I like the one unique aspect of 13th Age. I also like flaws for characters. Do these two great tastes taste great together?
In many games like WitchHunter or Fate, acting like you have described your character gets you benefits. It also give the GM ways to (semi)reliably move the story. An example is if you said you character is a drunk, and you enter a bar, your character should most likely get some drinks. This will lead to trouble and story. When you do that in Fate or WitchHunter you get chips that let you brake the game later. That I like. I like the give and take of narrative control and it gives RPGs a bit more of the “Eurogame” aspect rather then randomness. If you bank some story, you should get to control a bit of the story.
In 13th Age, your characters are the most impressive in the world! You can’t just be a drunk who swings a sword, you should NEVER be able to turn down a drinking challenge! You can’t just be afraid of water, but you should have to be knocked out to be put on a boat almost like the A-team.
What I propose is playing a bit more with the relationship dice. If I as the GM compel your one unique flaw, you should automatically get a 5 in your worst relationship. If I compel your flaw and you have a 5, it moves to a 6. Since those either become treasure or options in the story, it serves the role of bonus for the game. However, since you are a PC, you get to choose if you take the bonus. If you have a 6 and I compel your flaw, it moves to a 5. If you have a 5, you lose your bonus. If you have no good relationship dice, then you lose narrative control of the situation. That’s when things become interesting….
What do you think? Would this make an interesting addition to 13th Age?
