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Decisions, Decisions

Decisions, Decisions

A planned part of my creative strategy is not just to write stories and novels, but also to integrate the world-building elements of those projects into tabletop game material that I can also sell. Basically offering myself a license to my own IP, and self-publishing game material via DriveThruRPG or a similar outlet.

That suggests framing that creative material within a genre-agnostic game system. After all, my two primary creative projects involve heroic alternate-world fantasy (The Curse of Steel and its sequels) and relatively hard-SF space opera (the Human Destiny setting). Any game system that could cover both is not going to be strongly bound to any existing setting or genre.

So the question arises: do I build such a system of my own, or do I find an existing one that works for me and has friendly licensing terms?

I have been gathering design notes for a personally owned game system, under the working title of EIDOLON. There would certainly be no licensing issues there. On the other hand, time spent designing a completely new tabletop game is time I’m not writing. Also, a completely new game system would start with zero market presence. Why should anyone buy such a product, when they would almost certainly have to convert the material to their favorite system before using it?

GURPS is certainly a possibility. I’ve been a GURPS player (and writer, and editor) for many years. Unfortunately, it’s been a long time since I did any work for Steve Jackson Games, so I’m no longer in close contact. In any case, the GURPS licensing terms are pretty strict. Far from impossible to work with – I’m certainly aware of other creators who have published their own GURPS material for sale – but maybe more trouble than it’s worth for what I’m planning to do.

I’ve considered using FATE Core, which certainly fits the criteria (setting- and genre-agnostic, and very congenial licensing terms). Unfortunately, that system is a little too rules-light for my taste. I’ve never quite been able to wrap my brain around how it works in play, so writing material for it feels like a bit more of a challenge than I’m after. I may just need a little more crunch in my game rules.

I’ve glanced at a few other systems over the past couple of years – notably the Genesys system from Fantasy Flight Games – but nothing has quite hit the sweet spot I’m looking for.

Now I see that there’s a new edition of the Cortex system out – the Cortex Prime core rules. These were Kickstarted back in 2017 and have just been released to the public.

Cortex Prime doesn’t look like a playable game right out of the box, so much as it is a toolkit for constructing playable games. Well, that’s true for systems like GURPS or FATE as well, so that’s certainly not a drawback. Reading through the core book, I’m getting a good feeling for the system’s crunchiness and flexibility. Previous editions of Cortex have carried fairly generous licensing terms, and the current publisher seems interested in following suit.

Hmm. I may have to contact them and see if this would be a good fit for what I want to do. If it does work out, then EIDOLON may go on the back burner. Or off the stove entirely.

Status Report (21 May 2019)

Status Report (21 May 2019)

Just a short note this evening. I think my writer’s block of the last couple of months is finally starting to come unstuck, all thanks to the Muses.

Over the weekend I managed to finish a chapter of the Silmarillion fan-fiction novel I’ve been poking at for a long time. Might be able to push that forward a bit more smoothly in the next couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, I’ve also been fairly successful in using FATE to rework the plot of The Curse of Steel. I’m using the game as a structure to work out setting, characters, and plot, and it seems to be effective. It’s unabashedly a brain-hack, something to keep my creative mind focused on actually producing story rather than slipping back down the rabbit-hole of purposeless speculation and world-building. A little more work on that project and I may be able to re-write the first quarter or so of the draft novel without pause.

Every evening I try to set aside an hour or two before bedtime to make some forward progress. Cross my fingers that it keeps coming together.

The Curse of Steel: Characters

The Curse of Steel: Characters

Here are some first-fruits of the work I’ve been doing with the FATE tabletop game, trying to find a new way to discipline my world-building and story-planning work.

The idea was for me to work through character design for the leads of my partial-draft novel The Curse of Steel, and use that process (as the FATE game suggests) to do some of the world-building for the setting. So far the exercise seems to have worked out well. I know a lot more about these characters than I did before, and I have a bunch of fresh ideas about the world they live in.


Kráva the Swift

A tall, athletic young woman, well-muscled, slim of figure, trained as a warrior. Carries a number of small scars, the worst being a set of bear-claw marks on her left shoulder. Tawny brown skin, black hair with violet highlights, cobalt-blue eyes. Usually wears leather combat gear, topped off with a bear-skin cloak, with one or two pieces of jewelry to show off her wealth.

