Elective Abilities

I hammered out the main/essential rules to the game finally, which Grey is currently giving a once-over (where he will inevitably tut-tut the lack of u's in words like armor and color) before I run through it again for last minute revision.

As for me, I've switched gears back to character rules. This is actually one of my favorite things to write, so beyond the occasional writer's block I've been really enjoying myself. Even though all the Callings I'd put to pen a couple years back have needed to be re-worked (and in some cases, totally scrapped) it's just inspired me to put my all into them; as well as freed me up to play around with some new ideas.

Every Calling has three or so "Starting" Abilities - these are defining skills and powers shared by all members of that particular Calling; the Battle Princess's Heart's Blade and the Factotum's Pack are good examples of these.

However, Calling also has a list of Elective Abilities. These are not universal, like Starting Abilities are. Instead, players may select a new one when a character reaches a certain Rank. These can take many different forms.

(Just a reminder, all text and rules will likely face revision and maybe alterations in the next process!)

Some, are simple. The following Factotum Ability guarantees a certain proficiency in social situations.

Silver Tongue

Whether a quaint earthy drawl, subtle accent or eloquent manner, a good speaking voice can make any argument sound convincing. Well, almost any argument...

• The Factotum has an Edge on all Negotiation Procedure Rolls as long as they are given a chance to speak.

Others are Advanced - Abilities that you may only take once you are Rank 5 or higher, like this Champion Ability.

Roaring Spirit

Even when calm and still, this Champion’s soul crackles with an energy beyond normal beings. A mere look can send spread this force outwards, sapping the fighting spirit and blood lust from lesser warriors in the Champion’s presence.

• To use this ability, the warrior must glower at the intended targets and make an Aura check.
• Success means that all hostile creatures within shouting distance will step back and will not engage the Champion or their allies unless they strike first.
• This ability has no effect on any creature or adversary with a Rank equal to or higher than the Warrior’s.
• This ability may be used once a session.

Some Abilities are just magical. Bad jokes aside, take note - this Sage Ability is marked as (Magic, Dark): all magical abilities are aligned with Light or Darkness, and taking one earns you an Allegiance point. These points can add up pretty quickly, and can potentially lead to some interesting changes for magic using characters..

Murky Mask (Magic, Dark)

By coating themselves with malleable dark mana, this Sage is able to create an incredibly convincing disguise.

• By taking a few minutes and mushing their face and body a bit like clay, the Sage may alter their physical appearance. They may change their build, coloring, face and height within reason. 
• The result will always somewhat resemble the true form of the Sage, so looking like a another specific individual is generally out of the question.
• As an example: a Human would be able to sculpt themselves to look like an Elf or Tenebrate, but would not be able to mimic a smaller Chib or the significantly larger Prometheans.
• This disguise immediately dissolves if the Sage is caught in a direct lie, loses at least one Heart from an offensive action, or wills the effect to end. Otherwise it will last for an hour before everything snaps back into its proper place.
• Regardless of how the Ability Ends, the Sage needs to let their body rest for another hour before they can use Murky Mask again.

Obake hunters

Whether in human or animal form, the Obake predator will always savour the fresh kill.

Spooky creation

I'm hoping the crafting rules will allow you to create... companions!

Buried Kingdom Railway

Some of the less well established trainlines weave curious paths through the Buried Kingdom. Often built for exploratory purposes, players can find themselves passengers on these quirky transports on route to an adventure site. Despite being far from the main battlefront Goblin saboteurs are still a threat, throw in the unpredictable geology and journeys on the network are rarely uneventful.

Characters designs

Sage

Champion

Demons, Witches & ...

Demons

Witches

Ghosts?

Immortals

Immortals are a Genus (race as class) calling type. Your immortal can have 1 of 5 origins, each granting you a number unique abilities.

Origin 1: Sealed Overlord
You were previously a big bad with terrible and corrupting powers. Everything was going well until a group of pesky heroes managed to repress your darkened soul and 'save' you. That was a long time ago and you can't quite remember what it was that you did that got everybody soooo upset. Anyway, you've changed a bit since then, maybe you'd be more responsible with those powers now... if you could only remove those irritating seals.

