How many classes? Part Two

For the rest of this thought-experiment, we will be referring only to the Top 3 Archetypal Roles in the Beebe hierarchy. The following table presented, for context, is from The Type Decoder http://www.baapt.org/news/january-recap-mastering-the-subtle-balance

<final link tbd>:

Position	Archetype: emotional energy	Role
1st	Hero/heroine: strength & pride	Organizes adaptation, initiates individuation
2nd	Parent (father/mother): fostering & protecting	Provides a channel for contributing to the world
3rd	Eternal child: immaturity & play	Source of play, creativity, enjoyment, and vulnerability
4th	Anima/animus:embarrassment & idealization	Activates projections that become a gateway to the unconscious
5th	Opposing personality:frustration & challenge	Defends by negating, avoiding, seducing; self-critic
6th	Senex/witch:limit-setting & control	Defends by offending, belittling, inactivating; sets limits
7th	Trickster:manipulation & paradox	Mischievous; creates double binds, circumvents obstacles
8th	Demon/daimon:undermining & redemption	Undermines self and others; creates opportunities to develop integrity

In this part, we will be examining the 1^st Heroic Role, using STR Attribute as an example. Eventually I’ll get to the other 5 Attributes (after the holidays), and even further down the line, the six Attributes as seen in the 2^nd Parent and 3^rd Child Positions.

Also from the Type Decoder, a more detailed view of how the Heroic Role functions in Jungian Psychological Type theory (as your read this, substitute the words Mental Function for Attribute in your head):

Hero/heroine: first, dominant

Keywords: Strength (not STR!) & Pride

Role: Organizes adaptation, initiates individuation.

Descriptors:

• Acts with confidence having seemingly effortless energy
• Source of strength (not str!), courage, and pride
• Seeks acknowledgment and thrives on admiration
• May lead to a superiority complex

Role:

• The Mental Function in this position provides strength to engage and to persevere against the trials and tribulations of life. It is the anchor on which one depends. However, it can become inflated and lead to zealotry and hubris.

One tends to experience the Mental Function in this position as:

• Without flaws
• All-powerful
• Deserving of admiration

Use of the function in this position can lead one to:

• Desire recognition and admiration for it
• Rush to defend challenges to it
• Trust it when it should not be trusted

Traps or pitfalls of the function in this position:

• Projects superiority over others
• Demands its use be admired
• Leads to self-centered behavior
• Treated as if it is always correct

Development of the Mental Function in this position entails:

• Freely engaging it without fear of repercussion
• Recognizing its limits and respectfully questioning its work
• Allowing others to use this function, even if they do so poorly

<end quote>

For brevity, I will be picking and choosing which of the bullet points from the above exhaustive list of descriptions to apply to Attributes. It is unnecessary to provide an analogous answer to every point, and sometimes it’s inappropriate. As we continue describing through the Attributes, I’ll try to consistently pick the same bullet points, for consistency.

So first up, we have STRength in the Heroic Position, which we'll get to in Part Three.

3rd level subclass quests

So I've seen in a few places people positing that picking your subclass at 3rd level doesn't make any sense for Warlocks and Clerics (and to a lesser extent, Sorcerers), and I disagree.  Rather than write an essay style post, I'll just bullet point ways to roleplay that progression which would make narrative sense.

1) you're a priestess of a pantheon of gods (Norse, for example), and you don't pick which god(s) you're devoted to until 3rd level (ex. the Fates, which provides even further choice, as you get to pick between Urd, Verandi or Skuld), and if you're in Russia, the god picks you.

2) you're a kid that has a natural talent for cajoling animal/mineral/vegetable spirits to do your bidding like Snow White, which represents how you have eldritch power, until a higher Power scouts you and says "How'd you like to do really cool shit, kid?  Just sign here."

3) you think you're just an apprentice "sorcerer" to a kindly old "wizard" who told you that the power you possess is a natural talent (while he had to study to learn his) and then you realize the truth - he's been your personal battery, and if you want to keep going in your lessons a little deal needs to be made. [the Freemium model]

4) what, you never changed your major in college?

4) in the case of the genielock, you know you're going to be a genie someday, but your subclass represents your inherent elemental affinity (oh, say, based on your star chart - how many planets were in which elemental houses).  In your setting, you could be a fire-based genielock with a water genie patron.  Being a genie is being a genie - the elemental form is just drag.

5) metaphorically, you join a theatre troupe to be an assistant director and it turns out that you'd be perfect for this small but pivotal part, and you discover you have a talent for being up there. (Or vice versa, when you realize after being the lead yet again, what you really always wanted to do was direct).

6) you sign up with one outfit until another one comes along with a better offer with more benefits, and stock options.

