Kickstarter: "Better Angels"

Arc Dream Publishing has just launched a Kickstarter for Better Angels by Greg Stolze. The Kickstarter ends on Sunday, August 26th, 2012. It will use a variant of the variant of One-Roll Engine (ORE) used for A Dirty World by Greg Stolze.


You play a supervillain. At least that is what everyone thinks. Actually, you are just a good person who voluntarily lets a demon ride him. You do this to try to reign in the evil that the demon could do if left unchecked. You come up with these ridiculous, over-the-top plans that the superheroes (possessed by angels!) can easily thwart but satisfy the desires of the demon riding you.

Wild Talents Tutorial

Greg Stolze, creator of the One-Roll Engine (ORE), has started a tutorial series for Wild Talents called Wild Talents Made Easy: The Simple Path to Ultimate Power. The first two parts of the tutorial have been posted and I am finding them extremely useful.


Lesson 1: Qualities 
Lesson 2: Hyperstats and Hyperskills

You can purchase the pdf of Wild Talents: Essential Edition for $5.00 ($3.75 until July 29, 2012!!) from DriveThruPRG or the book + the pdf for $9.99 from Arc Dream Publishing.

Elves at War

Luke Crane (creator of the Burning Wheel Fantasy Roleplaying System) posted this article, Elves at War, on the Burning Wheel forums. 


Now, Burning Wheel is one of my favorite RPGs. Luke's article takes all of the background information implied in the Elven lifepaths and puts it into a brilliant cohesive whole.

Dramatic vs Iconic Heroes

This was stolen from Robin D. Laws:

Dramatic vs. Iconic Heroes: 

A dramatic hero follows a character arc in which he is changed by his experience of the world. Examples: Orpheus, King Lear, Ben Braddock. 

An iconic hero undertakes tasks (often serially) and changes the world, restoring order to it, by remaining true to his essential self. Examples: Beowulf, Sherlock Holmes, Batman.

Making this explicit about your character may prevent some of the problems that seem to occur at the table (at least at my table).


How would you handle character advancement (or experience or ...) for the different types of characters? The dramatic hero seems pretty typical for a RPG but the iconic hero ... 

Apocalypse World RPG

I finished reading Apocalypse World by D. Vincent Baker of lumpley games a week or so ago. I do want to write review—and I am planning on it—but I wanted to give you some impressions and information now.


Backcover blurb

It used to be better, of course it did. In the golden age of legend, when there was enough to eat and enough hope, when there was one nation under god and people could lift their eyes and see beyond the horizon, beyond the day. Children were born happy and grew up rich. 

Now that's not what we've got. Now we've got this. Hardholders stand against the screaming elements and all comers, keeping safe as many as they can. Angels and savvyheads run constant battle against there's not enough and bullets fly and everything breaks. Hocuses gather people around them, and are they protectors, saviors, visionaries, or just wishful thinkers? Choppers, gunluggers and battlebabes carve out what they can and defend it with blood and bullets. Drivers and operators search and scavenge, looking for that opportunity, that one perfect chance. Skinners remember beauty, or invent beauty anew, cup it in their hands and whisper come and see, and don't worry now about what it will cost you. And brainers, oh, brainers see what none of the rest of us will: the world's psychic maelstrom, the terrible desperation and hate pressing in at the edge of all perception, it is the world now. 

And you, who are you? This is what we'vegot, yes. What are you going to make of it?

It was a great read and I would love to play or even (attempt to) run a campaign. Be warned: This is definitely an "R-rated" game due to violence and lots of sex. It is pretty direct on how to play and run the game. The game also redefines many common terms used in RPGs. These are not bad things in my mind. An odd but interesting thing ... the GM, or, rather, MC (Master of Ceremonies), never rolls the dice ...


I like both the role-playing (taking on the role of a character and pretending to be him) and game (using the mechanics by rolling some dice to resolve uncertainty) aspects of role-playing games. This really made me sit up and pay attention:

All these rules do is mediate the conversation. They kick in when someone says some particular things, and they impose constraints on what everyone should say after. Makes sense, right?

Hell, yes! Baker says "roleplaying is a conversation"; so, rules mediate the conversation. Awesome! By the way, the rules are called moves.


Well, this turned out to be a semi-review ...

A Puny But Terrifying Dragon?!

Sage LaTorra (one of the creators of Dungeon World) posted a very interesting article, A 16 HP Dragon, on his website, Syntax Error. He describes how to make an encounter terrifying for the players and yet the monster in question has a puny 16 HP. Check it out!


I do not think that this is unique to Dungeon World (and LaTorra does not claim that it is) but I do think that Dungeon World specifically encourages this in the rules. I believe, with a fair amount of effort, you could accomplish this in the various D&D versions.


It was stuff like this that caused me to back Dungeon World when it was a Kickstarter project. I am really looking forward to getting the book and all of the stuff from the stretch goals.

Godlike in pdf!