Origin 2: Small God
One minute your in charge of a minor but essential celestial department, the next your obsolete. With your previous career path removed you've resigned yourself to treading the material plan in search of employment/greatness. Surely these mortals could benefit from your (minor) divinity?

Origin 3: Forgotten Legend
Your countless great deeds have faded over the generations, and also diminished in your own frail mind. Having reached the pinnacle of hero-dom and gained immortality you've sat and festered upon your crumbling throne. Slowly but surely, your powers ebbed away leaving you a tragic shadow of your former self. It's time to get back on the road and re-establish the legend of you.

Origin 4: Chosen Vessel
You were normal once. Now you are the puppet of a higher power, a conduit of its will. You can feel its presence burning inside you, changing you, manipulating you and it feels... wonderful. Lately you've been thinking you wish it would completely consume you.

Origin 5: Botched Summoning
Its bad enough that some mortal dragged you here, but their incompetence has meant you've not materialised in your normal (fearsome!) form. You'll reach your fully potential eventually but it will take a while. You may as well make a little mischief while you wait.

Character creation page

Obake 'form assignment' ritual.

Chibi helpers

Amongst the rules there will be chunks text aimed at different audiences, rule interpretation for GMs or examples for new players. There will be various chibi avatars that represent these user types and they will explain the rules and concepts from the relevant perspective. Hopefully they will be genuinely useful and not an awful RPG version of Clippy!

Layout change - 2 columns

I liked the simplicity of a single column but have recently been feeling like the layouts are boring and wasteful. Finally thinking about moving to a 2 column layout. This means:

• Higher information density
• Less wasted space
• Less page flicking
• Less pages
• Cheaper to print

This change, according to rough estimate should reduce the overall page count by a 1/3 or more (that's a saving of about 100 pages on current projections)

I can also see the narrower column format porting well to a mobile phone rules app!

Not all layouts are converting well to the new system (but I'll keep investigating)

Other design experiments include: Die icon for random tables, moving the reference number to the left and redesigning it for better visual punctuation, a continuation icon for content that wraps over to the next page (I know I'm over engineering! I'll remove it later), different illustration sizes to add variety.

Crafting illustrations

Adventure layout

Thinking more about the Intro Adventure to be included in the core rulebook.
I have used (and mangled) the awesome Von Bottom’s Hoard to test out some layout concepts.

Big nod to Roger Giner-Sorolla and Kiel Chenier for their thoughts on dungeon maps and their usability at the table.

Maps

• The map will be relied upon by the GM to draw basic architectural description (room dimensions, windows and exits)
• Larger maps will broken down into smaller sections that enable the visible portion to sit next to room entries on double page spread (inspired by Kiel's painstaking module notes)
• Quick reference pointers to connecting map sections (will also have an overall map to show how all the segments fit together)
• Icons will used to indicate battlefield conditions (will also need some GM attention markers!)

Room entries

• Room entries will be broken into info chunks and marked with an icon to provide at-a-glance clue to what the segment of text is about.
• Eye icon - Short extract for first impression (including distinguishing visuals, sounds, smell, objects)
• Magnifying glass icon -Extract for closer inspection (including insight checks and extra senses)
• Gem icon - Extract for collectible objects.
• Knight icon - Extract for encounters.
• Alert triangle - Concealed exits/traps.
• Mini monster stat blocks where needed.
• Occasional pics!

 

Monsters layouts

Thinking about the intro module how we might present monsters. A while ago we revisited the earlier monster concepts and updated with new content which I'm sharing here. Not sure if the core rulebook will include a mini-bestiary or be limited to creatures that show up in the demo adventures at this point.

These designs need further development but are moving in the right direction (the main block could do with a bit more visual interest!)

Section heading roughs

Each rule section will have an accompanying illustration. Just putting some ideas down. Coming soon: combat, colossal combat, crafting, downtime, leveling)

Negotiation

Overland travel 

Equipment 

Crafting

Downtime

 

Three Factoids (1st Scroll)

Legend - "The Blades of the Many"
...And Princess Aken forced her broken body to its feet, leaning on her Heart's Blade for support. The King of Iron scoffed and spat at her. "You are no great hero, just another insect!"

