Wednesday, December 30, 2015

A5/Statement Booklet Analysis Notes: Breaking up Ideas in 5min chunks

I'm currently fascinated by the Statement Sized (half letter) and A5 booklet format. One reason is because it is easy to carry even if it gets up to 200 or so pages. There is some economics about data in a full letter size vs my data upload rate.

So I realize one of the things needed in History RPGs is a fun way to think of the past. Particularly what are the things that are universal when getting into a Medieval or Low Tech setting. This is not just for Medieval RPGs but any RPG. I learned that I need to think in 5 minute Ideas.

By 5 minutes I mean about 1000-1500 words. Words that are ideally in lines 2" long (I have some reading problem when lines are more than 3" long. My eyes get confused what line its looking at; I read much faster in Anime Subtitles even with the distractions of the Animation than in Books).

I have to think in 5 minutes Ideas, spell out these Ideas and look at the most complex or nuanced ideas and think in Info graphics. useful infographics.
Example 
In the case of the medieval booklet: Low Tech Life. - One simple Infographic is graphing the people a commoner knows by how they have died. If I illustrated that its easier to get into character of a medieval person and understanding the biases and superstitions they believe - while not downgrading or dehumanizing them. Asking questions: how many close loved ones have died and in what way answers a lot of they psychology of such characters. Then make a comparison to today. 
So 1000-1500 words is about 4 to 8 pages of this, If I broke down major ideas in Flow Charts and InfoGraphics. Ideally Entertaining kinds.

Each Booklet represents 1 game session prep on the Players Side. It represents 5 minutes of personal investment while leaving the Player enough Self Guiding Questions to ruminate about. Like comparing the loss of loved ones of a low tech person vs his own situation. And more questions that help role-play and think in such tech levels.

I dont need to get into Technicalities.
I would love to but should avoid getting into technicalities of medieval life or hard scifi Life. To me the numbers and statistics tell a story which is great for me, but not my players. I have to make the story for them - that is my job as the booklet writer and the GM. The numbers tell a story and I have to fill in the details that make it a story.

The Point of Views.
I will use the a few commoner points of Views. I will also use the Ruling Elite, Educated (typically the Theocratic Elite), Professional Elite, and Fighting Elite. I will have to keep it short and simple, about a paragraph.

Example
The Baron's Heir, is 13 and already his father is pressuring him to marry this girl he hardly knows who was just born. Of a merchant no less. His steward explain him they need the money but he doesnt see how this fits in with the Chivalry or the Warriors way. Doesn't his King provide for his father and family? If we need the money why is the King entitled to a third of the Dowry? etc... 

I'll try to keep it short. TRY

I'd like people to Dive Right in. F*ck reading up on the setting. But the thing is this is enlightening and kinda sets the right Emphatic Frequency while negating much of the miseducation about the past. This would not be needed if history was for everyone but it isnt. Neither is Sci-fi or Science. It should be for everyone but - like me - access to such had a lot of barriers.


I note that even if it will be 5 minutes I can imagine people still struggling to read it. They would want to just scan through it. So I'll accommodate them by just letting them just read the Headings. 

You can imagine I wanted to make this for all sort of settings I've played: 
  • Homebrew Scifi
  • Crusades
  • Warring States
  • Three Kingdoms Era
  • Modern Fantasy Homebrew
  • Public Domain Conan
  • 19C Philippines
But I cant do it all and I have real life to do. So I have to be strategic in what I want to tackle - right now education and the fascinating world of the First Crusade will be my first foray into such. 



Friday, December 25, 2015

Scoping GURPS Crusades Character Creation and Campaign Book 4E

This is how GURPS character creation crusades would look like if I had the permission/blessing to make it with just GURPS Lite material. Its purely character creation and its design with being something fun to do and writing exercise.

Note: this comes with a Spreadsheet (the most Automation I can do by myself) that automates all the rolls and generates a stat block of such a character. It expresses the values by its "chapters". Again I prefer this to be in a Booklet of A5 or Statement where it is easy to reproduce and distribute. 

I believe on a style of play and set of details that would help expand GURPS user base and not just cater to the existing market. Its lonely being the only GURPS guy in the Philippines - I want the game's cost to learn and accommodate to be low that many casual gamers can get into it... that is for a longer monologue and rant about GURPS.

