Nearly half of The Artifact has already been reworked for the upcoming third edition. There’s a lot of new concepts that I’ve vetted on the blog here going into the game, including the survival games posts. There are now robust rules for social conflict and the Technobable Monster has become Tech Challenges. The new Event Resolution rules are not fully cemented yet because we’re debating if defensive actions like dodge, hiding and running away should be a single roll that applies to everyone. I also haven’t nailed down the assistive defense mechanic (the Buddy System according to Tourq) so that’s not in there yet, but it’s getting there.
So instead of just telling you about it, why not let you see what I’ve been doing? It’s not all pretty with pictures yet and it’s barely formatted. You’ll see some of my notes in red for me trying to figure things out. As the title of the post says this is a work in progress. If you’re stumbling on this and want to try playing it, you may have to fall back on the second edition for things like maps, vehicles and the GM section. There’s 91 pages here but it’s probably less than half of the book.
So what’s next? I’m working on vehicle rules, which may not change too much but there are some new things that I’ve always wanted to put in there. I’m also working on a new character sheet because the new rules punch some big holes in the existing one.
The last step is, do I do a kickstarter for art? Most people say go ahead. I can just use the existing art, but getting some fresh and highly skilled artists in would really spruce up a new edition. Would you support 3e?
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I would support it.
About art: Great art sells, and this is what I would do (actually, I will be doing this sometime down the line): I’m going to finish writing the game, and commission a few pieces of art. Once that is done, I’ll release the game for playtesting to fine-tune things. The few pieces of art should really help attract playtesters. After that, I’ll present the practically finished and playtested game as a Kickstarter project that really only requires more art. Backers will have a chance to see at least part of the polished game and awesome art, which should really help make the Kickstarter project successful.
Anyway, that’s the plan. That’s what I would do if I were in your shoes. Wait, what size shoes do you wear?
Awesome, thanks Tourq! We’re very much thinking along the same lines. I have a few other steps I want to do in addition to that, stay tuned, I hope to have an example by next week.