Okay, folks, I've decided to go through with this and run the first official Theogenesis Grand Design Competition. Everyone is invited - nay, encouraged - to join. There are prizes and your very honour as a member of the Theogenesis community at stake.

When it begins: 1st January, 2010; entrants should declare their intent to join before then, though jumping in anytime before the 1st February is okay as long as it is declared within this thread.

When it ends: 1st February, 2010. All games must be submitted via a link in this thread by the 1st of this date, in your own timezone, finished or not.

So what's the actual aim? The aim is to design a fully-fleshed Theogenesis game within a month (or less), to be judged by a panel of three judges. The goal is to create the best, most fascinatingly awesome game you can make in a relatively limited time-period.

Prizes? Ah, here we are. Yes, there will be prizes.

First Place: A Degree in Dust, a new major power in Dust that fits the theme of 'creation', a special in-game item  and a unique 'winners' title.
Second Place: A Degree in Dust, a special in-game item, and a unique 'runner-up' title.
Third Place: A Degree in Dust and a special in-game item.
All Others: A special in-game title.

Who're the judges?

Well, I myself will be judging, and Ruse has also offered to judge. All judges get a unique title, and maybe something a little extra at the end.

Judge #1: Master Divine, the Voice of Passion
Judge #2: The Hierophant (Ruse), the Voice of Reason
Judge #3: The Dutchman (Chalybis), the Voice of Logic

Who're the contestants?

I want to have at least five contestants, but hopefully as many as possible. You may enter more than once, but only your highest-scoring game will count: you can't win the first/second/third prizes all at once. Please show interest in this thread and I'll add you to the list.

Entrant #1: Sura (Game: Theogenesis - Polytheism, link to another game )
Entrant #2: Max (Game: Theogenesis - Chaos, link to another game )
Entrant #3: Foun (Game: Theogenesis - Mutar Gen, link to another game )
Entrant #4: Anik (Game: Theogenesis - Infinity, link to another game )
Entrant #5: Raelis/Balast (Game: Theogenesis - Aramanth's Consequences, link to another game )
Entrant #6: Pitcarn (Game: Theogenesis - Torres del Dioses, link to another game )
Entrant #7: Desafon (Game: Theogenesis - Ooze of Oblivion)
Entrant #8: Hirsu (Game: Theogenesis - Ascendance, link to another game )

What will the judges be, uh, judging?

The judges will mark each game and publish their thoughts here. Each judge will mark the game, with comments, according to a specific set of criteria:

Substance: How deep and layered the game is - is it playable? Finished? This score represents how thorough and fleshed out your game is. A low score is an unfinished game with many blanks where the rules should be - much like Dust, ho ho ho - while a high score will be found on a game that has been fully executed, nothing abandoned.

Style: The presentation of the game - are the rules easy to read? How are the spelling mistakes and typos? Are paragraphs used? Important, as Theogenesis is a pretty rules intensive game and rules that can be absorbed easily are a definite must. Low-scorring gamez have roolez ritten leik this, while high-scoring games, obviously, do not. Use of a spell- and grammar-checker, detail paid to writing, and actual paragraphs will help tremendously with this one.

Canonicity: This score reflects how well the game fits into existing Theogenesis lore, as well as whether or not it is a 'Theogenesis' game - as such, this field may be one of the trickier ones to adhere to. Theogenesis games involve, typically, a God, his people, Realm, and so forth.. but they also have several other conceits, such as the existence of magic and psionics, subtle politics, a certain party and Valley, and so forth. A low-scoring game will be something completely unlike what Theogenesis 'should' be like (in the eyes of the judges), which high-scoring games stick to as many motifs as possible - the highest-scoring games even incorporating existing lore, such as the Conclave or the Kookhe World-Tree, into their game.

Innovation: By the same token, games will also be marked on innovation - what their game does differently. This might be a whole new rule-set, or it might be a fantastically exotic setting, or even the way the rules are written (entirely in character, perhaps?) could score points for this one. This may, at first, seem incomprehensibly difficult - especially when you need to comply with Canonicity - but it isn't really as hard as it seems. Chronicles of Eo and Creatures of Theogenesis are both deeply Theogenesis while retaining their own flavours and themes - these would be examples of high-scoring games. It should actually be difficult to get a low-scoring game, but games that just copy and paste rules and have no particular themes or special settings would fail at this one.

Verisimilitude: Finally, sometimes a game just clicks for a judge - this is Verisimilitude. A high score might apply to an unfinished game or a rough gem that the judge sees pure gold in, for example, or for a game that they really want to play - that is the key, here. Judges must want to play the game in order to score highly on this one. If they like the game, but it isn't really their thing, then unfortunately points will be lost in Verisimilitude.

Each criteria will be marked out of ten - the game will receive a score out of fifty from each judge, for a grand total out of one hundred and fifty. The highest-scoring game wins, obviously.

Do I have to run my game after?

This contest is about design, not game-mastering. The answer is a big no, though by all means, if you've hit gold, go for it. I'm sure people will be salivating at the mouth to have a crack out it. Essentially, if you want to run your game after, go nuts, and if you don't, no worries. : )

Disqualification and Other Stuff

Games may be disqualified if the three judges each agree to it, for any reason whatsoever - though I and Ruse are nice guys, and we'll much more likely remove points from Verisimilitude then disqualify - but we'll always make sure to allow appeals and to give a solid reason as to why we made the decision. I don't see this happening, but it's worth mentioning.

All judgments are final, of course. Harassing judges will lose points.

Anything else?

Any comments and suggestions should be given in this thread. I'd also encourage people to sign up here, please. I'm really excited about this thing and I want to see it as a success.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:52, Wed 03 Feb 2010.

THE JUDGMENT

THEOGENESIS: POLYTHEISM
SURA

MASTER DIVINE

Theogenesis - Polytheism is an interesting game with an enjoyable conceit: that humanity and the Gods are immediately separate, trapped in two different planes of existence, and that the God most cultivate favour with his people if he plans on gaining power - and that it is, in fact, the only way to gain that power.

There are two main focuses to the game. The first, which I've dubbed 'tribalism', involves the warring and manipulating of your human kingdom; in a clear break from Theogenesis history, the game places the god apart in the Realm Supernatural and their humans in the Realm Mundane - Earth. 'Polytheism', then, is an apt name. You can't control these tribes of yours, not directly - but you can manipulate (though, again, not directly control), a 'Prophet', someone who spreads your good word. The key to more power - to spend on ranks, etc - is in points, a kind of measure of belief, depending on how humanity sees you. Worshipers grant two points, Believers (who acknowledge the existence of your god but don't worship) grant one, and Heretics (who work against your god, spreading doubt) are negative one.

You tally up your total and, as far as I can tell, those are the points you spend to increase your Divinity, Magical Power, or Combat Skill. There is no attribute reflecting a god's connection to their realm; it is assumed that every god has the same capabilities.

The second - and in my opinion, far more interesting! - concept is that the Realm Supernatural is currently the scene of a heated political war between Zeus and Odin. Both are vying for power and dominance over the government system that rules over the divines, and both require the support of smaller groups to succeed. Players will make up these parties - there are ranks for the influence of their sect over the politics, and it all feels direct, imminently satisfying, brutally political and something entirely fresh. This is by far my favourite part of the game and something I wish was embellished.

But on to the scores:

Substance: 6/10

The game is playable, but a little unclear in lots of places: I'd love to know how exactly points are spent, or how many points it takes to rank up in Divinity, or why the Realm Mundane has been shut off from the Realm Supernatural. This has the makings of an extremely good political game, but there is no information, hinted at or otherwise, towards the true characters - Odin, Zeus, their supporters - the NPCs that make the game. Without this, the political edge falls flat a little. I'd also like the entire game to be fleshed out a lot more - everything seemed a little rushed. A clarification on how points worked, exactly would be nice - though the stuff given on how they are obtained is good. A rundown on Earth, what era it's in, how you affect that world..

Polytheism is, for me, the true definition of an uncut jewel: valuable, yes, with lots of potential, but unfortunately not fully realized.

Style: 7/10

The style is serviceable, though many of the sentences read wrongly, and the rules themselves don't grip you: the opening paragraph explains a little of what's going on, but most certainly not enough. I don't have any other comments - good, but not great.

Canonicity: 7/10

The game obviously draws most of its non-radical stuff from Theogenesis: Dust - not an entirely bad thing, if I do say so myself. It mentions the Hourglass, specifically places the setting as the Age of Odin, and has the Valley Divine.. and regardless of the form, the God still has powers, people, and stuff to do. I wish it would elaborate on the 'Veil' - as I'm referring to the barrier between mortals and Gods - and on other things, but it otherwise passes. It loses points for not being as innovative with the canon as it could have been - there was a great opportunity for Polytheism to elaborate on the histories of Odin, etc, as well as draw on a whole set of ancient Theogenesis lore - as well as for the unexplained bits. As far as I'm concerned, it was possible for Zeus to be around in one form or another during the pre-Age of Odin, but I'm, not sure on the details; I'm not marking down for this, only mentioning it as a possible inaccuracy.