7) your god has a lot of different domains (that don't really make any sense), and you have to choose which aspect of your god you're to emphasize.  (example: Poseidon is the god of the ocean and...horses?)

8) you don't pick which Order you belong to in the Catholic Church until you graduate.

9) frequently the powers of the Warlock are posed as a superior magical being as the source of the power, and that the Warlock is somehow beholden or subservient to that higher power.  What if it were reversed, and the Warlock was able to cajole control higher and stronger sources of magical power (they are using Charisma after all)?

How many classes? Part One

 Over the last two weeks, I've been steeped in Keith Amman's excellent 

AN EQUAL PORTION DEALT:  CULTURE IN CHARACTER CREATION

(I highly recommend it - it decouples the +2/+1 primary attributes from Race and couples it with one's Culture - something that DnDOne 5.5 appears to be implementing as well, through Backgrounds)

After devouring it, I went back and analyzed it utilizing Jungian psychological type as a lens (which is different than using Jungian Analysis on it!).  Eventually, I'll post a review with that analysis, BUT...

This led me to considering a completely different topic: the results of which are the thought experiment below.

Sort-Ranking the six classic Attribute scores of Dungeons and Dragons

Part One:  Jungian Psychology

In Jungian Psychology, there are two primary modes of operation, Perceiving (gathering information) and Judging (or reasoning).  We gather information (facts, recollections, theories, ideas, meanings), and then make decisions (analyze, synthesize, execute, evaluate, rank, sort) on said information.  

There are four distinct Perception Mental Functions, and four distinct Judgment Mental Functions, for a total of 8.

In classic Myers-Briggs theory (an application of Jung's theories), the rank-order of the first 2 of these 8 Mental Functions results in the classic 16 Psychological Types of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) (2x2x2x2).  The first preferred function is called the Dominant, and the second preferred function is called the Auxiliary.

On a side-note, in the rules of Myers-Briggs, a person has one Perception (P) and one Judgment (J) Mental Function as their Primary and Secondary preferred functions.  The rules of which 2 of the 8 are the first and second are slightly complex, but we won't be applying those rules here, anyway (eventually, I might).  I provide this as a completist's side-note.

In Singer-Loomis theory, a different application of Jungian Psychological Type, any two Functions can be in the first and second position.  This combination results in a possible 30 distinct pairings of the top two Mental Functions (and 40,320 combinations if we rank all 8!).  It is a version of this theory that we will be using when analyzing DnD.

And lastly, according to John Beebe, a noted Jungian lecturer, the eight Mental Functions occupy different functional roles depending on the order in which they are ranked, described by the Jungian Archetypes, as seen by the chart below.

1	Dominant	Hero/Heroine
2	Auxiliary	Good Parent
3	Tertiary	Child/Puer/Puerella
4	Inferior	Anima/Animus
5	Opposing Personality	Shadow
6	Critic	Witch/Senex
7	Amateur	Trickster
8	Ineffable	Demon/Daimon

For our purposes we will be focusing on the top two (and later, top three) rankings.

First, we have the Dominant, or Heroic role.  This is the captain of one's arsenal of functions.  It is the first one we develop, we develop it well, and it gets the right of first refusal.

Second, we have the Auxiliary, or Good Parental role.  This role provides guidance, support, and advice to the Hero function and keeps it in check.  

Third, we have the Tertiary, or Child role.  The Child role is the source of novelty, exploration, raw talent and has a touches of the qualities of both "beginner's luck" and "out of the mouth of babes."  

So, let's apply the rank-order model of 8 Mental Functions of Jung to the 6 Attributes of Gygax.

In DnD, there are the Mental Attribute scores (Intelligence, Charisma, Wisdom) and the Physical Attribute scores (Strength, Dexterity and Constitution) for a total of 6.  

This arrangement results in three axis, mapped to Jung's Judgment and Perception:

Functions

Judgment : Perception

Attributes

Physical : Mental

Strength (Red) : Charisma (Green) (the Presence axis)

Dexterity (Orange) : Intelligence (Blue) (the Mind-Body Connection axis)

Constitution (Yellow): Wisdom (Purple) (the Wholistic Will axis)

I'll be adding some interesting observations I've made in regards to these three axis, and other groupings (such as the Primary colors as Substantive, and the Secondary colors as Temporal) in a later posting.

Now let's sort-rank our six Attributes.

Our rules:

1) Any Attribute can be in any position, with no repeats.

2) The first Attribute is the Heroic one, with the second (Parent) supporting the first.

(This results in 30 distinct combination pairs - table at the end)

3) The third Attribute (the Tertiary, or Child) will expand the table further, resulting in 120 possible combinations.

