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June 19, 2006
Agents of Oblivion: Designer Notes
Hello All.
I'll be more optomistic this week and talk about Oblivion. Suit you well enough?
Since the latter part of last week, I mulled over how I'm going to specifically handle the Big Book. I've decided a handful of things. It's going to be an open setting. Why? Well, I'm going to be developing this for multiple fronts.
True20 and Savage Worlds at the very least with possibly one more system into the mix. As the intent is to customize these works for each system, we find it only proper to separate the adventures from the main book. The True20 crowd typically comes from the D20 demographic and is used to the open setting. If you're a True20 player, this means you're used to being given the flavor of the setting without a campaign written out for you, think Blue Rose for the finest example. You've got details on how to make characters for that world, clear descriptions of what's in that world, and a nice bestiary in it detailing various organizations and adversaries. Speaking of adversaries, I'm working out something particularly exciting on that front as we speak!
Additionally, there's a lot that has to be crammed into the Big Book. In addition to rules on Agent creation, there is a slew of weapons and various other gear, rules on custom gadget creation, vehicle creation and chase rules, an expanded sanity section giving even more detail to the rules on fear and terror you'll find in the Worlds of Adventure, along with various shadow organizations, including the Pandora Institute, and what's going on where globally, along with a setting specific bestiary. I'm getting jazzed up just thinking about this! What more could you ask for?
Oh yeah. Adventures. In addtion to the original adventures we have lined up, we have some outstanding adventures we'll be offering from the minds of 12 to Midnight and customized specifically for Agents of Oblivion. You'll be able to view favorites such as Bloodlines and Weekend Warriors through the calculating eye of an Agent. Will things turn out differently for you and your crew this go round?
Wow. I didn't plan on that turning into some type of pitch. I am just chomping at the bit to get this out the door so you guys can catch the full effect of Oblivion in the flavour of your choice.
Keep it real!
Sean
Posted by razorwise at 11:46 PM
June 12, 2006
The RPG Industry is Dead. The Internet Told Me So.
Hello All.
There's been a lot of buzz about the state of the industry going into a death spiral. Yep. It is. Now go away and find another hobby.
Hey. You're still here? Hmmm...you must be one of those stubborn gamer types. Imagine that?
Maybe you didn't hear me before? The RPG Industry is dead. The Internet told me so!
Is the RPG Industry Screwed? by Simon Rogers
He talks at length with such people as Aldo Ghozzi, Chris Pramas, Chad Underkoffler, and Gareth-Michael Skarka,Phil Reed, and Eric Gibson. It's a must read for anyone slightly interested in seeing what goes on behind the scenes.
A Cold Day in Hell by Alan Williams with James Mathe
In this article, these two fellas go into detail about ebooks and their predictions on how things will trend into the future between PDFs and traditional dead-tree products. This one is probably of more appeal to those considering a foray into the business, as it is a bit drier, but still well worth the read.
An educated gamer is a good gamer. The more you know about what we do, the more you can appreciate us. Right?
Regards,
Sean
P.S. Contrary to the title of this article, Reality Blurs is continuing to grow in sales! If you've been a patron, thanks for your support. If you haven't, buy something, will ya?
Posted by razorwise at 05:16 PM
June 05, 2006
Three Sheets to the Wind and Roads High and Low
Greets.
I've already said too much today. Haven't I? And we just chatted a few days ago and I've got all these secret things I'm working on and I'm sleepy, since I just ate dinner and I worked a pretty long day yesterday on top of that. Heck, I haven't had a free day in awhile. I keep promising myself, when RunePunk is done I get a couple of days off. (Which is my way of lying to myself.) The old carrot and stick approach. Heck, I'm loving RunePunk more than when I first started on it. It's evolved a lot. It's tighter, thanks to Clint's help and the refining of my writing talents. I'm slamming everything into the RunePunk masterfile. Throwing in the slew of NPCS and Monsters and the adventure generators and the Plot Points and the Savage Tales and the Scrounging Tables and all the random encounter charts. Hopefully, you guys will enjoy playing this as much as I've enjoyed making it.
A brief anecdotal interlude.
Three Sheets to the Wind is an old expression. You can look up what it means, but I had this weird thing happen Saturday outside the hobby shop. I pulled up in the parking lot to meet my buddy and there's this chubby kid in the parking lot. At a glance, he's kinda sitting there on the bike on the pavement and flailing his arms and acting like ten year old boys typically do, goofy. I get out of the car with a file folder full of RunePunk stuff and he's calling out now. Not really to me, because I don't know him, but I'm the only one around and he's shouting. "I can't move anywhere. I'm stuck." And he's calling some guy's name in an unintelligible fashion. I'm thinking..."kid, just stand up" and "are you for real"...the last part I mused aloud to the kid and he said, "Yes, I'm for real. I'm really stuck." So, I set my file folder on the top of the car and went over and hauled him up to his feet. He didn't thank me, most kids don't have manners nowadays, but he was relieved. I go back to the car and this gust of wind comes up...paper goes flying out. I'm thinking, no good deed goes unpunished, and grab the manilla folder and toss it in the car seat, grab a small notebook I have and dismiss one sheet of paper by me, because it's on the leeward side of the car and go hauling after the other two. The one I get nearest too first, I toss my notebook on, and pursue the third one and caught it with a mighty foot stomp. Then I proceed to retrieve my papers. 1. 2. 3. Heh. When I recounted this exciting adventure for the first time, I realized I literally had three sheets to the wind.
