Creativity and a few brief reviews...

And away we go!

So the last couple of days have been slow on the creative tip.  It isn't because I didn't want to be, rather I just had a lot of negative things on my mind... I am sure you know how it is.  Today seems to be different in that I have already managed to get a little art done and I hope to do some more writing today.

So, I know a good number of you are writers of various levels and taste in genre.  That is what I am wondering about today.  I am an RPG writer.  Anyone who has read this blog-o-mine knows that.  The thing is I recently took a bit of time and wrote more of a story.  It was a snippet really... just over 3k words, but I enjoyed it immensely.  To that end I have been thinking more and more about trying my hand at more recognizable fiction writing. (is that an oxymoron?)

Will I be working on RPG's still?  Well of course!  I am actually working somewhat dilligently on a writing project or two for the BareBones Games by DwD.  I am thinking about using the fiction I want to do as a tie-in for the gaming things.  I think it should be fun but I imagine it will be frustrating at times as well.  And we all know how I deal with frustration...

Lets see now... what other things am I interested in today...

I am starting work on a set of art projects for a gaming series called "Toys in the Sandbox" by Occult Moon.  The TinSB series are small ideas for GM's that can be inserted into lots of different situations.  They are great for when you don't have time to do everything for a session.

I am re-reading  the Contagion RPG.  It is a dark future world where all kinds of supernatural beast and anomaly takes place in the modern world.

Both are quite fun really.

I plan to do a more in-depth review of these in the coming days.  I need to get back to art right now though :D

Keep on Gaming!

Works well with others...

Anyone who has read this goofy blog 'o mine knows that I simply can NOT stay focused for long.  There are times I wonder if this is a good-or-bad kind of thing since it further inhibits my ability to finish anything, but at the same time it is fun to work with others collaboratively.  I think that getting input and ideas during the early part of a project can do a lot of good for everyone involved.

I have been fortunate enough to make some friends and mentors in the RPG and writing fields over the years.  All of them have influenced my work in one way or another.  Some, like my great friend Nathan, have been a sounding board for my scattered thoughts for about two-decades now and others, like Lee, Jay and Joshua, are new to me but just as helpful.

I have been working on a few (more than I should be) projects recently.  Two of them, being done with a new friend named Anthony, are using the D00-lite system utilized by the BareBones Fantasy game, while the other is a total homebrew system/setting with a different friend.  Is this too much?  Yeah, probably... but it's how I roll.

I love getting help, I like the push that such help can give me and the excitement that comes from collaboration.  I have spent so many years trying to do everything by my self that I have grown stagnant and these new projects have been awesome!

I can't wait to share some of my projects with you all.  My personal projects will all be released quietly, using the new PWYW model and if things go right (no, WHEN things go right...) I will be working on a awesome upcoming game from Daring Entertainment.  INCOMING SHAMELESS PPROMOTION!!!

   https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2092114443/daring-comics-role-playing-game


I hope that in time I can do even more collabrative work with people.  As much as I like my solo-work, I think this is a way of doing things that will best fit my way of thinking...

What about you all?  How do you work best?

Flavor Fave?

Hey Gang!

So earlier this week I was having a bit of a discussion with a new friend about my favorite systems and settings.  He and I are working a fantasy setting and now he is being so kind as to throw some great ideas at my homebrew system.  It has been a great combination thus far.

So, as for favorites there are a few, oddly enough while there are a few I am partial to specific versions of some games.  I know this isn't all that uncommon among gamer's but it still stands out.  Oh, and keep in mind I still like my stuff best :P

Favorite Settings
Hands down I totally love the Mutant Chronicles world.  It is dark, grimy, and has lots and lots of detail.  I am partial to first edition, but am looking forward to seeing everything they do for the upcoming 3rd edition.

My second fave would be Shadowrun 3rd edition.  I just like it, no major reason but I did get to play tons of it over the years and I think that molded my love of it.