Innovation: 9/10

Innovation is where this game shines.

There are a few good ideas which really make this game fantastic. The first is the direct ratio of believers to power - something I always wanted in Theogenesis but for some reason never implemented. I know the revised Theogenesis: Kookhe has this to a certain point (and that 'Prophets' exist in both games) but the way the two things are handled make it still seem so fresh. The idea of a political battle between Zeus and Odin is a fantastic, fantastic idea for a game and I think that this should have formed the absolute core - while the using of humanity as tools aspect is interesting and could be very fun my personal inclinations hang towards the political aspect. It's just a whole new story..

There's also a magic system derived from Dust's, but using the same points system and a choice of magical practice: multi-caster (who spread out there points and have a broader set of skills) and a finer caster who can only focus on a few, but excel in those areas. I like this, but again I would've liked to have seen more of it.

Regardless, innovation is where Polytheism shines.

Verisimilitude: 8/10

I'd play it. It's interesting enough to keep my attention, and I'd really, really love to have a stab at working with Odin. I actually wouldn't mind playing it, and I believe with the right GM it could be a hell of a lot of fun.

TOTAL FROM THE MASTER DIVINE: 34/50

THEOGENESIS: POLYTHEISM
SURA

THE HIEROPHANT

Substance: 4/10

After looking through the threads for this game several times, I have determined that it is possibly playable. However, as it is now I don't think it is. There's actually a lot of information that is missing that I'd really like to know about. It could be played in a rough sense, but we do not currently have enough information to be able to fully stat up a god - at least with full assurance we're doing it completely.

For ranks, how do we improve them? Do we have degrees like in Dust - which the game draws heavily from - or is there a new or different method of gaining "xp" with which to spend on ranks? Do we have some sort of starting bonuses "points" or degrees to spend on gods, to flesh them out and make them distinct, or is every newly created god essentially a carbon copy of the other new gods?

Combat and magic systems are elaborated on a bit more, but there's actually a lot missing here that I'd like to know about. for magics...well, what does each school do? I realize these were drawn from Dust, but it is poor game design to have to refer to another game for rules for the game in question. Also, for both combat and magic, what really are the benefits of each rank? Divinity at least says what powers come with their respective ranks, but combat and magic are left to the imagination.

Also, how does one really level magic? Do they gain magic points for gaining divine ranks? If so no one would ever go past 1st degree magic. Combat at least states points are gained via actually fighting, but the gaining of magic points are, once again, left to the imagination.

The prophet section is also incomplete. We know we have them and that they are neat, but how do they work? what can they do? What can I all do with them in a concrete sense? How about power points gained from mortal worship. What ARE they? How are they used? what benefit is there to having them?

Finally, how do god power work? What is the difference between a major and minor power? What are the traits of gods? I see nothing about immortality, paradox, and the whole nine years. Assuming it even exists int his game. Honestly, I wouldn't know as it is written.

Style: 7/10

Nothing really was detailed in-depth, and the game introduction was short. However, it did reflect the setting though despite its length, and that boosted the points here a bit.

The grammar wasn't perfect either, but it was far from being absolutely horrible. I do acknowledge that things are in nice, neat paragraphs, and that did a lot in terms of points. The headings for different sections were bolded, and it is apparent that Sura made a deliberate attempt to help make the flow of reading easier for game participants.

So while the substance of the game was lacking, the lay-out was deliberately made neat. This is a HUGE deal to me - understandable rule documents with a good "flow" to them make me VERY happy, and this scored this category a lot of points.

Canonicity: 6/10

I want to say as a judge that canonicity is the most nebulous field - more so than even verisimilitude. What is "canon" is often up to debate, especially since some of the most popular theos clash with one another. The most notable example is Rebirth and Dust. Dust is assumed to trump rebirth in canonicity, but my point is clear none the less. But with that note aside, let us continue with the judgment!

This game draws a LOT of inspiration from Theogenesis: Dust. Dust was created by Nat himself, the original creator of Theogenesis, so is by definition canon. I underwrote many rules too, so that makes it even better. :P

In all seriousness though, it draws extensively from Dust, which is a positive mark for it. The game also has some classic theogenesis elements: gods, mortals being tied to gods, divine ranks, domains, god powers, and even the classification of realms for the sake of paradox. I also like how it mentions odin and zeus - it's like the dust setting went back in time.

However, there are some elements that are clearly missing. The game makes no mention of portaling (an almost impossible ability for non-gods, but easy as walking for gods and the traditional mode of transportation). It makes no mention of essence, immortality, sensing divinity, godly resilience, etc. It has a realm heading in the setting, but it doesn't really tell us what realms are or the traits of realms. Realms are a HUGE part of Theogenesis, as even a normal-tract god has one and many abnormals do too.

Gods also should be able to mate with followers to make demigods, but that is impossible with the mundane-supernatural worlds being divided. However, as that is a fundamental part of the setting, I did not dock points for it. Plus you can turn prophets into seconds, which is also canon.

Innovation: 7/10

This is probably the game's strongest category. While certainly not mind-blowing, there is enough of a foundation here to expand upon to make the game truly its own animal.

I was intrigued by the separation of the god and his followers. In other theos, gods literally walked among man, and even in games where earth was its own realm (like dust and rebirth for instance), a god could go but often chose not to for whatever reason. Gods also interacted personally with mortals, either striking them down or raising them to greatness. In this game, greatness is the only option as smiting your worshippers hurts your power score.

The prophet system is interesting too. Max also has one in Kookhe, but I judged that these two ideas were developed separately so the prophet does indeed give points to this category.

Changing forsaken powers into divine gifts at master level is also an innovation, although more so because it links directly with the world divine system than anything.

The political parties is also an innovation, as is the system for the three social ranks. It is close to dust's system though so not many points were granted. This probably would have gained a lot more points if the political system was better fleshed out.

However, despite these changes, I don't think any of the innovations were purely mind-blowing. The one that gained the most percentage of the points was the world divide in relation to the followers. The divide would make tending to followers a huge part of the game experience - something that deviates from the standard self-centered god-focused theo lay out, where realms and followers weren't anything more important than currency. The only other game I've seen that surpasses this is Kookhe's base system, which is an almost ideal example of making a realm and people important, compared to say...rebirth where they were essentially candy on legs.

Verisimilitude: 5/10

It didn't really strike me as interesting enough to invest time in playing. Most of the elements can be found in Dust - and more expanded and developed at that. The only real eye-catcher here is the world-divide follower system. That scored the majority of points for this category alone.

TOTAL FROM THE HIEROPHANT: 29/50
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:51, Sat 06 Feb 2010.

THE JUDGMENT

THEOGENESIS: CHAOS

THE MASTER DIVINE

Max is a fifteen year-old furry with a fetish for the mythical heroes of humanity's collective consciousness and a penchant for becoming inspired by various Japanese RPGs. The guy's philosophy is thus going to be a little strange, especially compared to my own, but I can't hold that against him; for every small thing Theogenesis: Chaos does wrong it does many, many things right.

Set 'just after Theogenesis: Rebirth' - which, I think is somewhere between Theogenesis: Leagues and Theogenesis: Dust, the game takes place after a massive three-way war between the armies of Metatron, Isuban, and the Mad Gods. This war took place about a hundred and sixty years before the game starts - four and eight score - and ended up in the destruction of many, including most of the original player-gods, who've been immortalized in the night sky as constellations.

There are some really interesting aspects to Chaos; Gods, once born, can take up a 'SIGN', one of the constellations, and gain certain abilities and drawbacks from it. Four factions rule the Valley Divine - a puritanical Drachenorden-Inquisition love-child, the proletariat god-party which holds the most members, and two 'evil' factions, including Gods who dwell within Hell itself and a series of Gods who seem to be evil just for the sake of it. There is more - quite a deal more - so we'll jump into the review proper.

Substance: 8/10

Theogenesis: Chaos is not finished. Many of the SIGNs have not yet been complete, and while the game so far looks nice and feels pretty solid, there is, I think, a feeling of something missing - as if something needs to be elaborated. Geotonomancy is said to be a 'lost art' in the setting, with no rules given for it, but I would've preferred, say, for there to be a scattering of hints and small-mechanics instead of just, 'Find it if you can'. It felt a little lazy to me. The actual setting itself is easily one of the game's strongest points, and I don't think there is enough of it - I want to know more. As far as I can tell the Tetrarchy would have an extremely difficult time existing without either some external force monitoring it or plenty of subtle machinations, or a mutual threat (that wasn't the Mad Gods - from what I've read, the assumption I'm making is that their forces have been greatly depleted). So what, exactly, is going on?

However. Chaos has enough rules and mechanics to easily become playable for most individuals with only a tiny amount of head-scratching. It's more finished than most other Theogenesis games out there, and spells out in clear language some things which Dust hasn't: for example, the capabilities of Gods. This definitely works in Chaos's favour, for it has an entirely different feel to Dust - information is much less scarce, and with the reinstatement of the 'auras' from Rebirth, Gods are much harder to kill.

