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 :)

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. :)

The Literary Side

It's late. My eyes HURT. My brain has done enough math to put a colony on Pluto (still a planet as far as I'm concerned). I'm tired and want to break something.

And then I start looking over some creatures that would occupy a stretch of open countryside during an adventure. Then I remember...I remember why I love this. The ideas that start popping when you read the elements of gaming.

I realized that it is the literary side that has always kept me in rpgs. I love reading the material, seeing in the minds eye how players would fall back from the table with an 'OH ****'!

The look when you begin to describe something that looks like a massive ash forest and then they realize as they grow closer that it's not trees towering over their heads at all, but bone. Miles and miles of bones sticking hundreds of feet into the sky. That maybe they aren't the baddest thing in the valley. What kills something that big? The feeling is palpable...

It's late and I know why I do this.

Update

Hi all. Just a brief update. I have been buried in rules hell trying to put together something that will work for this campaign setting and I waffled more than a short order cook.

I thought hey, no problem, then realized that the very thing that imparts the unique flavor to this thing and make it worth playing is a major reworking of any rule set.

So I think I finally have the spine worked out, now to attach the rest of the skeleton and see if it will hold flesh.

This is subject to change, but I'm looking at putting out a starter set that includes everything needed to play a basic set up and learn the world I'm creating without having to bite off the whole chunk at once. Then I can issue the Advanced Player Guide and the Game Master Strategy Guide. These will increase the classes and pave the way for the entire series.

I'm hoping for a first draft this week then a break to look at the introductory adventure and play material to include.

Stay tuned. More to come.

Pre-Draft Design Update

Just a brief update. Have been in a pre-draft stage, chatting with other designers and gamers alike about layout and trying new things to see if I can make this the best vessel yet.

I am lucky to find that many people seem to like the same layout ideas as myself. Clean, clear fonts, low artwork overkill, larger font sizes or the ability to increase the font size (which shouldn't be a problem as I'm printing to PDF and keeping the design so that the 'reflow' feature in reader will work properly and not make a mess of the layout).

Above all the layout must be transparent. You only seem to notice it when it is bad :)

New Promotional Art

Just a quick piece to test out the software and shake off the rust. Now back to the editing. :)

First Update

Hi all. Just a quick note for those curious about the blog. I started the FORSAKEN SOULS campaign setting a decade ago and it has languished unfinished until now.

I was inspired by the various OSR rules lite systems, First Edition and the recent slate of SRD sets along with my own house rules and variations added to create a custom engine that is both rules-light and grognard friendly while not abandoning the core mechanic or basic concepts of play known to most current players.

This will be a commercial project and I will use this blog to announce releases of the campaign source books and for errata, updates and free web enhancements for the setting.

Not only will the books cover a campaign story of epic proportions but will also provide source material for role-playing within the world of FORSAKEN SOULS in general and creating your own adventures as well.

I look forward to bringing this labor of love to gamers everywhere and hope that it provides you as much entertainment and thrills in play as it has me in its creation.

I will be posting a non-spoiler general description soon so check back often or sign up for the feed.