Spiritual Attributes: What really makes TROS different?

People say that it was the combat that got them into the game, and the Spiritual Attributes that kept them playing. When we first published TROS back in March or 2002 we knew that the combat system would impress people. What we hadn't expected was that the thing that would endear fans to TROS for the long haul was a quirky mechanic that I didn't even think other folks would get: the Spiritual Attributes (SAs for short). This is an early article that I wrote concerning the real importance of SA use in-play. Even more great discussion about how to get the most out of your SAs can be found at our forum.

This article begins with a lengthy comment by Sorcerer author and Diana Jones winner Ron Edwards. It was Ron that first got really excited about SAs after TROS was first published, and I'm forever grateful.

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But I can also see that people will be justifiably concerned about two phenomena: (1) tactics regarding maneuvers becoming, themselves, the point of play in a strategic sense, and (2) the straightforward disjunct between the facts that fights in reality kill people regardless of whose "side" they're on, whereas fights in stories are heavily biased in favor of the stories' protagonists.

In other words, why do I grip my Aquilonian broadsword, scowl menacingly, and pronounce The Riddle of Steel to be a Narrativist game?

Because in many ways, the whole game is a cruel trap. It's the opposite of de-protagonizing; if you go in without committing to your character as a protagonist, the combat system will kill you. If you don't ramp up those Spiritual Attributes via role-playing (and moral choices), then you ain't gonna have the dice to survive combat. In this sense, The Riddle of Steel is very much like Sorcerer, in terms of players being surprised at how hard Sorcerer's demon-summoning is - if you're not using both circumstantial and metagame bonuses, it's probably not going to work, and your Humanity losses while you try will wax your character. Jake [TROS creator] referred to this as the "natural selection" effect regarding TROS, and I think he's got a point. Planning to power-game? You'll die - unless you convert that competitiveness into a motor for your Narrativist priority. Planning to get into the realism? You'll die - unless you convert that Exploration into a motor for your Narrativist priority.

I have a lot, lot, lot to say about the history of this ambition in role-playing design, particularly in terms of the latter issue (Sim/Narr). The first game to try it was RuneQuest. Realism, so-called, was supposed to be the foundation for heroic, mythic tale-creation. Without metagame mechanics or any other mechanisms regarding protagonism, the Sim took over, and RuneQuest became, essentially, a wargame at the individual level that was based largely on Glorantha fandom (this trend is still a very strong gaming-subculture in Britain). The BRP (RuneQuest) system is right up there with AD&D and Champions in terms of its influence, and until just now, no game has attempted to "power Narrativism with Simulationist combat" from the ground up again; they just imitate RuneQuest and go right down the same road.

The alternative, as illustrated for just about every Narrativist game, is to move combat mechanics very far into the metagame realm: Swashbuckler, Sorcerer, Castle Falkenstein, The Dying Earth, Zero, Orkworld, Hero Wars, and (my God) The Pool take that road to various distances, and it works.

The Riddle of Steel is like a guy waving his hand in the back of the room -"Scuse me, scuse me, what about that first road? I'm not ready to jettison that idea yet." It's as if someone stepped into The Chaosium in 1977, and said, "Hey, you know, if you don't put some kind of player-modulated personality mechanic in there, this game is going to be all about killing monsters and collecting Clacks." This didn't happen in 1977, and that's why RuneQuest was all about those things (and avidly speculating about Gloranthan details). But it's happened now ...

-Ron Edwards, Creator of Adept Press' Sorcerer RPG

The Riddle of Steel™ has a great combat system. That's what tends to attract people to the game, and we're glad. An often overlooked component of the game, however, is the "Spiritual Attribute System," which is potentially the most important mechanic in the game.

Every character has five "Spiritual Attributes." These attributes are chosen in broad swaths by each player, and then defined and personalized for each character. They consist of basic motivations and beliefs, involving areas such as one's conscious, loves, hates, passions, higher goals, religions, and so on. During play these attributes aid a character any time an attribute's focus comes into play.

Example 1: James MacHugh, a highlander of Angharad, is arm-wrestling for fun. The Seneschal (GM) calls for a contested roll between James and his opponent, Douglas O'barr. They both have a Strength score of 5, and are both rolling against a TN of 6. They have equal chances of winning (and are even likely to tie).

Example 2: James is now arm-wrestling his life-long enemy, Morgan Duffy. James has the Spiritual Attribute "Passion: Hate Morgan Duffy" at a 3. Morgan's Strength is greater than James' (it's a 6), so normally Morgan would be rolling one more die than James (who has only 5 dice) in the contest…but James HATES Morgan, and so he gets 3 extra dice (for his Passion score) to roll against his hated enemy. James is rolling 8 dice; Morgan still has only 6.

If Morgan hated James in return, or had another passion that effected the arm-wrestling match, then Morgan would get the appropriate bonus dice as well, which could even things up or tip the scales.

Above we looked at an in-game description of Spiritual Attribute use. Faced with the deadly possibility of mortal combat, a few extra dice become important indeed-leading your characters into fights where there is a personal stake involved, not simply "another dungeon-hack."

But there's more…

Character progression is handled directly through the Spiritual Attributes. As a character plays in harmony with them, and as he furthers his passions, drives, and motivations, they increase. The points gained in the Spiritual Attributes are then re-distributed throughout the character, improving other attributes and proficiencies permanently. So if you want your character to grow and survive, you'll have to role-play, not roll-play.

The Spiritual Attributes work as a great tool for the Seneschal (GM) as well. Armed with a basic plot idea (an "Adventure Seed" or "Hook") he need only look at his player's Spiritual Attributes to flesh details out, and create an adventure or campaign where the players are the main protagonists in the story, not bystanders or watchers. By simply incorporating one or two Spiritual Attributes from each character into every game he guarantees the personal involvement of each player into every game in a fashion the players will find meaningful and exciting.

The result is are characters with real motivations and purposes, players that get into character from the first game, and Seneschals/GMs that prepare adventures easily tailored to the needs and wants of his players.

The answer to the Riddle of Steel, whatever it is, is not just an issue of the sword--it's an issue of the Spirit.

Jacob Norwood
Creator, The Riddle of Steel™
April 2002