Many of the rules are layered, as well, often cleverly so. Mythcrafting retains the 'Jewel' system of Dust, with a handful of modifications - it's now a 'gemstone' system, for example - and the fact that many gemstones are tiered; you may only place the Tigereye gemstone within your creature if it already contains the Ruby, for example, and that only serves to increase the monster's fighting capability. Psionics are also very similar, drawing obvious inspiration from Dust, but with a twist: Max has added a third level of psychic mastery, 'Vorpal', which grants fantastic and imminently deadly capabilities of the power. This is a cool change - it would seem that psionics-users aren't as harried as they are in Theogenesis: Leagues and Dust, so it makes a certain amount of sense.

A God has a 'reputation' with each of the four factions, which is affected by his actions and whatnot. Personally, while I like the idea, I find the factions too boring and a little weak to really see the merit in it. While I am a huge fan of factions in general, I think the game cops out when there are two 'evil' factions, a 'good' faction, and a 'neutral' faction. I'm sick of good and evil, personally, but I can understand that it is the center of Max's mythos, and I will not deduct points from here for it.

While information on Realms - and provinces, people, guardians, etc. - are given, a throwback to the earlier days of Theogenesis, information corresponding to magic is scarce. I didn't like this - I think at the core of every Theogenesis game there should be a strong magical system. Magic and mysticism has always been a huge part of it all, after all.. once again, this section seemed a little lazy. The SIGNs, as mentioned earlier, are also incomplete.

Max also throws out the five 'degrees' of Dust, and implements his own - celerity, intuition, dynamism and MANA (more on MANA in a bit) - which, at first glance, seems like a pretty good change. However, Max himself chooses the attributes of any given player character, based on how good they want to be at certain things. While I can understand the reference to earlier, wilder Theogenesis games, I feel that this is a massive step backwards - when the players are less invested in their stats, the stats slowly lose meaning, and everything starts going wrong.

The system of Degrees, instead of increasing attributes, allow a God to 'negate, create, alter, protect or destroy'. This sounds rather fantastic. I can see this system being awesome in the extreme, but enough information isn't given on the actual act of spending Degrees for me to really understand how exactly they are used. This is unfortunate; what might be one of the game's greatest features is still left vague.

Chaos implements a statistic called 'MANA': your connection with the Tree and capability to use Divine gifts. It's a good step, something traditionally associated with Divinity - which there isn't an attribute for - and something that makes perfect sense. I object to the word 'mana' being used, but hey, different strokes for different blokes. The idea itself is gold.

You gain a 'rank' - like a divine rank, but not really - every handful of Degrees you earn. These are unqiue and reflect your power. This is a good move, and an interesting one - it'd be cool for each God to have their own unique divinity track.

Lastly, my final criticism is once again slung at the SIGNs: while I understand what they're trying to do, they each feel a little gimmicky. Cool, but gimmicky. This isn't a major issue at all - a hallmark of Theogenesis is of the cool gimmick. Some made me flinch a little (such as Anik's, which could be awesome if properly done, or, you know, not actually tied to Anik) but some made me cackle in glee, such as Xellos's. It's a mixed bag, but a damn fascinating one.

I know I've been really harsh with Max on this one, but he plans on running the game and I was set on pointing out every flaw I could find. Still, as you'll note above, Max still sits on a very respectable eight out of ten for substance. There aren't many games which are better, honestly. Chaos might have its flaws, but for every two things done wrong eight are done right.

Style: 9/10

The style is quite well looked after. I'm not a fan of the informal writing style, but maybe that's just my old age speaking; with its colours, scaling, and whatnot, the game itself looks better than Dust. Max is no slouch when it comes to the artistry involved in making a game look good. I don't have much else to say, really.

Canonicity: 9/10

Canonicity is looked after quite well. There are references to the original, to 2.0, to Leagues, to Dust, to Rebirth.. the game succeeds admirably at acting as a sort of glue between all of these diverse Theogenesis games, and while drawing heavily on inspiration from others it doesn't shy away from doing its own thing. I have a few niggles, mostly the inclusion of Hell - something which I've always objected to in Theogenesis, but which I can't really attack - after all, it was a core part of Rebirth. While Theogenesis: Chaos has many, many strong points within the field of canon, there are enough niggles for it to lose a point. It also sticks to the core elements of Theogenesis - God is born, God gets people, God goes places (several places at once in fact), etc. - and so it gets points for that.

Innovation: 10/10

Innovation has mostly been discussed in the 'substance' section, but needless to say, Chaos truly shines in this area. New mythcrafting, SIGNs, ranks, etc.. it all blends into a game that is at once Theogenesis but otherwise completely fresh. Most else of what I should say in this category is detailed in Substance.

Verisimilitude: 8/10

The game's Good vs. Evil dynamic is not something that interests me, and most of the factions seem a little flat and uninspiring for this very purpose. Regardless, you can't hide the fact that this is a well polished game with quite a lot of heart. I'd play the hell out of it, even if I'm not so sure how long my interest will keep.

TOTAL FROM MASTER DIVINE: 44



THEOGENESIS: CHAOS
MAX

THE HIEROPHANT

Substance: 6/10

After reading through the threads, I would say this game is playable. It is not 100% complete though. However, there is enough information to actually create a character and go from there.

There are some rule headings in bold that are missing information, Dust style. This did detract from the points in this category. However, this isn't a huge deal, unless you want to take a Fabled or Zodiac sign, in which case it is impossible as those weren't posted yet.

Another thing that really irked me is the stats system. I did like the stats themselves, but really generating them was far too arbitrary and even after some clarification PMs with Max, I still did not understand how certain things worked or what they meant, or were generated. This detracted from the points.

I do like the flow of the rules document though. It is similar to Kookhe's, which despite said game's issues, I always enjoyed the elegant rule format there. Things here are bolded where they need to be, colored sometimes, italicized, etc. This crosses over into style though, so more on that later.

I was pleased that the degrees system, powers, and psionics were all detailed. The magic section was, however, quite lacking. Even after some PMs, I don't think this was developed enough yet. It certainly should be on the rule document, I think. I also think there needs to be more information ont he god types - in particular, hoe to switch from great god to another type, as well as the benefits you'd lose from giving up being a great god.

The substance is definitely going in the right direction though, and with some tweaking as well as a few additions to blank categories, this game would be very playable. The setting also had a good, detailed background for the setting too, and while vague like most theos it gives a good feel "for the times."

Another thing that I didn't like was that not enough time was spent on explaining degrees. I can tell that you spend them for god powers to get a single major and minor power per degree. They also can be spent on psionics too, in particular cases.

Style: 7/10

I thought this game had good style. Max is actually very good at stylistic elements, even if he flakes in other ways. :P

The grammar of the game is very good (a couple errors here and there but overall solid). Things are in nice, neat paragraphs, and that did a lot in terms of points. The headings for different sections were bolded, and it is apparent that Max made a deliberate attempt to help make the flow of reading easier for game participants.

The game had some extra flavor by having quotes from NPCs, which also were formatted well. I enjoyed this, especially since this wasn't over-done.

I don't fully like the character sheet though. It is missing a category for psionics, any special items you may have. I would like a stats category if Max decides to be more explicit with stats, although it isn't completely needed if he does those behind the scene.

Another thing I liked is that while there are a lot of interesting features in the game, it flows well and has a simple elegance - similar to Dust actually. That scored some points here too.

Canonicity: 10/10

I want to say as a judge that canonicity is the most nebulous field - more so than even verisimilitude. What is "canon" is often up to debate, especially since some of the most popular theos clash with one another. The most notable example is Rebirth and Dust. Dust is assumed to trump rebirth in canonicity, but my point is clear none the less. But with that note aside, let us continue with the judgment!

This game draws a LOT of inspiration from Theogenesis: Dust. Dust was created by Nat himself, the original creator of Theogenesis, so is by definition canon. I underwrote many rules too, so that makes it even better. :P It also has some heavy Rebirth influences, and it even has some Laerad influences, which I determined over PM. It draws from several games basically, and despite the contradictions between some of the most populat theogenesis settings, this game successfully manages to blend them very well. For instance, Saragh and Foun being allies - they are two totally different game characters.

However, there are some elements that are clearly missing. The game makes no mention of portaling (an almost impossible ability for non-gods, but easy as walking for gods and the traditional mode of transportation). It makes no mention of essence, immortality, sensing divinity, godly resilience, etc. It has a realm heading in the setting, but it doesn't really tell us what realms are or the traits of realms. Realms are a HUGE part of Theogenesis, as even a normal-tract god has one and many abnormals do too.

This game has the other classic theogenesis traits too. Gods and realms and mortals for sure. Also godly resilience traits, paradox, geotonomancy, and even certain things from particular games, like the guardians of rebirth and the degrees of dust. The realm-naming system is also represented. It even combined rebirth's and dust's mythcrafting system. Beware those diamonds!

What I didn't see was some of the finer things like mating and making demigods, but it does say you can impregnate them so that is a saving grave.

