When considering a page layout I have been applying some UX (Users Experience) rigor to help reduce potential usability issues.
I ask myself a few questions to work out user stories (usage scenarios) which inform the page layout:
Who is looking at the page and why?
E.g. The GM... because the group have just stumbled on a Skelemaster! They need to know how to run that encounter?
What information is the user (GM) looking for?
1. What is a Skelemaster in a nut-shell?
2. How does the Skelemaster react to the group?
3. How do you 'roleplay' them?
4. How do you they interact with the combat/negotiation/game mechanics?
5. How does this or that ability work?
6. What do they find on the body?
What is the best way to communicate this information quickly?
What is the best way to arrange the content to address the above needs?
What do they need to know first?
What is the best visualisation of the data?
Once I'm confident about with how players will interact with the page I've been using wireframes!
A quick way to iterate layout ideas and validate if the information structure is practical/efficient.
The end result will produce a template, which can occasional result in some structural editing (chopping and changing) for a smoother experience at the table.
Friday, 10 January 2020
Monday, 25 November 2019
Reviewing the Basics - Checks and Contests
We have a lot of new followers popping up as of late, and while I feel a bit bad retreading old information I think it's probably been long enough that I can get away with it!
Lets start foundations of BREAK!!'s main mechanics.
Lets start foundations of BREAK!!'s main mechanics.
Every character and other entity in BREAK!! has a list of values called Aptitudes. These are used to show how competent a particular entity is on one of five broad areas of expertise. The five Aptitudes are:
- Might
- Deftness
- Insight
- Grit
- Aura
The most rudimentary system of resolution in BREAK!! are Checks and Contests.
- Checks come up whenever an individual is attempting to do something challenging with a significant chance of failure. An appropriate Aptitude (as well as any appropriate bonuses or penalties) is selected and the challenged rolls a d20 in hopes of getting as close as possible to their Aptitude's value without going over.
- Contests are like Checks, save for rather than testing one entity's skill, there are two or more challenging each other. Each involved Rolls as if they were making a Check, and whoever is able to roll the highest without going over is the winner. Now, this outcome can be changed by a multitude of things (who has the higher bonus, or pertinent Ability, or whose getting helped) - but again, we are just covering the basics here.
These are the foundations for a lot of other systems in the game. Most of them reference this in some capacity, while adding in new levels, steps, or strategies as appropriate.
One of the things I'd really wanted when planning BREAK!! was for resolutions that didn't need a lot of math and for players to be able to reference their character sheets (rather than needing to go back to the book a lot) during play - so starting with something simple like this and building onto it seemed like the way to go for me.
Sunday, 13 October 2019
An update and a hello!
First and foremost, I want to say Grey and I are still hard at work at this thing. We just recently re-worked a whole section to try and make the book more manageable for you all and shorter to produce - so here's hoping. We'll do our best to keep you updated on all major milestones.
Secondly, I noticed we've got a lot of new followers over our various social media accounts so wanted to put up a refresher on what BREAK!! is and what our hopes are for it.
Secondly, I noticed we've got a lot of new followers over our various social media accounts so wanted to put up a refresher on what BREAK!! is and what our hopes are for it.
- BREAK!! is a tabletop RPG focused on teamwork and adventure. While it's themes are classic the game itself is built from the ground up in hopes of giving a new spin on them, as well as draw from popular influences (that the creators also happen to like)
- BREAK!!'s standard setting is a place known as "The Outer World", a colorful land that has endured 3 Cataclysms and has settled into a strange 4th Aeon of wonder and strife. There is plenty of adventure to be had, unearthing and exploring what was lost or helping build and protect a new world.
- We are hoping to release a rule-book that has everything you need to play and create your own campaigns and adventures with BREAK!! - so that everything that comes next is entirely optional.
If you are at all interested in the game I highly recommend skimming the blog! It's got a lot of really cool artwork (past and present) and hopefully can tide you over until the game is ready for everyone.
Wednesday, 14 August 2019
Saturday, 10 August 2019
Why I wrote this thing (Also Art)
I got a random message from a friend of mine who had been looking through BREAK!! stuff that basically amounted to: "This is actually pretty cool, I've been reading this and my eyes didn't immediately glaze over". I laughed and sent a message back thanking them, saying that made me inordinately happy.
My friend has often joked about how the Ye olde aspect of most fantasy bores them (a jokey term that actually would take a lot of time to unpack and really says a great deal about tabletop rpgs and perhaps the entire genre in general) and while I know for a fact some of that's in BREAK!! enough different things are there that they had something to hold onto. That's good.
