Sci-Fi Dungeon Crawl

Last night we finished up play testing the Ovid Incident.  It went really well and I’m going to incorporate some of the lessons learned into the module.  The supplement itself is much like a conventional “dungeon crawl,” but in a sci-fi setting.  This corresponds with the theme of my game system: a mash up of sci-fi and fantasy elements.  The only downside is that players are pretty much led through the adventure (on “rails” as it’s called), but the module is also telling a story and I think this is the best way of achieving that.

Besides working on the Ovid Incident, I’ve also been making changes to the Basic Rules.  Some of the lessons from play testing the adventure module have led to me wanting to change a few things in the Basic Rules that I originally hadn’t planned on.  For one thing, I’d like to review the abilities (especially the psionics).  Currently the recast duration on several abilities (i.e.: how long before you can use the ability again) is not very standardized.  I’d like abilities to have one of three recast durations: once per round, once per encounter, or once per day.  This is similar to what’s used in some of the other games in the industry, most notably, Dungeons & Dragons Fourth Edition.

I haven’t done anything with the Crimson Kiss (a comic script I’ve been working on) for several weeks.  Between the Ovid Incident and some non-game related tasks, I haven’t really had a chance to work on the script.  I’m hoping in the coming month I’ll be able to get back to it.

Lastly, I’ve been playing Star Trek Online lately and it’s gotten me in the mood to design more starship deck plans.  I’m thinking about making maps for some of the races in the game, like the Dökk and the Lutins (as well as other groups mentioned in my Monster Menagerie supplement).  Unlike the original Deck Plans supplement, however, I’d like to give a deeper description of each ship, especially how it’s used by the races in question.

I realize I put too much on my plate at times, but I tend to go with wherever my imagination takes me.  Hopefully I can get some of it done eventually.  ;-)

I can't find my glasses!

Since I’ve been updating my progress on our Facebook page, I haven’t felt the need to write a whole blog for quite a while.   At the moment the Ovid Incident has progressed nicely, although at a glacier speed.  I’ve completed three sublevels and I’m about to start the fourth.  I’m a little unsure whether Sublevel 4 will be the last or whether I’ll need a fifth.  Either way, the module is more than two-thirds done.

A funny thing happened after my big hard drive disaster: I had done the model for one of the main characters, Howard Wimple, which included some thick, black glasses.  After the meltdown, however, I thought I had lost the glasses model.  This wouldn’t be a big deal except I had rendered a really nice picture with Howard wearing those particular glasses.  If I found a different looking pair, I’d have to discard the render.  So, the other night I lay in bed thinking about it, and I just couldn’t sleep.  After midnight, I started scouring the internet for the lost pair of glasses.  Eventually, after having no luck at all, I took another peek at my folders where I keep the different Poser models.  Low and behold, in a folder I normally don’t expect to see Poser models, I found the precious glasses.  As far as victories go, this probably wasn’t a big one, but at one in the morning I’ll take what I can get.

Btw, I’ve started playing weekly with some friends via Skype (voice only).  Last week we ran through an adventure using the Labyrinth Lord rules.  It’s been suggested that I might want to run an Imperium Chronicles game, and I think the Ovid Incident would do nicely (once it’s finished).

Hardware Blues

So far, the holidays have been a major bust when it comes to my game.  The biggest downer occurred when my hard drive completely crapped out on me.  I mean it was DEAD.  Having had problems like this before, I routinely back up my documents on an external hard drive and even uploaded them into the “cloud.”  This time around, however, I discovered two very important weaknesses: a) backups can become corrupted and therefore useless, and b) it’s a good idea to backup your art assets as well as the finished documents the assets go into.  In short, cover your assets.

So, after installing an entirely new hard drive and reinstalling various programs, I discovered that I had lost almost all of the art I had done for the Ovid Incident (except for whatever was already in the document itself).  This means all the mutants and characters I had created are gone unless I had already put them into the Ovid Incident document (which had been safely backed up).

It was very demoralizing to say the least.

Along with all the busyness of the holidays (family, drinking, getting bailed out of jail), I haven’t gotten much done.  On the bright side, however, the New Year is upon us with its promise of hope and improved hardware performance.  Although I’ve learned some valuable lessons, I’m glad to say goodbye to 2009.

For those of us at the Imperium Chronicles, I wish you a Happy New Year!

The Crimson Kiss

Before writing the Imperium Chronicles RPG, I originally created an online graphic novel and (shorter) online comic based on the universe that would become the game. Although both have been available through my website, I decided to publish the latter (called Magnus Black: Born in the Grave) on DriveThruComics so people could download the PDF. Several people have downloaded it, but since the comic’s free, that’s really no surprise. On the other hand, H1N1 (Swine Flu) is also free, so I shouldn’t assume people actually like the comic.

I love the graphic novel/comic format because it combines story telling with a visual media. Films (live action and animation) also combine these elements, but I lack the money, skill, or time to make movies. Truth be told, I also lack the artistic skill to create a good comic. I’ve always depended on software like Poser and Photoshop to compensate for my lack of drawing ability. Even so, I’ve been playing around with the idea of writing a script that a real artist would then turn into something people could read. This is actually pretty common: there are countless comics writers who can’t draw a straight line to save their lives and plenty of artists who have trouble signing their own name (unless it’s in some sort of calligraphy).

So, besides working on the Ovid Incident (the adventure module for Imperium Chronicles), I’ve also started writing a script for an Imperium comic called “The Crimson Kiss.” It’s based on an adventure idea for the game, which I think would make a pretty good comic. Coincidentally, I first mentioned the Crimson Kiss in this blog entry which just happens to be the most searched post on my blog, apparently due to the words “naked elf women” in the title.

I won’t go into much detail right now about the script, but I will say its protagonist, Rowan Ramus, was included in my most recent supplement, Home Worlds, and in a story fragment I wrote here. He’s a Dahl outcast who’s teamed up with a Gordian named Orkney Fugg and a robot named Gen. They’re hired to investigate attacks on some merchant ships that eventually lead them to a surprising discovery. I’ll try to keep you posted about how it’s coming along.

Home Worlds Now On Sale!

Home Worlds is now available for purchase! Considering I delayed it by a month, I’m pretty pleased with the outcome (maybe because of the delay). As I explained before, I pulled out about a third or more of the content and replaced it with a lot of new stuff (including NPCs and new creatures). The end result is a better product. Now I need to see if anyone buys it.

Speaking of which, I’m happy with how my previous product, Cardboard Citizens II, has been selling. It’s not very expensive, so I’m not getting rich from it, but selling stuff you’ve worked hard on does wonders for my fragile self-esteem. Would it kill my Mom to buy a copy?? ;-)

Currently, I’m churning the story for the Ovid Incident in my head. The whole thing starts when the characters get a distress call saying a research station has been hit by a micro-singularity (a black hole basically). For that reason, I’d like to incorporate some fractures in time, perhaps ghost-like images from the past showing people from the base before the accident. I plan on using this as a storytelling device, to move the plot along as the characters explore the damaged structure.

Below is a work-in-progress for Ovid. It’s a mutant I’m calling “Dark Angel.” He hovers above the ground and kills with a burst of radiation.