Hello dear readers!
The heatwaves continue and I have come close to losing all hope that I will ever feel cold again.
The frigid temperatures of ruby-coloured October and foggy November feel like a dream more than a memory.
Luckily, I have some old friends to help me carry on.
Roll tables. Lots of them.
A Treasure Trove of Tables
Since my last post, I have continued to have a mere handful of hours in the morning when I can safely write without my arms sticking to the desk. In these precious windows before the heat descended upon me like a humid anvil, I have been writing up more roll tables for my Untitled Modular Fantasy TTRPG Project.
These, as mentioned last time, are all intended to be part of a modular fantasy TTRPG, powered by my ALBO system. In addition to the world map and region generation tables, I have written ones for generating settlements, factions, spells, characters, backstories and more.
Revise, Revisit and Recycle
As I have been building up this catalogue of tables, I have also been thinking about the ALBO rules. I’ll probably be tweaking and adding to them slightly to better fit the feel of the game.
One example is adding a “Backstory” category for Tags. Another is swapping the “Profession” category for an “Expertise” one. Doing so should allow for players to essentially built their own custom classes, should they wish.
For example, a character with expertise in magic and making soup, could be a Soup Sorcerer!
I am also revisiting a lot of the ideas from my previous fantasy TTRPGs, and not just Stravagante / Stravagante: Gigante. The Soup Sorcerer and make-your-own-class concept is something I liked from Questfellows. I want it to be far more streamlined this time, and even less prescriptive.
I was wondering whether to also recycle the Adventuring Guild-as-Character from QuestFellows. The idea was based on the community building aspect from Come Rain Come Shine, where the community/guild essentially functions as a collaboratively controlled character.
In ALBO this would boil down to having a selection of Tags for your Adventuring Party/Group. However, I worry that’s a bit too similar to what Legend in the Mist does with its Fellowship Tags. I’ll have to think more about that.
A Really Useful Engine Book?
I’ve been sharing these thoughts and tables with friends and peers as I go, and have received lots of positive feedback so far. As a result, despite the sluggish pace I’ve had to work at because of the heat, I feel very excited about this project.
I did not intend to promote this project as a solo RPG. However, I have been reliably informed that it’s plethora of resources is still highly likely to attract that crowd. I have dipped my toes in the solo RPG pool with SQUISH, but beyond things like Fighting Fantasy and Thousand Year Old Vampire, I would still consider myself something of a novice. I am still on the fence as to whether I should include solo rules. Mostly because I envisioned ALBO as a strictly cooperative game… but we’ll see if that changes.
Overall I am trying to approach this project from a non-competitive view. I am not trying to make the next Legend in the Mist, or the “D&D-Killer”. Not even the next “Indie Darling”. It’s hard for me, because of the way platforms like itchio and social media have conditioned me to want to climb to the top of some inscrutable algorithm ladder.
Nonetheless, I try. I mainly want this book/resource/project to be useful and fun.
New Patreon Art Assets: Sci-Fantasy Characters and Items
A new month is upon us, which means new Patreon art assets.
Combining the most voted for options on the latest poll, this month’s theme is Science-Fantasy!
All paying Patrons have access to a collection of space opera style items. Higher tier Patrons also get a trio of character designs, either in black and white or also in colour!
TTRPG Maps Bundle on RPG Trader
I have once again joined an RPG Trader bundle, which is map-themed. You can find my Modular World Map asset pack – along with over 20 more excellent products – HERE.
Media Spotlight
- Check out Chaoclypse’s brilliant new app: Xerox Hell! Simply drop your image in, play with the sliders and xerox it to hell and back! Here’s his video on how it works.
- Cezar Capacle is back at it again with a new one page RPG: Down the Belly of the Leviathan! “Down the Belly of the Leviathan is a solo dungeon crawler where you venture into the carcass of a dead (mostly) leviathan to loot the gold trapped in its guts. Monsters made of flesh and coin stand in your way. You fight them, grab what you can, and try to get out before the whole thing collapses on you.”
- Two more recent and excellent Cartoon Cartoons pilots. Tib Tub, We Need You! (Mike Rosenthal, Sean Godsey) is about a trio of kids who can summon and control a giant friendly robot. Turtle Rock (Jeff Liu) is about an aspiring rock star called Turtle who lives in a suspiciously smiley city state where strange monstrous beings are summoned by music.
- And, as always, here’s some Positive Leftist News from July!
That’s all for this issue!
As always, thank you so much for reading.
One last reminder that if you feel like supporting my work, you can buy something from my website or itchio, join my Patreon as a paying member, or commission me.
If none of the above are doable for you, please consider spreading the word about my work to your friends!
Want to try a space to hang out and chat that’s not a social media platform?
Check out my forum, PennySpace!
Until next time,
– Penflower