Companion
Is this still on?
06/02/2013 10:50 Filed in: Colonial Gothic | SS&S
Yes, I know I’ve been very silent. Let’s just say I hit a rough patch, and I needed to get myself healthy. Now that it is in the past, it is time to get back to work.
So why haven’t there been as many releases this year?
The hold up has been waiting for Chronicle City to give me a solid schedule. Rogue Games signed with them early this year, and they will be handling our distribution into the Game Market. I've held off coming up with a solid release schedule, because the key part in the equation is Chronicle City printing all books. While I have waited on them, I have been busy at work writing the Companion, as well as Shadows Upon the Hudson for Colonial Gothic.
I want to talk about Companion right now, because this book is in my thoughts a lot.
Why?
This was supposed to be a slim book, but the manuscript has ballooned to such a state, that I am going to split it up into smaller books.
Right now the break down of the book is:
Character Options
Combat Options
Gear
Psionics
Magic
Settlement & Dominions
Dimensions & Other Plans
Random Item's of Powers
Creatures
At last count the word count is close to 250,000 words. If I published this it would be twice the size of the Colonial Gothic Rulebook!
My thought, and Graeme Davis and I are talking about it now, is to break the book up into smaller chunks. What I am thinking is:
Doing this will make things much easier for both me, and the players.
Plus, keep in mind, I am still slowly working on a City book, and a few adventures. If I break up Companion as I did above, I can get the support out quicker.
So what do the rest of you think?
In any case, I am sorry about the silence and the apparent lack of any work. Things are picking up and soon you will not be able to shut me up.
So why haven’t there been as many releases this year?
The hold up has been waiting for Chronicle City to give me a solid schedule. Rogue Games signed with them early this year, and they will be handling our distribution into the Game Market. I've held off coming up with a solid release schedule, because the key part in the equation is Chronicle City printing all books. While I have waited on them, I have been busy at work writing the Companion, as well as Shadows Upon the Hudson for Colonial Gothic.
I want to talk about Companion right now, because this book is in my thoughts a lot.
Why?
This was supposed to be a slim book, but the manuscript has ballooned to such a state, that I am going to split it up into smaller books.
Right now the break down of the book is:
Character Options
Combat Options
Gear
Psionics
Magic
Settlement & Dominions
Dimensions & Other Plans
Random Item's of Powers
Creatures
At last count the word count is close to 250,000 words. If I published this it would be twice the size of the Colonial Gothic Rulebook!
My thought, and Graeme Davis and I are talking about it now, is to break the book up into smaller chunks. What I am thinking is:
Doing this will make things much easier for both me, and the players.
Plus, keep in mind, I am still slowly working on a City book, and a few adventures. If I break up Companion as I did above, I can get the support out quicker.
So what do the rest of you think?
In any case, I am sorry about the silence and the apparent lack of any work. Things are picking up and soon you will not be able to shut me up.
Comments
Work Continues on Shadow, Sword & Spell: Companion
11/05/2012 11:20 Filed in: SS&S
I have been busy with a multidtue of projects. One of these projects is Shadow, Sword & Spell: Companion. After suffering from a case of writer’s block with this book earlier this year, I have found the block gone, and my work pace on the first manuscript has picked up speed. I am enjoying writing this book, and it is fun to just be able to cut loose and create optional rules, and the like, that do not have to be strongly tied to humanistic pulp fantasy. Companion is going to be a book of options. Gamemasters and players alike, will find a book filled with little bits that they can use and craft the style of games they want.
One area that I struggled with, however, is races. I knew I wanted to create a section that dealt with fantasy races. I also knew how to approach the rules. I knew some gamers did not like that Shadow, Sword & Spell: Basic or Expert covered races at all. For them, a fantasy game is not a fantasy game if it does not allow for elves, dwarves and the like. For me, Shadow, Sword & Spell was never about this, after all it is based on the pulp fiction of Howard, Smith and Lovecraft. In those works, humans are front and center. They are the driver of events. They are the protagonists, as well as the antagonist.
Still 12° is flexible, and one can easily create different races, as well as other things (see Background and Modifiers in Shadow, Sword & Spell and Backgrounds in Colonial Gothic) that any type of character enhancement is possible. As such, Shadow, Sword & Spell is all about flexibility, and the Companion is designed to give you different styles of fantasy. So races exist.
What I had trouble with, was not what races to include or create, but how to make them not cliches. It is easy to fall to cliches, and the last thing I wanted to do was follow convention. So I have tried to make races different. Here is a recent example, Orcs, that I wrote last night. This is as is, by that It is a rough draft, I am still thinking through some things.