He gestured to the people below the ramparts who had gathered to watch the battle.. All looked on in shocked despair, as it seemed that hope was lost and they would remain under the heel of the God King.

But Aken turned to them, not the despot. "It is true. I am no better than any of you - and I made him bleed!"

With the last of her life, she took her shimmering sword and cast it to the crowd. One blade became many, each shaped by a different wish as it vanished from her heart. Their champion was dead, but she gave them her fangs.

The King of Iron began to shout again, but he was drowned out by the clamor as they rushed forward to claim the swords at their feet. He would kill many before the day had ended, yet he too perished - his divine blood drained by a thousand tiny cuts.

World - "Portia's Scion Fair"
Considered the wealthiest city in all the Twilight Meridian (and likely the entire Outer World) Portia features a surprising amount of children with unspoken heritage. While the cause has not been seriously investigated, these orphans are taken in by the city government and often trained and groomed for positions within Portia's infrastructure once they come of age.

An orphan may list themselves in the "Scion's Fair" anywhere from the age of 12 to 17. Those wishing to enter must complete several tests of athleticism, education and overall health, but otherwise there are no real restrictions. The fair itself is something like a yearly bazaar, where the child will petition for their adoption into one of Portia's prestigious families or organizations. Many of the most successful guild-masters, entrepreneurs, entertainers and mercenary captains were once simple orphans at the Scion Fair, so the practice is taken rather seriously by Portia's elite.

Of course, the hereditary children of such families come to dread each coming fair as another chance that their Matriarch or Patriarch will return with someone that will oust them from their birthright!


Persona - "Merchant & Maker"
Occasionally, at the crossroads (any crossroad will do, truly) you will come across a large black carriage pulled by an arachnid beast of burden and accompanied by disturbingly tall man in sharp dress. His face is smooth and black, like a pebble, though when he speaks it is through two pearly rows of perfect teeth. He is very polite!

His wagon contains an emporium much larger than any wagon should, with rows of things you need and other things you've never seen. His paramour will greet you there, her six arms constantly at work. Her marble like skin is covered in rippling grooves, covered in clothes made of delicate lace. Her voice comes from wherever you aren't looking. She is so very considerate!

Here at the shop of Merchant & Maker, you can purchase whatever you need at whatever price you can afford...

Downtime

Adventuring is boring! Why dungeon delve when you can train your growlhund, bake fireberry grenades, spread/debunk rumours about yourself, or shake off the remaining symptoms of that mortifying bloat spell.

Playtest - Extra PreGens

The State of things, and Negotiation Rules

Forgive me for the rambly nature of this post! I just have a few things I want to update everyone one on.

One question we get - a lot - that we can't quite answer is "When will it be ready?"

The unfortunate nature of the thing is that we can't be sure. We almost have a working draft, but then we have play-testing, editing, layout, etc: On top of which Grey and I have the extremely bad habit of giving the other more and more stuff to do.

We are reigning ourselves in a bit, at least. I'd say 6 months is a good guess. Prior to that we'll have a play-test download doc for you all. Of course, time makes fools and liars of us all, so we'll keep this at a cautiously optimistic "maybe".

At the moment we are actually working in tangent on the game's Negotiation system. What's odd is that it's not super long or even that intensive; it's just an important part of the game that has to be easy to grok, quick to use, but still present significant options and application for players. I honestly think we've nailed it, but Grey is the best at ironing out kinks which is kind of what we are doing now.

I'm also working on the Downtime activities for characters. Because it's not quite enough to that your characters can scour ancient ruins and broker deals with dead kings in forgotten tongues, sometimes they need to manage their Rune Bakery side-business.

Hopefully I can show you guys some of that really soon!

Gen Con 2015 OR How BREAK!! is not Ryuutama (And that's probably good for both)

So this year was my second Gen Con, and maybe my third or fourth big chance to shamelessly shill BREAK!! to a gaming audience. And shill I did, in the forms of running for Games on Demand. Well, when I could at least - I also ran Ryuutama, a great game that proved to be very popular.

