Cheers!

Due to the change in skills & special abilities (which i think i'm going to rename as Unique Skills), i'm also changing the almost non-existant Initiative system. Before it was a hand-wavy "everyone acts at the same time, unless you spend a reflexive action not to." Given reflexive actions are now key tactically, i'm changing Initiative to reflect it.

Now your Intiative is calculated by the action you want to undertake. Attack someone with your sword? Your IN is equal to your sword skill + Physique stat. Want to run? Athletics & Physique, want to read poetry? Languages & Reasoning. Reflexive actions can take place at any time in the round and are in addition to your standard 1 action a round.

A bit from the advice section - The View From the Horizon.

This follows on from the previously posted Naming Conventions.

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Having a Day Job

In a local or political game, generating your character has created the area in which you start play. All of the plots, interlocking relationships and problems are waiting for you to meddle with. These games presume that your character lives and works in the area – he has a day job. Now, this might be something that you are not used to in a roleplaying game and at first glance maybe it doesn't really enthuse you. Who wants to role-play something that we all do in the real world? Well, the answer to this is simple. Don't. Some of the plots and relationships integral to the game doubtless involve your place of work and your colleagues/rivals, so some game play will focus on those problems. However, the day-to-day life of your character is not something that should be dwelt on other than to incorporate and overcome those problems. A large majority of in-game action is assumed to take place in your character's free time. There should be little need to focus on his mundane life, unless it forwards a problem or helps to resolve it.

I like everything you are doing, Dan. It all improves the game.

Excellent!

-clash

High praise indeed!

I've come to a realisation that given the chargen and the area gen which comes up front, that it's very front-loaded. For that reason, i'm going to do what i'm tentatively calling the 'bonding problem'. This is going to be a random table that generates a problem that requires the PCs instant attention.

The idea being that you can get straight into the game without having so many options that you get dizzy. All the problems generated by chargen are still there, but that 1st session will have a problem that the PCs have to address. No grasping around for what to delve into - in media res, i guess. Should bed the PCs down with each other and generate a problem that affects them all equally. Once you've found your feet, then you can get going with all the other stuff that chargen has created.

It also allows a 1 session break between chargen and the GM creating all the NPCs and problems - once the intitial problem is sorted, then the players can, in the next session, sort out Affiliations & Rivalries (perhaps informed by some NPCs that the GM introduced in the intitial problem).

Quote from: One Horse TownHigh praise indeed!

I've come to a realisation that given the chargen and the area gen which comes up front, that it's very front-loaded. For that reason, i'm going to do what i'm tentatively calling the 'bonding problem'. This is going to be a random table that generates a problem that requires the PCs instant attention.

The idea being that you can get straight into the game without having so many options that you get dizzy. All the problems generated by chargen are still there, but that 1st session will have a problem that the PCs have to address. No grasping around for what to delve into - in media res, i guess. Should bed the PCs down with each other and generate a problem that affects them all equally. Once you've found your feet, then you can get going with all the other stuff that chargen has created.

It also allows a 1 session break between chargen and the GM creating all the NPCs and problems - once the intitial problem is sorted, then the players can, in the next session, sort out Affiliations & Rivalries (perhaps informed by some NPCs that the GM introduced in the intitial problem).

Brilliant! I always start PCs off with something they have to take care of right away. It instantly bonds them.

-clash

This, sir (pointing at the Stone Horizons game), is a very, very neat thing.  

Without putting the cart too far in front of the horse here, what do you envision for this game in general?  And yes, I can completely understand the, "well, let's just wait and see how the masses take it first, shall we," response.

And without further ado, I must track down these story references outside the Gene Wolfe/Wolf/Wulf/Woolph one ASAP!

Quote from: DangerThis, sir (pointing at the Stone Horizons game), is a very, very neat thing.  

Thank you muchly.

QuoteWithout putting the cart too far in front of the horse here, what do you envision for this game in general?  And yes, I can completely understand the, "well, let's just wait and see how the masses take it first, shall we," response.

Well, the plan is for Flying Mice Games to publish it - probably in 2 books (although clash can pipe-up, if he disagrees). Each of an estimated 250 pages. At present they are basically split between a Players book and a GMs book.

Currently, the players book is standing at 109 pages and the GMs book at 37. I'm currently focussing on skills & abilities for the Players book. Once that is sorted, i'll do a serviceable equipment list. After that, the game should be playable, so the plan would be an alpha playtest (again informed by clash's greater experience in this area).

Once that is out, if i can write 2 feature/special feature/problem entries a day (probably about 1500 words), then i reckon a timescale of 5 months is reasonable before we can enter final preparations for publication.

Quote from: One Horse TownThank you muchly.



Well, the plan is for Flying Mice Games to publish it - probably in 2 books (although clash can pipe-up, if he disagrees). Each of an estimated 250 pages. At present they are basically split between a Players book and a GMs book.

