I'm starting to think about homebrewing my own system. Mostly, I blame Trollsmyth's Moldvay/Basic hack, and Amagi Games. 4e coming out had something to do with it, giving me two related but different games to analyze.
And then there's my own sense that, someday, this is something that I'm going to have to do. Like running OD&D, or owning a sword. (And learning to use it, of course, but I've already started that; I have good luck with friends.) Someday I will write a terrible RPG and inflict it upon my friends. This is a law of my universe.
But lately it's moved off the back burners, and started taking up a bit more mental time. Especially since all this talk of cyberpunk started. If I were to start a serious project, now, it would be cyberpunk -- or rather, a fully cyberpunk-embracing version of that specific setting that was my first campaign. It's been on my mind lately, and while there were serious problems with that game I think there's a pretty decent setting there, cleaned up by my semi-adult self.
What's more likely to happen is that I'll use that setting for this year's NaNoWriMo novel (again) and run some D&D instead. Might be better to do another novel with it anyway, to get the setting into some kind of coherent form. (Not like it needs another incarnation -- this is one of my few really deep obsessions, along with D&D and Batman.) I may write up some notes as the mood strikes, but my school could really use some more D&D.
What I really want to know is, why does this have to hit during WoAdWriMo?
Showing posts with label outlaws. Show all posts
Showing posts with label outlaws. Show all posts
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Friday, July 04, 2008
Not Post-Apocalyptic, It Was Actually Cyberpunk
Huh. So, I always thought of my first campaign as post-apocalyptic, in genre. Then noisms comes along with a new and exciting definition --
-- and I realize, no, it was cyberpunk.
Post-apocalypse never really worked, anyway. It had some elements of that, but it also had this whole techno-city-biz thing going on next to that, and the point was the conflict between the post-apocalyptic part and the shiny happy capitalism part. Cyberpunk.
Armed with this knowledge, I might go back and run another cyberpunk game some day. Using a setting built off of what I used for that original campaign, but making significantly more sense now that I have a better idea of what it's about. (That'll help with the novels I keep trying to write about it, too. A lot.)
One thing I know I'd change would be to add a lot more genetech to it. Gene manipulation, out of control retro-viruses, some kind of GM ecological disaster. In the real world, as a general rule, I think GM crops and gene therapy and so on are a good thing. But I like the themes their mis-use suggests, especially for a game. Lets me give people mutant powers and fun things like that. Out of control technology, generally, is something I'd like to play with; robots run amok and people buying military hardware off the street.
Unfortunately, I've got a lot of other games I'd like to run, so this may sit on the back-burner for a while. And I don't know what system I'd use -- I love d20 Modern, and I have both it and Future, but the equipment lists aren't that great, and I don't know that it handles genetech abilities that well. GURPS would be better in both those areas, but I'd actually have to send in my core books to get replaced (bad first 4th edition printing) and I'd want to get a couple other books. And while I like GURPS, I've never had that much success actually playing it.
But cyberpunk was always about more than that, at root - its heart has always been in what Bruce Sterling called "the victims of the New"; the people who the Brave New World of the Future has left confused, damaged and trodden underfoot. From our perspective in the new millenium, what are the kind of things that will make people into outsiders, rebels, dropouts and scumbags, and what will those people - the ones with the pizazz to do anything, that is - be directing their rage against?
-- and I realize, no, it was cyberpunk.
Post-apocalypse never really worked, anyway. It had some elements of that, but it also had this whole techno-city-biz thing going on next to that, and the point was the conflict between the post-apocalyptic part and the shiny happy capitalism part. Cyberpunk.
Armed with this knowledge, I might go back and run another cyberpunk game some day. Using a setting built off of what I used for that original campaign, but making significantly more sense now that I have a better idea of what it's about. (That'll help with the novels I keep trying to write about it, too. A lot.)
One thing I know I'd change would be to add a lot more genetech to it. Gene manipulation, out of control retro-viruses, some kind of GM ecological disaster. In the real world, as a general rule, I think GM crops and gene therapy and so on are a good thing. But I like the themes their mis-use suggests, especially for a game. Lets me give people mutant powers and fun things like that. Out of control technology, generally, is something I'd like to play with; robots run amok and people buying military hardware off the street.