Chapter  0: Introduction to Crusades. 
  • Historical Game 
  • Human Ranges - assumptions of this character system based on adventuring human 
    • Attribute Scores of 8 to 14
    • Emphasis on Adventuring Humans and how much they are above the norm. even if they are born with Social Status, the stats make these characters exceptional than most. Rules for "Normals" exists (capping maximum stats and social status, and having more traits)
  • Since the booklet does not go into details of the system. Entries will have the Basic Set references (like B11 standing for basic set p. 11). 
  • Notes about Women in the Ages and how to Run such Games with women boiled down to a few bullets and 400 words. 
Chapter 1: Character Generation System. 
  • Roll Stats. 
    • "Gifts or Curses you were born with" Roll 3d6 on a table for the following stats: ST, DX, IQ, HT, Will, Perception, Basic Lift, Hit Points, Damage, Speed and Movement. Lowest end is an 8, and Highest is a 14. 
      • Note that stats can get lower because of various events and various traits.   
      • Brief description of these stats. 
    • Roll for Physical and Mental Traits.
      • Rolls d36 (roll 2 d6s, one as tens and the there as ones). 
      • Players get at most 2-3 traits. Because its hard to keep track and Role-play consistently more than such and Character gains more traits in "Life Events".  
    • "The Lot you were born in" Roll Social Status. expecting this to be several pages of tables and explanation per entry of classes per culture and an entry for each culture. If I can I will try to make maps of what the area consists off. The maps would be awesome as a 2-page spread and its regions before every Table, with greyed out areas of nearby regions that have blended peoples that relate to each table. 
      • Low end is Outcast or Underclass. Highest End is a scion of a Count level.
      • There is a Table to Roll for which Cultural Group you roll in. Its made up of its Eite and its Vassal or Client peoples. Players may Choose or Roll here
        • This is a table where PCs can roll 3d6 on for where the Character Comes from. 
          • each of this is a table for the Players roll where in Society their characters come from within these groups. 
        • Roman means rolling in a table where the Ruling society are the Byzantine Greeks. 
        • Holy Roman Empire is oriented around Germany and Germanic Elite. 
        • Frankia oriented around france and Frankish Elite
        • Italian Peninsula  
        • Iberia and North Africa
        • Levant and Islamic States
        • Turks and the Steppe Nomads. 
        • Kievan Rus and the Balkans (11C) 
        • The British Isles and Ireland. 
        • Scandanavia (Fins, Swedes, Danes, Norwegians) 
    • Roll for Social Traits. 
      • These bumps up or down the social status by a minor degree and grants social nuances to the character.  This also includes various obligations and undertaking. 
      • This also determines if the character has Siblings and Oaths to certain individuals. 
      • This is where the Character may be "Heir"
    • Roll Opportunities/Education. 
      • This is a roll to access to opportunities or education within or outside one's social status aka "lot in life". 
      • This is when the Character gets skills from their Family or their Background. Sometimes these skills aid the character in entering a profession.
      • Certain Backgrounds grants Literacy.  
      • Certain backgrounds also grant a Bonus to enter into a Profession. 
Chapter 2: "Change your stars" this is the opportunity to do so where the Player chooses the character's profession and let the dice fall. Of course they can go "with the flow" and gains a big bonus to enter a particular profession. In case they fail they can try to go by Circumstance.  
  • Choose Profession and roll to enter it and live as such. This is one of the few opportunities players try to roll and enter.  Typically its a Skill check, and default penalties apply for trying to get into it without the necessary background that grants at least the most basic understanding of it. 
    • These Professions have a specialty. 
      • They all have a page: like in Traveller. A page spread that looks at its Basic Skills, Specializations, Training Tables, and  "Events".
      •  Certain backgrounds make certain Professions Easy to enter. 
      • if a Character fails theree are other options and a Table to roll for as "Profession by Circumstance".   
    • Warrior - Kinda the most elaborate and I have to break it up to multiple entries. I haven't figured it out yet. 
    • Clergy - from monks to priests, and its higher echelons: bishops 
    • Artisan - basically all the skilled trades
    • Merchant - a buyer and seller, in the lowest ranks its a trader or monger, in the highest its a ship owner, monopoly holder, or banker.   
    • Scholar - specialities of Alchemy, Physician, and Arcanist (keeper of rare skills and knowleges). 
    • Agents - Someone who makes a profession as someone representative and personal agent. 
    • Steward (a literate Administrator) - IQ and Writing
    • Wanderer - someone whose had to wander for work and opportunities. 
  • Rules for Terms or Periods of Life in that profession, before the next opportunity to "Change Stars" arises. 
    • Life Events Tables including various circumstances. 
    • Contacts and Bonds Template for every Term. Where relationships with other PCs and NPCs are created and fleshed out. 
  • In the Spreadsheet Character generator this option would be tricky to make since its kinda open ended. 
Chapter 3: Fleshing out The Characters and Party
  • Party Skill Package, Equipment Packages, Hireling/Henchman Packages, Fleshing out the Character's current Circumstance (Initial Challenge Fronts), Rival and Enemy Creation, and Patrons Creation and Patron's Retinue. 
    • Load Outs and Packages galore
    • Minor NPCs and Patrons Templates (typically Baron and higher level of Status). 
    • Front Tables of Party Circumstance
  • Fleshing out NPCs and Bonds. 
    • Tables to add Traits or Nuances to Various Relationships, Equipment, Circumstances and NPCs. 
      • Tables are also used by the GM to create hidden dangers or opportunities with current NPCs. 
    • Hirelings and Companion Tables. 
Chapter 4: NPC galleries and various tables. A place to generate Social, Strategic, and Tactical Problems. It is almost a walk through of Dungeon world Fronts with tables for each part of the conflict. This adds a lot of value to such a program and to create a Doc template for other GMs to fill in their custom details would be exceptional. 
  • A library of an NPC every Profession and notes of Variances. If the Intended user is curious and wants to roll up a Circumstance and the NPCs around the circumstance. A kinda Self GM what the PC would do in this rolled up circumstance.  
    • This would be about 60 npcs with notes to modify them and make some wild card elements in them. 
  • This is meant for the GM to make "random" encounters. it has some basic notes of Dungeon World's Fronts. 
This would easily be in A5 or Statement a 100page booklet and a large Spreadsheet file. The output would be generated into a Txt File for easy storage of the file in the GM's devices (smart phone or tablets) or the GM can run in Gdocs Spreadsheets. A bored GM can use Chapter 4 and make a writing exercises connecting a random number of plot hooks, complications, and connections. - It emphasizes "connecting ideas" thinking. 

