Well.... my computer works. Sorta. For about 45 minutes at a time, than freezes. With a single Microsoft Word document open. It stutters like Porky Pig, freezes, shits itself and dies. And than when I reboot the fucker it takes 2 hours to log on.
Needless to say, my computer is now the world's largest, most expensive paperweight, so it's going to be time to get a new one. Damnit.
What's worst is that since I don't have any cash on hand, and won't until my next payday, late next week, I'm without the ability to write. I hate not being able to put down my ideas, and work on the projects I'm trying to get out. My life has been... well, it's been extraordinarily crappy lately, but at least I could go home at the end of the day, and write for a few hours. Now I can't even do that, and it's frustrating.
What's even worse, I've got some good ideas I want to put into Psi-Watch, but if I can get my computer to work, I'm writing 3-4 pages at a time at most, before having to do the Restart Dance. Anyway, nothing I can do at this point except wait for that paycheck.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Not As Bad As I Feared
Okay, though I am fairly technologically iliterate, I was able to retrieve my documents from my computer, meaning I've still got the first draft of Psi-Watch, the completed Guide to the Known Galaxy and the current draft of Otherverse America. Thankfully, nothing was lost.
As far as I can tell, my Wacom graphics tablet's drivers crashed which was slowing my computer to a crawl (IE: taking over 2 hours to complete frickin' startup!). I deleted it, and will try reinstalling my tablet later. Hopefully, I don't be left with a $400 Wacom paperweight after all this is done.
At this point, the computer is running again, and I can write on it (though I'll definately be backing stuff up to my flash on a much more regular basis), though I may have to start looking into buying a new desktop pretty soon. Fortunately, WalMart and BestBuy are selling their PCs pretty cheap these days, and it's been time to upgrade for a couple of years now.
As far as I can tell, my Wacom graphics tablet's drivers crashed which was slowing my computer to a crawl (IE: taking over 2 hours to complete frickin' startup!). I deleted it, and will try reinstalling my tablet later. Hopefully, I don't be left with a $400 Wacom paperweight after all this is done.
At this point, the computer is running again, and I can write on it (though I'll definately be backing stuff up to my flash on a much more regular basis), though I may have to start looking into buying a new desktop pretty soon. Fortunately, WalMart and BestBuy are selling their PCs pretty cheap these days, and it's been time to upgrade for a couple of years now.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Once again, Fate Screws Me
Is there a smiley icon for murderous rage and or suicidal depression? Because I need one.
My computer died yesterday, and hopefully, with the help of my younger brother, it may rise again like some unholy undead abomination. If not, than not only have I lost all my porn, but even more tragically, I will have lost around 30K good words on the Otherverse America Campaign Setting..... fortunately I'd backed up an earlier draft to my flash drive two weeks ago. Still, I'd written a bunch of good material about the APEX organization (the setting's supercops basically), the role of the federal government, its technology and the role of corporations in the future government. I can recreate it, if necessary but it still hurts losing it.
Worse, unless I can recover my documents, all the art and text for Guide to the Known Galaxy is gone. That'll take some work to recreate.
On the good news front, I've recovered the first draft of Psi-Watch, so at least that project is still on track. As for the rest of my previously published material, I can retrieve copies from the publishers later, so I can have a collection of my own writing. Other than some possible delays to Otherverse America and the GTKG, this doesn't delay my plans too much. Psi-Watch is going to be my next big release, and it's still on track.
My computer died yesterday, and hopefully, with the help of my younger brother, it may rise again like some unholy undead abomination. If not, than not only have I lost all my porn, but even more tragically, I will have lost around 30K good words on the Otherverse America Campaign Setting..... fortunately I'd backed up an earlier draft to my flash drive two weeks ago. Still, I'd written a bunch of good material about the APEX organization (the setting's supercops basically), the role of the federal government, its technology and the role of corporations in the future government. I can recreate it, if necessary but it still hurts losing it.
Worse, unless I can recover my documents, all the art and text for Guide to the Known Galaxy is gone. That'll take some work to recreate.
