AMA: Silverlion Studios Games (Hearts & Souls, High Valor, and upcoming projects)

[Silverlion]

I hope this counts as going here, as opposed to Game Design. However, feel free to ask me anything you'd like to know about Hearts & Souls, or High Valor or whatever.

 

[Dumarest]

Okay. I'm assuming Hearts & Souls and High Valor are RPGs...

(1) What is Hearts & Souls? If there are other games in the same genre, what makes it better, or at least different?

(2) What is High Valor? If there are other games in the same genre, what makes it better, or at least different?

(3) What is your favorite track on Whatever and why?

 

[Silverlion]

1) Hearts & Souls is a supers game, that puts control of the dice for success in the player's hands, through in-character actions. You can banter with an ally, mock a foe, or monologue to get a re-roll of a failed dice action. Of course, the system uses "stress" instead of Hit Points of Health levels--it stacks up against you based on your failures or pushing a roll to succeed if you don't choose to monologue or banter. (Or fighting villains "out of your league.) When stress gets up high enough, a GM can trigger an appropriate fallout--something bad happens to the character it could be an injury, setbacks, or major fails, but also more such as future plot developments, or relationship changes.

Example: Faced with stress caused by pressure from your characters day-job, and fighting a villain, they miss a blast and the blast unleashes a vat of chemicals on an unexpecting bystander--who develops powers, and because of appearance change, or another aspect, they become a new enemy of the hero.

Example 2: The character's boss hates the HERO, but not the secret ID, so to avoid bad stuff for PC, you put your stress into your relationship with them, and they go out and hire/create a villain to take you out as a hero. All because they think the hero is the bad guy, hiding behind a mask.

Example 3: Hero fights villain, but it takes to long, and they end up missing dinner with their spouse, now the character must spend time mending that relationship.

In addition to that, the game had three character generation options, (modeling, rolling, and rank expenditure) and largish bestiary with sample aliens (Hruun, the Blight, and more), alternate Terran species (Magmamen, Serpentfolk, Atlanteans), animals, and keyword modifier elements so you make Colossal Atomic Ants for an adventure.

Plus suggestions on handling things other than fights, such as rescue work, emergency response stuff and so on for more than just "another beat them up.)

2) High Valor is a Dark Age fantasy RPG, inspired by Norse, Celtic, Anglo-Saxon myths, folklore and fairy tales, but not being historical, rather set on a fantasy world with comparisons to those things, but some differences based on its fantastic history. It has Elves, Dwarves, Fomor, and a race of human "deformed" folk caused by exposure to magic, in addition to humans. It takes a lot of inspiration from Charlemagne and Beowulf. Its system is a descriptive one. Where the description of action has impetus on the effect of that action. I.e You say you want to scale the troll and cut off its head? You can roll for that, one roll. Of course, the GM can give you failure terms also, like "if this doesn't work it bites off your arm."

It's not a system where "I hit it." does anything important. It also makes the description important. You usually aren't hacking and slashing at a monster a LOT. A few get hits with the right descriptions can bring down a foe (and good rolls.) You also don't start as a zero-to-hero unless you choose to do that. You begin usually of someone with the renown in their profession (and even a cook, can be the hero of the hour because it is possible.)

No "stats" or "ability scores" exactly, instead you've three dice pools: Will, Faith and Valor, and you add two traits to the high die you roll to see if you succeed. Those can be chosen from a list or create for your character (you give them a rank based on some narrow choices of how good you want to be.) Mind you, a trait can be a skill, an item, or something akin to an attribute if you just want to be "Big as a House." indicating a large warrior--you can do that. Want to wrestle a dragon to death? You can make that happen. (Not easily, dragons usually require multiple high rolls by several people because of well DRAGONS, not ALL dragons though.)

One of the starting "premise" elements of High Valor is even to "Die Well" for your character. Legends are built beyond that, and "magic" items are often made by heroic acts--not wizards in towers. Instead, taking a blade through an army and going untouched? Must be MAGIC, so you're sword gets better (you may too.)


Magic is freeform--though there are example spells, you can in character rhyme to create new ones on the fly (or take extra time and preparation, or use dramatic narration, but what you do determines how badly you face setback from trying to demand change to the rules of the world.)

Faith is similar, but your character will be asking a divine being for a favor--from minor rote blessings to asking for miracles, and its setback is less visible, and yet more likely to make a characters life "interesting." As evil take notice of those with the Martyr's words on their lips. (Yes it's monotheistic, but the Churches don't all agree on everything...so things differ which path you follow.)

Things like pep talks, prayers, and more in character allow PC's to lend dice to allies for their rolls (more dice= more a chance of success.)

Note neither game is "narrative" so much as as characters driving play. It's different in that the focus is on the character, not some story narration, or stepping out of the characters head except as minutely as possible. Because I don't want combat to take forever and ever with "I miss, I miss, I hit." or the like and I didn't want much "meta currency" like Fate points, Karma, Hero Points.

There are abstractions of course, but I want it to be challenging, and entertaining and about the character--live or die, or suffer through a cold and fight foes without your super abilities.


3) Never even heard of that musician. Is she/they good? What tracks do you like? (I sorta turned into a metal head in the 90's)

 

[clash bowley]

Aimee Mann was from my town, Boston. She was the lead singer for Til Tuesday before she went on her own. She is probably best known for "Voices Carry" with Til Tuesday.

 

[Silverlion]

I've literally never been exposed to her music before. Ever. The early '90s were work and school (Uni) for me, and so I missed a lot being VERY busy.

 

[LouGoncey]

Not to forget the amazing MAGNOLIA soundtrack...