First One is Free

The booklet that would take a lot of work and would be needed that would be for sale: The Years leading to the crusade 1085-1095 and the years of the First Crusade. Time line, People, Peoples, and Places of 1085 up to 1099 and what was happening in most of the western and middle eastern world.

 Disclaimer on Accuracy (working with what is available for access in the time this was written and note that we cannot use PAID sources like JSTOR and various $1500 dollar history books in Google Bookstore. Notes on Altering History and going down the consequences of such. 

You can have tons of fun using the Free Character Creation Booklet. A bunch of hours enjoying making characters and a party, and creating various encounters in Chapter 4. Which results in: Knowing enough about gurps and understanding the kind of encounters a PC will find. It prepares you a bit, but not until an Adversarial GM starts running those characters. 

This includes Org-Charts of Familes and Succession. It talks about Armies and Economies, and Logsitics. How to randomly generate the GM's own complicated Families and the Libreoffice Spreasheet file of making such complicated families. The complicated rules of succession and claims. (Stuff any Crusader Kings 2 Player would know and love to try to play out). It will cover from Western Europe AND the Middle east

It will have a 4'x4' sections of the world map in PDF attachments. the GM can have it printed in a TARP at 300dpi and decorate his walls or set up in his Roll20 account. it will probably take 3x 4 x 4 maps to have enough detail. 

Here I would want to Include my SIMPLER narrative combat system and my simpler mass combat system specifically design to be easy on the GM's workflow.  Plus spreadsheet automation of all of this to be at a click of a button. 