I picked up GODLIKE: Superhero Roleplaying in a World on Fire, 1936-1946 by Dennis Detwiller & Greg Stolze in pdf. I already have it in hardback but I wanted the convenience of a pdf plus the revisions and the additional material in the pdf.   

"At the dawn of World War II, a handful of people called "Talents" manifested strange powers that set them apart from the rest of humanity. With these powers man took to the air without mechanical aid, explored the depths of the sea without life support, and touched the rim of space.

To others, Talents seemed godlike in their power. Only the Talents themselves, pushed to the front lines of every battle, knew the truth — that these newfound powers seemed pointless in the face of death.

That their power set them apart from family, friends and enemies.

That it made them more, and yet somehow less.

These fears, like the power that feeds them, are godlike in their scope."

I believe that this is the first rpg to use the One-Roll Engine (ORE).

Yggdrasill Core Rulebook RPG

I bought the Yggdrasill Core Rulebook in pdf yesterday after reading about it in a thread on the RPGnet forums. Apparently it is a translation by Cubicle 7 of a French game. I like games set in historical (4th-–6th century) and mythical Scandia.

I have only scanned it so far. It looks like it has some very good background information of the period—both historical and mythological. The system seems pretty straightforward. More to come ...

"The End of Infinity" RPG

I have the beginnings of an idea for a stand-alone game (inspired in part by Lady Blackbird). I will probably use a scaled down version of my in-development house system, the Descriptor System, to power the game.

For credit and larger image, click here.

The End of Infinity is a space-time ship capable of traveling the roads and pathways of the omniverse.

The inspiration for the ship's name and the omniverse being described as roads and pathways comes from the Omniverse article on Wikipedia.

THE SETUP

The first decision would be for the group to decide: Why travel the pathways of the omniverse?

Some suggested possible answers would be: exploration, merchants, "police," circus, entertainers, pirates, conquest, ...

It will probably be best for me to pick one of the above answers to develop into a version of the game and leave the others for later development.

THE PROTAGONISTS

The second decision would be the individual player (and the rest of the group) to divide up the "roles" in the group (and, possibly, on the ship).

THE END OF INFINITY

The next decision would to create the ship as a group.

Artificial Intelligence

The End of Infinity would have an artificial intelligence (AI).

• Is a crew necessary? Or, does the AI control all the ship's functions?

• What is the name of the ship's AI?     

• Describe the voice of the AI: male/female/artificial?

• Describe three (3) personality traits. Assign seven (7) dice with a minimum of one (1) die to each trait.

Ship's Capabilities

Assign dice to:

     Navigation

     Manueverability

     Speed

     Knowledge of the Omniverse

     Medical

     Weapons — describe (1) type for each die assigned? … list examples

     Shields

     Armor

     Special

          Cloaking

          Separate ship

"A Day at the Mall" Character Sheets

I have uploaded the GURPS 4th Edition versions of the character sheets for the characters in the A Day at the Mall module:

Archer (repeated here for ease of reference)
Beto
Dynamo
Dyne
Nimble
Thunk

Archer Character Sheet

I have uploaded the GURPS 4th Edition version of the Archer character sheet for the A Day at the Mall module.

Back Dungeon World

I backed Dungeon World on Kickstarter! I have heard great things about the game. I think it will help scratch the itch to play some D&D (which, unfortunately, D&D Next, based on the initial playtest documents, did not).

"A Day at the Mall" – An RPG Module

I wrote this bare-bones module many years ago as an introduction to GURPS. It is ... interesting ... I had a strange fixation with fertility apparently. I want to edit the content and turn it into a stand-alone game. This is inspired by the excellent Lady Blackbird. I probably will not use the system in Lady Blackbird. I have been kicking around my own system ...


It is presented below without editing:

A Day at the Mall

BACKGROUND

In the Time After the Final War, the world has suffered greatly. Humanity lives in isolated pockets of "civilization." Very few people (or animals, for that matter) are fertile and even those who are often produce mutants. Those who are fertile are called "breeders" and are protected as they are the future of humanity. The population is approximately 40% female and only approximately 25% of them are breeders. Among males, only 50% of them are breeders. The only way to tell if a person is fertile is for those people to have a baby. This has lead to only the select males being given the opportunity to breed. It has also lead to a short engagement period during which the couple attempts to get pregnant. Only after pregnancy is the couple allowed to marry. Mutants (at least those with visible or known mutations) are banished to the Wasteland – if not killed outright.

One such pocket of civilization is the Kingdom of the Valley of the Wind. The kingdom is ruled by Chief Engineer and King Gear XVII and Queen Gaan. The Valley is surrounded by giant wind turbines from the Time Before that supply energy to the Valley and surrounding, slavish kingdoms. The energy is used to drive the water pumps which draw clean water from a deep water table. The pumped clean water is used to irrigate the Valley. Without the pumped water it would be impossible to survive in the Valley.

