Red Earth Saga

Last night I play tested my game. I tried it with the card mechanics, and the d10. I have a few good notes. Things I liked and things I did not liked. I will post another on what I had to create characters with, a long with my goals for the game, and what I want to change.

While, I the game did not handle the way I imagined it, I am excited because its a new learning experince for me. Sometimes you have to learn 1000 ways to not make something before you make it right.

I will also look into what Citizen Joe put an idea for a card mechanic. This is different than what I used the other night. But still something to look at.

As im writing the rules for my game, I am noticing there are some things that I think are great. but becuase I do not have enough options for those mechanics, they are just to clunky and hinder things. I think im going to leave out for now, the character life path system, and the group roles. Then next thing that I have been thinking of is what kind of game is this exactly.

I know its not 100% of anything right now, but my game is a bit story game, and a bit everything else. I like the story stick type games, but for me I don’t see how they last long at all. There are not enough rules to guide through some things, like combat or other conflicts. I like that the player can use what ever descriptors for his actions, but I think there are so much left out.

Now its kind of hard for me to explain, but when I play those games, I cant really imagine my character working in an actual world. I see my character but he is floating in a formless void. Mostly because my choices that I make still  have no meaning at all. While, in a D&D game, I can see the character and the world. Everything in those games are set and theres is not much left for you to imagine.

The game I want, is a mix between the two. You and your character are in a formless void that is the universe. There are things in it, the univers is still set. But only imagin that as your blank canvas. As you make your choices, that adds things onto your blank canvis. The more choices you make the more you fill in the canvas. The more you make the universe around you. As you progress with your group, the choices are clear because you have created them.

Its like going from a sandbox game, and then creating a linear system, but the players create it. Once, I have my rules reviewed and ready, I will play test them, and then see about having game play recorded.

I know im going to have an episode over this, but im having a lot of fun writing this. I know some parts are more tedious than others, but it is still fun to think im creating rules so people can play a game i made. Thats hot. I’m not sure if im going to have just the core mechanics or enough for the GMs too, but I was thinking on having as much in now, so that when I post them to have other try it, they can give me a better picture of what needs work.

In the next episode, that will be dropping soon, I will be talking about the Mega Corporations in this first milestone of the RES universe. I have several setup that are very large key players. But wondering if I should eventually setup things for the players to create their own mega corp. Now let me restate that, this would not be available on the first run of the game, probably not even on the second run.  But if they players could make their own corp and think of other ways to create influence in the world/universe why should I stop them?

That could be like a Total war, where I have a seperat turn, and what your coporation does for the set number of years that a turn takes, is what you have to work with, and then your charaters play through the game with those set resources. That makes for almost a cool civ feel to me. But is that to much book keeping, and do people want that? I know some will, but what is the demand for something like this?