Ok, so the universal RPG system I've been working on pretty much solo, in fits and starts, over the past four years is 95% done. Or at least, the core rulebook is
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This brings me to my next question: what are your feelings about a monster manual that attempts to cut out all the layers that have accumulated on folklore from more modern pop culture and gets back to the basics? Is it interesting or boring? Why?Not useful to me. Because when I GM, I might be using the more modern layers. Or I might not. Or I might be adding my own layers onto things. Or adapt a TV show/book to a game
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One thing I do stress in the rules is 'if you don't like x, don't do x', so I would hope that even a novice GM picking up the product for the first time would get that us GMs do that all the time anyway. However, I have thought about the vampire example, and either doing exactly what you recommend (Vampires Through the Ages), or including some suggestions on adapting the things to suit.
1. Again, great minds think alike. That is definitely one idea I am in favor of. Need a pirate template? Here it is! Need a modern-era drug cartel thug template? Here it is!
2. There is a brief section included in the core rules about that, but it probably needs to be and certainly can be expanded on.
3. Planned for a future product, possibly a condensed form for Kickstarter goodies.
Honestly, I think a lot of monsters in of themselves are kind of boring. Monsters in a vacuum are dull, they need context and depth before they're interesting.
So if every monster you've written so far has a deep mythological ecology to it, but then you start introducing generic monsters then it may lose the Authenticity that you're going for.
(It must be exhausting doing background research on All the Monsters tho).
It must be exhausting doing background research on All the Monsters thoOh yes. Luckily I find the subject fascinating, and I have some good references lined up
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As to kickstarter campaign rewards: 1) first of all, electronic and print copies(on deifferent levels) 2) I'd add a limited amount of rewards allowing the people who donated to add a monster idea or otherwise influence the game. 3) some kind of exclusive content - say a scenario, or a world-info resource that won't be published later 4) at the higher levels, something you do: say, run a one-off for their group.
I like 2 and 4, already planning on doing 1 and 3. I'll post my draft of rewards, too, now that I found it.
In reference to 2, I have heard of people doing similar things with donor PCs: whoever donates the highest got their favorite personal PC added into the game canon in some way.
You probably at least need a short section with a few dozen sample monsters or other generic encounters in the back of the book. That's what I've seen in several mostly-standalone RPGs.
...and old folklore is really... stupid. I mean, the stories don't hang together at all or have any sort of logic or narrative structure. Random ordinary people can suddenly turn into birds but then can't turn back, unless their sister doesn't talk for five years (no witch or anything involved here). Monsters and opposition in general get random powers and random weaknesses and they don't always even work the same way more than once in the same story.
So, they don't seem like the sort of thing you'd want to use in a generic RPG. Maybe in a game of Toon?
I should clarify that by 'folklore' I mean more the monsters that appear in the stories, because like you said a lot of the stories themselves are as full of plot holes and contrivances than anything Hollywood pukes up these days.
But the sample monsters is a good idea. I was planning on that being a Kickstarter goody, but I think now what I should do is have sample monsters in the standalone and more sample monsters as Kickstarter rewards.
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One thing I do stress in the rules is 'if you don't like x, don't do x', so I would hope that even a novice GM picking up the product for the first time would get that us GMs do that all the time anyway. However, I have thought about the vampire example, and either doing exactly what you recommend (Vampires Through the Ages), or including some suggestions on adapting the things to suit.
1. Again, great minds think alike. That is definitely one idea I am in favor of. Need a pirate template? Here it is! Need a modern-era drug cartel thug template? Here it is!
2. There is a brief section included in the core rules about that, but it probably needs to be and certainly can be expanded on.
3. Planned for a future product, possibly a condensed form for Kickstarter goodies.
Reply
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So if every monster you've written so far has a deep mythological ecology to it, but then you start introducing generic monsters then it may lose the Authenticity that you're going for.
(It must be exhausting doing background research on All the Monsters tho).
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1) first of all, electronic and print copies(on deifferent levels)
2) I'd add a limited amount of rewards allowing the people who donated to add a monster idea or otherwise influence the game.
3) some kind of exclusive content - say a scenario, or a world-info resource that won't be published later
4) at the higher levels, something you do: say, run a one-off for their group.
Reply
In reference to 2, I have heard of people doing similar things with donor PCs: whoever donates the highest got their favorite personal PC added into the game canon in some way.
Reply
...and old folklore is really... stupid. I mean, the stories don't hang together at all or have any sort of logic or narrative structure. Random ordinary people can suddenly turn into birds but then can't turn back, unless their sister doesn't talk for five years (no witch or anything involved here). Monsters and opposition in general get random powers and random weaknesses and they don't always even work the same way more than once in the same story.
So, they don't seem like the sort of thing you'd want to use in a generic RPG. Maybe in a game of Toon?
Reply
But the sample monsters is a good idea. I was planning on that being a Kickstarter goody, but I think now what I should do is have sample monsters in the standalone and more sample monsters as Kickstarter rewards.
Reply
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