4) While a character may have tie scores in Attributes (for example, Str 17 and Dex 17), for Reasons, there can only be one Dominant/Auxiliary/Tertiary.

5) Since there are only 6 Attributes, the top three can be considered the Conscious Attributes, and the lowest three will be considered the Unconscious Attributes.  (In Jung, it is the top and bottom four.)

Referring back to Ammann's An Equal Portion, he combines the +2/+1 Attribute bonuses to create 30 distinct Cultural backgrounds.  The +2 bonus in this case acts as the Dominant and the +1 is the Auxiliary (Hero and Parent).  

	Primary (Hero) +2	Auxiliary (Parent) +1
1	1. Str	2. Dex
2	1. Str	3. Con
3	1. Str	4. Cha
4	1. Str	5. Int
5	1. Str	6. Wis
6	2. Dex	1. Str
7	2. Dex	3. Con
8	2. Dex	4. Cha
9	2. Dex	5. Int
10	2. Dex	6. Wis
11	3. Con	1. Str
12	3. Con	2. Dex
13	3. Con	4. Cha
14	3. Con	5. Int
15	3. Con	6. Wis
16	4. Cha	1. Str
17	4. Cha	2. Dex
18	4. Cha	3. Con
19	4. Cha	5. Int
20	4. Cha	6. Wis
21	5. Int	1. Str
22	5. Int	2. Dex
23	5. Int	3. Con
24	5. Int	4. Cha
25	5. Int	6. Wis
26	6. Wis	1. Str
27	6. Wis	2. Dex
28	6. Wis	3. Con
29	6. Wis	4. Cha
30	6. Wis	5. Int

In Part Two, we will be ranking the final scores of our Player Characters, (not the bonuses), to create 6, 30, and later 120, Character Archetypes.

Some post-apocalyptic facebook groups

 Some post-apocalyptic facebook groups: (please leave links in comments if you know of others)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/gammaworldrpg/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1594601677455655/ (mutant crawl classics)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1781042062192481/ (morrow project)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/aftermathgroup/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1433764906675206/ (darwins world)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/143930203052690/ (gamma world project)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/MetamorphosisAlphaRPG/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1667912296783166/ (Post-apocalyptic RPGs)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/3376417885725581/ (Barbarians of the Ruined Earth)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1689475441305140/ (Gamma World)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/MutantFuture/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/gammaworldonline/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/mutantY0/ (Mutant Year Zero)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/343591136152/ (Gamma World)

Post-Apocalyptic RPG Systems

 Post-Apocalyptic RPG Systems

• There are over 1000 Post-Apocalyptic games out there, and comparing them can be difficult. 

• This document is an attempt at distilling the traits found in PA settings and game systems that can be measured (to whatever extent) and compared.

• Every attempt has been made to distill these differences into traits as opposed to dichotomies.
  

• In the latter, dichotomies, differences are shown by comparing two poles to one another, such as Gritty vs. Gonzo, or Hard Science vs. Science Fantasy.  Dichotomy comparisons are popular and difficult to resist, but require at least two kinds of systems to compare and two extreme poles.
  

• Traits, on the other hand, can be measured independently, and allow for a system to be *both* Gritty and Gonzo.

• The Outline was developed organically, so there's been some cross-pollination between what would be found under Setting/Genre and what would be found under System/Mechanics. Later revisions will segregate those better.

Notes on Notations

Terms in brackets [. . . .] refer to how the trait is quantified or qualified.

[#] simple numerical entry/count of data (such as # of modules published) 

[LIST] a finite list of pre-populated options with only one choice 

[MULTILIST] a finite list of pre-populated options allowing multiple choices 

[SCALE] a numerical representation from 0-10 of “how much” of a given system trait is present in the game. 

A “0” means there is no example of such trait, and “10” means that such trait is a core concept/mechanic/theme of the game. Definitions of the gradients (the 1-9 scores) would be necessary in most cases. A score of 10 should be rare, if not singular, and reserved as a marker that the game contains the epitome of such a trait. 

[subtype] a potential lower level entry [LIST] or [MULTILIST], but not articulated here,

In the cases of LIST and MULTILIST, listing the pre-populated values has been attempted in the following level.

Some more terms and initialisms:

BA - before apocalypse.  Also known as Ancient Times.

PA - post apocalypse.  Likely the current time.

Ancients/Ancient Times - that which existed BA.

Old Ones - those who existed 

• at the time of the Apocalypse, 
• or within two generations or so of said moment.

This outline can be imported to a spreadsheet with the following outline as the vertical axis,

and the various gaming systems as the horizontal axis.

