I’ve been busy. So much as I can be while getting an adequate amount of sleep and taking care of a toddler.
Also, I’ve changed the name of the TTRPG (specifically) to “Imperium – Essence And Steel.”
I’ve been looking for alternatives to Schattenkrieg for a while. It’s not that I don’t like it, but not everyone appreciates German words as much as I do. Also, should I ever need to translate anything, it should go smoother. Lastly, I think it embodies the 632 NDZ setting quite well, given that magic and cyberonics (or both) are much more common now.
The Core System is done. I think character creation works well enough, though some things could be rearranged in the text for easier reference. I clarified the intro section and added additional dice examples (with fun tables and icons) in the rules section. I never knew emojis could be so visually useful.
Roll some dice 🎲🎲🎲🎲, get some results: ❌(Fumble), ⬛️ (Null), ✅ (Success), ✳️ (Exploding Success). I’m not using that all throughout the text like bespoke dice systems do, but it looks good in an example table. I did slap some ⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅ icons in here and there, but I’m not sure I like them, especially since not all dice use pips (that and they’re really small and making them bigger mucks with formatting). 💁🏻♂️
Moving on…
I still need to finish the Terminal (hacking), Cyberonics, and vehicle rules sections before the system is functionally complete (and ready for public alpha). Crafting rules, Runic Inscription, Were-forms for Deruvos (druids) and Cambri (shapeshifters) are just a blank spot with names of things they can turn into. I still don’t have any rules for quick NPC, Hazraadim (monster), or other creature generation. But I’ve got some ideas.
The solo rules and Game Master Emulator section are basically just an Oracle right now. So, that needs a lot of work. But that’s mostly just plugging things into tables. It shouldn’t take too long, right?
I’ve got a metric fuck-ton of lore and worldbuilding that I’ve been updating since 2022. Exactly how much of that I want to put in the game is a big question. Since I’m aiming for PDF for the alpha and beta versions of the game. Slapping all that in the GM/Lore Section isn’t a big deal, but when it comes to print (even if I’m the only one that ever buys a hardcopy), it might make for an overly thick tome.
Speaking of worldbuilding and lore. I really need to go back through the public database. Even with spoiler tags on half the entries, I probably put too much out there for the world to see. I have a very hard time keeping things concise and leaving a little mystery for people to speculate about… but again, that requires people to speculate, and so far, it’s just me.
That said, I’m doing this to say I did it. I’m not going to be butthurt if I never sell/give away a single copy. Once I get to the beta phase, I’ll probably throw out digital copies to various people and public spaces. So, who knows what might happen, or not.
I’m rambling. The game is coming along, and I’ll get back to the novel eventually (hopefully this year). I did listen to the novel again. There are a lot of little tweaks I can see myself doing, as well as fattening up the worldbuilding a little. The original draft was going off my 30+ year old memory of the setting, so it was a little sparse here and there.
I’m out,
-Anthony