Output Notes

  1. It would probably take 3 months (if full time) to write the free booklet and 5 months to write the second booklet. Triple if done part time but can be faster If I can work with a writer and scope and edit the work. Lolz by 2017 a book to try to revive interest in GURPS lolz. I think i can find local artists and co-writers and researchers in the Philippines and Online and manage them lolz.
  2. The Crusades Guide book is 200+ pages or the 20usd by gurps page to cost count. 
  3. In the end the GM is armed with a ton of usable material that takes in consideration optimized Workflow. The goal is a detail you can use and to give that detail page real-estate based on how much its going to be used. 
    1. People who have the booklet can share it and its designed to be gifted. I will make various videos of walk through of the booklet in 4mins, 7 mins, and 10 minutes. (note if the audience can go through these videos in youtube's x2 speed). 
    2. I will document my Running of such a game with the tools and publish my entire workflow so that people can see how much time it takes to make it - it also shows the GM skills i use. I keep my notes Open when it Comes to GMing.
    3. if this works out I'll schedule various Yotube Walk through of 4mins (so 2 mins if you speed it up) of various mechanics and play through. 
    4. Less than an hour to prep an adventure for 2-4 hours, and the ability to generate useful details mid-Session (in a 20-30 min break) when the Players really go far far outside expectations. 
    5. The ability to run for 2 players or faster decision making parties - the challenge being that they tend to make decision much faster and get through material much faster.  
  4. The ability to Reproduce the feeling of Historical Immersion and Framing of Historical Events in light of the people and its time. 
  5. Sadly people will need to find all this in about Basic Set (500 pages), Low Tech (200 pages), Martial Arts (200 pages). I cannot really influence this but I think a "Packaged" bundle is in order lolz Otherwise it would be a 150usd entry value lolz. 
  6. If people like it and want an additional head ache: magic and magical doctrine - how the world would look like if magic was real in the events of the crusades and Saints and Angels interceded in the events. 
  7. The eastern equivalent of this would be: Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms  its eastern equivalent would be as fun. And as a Mandarin Language student make it as a great entry way to learn mandarin lolz. 

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Scoping: If I ran GURPS 4E Again

GURPS was my core go to material for a while and because it was too tough to digest I gave it up. The game is progressiveness on the path of more material, but not material that makes it easier for newbies to enter but for those still running.

Unlike the other Traveller or DnD, GURPS has no SRD. Unlike these two SRD systems, I already made a GURPS Lite for Low Tech. Or what people would call GURPS Medium - a 100 page Letter Sized PDF that only has what you need to run a Low Tech Game - specifically 11C. This year I learned to play Crusader Kings which gives me the Categories and Lore I can use to generate ANY Plot or adventure in the Eras found in the Game.

If I were to ever run GURPS again the Material I make would be accessible  legally (either they buy it off Warehouse 23 or they approve it).


The material would be the Following

Character Creation Booklet. A booklet meant for Newbie Players. A fun mini-game. It comes with a program/spreadsheet that automates everything. Its actually given freely. (this is how you get people into the game)

  • a Statement or A5 sized Booklet 
  • with a Life Path System 
    • Roll Stats
      • Roll Physical and Mental Traits
    • Roll Background
      • Roll Social Taits
      • Roll Opportunities/Education
      • Choose Career/Profession and Roll to Qualify
      • Rules to Age and Advance the character by Dice.
  • Skill Packages 
    • Talent Advantage becomes more of a Profession "Level"
  • Equipment Packages
    • For Various Builds with Doctrine notes. 
    • Equipment packages for Groups, Roles, and for Logistics. 
  • Designed for 11C Europe. 
    • Alternate Booklets are the following: 
    • Eastern Europe and the Eastern Roman Empire
    • The Middle East 
    • India
    • China 11th
Players Options Booklet. Containing details that Character Creation Booklet goes into at x2 to x5 the depth. This is paid for and ideally at the standard GURPS 8-10usd (bundles packages and gift giving options in the store; GMs giving it as gifts or players Giving it as gifts to hint the GM to run a particular campaign). This is what people who PLAY buy. GMs of course should get this. 

It does not Overwhelm. The format of the information focuses in Categories and Roles. Particularly the classes of various cultures and their key concepts and Roles. These booklets are all in the context of the setting and genre. 
  • Details of the Skills 
  • Advantages 
  • Techniques
    • Various Builds and Optimzation.
  • Money and Economy
  • Equipment
  • Henchmen and Hireling Roster
  • Notches that clearly signal which needs GM oversight. 
  • Combat Rules - Narrative system not the detailed rules. 
World Mechanics Booklet. This booklet is for the GM who runs for a particular setting. Its bundled: buy 1 Setting Mechanics Booklet with 6 Players Options Booklet for a specific Setting. 
As a Bonus: pay for a service: someone who can edit and layout your world Mechanics Booklet. 

