A Role Playing Games Blog
Game Design
My edition of D&D
21September 22, 2011
Recently it was announced that Monte Cook is working for WotC again. And of course the rumors that they are already working on D&D 5th Edition flared up again. But that’s not what I want to write about today.
Sometimes I think about what would I have done if I was in charge of the development of D&D. Luckily I am not in that position so I can freely think about what I would like to design and play instead of worrying about what the fans would like to see. Because – you can trust me on this – I love to slaughter sacred cows. 
Let me start by a disclaimer: I haven’t been a fan of D&D before third edition and while OD&D in form of the retro clones has a certain charm for me, there are many other games I prefer.
From Weird West to Barbarians of the Future
3August 17, 2011
Today I want to share a couple of things I stumbled upon during the last days.
-
Tomb of the Overfiend
Weird West is definitely one of coolest old-school games ever conceived. It’s extremely rules-light, but contains a lot of weird west goodness. Recently Stuart Robertson, creator of that fine game, released a free one-page adventure based on an excellent map by Matt Jackson. And even if you’re not into Weird West you can easily use it for other old-school games as well. - Ashen Stars Theme Music
James Semple who has done several soundtracks for Gumshoe games in the past, has composed a theme music for Robin D. Laws latest game, Ashen Stars. I really hope this is the first sign of a full Ashen Stars soundtrack to come. You can listen to the rather short theme tune here. -
Barbarians of the Future
You probably might already have heard about Barbarians of Lemuria, Simon Washbourne’s Sword & Sorcery RPG. While I haven’t tried the game yet, it’s among the games I have to give a try at least once. Some people actually call it one of the best RPGs of the genre. Obviously the system used in BoL can also be easily be used in other genres. There’s Jabberwocky Productions’ post-apocalyptic setting-expansion Barbarians of the Aftermath for example.
A while back rpg.net forum member Maxwell Luther created a free PDF supplement for BoA that allows players and the GM to experience adventures in the grim-dark future of the Warhammer 40,000 universe (with the serial numbers filed off). If you are interested in both BoA and the WH40K universe, you should definitely give it a look. You can download the 42-paged PDF here. -
Expedition RPG
Fellow RPG blogger Dennis N. Santana has recently released an early playtest edition of his Expedition RPG. I haven’t had time to give it a closer look, but according to Shaun Welch’s playtest reports (part one & part two), he and his players not only had fun with the fast character creation system that allows truly unique character concepts, but also very much enjoyed the combat rules. From what I’ve seen Expedition contains a lot of interesting ideas that set the game apart from the majority of fantasy games. If you’re looking for something new, why don’t you give it a try. It’s free and obviously pretty polished for a game still in its alpha stage.
Starblazer Adventures: Biotics
0August 2, 2011
I finally made a breakthrough in my efforts to get a Mass Effect campaign using Starblazer Adventures up and running. The biggest hurdle so far have been the biotic abilities and tech talents. But luckily I’ve found solutions for both.
Tech is actually pretty easy. In most cases no special skills or stunts are needed. Starblazer’s Science and Engineering skills and their respective stunts pretty much cover everyting needed. The Omni-Tool from Mass Effect basically combines the Med Kit, the Multi-Tool and a PDA in one single item. In addition to that usage of the Omni-Tool shall allow the user to administer medical treatment with either their Engineering or Science skill whatever is higher.
With the help of Legends of Anglerre I was able to create a couple stunts for the new Biotics skill. In order to pick that skill the character needs at least one fitting Aspect. The stunts then give access to the powers you might know from Mass Effect 1.
Stargazer Games presents … BADASS!
3June 6, 2011
Have you ever wanted to play a game that kicks that logic in the face, twists its arm behind its back and makes it cry for its momma? Jay Steven Anyong’s BADASS is exactly that game. In this rules-light roleplaying game filled with pure awesomesauce and badassery you can kick a reinforced metal fire door down off its hinges, catch a bullet with your teeth or slice through an Abrams tank with your katana!
Mere words are not enough to describe the full extent of what BADASS is, so let me show you a few pages from this upcoming game:
Jay and I are currently working hard to get the game released. Although we are pretty badass ourselves, we still need a few days to get everything done. So stay tuned!
Weird West Roleplaying Game
0May 5, 2011
A couple of days ago Stuart Robertson released his extremely rules-light “Weird West Roleplaying Game”. Like the name suggests its meant for “weird western worlds of cowboys, kung-fu, magic and otherworldly malevolence”.
For just 1$ (at DriveThruRPG) you get the game in two PDF versions: one for viewing on your PC, tablet PC or smartphone and a special PocketMod version for printing.
The rules are extremely streamlined but that’s not a bad thing. Of course you don’t get longwinded introductions into roleplaying or an elaborate background, but the rules themselves contain enough fluff elements to get a campaign started in no time. My favorite is the magic and weird abilities section which contains everything from “Electromancy” over “Fastest Gun in the West” to “Shaolin Monk”.
If you are a fan of weird western world you definitely should give this game a try. I hope that Stuart has plans for Weird West supplement and perhaps other games in that format.
And this game made me wondering if a pocketmod version of WR&M might work. Of course the rules would need to be streamlined a bit more to make this work, but this could be a fun project.
Help a friend…
0May 3, 2011
A friend, fellow member of Puerto Rico Role Players and all around swell guy Rallaster, has been working on new base classes for the Pathfinder RPG. I’ve been looking over his creations, the Mystic Knight and the Shadow Knight, both in beta versions in his blog. He’s looking for constructive criticism on these classes, so if you like the Pathfinder RPG system and can give a friend a hand I invite you to visit his blog. He’s got some other stuff there as well.
If you drop by make sure you tell him I sent you! I had told him I was going to write this and I have taken my sweet time… Sorry for that my friend.
Help playtest the High Score RPG
1April 15, 2011
High Score is a roleplaying game currently in development by fellow RPG blogger Dennis Santana which has an interesting premise. Each event in the game has a certain high score the players have to reach before they “won” the scene. Of course there might be different objectives. Killing all the bad guys may grant you enough points to finish the scene successfully but rescuing the damsel in distress may also get you halfway there.
Dennis has recently released a 24-paged playtest version of the game that you can download from his blog. If you are interested in trying something new, you should definitely have a look at High Score. And don’t forget to send your feedback to Dennis. His email address is given in the playtest document.
You have a question about an existing or upcoming Stargazer Games product? Ask away! You want to know what we think about a recent development in the RPG industry? Send in your questions. You always wanted to know what we think about game X? Send us an email.