It's why I wrote the thing.
Well, one reason at least - I'm not going to say I think wrote a game that can bring all those left behind by the numerous mainstream and indie efforts that have come out over the years. First off, it's not true, secondly it would be absurd and unfair for anyone (let alone myself) to say. But I did want to write a game that I liked, that did the things I wanted, and in my heart of hearts believe that there are enough people that will enjoy it to justify the effort.
Also Grey has been posting a lot of cool art, come take a look!
Wednesday, 22 May 2019
Magia the Arcane
Noodling on for setting expansion/splatbook when we shouldn't be...
Magia
- Part of Kingdom of Shard, a loose confederacy of city-states technically loyal to impotent monarch. Each of these cities has been built around an enormous Star Shard, a fragment of the Sun Machine that provides light and warmth.
- Magia’s Star Shard is particularly potent, saturating the city with copious amounts of Mana. Spells and other magics are particularly effective here, though it's rumored to have some odd effects on those that live there.
- The innermost parts of the city are cut off from the rest by a powerful magical barrier. Only those with the Magia Sigil can move freely through it. Wealthy residents have it branded on their body via ritual, but temporary amulets can be purchased for those who have brief business there.
- Magia’s biggest draws are its college of magic and the innermost city itself, which functions as something of a haven for powerful spellcasters both noble and nefarious.
- Pros: Sanctuary for casters in need, a vast and well staffed college, numerous repositories of information and ample opportunity for the magic and mundane alike.
- Cons: Squabbling magicians and the various issues their struggles cause. Other issues include Arcane Pollution, Dwelling Dweomers, rather crowded with school of magic drop-outs.
Potential adventures:
- Patrons from Magia contact the party (wherever they might be) and ask them to retrieve something and bring it back to them for a reward
- Entanglement in the feuds and romances of prominent mages
- Acting as substitute teachers or chaperones for the college of magic
- Attempting to help mitigate the damage caused by a wayward arcane experiment
Tools:
- Wizard generators (includes both distinguished and disaster wizards)
- Sanctum generator (including magical security systems)
- New Abilities for Sages and Heretics.
- Immortal Calling
- Ritual Rules
- Magical weather / pollution (e.g mana storm) / environmental anomalies
- New Magical diseases
Splotch is a jealous and paranoid caster, whose more or less convinced nearly everyone is out to steal away his accumulated treasures. The thing is he’s not entirely wrong: someone is definitely gunning for his stuff.
- Signature spell: Tricky Trapper.
- Wants: To protect the various treasures hidden away in his sanctum.
- Fears: That a trusted individual will betray him and catch him unawares.
2) Platti Spellshaper
A fearsome wizard who wishes nothing more than to assert her dominance, Platti seeks to unseat Magia’s current Overmistress and take the title for herself. Part of that plan requires the support of other powerful mages - and the disposal of ones who refuse her.
- Signature spell: Overpowering Incantation.
- Wants: Absolute authority over Magia.
- Fears: Being bested by another before she can achieve her dream.
3) Grunk
Hailing from the Murk, Grunk is an eccentric and unpleasant mage whose manners and hygiene leave something to be desired. Conversely, he his good natured and kind, genuinely willing to extend his hand to those in need.
- Signature spell: Gristle Berry.
- Wants: To continue to study and teach Bloom Magic.
- Fears: His teachings being used for wicked purposes.
4) Pebblebeard Muddleore
A mage who sold his body to an Unshaped for a tome of ancient knowledge. Such a deal was only possible thanks to the Cranial Preservation device he himself had devised. Unfortunately, reading a book in his current state has proven to be rather difficult.
- Signature spell: Telekinetics.
- Wants: An apprentice to assist him in reading his ancient tome.
- Fears: That said apprentice will simply run off with said ancient tome.
5) Nazen Windrunner
This handsome wizard claims to be a refugee from ancient Akenia, having somehow preserved themselves magically during its destruction and re-emerged in this modern era. While this might be an elaborate lie, their powerful magic and knowledge of long forgotten techniques suggest they might be telling the truth.
- Signature spell: Breeze Walk.
- Wants: To restore the traditions of the Akenian Magic Knights.
- Fears: Being publicly accused of being a fraud.
