January 2, 2024
Written for Prismatic Wasteland's "make a new mechanic and give it a name" challenge.
You have two approaches to a situation on either side of a spectrum. For example, let's say... Soundwaves and Emotions. Decide which is "high" and which is "low", then define your Number between 1 and 10, inclusive. A number skewed towards one side means that you'll have high chances of success but also high chances of consequences for the other side, and vice versa.
...December 21, 2023
Hi there! Long time no see!
Now that Valiant Horizon is nearing full release, this is #3 in our design series. We’re back with the Commander and Dark Knight.
As noted in #1, all role/sub-role talk is referring to Total//Effect’s role and sub-role concepts.
The Commander
To get the elephant out of the room, yes, I came at this starting with the 4E warlord by way of its less acclaimed distant cousin, the 13th Age commander. More specifically, I took a crack at this idea starting in 36th Way. 13th Age/36th Way’s Commander have two resource-generating class features indicating focus: Weigh the Odds, which lets you reliably generate the resource you need, but is purely non-offensive; or Fight from the Front, which is a melee attack that generates the resource on a hit. (More on Commander here.) So we had two concepts of:
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December 19, 2023
- Make something that you'd want to play.
- Or wouldn't want to play, I guess, if that's your goal. Basically try to make something that holds your interest.
- Just feel it out, you know? You probably know what you want to do, practically speaking. Trust your instincts, they probably came from somewhere.
- Unless you don't have any clue where you're going which is fine too. Sometimes it's about the journey. Sure helps to have a destination in mind though.
- Be an absolute sicko about something in your work. This isn't really game design specific but it's good practice.
- Design offensively, not defensively. Whenever you think you went a little too far, suppress that instinct and double down.
- Every person posting about game design like they absolutely know what the fuck they're doing is a goddamn liar or has their head up their ass, including me. Just make the fucking thing. You got this.
- You should always have 10 things on a list even when you can't think of 10 of them.
- FREE SPACE
- Your game needs at least one more railgun than it currently has. Get on that.
(Read the original on cohost
here!)
...November 9, 2023
We released a slight update to Celestial Bodies this morning.
Fixes
- Refigured the layout to A5.
- Fixed a few typos, copy/paste errors, bad labels, and wrong icons.
- Fixed a few examples.
Changes
- Ultra reactor now has the Reliable quality.
- Tackle is way more accurate (and Force can be used for it now).
- Direct rules now specify how missile speed works a little better.
Thank you so much for your support thus far! It’s been truly overwhelming.
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November 5, 2023
I know what you’re here for, mechanically. Let’s talk shop about The Grid™️.
Loadout and Construction
Every mech in this game is defined by a grid like this:
When I say defined, I mean fully defined. First, the basics:
- Every frame (basically a chassis for a kind of mech) has HP (Hull Points!) equal to its grid size. So the one you see above has 12HP.
- Every frame has a unique trait based on its grid’s size and shape. (This one gets more movement for having oversized thrusters, for instance.)
- Each component you see listed there has a specific designation as to what it does (some of them relative to the mech’s size) as well as a shape and size. Weapons can’t be rotated but can be flipped.
And then the advanced stuff.
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September 26, 2023
The sixth backer class has arrived! Meet the Shaman!
- The Shaman is an attuned, receptive hero.
- It focuses on supporting others by boosting their abilities, drawing attacks against them, and healing them.
- It’s a full-support class that can be played without taking any offensive actions!
It’s in that backer classes PDF. Enjoy!
(Read the original on itch
here!)
...September 6, 2023
The fifth backer class has arrived! Meet the Arcane Knight!
- The Arcane Knight is a multifaceted, balanced hero.
- It focuses on the interplay of bladework and magic, and benefits from alternating the two.
- It’s extremely mobile! I love making extremely mobile classes.
It’s in that backer classes PDF. Enjoy!
One more backer class left after this, so stay tuned!
(Read the original on itch
here!)
...August 29, 2023
Hi there! #2 in our design series, meet the Blazemagus and Champion!
As noted in #1, all role/sub-role talk is referring to Total//Effect’s role and sub-role concepts.
The Blazemagus
I wanted to go elemental for explicit “magic user” types - just the four basic elements, earth/air/fire/water. It felt very on-brand. And the first one of those four that I made was Blazemagus.
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August 15, 2023
Hi there!
v1.2 is up! I added two things:
- There’s now a little more on campaigns and running them.
- I expanded a bit on the mission prompts, changing crises into modifications on those prompts.
HOPEFULLY this is the version that will be the last one because I’m going to be doing a print run soon! Stay tuned for that.
Until next time!
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August 14, 2023
Hi there!
We cracked $2000 last night, which is well beyond any expectations I had for this crowdfunding period. Thank you all so much for your support!
The fourth backer class has arrived! Meet the Steward!
- The Steward is a cultivating, budding hero.
- It’s a support class focusing on healing and protection.
- It’s very concerned with the land itself: setting up “safe” areas for allies to stay in or areas that mess with enemies.
It’s in that backer classes PDF. Enjoy!
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