  • Setting Material
    • MAPS at a level of usable detail for mass combat if that is an option of the setting. 
    • NPC portrait Cards galore. ideally hundreds of printable (B&W) on sticker paper. 
  • Hazards, Conditions, and details on Character Mechanics. 
  • Tables of Names, NPCs, Encounters, Hooks, Challenges, etc... 
  • NPC Generation
  • Hundreds of NPC Pictures to be printed on sticker paper (B&W friendly) for NPC cards. 
  • Mass Combat or Warfare systems: (I'm biased to my own warfare system that is much simpler to run and easier)
    • Some settings emphasize on bean counting mass combat. 
      • Some Naval 
      • Some Very Macro with fine points of Personal Combat.
    • Some settings is about Politics and Intrigue, and Political Warfare of such would be needed. 
    • Some settings is about Revolutionary Ideas/Memes spreading and changing. 
  • Automate many of the Program or Spreadsheet with these values built in and exportable lists or groups of stat bocks. 

Realization
GURPS is so modular. a service of helping make such: Setting specific Character Creation Booklets, Players Options Booklets, Settings Book-Booklet is GM support as a service. It may be niche, but its really working with GMs to make a great Game Running experience. 

Character Creation Booklets being free and fun to Play for one's one amusement and to be shared is kinda awesome. It would do a lot to spread the game system and compete for attention in this overly saturated and dominated market. 

Realistically its belt tightening time and there is no risking the IP. 

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Curiously Scoping: If I ran D&D Again

wondering what I would do different. if I would ever run D&D again. If included  the time I would do research, revise, and assembling the pieces not just writing it the time doubles to triples. .

DnD 3.5
  • make it 3d6 instead of d20
  • Make it into A5 or Statement Booklets
    • Character Creation
      • Stats up to Classes and Life Path system
      • Equipment Packages
      • Skill Packages
      • Basic Spells
      • Creation Flow Charts
      • Excel sheet or Automation of Character creation 20-60 hours. 
      • 60 hours
    • Player Options
      • Special Traits and Abilities (feats)
      • Equipment in Detail
      • Spells
      • Henchmen and Companions
      • 60 hours
    • World Mechanics
      • Hazards and Conditions
      • Character Limitations and Performance notes
      • NPC templates roster and NPC generator
      • Tables of Hazards and encounters
      • 60  hours 
      • Modifying the Excel Sheet to create an entire cast and "Domain" 
    • GM guide
      • My notes on Pacing
      • Dungeon World's Fronts (Challenge Fronts)
      • With a Flow Chart using Fronts
      • Notes of what Tables in Fantasynamegenerators.com to use for each step of the flow chart
      • My notes on how to End a Session. (the rule of Characterization).
      • 30 hours. 
      • the Excel Sheet for Fronts and Challenge Generator 20 hours basic, and probably 60 hours "Pretty-fied".  
  • make it Life Path character generation
    • 40 hours
    • 3d6 with a table that allows for stats of 8 to 16. With 40% of the curve to the more extreme stats 8 and 14 and up. 
    • Roll Stats, Roll for Trais
      • Determine Identify (gender, height, weight, skin, ethnicity, sub-ethnicity)
    • Roll Background
      • Choose Race
        • the Basics: Human, Elf, Dwarf, Orc, Goblin, Gnome, and Halfling
      • Roll Social Status (modified by race)
      • Roll Opportunities for Advancement
      • Choose "Profession" (Class)
        • Roll for Qualification 
        • Roll Survival and Events
  • Limit to 10 levels.
    • Experience is not tied to killing stuff but Agency, Exploring Character limits, and Fleshing out Characters personality. . 
    • Ideally there is a spreadsheet that lets me generate NPCs through this system. 
  • HP system intact but with Wound Conditions
    • Emphasis in Fatigue, Stress, and Wound Conditions. 
  • Modified Magic 
    • Spells as skills which higher spells as "greater" feats of each discipline of spells. 
    • Magical Doctrine 20-40 hours
  • Adventures in Domains instead of Dungeons. 
    • Domains and Dominions game lolz. 
  • Simplified Skill system. Borrowing from 5e. 
  • Attack and Spell Checks and passive Defence Values from 5e. 
  • Mass Combat and Ratio Combat system
    • Basically combat system that works with Odds.
      • Its basically 3 vs 2 would have a corresponding bonus. its applibacle 
      • I have bout 80-100 hours of work left on the system. 
  • Min-Maxing and Munchkin test
    • Notes on how to break the systems and where the system is not supposed to go.
    • Best practice/Doctrine 
    • 60 hours
  • Deck of 2.5x3.5 Actor pictures for quick NPCs in plastic card sleeves. 
    • 20 hours
  • Setting Maps
    •  at least setting up the list of sites that allow map creation
    • how to print them out and how much it may cost, plus amount of time.
  • Layouting and Art
  • Printers
  • Minimalist Character Booklet
    • 10 hours, but needs constant revisions
Overall, its a massive time suck and spelling out my wish helps me point out: NO WAY. there is some level of compulsion that makes me want to achieve this level of detail 

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Update in Homebrew Traveller SRD, Careers

An exercise of categorical thinking and how I understand my world.