The psionics were mostly inspired by Dust, which is canonical as far as I'm concerned.

This game very much draws on several popular theogenesis settings, and manages to mate them together into a unified whole. Kudos!

Innovation: 8/10

This game draws on a lot that has already come before it, but yet puts it all together in a way that makes it its own animal.

I was very intrigued by the new signs system. To my knowledge this has not been seen in another Theo game. I like even more that they are all linked to (and by definition homages to) the key players in Rebirth and older canon Theos. I like games that pay a small tribute to the characters of games that are concluded, like how Dust did with its returned god system. Fabled and Ancestral gods really feel unique in this setting, and while they may gain a few perks over other great gods (towers, an item, etc) it is hardly anything that would kill the game completely. If anything, it reinforces the "salute" to the other Theo games.

Max also added a new level to psionics - vorpal. This is an expansion of dust's two-tiered psionics system, and the capabilities are very potent, albeit EXTREMELY expensive. Then again, psionics always was an expensive but specialized alternative to other degree expenditures.

The prophet system is interesting too. Max also has one in Kookhe, but I judged that these two ideas were developed separately so the prophet does indeed give points to this category.

The new magic system is interesting. I'm a little nervous about the relatively unrestricted nature of magic as it is. I don't like people knowing potentially every magical school from the get-go. However, the mana stat is a new finite but renewable resource, and spell casting now has speeds based on incantation time. This makes magic extremely good, but it takes a few rounds to reach max potency unless your celerity is obnoxiously high.

Not much was done with people and realms though, which is slightly disappointing. However, the real charm that this game offers above all the other games I've seen so far is that it successfully blends several canon settings together despite internal contradictions, and it also surpasses even Dust in saluting older player characters.

Verisimilitude: 9/10

This game just really clicked with me. The rules have a great flow, I think. I also love the signs and the fact that this game has the elegance of Dust while also managing to reconcile a lot of conflicting metaplot from multiple older games. It even salutes Laerad, despite its relatively short shelf life, as Max was privy to a small part of metaplot involving "The Azure Maker," and via PM let me know that heavily influenced his portrayal of the Grey gods and how. If you guys want to learn more, play creatures when and if I unshelf it.

TOTAL FROM THE HIEROPHANT: 40/50
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:23, Sat 06 Feb 2010.

THE JUDGMENT

THEOGENESIS: MUTAR GEN
FOUN

THE MASTER DIVINE

Theogenesis: Mutar Gen is perhaps the epitome of the saying, 'a diamond in the rough'. Held within the game are scores of great ideas which compel and intrigue me, begging me to read further - hell, begging me to play - but for such a grand concept the setting and rules feel sketchy and incomplete, and the grammar bugs me something shocking.

Set on a different Tree entirely to the usual fair - a Tree, it seems, that can only be distantly, if at all, related to our beloved Yggdrasil - named, aptly, Mutar Gen, the game has a decidedly 'rave' style which some people will love and some people won't feel entirely comfortable with. There are references to real-life narcotics in the game, which I like, but which I'm sure would put others on edge..

You play RAGERS, Gods hellbent on living life to the full, on partying until the drop. There is a certain Hell's Angels sensibility about the whole thing, which I really dig, but which I doubt the original author realized he was invoking - nevertheless, it is quite cool. There are enough twists and turns in the game to make it feel entirely different, while it retains enough 'normality' to obviously be a Theogenesis game.

Nevertheless, let's get into the review itself, huh?

Substance: 6/10

More, more, more more MORE!

Theogenesis: Mutar Gen is a strange thing. The rules are complete enough for a game, and yet sparse enough to confuse and to cause dismay - while technically alright, Mutar Gen could have done with a lot more 'padding', adding to the Setting and really evoking a mood and theme which could have become its greatest strength. In this way, style and substance are interchangeable, but the game feels looser than most other games, more radical, and it's a shame it didn't follow this through.

The fresh ideas held within Mutar Gen aren't as simple as 'you gain more power on a direct ratio to how many followers you have', or, 'all the Gods have Nazi sexbot powers' - no. It's an entire new setting, a World Tree apparently not of Yggdrasildic heritage, with completely different laws and realities. For example, apparently a lot of what happens in Mutar Gen happens within the mind - you interact directly with aspects of your broken psyche, and 'realms' are reflections of the twisted mind. This is amazingly cool, a directly new approach to the World-Tree and a substantially different setting - I mean, are Gods even Gods in this place, or is it simply for our own ease of reference that they're known as such? It could have been done so well, with lavish detail poured onto the world.. I'd much prefer absolutely complete mindscape rules and elaborations of the stuff on drugs, anyway.

Though, weirdly enough, the magic/drug sections (with drugs standing in for psionics, which is a neat way of embellishing my own interpretation of the handling of Psionics, and very cool) are pretty much complete. And they're, in my personal experience, the hardest parts to finish.

Playable, but disappointing. It's like paying for a prostitute and having her die of a cardiac arrest before you get down to the dirty deed. It could have been so very awesome.

Style: 7/10

My biggest problem, style-wise, with Mutar Gen - and with most Theogenesis games I've read, especially including mine - is that the style of writing is either informative and there is no character, or filled with character and very rarely informative.. a lot of Mutar Gen is of the second type. I'd prefer a balance, of course, so that the rules are easily readable but packed with information, but there are logic leaps and the standard mistakes that an individual, when rushed, is prone to make.. so I can't honestly fault Foun too much for that.

In addition: the grammar makes me flinch.

But besides these two trivial points, the game is rather standard, in a good sense - easy enough to read.

Canonicity: 8/10

While throwing in a few changes, Mutar Gen is still notably Theogenesis - it's set on a World Tree, involves Gods, and has many of the standard 'Theogenesicies' that make the game so immediate recognizable. Over all, a great look at another Tree.

Innovation: 9/10

Innovation is where this game's obvious strong suit is. It's brimming with strong, fresh takes on the Theogenesis universe, a trademark of the creator and the reason I'm pretty certain he's a genius. The entire thing is fresh - from the mindscapes, to the way magic and psionics are handled, to the 'raves' themselves. Damn impressive - the only complaint I have is that they weren't pushed the whole way.

Verismilitude: 8/10

With a little more work, I'd play the crap out've this. As it is, it has me depressed that it's currently in my 'deleted' list.

TOTAL FROM THE MASTER DIVINE: 32/50

THEOGENESIS: MUTAR GEN
FOUN

THE HIEROPHANT

Substance: 7/10

After reading through the threads, I would say this game is playable. It is not 100% complete though, but it is close. However, there is enough information to actually create a character and go from there, and all of the major issues have been covered and at this point it is the smaller nit-picky issues that detract points.

All the headings are either in bold or italics, and while the layout is a bit too condensed and hard to follow, it is very obvious to me that a good effort was made to display things in a neat way, even if it does fry your brain to look at it. This gained a lot of points for this category.

What I thought was the weakest part of this section was elaborating more on the world itself and the groups within it, as well as god realms/mindscapes. I know Mutar Gen is some chaotic tree and there's raves and factions, but that's about it. What really ARE raves, and where do they take place? I also would like to know a lot more about the factions - what they stand for, the pros and cons of each, and how they fit into the wider scope of the Mutar Gen tree. Also, Yggdrasil is mentioned - does this mean tree-hopping is possible? I wouldn't know, as the rules don't make it clear enough to me.

I was pleased that the magic/music and drug/psionic sections were detailed with that each of the 5 ranks within a subtype can do. This gained points. The booze section was very unclear as to if it was for unlocking god powers or not, or something else. That detracted a bit. Also, stats are mentioned, but I see no stat rules. I don't know what this is for, which took away points.

The content of this game has come along nicely, despite its chaotic layout, and with some minor tweaks and clarifications can be made truly complete. It does need to go into more detail about memories though, and the five W's of memories.

And what are mundanes? Can they be mated with? Are they gods, monsters? Can they dance? What is their purpose?

Style: 4/10

I thought this game had poor style, to be honest. It is probably my own limitations I'm sure, but that is what counts as I'm the reader!

The grammar of the game is sketchy. The spelling and stuff like that is fine. The thing that really irked me was the poor sentence flow. Lots of run on sentences as well as lack of proper punctuation made reading and following the setting difficult.

Positive marks are for the fact the game tries very hard to have things under headings and sub-headings. I'm a huge fan of organized rule display, and the majority of the points for this section were gained from the very deliberate attempt on Foun's part to make things fall under headings. Headings make rule reading easier, and as far as I'm concerned make the world go round.

What I didn't like was how...compact things felt. While there were headings and sub headings, they weren't arranged in the neatest way possible and actually made my head spin a few times as I did some readings of the threads. Like under "The Chaotic" section of the setting, the different RP-whatever types are not separated by a space. That is a big pet peeve for me. Sometimes other paragraphs aren't separated by spaces either. spacing in writing is a good indication of idea change, and helps assist the reader in pacing with a good flow when reading. This detracted points.

Also, while we know memories are generally good, I don't really know what they are, what they do, or how they are beneficial besides the brief mention in some rank sections. This deducted points. Really, a lot of concepts were sometimes spread out or not touched upon enough.

