Metamorphosis Alpha: do you own a version?

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by malloyd

I've wondered if they weren't trying to copy some contemporary tournament or maybe video game model. The character core thing has a sort of leader-board or pay-to-win feel to it, and while I don't recall any game ecosystems that did it, the "convert your (singular) character and carry over your awesomeness" theme does show up in some video game [media], most notably Sword Art Online, so maybe I just never played the right ones.

I get the feeling you're right.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by malloyd

The character core thing has a sort of leader-board or pay-to-win feel to it, and while I don't recall any game ecosystems that did it, the "convert your (singular) character and carry over your awesomeness" theme does show up in some video game [media], most notably Sword Art Online, so maybe I just never played the right ones.

The Nephilim RPG used a similar concept, at around the same time, but the timing doesn't fit for it to have directly inspired Amazing Engine.

[RogerBW]

My feeling was that it was a way of compromising with players who said "I don't wanna start a new campaign, I'll have to play a starting character again".

(And the whole character-core concept enforces Bob being the player who always plays fighters, Gail always plays intellectual types, etc.)

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by malloyd

I've wondered if they weren't trying to copy some contemporary tournament or maybe video game model. The character core thing has a sort of leader-board or pay-to-win feel to it, and while I don't recall any game ecosystems that did it, the "convert your (singular) character and carry over your awesomeness" theme does show up in some video game [media], most notably Sword Art Online, so maybe I just never played the right ones.

People have tried to suggest allowing something of the sort (I mean, gaming NFTs claim to be based on the premise), but it doesn't actually work because while there's incentive for the source game to allow exporting characters, there's no incentive for the target to allow importing (for example, in Neverwinter Nights it was possible to export your character to use in another server... but every server would immediately reset you to zero when you entered the server).

[ak_aramis]

Originally Posted by RogerBW

My feeling was that it was a way of compromising with players who said "I don't wanna start a new campaign, I'll have to play a starting character again".

(And the whole character-core concept enforces Bob being the player who always plays fighters, Gail always plays intellectual types, etc.)

Yeah, it feels that way to me, too. Including the KODT-exemplar...

It also sought to be a universal system.
And to be simple enough for the Toys-Я-U shopping crowd.

that was not a good combo.

[Astromancer]

The system stank. And there was never room to let the ideas shine. Although, several of the basic ideas did shine elsewhere. For Faerie Queen and Country was Steampunk with fairies. Castle Fanconstein did it far better. GURPS: Technomancer had the same basic idea as Magi-Tech, GURPS did it better. Most of the ideas got used elsewhere. The main one that didn't was the Hypertech take on King Arthur. But an Arthurian Space Opera would be incredible.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

TBut an Arthurian Space Opera would be incredible.

I think that was a comic book called Camelot 3000. It was a long time ago and I didn't follow it til the end.

[cptbutton]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

I think that was a comic book called Camelot 3000. It was a long time ago and I didn't follow it til the end.

I quite enjoyed it.

The last issue was delayed for over a year because of the then controversial solution to Tristan reincarnating as a woman and Iseult also reincarnating as a woman.

[Astromancer]

Camelot 3000 was great, flawed, but Wonderful. Doctor Who touched on the idea. Look at the 7th Doctor episode Battlefield.

I was suggesting the idea of an RPG that would be an Arthurian Space Opera. Perhaps Arthur could return to defeat an Invasion from Spaaaaaace!

[ak_aramis]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Camelot 3000 was great, flawed, but Wonderful. Doctor Who touched on the idea. Look at the 7th Doctor episode Battlefield.

I was suggesting the idea of an RPG that would be an Arthurian Space Opera. Perhaps Arthur could return to defeat an Invasion from Spaaaaaace!

Shades of a certain Babylon-5 episode...