Steampunk

I wrote a while ago that I’ve been working on a new project. I didn’t want to say a lot because I wasn’t sure if the project would actually work. Now that the text is almost done and I’d like to begin playtesting soon, I’m more confident that this will see the light of day.

Why was I afraid? Because I’m a pretty traditional RPG guy. I like the GM to control the world and the players to control their characters. I like dice and the power of randomness. This game messes with both and I’m way out of my element. That’s right I’m making a narrative diceless game. Why? because the ideas struck me as fun. At first I just mentioned them to a few people to try and get them off my chest but they stayed there and wouldn’t leave. I had to start writing.

So what is it?

I’m working on a game that the players have some influence over the overall story and events in the story. It’s loose when it comes to down details and it’s intended to be. It also doesn’t use dice or any kind of randomizer, the players get options and decide what order to put them in and try to surprise their opponent or guess what the difficulties of a task is.

Looking at the parts of the story that I had, I wondered what kind of a genre I should set it to. For some reason it felt like steampunk to me. I’m not a steampunk expert but its a genre that has intrigued me for a while now and this seemed to fit. The thing is, there is no one world for steampunk and I don’t want there to be only one. Because of that, at character creation, the players pick story seeds that they want for those characters. The world can be the same each time or it can change. The story is about technology and invention and the players choose that too so the players make their characters but they also hand the GM the outline of the world those characters live in. The GM then fills in the details keeping it fun for the players.

The game also has some features to help it run humorously if desired which is a departure from my normal fare. It doesn’t have to be played that way but it’s there if you want it.

When will it be available?

The rough draft of the game is nearly done. Playtesting will undoubtably show changes that need to be made. I also do not have any artwork for the game yet but I’m working on it. I’m hoping to have a first draft ready by the spring. Anyone interested in playtesting or doing some art?