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I Get to Work with James Shields

Recently, JEShields put out a call for writers. I'm happy to say that I am one of the writers chosen.

The deal is that I have great creative freedom to write pretty much what I want for the RPG system(s) of my choice. James and I still have to agree on the projects and set timelines, but so far that has not been an issue at all. Honestly, the biggest limitation was me.

I'm really excited. It has been about six years since I got to work together with an artist to make cool stuff. I'm also excited because James works with a lot of indie game folks, including Evil Hat. So when I submitted my resume, I wasn't expecting to get picked.

I want to write a lot of things, so it felt difficult to pick a place to start. Once I looked at artwork James has already done, it didn't take long to make a pitch for creating a Swords & Wizardry monster book along with a three module series. Everyone needs more creatures, especially me. I've got a bi-weekly group to challenge. 🙂 There will be more about this once contracts are signed and the project is named.

I also want to make material for White Star. I bought it yesterday and I love it. I don't want to overlap anything James Spahn has coming down the pike, but there's a lot of room to work with. One idea I had is to create the Eye of the Needle setting as a sandbox using the White Star rules. I've also thought of making a mecha/tank game inspired by all the FASA games I played in the 80s.

Beyond that, I've been working on a generic RPG that uses two six-sided dice and a standard deck of cards. It's something straightforward for casual gamers, but open enough for more dedicated gamers.

That's the big news. Like I said, more details on projects as they are finalized.

Updates, 200-word RPGs, and Other Fun Stuff

My last post was about Warrior, Rouge, & Mage. I have a draft I plan to finish about my bi-weekly Dungeon World group.

All in good time. RL first, then game stuff. Feel free to skip down to the game stuff.

For those that know, my son's surgery will be May 11th. Thanks to so many that have been so generous, especially Spes Magna Games that bought my 1e DMG and gave it back to me under the condition that I never sell it. Mark has also posted about my son's creations including the starfish dragon. Many many thanks.

Yes, he and I went down to our friendly comic book store for Free Comic Day. Good father-son bonding time. 🙂

We have gotten a lot of offline donations to help us out. The fundraiser doesn't reflect it yet, but we are only $300 short at this point. I can deal with that. Most of all, I am glad that neither my or my wife's family had to contribute any money at all. They bought my son's hearing aid many years ago and they have given so much to support us through the years. Okay, on to the game stuff.

Two Hundred Words Can Say So Much

You must have heard about the 200 word RPG challenge by now. At the link, David Schirduan has the entrants. My favorite is The Raver and the Bear. I will play this with my friends complete with making the appropriate noises (as the raver or the bear). The whole premise is delightful. I want to make cool stuff like this.

The Fantasy Heartbreaker

My entry turned into something larger. If you follow me on G+ or tsu (no longer available), you've probably seen my latest idea for an rpg ruleset. I wanted to use items that non-gamers who likely have around their houses like regular d6s and a deck of cards.

Since that idea, I find myself writing in notebooks like I did in my 20s. Will it play? We'll see. My DW group is going to test it for me, I'm sure of it. The basic idea is that you have four stats. Three are determined by 1d6 or distributing 10 points. The fourth stat is determined by drawing a card, called your Chi card. Health represents how much punishment you can take. Mana represents your ability to use magic. Rolling 2d6 + Stat greater than or equal to 10 is a success. To use your special ability, draw a card from a deck. There are six rules to follow to determine success. It sounds more complicated than it is. My kids got it pretty quickly.

  • If you draw your chi card, the spell is a success.
  • If you draw a card that equals your chi card's rank, the spell is a success, but deduct the spell's Magic Rating from your Mana.
  • If you draw a card that matches your chi card's suit, the spell is a failure, but do not deduct Mana.
  • If you the drawn card's rank + Magic stat is 10 or more, the spell is a success.
  • If you draw a face card, the spell is a success.
  • All other results, the spell fails and deduct the spell's magic rating from your Mana.

I have since discovered that this fourth stat, special ability, and resource pool need not be related to wizardry magic. A priest could have faith instead of Mana. A rogue would have Confidence. An alchemist could have Lore and a warrior could have Courage. There are lots of possibilities that I am exploring and hope to write about soon.

Dungeon World for the 18 to 24 Group

As always, there is Dungeon World afoot. I am running my group through the venerable Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. I have enjoyed my DW version of the troll (one of his moves is to regenerate the last wound he received).

"I rolled a NINE! Awesome! I hit him for 17 damage! I'm ready to take my lumps behind my armor."
"The troll's wound begins to close up before your eyes. Just like that, the wound is gone!"
"Crap!"

Wait until they get to the entrance of the caves. Bwa ha ha. (Yes, they are having a lot of fun. No one has died yet, although one character came close.)

Didn't you used to be an old-school guy?

Why yes, I am still that guy. Swords&Wizardry stuff is coming down the pike soon as well. I hope to provide more details about what this stuff is and how it will come about, but I think it will be fun for everyone.

