Sunday, June 30, 2013
The original World
Some of you. a handful maybe, may have read this post before from another ancient and disused blog of mine. this file is the last iteration of my rally Cry setting. It is only a sampling of everything I hope to one day include in the world. I am currently working on re-doing much of the setting to fit it in with the new master time-line that will in turn flesh out the entire RC Universe.
Thanks and Enjoy!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/h27rd9za50n4mf8/Rally%20Cry%20World%20Book.pdf
Saturday, June 29, 2013
What is in the setting?
As I mentioned previously I have been working on writing my own my own worlds for different game systems for as long as I have been gaming. All manner of fantastic images of careened though my head. Sadly due to my overall lack of the ability to concentrate on anything for long only a small portion of these ideas have made it out of my head. The one idea that returns with the most ease is a dark super-heroes type of world. For those familiar with the 'Ages' of comics it is easiest to describe as an Iron-Age setting.
There are grand heroes, diabolical villains and everything else one has come to imagine from a comic book. The hard part for me though is the desire to make things different. I want to create something that is easy to grasp but different from the standard comic-book setting. One of my current works involves the creation of a long timeline that details important moments in the history of the Universe. This is meant to give the reader some ideas of how things have become what they are...
While the timeline is far from finished I can say that it's a bit bigger project than I had thought it would be. For one it begins Before the actual creation of the multi-verse that contains the Rally Cry setting. Everything spirals outward from this event including the creation of life, the ordering of much of the universe, and the awakening of age old and immortal beings of great power.
The problem at the moment is where to make the end of the timeline... where to place today? Part of me wants to start it at the beginning of a galaxy shaking event, while another thinks it would be best to start in the months/years before the event. Does it make a difference? Of course, but only in regards to where I want play to end up. Do I want the event to be stoppable? In other words am I going to give player-characters a chance to avoid or alter the course of the disaster or do I want everything to take place just after it happened...leaving the survivors in the wake?
It's an interesting question and one I need to figure out before I can 'end' the timeline and create the figurative 'now' in the setting.
Soon I will add the basics of the timeline that I previously mentioned. Even the humble beginnings of the Rally Cry universe are interesting, at least to me ;)
There are grand heroes, diabolical villains and everything else one has come to imagine from a comic book. The hard part for me though is the desire to make things different. I want to create something that is easy to grasp but different from the standard comic-book setting. One of my current works involves the creation of a long timeline that details important moments in the history of the Universe. This is meant to give the reader some ideas of how things have become what they are...
While the timeline is far from finished I can say that it's a bit bigger project than I had thought it would be. For one it begins Before the actual creation of the multi-verse that contains the Rally Cry setting. Everything spirals outward from this event including the creation of life, the ordering of much of the universe, and the awakening of age old and immortal beings of great power.
The problem at the moment is where to make the end of the timeline... where to place today? Part of me wants to start it at the beginning of a galaxy shaking event, while another thinks it would be best to start in the months/years before the event. Does it make a difference? Of course, but only in regards to where I want play to end up. Do I want the event to be stoppable? In other words am I going to give player-characters a chance to avoid or alter the course of the disaster or do I want everything to take place just after it happened...leaving the survivors in the wake?
It's an interesting question and one I need to figure out before I can 'end' the timeline and create the figurative 'now' in the setting.
Soon I will add the basics of the timeline that I previously mentioned. Even the humble beginnings of the Rally Cry universe are interesting, at least to me ;)
Friday, June 28, 2013
The beginning and G-Core
My first introduction to Roleplaying Games was through the old Marvel Super Heroes game. Myself and two others played for a time at the public library before being booted for incessant noise violations. Despite the multitude of other games I would be introduced to MSH would be the go-to game for our group for years. Of course that was back in the 90's during High School and today that game is considered antiquated and old-school by current standards.
For years this game fell by the wayside for me as I moved on to other genres and other systems. But my love for super-heroes would always return.
Enter G-Core. A couple of years ago I stumbled on to this game on one of the many RPG-PDF sellers that can be found online. Simply put, G-Core, now in it's Deluxe stage, is the simplified love-child of the old MSH game. Gone are the days of rolling dice and consulting them to a somewhat confusing chart and applying all manner of modifier. Instead the game uses a single d10 roll for all Tests and the participants add their related Attribute and Special Focus (read: skill).
Since its release there have been an almost constant release pattern from its owner and creator as well as a small handful of third-party releases. I myself have released two such products in the last couple of years. I enjoy the game for what it is. A simply throw-back to the 4-color games and comics of yesterday. It is efficient in its set up and flexible to allow the individual Player and Gamemaster to add more of everything without breaking it.
On the whole I give G-Core a 4.5 out of 5 Stars. This not-quite-perfect rating is only due to the fact that I want to leave Jay (the owner) something more to shoot for. It is currently my go-to game for both comic-book and sci-fi related scenarios due to its simplicity and for the fact that I can easily play it with a friend over Skype.