The other part of this week's title, I'll keep succinct. Be careful whom you associate with and what you do. When faced with the opportunity to take the high road or the low road, try to go with the high road. Disparaging other people is plain tacky and bogus and not a good use of one's energy. In fact, it's downright draining. Although, in the short term, taking the low road can sometimes be satisfying and even necessary. Why am I bringing this up? I've seen this occur on forums and threads of late. Threads that are supposed to be talking about games and the roleplaying industry and some of them denigrate into personal assaults. Private matters should be kept private and if a person takes issue with another, they should handle it in that manner. Because, let's face it, when you bash someone's reputation in a malicious fashion, especially someone growing a business where reputation counts for a lot, that can have serious legal ramifications far less fun than making the initial post.
Since I'm on this particular tangent, I'd also like to see threads where people are trying to tell people how to run their businesses disappear. I saw this on a few forums I frequent and it adds nothing to the atmosphere of the community in any way, shape, or form. I suppose some people just like to hear themselves speak and cry out for attention. Sure, it's my choice as to whether or not to read those threads or whatever, but it's like junk mail that comes in with the regular mail. We may not read it, but we all glance at it. Wouldn't you like to have those minutes back?
Let's end this on an up note and I'll tell you what I do appreciate about forums and what I like to see on them. I enjoy the interchange of ideas and concepts with others who really love the game. I like having an active "help desk" atmosphere where, for the most part, I can get accurate, insightful answers. I enjoy getting to know people who are buying my stuff and what they like and don't like about what I'm doing. I like making new friends. That's how I wound up pals with Ed Wetterman, Preston, Jerry, and others. I have to say that the forums I frequent the most have less noise and garbage than most out there which makes it all the more obvious when something that doesn't belong pops up on them.
Well, back to writing.
Take care and get a few games in before my next update, will ya? :)
Regards,
Sean
Posted by razorwise at 06:25 PM
June 02, 2006
Exhausting Efforts and Stepping Things Up
Y'know...there's this thing called a learning curve and I've sure ridden it over the past couple of years.
Sure, I've done the writing thing for a long time. No. I doubt you've seen much of it, but doing the game design thing, the whole enchilada can sometimes wear a guy out.
We've talked about this before on here, but I'm more determined than ever to step things up. If Reality Blurs is really going to grow like I envision, it's going to be necessary, so if you see some of these posts be occassionally shorter or more terse than usual, it's not intentional. It's just while I'm ramping up the groove more.
Trying to start up the company, develop multiple product lines, and evolve the craziness that is RunePunk takes a lot of efforts. Note, I used the plurality of the word and I'm doing it on purpose. The efforts come not just from myself, but also from my friends and family as well. Writing is a solitary thing. You've got to have certain abundances of alone time to get it done. Which is at direct odds with gamers and gaming. We, as gamers, are typically a sociable lot...in the sense that we like to get together and game. Other than that, most of us have little use for the wandering masses of meatpuppets that make up the world. What we typically term non-gamers and snub our noses at. They just don't understand, right? Right.
So getting back to what I'm talking about, it's weird that person can be a writer and a gamer and the whole game design thing seems very weird on an abstract level. I've gotten a handle on it a lot better and am enjoying what I'm doing, despite the frustrations that seem to happen. Whenever they do happen, I consider the alternatives. I do, for the most part, what I love. No one honestly likes doing the business side of things, but I've got the handle on that as well. The balance is all good and we're looking to make certain things improve, regardless of how the industry rolls overall.
I'm loving how RunePunk turned out. I'm looking forward to the finished product. It'll be nice to focus on the next thing for awhile and to play the finished RunePunk with all of you guys at the conventions.
Despite what some may think, playtesting, at least from the designer's perspective, is a lot of work if it's done right. You've got to find the hidden coolness and the balance of things. If you do it properly, it's a great buzz.
To digress a moment, I've got to say the Iron Dynasty playtests are going well. Everyone seems to be digging them and the only thing I'm hearing so far of concern is people are finding it a bit too historical. How cool is that? I've not attempted to fully overlay the weirdness into it, but started with the rough setting notes set down on paper and worked through the mechanics of it all. Now that the Player's Guide is more or less settled and static, I can move on to inject the weirdness of the Iron Dynasty into things. Also, I'd like to note, the guide for this took less time to develop than for RunePunk...RunePunk has a mass of variables which I should really write up...if anyone's interested. I'm awaiting the final review of the Player's Guide by the powers that be before I get into it.
I've seen the errors of other people's ways before. :)
All in all...Reality Blurs is getting good buzz...rpgnet has an interesting thread touting Orwell Industries right now. My health is back...my attitude is cautiously optomistic and I feel like I'm in the writing zone at present.
Keep it real and get your game on!
Regards,
Sean
Posted by razorwise at 01:27 PM