RPG System – A much needed Update and a Name

A Much Needed Update

So it has been quite a while since I have posted anything on this blog, in my opinion it is time to be active a bit more. I know that at some point I won’t be posting for a while but that is part of who I am.

I have not ceased creating my own Role Playing Game system, a lot of work has been done but it is not done yet. For about a year I have been working hard to come up with a playable system that would not be too complicated but would also have a lot of depth to it. Meanwhile I have been using the system with my own settings and it works quite well, do I miss certain aspects? For sure, there are enough things I need to do to have a polished, well balanced and fun system.

What has been added to the System?

Well a lot has been added, here a list of things that have been done.

• Stats; the primary and secondary stats are known and work well. See previous post.
• Skills; well these have been expanded on, there are enough skills to create any kind of character anyone wants.
• Lores; a skill form that you cannot buy, a lore will gain points by in game experiences. So for instance if a character encounters vampires all the time Occult Lore (Vampires) will raise by itself.
• Edges; advantages and disadvantages a character can have, there are Mental, Physical, Social and Supernatural edges. It is usable but a lot more edges can be added.
• Powers;  a lot have been added and some types of characters are very playable. Below more in depth info. Most work has gone into the powers, to make it as divers as possible, even though a character has the same powers as any other pc or npc it can still be unique; up to a point of course. A lot of the work went into re-inventing the empowerments so to say, first they where too simple, then too complicated but now I think I have a balanced magic system that will work as the framework for the mutations and other types of powers.
• Powers – Magi; well I have worked very hard to have several magic streams, at the moment there are thirteen and they all have a load of empowerments (spells) that are usable.
• Powers – Mutants, a lot of mutations have been added and worked on, a lot more must be done but the Magi portion was very difficult.
• Types of Characters; in the beginning there where only Magi, Mutants and Cybers. This has changed quite a bit, cybers do not exist any more but anyone can have cybertech if they can afford it (experience and money wise). Below a more in depth description.
• Type – Sidhe-Kin; the traditional faeries but with a twist, they are creatures with extreme amounts of power. They are partially Sidhe (faery) and human, there are a lot of courts they belong to with their own abilities and  personalities.
• Type – Vampires; these creatures have true born and created vampires. There are several houses again with their own abilities and personalities.
• Type – Herbalist; anyone can learn Herbalism, human, sidhe-kin, vampires etc. etc. This is a form of alchemy and herbalism that creates concoctions that will have powers to it. Things like healing salves or maybe a dust that will damage those that inhale it.
• Type – Ritualist; anyone can learn Herbalism, human, sidhe-kin, vampires etc. etc. This is basic rituals like cleansing a house, praying to deities, hoodoo rituals etc. etc.
• Type – Sorcerer; anyone can be a sorcerer, as long as they make a deal or bargain with a deity or powerful creature. It can even be devotion to an idea like religion.
• Martial arts; I have created a mini system for Martial Arts that will give the character an opportunity to be unique by picking moves.
• Character Creation; well, I have got the system so far done that someone else could create a character. This on itself was quite some work but it works well.
• Dice Mechanics; standard but different, roll 2d10 add appropriate Attribute + Skill and you have an outcome (important to keep track of an outcome). The different part has to do with gaining bonus dices and penalty dices for the Game master.
• Combat; so who goes first? How long does a round take, what can you do in combat etc. etc.
• Damage; of course in combat things get damaged, but what does fire do? fall damage?
• Restoration; and how to restore a characters health, power and other attributes when needed.
• Descent; how sane a person is, how fast they descent into madness, how to get rid of it and what long term descent loss will affect a person.
• Teacher; a way to gain skills and abilities without spending experience points by learning from others.
• Contacts; how to gain them before and in game, what they can do for you and how to maintain them.
• Plot Points; a way to influence the game in a fun way, but can also be very practical as in a last resort to safe yourself and more.
• Robots; a simple system to create drones, robots and even androids. There is also an AI creation and explanation (This one is more for futuristic settings).
• Software; how to create software and what they could do (This one is more for futuristic settings).
• Cybertech; cyberware and other body modifications that will help a character (This one is more for futuristic settings).
• Artefacts; magical items, how they work and even how to create them.
• Tomes; books with occult, eldritch and other lores and possible magic that can help a character learn faster. Sometimes reading a book can be bad for ones sanity.

What needs to be added to the System?

• Poison; how this will work, damage, influence on a body, how to get rid of it etc. etc.
• Types; I am pondering if I should add more playable types/creatures. Aliens, corrupted creatures or genetic manipulated.
• Powers; I need to add more powers for Mutants, Sidhe-Kin and vampires. Of course also for possible future types.
• Equipment and Weapons; even though I have some equipment and weapons I need to implement a lot more. I will create basic equipment and weapons that can be used in several settings, when creating settings I will include equipment in there that is more appropriate.

How far along is the system?

This one is difficult to say, I am a perfectionist so it will take longer to create new things. Every time I am satisfied I suddenly see possible improvement and will implement it. But I think I have done 80% of the game mechanics, the powers on the other hand only about 20%. The game is playable and doing quite well, hopefully 2019 will be the year it is done and that it could be published in some way.

So what is next?

The system will keep on growing and even evolving, I will run games with what I have. This way it is being play tested while being created, playing helps a lot. After the system is done I can work on settings and specifically District as that is my main setting and where it all started. If I ever get to publishing stage I will add the District setting and possibly one other to the rules.

And at some point I will ask people to play test it and see if it will hold up or that I will have to change things. It is nice that I am running the games with this system but in the end it should be able to be played to other people without my help. And maybe I should show people what I have made to see if they understand it or not, that way I can already change things to make it more playable.

What is in a Name?

So to the final part of this post; after playing with some ideas and of course with the system, I have come up with a name that seems fitting in my opinion. I started creating this rpg system because I wrote the original District with the Unisystem rules, after playing a while I had a load of mechanics added by myself. So I decided if I would publish it, it would be with the Unisystem rules. Sadly enough Unisystem does not have an open license, of course I could have gone for other mechanics like Savage Worlds, Fate, GURPS or some other system. In the end I would have to convert all my self-made material for the other system, the decision to create a system of my own became very easy. If I was going to convert it anyway, why not for my own system?

In the passing of time, several settings have been added to my repertoire. Beyond, Decay, Desolate, Obscure, Rapture, Reset, Resurgence and possibly even more. My girlfriend came up with two settings herself; Hominis and In-Via. Most of those settings have one thing in common, they are all placed in the same time-line; Beyond, District, Obscure and Resurgence. The other settings have been derived from gaming sessions where characters travelled to other realities. But there is one thing that every setting has in common; the weave. The weave that holds creation together, it links everything in the universe, those with powers basically influence the weave to perform extraordinary feats.

I saw no other conclusion than to call the system; Woven Realities. Which would end up being Woven Realities Role Playing System or something similar, that is for the future. So there you have it; Woven Realities!

No More, Please

I will conclude this post, it has gone on for long enough. The look of the blog has changed quite a bit, this took a lot of effort but I made the changes and are very proud of it. This is why I decided to post new material, the old look held me back to post more. So from now on I will try to update more often and even add interesting bits of my running campaigns and so on. Thanks for reading, see you next time.