On the good news front, I've recovered the first draft of Psi-Watch, so at least that project is still on track. As for the rest of my previously published material, I can retrieve copies from the publishers later, so I can have a collection of my own writing. Other than some possible delays to Otherverse America and the GTKG, this doesn't delay my plans too much. Psi-Watch is going to be my next big release, and it's still on track.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
PSI-WATCH: SECOND GENERATION
It's odd that a product can not yet be released and yet be on its second edition, isn't it?I learned a few lessons from the criticism of Black Tokyo, and want to apply them to my equally massive, but more 'general audience' Psi-Watch. In it's first draft, Psi-Watch was going to be a tool box for players, a book of feats, new classes and gear, lots of crunchy bits for D20 Modern powergamers. There was information about "PSI-WATCH" itself, a heroic organization that's as vaguely defined as Department Seven, which the psionic supersoldiers in the book work for....obviously an analogue for government funded Image teams like Youngblood or Stormwatch.
However, one of the biggest criticisms of Black Tokyo was a lack of world info, of fluff to back up the crunch, and I don't want to fall into that trap again. I'm revising the draft to add more information about the organization of Psi-Watch itself, what serving in the organization is like, as well as information about a generic 'Image-style' campaign world.
I'm also adding at least one more advanced class. A while back I heard about a Turkish or Afghani (I forget which) bootleg of Star Wars, which got wide play simply because of the hilarious grammatical errors and funky dubbing. One of the things that stuck out in my mind, was that since "Jedi" had no equivalent in the Turkish (or Afghan) language, the dubbing crew had to come up with a substitute: Hopeless Situation Warrior. To my mind, that's probably the coolest name for a character class ever- you are the one guy left standing when all hope is lost, and you can win against anything. 
That name is one of the most evocative phrases I've ever heard of, a far cooler job description than "Jedi" and it's been in the back of my brain for a couple of years now. I can see it in the context of a Cable-inspired soldier, come back from a hopeless future to make things better, and that's probably going to be the concept behind the advanced class.
On the subtraction side, I'm going to remove the chapter dealing with combat genetic engineering, since it's alot of reprinted material, and include it elsewhere. The combat genetic engineering and military genemods will probably migrate over to the section in the Otherverse America Campaign Setting dealing with commercial genetic treatments.
Finally, I'd like to share an e-mail I sent to Amanda Webb, who did art on Black Tokyo, and who will hopefully be contributing some pieces to Psi-Watch as well. The letter gives a few hints as to the style and content and 'feel' of Psi-Watch, as well as an idea of what it's like to be a small press publisher working on a shoe-string budget.
Amanda:
I’ve finally got a bit of cash available to me and I would like to commission a bit of art for Psi-Watch. This one is based heavily on early Image comics- the art of guys like Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld especially…. Definitely keep your own style- I like the details and quirkiness of it, but keep the design tropes of early Image comics in mind:
* Lots of equipment pouches, web-belts, military gear.
* Shoulder pads, body armor, and guns- I don’t know if you can draw realistic tech, since it wasn’t really an issue on Black Tokyo, but don’t worry. Just make ‘em look cool and futuristic- if it worked for the comics I’ll work just fine for the game!
* The guys are tough, battle ready, ruggedly handsome- the women are impossibly voluptuous, despite the fact they should have a flatter, more athletic build for the kind of martial arts they practice. So remember…. Men= two days growth of stubble. Women= big boobies!
* If you want to go crazy with poses, anatomy, and do a less realistic, more energetic style that looks great on the page, but has no basis in reality or real physics go ahead. Same thing with the ‘600’ tooth Rob Liefeld grimace.
You said you read the old Image stuff, so you know what I’m talking about…..if you need more reference or any ideas, just ask me. Right now, the art budget is pretty slim, so I won’t buy more than 2-4 pieces this month, probally in B&W. I might end up doing some of the coloration myself, or may leave some pieces B&W, based just on how they look.
I’m sending over the whole document, just so you can give it a read see if anything else catches your eye, or not, at your leisure. I definitely trust your judgement. The document is a 80% completed draft- I’m probably going to be deleting the section on genetic engineering, rewording some stuff and adding a bit of content, and a couple of new classes…. As well as more information about the world- a lesson from the Black Tokyo reviews.
