Rules Light

I've noticed a trend among folks when they first look at Modern20: there's confusion in the majority of people I've shown the game to for comment because they expect the game to be "rules light".

This is especially true once they see that skills have been somewhat simplified. I say somewhat, because I'm not really sure they have been. The total number of skills is less, but skills are much more dense, and skills do more things, especially in combat, than they do in traditional d20.

Ah yes, combat. This is when it truly dawns on everyone that Modern20 is not in fact rules light. Usually folks assume this is a mistake on my part, and my friends have helpfully suggested that I need to rework the game at times, since I clearly want the game to be rules light and it's clearly not.

Here's the thing: Modern20 was never ever ever ever intended, at any point, to be rules light.

I fucking hate rules light games. I like classes. I like hit points. I like character creation to border on a mini-game. I like taking a session for the players to make their characters.

But the questions that nag me about this are: A) why does everyone assume I wanted to make a rules light game and B) is rules light what people want?

My answer to A) is that most variant d20 systems aspire to be what d20 is most definitely not, and that's rules light. You could certainly make the case that one of the most popular d20 variants, True 20, is rules light in many ways.

My answer to B) is no. The most popular d20 variants on the market are some of the densest: Star Wars, d20 Modern, M&M and Spycraft 2.0 are very, very dense games.

And I don't think this is an accident. I happen to think most people like dense rules sets. I think it's something deep in the dark heart of gamers that makes them likes games.

We like to master things. I know how the Sphere Grid in Final Fantasy X works, know how to use it to make awesome characters, and that makes me feel superior.

I know, I just violated the code. We're not supposed to admit this shit.

And by the way, though it kind of has a rep for being rules light, because it has only three classes and no HP, True 20 isn't rules light either. How many feats are in that book? And action points? And Virtues and Vices? There is lots and lots of crunch there.

The Hellstrom Voyage returns

After a deadline-imposed delay, Chapter 10 of the exciting Hellstrom Voyage has been posted!

Marvel Digital Comics Blows Up

So I'm a subscriber to Marvel Digital Comics, I've advocated it in the past.

Since its launch, they've rocked steady, adding 5 comics a day, monday through friday, like clockwork.

Until this week, when they added 500 comics in one day.

BOOM.

What's Next (various news bits)

Just because I've been somewhat quiet here (though I have continued the RPGObjects podcast) doesn't mean plans haven't been being laid.

Now that things are moving again on the RPGO front, here's some various small news bits:

1. Next up from me, relatively quickly, will be a Modern20 issue of the Modern Dispatch. Hit locations have really changed the way my home group games, and new wrinkles to modern20 combat have been in use here at Chez Rice for awhile now.

In particular, grappling and cover have been changed much more dramatically by the addition of hit locations to the game.

This dispatch will bring these rules to the rest of you. Now, instead of a grapple assuming that you've grabbed your target around the middle, a grab to the leg will have a different effect than a grab to the arm.

Also, instead of "partial cover: +4 defense", this upcoming article will let you know what hit locations are protected by cover. So kneeling behind the door of a car will protect some locations, while leaning around a corner to squeeze off a shot will protect different locations.

2. Up after that will be Supers20 and the official supers setting for Modern20: Dark Future.

These three projects should take up about the next 60 days or so (hopefully less- but that's the time I've budgeted).

After that, it's either space opera, or mechs.

Chuck

Michael Stackpole: printed books are dying

After months of silence, Michael Stackpole has released a new Secrets podcast, in which he announces that publishing as we know it is going away.

Printed books will never go away entirely, but I concur with his opinion that things like Amazon's kindle are going to radically change the publishing industry, which it turns out, isn't run much like an industry at all.

Sounds fairly similar to RPGs actually.

Deadline: Dead

All right, the deadline has been slain.

Providing the crunch for a 175 page book, that is non-d20 which means you're writing most of that crunch from ground zero.

Turns out that's hard to do in 60 days.

Who knew?

Still, it was a great opportunity that I will be talking about more here in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, a lot of things went by the boards, such as updates to the Hellstrom Voyage, blogging, and any semblance of a life.

But, now that the beast is slain, expect things to return to a semblance of what we call normality around here.

Assuming anyone still reads this thing ;)

Steampunk Musha Pre-order

My latest book, written for Empty Room Studios, is the d20 version of the Steampunk Musha Player's Guide.

This book is now available for pre-orders!

More information can be found here.

Again, for all you Legends of the Samurai fans, this is something you especially won't want to miss, as the book is fully compatible with that line.

So if you want to give a Steampunk/Anime/Fantasy twist on LoS, this book will have a ton of new crunch to help you out.

Chuck