Possible Future Projects

Well it seems like my energy levels are starting to rise again.  Might as well harness the energy while it lasts.


I was rereading some old blog posts and found the Abstract project I was working on.  I think I may want to look into it again and begin some work on it.


I've also been thinking about building a "universe" builder for my space game.  Essentially it would generate a universe, populate the areas of interest and then highlight the interactions.


I think both will need some administrative work before they could begin, but for the second I actually have a volunteer who would help me work on it.


Work to be Done


Abstract Project

• Gather existing data
• Assess direction and compare with recent learning
• Establish goals of system
• Attack project

Universe Generator

• Build Design Doc
• Establish landmarks of project
• Assess actual manpower
• Pre-Establish formulae plans

As a general update...

• I was forced to end my space game due to players dropping out or being absent.  (Employees being let go and such)
• In a pathfinder game playing a third party class (potential writing material here)
• Still working with the guys from Rust Devils games on Zed or Alive (A wargame with a campaign system focused on zombie apocalypse and small squads)

Progress 4/6

Though lack of blog updates is evident, I have actually still been working on the project.

I'd concluded enough changes had occurred that a reprint was necessary, and even since then have done more work.

This has included writing down some abilities for the science and engineering roles, recording damage effects, upgrading the ship sheets for the engineer and creating one for the pilot, expanding on travel and making notes about critical failure during damage.

I'm adding more about how characters can get damaged on a ship.

3/10 Update

No game last week, cancelled due to lack of players.


Spent more time working on a Wasteland Weekend costume upgrade and my other team's project (coming out soon to a kickstarter near you).


I should have tried to do more, didn't end up doing it.


I did however confirm a group for scenario playtesting eventually (just repeat combats with minimal context)


I think I should have worked more on setting lore since I'm waiting on rules for another pass attempt to see which direction I should take it.

Progress Update 3/2

Need to ensure I have one running between each of these posts.

Addressed most issues from last post.  Hopefully ready for next running.
Going to try and only print out necessary sheets for next game.

Delayed Update for 2/22

Was supposed to be a very busy weekend.
Had three games planned and had to get the system playable for Monday.


Two games cancelled and one downgraded to online resulting in having a lot more time, but also resulted in me forgetting about posting.  Should set an alarm or something...


ANYHOW


The first game with the system in use went much better than expected.  The players caught on quickly and the system went through a functional combat.  I need to come up with a pilot sheet and maybe some counters to shift around to make things easy, but I think it's looking good.


Areas that need development.  Warp, aside from needing a new name needed to be written down and jump delays evaluated.


Salvaging needs minimal functioning rules.


Cargo space needs to be developed into minimal functioning rules.


Chases need to be developed into having slightly less bias towards ship agility and more bias towards skill.  I think I've already got a handle on this.


Player morale is good, I think they're looking at exploring their options.


Damage effects NEED to be written down.


I need to take better notes during play.


Gotta figure out why Google Docs didn't have the most up to date doc on another computer (the one with a printer) <--- VERY IMPORTANT


Formations 'worked'.  Haven't tried with PCs in a formation.


Game started off with a crit fail on a warp check followed by a crit fail on a notice check.  This was amusing but had us start with a pirate ambush.

Quick Update

After an unintentional total party kill when some skeletons apparently rolled really well and had perfect timing with a troll, my party decided (with no prompting of my own besides listing space with about 8 other genres) that they wanted to start a space game.


Therefore, I offered up my space setting.  So now I have to get it at it's basest level functional by Monday.


I guess there is going to be a LOT less video game time this week.  Also because I'm in two different day long games on Saturday and Sunday.  Time is not my ally this week, so I need to manage to play through one entire combat session by Thursday night.


We'll see if I can deliver.

Progress 2/15

Got myself a bunch of yellow notepads.
I love them, I can fit them in my back pocket and take em anywhere.
Great for spontaneous notes.  Now I just have to figure out that car ride home issue.