As a side note I intend to release more of my own G-Core projects although they will be done so for free. I will put these 'expansions' up on this blog for anyone that may want to get a bit of the taste of my universe.
For years this game fell by the wayside for me as I moved on to other genres and other systems. But my love for super-heroes would always return.
Enter G-Core. A couple of years ago I stumbled on to this game on one of the many RPG-PDF sellers that can be found online. Simply put, G-Core, now in it's Deluxe stage, is the simplified love-child of the old MSH game. Gone are the days of rolling dice and consulting them to a somewhat confusing chart and applying all manner of modifier. Instead the game uses a single d10 roll for all Tests and the participants add their related Attribute and Special Focus (read: skill).
Since its release there have been an almost constant release pattern from its owner and creator as well as a small handful of third-party releases. I myself have released two such products in the last couple of years. I enjoy the game for what it is. A simply throw-back to the 4-color games and comics of yesterday. It is efficient in its set up and flexible to allow the individual Player and Gamemaster to add more of everything without breaking it.
On the whole I give G-Core a 4.5 out of 5 Stars. This not-quite-perfect rating is only due to the fact that I want to leave Jay (the owner) something more to shoot for. It is currently my go-to game for both comic-book and sci-fi related scenarios due to its simplicity and for the fact that I can easily play it with a friend over Skype.
As a side note I intend to release more of my own G-Core projects although they will be done so for free. I will put these 'expansions' up on this blog for anyone that may want to get a bit of the taste of my universe.
Gaming and Comic Books
It is no secret that I am a fan of Roleplaying Games and Comic Books. For much of my formidable years I spent most of my time reading or writing my own stories in that vein and still hold the stories of my youth in high regard. While my favorite heroes and writers have changed a multitude of times over the years I just keep coming back for more.
The same of course holds true about my Gaming history. Ever since Jeff Darwin introduced me to the Marvel Super Heroes RPG in High School I have been dabbling in gaming. In fact my favorite thing is to combine the two...like some sort of literary peanut butter-chocolate concoction. The desire to have both though has caused more than its share of headaches over the years as I try to create the perfect fusion of the two.
The problem comes when you try to quantify, to apply rules to, the fantastic abilities of a comic book world. Too many rules and you lose the fun and fantasy of the whole thing but without enough rules everything devolves into a willy-nilly mess of unbalance characters and overwhelming confusion among everyone involved. Of course this same idea holds true with any sort of gaming situation...and to Real Life as well.
I have spent so much of my creative time working on creating RPG systems and settings that they all seem to melt into one giant mélange in my dome. Despite all that I keep returning to the stories that fueled my youth. I am currently creating what I believe can be a great fantasy setting that I hope one day to actually write about. Not just gaming based material, but a true novel or collection of short stories at the very least.
In the meantime I will also continue to work on my supers gaming obsession. The obsession that causes me so much enjoyment and frustration at the same time.
Next Up: A Review of DGBG's great little Supers RPG G-Core
The same of course holds true about my Gaming history. Ever since Jeff Darwin introduced me to the Marvel Super Heroes RPG in High School I have been dabbling in gaming. In fact my favorite thing is to combine the two...like some sort of literary peanut butter-chocolate concoction. The desire to have both though has caused more than its share of headaches over the years as I try to create the perfect fusion of the two.
The problem comes when you try to quantify, to apply rules to, the fantastic abilities of a comic book world. Too many rules and you lose the fun and fantasy of the whole thing but without enough rules everything devolves into a willy-nilly mess of unbalance characters and overwhelming confusion among everyone involved. Of course this same idea holds true with any sort of gaming situation...and to Real Life as well.
I have spent so much of my creative time working on creating RPG systems and settings that they all seem to melt into one giant mélange in my dome. Despite all that I keep returning to the stories that fueled my youth. I am currently creating what I believe can be a great fantasy setting that I hope one day to actually write about. Not just gaming based material, but a true novel or collection of short stories at the very least.
In the meantime I will also continue to work on my supers gaming obsession. The obsession that causes me so much enjoyment and frustration at the same time.
Next Up: A Review of DGBG's great little Supers RPG G-Core
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Welcome!
Hello there and welcome to my 'All things Hard Luck' writing blog. In this blog I plan to post a variety of things from my own game systems and settings, game-reviews, fiction I have written and occasionally some art I did.
I have been in love with RPG's and Comic Books since a young age and have been avidly following both hobbies as much as possible over the years. I have written, or co-written, a variety of gaming systems and setting over the years and have decided it is time to share them with the world.
I will be posting some writing soon regarding one of my most recent, and frustrating projects but one I enjoy and plan to expand.
Thanks for reading this!
I have been in love with RPG's and Comic Books since a young age and have been avidly following both hobbies as much as possible over the years. I have written, or co-written, a variety of gaming systems and setting over the years and have decided it is time to share them with the world.
I will be posting some writing soon regarding one of my most recent, and frustrating projects but one I enjoy and plan to expand.
Thanks for reading this!
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