For you, I’d like you to take a look at the following stuff, because I think any of the items below would look incredible in your style. First and foremost, I’d like to get a rendition of either a Blooded Ghost (pretty much equivalent to the Daemonites from WildC.A.T.S.) or a Patriot Ivory (think Diva from StormWatch)… both are player races…. If you feel like working on a monster, go with the B.G…. if you want to play with a humanoid, go with the P.I.
I’d also like a color piece of the Shiftsteel Symbiotes (think Witchblade, or better yet Void or Warblade from WildC.A.T.S.- a human covered in living metal armor) in this first batch of art. Give the character’s armor a kind of a ‘oil on water’ pearlescent sheen if you can.
After that, take a look at the character classes and see if any jump out. I’d really like your take on the Final Sword especially. I’d also think you’d do some really cool stuff with the Frontliner’s facial tats- I’d love to see your rendition of a Cable (X-Force) or Cabbot (BloodStrike, a really obscure Liefeld comic). After that, I’ll scounge some more dinero together and commission some additional art.
And that's me in my role as art director- yippie! I'll do some of the art myself, simply because I have a great time doing art, and my coloring style is well suited to aping the early Image house style- very bright, intense, garish and relying a lot on Photoshop special effects to convey mood and do cool energy FX (actually Corel Photopaint for me, since I like that program better, but you get the idea).
Obviously, Anthony will be contributing some art, and I'll probally post an open call for artists on RPG.net in a month or two to get some more peices, as well as beat the bushes of Deviant Art looking for artists.
Talk to you soon,
CHRIS
CHRIS
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Quick Post Before Work
The D20 Decade: 1980s will be coming out tonight or tomorrow, which is good. Black Tokyo continues to sell well, which is better. I went to the cheapie little pawnshop next door to my house and bought a used Playstation 2 and Final Fantasy X-2, which is better. And having some money in my pocket from the sales of Black Tokyo, I've started sending 'love notes' to my favorite artists on Deviant Art, seeing if any of 'em would be willing to do some art for me, which is best of all.
Of course, I just noticed a new review which criticized Black Tokyo for "not being like Ghost in the Shell or Armitage III" on ENWorld. Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees; I'm personally hoping the reviewer is fairly young and new to anime, because he obviously didn't understand the differences between the genres. All anime is not just one thing and Black Tokyo is as far from cyberpunk as you can get. The review does spark my imagination though: what would a Bubble Gum crisis, GitS or Armitage styled cyberpunk D20 Future setting look like in my hands? I've always always enjoyed scifi....
Otherverse America is pretty cyberpunk, and owes alot of its genesis to my love of anime and comics, filtered through my political views and pagan beliefs. Still, it might be fun to do a cyberpunk setting without those signature elements, something more anime-inspired and generic (without being cheesily generic, if you know what I mean). I'd have to work pretty hard to top the old Fusion-engine Bubble Gum Crisis rpg, that's one of my favorite old RPGs, and I constantly reference it for inspiration.
Of course, I just noticed a new review which criticized Black Tokyo for "not being like Ghost in the Shell or Armitage III" on ENWorld. Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees; I'm personally hoping the reviewer is fairly young and new to anime, because he obviously didn't understand the differences between the genres. All anime is not just one thing and Black Tokyo is as far from cyberpunk as you can get. The review does spark my imagination though: what would a Bubble Gum crisis, GitS or Armitage styled cyberpunk D20 Future setting look like in my hands? I've always always enjoyed scifi....
Otherverse America is pretty cyberpunk, and owes alot of its genesis to my love of anime and comics, filtered through my political views and pagan beliefs. Still, it might be fun to do a cyberpunk setting without those signature elements, something more anime-inspired and generic (without being cheesily generic, if you know what I mean). I'd have to work pretty hard to top the old Fusion-engine Bubble Gum Crisis rpg, that's one of my favorite old RPGs, and I constantly reference it for inspiration.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Black Tokyo: The Mixed Bag
Alright, Black Tokyo is out, and has been so for coming up on two weeks now. During that time, we've got alot of contraversy and some great sales. Looking over the sales figures with Mark, Black Tokyo hit sales numbers that takes a normal Skortched Urf product almost a year to reach within the first two weeks, so awesome. More importantly, there's alot of fans out there who have bought and really seem to get a kick out of this kinky little game supplement. There's even a online game of Black Tokyo getting spun up on RPG.net, and I hope everyone involved has a good, long running campaign. To all you guys and gals outthere, enjoy the game, and may all your hits be crits.... even if you're hitting with your 20 ft long prehensile, combat penis.