1. Gaming system

1. Systems [LIST]

1. OSR

2. D20/3.0/3.5

3. 5e

4. GWv1

5. GWv2

6. GWv3

7. agnostic

8. unique

9. Etc.

10. Alternity

11. Mutant Future

12. Mutant Crawl Classic

13. Gamma X

2. Year of Publication [YEAR]

3. Systems Publisher Supporting Documents [#]

1. Rules expansions

2. Modules

3. Errata

4. 3PP publications [#]

1. Official/endorsed

2. Open Licensed (version)

5. Overall crunch (numbers and dice rolling for tasks) [SCALE]

6. Overall story and role-playing [SCALE]

7. Experience level progression [LIST]

1. Level-based

2. Point-based

3. Social-based

4. Power-based

8. Combat resolution type [LIST]

1. Combat maneuvers

2. Offense vs. Defense, no rolls

3. Offense vs. Defense; rolls

4. THAC0

5. Wounds affected

6. ACT Table

7. etc.

2. Setting

1. Time

1. Future History Pre-Apocalypse (years into future BA) [YEARS]

2. Year of the Apocalypse [YEAR] (if known, 0 if unknown)

3. Years Post-Apocalypse [LIST]

1. Unknown

2. Immediate

3. Decades/Generations

4. Centuries

4. Years Post-Apocalypse [YEARS]

5. Apocalypse source / type [MULTILIST]

1. AI/singularity 

2. alien invasion

3. astronomical

4. biogenetic

5. cultural decadence/breakdown of civic institutions

6. disease

7. magic

8. multiversal

9. nanites/grey goo

10. natural/climatic

11. nuclear (war)

12. war (non-nuclear)

13. unknown

14. zombie

15. other

2. Radiation resolution

1. Necrotic only

2. Mutates (new mutation)

3. Both

3. Technology

1. Tech levels (including future tech, super-science, SCIENCE! and near-magical) [LIST]

2. Tech levels (availability P-A) [SCALE]

3. Scientific realism (Hard Science) [SCALE]

4. Natural resources abundance (vegetation/potable water/electricity/etc.) [SCALE]

5. Non-renewable resources abundance (coal/oil/etc) [SCALE]

6. Magic abundance [SCALE]

7. Artifact analysis/charts [LIST]

1. Chutes-n-ladders [LIST]

2. Skill check (stepped)

3. Skill check (non-stepped)

4. Item maintenance

5. Power Source abundance/reliability/etc.

8. Vehicles (combat)

9. Power armor (combat)

4. Universe

1. Number of planetoids in milieu (including Luna) [#]

2. Extrasolar [# (including 0)]

3. Travel Tech [LIST] (related to tech level generally)

1. FTL

2. Slowship

3. Gravity surfing

4. Solar Sailing

5. Ion Drive

6. Etc.

5. Character creation method [MULTILIST]

1. Randomized [SCALE]

2. Constructed [SCALE]

6. Sentient GenoTypes [MULTILIST] [0 rating means unavailable for PCs, but yes to NPCs]

1. AI/robots/androids [subtypes]

2. Alien [subtypes]

3. Animals [subtypes]

4. Mineral [subtypes]

5. Plants [subtypes]

6. Pure Strain Humans [subtypes]

7. Insectoid [subtypes]

8. Mutated Humans [subtypes]

9. Mutated Humans Species (breed true) [subtypes]

10. Hybrids/Chimeras of any-of-the-above [subtypes]

3. Mutations 

1. (yes/no)

2. Randomized

3. Constructed

4. Origin of mutations (frequently the same as the P-A cause)

1. genengineered

2. nanites

3. radiation

4. Natural (viral/fungal)

5. Biomimetic (imitates natural traits with tech/bionic/cyborgian)

6. etc

5. Type of Mutations

1. Mundane (traits found in nature)

2. Psionic 

3. Super-science

4. Science!

5. Cross-Species

6. Cross-GenoType

7. Super-powers (comic book)

8. etc

6. Variety of Mutations

1. # per character at creation (“+” indicates additional mutations allowed)

2. # of possible mutations (split btw mental/physical?)

7. Mutation scores (type)

• In place of Attribute scores
• In addition to Attribute scores

1. Game mechanics

1. Class/trade based

2. Skill advancement based

3. Skill check (non-stepped/flat)

4. Skill check (stepped/tree)

5. Skill check (effort)

2. Sociological Traits

1. Sociological stratification degree [SCALE]

2. Survivalist level [SCALE]

3. Community orientation/building (community stats towards top)

1. (Cryptic) Alliances and Cults

2. Community stats

3. Reputation scores PCs vs. NPCs

4. Monsters

1. Origin (see also mutations/P-A causes) [LIST]

2. Monster Level-Mutations (unavailable to PCs)