The three questions
According to John Wick‘s valuable advice, there are three questions a game designer must have the answers to, in order for their game to be something more than a random collection of ideas. In order for the game to have purpose and meaning. And generally hold reasonably well together when poked.
As a short introduction to Mists, here are the three questions — as first laid out by Jared Sorensen — and our answers to them.
What is this game about?
Mists is a game about power and its many facets. From martial prowess and sheer physical might, to political sway over vast numbers of subject or supporters, to the ultimate power of will — the capacity to change the World. Power wears many guises. And all of them are just as deadly.
What does holding power mean? What are its limits? Does it even have limits? How does power influence and change the wielder? These are just some of the questions that may be posed and answered in your Mists games. Perhaps you will even walk away from the table with a new belief — that power needs to have purpose…
How does it do that?
In Mists, you will play an immortal being of great power.
When you take on the role of this immensely powerful entity, an ancient Fey, you are given the ability to change everything in the World. You may set the sky on fire. You may erase mortals from existance with a flick of the wrist and enslave other Fey with a bit of effort. In fact, you can even rip the horizon apart — literally. If you can pay the price, that is.
Playing an immortal means you cannot die. Ever. No Fey knows of a way to destroy another. Which, of course, does not keep them from trying again and again. That said, there are worse things than death and many a Fey know most of them intimately. This is their great curse. As a Fey, you can attempt anything. And then you have to live with the consequences — forever.
What behaviors does it reward and punish?
Mists encourages players to be bold and take action, to fiercely confront their enemies and rivals instead of being passive. The active side — the attacker — is favored in every conflict. Do not wait for the first blow, as it may well be the last.
In Mists you will also be thrown into the labyrinthine World of Fey laws and Decrees. Laws enforced by the World itself, woven into its fabric perhaps more tightly than gravity. However, these laws, if read carefully, can be subverted by the clever Fey. Loopholes abound, both in the laws of the Fey and in the ancient ways of the World. Challenge everything. Gravity. Time. Fate. Everything.