Started reworking my concepts of technology in the setting.  This was apparently a huge sticking point from one player who had to have realism inserted into a setting made for a cinematic game.  Anyhow, while I wont be going into Newtonian physics for him, I'm putting more thought into the hows and whys.

Got a good start on the hows and whys of faster than light travel, and how the tech behind it generally is what makes up most of future tech.  I'm working on the power source technology now too.

I also decided to add a group temporarily named 'spacers' to be all the rough survivalist folks living in shitholes in space.

Ruleswise I added a lot for Formations in ships.  Basically benefits and drawbacks for flying in formation.  In general it should be more advantageous to fly in formation if you are skilled pilots, but if you aren't you are going to lose a lot of options in combat for some defensive and offensive bonuses anyhow.

Formations also extends to escorts offering defensive benefits for the escorted ship.

I broke out a lot of the stats into averages for ship sizes and added more listing for ship equipment and the limits of upgrading ships and ship parts.

I'm looking at stepping through a sample combat sequence to understand where I'm lacking.  To be honest I should have been doing that from the beginning.  It's just playtesting 101.

Progress 2/8/2014

Made more progress.
Roughed out some general ideas for interesting new character weapons.
Expanded on ship equipment and damage effects (hull breach, fire, malfunctions)
Expanded on some of the Chase vs Dogfight rules.
Started gathering resources for ship character sheet.
Started sketching out thoughts for the ship combat map.

I'm beginning to think I should actually start mocking up combat rounds.  Possibly starting with fighters (super simple and easy to draw up) then moving to mid range craft which will likely be piloted by a full party as a crew.

From there I need to start investigating the effects of subordinate extras on wildcards manning stations.

I think I should also start considering the idea of 'extra' space ships and what that means in this combat system.  As it stands I think there might just be a base guideline of size ratio difference being an automatic extra or wildcard as far as damage is concerned and a guideline for true wildcards as getting the bennies while effective wildcards don't.

The problem arises that wildcards in fighters will be VERY vulnerable to a single or even two steps difference in ship size.  This hazard drops some when going up a size or two, but is still pretty harsh.  Perhaps I will suggest only extras pilot fighters.  That said, if you need to do a trench run, I want a decent fighter as an option.

If you haven't caught on yet, the majority of the work on this system is effectively replacing the vehicle system Savage Worlds uses (which I hate) and replacing it with my own 'fast, furious, fun' system.

Furthermore the fact that I use two Google accounts for this blog is really a pain.  Maybe I can hook this one up with Google drive and share it so I can work on the doc with either.

It doesn't sound like much work to me.  I feel like I could do more, but I console myself with the thought that I am doing any work at all.  Given I'm in 2 'live' games, 3 online games, a project on a team of cool people and trying to spend time with my significant other, I think I'm doing alright.  Though maybe after she get's through grad school I can take a LOT of time off just to work on this project...  Assuming it isn't done in 3-4 years.  Which I hope is NOT the case.

Progress Report

I've decided weekly progress reports to keep up with the work might help...

Still digging up random files, putting everything in one place synced with a cloud seems to be a VERY good idea now.  I'm using google docs which will let me work on my computer and it shall update automatically.

I rebuilt the edges, outlined some gear, moved in the ship stats, and added ship parts.  Not as much work as I honestly would like, but I only have myself to blame for that one.  My plans for the next week include more fleshing out of basic ship stats, developing the ship activities further and perhaps tackling some outlines for the actual setting portions.  It would also be nice to be done digging up numbers and have them all converted to the new document, but I have to go about dealing with converting one note files to a readable format.  I SHOULD be able to do that, but we'll see...

False Starts

I've done quite a few false starts in the interim.  Tried to cover the various exploits I've pursued, explain my distractions.

Hardly really matters if nothing gets posted.

After many false starts I've decided to work on a complete work and submit it.  Finally design something, finish it and submit it.