On the down side, Black Tokyo has got some of the harshest criticism of my writing career. Some of it's a bit harsh, but there's alot of validity there. Mark and I'll be looking at layout, some of thedesign elements a bit more closely on future releases. Some of the reviews seem excessively negative, probally in reaction to the subject matter and some of the sheer vitriol of the posters just shocked me.
One of the biggest criticisms (which I can't really agree with) was that some of the reivewers felt they didn't get their money's worth. Now, at 13 bucks for 175 pages of dense gaming goodness, I can't agree, but with that in mind I've decided to release the almost equally large D20 Decade the 1980s as a bargin PDF. I was initially planning to price it over 10 dollars, but I've decided to release the supplement at around half that cost. That way, gamers get another 170 pages of cool 80s flavor and new rules elements for the cost of a couple of comics (or two gallons of gas). Anyway,D20 decade should be out soon, and hopefully, it'll be well recieved.
Right now, I've sent off a first draft of the Otherverse America setting to a bunch of other game designers I've worked with to get their input on the setting. Anyway, while I'm waiting to hear back, I've decided I'll play with the D&D toolbox some more. I really enjoyed doing the Adventuer Essential line with Mark,and I've got a new respect for the Craft Wondrous Item feat as a result, since I can make a bunch of really cool stuff with it. I'm working on a pair of new ADV ESS pdfs, which I'll send Marks way when I'm done. Right now, I'm working on barding, saddling, and riding gear, with a look at fantasy undergarments when I'm done with that.
D20 Fantasy is a nice break from doing more adult oriented, politically heavy projects like Otherverse America since I can just cut loose, throw some stuff together and have, for lack of a better term, 'goofy fun." I don't have to be as serious.
Speaking of having fun with Fantasy, a few months ago I was recommended the ElfStones of Shanara by a friend. Turns out the book was pretty horrible, so I can't really pass the recommendation on. Just read Lord of the Rings, you'll get the same effect.
Anyhow, the novel did get me thinking of how wizards were portrayed in LOTR and the Elfstones and the differences between Gandalf and Allanon and the typical D&D mage. With that in mind, I cobbled together a new 20 level core class, called the Wizard of Shadowfall over a lazy weekend. The WOS is alot tougher, more competent and a bit higher power than a standard wizard- he's good with a sword, has a host of useful skills, and can pretty much cast minor spells at will. Pound per pound, the WOS can kick a regular single classed Wizard's ass, but is bound by some serious in game restrictions on working powerful magic, bringing the D&D spellslinger closer to the 'facts' of wizardry laid down by authors like Tolkien and Brooks.
In any case, the WOS is a character concept I came up almost purely for my own pleasure, so it's a real joy that this guy has been picked up for distrubution. Anyway, I think WOS will sell well, and the art should be stellar as always.
Its ironic, at least to me, that since I consider D20 Modern my 'real job' and D2o Fantasy my 'working vacation' that anywing with a D20 Fantasy label on it will do much bigger numbers than anything set for D20 Modern or Future. I've always perfered sci-fi for my fiction and gaming, which is odd considering how I make my money. It goes back to my childhood- I always bought the Space and Town Legos, never the Castle stuff.
After a few D20 fantasy projects, it'll be back to the cyberpunk grindstone.
On the down side, Black Tokyo has got some of the harshest criticism of my writing career. Some of it's a bit harsh, but there's alot of validity there. Mark and I'll be looking at layout, some of thedesign elements a bit more closely on future releases. Some of the reviews seem excessively negative, probally in reaction to the subject matter and some of the sheer vitriol of the posters just shocked me.
