Back and forth.
Posted by nefchast on April 30, 2009
I’ve posted a bit lately on LotRO and FR. (yup, they are the ones looking you in the face just below this one — I love pointing out the obvious) So now it is time to get back to some pen and paper themed posting.
The biggest draw of tabletop/pen and paper gaming for me is the customization that does not require knowledge of programming or costly tools. Literally anything can be created or changed within these games by anyone. I also love the idea of creating my own adventures or modules. However, I hate not having detailed information on a world that I am trying to write for. Dark Heresy is a good example — do they have television screens? If so what are the made of, how do they work? Are they same as ours, different? Is the technology and mechanics similar but how their viewed or used different? Little details like that drive me crazy; I am a perfectionist when it comes to writing and creating. (I do take many liberties with grammar and the English language on this blog though, think of it as a guilty pleasure) So I decided to take the ‘can create/modify anything’ idea and create my own game world and system. Or, am creating I should say — it is not even close to finished.
The mechanic I have decided to build upon uses 2d6. Pretty much everyone has 2d6 lying around their house or in some board game, that was my main reason for choosing it. I want this system to be simple, no complicated maths, no need for players to have anything more than their character sheets and 2d6 apiece. I also wanted this system to be generic so any number of worlds and genres can use it. I have a basic proto-type that I am nearing the first testing phase with and once I get it somewhat refined I will post it up here.
Just like the mechanic, the first world I am creating is pretty simple; it is explicitly for testing the system. The world is essentially one large city that contains multiple districts or zones, all walled off from one another. A plague broke out within the city that killed and turned most of the citizens into ravenous undead. Neighboring kingdoms have barricaded and blocked off the city, leaving the remaining living citizens prisoners within quarantined districts. I was shooting for a fantasy-urban-zombieapocalypse type feel — if that makes sense. The actual background story I have scribbled down is modeled after Grimm’s fairy tales and I hope the fantasy world reflects that. No Tolkein-esque fantasy for this world. Also like the mechanic, I’ll have a proto-type version of the world posted once I feel satisfied with it.
If all goes well I may keep refining the system and creating adventures/worlds for it to post here.