This Traveller homebrew has more stats. Str, Dex, Con, Int, Wis, Cha, and Soc (social status). Unlike regular traveller where the DM is Stat/3 -2 this is Roll on or below the Stat. Basically characters have a default Stat of 6, and Roll 2d6/3 (rounded down) - 2. so a Roll of 3-5 is a -1 to the
default stat of 6 = 5. A roll of 12 calls for a second roll that adds 2d6 more. So rolling 12 and 12 again is a 24 or a +6 for a score of 12 (or an C)!

In this method Every Point matters. A Str of 7 is better than 6, and the dice show it.


Frontiersmen roll Con -0 Penalty
Specializations: Homesteader, Trader, Trailblazer

- people of the frontier, and how an economy develops

Migrant Workers Automatic
Specializations: Worker, Rogue, Thug

-The under and working class. The thugs use force and violence. Rogues cunning, and workers just work.

Agents (of Large Orginzations) Soc -0 Penalty
Specializations: Enforcers, Associates, Bureaucrats

- Agents of Mega Corps or States. Legal industry falls into this Career.

Medicine Roll Int -0 Penalty
Specialization: Physician, Bio-tech, Bio-Handler

- The very broad category of Bio related professions. The bio-handler
is the "New" animal handler which has broadened to any Bio-asset.

Merchant Roll Cha -0 Penalty
Specialization: Sales, Services, Logistics  

- Sales, Support, Retail, distribution, and Logistics

Industrial Roll Int -0 Penalty
Specialization: Production, Support, Projects

- Projects is short for Special Projects, the guys who have to trouble shoot.

Knowledge Workers Roll Int or Wis -2 Penalty
Specialization: Memetic, Cipher, Verifiers

- Memetics is Marketing, Cipher is an information Miner, Encryption, and Decryption,
and Verifiers are those who make the information tangible. Verifiers are a cross between an investigator and .

Consumer Market Roll Cha -0 Penalty
Specialization: Artisan, Performer, Celebrity
- Consumerism lolz. Celebrity is being someone everyone wants to be. They sell
"Experiences" as a service lolz.

Academe Roll Int -0 Penalty
Specialization: Professor, Researcher, Scientist

- Researcher is the in between Professor and "Ivory Tower" Scientist. Kinda
like a Knowledge worker.

Army (Intrastellar Colonial Forces)  roll Con -2 penalty
Specializations: Ground, Orbital, Support

- Orbital means colonial Fleet.

Imperial

Notable because of the "Transhumanistic opportunities" - it takes money to have good augmentation to be "above the rest". Social status does not just mean money - but all the power and abilities such can buy.
They all get basic cyber upgrades, as well as controls to prevent going rogue.

Navy (Imperial Fleet) Roll Int -2 penalty
Specialization: Courier, Reserve, Expedition

-as you can probably figure out: the logistics guys, the guarding force, and the expeditionary force.

Marines (Imperial Forces) roll Con -4 penalty
Specializations: Guardsman, Inflitrators, Assault

- your hurscarl, samurai, <insert cultural equivalent of a "royal" force> Since exoskeletons are present in almost all vac suits, these guys get the "Battle Armor" and "Stealth" Armor etc... Combat can get "medieval" because of the peculiarities of doctrine...

Imperial Client Roll Soc -4 penalty
Specialization: Administrator, Intelligence, Diplomat

- Aka a Valuable Vassal, Spymaster, Agent, etc... As an Imperial Clientthe Scale of Status upgrade is immense. This figures into the character's

========


Friday, December 4, 2015

Booklet Creation

Things you can only do with an Open SRD Type System:

Splitting up Booklets so that its modular and can be printed as needed for Convention or Escallating Player skill. Stressing Tutorial 101 - easing the level of complexity and informing in Common Practice assumptions.