Aspects

  • Headstrong Warrior Woman
  • Wielder of the Lightning Blade
  • Always Have Something to Prove
  • Everyone Deserves a Fair Chance
  • Talk to the Fist

Skills

  • Great (+4): Shoot
  • Good (+3): Athletics, Horses
  • Fair (+2): Fight, Physique, Resources
  • Average (+1): Crafts, Notice, Provoke, Will

Extras & Stunts

  • Tarankláva, the Lightning Blade: This ancient sword, made of what in another world would be called the finest Damascus steel, is the primary reason the setting is called “The Curse of Steel.”
    • To use Tarankláva to its full potential, you must have the aspect Wielder of the Lightning Blade, indicating that the sword has accepted you as its owner (and as the current instrument of its revenge). The sword also costs 1 point of refresh.
    • At all times, the sword grants +2 to Fight while you use it in battle.
    • The sword also has two aspects of its own: See into the Hearts of Men and Slayer of Corrupt Kings. As the possessor of Tarankláva, you can invoke these aspects yourself, but they can also be compelled. The sword will “tell” you about the dishonesty and sins of the people around you, even (or especially) when you would rather not know. The sword will also push you into destroying corrupt people, especially in positions of power, the higher the position the better.
  • Charioteer: +2 to overcome or create-an-advantage actions with Horses if you are driving a chariot.
  • Legendary Archer: When wielding a bow, you may use Shoot to make attacks with it up to four zones away.
  • Swift and Certain of Foot: +2 to overcome or create-an-advantage actions with Athletics if you are running across broken or built-up ground.

Refresh: 2.

Consequences

  • Physical Stress Track: 3 boxes
  • Mental Stress Track: 3 boxes
  • Standard consequence slots

Elements of Backstory

  • As a young woman, Kráva always felt that she had to prove herself to her father and their clan. On one occasion she went out hunting, alone and without backup. She encountered an angry bear, and although she managed to kill the beast, she was badly injured and had to spend weeks recovering. Her father rebuked her, but he also made sure she was given the bear’s pelt to keep.
    Aspect: Always Have Something to Prove
  • Kráva and her father were in Verkanta when Lóka ran away from his master. Degra was put in charge of finding the runaway slave, responsible for tracking him down. Kráva spoke up for Lóka, and delayed events long enough for Kúnadan to intervene.
    Aspect: Everyone Deserves a Fair Chance
  • Kráva and her father were in Verkanta again when Drotháno ruined the foreign trader’s schemes. When the trader tried to run to King Módran for help, Kráva and Drotháno were the ones who cornered him and beat him within an inch of his life, running him out of town.
    Aspect: Talk to the Fist

Drotháno the Silent

A powerfully built young man, tall and heavily muscled. Tawny brown skin, dark brown hair, crystal blue eyes. Always dressed in simple but well-kept clothing, or in well-maintained combat gear. Very quiet, almost never speaks around strangers.

Aspects

  • Loyal Warrior of the Wolf Clan
  • Uncomfortable Around Strangers
  • A Lot Smarter Than I Look
  • Woods-Wise
  • Always Listens to a Tale of Woe

Skills

  • Great (+4): Physique
  • Good (+3): Fight, Stealth
  • Fair (+2): Empathy, Horses, Will
  • Average (+1): Athletics, Crafts, Investigate, Notice

Extras & Stunts

  • Brawler: When fighting a mob of nameless characters, you deal one additional stress on a physical hit.
  • Tough as Nails: Once per session, at the cost of a fate point, you can reduce the severity of a moderate physical consequence to a mild consequence (if the mild consequence slot is free), or erase a mild physical consequence altogether.
  • I Can See Through You: +2 to overcome or defend against lies with Empathy.

Refresh: 3.

Consequences

  • Physical Stress Track: 4 boxes
  • Mental Stress Track: 3 boxes
  • Standard consequence slots

Elements of Backstory

  • A foreign trader from civilized lands came to visit Sudavai territory, and tried to swindle the Wolf-clan out of its gold and silver in exchange for worthless trinkets. Fortunately, the trader paid Drotháno no attention, thinking him simple, and he was able to uncover the plot. He and his father tricked the trader into revealing his intentions, and the man was driven away with a fine and a beating.
    Aspect: A Lot Smarter Than I Look
  • When Kráva went out hunting alone and didn’t come back right away, her father sent out warriors to search for her in the wilderness. Even though he was only a guest, Drotháno was one of the ones who volunteered to help. He tracked her, found her after she fought the bear, bandaged her wounds, and helped her get safely home.
    Aspect: Woods-Wise
  • When Lóka ran away from his master, it was Drotháno who found him naked and injured in a back alley of Verkanta. He helped the older boy hide, cleaned him up, disguised him, and helped him get to Kúnadan’s hall. Lóka has been grateful ever since.
    Aspect: Always Listens to a Tale of Woe

Lóka the Clever

Handsome man of average height and build. His olive-skinned coloring is several shades lighter than usual, betraying his mixed heritage. Has dark brown eyes and black hair. Always wearing fine clothes, often in white or in bright colors, along with the iron torc of a low-ranking vaita. Usually carries a small harp slung in its case on his back.

