After what may be called the year closest to hell on earth (these last 6 months have just about done me in) I thought I should drop in and do a bit of an update before the next storm fires through and shuts me down again (did I mention that my life-saving massive UPS backup went down just before all the weather started?).
The Player Handbook for the Basic Edition is almost finished. I have been drying out a red pen this last week after deciding rather than stop working every time the lightning struck I would just go analog and kick it old style.
Notes and outline have been underway for the GM Guide and I'm settling on just what pieces to include to help the beginning GM while at the same time not bogging down an experienced one with unnecessary explanations and mechanics. I think I have found a fairly good balance and just want to invest the time in it to get it right the first time. Since my plan of getting something to GenCon fell through I feel that the extra time will give me a chance to assemble a full bundle that will include everything one needs to not only get started but continue on for some time. Add to that free material that will be available here at the blog from day one and it looks like missing GenCon may be a blessing in disguise.
I know I have said this before but the next time I decide to design an entire system from scratch I have given written permission to my wife to kick me square in the crotch and bring me back to my senses :)
I just want to get to the fun stuff ( I have always hated dealing with math and with some of the mechanics I have developed I have had to triple check myself more than once and felt like poking my eyes out with before mentioned red pen).
Learning Hexographer has been a pain and I decided the first person I hire back will be skilled at map making and I'll hire the illustrator second. :)
Sorry for any negativity flowing in this update but it has just been a frustrating year and I just hope that fall gets here soon and some relief from storms, heat and all the madness associated with them will flow away. I think everyone knows where I'm coming from.
And now we return to our regularly scheduled natural disaster...
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Update
So here we are again. Due to unforeseen forces of nature (like micro-bursts) things have proceeded slowly but the play test material is almost ready.
If I have not been forthcoming with more details I apologize to the readers who keep waiting for that, but having been part of the scene for awhile now and noting the amount of 'borrowing' that goes on I wanted to at least be able to bring a few new things to the table that folks would know came from me.
Even now, two ideas that I thought were a fresh take have surfaced in other projects. I guess great minds think alike. We will see how these concepts are received. My hope is to bring to you the spirit of the style that made me fall in love with RPGs so many years ago.
It even seems like the time is right. A recent article talked about a resurgence in table top gaming due to the value it has during hard economic times. Not only do you get to escape for a few hours from an uncertain world and be a hero, but you can keep playing for little to no cost compared to other forms of entertainment.
This is how it was back in the early '80s. Times sucked. Money was hard to come by. The video arcades ruled the world for young people, but you could blast through a roll of quarters in an hour or two. we learned with table top gaming, however, that the money you spent could provide weeks worth of entertainment, not just hours. Coupled with imagination and a select handful of magazines, we built whole worlds that exploded with light and action, that kept you up far past your bed time, that made you late for work and people wondering why you weren't answering your phone.
It was the game.
And I hope that when this is finished that you can, for a little while, forget the clock and your phone and explore the worlds of fantasy the way a bunch of young people did once upon a time when things weren't quite so complicated.
It's coming guys and I promise-I will try my best to make it worth the wait.
Till next time...
If I have not been forthcoming with more details I apologize to the readers who keep waiting for that, but having been part of the scene for awhile now and noting the amount of 'borrowing' that goes on I wanted to at least be able to bring a few new things to the table that folks would know came from me.
Even now, two ideas that I thought were a fresh take have surfaced in other projects. I guess great minds think alike. We will see how these concepts are received. My hope is to bring to you the spirit of the style that made me fall in love with RPGs so many years ago.
It even seems like the time is right. A recent article talked about a resurgence in table top gaming due to the value it has during hard economic times. Not only do you get to escape for a few hours from an uncertain world and be a hero, but you can keep playing for little to no cost compared to other forms of entertainment.
This is how it was back in the early '80s. Times sucked. Money was hard to come by. The video arcades ruled the world for young people, but you could blast through a roll of quarters in an hour or two. we learned with table top gaming, however, that the money you spent could provide weeks worth of entertainment, not just hours. Coupled with imagination and a select handful of magazines, we built whole worlds that exploded with light and action, that kept you up far past your bed time, that made you late for work and people wondering why you weren't answering your phone.
It was the game.
And I hope that when this is finished that you can, for a little while, forget the clock and your phone and explore the worlds of fantasy the way a bunch of young people did once upon a time when things weren't quite so complicated.
It's coming guys and I promise-I will try my best to make it worth the wait.
Till next time...
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
April Update
Work proceeds at a steady pace.
I am working on all editions simultaneously (except for the Junior edition) so I hope to be ready to have the Starter ready for GenCon and the Basic (and possibly Advanced) ready for the holidays.
Tomorrow is an errands day but I will be working through the weekend on editing the first 8 chapters of the Player Handbook Basic Edition and finishing off the Arcane and Divine sections. Then editing on the Gate Master Handbook can begin. I'm looking forward to less math and more theory :) .
Now if the weather would just give me a break I could finish this beast. :)
I am working on all editions simultaneously (except for the Junior edition) so I hope to be ready to have the Starter ready for GenCon and the Basic (and possibly Advanced) ready for the holidays.
Tomorrow is an errands day but I will be working through the weekend on editing the first 8 chapters of the Player Handbook Basic Edition and finishing off the Arcane and Divine sections. Then editing on the Gate Master Handbook can begin. I'm looking forward to less math and more theory :) .
Now if the weather would just give me a break I could finish this beast. :)
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Update For March
I wish I could get better at keeping these updates going, but after a day of working on the system and the rest of the blog world I often forget.
