lawrence.whitaker

The Imperative rules will be integrated from the start and we will add more information over time as the Publisher. We'll likely add more material from the core rules and then integrate our various campaign settings. 

It acts as an organisational tool for all associated campaign resources. Character sheets, maps, NPCs, locations, storylines, and so on. It's a relational database that links everything together in a seamless way, and can associate these assets with a given rule-set.

If you're super-organised and used to doing things with Excel and other tools, it may not be for you. However, it's capabilities are quite impressive for those who like applications designed to organise information in a certain way.

The Design Mechanism is pleased to announce that we have entered into an exciting new partnership with YARPS, a smart, modern, web application full of fantastic digital tools for pen-and-paper role-playing, which is running on Kickstarter right now.

Even though the campaign goal was reached after 2 hours since the campaign went live, there are still 4 days left on the clock for you to to earn rewards offered in the YARPS Kickstarter campaign exclusively.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1310939429/yarps-the-smart-web-application-for-role-playing-games?fbclid=IwAR38uOhrtIb18VhMcpgu2LaWhZ4_h7BlzPis60u9iVbIesRvWm3PPlahvns

YARPS is a digital tool for pen&paper RPGs which is aiming for a feature set considered to exceed by far what is currently offered by other solutions for world building and campaign management. Some essentials are automatic chronicles, a portrait generator, sound management and interactive maps, just to name a few.

With this partnership, the YARPS team will be developing the Mythras Imperative rules for the application, with further, more detailed integration of Mythras elements (such as the various magic systems, creatures, and even campaign settings) to come as the partnership matures.

We're delighted to be working on YARPS and to bring Mythras to GMs and players in a new way!

1 hour ago, SDLeary said:

Affinity Publisher. New, and still has some issues, but its serviceable and inexpensive; and they are actively working to fix the issues, and add more features.

In addition, it  has sister apps for photos and vector drawing.

SDLeary

TDM is migratingits output to Affinity. We've produced about four titles with it, and the intergration with its vector and photo apps is superb and seamless.

It's giving InDesign a serious run for its money, and the price is terrific.

Zardoz.

Zothique.

Elric should also be young. He's a young man when he ascends to the Ruby Throne, not a 30-something. And the books are clear that he's frail and weak without the help of drugs or sorcery, so the actor has to fit the whole pale-and-interesting look well.

13 minutes ago, kronovan said:

Very good interview. Lots of good info covered there and I'm thinking that both of those new settings might be purchases for me.  I've only ever sat down to Trail of Cthulhu a few times at CONs though, so my memory is a bit fuzzy on GUMSHOE and how much I enjoyed it. In regard to Lyonesse, my question is where the heck do you get a epub of the 1st novel? I searched for it at Chapters, amazon.ca and the Google play store a few months ago and could only locate epubs for The Green Pearl and Madouc from that trilogy.  Even printed copies for Lyonesse seem to be only available as preowns. I ejoyed Vance's Tales from the Dying Earth and Last Castle and I'd really like to read the 1st Lyonesse novel before I run some adventures set in it.

 

https://jackvance.com/ebooks/shop/

Suldrun's Garden is on page 7.

We spoke with the Iron Sky people about the RPG, but talks foundered as their plans and requirements were way too ambitious. An RPG was Kickstarted, and AFAIK, it's not gone especially well.

Battle of the Planets. 

We are releasing 'Casting the Runes', based on the stories by M. R. James early next year, using the Gumshoe engine.

https://www.amazon.com/ENHANCE-Tabletop-RPG-Adventurers-Bag/dp/B07KJMP49F

Take a look at the pictures and contents. Go on... see what's inside.

I urge everyone to rush out and buy these bags!

Charles Dunwoody of EN World interviews Loz of The Design Mechanism.

https://www.enworld.org/threads/an-interview-with-lawrence-whitaker-of-the-design-mechanism.668067/#post-7849481

5 hours ago, seneschal said:

Gumshoe?  So compatible with Trail of Cthulhu?

Yep. Completely compatible.

4 hours ago, daddystabz said:

But I'm assuming this will be for Mythras and not CoC, right?

It's actually Gumshoe. 

1 hour ago, Conrad said:

Poor old Voilodion Ghagnasdiak...who stole his Vanishing Tower? 😂

Yep, the parallels weren't lost on us.

Very nice little capsule review here... http://www.crossplanes.com/2019/11/myth ... s.html?m=1

'Ringworld' is quite dull. 'Ringworld Engineers' is excellent. The rest of the books? Not very good.

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Simon's comment above gets at the central frustration we've been voicing -- that the game as presented gave players an impossibly huge map and little to no focus.  Were there to be any scenarios published for it, I'd like to see mini-campaigns set in virtually any corner of Niven's Known Space, not just the beneath the Great Arch.

Chaosium planned a full campaign pack called 'The City in the Jungle' which was designed to do provide a detailed and compelling society, with a problem to fix, that would keep the characters grounded for quite a while (I contributed a chunk called 'Ghosts in the Machine' - the titled got repurposed for a Stormbringer scenario published in Rogue Mistress), so the issues with the setting had already been anticipated. Essentially, you need to completely strand the characters, and have them spend a long time building the ability to move any kind of great distance, all the while uncovering more of the Ring's secrets as you go.

9 hours ago, Cross Planes said:

While looking at the Super Powers section, are "Combat Effects" the same thin as "Special Effects"?  I don't mean to be pedantic, just making sure I'm not overlooking something.

Yes. Same thing. 

Mythras Imperative is a free, introductory version of the full Mythras rules. It includes everything needed for play, including character creation, skills, combat, and, brand new to this release, Powers, covering simple magic and super powers. Taken together, Mythras Imperative offers a fully rounded game to suit many genres, and can be used easily with any of Design Mechanism's adventures and campaign settings.

Available now from BRP Central's Downloads, and in POD from DrivethruRPG, Lulu and Barnes & Noble.

Moderator Spacesuit Helmet On. 

As we're again wandering away from the OP and into the territory of gender mixes on generational spaceships, I'm fairly certain now that this thread has run its course and needs to go into hypersleep. 

By all means continue the discussion in Alastor, where generational starship demographics and other such matters can be pondered into infinity and beyond. 

Thanks everyone. 

Sharing the Work in Progress cover art for 'Casting the Runes'.

1 hour ago, AldebaranFire said:

I have to say, this sounds really good. Is there a projected rough release date yet?

Not yet. Plenty of work to be done on it before we can speculate on release dates,

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But I was wondering how people play professional skills. For example, as the title might suggest, courtesy? If the character does not have this skill - are they allowed to attempt to be courteous in a situation? Do these skills default to another with the difficulty increasing? I would really like to explore how other GMs play this.

Most Professional skills have a Standard skill counterpart that can act as a substitute at a penalty. In the case of Courtesy, then Customs or Influence, but at Hard or Formidable, reflecting the fact that they may lack of nuances required by the Courtesy skill.

I do agree that even where the player may be more eloquent than the character, a roll should determine the outcome.

I think we've veered quite far from the original thread, which concerned drives in the M-Space games. As interesting as these discussions are around the physics of space flight, likelihood of First Contact and (now) the heliocentric model, perhaps continue such things in Alastor's Skull Inn?