Aspects

  • Ambitious Scholar and Magician
  • Too Clever for My Own Good
  • I Owe Kúnadan Everything
  • Drotháno is My Blood Brother
  • Reading the Book of Fate

Skills

  • Great (+4): Lore
  • Good (+3): Magic, Rapport
  • Fair (+2): Contacts, Notice, Will
  • Average (+1): Deceive, Empathy, Investigate, Provoke

Extras & Stunts

  • Demagogue: +2 to Rapport when you are speaking in front of a mob or crowd and trying to sway them to act as you wish.
  • Linguist: +2 to Lore when you are reading, writing, speaking, or translating an unusual language.
  • Trained Physician: You can make physical recovery attempts, for yourself or others, with Lore.

Refresh: 3.

Consequences

  • Physical Stress Track: 2 boxes
  • Mental Stress Track: 3 boxes
  • Standard consequence slots

Elements of Backstory

  • Lóka was born the son of a slave in Verkanta, and would normally never have been considered for initiation as a vaita. As a young man, he ran away from home to present himself at the hall of the chief vaita, Kúnadan, hoping to demonstrate his determination to learn. His former master tracked him down there and threatened to kill him, but in front of Kúnadan he challenged the man to a contest of poetry and won. The vaita took him under his wing, trained him, and initiated him.
    Aspect: I Owe Kúnadan Everything
  • Lóka was present in Verkanta when the foreign trader tried to swindle the Wolf-clan. At first, he offered to help the trader in exchange for a cut of the profits. Later, he decided to help the Wolf-clan instead, advising Drotháno and helping him to trick the trader.
    Aspect: Drotháno is My Blood Brother
  • Kúnadan and Lóka were visiting the Lion-clan when Kráva went hunting alone and returned badly injured. Lóka was assigned to provide medicine and healing magic. He was impressed by the young woman’s courage and had a sudden strong foresight of her destiny. He persuaded Kúnadan to arrange for Kráva to be recognized as a warrior-woman of the tribe. Kúnadan began to train Lóka as a seer and prophet.
    Aspect: Reading the Book of Fate

Worldbuilding Notes

The setting for The Curse of Steel is a gritty swords-and-sorcery world, set at an early Iron Age level, reminiscent of pre-Roman Europe, Middle-earth in the Second Age, or the Hyborian Era. The initial set of characters will all be members of a barbarian culture, technically sophisticated but organized along tribal lines, on the fringes of the civilized world.

The Setting’s Big Issues

Corruption in the King’s Hall – The Sudavai tribe has a new king, and he is already showing signs of being a very bad king indeed. He favors his own family and clan at the expense of others, he breaks the law and steps all over people to grab wealth and power, and he’s starting to imitate the hypocritical manners of civilized kingdoms.

A God of Iron and Fire – Far away, several of the civilized kingdoms have come under the sway of a dark and terrible god. This god seeks to conquer and rule the world, eradicating all his ancient enemies and stamping out every vestige of freedom. Although this threat to the Sudavai people isn’t immediate, it’s already influencing events.

Faces & Places

King Módran – The new king of the Sudavai, a relatively young man who fits the tribe’s image of the “good king” (handsome, brave, a good fighter). Has the aspects Gold Sticks to My Fingers and Smooth-Talking Liar.

The Dark God’s Envoy – A mysterious figure who acts as the Dark God’s agent among the Sudavai tribe. At the beginning of the story, no one knows who this is, or even that he or she exists.

Kúnadan – The old chief vaita of the kingdom, the king’s advisor and one of the few men in his hall who hasn’t been corrupted yet.

“The Foreign Trader” – A traveling merchant from civilized countries, who sometimes tries to make a profit by swindling the tribesmen. Carries a very bitter grudge against our heroes. I don’t have a name for this individual yet, and may need to do a bit of constructed-language work to derive one.

Verkanta – The settlement (basically a small fortified town) where King Módran keeps his hall, the largest owned by the Sudavai tribe and the effective capital.