As such I am pursuing making my spaceship rules for Savage Worlds into a setting.  I think the biggest difficulty will be maintaining the steam, but we shall see.

I don't promise to do continuous updates on progress, but wish I could say I will.

Right now I'm at the beginning.  I'm recovering and covering old ground and putting it into one single document separated as one would an actual book.  I intend to keep all the ship rules, the general universal and social structure and the character rules.

After I get the rules into a playable state I intend to make working character/ship sheets as necessary.  Then I will be looking for viable play test scheduling.  I'm actually part of a group that is working on getting another Savage Worlds product out there and has a record of succeeding at those, so I'm hoping if they have a gap in their schedule I can mix things in.  Furthermore they probably have resources for art and advice.  This is looking pretty far into the future however as we have a lot of things to do on the old project and some fun activities as a 'just hanging out' group we like to do too.

I've also done one vital thing.  I'm using Google docs to back things up.  I have a bad history of losing hard drives at inopportune times.  Furthermore I have a vague concept of a special method of play testing that could be augmented with Google docs.


As shorthand for the rest of life...

I got fired from LucasArts over a year ago, got a new job that isn't really games anymore and am sad.
Rethinking my future path and how to go in that direction.
Played a lot of video games.
Still play pen and paper when I can, but mostly just here.
Also play on RPOL, but it's generally shit games.
Ran a superhero game on Skype and bombed it. (Rules good, GMing bad[big ego hit])
Attended Wasteland Weekend and met awesome people and did awesome things (huge ego boost)
Finally cleaned off my desk.

So yeah, life and stuff.

An Update

It is probably a terrible idea for me to post after midnight.  A long time ago I determined that was a bad idea, therefore I'll try not to revert to my young adult ways of painful whining and cheap emotion.  I've considered a new blog for such things, but don't know if it would be worth the pixels it would be displayed on for me or anyone else and I'd definitely not post it here.  I feel this blog should at least pretend to be more... Professional?

The space game has ended.  I've concluded the overall experience was at best a marginal success.  At worst a grand failure.  I am not entirely sure what the failing was specifically.  However, I would be willing to easily submit that it was a combination of things including; the medium (Skype/Maptools), the players, and of coarse myself.

Towards the end, I wasn't into it.  The players would not consistently show up, therefore the main plot could not continue.  Furthermore, I guess I had no player trust.   This I believe was a result of the players previous experience and perhaps the situation I had established.  At every turn they were just waiting for me to steal their ship.  Or short them some stat, or balance the game out of their favor (god forbid I create a challenge.)  Also one player didn't seem to be 'into' the science role.  They assumed it was a doctor, and not that they would man any real station.  Finally, the whole thing was just to test the space combat, and the thing the players were determined to do?  Avoid space combat.  I did however get the opportunity to tweak the chase rules (AKA marginal success).

The players would not retain attention or attendance.  Even during character creation and past campaigns even the best players would be browsing the internet, drawing, or at the worst, playing a video game!  There were mixed expectations, conflicts of vision and so on...  Some expected, but perhaps a tad heavier than overall expected.

Finally the medium...  Nothing matches live.  Not really.  Nothing ever will.  There's a certain accountability, lack of anonymity and... ceremony involved in the process.  It feels like a good half goes out the window digitally.  Not just GM respect, inter-player as well.  For instance, the previously mentioned attentiveness.  Grabbing and altering another players materials, pushing other players around... tracking resources.

Anyhow, to avoid the content mentioned in the first paragraph I'm stopping here.  Perhaps someday this game will make it to the live table and more things can be noted, grown, developed.  Now I just need to rebuild the steam to push onwards for other projects.

Oh, by the way, I joined a Pathfinder game at work.  It's pretty cool, they have all their content online for free, so I didn't need to buy a book.  The GM is... interesting.  It's a bit slow right now as we basically have two newbies.  The rules are just far enough from 3.5 I find myself assuming too much.