Third would be 1st or 2nd edition Earthdawn...Simply put its just a fun idea and the magic item growth is just awesome

A couple of other Honorable Mentions would be the Earth-Omega Setting used by Joshua Kubli's Invulnerable and the Palladium Fantasy Setting.

Favorite Systems
This one is harder than settings.  I have read and played so many variations on the same things (I'm looking at YOU 3.x/d20) that it gets hard to separate them.  That being said I would go with...

FASERIP/G-Core: So much fun.  Simple, fast and exciting.  It also helps that I have played more of this than any other game out there.

My second fave would be Shadowrun 3rd Edition.

And for systems my Honorable Mentions would be Invulnerable again as well as the D100 Lite system used by BareBones Fantasy and Covet Ops.  Both meet different needs for me.  And I am now getting more into Fate and can't wait to see the Daring Entertainment take on Supers for it.

So, what is everyone else into?

Wow, that's just SUPER

Whelp, here we go again, more random thoughts...

So recently (last week) a new friend and I were discussing the possibility of creating a Super Hero setting/hack for a game we both enjoyed.  We went so far as to start working up the math and such necessary to do exactly that when we learned that another person was pretty much finished with just such a game!  Doggone it all anyway!

That leads me to my current quandary.  Although I am having fun on my variety of fantasy-based projects I am once again yearning for some super-powered goodness.  As you all may recall I have tried many times to nail down a system to do such with.  There are currently two projects in mind for this.  One, which is a super-powered/multi-dimensional jaunt is already set for a great game called Invulnerable (which has a 2nd Ed. coming out very soon)

That leaves my general and overly-large setting.  I am torn between several ideas.  The current games I am considering would be... BASH Ultimate Edition, G-Core, and Icons.  Now these are ones that are finished and good to go with no real work.

On the other hand there are some systems that I think would be cool to modify/hack some things up for.  Those would include... Monsters and Magic or MADS (both of which I have reviewed previously).  Now MADS has a nifty little set of supers-rules already, but I think it would need a good amount of expanding... As for Monsters and Magic...it would need a huge amount of work.  I love its Effect Engine but boy, it would daunting.

The setting, although large, is set up so that I can slowly release things.  I can start small and expand out from there as has been suggested to me previously.  I think this is a great way to go.  Begin with a localized region then go outward from there...

So today I ask if any of you have some other suggestions?  I love hearing other peoples ideas and truly enjoy finding new games and such!

As always Thanks and Keep on Gaming!

Here a Setting, there a Setting

Hey gang!

Well, here I am with some more random gaming-related thoughts.

Today I shall present you all with some ideas/ramblings regarding the most important (at least to me) part of any RPG, the Setting.  If there are one million different game systems out there then can you only imagine how many settings there are?  I know that there are many, many folks out there that love playing in the 'official' settings provided by most games... I have truly enjoyed a few of these nicely presented settings, with Mutant Chronicles, Shadowrun, and Deadlands being among my favorites.

That being said I am an unabashed fan of creating my own settings.  My first foray into Game-Mastering was in my own fantasy world and I still use parts of it today.  I guess it is my over-reaching ego that makes me thing would really want to play in one of my worlds, but I like to think that I have many fun ideas.  The problem is how to present those thoughts.

I have seen games that provide a small setting preview with their mechanics and others that hold off for specific releases all their own.  I am a fan of the first way of doing it... give them a taste and let them come back for more.  The question I would ask you is what is enough for a setting?  The second edition Earthdawn book, another setting I really like, only has about 50pgs of actual setting description.  Is that a good base to build on?

I wonder though, if the latter idea is good though.  Look at everything mechanics wise with the 3.0/3.x types of stuff.  My favorite setting associated with the d20 mechanics is easily Ptolus.  That thing is AWESOME.  I mean you could easily run a character and their families through years of adventure and never leave site of the city.  I would love to have the hardcover material for this, but even used copies are over 170 bucks on Amazon.

But I digress... as a new game designer, and a fan of a LOT of genres, where is a good place to start?  Should I get my mechanics alone... with a small teaser... or a large PDF of everything?

Thanks in advance!