[Game Chef 2011] Post Mortem

Lo que se me quedó en el tintero

Originalmente quería que Puck y Mab tuvieran 4 "habilidades especiales" relacionadas con su magia feérica, con una función bastante similar a los Aspects de Fate, pero que fueran recursos no-renovables. Es decir, sólo los puedes usar una vez por juego.

Además, lo interesante sería crear un procedimiento sencillo para que cada jugador pueda crear sus propios "hechizos".

Otra cosa interesante que me hubiera gustado tener el espacio para meter era que cada Object of Desire tuviera un "Deal-breaker" y un "Weakness" secretos, que el jugador del Suitor tuviera que considerar. Pensaba que el Deal-Breaker te pudiera quitar dados que ya hubieras ganado, y que el Weakness te diera dados de bono, o quizá te diera un re-roll de algunos dados.

Y claro, hay que ampliar la sección de "scene framing" y los consejos de bajo qué criterios el jugador del Road debería recompensarle con los dados al Active Player.

Lo que aún no decido

Aún no sé si valga la pena sacar una versión traducida del juego.

Por un lado, sería una gran ayuda por si a alguien de por acá le interesa probarlo.

Por el otro, en la traducción se perdería parte del sabor y varios de los juegos de palabras. Y tiene sentido que un juego inspirado en Shakespeare esté escrito en la lengua de Shakespeare.

[Game Chef 2011] Entrega final

Les presento con orgullo la primer edición jugable de The Faerie Court, un juego competitivo/colaborativo para dos jugadores de comedia romántica, que trata acerca de amor, seducción, sexo, control y unas cuantas cosas más.

Descargar aquí.

Se trata de un Aschan Alfa jugable. Es decir, ya es posible utilizarlo tal como está, aunque mi plan es seguir trabajando en el proyecto, probarlo y mejorarlo. Además hubo varias cosas que se me quedaron en el tintero, y quiero incluirlas para la próxima.

Se acepta todo tipo de comentarios, críticas y aclaraciones. Y si acaso alguien lo llega a jugar, ¡que me avise y me cuente cómo fue todo!

[Game Chef 2011] Puck and Mab

Faeries are a mysterious, powerful and appealing folk. They are wise beyond human understanding, and as beautiful as the untamed natural world. They might appear mischievous and childish, but one should never forget they always have powerful reasons to do what they do (and powerful magic to back their words and actions).

They posses the ability to change their size (appearing as tall as giants, or as small as bees) and appearance (from their blindingly beautiful natural looks to plain and unremarkable human-looking disguises, even being capable of emulating a particular individual’s appearance). They can fly at will, turn invisible and communicate with any natural being. Their voices are sweet, pleasant and compelling.

Even the lowest servant of the Kings of Faerie is fairer, sharper and more passionate than the highest mortal being.

But, what does that mean for this game? You’ll be playing the most trusted servants to the Faerie Kings. Both Puck and Mab are some of the most beautiful, brilliant, powerful and resourceful inhabitants of Faerie. They are both very capable and will probably be able to success in anything they attempt.

Puck is a witty, cock-sure, adaptive, practical, deceiving and charismatic bastard.

Mab is a sensible, acid, intuitive, perfectionist, overbearing and seductive mistress.

Both love/hate each other, and love to outwit each other. This quest is a great opportunity for them to compete and prove who is the best, by proving which master is right about their claims. Down deep inside, both of them know they have a lot to learn about Love and human nature, though.

[Game Chef 2011] The Frame Story

It was a warm and cozy summer night, and King Oberon and Queen Titania were in one of their customary gatherings. During the Chat, Oberon made a bold claim, as he had done so many times before. His argument was that he, being a Master Seducer, was capable of making any lady fall in love with him, either a mortal woman or a faerie.

Titania, tired of her partner's usual airs and arrogance, and in full knowledge of his skills and weaknesses, replied with an argument of her own. She remarked that what Oberon was calling Love was in fact something very different, and that he did not know the true meaning of the word.

After several hours of pointless debate, they finally agreed to settle it with a bet. Each one of them would send to the Mortal Realm one of their more trusted servants, in a quest to find the true meaning of Love and bring back irrefutable evidence to their masters. Hopefully that would give either the King or the Queen some proof to back their claims.