One of the biggest criticisms (which I can't really agree with) was that some of the reivewers felt they didn't get their money's worth. Now, at 13 bucks for 175 pages of dense gaming goodness, I can't agree, but with that in mind I've decided to release the almost equally large D20 Decade the 1980s as a bargin PDF. I was initially planning to price it over 10 dollars, but I've decided to release the supplement at around half that cost. That way, gamers get another 170 pages of cool 80s flavor and new rules elements for the cost of a couple of comics (or two gallons of gas). Anyway,D20 decade should be out soon, and hopefully, it'll be well recieved.
Right now, I've sent off a first draft of the Otherverse America setting to a bunch of other game designers I've worked with to get their input on the setting. Anyway, while I'm waiting to hear back, I've decided I'll play with the D&D toolbox some more. I really enjoyed doing the Adventuer Essential line with Mark,and I've got a new respect for the Craft Wondrous Item feat as a result, since I can make a bunch of really cool stuff with it. I'm working on a pair of new ADV ESS pdfs, which I'll send Marks way when I'm done. Right now, I'm working on barding, saddling, and riding gear, with a look at fantasy undergarments when I'm done with that.
D20 Fantasy is a nice break from doing more adult oriented, politically heavy projects like Otherverse America since I can just cut loose, throw some stuff together and have, for lack of a better term, 'goofy fun." I don't have to be as serious.
Speaking of having fun with Fantasy, a few months ago I was recommended the ElfStones of Shanara by a friend. Turns out the book was pretty horrible, so I can't really pass the recommendation on. Just read Lord of the Rings, you'll get the same effect.
Anyhow, the novel did get me thinking of how wizards were portrayed in LOTR and the Elfstones and the differences between Gandalf and Allanon and the typical D&D mage. With that in mind, I cobbled together a new 20 level core class, called the Wizard of Shadowfall over a lazy weekend. The WOS is alot tougher, more competent and a bit higher power than a standard wizard- he's good with a sword, has a host of useful skills, and can pretty much cast minor spells at will. Pound per pound, the WOS can kick a regular single classed Wizard's ass, but is bound by some serious in game restrictions on working powerful magic, bringing the D&D spellslinger closer to the 'facts' of wizardry laid down by authors like Tolkien and Brooks.
In any case, the WOS is a character concept I came up almost purely for my own pleasure, so it's a real joy that this guy has been picked up for distrubution. Anyway, I think WOS will sell well, and the art should be stellar as always.
Its ironic, at least to me, that since I consider D20 Modern my 'real job' and D2o Fantasy my 'working vacation' that anywing with a D20 Fantasy label on it will do much bigger numbers than anything set for D20 Modern or Future. I've always perfered sci-fi for my fiction and gaming, which is odd considering how I make my money. It goes back to my childhood- I always bought the Space and Town Legos, never the Castle stuff.
After a few D20 fantasy projects, it'll be back to the cyberpunk grindstone.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Black Tokyo Is Here
Okay, boys and girls, thank you for your patience. The audio commentary for Black Tokyo is up on the Skortched Urf Website, and the book itself will be releasesed sometime tonight or tomorrow most likely. It's strangely ironic that a book about tentacle porn is going to be released this close to Valentine's Day, but there ya go. Life is funny sometimes.
Anyhow, give the audio commentary a listen, and please, forgive me my squeeky little voice.
On the new releases front, D20 Decade: The 1980s will be hitting soon after Black Tokyo, also from Otherverse Games. Mark will be releasing another few D20 Modern Advanced Classes within a few weeks of Black Tokyo. The first, the Innocent is pretty much ready to go, so he tells me. The Innocent is a toy-using magic user, basically a playful, magically enhanced child. The class pretty much the anti-thesis of Black Tokyo, but since it's a fairly anime influenced concept, could easily be adapted to a Black Tokyo campaign.
I sold some D20 Modern, post-apocalypse advanced classes to Reality Deviants, each of whom have some really fun powers and give the reader the potential for some really cool roleplaying options. I don't want to say too much about these guys, since they're pretty early in the design process, but I had alot of fun writing them, espeically what I'm calling the "Rust-Borg" advanced class, which is basically Trap Jaw from He-Man mutated into a D20 Modern class. Very sweet stuff.