Unfortunately, even the king′s family is not immune to the mutant problem. The king′s first–born, Orilon, mutated at puberty and was banished to the Wasteland. Furthermore, there is a persistent rumor that Crown Prince Hebrus, a known philanderer, is infertile and, thus, unfit to rule.

Recently, the Kingdom of the Valley of the Wind established contact and diplomatic relationships with the Kingdom by the Sea. To cement those relationships a princess, Doris, of the line of Admiral and King Oceanus XIII was sent to the Kingdom of the Valley of the Wind to become engaged to Crown Prince Hebrus.

BRIEFING

Princess Doris of the Kingdom by the Sea was being escorted to the Kingdom of the Valley of the Wind by Royal Marines from the Kingdom by the Sea and King′s Guardsmen from the Kingdom of the Valley of the Wind to her engagement to Crown Prince Hebrus. The party was traveling on a road that brought them close to the southern edge of the Wasteland. It was near the Wasteland that the party was attacked by the Dark Army and the princess captured – so gasped the sole remaining King′s Guardsman with his dying breath. The princess was captured five rotations (read "days") ago. It is a hard two-rotation ride on a fast strider to the Forbidden City – home to the Dark Army. It is your job to rescue the princess.

CHARACTERS

DYNE, King′s Master–of–Arms

WHAT YOU SEE: You are a tall (6′ 2"), well–built (200 lbs.) man. It is impossible to miss the patch covering your left eye. Your numerous scars stand out on your sun–tanned skin. You keep your remaining gray hair close–cropped. As a modest display of your mastery, you wear (and fight with) two swords.

WHY YOU ARE HERE: Your involvement in this rescue mission can be characterized by one word – DUTY. Your duty to your King and your kingdom is your sole motivator in life.

DYNAMO, King′s Guardsman and daughter of Dyne

WHAT YOU SEE: You are a tall (6′), slim (140 lbs.), attractive woman with long, wavy red hair and green eyes. You very rarely sit still. You must be doing something. It does not really matter what. And, whatever you are doing, you are fully involved.

WHY YOU ARE HERE: Your involvement in this rescue mission can also be characterized by one word – FATHER. Your father′s opinion of you is all that matters. He was disappointed when you were repeatedly unable to bear children but that disappointment seemed to evaporate when you enlisted in the King′s Guard.

BETO, ex-communicated Warrior–Priest of the Order of the Life–Wind

WHAT YOU SEE: You shave your head as well as your face. You have a tattoo of a tri-sected circle on your forehead. The tri-sected circle is the symbol of your order. Your order worships an aspect of Aer, goddess of the Wind. "The Wind is Life." Your ice-blue eyes burn with an inner fire. You are a tall (6′2"), slim (170 lbs.) but well–muscled man. You do not willingly part with your mace; it is how you deal with the mutant undead – an abomination in the eyes of Aer!

WHY YOU ARE HERE: Crown Prince Hebrus is unfit to rule – he is infertile. It was your obligation to speak to the people so that the Kingdom of the Valley of the Wind would not lose the favor of Aer. The people marched on the castle in righteous indignation but were stopped by the King's Guard. For this, you were wrongly excommunicated, convicted of treason, and sentenced to death. You have agreed to this mission because after you rescue the princess and the crown prince fails to impregnate her you will be proven right. You will have saved the Valley of the Wind.

NIMBLE, master thief

WHAT YOU SEE: You are a man of average height (5′6") and slim build (125 lbs.). You have long brown hair and a goatee. Your brown eyes dart everywhere – missing nothing. Your nimble hands are constantly busy with a coin or a knife or ... something.

WHY YOU ARE HERE: You were caught stealing – again! This time someone was killed by your partner, Thunk the Outlander. Unfortunately for the two of you, he was one of the Royal Engineers. This time not even the fact that you are a proven breeder saved you. You were convicted and sentenced to death. If you complete this mission, your sentence will be commuted and you can return to your pregnant wife.

THUNK, Outland barbarian

WHAT YOU SEE: Your massive body (400 lbs.) towers above (8′) most puny humans! Your long blond hair is in multiple braids that fall about your shoulders. Your green eyes are fierce. You are an Outlander – called a barbarian by these so–called civilized people. Your great axe gives you a wide berth.

WHY YOU ARE HERE: You were acting as muscle for your partner, Nimble, on a job. It would have been routine if the damn Royal Engineer had not pulled a Time Before gun on you! You were convicted and sentenced to death. If you complete this mission, your sentence will be commuted and you and your sister will be allowed to return to the Outlands.

ARCHER, exiled mutant Wasteland survivor

WHAT YOU SEE: You are tall (5′ 10") and solid (180 lbs.). Very little of you can be seen under the voluminous robes that you wear but, occasionally, glimpses of your mutations are seen: a patch of fur, a glint of your long canines in your muzzle, your eyes which are so like a wolf′s eyes, or, perhaps, your clawed hands. Very seldom is your bow far from your hands.

WHY YOU ARE HERE: Even though you are only seen as less than human, you still feel some obligation to humanity.