocative names, clues to their history, and flavour, each comes with an in world to-do list that unlocks them, or grants further powers, mechanically pulling the character into the story of the artifact and it's place in the world.
I came across this on r/osr and could not believe the negative reaction to it. For a community that is meant be all about “find out in play” they seem very disinterested about finding out actual interesting lore in play.
I was a little surprised myself, for the same reasons you were! Though I wonder how much of that is OSR and how much of that is just Reddit. 😂
I think people are taking it both literally and at face value, rather than using it as a springboard for all the things they're recommending. One comment mentioned "sometimes you just want a +1 sword" and I'm like "brother, I'm saying you can have BOTH".
I suspect you may be right. I think there's a section of that community that really just want a certain style of game set in stone as "the right way of doing things" and don't believe anything can be improved. They just want lots more of the same. Creates a knee jerk negative reaction, when really, your article is a perfectly reasonable take on adding depth, driving interesting interactions and even reinforcing internal logic of a fantasy setting by having items feel more like magic and less like tools. Something that, in theory, they claim to be on board with. But they reject it because it involves changing the inviolable scripture of Gygax or whatever.
Couldn't have said it better myself, though I do appreciate their dogmatic ways in some respects. Even if the comments were largely negative, the post itself still holds a solid 73% upvote ratio. And honestly, I'd rather create a "controversial" article that initiates conversation than a safe article that comes and goes.
This is great. The idea of magic items having a world relevant history is a very underrated strategy. Symbaroum does a fantastic job of this with its artefacts, giving a small myth for each!
Thanks Luke! I think there's a world where I was a Symboroum GM, based on what I've read from the few books I own. It really ticks all the boxes for me—there's just too much out there that has my attention!
Not a huge shock coming from me, but world-first is my mantra always. If it feels disjointed (and worse, isn't fun) then it can hit the bricks.
Make more bizarre, seemingly useless, non combat items. Leave balance and realism behind.
The less you focus on the play space of combat the easier it is.
This is great! Add two quick comments. Pelgrane Press' 13th Age TTRPG Does nearly all of this exactly the way that you suggest. I run that system and I tend to do give magic items names, and out of the bookl they all come with quirks and there's a limit to how many items a PC can carry before they start getting possessive about the user. However, with all of that. in game play it still comes down to 'I need to disengage so I can use my boots of ferocious charge to get an attack bonus against somebody else' 90% of the time. So I guess high fantasy combat simulation system players are gonna high fantasy combat simulate.
I'd also recommend looking at the solo tabletop rpg artefact by mousehole press as an exceptionally work intensive way of coming up with a magic item's history. In this game you roleplay as a magic item, learning about which users have possessed you over millennia and what you might have encountered and what you might have done. Since I'm running an adaptation of white plume mountain I've thought about using this for Blackrazor to help me know when that poor-man's Stormbringer is going to act out.
I've been meaning to check out 13th Age (missed the kickstarter for 2E)! That's cool they have a similar convention, even if it does end up being combat simulationism in a lot of cases.
As for Artefact, yes! I do have this one and enjoy it immensely. I've used it for some worldbuilding for some projects in the past and it's never steered me wrong.
Thanks Nate for the very inspiring post! Looking at the process if magic item creation of my game I can see we're close... if not on the same page!
May the fun be always at your table!
https://viviiix.substack.com/p/core-rules-chapter-ix
Great article about giving history and story to magic items so they are not so boring.
Thanks Ivo! I hope it helps.
Have you seen Stonetop's fantastic list of major and minor arcana? As well as brilliantly evocative names, clues to their history, and flavour, each comes with an in world to-do list that unlocks them, or grants further powers, mechanically pulling the character into the story of the artifact and it's place in the world.
I've heard wonderful things, but I haven't yet, no. I'll definitely check it out now though—thanks for the rec!
🔥🔥🔥
I came across this on r/osr and could not believe the negative reaction to it. For a community that is meant be all about “find out in play” they seem very disinterested about finding out actual interesting lore in play.
Weird.
I was a little surprised myself, for the same reasons you were! Though I wonder how much of that is OSR and how much of that is just Reddit. 😂
I think people are taking it both literally and at face value, rather than using it as a springboard for all the things they're recommending. One comment mentioned "sometimes you just want a +1 sword" and I'm like "brother, I'm saying you can have BOTH".
I suspect you may be right. I think there's a section of that community that really just want a certain style of game set in stone as "the right way of doing things" and don't believe anything can be improved. They just want lots more of the same. Creates a knee jerk negative reaction, when really, your article is a perfectly reasonable take on adding depth, driving interesting interactions and even reinforcing internal logic of a fantasy setting by having items feel more like magic and less like tools. Something that, in theory, they claim to be on board with. But they reject it because it involves changing the inviolable scripture of Gygax or whatever.
Couldn't have said it better myself, though I do appreciate their dogmatic ways in some respects. Even if the comments were largely negative, the post itself still holds a solid 73% upvote ratio. And honestly, I'd rather create a "controversial" article that initiates conversation than a safe article that comes and goes.
Totally! Keep on doing what you're doing and poke that grognard bear!
You're welcome.
Adding lore to things is 100% golden advice, but I also love when magic items are just plain weird.