Keeping Busy: A Host of Projects

Hey guys,

Given that I’ve been in a funk lately, I’ve been looking at various projects that I can throw myself at in order to move on. As such I’ve been reviewing various game design projects that I have in mind:

• S.O.B. Son of BADASS! – BADASS! Has been a pretty decent success as far as a free RPG goes, and I’ve been considering the possibility of expanding and improving it to create a new edition with better writing, more settings, more Flava and better artwork that I can charge money for.
• A kid-friendly RPG – Perhaps to atone for BADASS, I’ve been thinking about making a kid friendly game that people can pick up and run. I know that Hero Kids and Mermaid Adventures already covers this angle, but maybe exploring a different genre might be interesting. Martial Arts maybe? Or Space Opera?
• Wuxia Adventure for Fantasy Craft – I’ve been toying with the idea of building a series of short Adventure Modules for Fantasy Craft that cater to the Wuxia angle. I’ve got bits and pieces of a setting in mind and I think that introducing it piecemeal might be a good approach especially if I plan to sell it for cheap. Again, my biggest obstacle will probably be artwork.

These are a few things floating about in my brain right now, and after checking up on my notes folder of shelved ideas I think there’s room enough for this sort of game. All I probably need is the focus necessary to build them around some mechanics that will work.

What do you guys think? Is there any of these that you’d like to see first?

[L5R 4e: Hearts and Souls] On The Nature of Conflicts From a Clane Clan Perspective

Dismissing the Cur by Ancor Gil Hernandez

Now that I’m gearing up and working on the All-Crane Clan campaign for L5R 4th Edition, I find myself going back to the basics. Part of this is the fact that I’m a Lion Clan fanboy at heart, and I’ve spent a good deal of my time playing the L5R card game viewing the Crane Clan as an antagonist faction.

Time to change all that.

The fun part of being a GM is the fact that you have a chance to take the point of view of pretty much anyone else in the setting. Thankfully L5R has a very good story team, and they’ve given each of the clans equal billing with regards to the events of the metaplot.

Things operate very differently with regards to the Crane game, and I’m hoping to deliver an equally satisfying game with the Crane as I did the Lion, without replicating things the same way.

For example, in Never a Dull Blade, there was a powerful undercurrent of Clan before self, and that the Lion Clan had to be in a state of combat-readiness as they were vulnerable even in times of peace.

This time I have to take a moment to reconsider what it means to be a Crane in the current political climate of my version of Rokugan, and the possible conflicts that can arise. Unlike the Lion after all, the answer isn’t always to hit things until they stop moving :p

—

So far, my character roster for the game includes a Kakita Artisan (Silver Countess), A Doji Courtier (Mappy), an Asashina Shugenja recently returned from stuying in the Kitsu Shugenja School (Tarathiel23) and a humble Crane ronin with a history (Hikkikomori)

Given the character concepts so far, most of these fit the overarching themes as presented by the campaign pitch, which involve the conflict of the Past vs the Future. I feel very good about this, since it means that most of the situations that I can throw at this team will have a consistent theme that can be used to paint a bigger story arc.

Conflict without necessarily resorting to combat is probably one of the tougher parts of this sort of campaign. While this might come naturally to some, I’m admittedly under-experienced in the matter. I see that the Crane campaign will have plenty of times when characters and npcs will be at odds, but without swords coming out right away.

The Crane clan’s focus on Courtesy seems like another thing that needs to be considered. While combat might be the first and obvious answer for the Lion, the Crane approach things differently, and I want to be able to emulate that.

I have a feeling that Glory will be a very important resource in the game, as it allows you to sidestep some of the differences of Status, allowing even lower ranking players to stand toe to toe with npcs who might outrank them. Likewise, their influence on the greater ecosystem of influence both inside and outside of the Crane is something I’ll have to carefully weigh.

It’s a different sort of battlefield to be in but it has to be equally ruthless if I want it to feel L5R-ish.

—

And so we’re looking at just what exactly is at stake when there’s conflict in a Crane Game:

Glory – Glory is the closest mechanical equivalent to “Fame” in Legend fo the Five Rings. The Rokugani culture respects Glory, as being known for great deeds elevates you above being just a normal samurai to someone of note. It’s an interesting mechanic as a young upstart with high Glory can skirt dishonor and break decorum with more leeway than most just by being a celebrity.

Honor – Honor is the closest thing to a “morality” stat in Rokugani culture, and having a high honor is something that is expected from the Crane. Sure it limits your ability to act to further your goals, but having a high honor also allows you to leverage significant amounts of influence without being subject to scrutiny. It’s a double-edged sword, as many “evil” individuals can find means to preserve a high Honor stat while getting dirty deeds done on the side.

Allies – It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. In rokugan, having people in the right places can get you very, very far. Because of that, a Crane Game will most likely involve a very large number of NPCs. Add the fact that Rokugani justice runs on testimony, and you get a potent combination.

Property – Ownership is something that I’ll have to establish early. The Player characters might not mind ninjas attacking at night, but I’ve yet to see a player be happy about seeing their Tea House burned to the ground by arsonists. (Not that I would EVER do that to a players property… yet.)

In any case, part of the fun of being in a Crane game would be the fact that there’s no such thing as a quick kill. Character assassination and the slow knife of politics is the name of the game in this one.

Game Design Resources Page Now Up!

For the curious, I’ve already started the Game Design Resources page for Life and Times of a Philippine Gamer, which you can find by clicking the “Game Design Resources” link just above the blog’s title. I’m still in the process of compiling as much as I can, and I’m sure that this page will grow pretty big over time, especially once I’ve gotten all of the links that people will be willing to offer.

Is It Time For A Philippine Game Design Resource Directory?

I’ve been thinking about putting up something like a resource page for people here in the Philippines who are looking to try their hand at game design. The idea isn’t completely fully formed in my head, but it’s something of a directory where interested freelancers can post their contact details and samples of their work if they’re willing to do some stuff for games.

Artists are an obvious target audience for this but editors, playtesters, freelance writers and game designers are all welcome to add their contact details as well. What I’m hoping to put together is a showcase and network, so that when someone like me wants to try and make a game, I have one place where I can go to when I’m looking for someone to make interior artwork for a game, edit my work or playtest my game.

I’m not sure how big the pen and paper game development community is here in the Philippines, but I’m sure that there are more than a few of us who have always wanted to come out with a game of our own, especially now that I’m elbows deep into a new game’s development and I’m setting my sights a little higher.

Scratching The Game Design Itch Again

It’s been a while since I’ve posted something that isn’t an installment in a Let’s Study series or a Review, hasn’t it? I’ll try to aim for a more balanced bunch of posts this time, but I will admit that I have yet to go through the rest of my pending reviews.

In any case, today I’m happy to be back in the process of game design. It’s been a year since I released BADASS into the wild, and I was happy with the way that it was received. The reviews of it have been fairly positive and its given me the confidence to try out something a little more ambitious this time. I’ve got a project in mind, and a collaborator in the form of Dariel of Hari Ragat Games. Dariel’s an old hand at game design as well, putting out some pretty awesome stuff steeped in the Swords & Sorcery tradition and with a ton of culture ladled on top for flavor.

We’re at the very early stage of putting together the concepts for the game, but I’m pretty excited. It has a lot of the elements of things I’ve been tossing around in the Campaign Design section of this blog, and I’m eager to get things rolling.

Sadly I can’t really share anything just yet (as much of it isn’t even set in stone) but we’re looking at throwing the Project up at IndieGoGo to help us drum up the necessary funds to come up with a very professional looking product.