Over the last couple of weeks I've also been working on Guide to the Known Galaxy and the Otherverse America core rulebook. The text for GTKG is pretty much set in stone, and I'm working on my portion of the art. I'll start comissioning some art for it pretty soon. Also, being the relative low-budget designer that I am, I just have to say, I frickin' love NASA's public domain image gallery. There are some really beautiful shots of space and various starscapes, which I plan to uses as backgrounds for alot of the figures. If you get a chance, broswe NASA's site, because there are some mindblowingly beautiful images out there.
Right now, the Otherverse America corebook is less than 1/3 done, and it's already huge, well over 70,000 words. It's going to be a well thought out superhero/cyberpunk setting, closer in tone to really detail orientied sci-fi settings like Abberant and Trinity than the more generic worlds that D20 Modern and Future postulate. Right now, the plan is the core book will introduce readers to the setting and concepts, provide a general overview of America, circa 2107 C.E. and provide alot of crunch to support the setting flavor.
The basic premise- America torn apart by a religious civil war- shapes everything in the setting. It's not typical cyberpunk, and I make no bones about it. This setting is shaped by my own world view, prejudices and obsessions, and my view of current American politics. Like Christian Gosset's Red Star, which grew out of his fascination with Russian history and the Cold War, Otherverse America is a definate labor of love. It's also going to be exhaustingly researched; Otherverse America is going to be an absolutely huge world with alot for the players to see and do.
The core rules will introduce the three main powers of setting: The pagan-inspired Choicers, the evangelical Christian flavored Lifers, and moderate, unaligned America, with an emphasis on the corporation and military power structure which is controlling what's left of the federal government. Each of the factions are going to feel VERY different- each has its own history, language, holidays, sex roles, political structures, not to mention feats, exclusive classes, weapons and gear. Crossing the theological 'borders' of the 22nd Century should feel like crossing an armed DMZ and visiting a new country with its own traditions.
I've also decided to incorporate alot of the material from Sexually Transmitted future into the core rules, since the game was going to be a mature readers OGL product anyhow. Doing so has allowed me to integrate popular civilian technology into the core rules, which is going to make the Otherverse seem alot more complete and realistic. Guns and power armor are awesome, but not the be all and end all of civilian technology. You're going to have things like civilian genetic engineering, non-combat cybernetics and smartlight technology: forcefield based computers which are operated telepathically as 'over the counter' gadgets.
Otherverse America's going to incorporate the Psionic Rules from the upcoming Psi-Watch as well as Lifechained feat chains from the GTKG, as well as the cybernetics rules I published with Skortched Urf last year. Superpowers and metahuman abilites, imagined as part of class abilities and feat chains, rather than the free form stuff in Mutants & Mastermind are going to be really common. Additionally, there are going to be some pretty dramatic abilities which are exclusive to a particular faction, detailed in the core book.
Imagine urban combat in a reality where high level neo-pagan priestesses can summon hurricanes and lightning strikes, or specially trained anti-abortion terrorists can walk through walls or return the dead to life. Otherverse America is going to be a really wierd setting, and one I think you'll enjoy exploring.
After the mainbook hits, probally sometime this summer, I'm going to do some expansions for the setting. I'd like to do a few short 30-50 page 'city books' focusing on the major power centers of the setting, San Fransisco, Boston and Pensacola, FL, as well as on the major human space colonies, such as Diana Station on the moon, and the Lifer-controlled Soloman Station, out in Jupiter orbit. Follow that up with a 'NPC / monster book' focusing on stats and write ups for the major setting NPCs and stock characters, in the tradtion of the D20 Menace Manual, and maybe a couple of expanced 'weapons and toys books' focusing more deeply on the guns and warmachines, and you've got a pretty gamable, well supported setting.
Talk to you later, and happy V-Day,
CHRIS
Anyhow, give the audio commentary a listen, and please, forgive me my squeeky little voice.
On the new releases front, D20 Decade: The 1980s will be hitting soon after Black Tokyo, also from Otherverse Games. Mark will be releasing another few D20 Modern Advanced Classes within a few weeks of Black Tokyo. The first, the Innocent is pretty much ready to go, so he tells me. The Innocent is a toy-using magic user, basically a playful, magically enhanced child. The class pretty much the anti-thesis of Black Tokyo, but since it's a fairly anime influenced concept, could easily be adapted to a Black Tokyo campaign.