Canonicity: 6/10

I want to say as a judge that canonicity is the most nebulous field - more so than even verisimilitude. What is "canon" is often up to debate, especially since some of the most popular theos clash with one another. The most notable example is Rebirth and Dust. Dust is assumed to trump rebirth in canonicity, but my point is clear none the less. But with that note aside, let us continue with the judgment!

This game is an entirely new tree, and doesn't draw setting elements from much of anything. Which in terms of innovation is great, but in canonicity not so much. Yggdrasil is mentioned a few times though, and I do give a few points for credit. Really though, the canon points for this game come from what RAGERS have as their traits.

RAGERS are basically gods, and this was said so in the rule thread. While in a different form, the following clnon theo elements were definitly present, and in a major way too: people (thoughts), magic (music), psionics (drugs), combat (dancing), and degrees. Memories play a part too somehow, but I don't actually know what they are or what they do besides help somehow. Realms are the mindscape, it appears. Although then what is the "real world" of Mutar Gen itself?

However, there are some elements that are clearly missing. The game makes no mention of portaling (an almost impossible ability for non-gods, but easy as walking for gods and the traditional mode of transportation). It makes no mention of essence, immortality, sensing divinity, godly resilience, etc. We know god realms are mindscapes, but if they're in the mind then what does the "real world" of Mutar Gen look and act like? What really are raves? Also, mythcrafting, geotonomancy, and the like are missing too, which while not the hugest of concerns are canon elements that aren't touched upon at all, even so much as to say they aren't appropriate for this setting or some similar cop-out.

What I didn't see was some of the finer things like mating and making demigods, but it does say you can impregnate them so that is a saving grave. Really, what place does sex have in this game? While traditionally handled in fade-to-black, and with gods having low sex drives and bisexual dispositions, sex is a canon option that has canon implications. Especially with dancing and drugs and the like you'd expect mating to be a factor. Are there demi-RAGERS or half-RAGERS?

Innovation: 10/10

This game is a wild and new, crazy spin on the standard theoverse. Almost to the point of being a satire - and I do like satire! Satire of the theoverse and our drug subculture alone gives this section points.

I think the whole concept of taking something as whimsical and not-worthy-of-consideration or being taken serious like drugs and raves and then making it into a system that - within its own box - IS serious is worthy of applaud. This game is wonky and trippy, but yet within its own box is internally consistent, and internal consistency is important to me, even with innovations.

This game also introduces a new concept: psionics and enhanced skills/powers/whatever booze is for (wasn't clear to me, which took points from substance) and making them into 1-use items. This makes dancing and music the key renewable resources for everyday living and drugs/booze into tactical nukes of a sort. While not necessarily a good thing, it does change the required playstyle for things.

I also think the mindscape realm system and the memory/thought/mental issue systems are new and exciting and something never before seen in a theogenesis. This game really reminds me of a tripped-out version of the Playstation game called Psychonauts.

While the game suffers in other areas, the themes and direction this game was taken is extremely new pioneered territory, and definitely very creative if sarcastic and satirical, and deserves full innovation points.

Verisimilitude: 5/10

I think this is a very creative game, and applaud it for that. However I'm not really interested in drug culture or playing someone who's tripped out constantly. I guess what I mean is that the game is one HUGE gimmick to me - it will be wild and exciting at first but quickly grow dull once the novelty has worn off. There's not a lot of metaplot and the setting doesn't provide much besides "this tree's bogus." I don't think I'd have fun in this game after long, but some other people might so I took the middle ground for points in this category.

TOTAL FROM THE HIEROPHANT: 32/50
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:27, Thu 08 Apr 2010.

THE JUDGMENT

THEOGENESIS: INFINITY
ANIK

THE HIEROPHANT

Substance: 9/10

After reading through the threads, I would say this game is  extremely playable. The rules section is extensive and covers all of the various aspects of gods, from creating one to improving one. While some of the mechanics can feel a little complicated at times and may take a few reads to process, overall everything is here that you'd need to create a character for this game. The completeness of the rules gained a lot of points here.

All the headings are either in bold or italics, and while the layout sometimes has errors or is too compressed, it is very obvious to me that a good effort was made to display things in a neat way, even if it does fry your brain to look at it. This gained a lot of points for this category.

The write-up also does a decent job explaining the concept of infinity - a world jellyfish that moves around the eternal forest on one massive joy-ride. There is enough to infer that infinity is an entity unto itself, and the game emphasizes the "separateness" that all trees impose upon themselves and their inhabitants. Assimilation via tree is quite possible in this game. What happens when a foreign tree assimilates you is unknown.

I would like to know more about god paths though. Via PM I determined that they are handled on the fly as they are ranked, but this should have been specified in the rules. Also, specialties for stats gets a bit confusing, as there are also specialties for skills. Later on it is clear that these are distinct, but this really needs to be made clear in the stat section itself. It should be called "stats." It says the god baseline is "above mortal," but does that equal a zero then on the stat scale? It seems to as stats with a specialty receive rank 1 for free, but again this is not specified clearly and the reader shouldn't have to "work" to figure it out.

so besides a few very small things, the substance of this game is extremely strong and received a similarly strong score.

Style: 6/10

This game has good style, but not great.

The grammar of the game is sketchy, and the write ups are riddled with typos. This is a common theme in Anik's games actually, so while his writing style has almost become a sort of canon unto itself, for the sake of this contest it has to be marked down a bit. It is very readable though still despite the flaws, so I was gentle on the point deduction here.

Positive marks are for the fact the game tries very hard to have things under headings and sub-headings. I'm a huge fan of organized rule display, and many of the points for this section were gained from the very deliberate attempt on Anik's part to make things fall under headings. Headings make rule reading easier, and as far as I'm concerned make the world go round.

A big pet peeve is that paragraphs weren't often separated properly with spaces. Spacing in writing is a good indication of idea change, and helps assist the reader in pacing with a good flow when reading. This detracted points quite a bit.

Canonicity: 7/10

I want to say as a judge that canonicity is the most nebulous field - more so than even verisimilitude. What is "canon" is often up to debate, especially since some of the most popular theos clash with one another. The most notable example is Rebirth and Dust. Dust is assumed to trump rebirth in canonicity, but my point is clear none the less. But with that note aside, let us continue with the judgment!

This game is an entirely new tree/jellyfish, and doesn't draw setting elements from much of anything. Which in terms of innovation is great, but in canonicity not so much. The Master divine is mentioned, but no other trees are specifically mentioned, although a thorough reading will imply that the lost tree was Yggdrasil. But even that is implied and not actually stated. So in terms of raw setting elements, infinity is not strong in terms of drawing from canon games. The eternal forest is mentioned too, and the plurality of trees, which is a concept from Dust.

The game's strong point for canonicity are the elements within it. While it doesn't mention portaling or paradox (a big no-no in my book) as well as no psionics for some reason, it does have a lot of other canon elements. Godly resilience traits, gods themselves, realms, people, powers, magic, the world divine/world supernatural, and even spheres and degrees. The game's style and formatting really was inspired heavily by Rebirth more than anything else, although a few dust elements are thrown into the mix for good measure. Oh and this game has demigods and the like too, and guardians. It has a new magic system, but also the ones from rebirth and dust too.

It also has god paths. This is sort of a combined draw from Rebirth and Dust, with an emphasis on Rebirth once again. I have always been a fan of god paths and templates. Anything that makes a player character distinct from other player characters and have a unique feel, while not being underpowered or overpowered, is A-OK in my book. The neat thing that Infinity does is it has BOTH god templates and god paths. That gets some points for sure.

Innovation: 8/10

While not so far out there Mutar Gen style that it's mind-blowing, Infinity definitely demonstrates some "evolution" as far as the theoverse goes. It draws the base of its mechanics from Rebirth, which makes sense as both are Anik's creations. However, it expands on those mechanics. Two key innovations that I identified were the radian, a new degree-like resource that was land/people focused. Spheres and degrees traditionally tended to be divinely focused. The other new concept is that you can have more one "earnable xp tract" going at a time. In this game's case, you have three: spheres, degrees, and radians. Rays are special and seem to only be gained on death, so don't count. If rays could be gained in play other ways - perhaps via events or as gifts from primordials - that would add a 4th usable xp resource.

I also am intrigued by the concept of tree-hopping that is so prevalent in Infinity. The jellyfish-tree goes around sticking its tentacles into many eternal forest bushes, Hentai style. Yes, that fact alone gained this category a whole point! I would have awarded only 7/10 to this category otherwise. Bravo, Anik, for the gutsy move!

But Hentai aside, the assimilation elements, as well as the strong focus on boarder realms and even taking quick excursions onto other trees is very interesting. You're hosed if Infinity detaches though of course, but it does add an entirely new venue to the game for players to explore.

Finally, the unlimited progression for just about every trait is a new concept to Theogenesis. Now, it's gonna take a real lifetime to get like 300 in a stat or something, but dammit it is possible in theory! Adding three magic systems at once to the game also has never been seen before, at least in my experience.

