Its been three years since I launched Duty & Honour and my world changed forever. Its been an amazing adventure so far but I needed some time to relax and sit back and reflect on where things are and where things could be going. I did this during this year's sabbatical from conventions. I finished my teaching qualification, got my job prospects sorted and looked long and hard at the 'Empire' line. A few things struck me. The first was that there were certain commitments that I had made (and half-finished books that I have done) which could be brought to market if I thought a little differently about format and content. Shook things up a bit. The second was that, when all this is done, I'm pretty much bored with Napoleonics at the moment. You can only have so many pointy hats. So I fancied something different.
So I dug out an old idea that just will not die. A game I have written on backs of envelopes for the last few years but never really got my teeth into. Over the last couple of nights, teeth have been well and truly engaged and gnawing has been taking place. So what is it?
Well, I'm not sure, because it can be anything really. I've skinned it as ultra-high fantasy at the moment but I suppose it could do any sort of genre if need be. I haven't even had time to come up with an elevator pitch except that its my take on a pick-up and play game where you can have characters and situation done in about ten minutes and an adventure resolved in maybe an hour? Lots of stuff about hero's journey floating around in my head about it as well.
So why mention this alpha-alpha here? Well, because I'm really excited about it. Its new. Its different. It does not smell of garlic! It could be a new route for Omnihedron Games or it could die a million deaths on the playtesting table of doom tomorrow. Its the thrill of the unknown that makes it so good!
More later...
(Oh and before anyone starts jumping up and down, no this does not mean I am stopping doing Empire at all. *looks at production schedule* Far from it....)
3 comments:
Hope tomorrow goes well. See you at the GenCon launch :)
Just a little feedback. Playtest went far better than I could ever have imagined. The two testers picked the system up in minutes and then pretty much ran with it for two hours. Chargen was simple and quick but needs some guidance to get the most from the system. The story structure worked wonderfully and delivered a great arc of a tale with the variety that I wanted. The resolution system worked exactly as intended but part of it needs some templating to be crystal clear. The outcomes section was also exactly as intended and created a very interesting dynamic at the table.
In essence, woot! I was very pleased. Considering the mess that D&H was at first showing, this is much much better.
Now to actually write the thing 'properly'
Fantasy game?
Epic storytelling?
Actual roleplaying instead of munchkining (is that a word? I think it should be, if not. I'm gonna go with it...)
Big Woot, I say!
And bring it on.
Post a Comment