clarence

Thanks Runeblogger! Very thorough and balanced.

And we are off to a great start! After 24 hours we hit No.1 in Hottest Small Press.

I’m very happy to announce that Elevation has been released today! Into the Unknown Elevation was a proud organisation of brave explorers, seeking new worlds and alien species. Now, 40 years later, its founder has been lost in space. Funds dwindle, outdated equipment falls apart and Elevation’s few remaining starships barely work. But a small team of die-hard explorers refuse to give up. The search for new aliens ready to join the galactic community is much too important to leave to greedy corporations and criminals. Elevation is a new setting for M-SPACE created by Michael Larrimore. It features new worlds, alien species, organisations and a three-part campaign. Book and PDF Release The book is 174 pages. The first half contains setting details while the second half presents a three part campaign - four parts, if you include The Triton Incident. Early reviews have been very positive: ‘Up front, let me say I like it and want more!’ Michael Beck ‘The setting is well thought out with lots of background information and story hooks. It feels easy to get into the world and start a campaign.’ Rickard Falk ‘Overall a very solid, and well written exploration adventure.’ Robert Graves 15% Launch Discount We have two versions available on DriveThruRPG: print and PDF. To buy them, just follow the links below. The discount lasts until Friday, so you need to be quick. Elevation Print $19 $16.15 PDF $10.95 $9.30 The Triton Incident Print $5 $4.25 PDF Free If you want to know more before committing, you can still download The Triton Incident as a free PDF (use the link above). And make sure you get the player’s kit as well - the link is in the PDF. Clarence Redd

It sounds like you have a lot of details for the system already. That’s good - but it will be much harder to find a system that can harbour it. My best advice is to design your own system from scratch. You have done much of the work already. If you need help, people here and on Design Mechanism’s forums are often happy to contribute. There’s also a fan-made magic system that’s very flexible and somewhat similar to Ars Magica. I can’t remember who made it or what it’s called, but I’m sure someone else does.

Psychepunk sounds interesting! I can see that the magic in M-SPACE might not be a good match for you though. But you can easily replace the magic chapter with almost any other Mythras/BRP magic system. The Mythras core book has five to choose from and Luther Arkwright takes a different approach to psionics. Or you can use the magic from Stormbringer, Elfquest or even Call of Cthulhu.

Greed is not good. But it’s the perfect ingredient for good stories : )

The ultra-greedy Ferengi have no direct counterpart in Elevation. But interstellar trade is controlled by a fiercely competitive species. And the worst sides of human greed - often mentioned as the inspiration for the Ferengi - is alive and kicking.

Elevation is a separate setting. But the campaign is easy to use in The Weaver as well. The other way around - using REFLUX in Elevation - might require a bit more work though.

What would happen if the Federation in Star Trek was broke? That’s the basis for two new M-SPACE titles written by Mike Larrimore (author of last years excellent Agony & Ecstasy for Mythras). Instead of a prosperous mega-government, as in Star Trek, the focus in Elevation is a tiny NGO - aptly named Elevation - running solely on the devotion of its members. Its goal is to find new life and new civilisations. The problem is, it only succeeded once and now funds are running out. They are in desperate need of new heroic recruits. But competition from greedy corporations, pirates, aggressive aliens and convoluted bureacracy is literally deadly. The race for new discoveries is on. Elevation will be released on July 8. Free Scenario To give you a feeling for the setting, you can download the introductory scenario for free on DriveThruRPG. The Triton Incident, 36 page scenario, is a freestanding murder mystery that introduces the players to Elevation. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/280146/The-Triton-Incident

Hi Teophilus, I’m happy you enjoy Odd Soot! I haven’t got any reports of typos or mistakes. Yet.

Excellent!

Thanks g33k! I’m happy you like it.

Thanks! It took a long time to write but I’m very happy with it. And Åsa Roos is a meticulous reviewer.

Fenix RPG Magazine just released a new issue (3/2019). Along with the gaming material - a new Mythras article by Pete Nash, for example - there’s also a solid review of Odd Soot. The reviewer is truly enthusiastic and I can’t resist sharing a few quotes (my translation): ’Odd Soot sets the tone on the first page with a confidence that feels magical. It’s been a long time since I read a roleplaying game in a single sitting. That’s what I want to do with Odd Soot.’ ’You can't talk about Odd Soot without mentioning the illustrations. They are beautiful - sometimes disturbing - and so perfect for the game that it’s almost ridiculous.’ ‘I'm glad Odd Soot doesn't try to create a unique system that takes forever to learn. The game is strange enough anyway - sprinkled among the rules, character creation and game world - to make Odd Soot completely unique.‘ ‘In short, I like Odd Soot. It’s like an extraordinary cabinet of curiosities. It’s like visiting a Museum of Natural History to look at specimen preserved in formalin. It’s like looking at stuffed, hazy things in glass jars, causing either nightmares or a longing for more knowledge - or why not both?’ Åsa Roos, RPG writer, computer game designer and honorary doctorate in information technology at Skövde University

A bit of trivia from Wikipedia: 'Chlorodyne was one of the best known patent medicines sold in the British Isles. It was invented in the 19th century by a Dr. John Collis Browne, a doctor in the British Indian Army; its original purpose was in the treatment of cholera. Browne sold his formula to the pharmacist John Thistlewood Davenport, who advertised it widely, as a treatment for cholera, diarrhea, insomnia, neuralgia, migraines, etc. As its principal ingredients were a mixture of laudanum (an alcoholic solution of opium), tincture of cannabis, and chloroform, it readily lived up to its claims of relieving pain, as a sedative, and for the treatment of diarrhea.’ The recipe is quite alarming (from Materia Medica by William Hale-White & A.H. Douthwaite (1932): 'Mix chloroform 75, tincture of capsicum 25, tincture of Indian hemp 100, oil of peppermint 2 and glycerin 250 with alcohol (20 per cent) 450. Dissolve morphine hydrochloride 10 in the mixture. Add to it diluted hydrocyanic acid 50 and enough alcohol (90 per cent) to make 1000. Strength. 1 millilitre contains chloroform 7.5 centimils; morphine hydrochloride 1 centigram; acidum hydrocyanicum dilutum 5 centimils. Dose 5 to 15 minims - 0.2 to 1ml’ Finally, a word of caution from Wikipedia: 'Though the drug was effective in many ways, its high opiate content also made it very addictive, and deaths from overdoses, either accidental or deliberate, became a frequent occurrence.’