Currently, the players book is standing at 109 pages and the GMs book at 37. I'm currently focussing on skills & abilities for the Players book. Once that is sorted, i'll do a serviceable equipment list. After that, the game should be playable, so the plan would be an alpha playtest (again informed by clash's greater experience in this area).

Once that is out, if i can write 2 feature/special feature/problem entries a day (probably about 1500 words), then i reckon a timescale of 5 months is reasonable before we can enter final preparations for publication.

This is along th lines of what I was assuming.

-clash

I've done my 2 features for the day, so it's back to skills for me!

A glimpse behind the curtain of Veiled Horizons. This particular section is for those running a fantasy game.

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The Architects

The world of Stone Horizons was constructed by mysterious beings known as the Architects. How humans and the other races came to inherit it is a matter of much conjecture and not a little concern. What if they want the castle back? This section discusses different ways in which the Architects can be portrayed in your game.
 
How you choose to view these beings effects how the game is run and on what your sessions may focus. So this section presents a variety of ways for you to introduce and run this enigmatic race. Where your choice affects the baseline assumptions of the game, it is noted in the relevant section and gives you advice on how to initiate these changes.

They Are Among Us

The Architects never left in this model. They have always lived amongst the people of the Stone Horizons and continue to do so. Their numbers are small and so they are forced to keep themselves hidden. They observe, catalogue and hoard any resources that they can find, and hold onto, without suspicion. Your neighbour, work colleague or the master of your feature may in fact be an Architect; hiding his true nature in the hope that he can return to power, in triumph, at some later date. They lay labyrinthine plots that are difficult to track back to them or walk the corridors of power, taking down folk who they see as a threat and sowing fear among the population. However, their plots are more often than not ineffective, as they lack the numbers or resources to enforce them. As a result, they are bitter and resentful and many of them retreat from society altogether and present a pitiful sight to those who encounter them.

However, on a local level, the Architects can still cause problems for the PCs. They could initiate many plots and finding their influence can be the basis of many sessions of play. Once they are unveiled, who do they turn out to be? Are they your long lost brother, the mild-mannered janitor, or even one of your parents?

This model can lend itself to a wonderful sense of paranoia and schemes within schemes involving secret societies, cults and conspiracy theories, with adversaries that are hard to pin down. Unlike the returning force model, the Architects are not the driving force in games that use this method of portrayal. Indeed, the PCs may never encounter them at all, or if they do, it could be just one or two isolated incidents. If one of the NPCs created in the feature creation section of Stone Horizons has the ‘Secret – Architect’, then the ‘They are Among Us’ type of portrayal is likely to be your best option (see NPCs, Problems & Politics).

Use the imbedded Architect profile for games using this model.

Edit: I imagine a sort of 'They Live' vibe for this.

Can't you just fuck up for once and write a rule/bit of fluff that isn't cool and well-considered, 'cause otherwise I'm gonna have to give up tabs and cut the bairns' pocket money once SH is available to buy.

lovin' it large !

Luckily, i've kept my fuck-ups to myself thus far. I'm glad that Vulcan Death-Grip got caught before i posted it.

Hygiene (Prag) (Gen)

(RCO) Hypochondriac’s Eye: If you gain 2 successes in a Reflexive Hygiene test, then you can determine whether any of the attacks of 1 of your melee opponents could result in contracting disease. This knowledge allows you to mitigate its affect, should you be wounded, as you manoeuvre yourself to best advantage. You receive a 1-die bonus to any Physique tests needed to resist disease resulting from those attacks.

(RSO) Presentable: You ignore negative modifications to your Status score due to appearance if you gain 2 successes in a Reflexive Hygiene test.

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RCO = Reflexive Combat Option.
RSO = Reflexive Social Option.

Here's a couple of weapon skill RCOs and a beastly one.

I'm not creating RSOs for weapon skills.

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Knives & Blades (Manual Dexterity)

(RCO) Inside the Guard: If a successful attack of yours is totally nullified by the use of either a shield or armour, then you still inflict 1 point of health damage if you gain 2 successes in a Reflexive Knives & Blades test.

Hooks & Poles (Manual Dexterity)

(RCO) Out of Reach: If you gain 2 successes in a Reflexive Hooks & Poles test and your next attack is successful, you inflict damage as normal. However, your opponent reduces any damage he inflicts, if his next attack is successful, by 1 point.

Claw (Physique)

(RCO) Rend: If you gain 2 successes in a Reflexive Claw test and your next attack hits, inflict damage as normal. However, the next time that you successfully use the Rend RCO, you cause 2 extra points of health damage and ignore up to 2 points of nominated armour if the subsequent attack is successful.

The Claw skill RCO explanation didn't communicate what i was aiming for correctly. Here is the cleaned up version.

Claw (Physique)

(RCO) Rend: If you gain 2 successes in a Reflexive Claw test in 2 successive rounds and the subsequent attack in each of those 2 rounds is successful, then the attack on the 2nd round causes 2 extra points of health damage and ignores up to 2 points of nominated armour.