The Grab Bag is Now Open!

I published the Imperial Grab Bag and announced it on several sites. There’s nothing like giving things away for free to attract a crowd (just ask Paris Hilton -- No he didn’t!). Ahem, yes, well I’ve had quite a few people came to the main site and even to this lowly blog/news page. With that in mind, I will try to keep my usual foul language to a minimum (daggumit!).

Now that the Grag Bag is out there, I’m working on another supplement about starship construction. When I wrote the Starship chapter in the Basic Rules, I wanted to make a system that would allow GMs and players to create new ships quickly, without bogging them down with too many restrictions. I did this by using the concept of “slots” for each hull size. Shipwrights could then just plug in the components they wanted based on their sizes. I’m pretty proud of the system, but it’s not really designed to take into account exact volumes (which are required if you want to create deck plans). So, I’ve been busy assigning sizes (in standard 1.5 meter squares) for each component. I completed that a few days ago and since then, I’ve been drawing deck plans to see how well the sizes work. For the most part I’ve been happy with the results. In short, the method in the Basic Rules still stands, but this new supplement will act as a loose guideline. Btw, I’m undecided whether I’ll try selling this new supplement or give it away for free like the Grab Bag.

So, I was reading a review about my game recently and it said that it was hard to put Imperium Chronicles into a particular genre. It said there was a mixture of hard and soft sci-fi, cyberpunk, and even fantasy elements to my game. While the review seemed to suggest this was a bad thing, or at least “diluting” the overall game, I don’t agree. Perhaps it’s because I’m a very eclectic person (i.e.: I love both ABBA and Metallica equally), but I purposely mixed genres when I was writing the game. I love to mix and match and include whatever catches my eye. I can definitely see why some would not like this, but for me, it gives a richer experience, not a weaker one.