ManaBurn
In designing ManaBurn I tried to generally keep as close to M:tG as possible, but this was not always feasible. The meaning of the colours is the prime example, and the area where M:tG purists will have most problems with ManaBurn. One of the core ideas of ManaBurn is that each colour should be one attribute, and that all attributes are about equally important for a character. In M:tG each colour has its own specific set of meanings, which is given in the colour wheel, and reflected in the cards. Unfortunately, the meanings of the colours there did not correspond with my need for meaningful attributes. So, in order to make them relevant for a role playing game, I had to change the meaning of the colours.
In Magic: the Gathering, blue would be an RPG munchkin's heaven; it covers stealth, knowledge, trickery, flying, mental effects, magic, and much more. Such an attribute would be much more powerful than the other ones, which is not something that one would want in a role playing game. At the same time, it is not always clear what elements fit with what colour. Take strength: one would say that this is covered by Red (with a card like Giant Strength) or perhaps Green (with Seal of Strength, Strength of Cedars, Inner Calm Outer Strength). But White has Holy Strength and Strength of Isolation, while Black has cards like Unholy Strength, Sinister Strength, Sudden Strength, Fevered Strength and Steal Strength. If the original M:tG meanings were followed, which colour should a GM choose to ask for a strength check? We could only decide that it should not be Blue - but that colour is overloaded as it is already, and does not really need Strength as well to rule the RPG.
So this game redefines the meanings of the colours. You can find those new meanings at the Character Generation page. My excuses for the wailing and gnashing of teeth this will cause, but in my honest opinion this makes for a better RPG. I tried to find a way to fill in colours in such a way that:
- Each colour covered a category of skills;
- Each skill category was broad and important enough to hang a number of useable skills in there (useable as in: relevant to RPGs);
- Each skill category was sufficiently different from the other four that they remained distinctive;
- At the same time the categories were broadly equal enough that they could be used in the same way by the mechanic;
- The five categories together covered virtually every skill imaginable; that there were no large areas of skill that were not covered by any category;
- The categories chosen had a link with the colours as they are used in the card game.
- the categories chosen would provide for a skillset that was actually useable in a role playing game.
The final result was the best that I could come up with. Together, the five attributes now give a good coverage of all aspects of characters in an RPG, and the game is more playable for it.
If you don't agree with the way the colours are used in this game, there is of course nothing stopping you and the others in your group to change the meaning of the colours, and to re-assign the skills connected with it. Quite the contrary: you have my express permission to do so. Far be it from me to determine how your group should have most fun. If changing stuff would enhance the fun your group gets from the game, by all means do it. It won't be much of a rewrite, and the rest of the rules will support whatever meaning you give the colours.