The OGL wildfires have inspired me to get back to game design. I've thought about this unformed game a lot (four years if you count that first blog post), and worked on it very little. I'm writing about it now to put it out into the world, to add that weight of accountability.
Last year I talked about using Cortex Prime with Star Wars. I've run a few more times and while there are no major changes in my philosophy, I've learned enough to warrant sharing some ideas.
I made 24XX: BANDIT a while back for Pretendo Games' 24XX Jam on itch. Of the two 24XX games I've made (BREACH being the first and simplest), I've run BANDIT many more times and its rough edges are more apparent now after a fairly lengthy online campaign. Like the Super Sabre, Super Hornet, and Super … Continue reading Super Bandit Development
Two and a half years ago I wrote a series of posts about adapting Cortex Prime for Star Wars. I've had some sessions and learned some lessons since then, not just about StarCortexPrimeWars but also about what parts of the expansive Cortex toolkit work best for me. As usual, preferences vary, I'm not your dad, do what you like. Let's go.
Finding the right words is worth it, especially when they're going on a character sheet. Take the time to nail the right vibe and your games will be better for it.
I followed the principles laid out in my recent post about getting car chases into tabletop rpgs and ended up with this mildly-playtested rules system.
I'm working on another game, because tinkering with otherwise perfectly functional games is part of the hobby for me.
Car chases in TTRPGs continue to be my white whale. I've watched a ton of car chases in movies, real life, and video games, but the problem is you don't often read car chases. It's primarily a visual spectacle, and so the challenge in translating a good chase to a roleplaying game lies in finding where the decision points are.
Insomniacs is out! The journey through its design has ironically mirrored an Insomniacs campaign - an incredibly long odyssey punctuated by false hope, mistakes, research projects, and self-discovery.
I've got maybe a year or so of my Insomniacs playtest campaign under my belt, but I'm struggling with how to put that into actionable content in the book. I don't think I've ever used a setting or module verbatim, and I don't know how other GMs adapt canned material for their own campaigns. I have a couple paths forward I can take, however, trails blazed by other designers that have inspired me.
Don't Roll a One 