Verisimilitude: 7/10

I think this is a very creative game, and applaud it for that. I actually would be very tempted to play it, either as an old character or a new one, as my mood dictated. It offers the charm Rebirth had, but with evolved mechanics.

TOTAL FROM THE HIEROPHANT: 37/50
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:37, Mon 24 May 2010.

THE JUDGMENT

THEOGENESIS: ARAMANTH'S CONSEQUENCES
RAELIS/BALAST

THE MASTER DIVINE

Substance: 10/10

Aramanth's Consequence is a Theogenesis game set on the world-tree Yggdrasil during the Age of the Conclave (perhaps to be known as the Age of the Last if everything, you know, turns to Dust). It isn't set anywhere near the Realm Supernatural, however, instead taking place in the Abyss, that strange vacuum, often misunderstood as an aspect of the Void, that threatens to devour Yggdrasil whole. Players take on the role of Nihili, those twisted demon-things which serve both the Broken Things of the Abyss and those rare Master of Fragments, as well as themselves. It is definitely a fascinating concept.

The striking thing about 'Abyssal characters' - the Nihili - is that they have only three characteristics (instead of the Dust-five)

My most common complaint with the games I've reviewed for this competition is that there isn't enough actual Setting material. The background information on the universe a game provides often seems tantalizing, enough to spark my curiosity, but never enough to leave me satiated. My love of Setting is obvious - look at the way I design my own games, or click on Dust's Setting and Rules thread and study how intertwined the rules are with the story of the universe itself. Well, Consequence gathers no such complaint from me. Raelis/Balast/Alliel has done a fantastic job of weaving a deep, yet broad setting that leaves me satisfied after reading it. Whether it's the discussion of the shadowy Alchemist, firstborn of the Nihili, or of the Great Destroyers, the Children of the Allmother, of Posession and Darkfire and Abyssal Fury, of Soulbinding and Soulgrafting, Energy Crafting and Mattomancy, stones made of names and dreams and..

And it could go on. Very few creators of worlds can flesh it out to that extent; the Theogenesis GM is often similar to the student painter in that they paint in very broad strokes, and while I can respect that I am forced to admire the master painter, he who creates an image out of a hundred thousand tiny strokes, a hundred different aspects that make a game hum with creative excitement. I like to think of myself as that kind of painter, but of course I can never truly judge. Raelis/Balast/Alliel, though, I can say with certainty and delight, is that kind of artist. It is a sprawling, entropic mess of a game as much as it is compact, neat and organized, and that duality of feelings makes me grin as I reread it. I could go into each aspect of the game, but we'd be here for hours and frankly if you haven't read the game already you must. It's fantastic.

I will, however, go into one other important topic: attributes. The striking thing about 'Abyssal characters' - the Nihili - is that they have only three characteristics (instead of the Dust-five), based around three common Biblical sins - Hatred, Pride, Greed - and each serve a particular role within the character. I fear that if it was anyone else using this motif as the core of a character it would come off as a gimmick, but as presented in Armamanth's Consequence I find that it is a fitting and satisfactory method of detailing a character.

Style: 9/10

Consequence's writing is clean - which is a damn good thing considering the wide range of concepts it presents - and the grammar is near-perfect. Headings are well-presented. There is a minimum of useless fluff - everything serves one purpose or another, the rules slim and efficient. I have only one problem - I personally believe there are too many individual threads containing all the rules, and that all of the Notices clutter up the game to an extent, making easy reference difficult. One thread with well-presented posts would have been preferable, but otherwise Consequence is near perfect.

Canonicity: 8/10

Consequence loses a handful of points for (a) not really being a Theogenesis game in the sense that you don't actually play a God, and (b) for focusing heavily on content that isn't, perhaps, established Theogenesis canon. The game does go on several tangents, yes, regarding the Void, the Abyss, Nihili, etc., but it is very important to note that the game draws heavily on vaguely established Theogenesis (Dust) lore, specifically, again, the Nihili/Void/Abyss thing, and that it does an extremely good job elaborating on points I intentionally left vague - because I simply hadn't figured most of that shit out yet. Raelis/Balast/Alliel does more than a good job at establishing his own Abyssal mythos - better than I could have done myself, I fear - and he does this with characteristic flair. There are pains to keep it in line with Dust, however - I especially enjoyed the quotes from various Conclave sources discussing the Abyss. This made Consequence seem much more tied-in to Dust, in my eyes, and it was little details like that that earned the game a high score.

Innovation: 10/10

Read the game. Read the goddamn game. It's obvious that Raelis/Balast/Alliel is one of the smarter Theogenesis players we presently have in our community, and the amount of thought that went into the game - creative and logical - is tremendous at points. He took the scary, vague bad-guys of my setting and made them real. I am so impressed that I am going to give Consequence full points.

Verisimilitude: 9/10

I'll admit that my views on the Abyss clash, sometimes often, with Raelis/Balast/Alliel's own views on the matter - but that's mostly irrelevant, as the game itself seems immensely enjoyable. I would play this game in a moment. There have been so many times during my poor GMing career (especially of late) where I've sat back and thought to myself, "Oh, Christ, I hate this girly Conclave Lord of Mist. I wish I could send a horde of blackened spite-daemons to come and fuck his shit up, wipe that smug smirk off his face once and for all," and then I write a few lines of twisted Abyssal horror, delete the lines, and write a better, cleaner, fairer post - because I like to consider myself a good GM. But if I played in this game I wouldn't just be the guy sicking the Nihili onto the pretentious Conclave Lord, I'd be the twisted creatures themselves! And I know that must be a fantastic feeling.

Sorry Ruse.

TOTAL FROM THE MASTER DIVINE: 46/50

THE HIEROPHANT

Substance: 8/10

After reading through the threads, I would say this game is  extremely playable. The rules section is extensive and covers all of the various aspects of abyssal energy beings, from creating one to improving one. While some of the mechanics can feel a little complicated at times and may take a few reads to process, overall everything is here that you'd need to create a character for this game. The completeness of the rules gained a lot of points here. This section would actually be a perfect 10/10, but there is stuff missing at the bottom of the "Denizens of the Abyss" thread, as well as what to do about your starting energy realm, so I had to knock a point off.

All the headings are either in bold or italics, and the display is extremely neat.

The many rule threads do a good job exploring not only the basic abilities derived from the three emotions, but also breif descriptions of what the magics can do. What I wish I saw more of was what the magics can do at certain point levels. And it was never really described what a hukamenti is, just that it is important. These also caused me to knock off a point.

But really, everything else in terms of  substance is great, and this section scored very high.

Style: 10/10

This game scored very well on style. The grammar and sentence structure was crisp and clean. The paragraphs were spaced well, with headings bolded and sub headings italicized. While there was a lot of information to wrap your head around - a typical trait of Raelis' games - it was laid out very meticulously.

Canonicity: 5/10

I want to say as a judge that canonicity is the most nebulous field - more so than even verisimilitude. What is "canon" is often up to debate, especially since some of the most popular theos clash with one another. The most notable example is Rebirth and Dust. Dust is assumed to trump rebirth in canonicity, but my point is clear none the less. But with that note aside, let us continue with the judgment!

This game explores a not-yet deeply touched upon concept from Theogenesis: Dust - the Abyss. Realy, only myself, Raelis, and Nat know anything about it as Nat came up with it, I wrote ascension rules for it and even created the Nihili (and technically the Fallen are salutes to Masters of Fragments, although the ones in this game are probably on the scope of normal level gods aligned with the abyss - like the abyss version of mad gods - as Masters of fragments would blow even the alchemist out of the water). Some concepts, like energy forms for instance, were drawn from a primordial themed game Raelis was drafting up but decided to shelf.

While Dust is by far the primary canonical reference for this game, certain big names from Rebirth were used for greater Nihili - namely Mencuis and Trium. An astute observer will notice neither Oceanus nor Saragh are mentioned, as neither of them never directly aramanthed in Rebirth - Oceanus had a unique living metal specimen that would blow Dust's living metal out of the water and even rival the stuff in this game which ate souls completely, and Saragh had a special ring. It is little factoids like this that tell me the thought Raelis put into.

However, I could not give full canonicty points here as most of the new concepts described in this game aren't established canon yet. However, as a result I will be giving a +3 bonus to whatever innovation score I come up with, not to exceed the maximum of 10/10.

Innovation: 10/10

Raelis basically chose to explore the Nihili that I created for Dust, as well as Nat's concept of the abyss. While we may disagree on some points about the abyss and related topics, this is a completely new system for a completely different type of being than the gods and supernatural beings of the tree. A lot of thought went into who the power players were, as well as useful items like namestones and abyssal entity capabilities.

After factoring this with the +3 bonus from canonicity, I rule that this section gets awarded the full 10/10 points.

Verisimilitude: 7/10

For some reason the game isn't clicking fully with me. Perhaps it is because some of Raelis' and my private disagreements about the nature of the abyss, etc. However, I fully acknowledge that this is a full-fledged game and that many theogenesis players would take an interest in it, so I am granting it above average (5) in this category. It is a very different take on energy beings, the abyss, et cetera.