6) Grammy Hexen
A fearsome woman with a sing-songy voice, Grammy Hexen was once a story that parents would use to frighten their kids into behaving. But apparently enough believed in her that she became truly real. Now she terrorises the adults of Magia as much as the children!
- Signature spell: Transmortify.
- Wants: To delight herself in sadistic mischief.
- Fears: That one day no one will fear her.
You wouldn’t think being permanently petrified would the best thing to happen to you, but that’s how it worked out for Grimp. After being turned to stone he had all the time in the world to contemplate his many ideas and philosophies. He communicates with his assistants via his Grand Grimoire.
- Signature spell: Grandest Grimoire.
- Wants: Time to decipher all the mysteries of the universe.
- Fears: Coming across a conundrum he cannot fathom or solve.
8) Obaba
This wise old sage traveled from a far off isle in the Twilight Meridian to conduct some grand experiment in Magia. She toils endlessly to grow and preserve a massive magical flower for purposes known only to her. No one questions it though, as she is helpful and kindly as long as one does not cross her.
- Signature spell: Benevolent Blossom.
- Wants: To see her plans bear fruit and make the world more prosperous.
- Fears: That her life and actions will amount to naught.
9) Tula Grandis
A cosmopolitan caster of the highest order, Tula is well known for her grand galas and vibrant parties, the finest in all Magia. While many are quick to pin her as superlous, there are rumours these celebrations are for gathering mana for some forbidden ritual.
- Signature spell: Shared Ectasy.
- Wants: Restoring a mighty Divine Ruler to prominence.
- Fears: Hosting a dull party.
This self-declared grandmaster is certainly powerful, but has a very dubious list of accomplishments. The most infamous being conscripting a group of Otherworlders to try and kill his estranged son. Even now, he plans on dragging more adventurers into some cockamaime scheme...
- Signature spell: Master’s Fiat.
- Wants: Honestly, no one has figured that out yet.
- Fears: The wrath of his son.
11) Eidolon
Once an assistant to an ancient mage, Eidolon became a grand practitioner in their own right. Now they seek to find a way to create more of their kind, knowing that otherwise the bio-mechanoids will dwindle away into nothing.
- Signature spell: Machina Commune.
- Wants: To secure a future for all synthetic life.
- Fears: That those like them will vanish from the face of the Outer World forever.
12) Goya
This immortal was recently returned to existence via ritual. He had been aged and wise, but a hiccup returned him to this world as a child, and he’s been having a great time of it. While he still retains much of his power, he’d much rather use it for mischief than anything else.
- Signature spell: Perfect Mimicry.
- Wants: To spend the rest of his existence having uninterrupted fun.
- Fears: Maturing back into his original form.
Sunday, 21 April 2019
Brief Update
Hey everyone, the writer has a twitter now!
I hope to chat more about BREAK!! there as well as interact more actively with RPG folks!
I hope to chat more about BREAK!! there as well as interact more actively with RPG folks!
Saturday, 2 March 2019
On Setting
Since we are in one of those periods where Grey is at the layout millstone, I thought it was time for a good old fluff entry:
A friend of mine asked me about how I wanted BREAK!!'s setting to presented. His concern was that thin line between presenting too much that it bogs down the game, and too little for it to be of much use. I'm pretty well familiar with that line admittedly, as it's one I've crossed back and forth a lot in my many, many years of running (and more recently) writing game-stuff.
One thing to say right off the bat is that a lot of the heavy lifting for this sort of thing comes a game's art, and I've been gifted with a talented and imaginative co-creator whose not only excellent in conveying the ideas I have, but also contributes a lot of his own into the mix. I feel like if there wasn't a single word on the Outer World in the main book, it would still be a pretty tangible concept thanks to Grey's art alone.
But there are words in the book about the Outer World. A short atlas of sorts, but also a lot that's baked into the gameable bits. The setting is revealed through character options, gear, monsters and such as much as it is explicitly stated. Part of this is because I really don't want to be boring and linger on one thing for too long (it's already a pretty big book) but also part of an overarching idea of mine.
I say it a lot but I'm a fan of a sort of "Toy Set" style approach. Your handed the pieces of something, and a guide on how it is intended to be used. You have everything you need to run with it and make it your own - even if the direction you go in isn't something we would have ever thought of. Additional materials will try to stick to the same method. Ultimately, our goal is for BREAK!! to not to have one setting, but lots, all reflected differently by the (hopefully) many people who enjoy it.