I am convinced that I will get the DW group into an OSR game if it kills me. If not, maybe I'll run a game at a local store.

I am still trying to get a game to work on my Kindle Paperwhite. I have decided, however, that I'm just going to have to get EPUB formatted modules to work first, because that is easier.

That's all for now. Next post should be more polished rules about my heartbreaker.

Day Three and More Races

The previous post focused on magic, a topic I plan to revisit later. This post is specifically about new races. From a previous post, I mentioned a locale that had intelligent land exploring dolphins and goblins with a perchant for gunplay. After providing templates for them, I will add a few more creatures in a future post.
The races below focus on fleshing out the example setting I mentioned earlier.

One of the changes I made from the SRD is that races are not locked into all their talents. Instead, there is one or two that are set, but a range of choices for the others. I noticed that all races in the SRD had three talents, so these races are formatted in the same way.

The goblin is already mentioned in the SRD. They have a racial talent of Tinkerer, which is perfect for my group of goblins that learn to make their own crude firearms. I’ll show them as a race first, and then provide examples of these goblins in a future creature list.

Mountain Goblins:

Mountain Goblins are physically the same as their cousins. They have a green skin, very long pointed ears and are about 1 yard tall. They have high voices and a mouth of razor-sharp teeth. Like other goblins, they have a knack for salvaging and tinkering with a focus on making their own crude firearms. As a result, many Mountain Goblins have skill with firearms. Those that do not have skill with firearms have skill with swords.

Racial talents: Weak and a choice of two of the following: Tinkerer, Lucky Devil, Craftsman (firearms, blacksmithing, sword making), Precise Shot.

Delphines:

These land exploring dolphins are usually grey, but can be black, white, or pink. Others have two colors, grey, blue, or black on top with white bellies. Adults range from 2 to 3 yards long weighing between 300 and 500 pounds. They are quite distinctive for swimming through the air as if they are in the water. They wear a special sleeve that keeps them from drying out and provides some protection. Despite the lack of arms and legs, they have a psionic ability to manipulate objects such as swords, shields, and magic items as humanoids do. They are quite curious and playful. They usually have a lot to say and strike most creatures as very intelligent.

Racial Talents: Ghost Step, Natural Armor and one of the following: Sailor, Sixth Sense, Exceptional Attribute (Mage), Tinkerer

Sachima:

The Sachima claim that they are descended from the offspring of a Celestial Tiger and an ancient Sky Dragon. Although not a militaristic people, they are unafraid of any confrontation, physical, mental, or magical.

The Sachima have two very diverse paths that members of their society take. Those that choose the Path of the Dragon, learn a unique form of spellcasting that channels magical effects to erupt from their mouths. Sachima wizards believe in an ideal physical and mental strength that allows them to overcome all obstacles with overwhelming force. Though usually this comes by use of magic, Sachima Wizards are not afraid of a tough physical fight.

The Path of the Tiger teaches skill and quickness. Tiger Disciples learn cover themselves in shadow and hunt. Sachima hunters are known far and wide as the most skilled hunters in the world. Tiger Disciples also learn to be quick and silent. In tune with their bodies, some can sense the presence of others at some distance.

A Sachima may also choose the Path of the Ancestors. Those few that follow this path seek to embrace the traditions of both Tiger Disciples and Sachima Wizards.

Racial talents: Any three of the following: Dragon Magic, Hunter, Lucky Devil, Dual-Wielding, Armored Caster, Precise Shot

Doppleganger:

These creatures can morph themselves into any creature that is roughly human-sized. When they take the form of another creature, they are almost physically indistinguishable from the original creature. They cannot, however, duplicate all of a target creatures’ skills and abilities. When they take another creature’s form, they can choose one and only one skill or talent to duplicate. This talent or skill will last until the doppleganger assumes another shape. It takes some time for the doppleganger to assume a new shape, but the doppleganger will very rarely appear in their natural form

Racial Talents: Mimicry (can steal any skill, talent or attribute of one target),Weak or No Talent for Combat, and a choice of Sixth Sense, Channeler, or Tinkerer.

New Racial Talents:

Dragon Magic: Dragon Magic allows a spellcaster to manifest the effects of any spell through his or her mouth. For example, Frostburn is manifested as a stream of intense cold and ice instead of a cold touch. Like the regular spell, however, a practitioner of Dragon Magic can only affect one target. A spell like Sense Magic releases a cloud that allows the spellcaster to sense magic within that cloud.

Ghost Step: The Ghost Step talent represents an ability to move without having weight on the ground. A character with Ghost Step cannot set off pressure plate traps and will appear weightless on any scales. Their movement may or may not appear normal at the GM’s discretion.

No Talent for Combat: A character with this talent has difficulty in combat situations. When making an attack roll, the character rolls two d6 and takes the lowest result. It is twice as difficult for a character with this talent to gain a skill with a weapon.

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