TOTAL FROM THE HIEROPHANT: 40/50
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:31, Mon 24 May 2010.

THE JUDGMENT

THEOGENESIS: TORRES DEL DIOSES
PITCARN

THE HIEROPHANT

Substance: 5/10

After reading through the threads, I would say this game is somewhat playable, but that there's a lot that needs to be explained still. The rules don't seem to follow a very logical format - they appear to have been typed on the fly with little thought about organization or how to place them relative to one another.

Pathways are also problematic. While the god types - white, green, and red - are explained along with their mechanical advantage. the pathways are not. They have the flavour text, but the mechanics ar enoticiably absent. I know there are mechanics though, because they are referred to in the Rous example, which is vexic (+1 social -1 realm). Incomplete basic mechanics is very bad.

Also, the game doesn't go into much detail about realms or people, just that they exist. The branch system is interesting though, but realms themselves are only lightly touched upon, despite being a huge important thing in this game.

Another thing is the divinity tract progression. It is not obvious immediately that all 1o plagues are not available until master. I had to "work for it" and look at it a bit to figure this out. The reader should not have to "work" to grasp mechanics.

There is also no information on the "conclave like organization" that is referred to several times in the rules. If there is a conclave, why is it connected to the tree? Why does the notice scales reflect what a social organization thinks? what is the conclave? What are the benefits and responsibilities of joining? As a new player who in theory knows nothing, I would be clueless.

Also, the character creation RTJ sheet is not very clear. do we start at a base of 1 degree in each category, or 0? I am sure it is 1, but again the reader should not have to do any guesswork.

This section is definitely in the right direction but has a LOT of work it needs to do to be polished.

One thing that I really liked, though, was that the setting for this game was among the most developed, at least in so far as the tree is concerned. It lacked the conclave section though, which hurt points a bit. But this gained points for being perhaps the best entry out of all eight games in terms of talking about the tree itself, with a possible exception of infinity. Maybe.

Also, there isn't much mention or explanation of what the towers themselves are.

Style: 5/10

The style of the game was not that great, unfortunately. I can tell at least some passing effort was made, and gave this category a bonus point because of it, but otherwise this area needs improvement.

The grammar of the game is fine, thankfully. What was really weak was the organization and the display.

A big pet peeve is that paragraphs weren't often separated properly with spaces. Some times they were but a lot of times they weren't. Spacing in writing is a good indication of idea change, and helps assist the reader in pacing with a good flow when reading. This detracted points quite a bit.

Also, more bolded headings for subsections and the like would really have improved the neatness and presentation. A lot of things are all bunched together in big blocks that become a bit overwhelming to read all at once. In addition, the character creation RTJ section is a mess. There's way too much on it. What the game needs is the information presented - for sure - but then a separate post (ideally at the top of the creation thread) that is a very blank template with the basic categories for players to fill in. This is a standard theo element that was always worked.

However, one of the good things that I liked was that ab attempt was made to distinguish plagues and degree categories though. This helped this section gain points a bit.

Canonicity: 7/10

I want to say as a judge that canonicity is the most nebulous field - more so than even verisimilitude. What is "canon" is often up to debate, especially since some of the most popular theos clash with one another. The most notable example is Rebirth and Dust. Dust is assumed to trump rebirth in canonicity, but my point is clear none the less. But with that note aside, let us continue with the judgment!

This game is an entirely new tree - Auriga. It does seem to be a spawn of Yggdrasil though, and the themes of Trees versus Madness is very prevalent. This is a very canonical conflict.

The game's weak point in this category is that it does not go into godly resilience abilities, which are a huge element of gods. Portals and the like also are not explored, although there are some very simple paradox rules. These rules aren't elaborated upon though.

The game's strong point for canonicity are that it is very tree-centered, with Madness being the prime antagonist. Gods and realms and people are all important elements. Powers were reworked but basically are a salute to the powers system of the theoverse. Gods also have three lives, and 3 has long been a magic number for this game setting. The game also draws upon some dust elements for its degree categories, as well as the degree system itself.

It also has god paths. Well sort of. The god TYPES and PATHWAYS are definitly inspired by dust in that they have legitimate flavor fluff to go with them combined with mechanical benefits. Like White gods are basically the vicious gods of this setting, for instance. PATHWAY mechanics sadly are not described despite being implied to exist, but they seem to be a further attempt at making characters unique. I personally am a huge fan of god templates - they are less confining than rebirth's paths but are more defining than just plain old gods.

Innovation: 8/10

I actually think that innovation was this game's strong point. No other Theo has had a mechanic for representing the tree's behaviors and interest in things. The notice system is new and as is, it is a huge and important part of the game. The tree favors gods when it notices them heroically and it bites them in the ass when they act out of line.

Another innovation was the plague system. These are basically miracles from rebirth, except you get 10 of them that you can use anywhere. What's really neat about them though is that they can be so diverse relative to one another, and also that after they are used, they basically give you your god powers. A minor power in this game is very different from a minor power in other games. The plague system is also linked to the tree notice system too.

I also thought the branches system was rather interesting. The branches of the tree aren't broken into worlds like in dust, but embodied by elemental affinities. These also happen to work into the game's magic system, which is rather obtuse but at the same time linked with the branches of the tree the god has traveled to and comprehended via their sorcery skill. The fact that not only magics, but also realms and people are defined by branches is a neat concept too.

Verisimilitude: 4/10

I wasn't really drawn to the game, to be honest. It just seemed that you go around, unleash plagues wherever, ascend, and then restart again since ascension here works differently than other theos - both an interesting prospect but in some ways a really disappointing one. While the new innovations were sort of cute, they didn't all fit together in a way that made them all just shine together.

I think this game is in the right direction but needs a lot of polishing up first.

TOTAL FROM THE HIEROPHANT: 29/50
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:33, Mon 15 Feb 2010.

THE JUDGMENT

THEOGENESIS: OOZE OF OBLIVION
DESAFON

THE MASTER DIVINE

Substance: 3/10

Archetypes look like a really neat idea, but unfortunately - besides a short teaser as to the plot - they're the only thing Ooze has at the moment. I've marked appropriately. Archetypes are basically character classes for Gods - an idea, strangely enough, I'm liking more and more (having semi-implemented into Dust) despite having intentionally made Theogenesis classless. The archetypes are, alas, unfinished.

Style: 2/10

The style isn't so bad. The accentuation on various words within the incredibly brief setting thread look cool enough. There is a point lost due to the brevity of the rules, however - a simple 'this game uses the same rules as the others' isn't really enough to be considered stylish.

Canonicity: 2/10

Ooze of Oblivion is based on the idea that the corpse (or blood?) of Cthulhu spawns a whole new reality, or Tree. It could work. There's not a lot else, but it could work.

Innovation: 4/10

Yeah, the setting is incredibly cool. Even if it was very brief I could feel the awesome of the idea radiating from the screen. Otherwise.. there isn't much else.

Verisimilitude: 1/10

If this game was fleshed out I'm sure I'd feel strongly inclined to join, but it isn't and thus I don't. The setting would've been the biggest drawcard, I feel.

TOTAL FROM THE MASTER DIVINE: 12/50

THE HIEROPHANT

Substance: 2/10

There is mention about archetypes, although this section is incomplete, as well as the ramifications of what archetypes do for a character god. I will always give at least 1 point in this category for an entry being submitted, even if there's no threads in it. I gave it another for the attempted archetypes section, as well as a bit of background. The game, though, is most definitely unplayable and very, vey much incomplete.

Style: 1/10

Not much has been written for the game yet. However, I can tell that an attempt was made to make the little there is readable and ordered, and this warrants a point.

Canonicity: 1/10

While there isn't much to this game yet, it does have a setting based entirely off of Cthulu, a canonical Theogenesis antagonist of the mad gods. It also is about gods, although we don't quite know their traits yet. This all warrants a point.

Innovation: 4/10

There isn't much yet, but there are two very creative things going on here that I'd love to learn more about.

The first is the fact that a "reality bubble" was created from the blood of Cthulu. This shouldn't be, and the setting says as much, as madness is about chaos. However, an ordered world in a chaotic bubble...I have to give credit that at least the setting premise is interesting and attracted my attention.

Archetypes are neat too. no other theo has them like that. now, if they are too constraining or if they are a fun element for the game has yet to be seen. But the fact the game catches your attention made me toss it a few points for this category.

Verisimilitude: 0/10

I may or may not want to play this game - I wouldn't know as it is barely written at all. I would give it a 1 as the premise does grab my attention, although there was no link to the game in the contest thread in dust, and I told everyone I'd be subtracting points if I had to go and find it myself, so I will give this category a zero.

TOTAL FROM THE HIEROPHANT: 8/50
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:31, Mon 24 May 2010.