A friend of mine asked me about how I wanted BREAK!!'s setting to presented. His concern was that thin line between presenting too much that it bogs down the game, and too little for it to be of much use. I'm pretty well familiar with that line admittedly, as it's one I've crossed back and forth a lot in my many, many years of running (and more recently) writing game-stuff.
One thing to say right off the bat is that a lot of the heavy lifting for this sort of thing comes a game's art, and I've been gifted with a talented and imaginative co-creator whose not only excellent in conveying the ideas I have, but also contributes a lot of his own into the mix. I feel like if there wasn't a single word on the Outer World in the main book, it would still be a pretty tangible concept thanks to Grey's art alone.
But there are words in the book about the Outer World. A short atlas of sorts, but also a lot that's baked into the gameable bits. The setting is revealed through character options, gear, monsters and such as much as it is explicitly stated. Part of this is because I really don't want to be boring and linger on one thing for too long (it's already a pretty big book) but also part of an overarching idea of mine.
I say it a lot but I'm a fan of a sort of "Toy Set" style approach. Your handed the pieces of something, and a guide on how it is intended to be used. You have everything you need to run with it and make it your own - even if the direction you go in isn't something we would have ever thought of. Additional materials will try to stick to the same method. Ultimately, our goal is for BREAK!! to not to have one setting, but lots, all reflected differently by the (hopefully) many people who enjoy it.
Saturday, 16 February 2019
A nice little shout-out
A friend of the team, Daniel, wrote up a nice little thing on why he's excited for BREAK!! and obvious bias on my part aside, it's a very nice read and even points out things I'd not thought of.
Wednesday, 6 February 2019
McByrde-Thomas Projection
Giving sense of spherical nature using loose approximation of geographic projection.
Prolly stick with iscoheadron net
Prolly stick with iscoheadron net
Tuesday, 5 February 2019
Icosahedro-map
The net for the 20 sided world is much more 2D friendly than the 12 sided one.
Regions could fit into a triangular face, then isolated and explained in subsequent chapters.
You would go on trian-crawls!
Regions could fit into a triangular face, then isolated and explained in subsequent chapters.
You would go on trian-crawls!
Saturday, 2 February 2019
Dodeca-map!
Rethinking map presentation (again).
Please ignore labels and geography (just there for conceptual purposes)
How about presenting the world map as a dodecahedron net?
Please ignore labels and geography (just there for conceptual purposes)
How about presenting the world map as a dodecahedron net?
Saturday, 26 January 2019
New Subreddit!
We now have a BREAK!! subreddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/breakrpg/
Please feel free to join and ask questions - it'll keep us on our toes!
Please feel free to join and ask questions - it'll keep us on our toes!
Saturday, 19 January 2019
Outer World Map iteration and annotation
Exploring ways to annotate the original world map with the more detailed region locations.
Version 1: Contextual
Like the full page-ness here, would be impactful on page flip.
Version 2: Look up tableThink this gives clearer segmentation of the 3 core surface regions
Have put the regions corresponding areas/landmasses directly underneath the map, so you can look straight down to find the names of the notable areas.
Version 1: Contextual
Like the full page-ness here, would be impactful on page flip.
Version 2: Look up tableThink this gives clearer segmentation of the 3 core surface regions
Have put the regions corresponding areas/landmasses directly underneath the map, so you can look straight down to find the names of the notable areas.
Saturday, 8 December 2018
Thursday, 29 November 2018
Saturday, 10 November 2018
The Big Plan of the moment
So it's no secret we've been plugging at this book for a while now - while it is in fact, written, layout, art, and so forth take a while and Grey is going full speed ahead on it. In the mean time I have about two full supplement's worth of stuff drafted and waiting in the wings. So once this gets off the ground, you'll have plenty of content, don't worry.
The big thing we've been talking about is how we are going to release things once the main book is ready. Grey had a pretty cool idea - zine style releases periodically, while I suggested things could be collected (based on demand) into bigger books later on. The zine thing is particularly nice as it's something Grey and I could probably keep up with as our two man team.
As for a preview - I am sorry about that. We'll have something around release (so people know what they are getting into) but at the moment we figured we'd put our energy into getting this full game out for all of you.
Anyway, thanks for reading!
Monday, 1 October 2018
Calling Mini Comics (cont.)
Two more illustration/mini-comics, this time less fighty types.
Factotum (Everyman with unique skills)
Sneak (Sneaky!)
Sneak (Sneaky!)
Sunday, 30 September 2018
Calling mini comics
Wednesday, 12 September 2018
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