[Reviewish] Itras By
(NB: Itras By exits in a Norwegian and a Finnish version. No translations are planned as far as I know. all translations in this review are by me, and entirely unofficial).
I'm reading the Norwegian rpg Itras By (Itra's City), and it is very interesting, as well as a little unusual.
The game bills itself as a surreal urban fable. The setting's Itra's City, a place that is steeped in 1920s tropes and color. Trams, flappers, jazz and anarchists. All that good stuff. It has no real geographical location, and is a few steps removed from the real world and into Kafka or Michael Ende-territory.
There are the Grimacers, a group of outcasts who pulled a face one time too many and found out that mom was right, it does get stuck that way.
There are cold nights where a layer of ice forms on the heavens themselves. The heaven-frost comes off in flakes, and these are used for rolling cigars.
In other words the everyday world operates partly according to dream-logic.
The setting is very well-written, it's full of nice hooks and opportunities for the GM, while at the same time leaving enough room for one's own inventions.
There are no dice and no quantified skills. This took a little getting used to for me, but I've grown to really like the system, as it fits the surreal setting very well.
The closest thing to character attributes are 'dramatic characteristics'. The players come up with these, but the book provides a few sample ones. Here's one, just to give you an idea:
Rajalingam: In Alan's ice box lives the ancient Indian wise man Rajalingam who knows everything. He provides cryptic wisdom and prophecy, all of which is completely true, but Alan never listens to him. It's almost as if Rajalingam didn't exist for Alan.
(Yes, I used that example before. I like it)
A character usually has between two and four of these. They can be good or bad, but mostly they're supposed to be interesting. Most of all they remind me of the Traits from Over The Edge, if you all remember that game.
The resolution mechanic is cards. The players themselves decide when a Resolution Card is to be drawn from the deck. The GM can't make them do so. Everyone can suggest it though.
The reasoning behind this is that the player owns his character and has control over it, and secondly that playing the game is something you develop together rather than the players exploring the GM's vision.
The cards have simple text that reads like something from improv theatre:
Yes, but... You succeed, but something completely unrelated goes wrong, for you or someone you care about.
Yes, but... You succeed, but lose something valuable in the process.
Yes, and... You succeed, and achieve more than you expected.
Yes, and... You succeed, and that gives you the initiative for a new thrust or follow-up.
No, but... You fail, but another positive thing happens instead, unrelated to what you were aiming for.
You need help. You end up understanding that you need the help of someone not currently in the scene to achieve this.
No, and… You fail, and something unrelated also goes wrong.
Yes, but only if... You can get what you want - but only if you choose to make a certain sacrifice.
The player who is attempting something designates another player or the GM to draw a card and interpret it. This is great fun, but it takes a lot more creativity than just interpreting a skill roll or two. It also requires that the participants are at least somewhat on the same page out of the gate.
The other deck of cards is the Chance Deck. Each player (including the GM) may draw one card from this deck each session. They influence a given scene (often pushing it towards the surreal) or even the way in which the scene is played. A few examples for the purpose of illustration:
Shit! I Remember: Play out a scene that has happened in the past, and is relevant to the present situation. The player who drew the card sets the scene and distributes roles.
It Just Got Worse! Something changes for the worse! The boat starts taking in water, an irate gang of confectioner’s apprentices show up, or your fiancé walks in at just the wrong time.
Amor Victor: The power of love influences the scene in some way. The details are up to you.
What Is Real? Reality twists and breaks, and you experience several things at once. Each player (but not the GM) get to narrate a version of what happens. After the last player has done so, reality goes *pling* and you decide which version really did happen.
The Chance Cards lead the story in unexpected directions and introduce new elements.
The book is rounded out with a lot of GM advice. The part I found most useful was the discussion of surrealism in gaming.
Itras By is a high-falutin' game (to use a technical term). It pretty much creates its own genre in rpgs and provides tools for that particular experienced. The game is focused, but it might not be for everyone, and certainly not all the time.