I sold some D20 Modern, post-apocalypse advanced classes to Reality Deviants, each of whom have some really fun powers and give the reader the potential for some really cool roleplaying options. I don't want to say too much about these guys, since they're pretty early in the design process, but I had alot of fun writing them, espeically what I'm calling the "Rust-Borg" advanced class, which is basically Trap Jaw from He-Man mutated into a D20 Modern class. Very sweet stuff.
Over the last couple of weeks I've also been working on Guide to the Known Galaxy and the Otherverse America core rulebook. The text for GTKG is pretty much set in stone, and I'm working on my portion of the art. I'll start comissioning some art for it pretty soon. Also, being the relative low-budget designer that I am, I just have to say, I frickin' love NASA's public domain image gallery. There are some really beautiful shots of space and various starscapes, which I plan to uses as backgrounds for alot of the figures. If you get a chance, broswe NASA's site, because there are some mindblowingly beautiful images out there.
Right now, the Otherverse America corebook is less than 1/3 done, and it's already huge, well over 70,000 words. It's going to be a well thought out superhero/cyberpunk setting, closer in tone to really detail orientied sci-fi settings like Abberant and Trinity than the more generic worlds that D20 Modern and Future postulate. Right now, the plan is the core book will introduce readers to the setting and concepts, provide a general overview of America, circa 2107 C.E. and provide alot of crunch to support the setting flavor.
The basic premise- America torn apart by a religious civil war- shapes everything in the setting. It's not typical cyberpunk, and I make no bones about it. This setting is shaped by my own world view, prejudices and obsessions, and my view of current American politics. Like Christian Gosset's Red Star, which grew out of his fascination with Russian history and the Cold War, Otherverse America is a definate labor of love. It's also going to be exhaustingly researched; Otherverse America is going to be an absolutely huge world with alot for the players to see and do.
The core rules will introduce the three main powers of setting: The pagan-inspired Choicers, the evangelical Christian flavored Lifers, and moderate, unaligned America, with an emphasis on the corporation and military power structure which is controlling what's left of the federal government. Each of the factions are going to feel VERY different- each has its own history, language, holidays, sex roles, political structures, not to mention feats, exclusive classes, weapons and gear. Crossing the theological 'borders' of the 22nd Century should feel like crossing an armed DMZ and visiting a new country with its own traditions.
I've also decided to incorporate alot of the material from Sexually Transmitted future into the core rules, since the game was going to be a mature readers OGL product anyhow. Doing so has allowed me to integrate popular civilian technology into the core rules, which is going to make the Otherverse seem alot more complete and realistic. Guns and power armor are awesome, but not the be all and end all of civilian technology. You're going to have things like civilian genetic engineering, non-combat cybernetics and smartlight technology: forcefield based computers which are operated telepathically as 'over the counter' gadgets.
Otherverse America's going to incorporate the Psionic Rules from the upcoming Psi-Watch as well as Lifechained feat chains from the GTKG, as well as the cybernetics rules I published with Skortched Urf last year. Superpowers and metahuman abilites, imagined as part of class abilities and feat chains, rather than the free form stuff in Mutants & Mastermind are going to be really common. Additionally, there are going to be some pretty dramatic abilities which are exclusive to a particular faction, detailed in the core book.
Imagine urban combat in a reality where high level neo-pagan priestesses can summon hurricanes and lightning strikes, or specially trained anti-abortion terrorists can walk through walls or return the dead to life. Otherverse America is going to be a really wierd setting, and one I think you'll enjoy exploring.
After the mainbook hits, probally sometime this summer, I'm going to do some expansions for the setting. I'd like to do a few short 30-50 page 'city books' focusing on the major power centers of the setting, San Fransisco, Boston and Pensacola, FL, as well as on the major human space colonies, such as Diana Station on the moon, and the Lifer-controlled Soloman Station, out in Jupiter orbit. Follow that up with a 'NPC / monster book' focusing on stats and write ups for the major setting NPCs and stock characters, in the tradtion of the D20 Menace Manual, and maybe a couple of expanced 'weapons and toys books' focusing more deeply on the guns and warmachines, and you've got a pretty gamable, well supported setting.
Talk to you later, and happy V-Day,
CHRIS
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