Oberon decided to send the sharp and witty Puck, while Titania sent the wise and persuasive Mab. The time limit for their quest would be up until the summer solstice, and failure would mean exile from Faerie.


Oberon's argument is that Love is all about lust and sex. Men want it, women use it as currency, and the only way to True Love is through willing physical intimacy and conditionless abandon.

Titania's argument is that Love is all about dominion and control. People always want control over others, and only by forswearing that control and seeing the person as your equal can True Love be attained.

[Game Chef 2011] Three Insights

Vincent's Three Insights, about what I really want the game to be about:

1. Subject matter: I think that for the past couple of centuries, people have been confusing and blurring the edges between Love, Dominion and Sex. I think most people do not know how to distinguish one from the other, and that is one of the main reasons most relationships are so hard and do not last for long. And I think that even then, people usually use what they know about seduction in one of them, but not the others. Also, I think that seduction is all about finding what the other person wants, and using that to make the person want what I want.

2. Roleplaying as a practice: Give them carrots, and they will follow. Give them freedom of choice, and they will choose whatever fits their own personal worldview. And I think that people communicate a lot about themselves while playing, whether they realize it or not.

3. Real live human nature: I think that down deep inside, we all like to seduce, and we all like to be seduced. We want someone to validate that what we do is ok, or in any case some feedback that tells us what are we doing wrong. We want the other person to do what we want, but we want the other person to be the one that realizes it by himself. And we use customs, body language and patterns as guides to seduce and be seduced. We like to learn the rules of the game, and we want to win that game. (Funny thing is idealy winning means winning for both.)

Thy honourable metal may be wrought
From that it is disposed: therefore it is meet
That noble minds keep ever with their likes;
For who so firm that cannot be seduced?

Cassius, Julius Caesar [Act I, Scene 2]

[Game Chef 2011] The Faerie Court: Planteamiento Inicial

Este año fui jurado en el Rolero de Hierro, y por tanto no tuve oportunidad de participar. :( Y me quedé con muchas ganas de diseñar algo.

Fue por eso que decidí participar en el Game Chef 2011, uno de los concursos de Diseño de Juegos de Rol en inglés más importantes que hay.

El tema principal es Shakespeare, y hay que usar al menos 3 de los 4 ingredientes (forsworn, daughter, exile, nature).

Tengo hasta el domingo 24 para terminarlo y presentarlo al concurso.


Mi premisa es simple: el juego trata acerca de la seducción. Lograr que la otra persona deseé lo que nosotros deseamos. Sea amor, control o sexo.

La clave es que para que una seducción tenga éxito, el método más efectivo es una buena comunicación con la persona seducida. Todo el proceso es un intercambio de señales, mensajes y retroalimentación.

El truco es que no sólo le voy a estar dando importancia a esto a nivel mecánico y ficticio. También lo voy a enfocar para que esto afecte directamente la dinámica entre los jugadores.

Para ganar, necesitas buenos resultados. Para tener buenos resultados, necesitas la mayor cantidad de dados posible. Para obtener los dados, debes lograr que el otro jugador te los otorgue. Para que te los otorgue, tienes que convencerlo de que estás haciendo lo que (el personaje que está representando) desea. Mientras mejor te comuniques con el jugador, más sencillo te será mandar mensajes e interpretar correctamente la retroalimentación que te dé.

Como quien dice, toda la dinámica es básicamente una forma de seducción.

"Para ganar, te tengo que dar lo que tú quieres que te dé."


The Faerie Court (nombre provisional en lo que encuentro uno mejor) será un juego de rol para dos jugadores, cooperativo/competitivo y de tintes romántico/eróticos.


Van a tener que disculpar que muchas de las cosas que publique estén en inglés, pero así es esto del concurso.

I shall be forsworn, which
is a great argument of falsehood, if I love. And
how can that be true love which is falsely
attempted? Love is a familiar; Love is a devil:
there is no evil angel but Love. Yet was Samson so
tempted, and he had an excellent strength; yet was
Solomon so seduced, and he had a very good wit.
Cupid's butt-shaft is too hard for Hercules' club.

Don Adriano de Armado, Love's Labour's Lost [Act I, scene 2]