It's fookin' amazing for what it is though.
I'm reading the Norwegian rpg Itras By (Itra's City), and it is very interesting, as well as a little unusual.
The game bills itself as a surreal urban fable. The setting's Itra's City, a place that is steeped in 1920s tropes and color. Trams, flappers, jazz and anarchists. All that good stuff. It has no real geographical location, and is a few steps removed from the real world and into Kafka or Michael Ende-territory.
There are the Grimacers, a group of outcasts who pulled a face one time too many and found out that mom was right, it does get stuck that way.
There are cold nights where a layer of ice forms on the heavens themselves. The heaven-frost comes off in flakes, and these are used for rolling cigars.
In other words the everyday world operates partly according to dream-logic.
The setting is very well-written, it's full of nice hooks and opportunities for the GM, while at the same time leaving enough room for one's own inventions.
There are no dice and no quantified skills. This took a little getting used to for me, but I've grown to really like the system, as it fits the surreal setting very well.
The closest thing to character attributes are 'dramatic characteristics'. The players come up with these, but the book provides a few sample ones. Here's one, just to give you an idea:
Rajalingam: In Alan's ice box lives the ancient Indian wise man Rajalingam who knows everything. He provides cryptic wisdom and prophecy, all of which is completely true, but Alan never listens to him. It's almost as if Rajalingam didn't exist for Alan.
(Yes, I used that example before. I like it)
A character usually has between two and four of these. They can be good or bad, but mostly they're supposed to be interesting. Most of all they remind me of the Traits from Over The Edge, if you all remember that game.
The resolution mechanic is cards. The players themselves decide when a Resolution Card is to be drawn from the deck. The GM can't make them do so. Everyone can suggest it though.
The reasoning behind this is that the player owns his character and has control over it, and secondly that playing the game is something you develop together rather than the players exploring the GM's vision.
The cards have simple text that reads like something from improv theatre:
Yes, but... You succeed, but something completely unrelated goes wrong, for you or someone you care about.
Yes, but... You succeed, but lose something valuable in the process.
Yes, and... You succeed, and achieve more than you expected.
Yes, and... You succeed, and that gives you the initiative for a new thrust or follow-up.
No, but... You fail, but another positive thing happens instead, unrelated to what you were aiming for.
You need help. You end up understanding that you need the help of someone not currently in the scene to achieve this.
No, and… You fail, and something unrelated also goes wrong.
Yes, but only if... You can get what you want - but only if you choose to make a certain sacrifice.
The player who is attempting something designates another player or the GM to draw a card and interpret it. This is great fun, but it takes a lot more creativity than just interpreting a skill roll or two. It also requires that the participants are at least somewhat on the same page out of the gate.
The other deck of cards is the Chance Deck. Each player (including the GM) may draw one card from this deck each session. They influence a given scene (often pushing it towards the surreal) or even the way in which the scene is played. A few examples for the purpose of illustration:
Shit! I Remember: Play out a scene that has happened in the past, and is relevant to the present situation. The player who drew the card sets the scene and distributes roles.
It Just Got Worse! Something changes for the worse! The boat starts taking in water, an irate gang of confectioner’s apprentices show up, or your fiancé walks in at just the wrong time.
Amor Victor: The power of love influences the scene in some way. The details are up to you.
What Is Real? Reality twists and breaks, and you experience several things at once. Each player (but not the GM) get to narrate a version of what happens. After the last player has done so, reality goes *pling* and you decide which version really did happen.
The Chance Cards lead the story in unexpected directions and introduce new elements.
The book is rounded out with a lot of GM advice. The part I found most useful was the discussion of surrealism in gaming.
Itras By is a high-falutin' game (to use a technical term). It pretty much creates its own genre in rpgs and provides tools for that particular experienced. The game is focused, but it might not be for everyone, and certainly not all the time.
It's fookin' amazing for what it is though.