Unfortunately, I've got a lot of other games I'd like to run, so this may sit on the back-burner for a while. And I don't know what system I'd use -- I love d20 Modern, and I have both it and Future, but the equipment lists aren't that great, and I don't know that it handles genetech abilities that well. GURPS would be better in both those areas, but I'd actually have to send in my core books to get replaced (bad first 4th edition printing) and I'd want to get a couple other books. And while I like GURPS, I've never had that much success actually playing it.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Distracted by THE FUTURE
Pondering post-apocalyptic science fiction as a game setting. Whether I should put the work in, whether I should go for something fairly straightforward or totally oddball. Either way could work, and I've never really done either. Outlaws really wasn't properly post-apocalyptic.
If I go serious I'll want to get d20 Future. Very cool book, I once borrowed it from a friend. If I go with something fantasy/bizarre, I'll have enough material that I won't feel a strong need to go out and buy it. Probably. Chaositech has rules for mutants, I can hack together rules for robots, and I hear BESM d20 has a pretty nifty set of SRD rules for mecha.
I'd really like to put together a feat-tree type system for mutations. Actually, I could just use feats for that--maybe with a class that grants bonus mutation feats. Hrm. That would take work, but it might be worth it.
If I was going to run a post-apocalyptic game.
If I go serious I'll want to get d20 Future. Very cool book, I once borrowed it from a friend. If I go with something fantasy/bizarre, I'll have enough material that I won't feel a strong need to go out and buy it. Probably. Chaositech has rules for mutants, I can hack together rules for robots, and I hear BESM d20 has a pretty nifty set of SRD rules for mecha.
I'd really like to put together a feat-tree type system for mutations. Actually, I could just use feats for that--maybe with a class that grants bonus mutation feats. Hrm. That would take work, but it might be worth it.
If I was going to run a post-apocalyptic game.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Outlaws Core Story
You’re an outlaw. You’re a robot, or a mutant, or just be some punk kid with your head screwed on wrong. You’ve got guns, you’ve got the wasteland, you’ve got hacker skills and psychic powers.
The other guys have everything else. They’ve got armies, they’ve got technology, and they’ve got power. But mostly what they’ve got is stuff.
Outlaws is about breaking stuff.
See, I was fiddling with the idea of doing an Outlaws remake. Putting together some outlines for rules modifications I'd like to use. Thinking back on that campaign, and thinking about why it was fun. And reading some stuff on the internet.
I happened to come across a mention of "computer controlled trash cans." Which, of course, would have been exactly the kind of thing to turn into a crazy awesome session. Naturally, "computer controlled" would have meant"controlled by the city mainframe, and connected to the internet." And naturally, as soon as the PCs heard that, they would have hacked into them and started wreaking trash-related havoc.
I think that was one of the major things that made that game fun. The Republic had all this stuff, and the PCs were always hacking into it, or destroying it, usually with some inane scheme. As long as it stuck to that, it was fun. When it didn't, it was . . . less fun.
The other guys have everything else. They’ve got armies, they’ve got technology, and they’ve got power. But mostly what they’ve got is stuff.
Outlaws is about breaking stuff.
See, I was fiddling with the idea of doing an Outlaws remake. Putting together some outlines for rules modifications I'd like to use. Thinking back on that campaign, and thinking about why it was fun. And reading some stuff on the internet.
I happened to come across a mention of "computer controlled trash cans." Which, of course, would have been exactly the kind of thing to turn into a crazy awesome session. Naturally, "computer controlled" would have meant"controlled by the city mainframe, and connected to the internet." And naturally, as soon as the PCs heard that, they would have hacked into them and started wreaking trash-related havoc.
I think that was one of the major things that made that game fun. The Republic had all this stuff, and the PCs were always hacking into it, or destroying it, usually with some inane scheme. As long as it stuck to that, it was fun. When it didn't, it was . . . less fun.
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