Orc
Stat Adjustments: +1 Brawn, +1 Vigor, −1 Reason, −1 Will
Bonus: +1 TN Melee, +1 Tactics
Traits: Scent, Nightvision
Orcs are an interesting race when it comes to fantasy role playing games. They often depicted as creature of pure evil, who only live to serve as foes to put in the way of player characters. It was J.R.R. Tolkien who turned orcs into a pervasion of the elves, and even with him, they were a race devoid of any redeeming characteristics. When Dungeons & Dragons was introduced the ors was depicted as nothing more that a “evil” creature. This is a boring take, and the concept of a race who is inherently evil, though a staple of the genre is rather silly. It strikes me, and has always strikes me, as, well, silly.
No race is inherently evil. For me this is lazy writing. Villainy is not a racial trait it is a outlook, and philosophy if you will. You choose to to willfully due what is wrong, and you are not born to it. Thus, orcs, are evil. To this, I say no. Orcs are no more evil, that the general who orders his troops to slaughter a village of innocents.
For Shadow, Sword & Spell, orcs are a race of warriors. For them strength is what is honored, and those who are the strongest are seen as the more capable of leading. Though not as smart as elves, or even some humans, they are a race who has perfected the art of war. A simple people, their word is their bond, and they are quick to protect those who are in their care, and even quick to avenge a wrong. Though warriors, they do not live for war. It is a part of their culture, but so to is hunting, weaponsmithing, and studying the ways of battle.
Orcs are an enigma. One minute they are ready to charge into battle, and the next they would rather debate the finer points of siege craft.
One area that I struggled with, however, is races. I knew I wanted to create a section that dealt with fantasy races. I also knew how to approach the rules. I knew some gamers did not like that Shadow, Sword & Spell: Basic or Expert covered races at all. For them, a fantasy game is not a fantasy game if it does not allow for elves, dwarves and the like. For me, Shadow, Sword & Spell was never about this, after all it is based on the pulp fiction of Howard, Smith and Lovecraft. In those works, humans are front and center. They are the driver of events. They are the protagonists, as well as the antagonist.
Still 12° is flexible, and one can easily create different races, as well as other things (see Background and Modifiers in Shadow, Sword & Spell and Backgrounds in Colonial Gothic) that any type of character enhancement is possible. As such, Shadow, Sword & Spell is all about flexibility, and the Companion is designed to give you different styles of fantasy. So races exist.
What I had trouble with, was not what races to include or create, but how to make them not cliches. It is easy to fall to cliches, and the last thing I wanted to do was follow convention. So I have tried to make races different. Here is a recent example, Orcs, that I wrote last night. This is as is, by that It is a rough draft, I am still thinking through some things.
Orc
Stat Adjustments: +1 Brawn, +1 Vigor, −1 Reason, −1 Will
Bonus: +1 TN Melee, +1 Tactics
Traits: Scent, Nightvision
Orcs are an interesting race when it comes to fantasy role playing games. They often depicted as creature of pure evil, who only live to serve as foes to put in the way of player characters. It was J.R.R. Tolkien who turned orcs into a pervasion of the elves, and even with him, they were a race devoid of any redeeming characteristics. When Dungeons & Dragons was introduced the ors was depicted as nothing more that a “evil” creature. This is a boring take, and the concept of a race who is inherently evil, though a staple of the genre is rather silly. It strikes me, and has always strikes me, as, well, silly.
No race is inherently evil. For me this is lazy writing. Villainy is not a racial trait it is a outlook, and philosophy if you will. You choose to to willfully due what is wrong, and you are not born to it. Thus, orcs, are evil. To this, I say no. Orcs are no more evil, that the general who orders his troops to slaughter a village of innocents.
For Shadow, Sword & Spell, orcs are a race of warriors. For them strength is what is honored, and those who are the strongest are seen as the more capable of leading. Though not as smart as elves, or even some humans, they are a race who has perfected the art of war. A simple people, their word is their bond, and they are quick to protect those who are in their care, and even quick to avenge a wrong. Though warriors, they do not live for war. It is a part of their culture, but so to is hunting, weaponsmithing, and studying the ways of battle.
Orcs are an enigma. One minute they are ready to charge into battle, and the next they would rather debate the finer points of siege craft.
A question of race
01/28/2012 10:56 Filed in: SS&S
My work on the rough draft of Companion is nearly done -- well the hand written version, I will need to type it -- and I am working on the last major section. That section deals with fantasy races.
Though fantasy races do not fit within the standard game of SS&S, Companion is a collection of options. One option that I wanted to give players and GMs was the option of doing more high fantasy with the game. A way to allow this is by giving rules for fantasy races.
How the rules behave now, is that choosing a race is very much like a Modifier. Your race will have you adjust a few stats, give you a couple of bonuses, and help you stand out from the other characters.