Today was Combat Day. The section is going well, just formatting and examples to go.
I have decided to lighten the Starter to make it a faster entry by including pre-generated characters to get players started faster. It will cover 3 levels of advancement (built on a custom concept to simplify GM book keeping and clarify what level advancement means to the Players) and include 3 Adventure Kits with an additional 3 to be found here at the blog shortly after the Starter release. Additional characters will also be available here as well.
The Starter will take place on the Isle of Tarnaan and be expanded as time and resources permit.
In addition to publishing supplements I will also be introducing a gazetteer that will introduce new classes, items and other elements to flesh out campaigns and add to The Worlds of Aracta setting.
The Basic edition should follow fairly quickly after.
Now if I could just finish this damned WinXP installation I can get back to this.
More (hopefully sooner than) later :)
Today was Combat Day. The section is going well, just formatting and examples to go.
I have decided to lighten the Starter to make it a faster entry by including pre-generated characters to get players started faster. It will cover 3 levels of advancement (built on a custom concept to simplify GM book keeping and clarify what level advancement means to the Players) and include 3 Adventure Kits with an additional 3 to be found here at the blog shortly after the Starter release. Additional characters will also be available here as well.
The Starter will take place on the Isle of Tarnaan and be expanded as time and resources permit.
In addition to publishing supplements I will also be introducing a gazetteer that will introduce new classes, items and other elements to flesh out campaigns and add to The Worlds of Aracta setting.
The Basic edition should follow fairly quickly after.
Now if I could just finish this damned WinXP installation I can get back to this.
More (hopefully sooner than) later :)
Saturday, January 8, 2011
It Begins
A hello and hope you had a good holiday season wherever you are. I have been working on the 'grunt' part of the project-or as an old friend put it once "Back up the Back up of the Back up...and then Back that up". I have suffered the consequences of not heeding that advice in the past and since the holidays put 3 tb of new storage in my hands it was time to sit down and get it done.
Now the printing begins. With fresh toner cart installed I can get an analog copy in my hand to work through what may be an impending ice storm in the next 48 hours. I plan on working by the gray light of the sliding deck doors if necessary and sleeping when there is not enough light.
The work continues. Time for coffee. :)
Now the printing begins. With fresh toner cart installed I can get an analog copy in my hand to work through what may be an impending ice storm in the next 48 hours. I plan on working by the gray light of the sliding deck doors if necessary and sleeping when there is not enough light.
The work continues. Time for coffee. :)
Sunday, December 26, 2010
The New
As the old year comes to a holiday filled explosive end I patiently wait to get the first part of the program completed.
Always remember, I work analog style. Just because we go without a lot of details or even posts here on the design blog know that I have been filling 3 and 4 inch binders with notes. I've always worked that way and have tried to convert to all digital, but I always seem to get ideas at the worst possible time and must rely on trusty pen and paper to record them before they evaporate into the mist of memory.
With spell use being the single biggest hold up I can say that 70% of the grunt work has been done and as soon as I figure out how I want to organize the spell caster section we should see a starter out soon after.
Thanks for keeping up with me during the turmoil of this year and for reading the posts, even though sometimes far apart. They will continue as long as I have breath and I hope that the beast I am building will meet with your gaming satisfaction.
Ok, 2011, let's get going :)
Always remember, I work analog style. Just because we go without a lot of details or even posts here on the design blog know that I have been filling 3 and 4 inch binders with notes. I've always worked that way and have tried to convert to all digital, but I always seem to get ideas at the worst possible time and must rely on trusty pen and paper to record them before they evaporate into the mist of memory.
With spell use being the single biggest hold up I can say that 70% of the grunt work has been done and as soon as I figure out how I want to organize the spell caster section we should see a starter out soon after.
Thanks for keeping up with me during the turmoil of this year and for reading the posts, even though sometimes far apart. They will continue as long as I have breath and I hope that the beast I am building will meet with your gaming satisfaction.
Ok, 2011, let's get going :)
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Update
Just a quick post to let all know that I'm alive well and kicking...and so is Forsaken Souls.
This time of year always goes into overload and I have to let some things rest.
Work is proceeding on the Starter Edition of Forsaken Souls that will be a self contained start to the exploration of the StoneGate Saga and serve as the starting point for all future releases. The Starter is being released free of charge under the OGL.
The Advanced Player Guide is in 2nd draft and nearly complete. Lot's of fine tuning and formatting to go but I feel good about the structure so far.
The Game Master Strategy Guide is in outline form but should come together fairly quickly along with the Bestiary Codex which is in parallel development.
I have also decided to release other editions (including a Junior version set in the past on the Isle of Tarnaan) and they benefit from a unified structure of the core rule set, so they should be well underway soon.
As DEVO has stated recently with their new album, there will be Something For Everybody. :)
This time of year always goes into overload and I have to let some things rest.
Work is proceeding on the Starter Edition of Forsaken Souls that will be a self contained start to the exploration of the StoneGate Saga and serve as the starting point for all future releases. The Starter is being released free of charge under the OGL.
The Advanced Player Guide is in 2nd draft and nearly complete. Lot's of fine tuning and formatting to go but I feel good about the structure so far.
The Game Master Strategy Guide is in outline form but should come together fairly quickly along with the Bestiary Codex which is in parallel development.
I have also decided to release other editions (including a Junior version set in the past on the Isle of Tarnaan) and they benefit from a unified structure of the core rule set, so they should be well underway soon.
As DEVO has stated recently with their new album, there will be Something For Everybody. :)
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