THE JUDGMENT

THEOGENESIS: ASCENDANCE
HIRSU

THE MASTER DIVINE

Substance: 8/10

Theogenesis - Ascendency has a pretty simple, yet intriguing, conceit: what if, instead of playing Gods within the Realm Supernatural, you played the Nauii - ancient, magic-using enemies of Divinity since anyone can remember? Now, I have faint memories of the Nauii existing as a vague threat in the original Theogenesis (tell me if I'm wrong, guys, memory isn't what it used to be), but I don't think I ever gave the shadowy antagonistic god-hunting inquisition enough spotlight. I think they received quite a lot more attention in Rebirth - or maybe they were the Creator's original idea, in which I apologize profusely. Regardless, the point stands; they're a long-established enemy of the Theocracy, but a force, I believe, that hadn't reached their full potential. Ascendency exists to rectify that problem, by elaborating on whatever scraps of lore existed before hand while simultaneously weaving an evocative setting of it's own.

There were two things that immediately impressed me about the game. The first was the complimentary shreds of setting that existed in the introductions to various 'realms' within the game - the Armoury, the Master of Spies, etc. - which really set a powerful mood. The other element was the implementation of the 'Five Degrees' rule of Dust - that every being has five degrees describing how good they are at various things, and this changes from species to species - and to exceptional affect this time around. Nauii are determined by their Combat Prowess (self explanatory), Alchemy (not the alchemy known to Dust, but another 'magic-science' that fills the gap between faith and sorcery), Infiltration (how well a Nauii can camouflage themselves within the followers of a God), Belief (a kind of affect native to the Nauii that allows them to nullify the manipulation abilities of a God as well as, at higher levels, their powers) and Transportation (mystical means of moving land quickly - very important for the would-be terrorist/spy/assassin). This gives the Nauii a distinctive feel, at once bringing excitement to the possibilities inherent in such a race while strictly determining the specific abilities of the Nauii insurgent.

This, combined with examples of Alchemy (clearly a do-it-yourself deal, like magic in Dust), the overall Setting and a handful of other small treats (like each Nauii having their own racial quirk) make up most of the game. There isn't much else, but that is okay: the size of the thing is irrelevant, there is no denying that Ascendency is very close to being complete. I would have enjoyed a lot more information regarding the nature of the Nauii organization (and, my feelings echoing those of Ruse, I sorely missed the inclusion of rules on experience and the upgrading of Nauii, which lost a point), but I am really quite impressed by the game as it stands. Great example of a fine idea executed very well.

Style: 10/10

Everything works. There's no flash of colours, but I can't deduct points for that - it's about as colourful as Dust in that regard, which I am in part thankful for, as I find bright coloured text distracting to the text. The information flows logically and smoothly, the prose is clean and serviceable, there are headings and subheadings clearly labeling the various areas of the game. Full score for me.

Canonicity: 9/10

The Nauii existed in Theogenesis (I think) and in Rebirth. Ascendency covers old ground while building new paths, and in doing so receives a high Canonicity score from me. It loses a single point only because it is distinctly un-Theogenesis-like in that there isn't the possibility of playing Gods; but this is a minor point. It might not be entirely Theogenesis, but it is certainly set in the same universe, using much of the same principles, and it's pulled off marvelously.

Innovation: 10/10

Basically Hirsu took an old, neglected plot-hook from the original Theogenesis (maybe) and Rebirth, dusted it off, and gave it back to us on a silver platter. He did this with enviable charm and style. He also built a new system of magical-science - as well as an entire new species template using Dust's fifth degree system. I can't knock the originality - full score.

Verisimilitude: 9/10

I won't deny it. I want to play the hell out of this game. I'm a huge fan of intelligence-spy novels in particular, and of the anarchist-insurgent motif in general, and the more I think about Ascendency the more impressed I am by how much excitement it gives me. It loses a point simply for not elaborating more on the nature of the Nauii and how exactly they work, but it still scores quite highly in my books.

TOTAL FROM THE MASTER DIVINE: 46/50

THE HIEROPHANT

Substance: 9/10

After reading through the threads, I would say this game is completely. The rules section is extensive and covers all of the various aspects of a Nauii, from creating one to improving one. Everything is here that you'd need to create a character for this game. The completeness of the rules gained a lot of points here. This section would actually be a perfect 10/10, but I would have liked to see more about the realm that all of the Nauii belong to - what is it, what its traits are, how to get there, etc. The rules say all Nauii know of it, so I guess it is like a godrealm but for the Nauii as a collective, but the reader shouldn't have to guess. But otherwise these rules were very, very complete while being fairly elegant and simple in their presentation.

All the headings are either in bold or italics, and the display is extremely neat.

One bad thing was that the rules don't describe how a Nauii grows more powerful. Do they gain degrees? Spheres? Random handouts by kiss-ass players? Sleeping with the GM? This hurt this category a little.

Style: 10/10

This game scored very well on style. The grammar and sentence structure was crisp and clean. The paragraphs were spaced well, with headings bolded and sub headings italicized. The flow of the information was elegant yet very simple, and it was laid out very well. It was easy to read and had a great flow. Definitely full points here - this element gains kudos from me.

Canonicity: 7/10

I want to say as a judge that canonicity is the most nebulous field - more so than even verisimilitude. What is "canon" is often up to debate, especially since some of the most popular theos clash with one another. The most notable example is Rebirth and Dust. Dust is assumed to trump rebirth in canonicity, but my point is clear none the less. But with that note aside, let us continue with the judgment!

This game explores the concept of the Nauii - a race of mortals who HATE gods. I believe they came from pre-rebirth, but the only time I knew of them was from rebirth actually. And my god didn't really have any contact with them. Strong as they were, my symbiotes would have eaten them for breakfast. However, my point here is that I know these are a canon element, from rebirth - at the very least.

Gods and realms and people are all a huge part of this game. I like how the Nauii only have a single life, and how they can't use magic or portal around. It isn't quite clear how a mortal can eventually be able to match a combat-focused god in battle at only combat 3, but I can assume this is due to a blessing from the tree. In a sense, Nauii are demigods of sorts.

I cannot give full canonicty poits, though, because a lot of this stuff is totally new. However, I will be adding a +3 bonus to innovation like I did for Raelis' game.

Innovation: 10/10

Hirsu basically chose to explore the Nauii from Rebirth and - apparently - beyond, as well as Nat's concept of a tree in peril. This is a completely new system for a completely different type of being than the gods and supernatural beings of the tree. A lot of thought went into the capabilities of Nauii and their relation to gods and the tree of life, as well as useful items like alchemy and the like.

speaking of which, alchemy is a totally new system, and I really like how it fits dust's streamlined 5-rank degree system.

After factoring this with the +3 bonus from canonicity, I rule that this section gets awarded the full 10/10 points.

Verisimilitude: 7/10

This is a full fledged game and is interesting for sure. I'm not sure if I would want to play in it or not, but at the same time I don't NOT want to play in it. I guess I'm just not quite ready for it yet, but I can see the game being fun. I don't see a lot of interesting plot happening though besides kill god, move around to another realm, kill another god, and rinse and repeat. Also, the Nauii seem very 1-dimensional to me and absolutist. I would have liked to see a discussion of gods that the Nauii are friendly or neutral towards, as a rare few gods actually ARE good for the tree, namely beings like Path of mercy ascended (who really don't count into a game like this as an ascended being would probably whoop even a legendary nauii), gods like Ruse who are pro-tree, a god like Armanthor from rebirth who was all about the people and didn't want to oppress anyone else, etc. I could even see some gods allying purposely with Nauii, or Nauii sparing certain gods who are good for the tree in the same way a few pro-tree titans were spared. These are just my thoughts though, and I understand the game's focus is to kill those dastardly gods!

TOTAL FROM THE HIEROPHANT: 43/50
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:35, Mon 24 May 2010.

CURRENT SCORES TALLY

1. Theogenesis: Ascendence / Hirsu 89/100
2. Theogenesis: Aramanth's Consequences / Alliel-Balast-Raelis 86/100
3. Theogenesis: Chaos / Max 84/100
4. Theogenesis: Infinity / Anik 78/100
5. Theogenesis: Mutar Gen / Foun 64/100
6. Theogenesis: Polytheism / Sura 63/100
7. Theogenesis: Torres del Dioses / Pitcarn 62/100
8. Theogenesis: Ooze of Oblivion / Desafon 20/100

Huge congratulations to -

First Place: Hirsu for Theogenesis: Ascendancy receives two Degrees in Dust, a new Major Power that fits the theme of Creation (Hirsu, PM me), one special in-game item (again, Hirsu, PM me!) and a unique title.

Second Place: Alliel for Theogenesis: Aramanth's Consequence receives one Degree in Dust, a special in-game item (PM me Alliel) and a unique title.

Third Place: Max for Theogenesis: Chaos receives one Degree in Dust, a special in-game item (PM me Max) and a unique title.

As well as everyone else - you'll all receive unique titles.

Special thanks to Ruse for his incredible efficient judging. Ruse, seriously, I can't even remember what I promised you. Send me a PM with suggestions for that and a little more and we'll see it done. Sorry to everyone for the lateness.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:14, Mon 24 May 2010.