Some Timeline Notes

  • 23 years ago – Lóka is born.
  • 22 years ago – Drotháno is born.
  • 20 years ago – Kráva is born.
  • 7 years ago – Lóka runs away from his master and is taken in by Kúnadan.
  • 4 years ago – Kráva goes hunting alone and is badly injured by a bear.
  • 1 year ago – Drotháno prevents a foreign trader from swindling the Wolf-clan.

Skills

The Drive skill is replaced by a Horses skill, which covers both horseback riding and driving a chariot. All other skills are as in the default list.

There is a separate Magic skill, used by everyone in the setting who might have magical powers.

Magic

Several magical styles may appear in the course of the story, some of them quite flashy. For now, there’s a common “hedge magic” style shared by almost every human culture in one form or another. In the tribal culture where Kráva and her friends live, this low-key style is practiced by the vaitai or “wise ones,” a professional class who provide a variety of services.

Extra: Common Magic

  • Permissions: One aspect indicating that you’ve been trained as a magician.
  • Costs: Skill ranks invested in the Magic skill. This form of magic costs no points of refresh, as it’s largely a matter of flavor.
  • Characters trained in Common Magic can use their knowledge to perform supernatural effects, including the following actions:
    • Overcome: Use Magic to prepare and perform magical rituals properly, or to answer questions about arcane phenomena.
    • Create an Advantage: Use Magic to alter the environment with magic, or to place mental or physical impediments on a target. Characters can defend against this with Will.
    • Attack: Use Magic to directly harm someone with magic, either through conjuring of physical force or through mental assault. These attacks can be made up to one zone away. Targets can defend with Athletics or Will, depending on the nature of the attack, or Magic if the target also has magical training.
    • Defend: Use Magic to defend against hostile magic or other supernatural effects.

A note about vaitai: membership in the college is ranked, so that a vaita can be referred to as having a specific “degree.” First degree vaitai are the most advanced and powerful, whereas seventh degree vaitai are just starting out. To estimate the degree of a vaita, add up their ranks in the Lore, Magic, and Will skills, and subtract the total from 16. It’s not possible to be higher than first degree, and anyone who is below seventh degree is simply considered a “novice.” So for example, Lóka the Clever is a seventh-degree vaita, still apprenticed to a more experienced professional.

Status Report (11 May 2019)

Status Report (11 May 2019)

There have been some recent developments. In particular, I’ve finally come out the far side of a roughly six-week period of really busy time at the office. Next week I’m helping to teach one of my own courses, and then there’s not much on my calendar for the rest of the summer. While I will still have plenty of other projects to occupy my day-job time, I won’t be putting in so many long days, weekend hours, or business trips for a while.

Meanwhile, the creative juices seem to be flowing again at home, so I’m starting to get some world-building and writing work done again.

In particular, I’ve been experimenting with a new approach to world-building for the literary projects I have on the docket. My preferred tabletop game for many years has been GURPS, flagship RPG from Steve Jackson Games. That’s not likely to change, but recently I’ve turned to another “generic, universal” game to do basic world-building. That game is FATE, published by Evil Hat Productions, a sophisticated and highly polished version of the venerable FUDGE system.

GURPS is deeply simulation-driven, largely derived from the tabletop wargaming thread of the origins of roleplaying games. FATE, on the other hand, is deeply narrative-driven, encouraging its users to do only as much world-building as they need to generate cool characters and drive their stories forward. Definitely worth considering for someone like me, who tends to fling himself down the world-building rabbit-hole to the exclusion of actually writing and publishing stories.

Unfortunately, while I understand GURPS inside and out, FATE is a pretty different approach to the problem of world-building and story prep. I’ve had trouble in the past wrapping my head around how it works. In the last few weeks, though, I’ve made a concerted effort to force myself to go through FATE‘s world-building and character-creation processes, with one of my literary projects in mind (the gritty-fantasy setting I’m calling The Curse of Steel). The results are starting to feel fairly promising. More about that over the next few days, I think.

None of which is to say that you won’t be seeing anything more from me about GURPS in the future. Still, if this experiment pans out, I may end up doing a lot of literary prep work with FATE instead. I might then come back and write things up in GURPS terms, but only after I’ve made good progress with a story that’s on track for publication.

It has also not escaped my notice that it would be a lot easier for me to self-publish material for FATE than to do the same for GURPS. Self-publishing GURPS-based material for profit certainly isn’t impossible, and I do have a long (if rather stale) history as a published GURPS author if I wanted to make a proposal to Steve Jackson Games. On the other hand, the FATE system is available under an Open Gaming License or a Creative Commons license. To be explored if and when I have something that might be worth publishing.