Where I am having issues is what type of races to include. Confession time, I am not a great fan of high fantasy. I can appreciate it as a genre but the traditional tropes of the style are lost on me. Still, I am not designing for myself, and I realize that a book like the Companion should appeal to many. That is why I am stuck on what types of races to include. Here is what I got right now:
Not a long list, and I am sure I am missing a few obvious ones. So I turn to you, what other races would you like to see? The only caveat I have is this: No hobbit-like creatures or cat girls.
Suggest away.
Though fantasy races do not fit within the standard game of SS&S, Companion is a collection of options. One option that I wanted to give players and GMs was the option of doing more high fantasy with the game. A way to allow this is by giving rules for fantasy races.
How the rules behave now, is that choosing a race is very much like a Modifier. Your race will have you adjust a few stats, give you a couple of bonuses, and help you stand out from the other characters.
Where I am having issues is what type of races to include. Confession time, I am not a great fan of high fantasy. I can appreciate it as a genre but the traditional tropes of the style are lost on me. Still, I am not designing for myself, and I realize that a book like the Companion should appeal to many. That is why I am stuck on what types of races to include. Here is what I got right now:
- Elf
- Dwarf
- Goblin
- Ogre
- Ratman
- Fairy
Not a long list, and I am sure I am missing a few obvious ones. So I turn to you, what other races would you like to see? The only caveat I have is this: No hobbit-like creatures or cat girls.
Suggest away.
Bloodlines
12/12/2011 12:34 Filed in: SS&S
Work on Shadow, Sword & Spell: Companion is moving along.
Major sections have been written (by hand as is always the case), and some sections have been noted out. Sections that are still waiting to be written, have been put to the side while I finish up reading and research.
This is going to be a book, that has everything I ever wanted to say about fantasy. There are a lot of options, as well as new items waiting to be added to the existing game.
One option I have really grown to like, is an idea I almost left off the book’s outline. That option is bloodlines.
Bloodlines deal with characters being descendants of historical figures, heroes, or even the gods. What the concept allows is for Gamemasters and players to create characters who have a certain spark to them that sets them apart from others. Bloodlines have four types – diluted, minor, major and true – and depending on what type of bloodline your character has, they either have one power or a few they are able to call upon. bloodlines are a way for you to create a character like Hercules, in that you want a character who is the result of a coupling between a god and mortal woman.
The rules for bloodlines call for you to pick, or have your Gamemaster assign to you one of the types. Depending on the type, you have access to either one or three powers (diluted have access to no powers, but still have something that makes them stand out amongst others). Powers vary from such things as uncanny luck, or being skilled in a certain skill. In addition, certain powers are only available to certain bloodlines, and it is by doing this, that the various types bloodlines are separated from each other.
Besides the rules for these bloodlines, rules for how the bloodline is passed down to another character are provided. With this, groups who want to play a more historical campaign of having their characters be descendants of other characters is possible.
It is the generational play which is found throughout the book. Rules for family and family status are provided, and when you combine them with bloodlines, you could play a game where descendants come into and out of play.
Bloodlines. Just one of the many things that will be found in this book.
Major sections have been written (by hand as is always the case), and some sections have been noted out. Sections that are still waiting to be written, have been put to the side while I finish up reading and research.
This is going to be a book, that has everything I ever wanted to say about fantasy. There are a lot of options, as well as new items waiting to be added to the existing game.
One option I have really grown to like, is an idea I almost left off the book’s outline. That option is bloodlines.
Bloodlines deal with characters being descendants of historical figures, heroes, or even the gods. What the concept allows is for Gamemasters and players to create characters who have a certain spark to them that sets them apart from others. Bloodlines have four types – diluted, minor, major and true – and depending on what type of bloodline your character has, they either have one power or a few they are able to call upon. bloodlines are a way for you to create a character like Hercules, in that you want a character who is the result of a coupling between a god and mortal woman.
The rules for bloodlines call for you to pick, or have your Gamemaster assign to you one of the types. Depending on the type, you have access to either one or three powers (diluted have access to no powers, but still have something that makes them stand out amongst others). Powers vary from such things as uncanny luck, or being skilled in a certain skill. In addition, certain powers are only available to certain bloodlines, and it is by doing this, that the various types bloodlines are separated from each other.
Besides the rules for these bloodlines, rules for how the bloodline is passed down to another character are provided. With this, groups who want to play a more historical campaign of having their characters be descendants of other characters is possible.
It is the generational play which is found throughout the book. Rules for family and family status are provided, and when you combine them with bloodlines, you could play a game where descendants come into and out of play.
Bloodlines. Just one of the many things that will be found in this book.