With a lot of the ideas generated on the blog here, there is a lot of material that would make a third edition more like the game I first intended to write sixteen years ago. I’d like to update some of the writing and maybe streamline the game a bit. If I do undertake the project, my goals would be.
- Leave the system in place but tie the different elements of it together more tightly. For instance, integrating stress points with social conflict.
- Improve on the writing, try to give the writing a specific atmosphere that makes it more interesting.
- Streamline the Rules section so that it reads more the way we’ve come to play. There are some things that need help. ECMs and ECCMs may be modified into a protection value for the vehicles. I wanted stealth to play a big roll in vehicle combat but it seems that players haven’t really picked up on the idea as being useful.
- Re-work the infantry rules. As they are, they require a totally different mindset to use even if functionally they are driven by the same rules. They need to be interchangeable with the main set of mechanics and easy to implement.
- Get the infantry rules to take up less space.
- Implement the Survival rules I’ve been working on.
Some optional goals.
- Re-work character generation so that it has more options for generating stats.
- It would also be nice to come up with something that would make writing the equipment and skills that a character gets faster during character generation. Then making characters would be really fast.
- I’m going to be testing out my Technobabble Monster, if I can streamline the concept, I’d like to include it.
- This was approved for a kickstarter a while back. Maybe I should pick that idea up again? It would let me pay for some new artwork and maybe a professional editor.
- I’d like to push this past the printed page by making some audio recordings and maybe videos for the system. Imagine it, no more reading through the rules. All you have to do is have someone (probably me) explain it to you in plain English.
That’s what I have in mind. What’s my timeframe? I don’t have one yet.
The Free RPG Blog
STOP!
Set yourself a deadline and then back fill with goals. Do it now. Don’t write another thing until you get organised.
Well if the past is any indicator and I start right now I could be done by 2014. That’s kinda depressing actually. 🙁 And takes the wind out of the sails of a thought like this. I’m not a fan of long time lines, but in retrospect, the Engineer’s Sourcebook took me five years to hammer out so it’s not that bad.
I thought I was getting organized by figuring out what needs to happen and how I was going to try and accomplish it. I don’t think I could just pluck a date out of the air (although I sort of just did). Waah, I don’t wanna!
if you think it will take you too long, set yourself more short term, more realistic goals – I have learned the hard way that wanting to do everything results in getting nothing done.
It will take time but I’ll get it done, even if it’s half a decade later. 🙂
Rob occasionally beats some sanity into me and I whine about it because I don’t like my sanity.
I’d actually hope that this wouldn’t take as long as the last edition revision. A lot of the mechanics that I want to add are already in use or written up here on the blog. Maybe a year?
The thing that throws a curve ball at me is if I did go with the Kickstarter. Unfortunately I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t make the goal (pessimism) which would just make it a waste of time. Although it might drum up some interest.
Really, I need to finish editing Tortuga and released it first before I fully think this out. One thing at a time.
Kickstarter is its own beast, really, but I so love the site. I think there are a lot of people out there who have no problem giving money to projects they like. But you need to make a good, solid case why they should give that money to you. So as long as you prepare that well, why shouldn’t you find backers?
I do back projects myself as well as I can (unfortunately I don’t have too much money to hand out) but I won’t give money to projects if they can’t convince me that they actually complete what they aim to do, even if I like their project.
Well, toss me the number two goal and i will write my little fingers to the bone.
As a point, we did talk a great deal about the infantry rules. We talked about setting up almost a card for weapons. That I think is the key to making the equipment section of the character sheet simpler. Once we do one, just hand out a card to the player for what they have.
Tarnoc, if there is one thing you do not have, it is little fingers. 😛
Thanks man, I’ll put you to work in the sulfur mines, er I mean helping with the writing. . .