I will split them up into the Following:

1) RPG and Setting Intro.
This can be completely ignored for existing users  OR customized as a "Spiel". It really should be a .doc or .odt to be customized for conventions and letting people be informed about their options and the kind of game. It should have Informing Assumptions on what kind of Sci-Fi (IMO) for better expectations creation. This is where a community sharing art material and layouting techniques can be most effective. I currently doing research in "brochure" printing options in LibreOffice aka Booklet Printing with my Samsung SCX-3405fw. Note I can only really know how I can do it with my Printer and getting other gamers to tell others how to print Booklets with their Printer is a great thing to Share in a Gaming Community.

2) Character Creation and starting packages.
Includes skill, equipment, and starting packages so there is no need to go into detail about other options; its its own mini-game of 1 player. There are some basic setting assumptions, like for mine, Pantropic Humans. Instead of rolling Homeword its Rolling "People" or what people and culture the character is from and allowing liberated customization that builds detail to the world.

One key aspect is Packages - as a Gamer with a Munchkin background I like being very well prepared as well as fitting in with the worlds Assumptions. Stuff I should have I have, and common sense stuff for my character is there even if I wont know what that is until the need arises.

3) Player Options
Basically for "power users" and really not needed for Conventions. It will contain about  x7-10 more options than Character Creation for detail. Talks about "Doctrine - or Setting Assumptions on Main Practice" - also goes into "standards".
Ex. Other than skills, equipment etc... talking about things like Cost of Living,  Advancement: Education, Career, Augmentation etc...

4) Wold Mechanics:
This is where it talks about Adventurer Trends in Career options and line of business, along with the rules. Here we talk about speculative trade, economics, "Leads" (as in business leads tables) and Contacts, Rivals, Enemies, and Ally creation Tables. Things for the GM and the GM can ask the Player to roll: "What is the lead you were able to drum up" etc...

Its looks like its for the GM but IMO it Informs the Player on what overall Play Strategies (Business Models), and it helps the GM with creating various nuanced details by letting the player roll on these tables themselves.

5) Character Mechanics
Combat, Hazards, and abilities and limitations of characters. So the player knows what a "Trait" does to keep character sheets bare and simple, how much time it takes to perform a skill, and lighten the rules and mechanics load for the Player.

Nothing really for the GM so far. What I can create is expand on the Front by making a .doc/.odf "fill in the blanks. Sheet with Helpful Random Tables built in. VIOLA GM prep in about an hour per session per week. (Of course I'm going to try to figure out Time and Motion for NPC generation and note taking down the line).

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Scoping / Sketching what a Blender Workflow for Sci-Fi GMs

Expectations going in:

  • GMs learning to use Blender enough to make one's own ships and scenes.
  • Allowing GMs to Model ships and basic "3d  Modeling" to have a usable skill. 
  • Probably 20 hours of personal time with Ideally practicing 2-3 hours every week of practice (and recording to help remember key lessons). Probably after 20 hours and 2 weeks of practice would be competent enough to make speed model in 2-3 hours a week. 
    • Note: a habit needst have a low barrier of entry. if something can be all done and practiced in less than 30 mins the better, but for every hour more the greater the magnitude of the schedule problem. 

Step 1: research the following (review Extra Credits Tutorial 101

  • Get Recordmydesktop and test it. Look for other such recording systems. 
    • Worse Case Scenario, I'll have my a Sports Cam set up to look over my shoulder. 
    • Figure out how to make my Hotkeys Visible. 
    • Figure out how to use Blender's Desktop Recording System. 
    • Estimate of about 2-3 hours figuring out. 
    • I need a noise canceling mic. 
  • Review other blender workflows out there. Using Youtube video downloaders and VLC speeded up player. 
    • Estimate 1-2 hours running and skipping within videos. 
  • Have a conservative and easy goal. 
    • the Workflow is a video 5-10 minutes long. Probably 5 min video for every step of the task that allows the user to play around after every task. 
    • But there is a Multi-Step task process of 30-45 minutes of exercises. 
  • Gather some tools. Example: The blender Hot Key Map.
  • Write down what I expect and have a notebook handy to capture all the things that fall outside my expectations in the dry run.  
    • Narrow my scope and goals to 5 minute achievable goals. particularly workspace set up and how to document your own process. 

Step 2: Dry Run and Experimentation.

This one I have to do. It would take a few weeks and tries to have a good Workflow going. First Goal is trying to create a workspace and flow that allows the GM getting into blender to fire up Blender and start modeling immediately. Make as many sketches or rough models as an artist would make rough sketches: 4-6 minutes of tries and screen cap worthy.