Δv musings

So I've been working on my Knave hack for a quick, Pick-up-&-play type of SF system. Mostly just for fun, but also just an expression of how I think about the OSR and my own style of play. Namely: modular, diegetic based, referee plays world and (I know, shocking for an OSR type) dice are fun to roll. Also Ben made Knave to be hacked, and although it has been, not nearly to the extent I expected such a solid, open and modular system like it is should be. So I wanna.

I'm gonna add some pictures from some of the stories by H. Beam Piper available on Project Gutenberg. I love the aesthetic of them so damn much.

Little Fuzzy

Mechanics

So it is very much supposed to mimic Knave, and make judicious use of the "use whatever advantage you want" advice in the designer's notes. The base system is rock-solid, and I'm just adding to that. That being said, I gave a whole bunch of mechanics which can be used to emulate certain liked styles of play. Otherwise, the game is just as is.  

Character creation is made to be lightning fast. Yet, I have tried to preserve some of the fun mini-game that many modern rpgs have in their character creation system. You roll 3d6 and HP as per normal, but the Inventory slot system is used for abilities as well, called Stamina Slots. The Constitution Defense plus your highest bonus based score slots gives a mechanical backing to what you as a person could weather in your past (allowing you to permanently use slots for abilities), and allows for the other backing of making your character instantly customizable via items. This is unlike other games like html, and other Knave slot hacks, which I find bloats the instant you add extra slots using different ability scores. One might ask why would you mash your history, abilities and items into one set of limited slots, and just how could items then be useful if you have basically no slots if you decide to have a long and storied character? Well, that is the character creation tradeoff - you are modular or you are set. Also, items in SF games usually have a large number of uses. This forces you to immediately consider what you can carry, and whether it is useful. Also good for heist games. This system is simple, forces difficult choices, is play-orientated, and totally able to just be left to dice. 

I have yet to be proven disastrously wrong with unintended and unforseen design holes.

Exploring Ancient Mars in Omnilingual

Ships 

God this is one of those things isn't it. Every SF game needs vehicle mechanics. I have a love/hate relationship with that. So, I have made it that technically you could use whatever system suits your fancy. But I have also been fiddling with a weird system for ships which uses assumed advantage as its mechanic, which was made for the system, but I now realise is so modular as to simply be a type of ship wargame on its own. It has actually made me consider making a caravanserai type SF game, with customizable, simple characters in each ship.

Those lines, that shuttle!

Graphic Design

Every part is written to facilitate writing on a physical, self-printed out copy of the document. The Mechanics added-on to Knave are simple enough to make more of them, or to remove them entirely. I did this with wide line spacing, wide margins, tables with clear space to add to (with simple enough examples of mechanics) the vague definition of Advantage (which can be used as Knave describes, or, I have suggested sets of mechanics for Dis/Advantaged rolls). 

I will add Play Principles for both GM and Player in due time.

 

Setting

Very SWN-esque, and deliberately. Your player could die at any point. If you are not so sold on character death, you could institute an "at 0 HP you're unconcious, but roll on this effects table." which one can just steal from Into the Odd. To that end, you could use it to play a fun Star Wars game too I guess.

Frigid, Dead Mars.

Archeologists on Mars

The Old King

you just know they're bastards don't ya

Hell yeah space knight. Or MC?

space sword!

Those dreams of mega-structures...

Many Bubbling Pots

Plebs: Troika and EB

 

So I've been half working on a hack for Troika and Electric Bastionland (initially EB, but I figured I could just use Troika as well) called SPQR or Plebs. A humorous romp through the city of Ancient Imperial Rome. Supposed to be simultaneously anachronistic and also educational for the enterprising Referee and player. It will include two books, one for use with EB and the other for use with Troika. It'll include a simple pointcrawl map of Imperial Rome, with random tables to fill in black spaces on the map, as well as plot or hook tables. Thinking of making a Roman Bath adventure specifically tied to making connections, and getting jobs. Inspirations include; Monty Python The Life of Brian (Film), Horrible Histories - the Rotton Romans (Books) Blackadder (Series), Rome (Drama Series) and Plebs (Sitcom). 

Δv

from Omnilingual by H. Beam Piper

  

You might know that I'm working on a SpaceKnave hack called Δv. It's bubbling nicely along, but I've realised (after designing a whole subsystem completely separate from Knave) that there are so many Spaceship subsystems out there that you could just pick and choose and get on with it. Look at Stars Without Number or White Dwarf or just wing it, seriously. 

That being said, this spaceship subsystem is looking interesting to play as part of a caravanserai space trader game. Each player has his own ship and characters and they hop around looking for deals or danger. 

I'll probably publish the two together for a cost, and publish the spaceship rules separately as PWYW for exactly those groups who have a SF game but no spaceship rules.

FKR

I've been hanging out in the FKR discord, mostly lurking, and have found the "any book is your sourcebook" approach really, really fun. It's very obvious that FKR is a re-discovering of the joy of childlike make believe, as adults. Except it is far more structured and has a ton more game design philosophy behind it. I loved the Free Kriegspiel Revolution tag, and it made me immediately want to make something for a setting I've always wanted to play in - the Europe of Scott Westerfield's Leviathan. So I made it. Quickly sketched out a character creation process and put it up. Obviously I have no rights to the setting, but consider this a type of fanart. 

enter a biopunk, dieselpunk 1914...

Studies alongside Tabletop Adventure Games

Of course, among all of this I have my studies. It's long, a cross-country marathon at this point but ultimately worthwhile. Balancing my love of the Tabletop Adventure Game with work is one ongoing.

That odd Troika! collection. 

Some time ago I put together an odd collection of backgrounds for Troika! Daniel Sell's excellent re-imagining of Advanced Fighting Fantasy. As I have mentioned previously it is an absolute pleasure to knock out one or two backgrounds when you're bored, and recently I've done so again. Observe... 

 

Maybe I'll playtest them and publish them on my itch page, maybe I'll make a whole new set for my Basic Fantasy game tentatively referred to as Typewriter Fantasy

Mausritter

I've been playing a game of Mausritter, and although I had some drop-outs due to expectations of a heavier system, it has been rather fun! I have yet to get my head around mixing the Sword & Sorcery with...animals? It's a bit whimsical, but nonetheless I can certainly see the vast potential of it. 

I am resolved to make a list of creatures I like, and make them terrifying or interesting by just reading what they do. Tim Kask in his Curmudgeon in the Cellar series has pointed out how the tendency of creating new strange beasts for early TSR AD&D tended to make an unidentifiable slurry of same-feeling monsters. He points out that the animal world has tricks and tactics which are terrifying if used on those adventurers unfamiliar with them.

A Tabletop Fantasy Adventure Game

I truly have tried my best to plan some kind of OSR system for Tiroeth. It has so far been a little bit of a continual dipping of toes in water. I look at stripping down Scarlet Heroes and then step away. I look at Old School Essentials, then decide it's too janky for my liking. Overall, Tiroeth has soured it's a pity to say. I'm already looting its corpse for the ripe ideas I had then.

I'm settling on Knave at the moment (and honestly also Troika! but I feel bad stepping back from the acid fantasy it bathes in). I really admire Ben Milton's streamlined work, want to play more of it, and so have been having a wonderful time creating more Knacks for my Knaves. I just wonder which adventure I should start them off on; B2 Keep on the Borderlands? Gatehouse on Cormac's Crag? Castle Xyntillian? or maybe just Tomb of the Serpent Kings?

So many options...