Ryuutama is a lovely game. It is very linear, but in the best way possible - it's straightforward and honest in both theme and mechanics. I was nervous about writing my own scenario since I had never Gm-ed it before, so I used an example one from the website (though I added an encounter with a troublesome NPC styled after a famous green hat wearing video game hero to pad it out). 

It focuses on travel and party interaction in a very clever way: The mechanics for daily things like camping, overland movement and even just how you feel in the morning are very procedural, providing players the what while freeing up the why for them to play out to their heart's content. This led to a lot of complaining about Moogle cooking, tone deaf minstrels singing about raspberries and a particularly funny bit where a noble woman told the rest of the party that her refined interpretation of a camp site was simply too advanced for them to appreciate (She had failed her roll pretty miserably).

Very different from what I normally run - but still a lot of fun!

BREAK!! on the other hand, is very focused on location-based adventuring. I am quick to admit that it is structurally close to classic RPGs in that manner, but I don't think that's a bad thing. I think there is enough differences in style, tone, and specific mechanics that I can afford (hell, probably benefit) from a certain amount of familiarity.

Grey provided me with some choice props, huh?

Trouble in Sprocket seemed to work well for the groups I ran it for. I was nervous about how the game would handle what was essentially a whodunit style scenario (with a small dungeon attached, because I cannot help myself) but it turned out to be a lot of fun. The setup lead to a lot of choice moments, including:

• The Battle Princess using her Heart's Cry ability to discern the emotion currently motivating various NPCs and use that to assist investigation.
• The group's Factotum playing hardliner with the Battle Princess as her chipper foil during interrogation.
• The Mechanoid Champion slicing clean through one enemy, leading to the immediate surrender of another.
• "Did they teach you about horrific vivisection back in Happy Little Person Academy?" says the Mechanoid to the Chib.
• Another session where said Chib managed to take down an explosive wielding antagonist via kamikaze run with a Fireberry Grenade and miraculously surviving the aftermath. He had a minor wound and a broken right leg for his troubles, though.
• Pretty much everyone's reaction to the "Very Useful Cloud" and Burr the Puppymole.

I was surprised how much each group seemed to pity a particular figure in the adventure. I'm not sure if I made them too sympathetic or if I hit a sweet spot I shouldn't ruin.

Anyway, we plan on having Trouble in Sprocket along with some playtest rules available for you all soon! Then you can let me know if I'm being big-headed about it.

(One of the BREAK!! play-testers was a gentleman who is a member of the Off the Table podcast, though I don't remember which. His Mechanoid Champion voice was inspiring.)

Languages of the Outer World

Grey needed these for "Trouble in Sprocket" so I was like hey, why not a blog post?

Common
Low Speak
Created and woven into reality by God Kings who tired of addressing their subjects in different tongues, this language forces itself into the minds of all those who inhabit the Outer World. Most dislike speaking such an intrusive thing, thus its demeaning label. 

Active
Bright Speech
The language of the sun and all things Light. Its sound is powerful and direct when spoken properly, with every sentence sounding like a decree.

Dark Tongue
Used the dead, forsaken and duplicitous. Dark Tongue is generally soft spoken and discrete, though it makes even horrors from beyond seem tempting.

Fade Song
The melodious tongue of those who dwell and sail between night and day. Famous for it's lengthy methods of explaining even the simplest of things.

Under Warble
The language of the Buried Kingdoms is more malleable than most; it is guttural but pleasant when spoken traditionally but humorous and rapid coming from Goblin dialects.

Dream Call
Perhaps the first language (perhaps not) this haunting speech is closest to Fade Song, save for that it resembles poetry rather than music. Elves, Fairies and the Unshaped use it in various meter.

Dead
High Akenian
The language of old Akenia, it now sees use primarily when researching ancient tomes and occasionally within esoteric magical societies. It is a flowery, valorous speech and often mourned by linguists around the world.

Gleysian Code
This language is compromised of simple one and two syllable words that relay information with alarming efficiency. It makes it surprisingly easy to translate via manual, much to the relief of Junkers the world over.

Creator's Script (Written only)
An odd series of glyphs found only in documents left by the Creator. Unterkin Sages agree that it is likely a cipher of sorts, rather than a true language. Some sort of enchantment makes it impossible to utter aloud, save for those of the Heretic Calling.