It's official, folks, Hands of Fate is now live on RPGNow.com and available for purchase. For the avid readers here ( I know theres at least 2 of you ;) ) I have a special discount link for you to use to get the PDF at 25% off:
Hands of Fate Core Rules 25% Off!!
This link will work for a couple of months so take advantage of it now. Also to those of you who have already purchased it, I thank you, PM me with your Customer ID in rpgnow and I'll see that you get a special discount on future products.
Next:
Hard at work getting the first few suppliments completed, The Guide to Karth is ready for download, only there is little artwork. I did plan on getting some artwork for the various areas however it's proving to be too expensive to get what I wanted so instead of putting in shitty hand drawn stuff I did myself I'm leaving it blank. It's available to download off this site (in the Downloads Page) and will be up soon on RPGNow.com.
Monsters of Karth needs more work, this is something I'd love to get artwork for on the critters, but once again my budget is not being very productive. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for good, cheap drawings, so if anyone has a good hand at this sort of thing I'd love to take a look.
Other Suppliments - Ars Academia has been started, but is far from finished; Return of the Weaver adventure has first chapter finished, but needs lots more work; others have not been started yet.
Stay tuned for more information!
Wednesday, 8 May 2013
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
State of Play
Happy 1st of May, HoFers!
Today's blog is an update on the State of the Game so far, and intentions for up coming work.
My partner and I have returned from our holiday to Thailand safe and sound, and ready to get back into things. First up; changes!
Today's blog is an update on the State of the Game so far, and intentions for up coming work.
My partner and I have returned from our holiday to Thailand safe and sound, and ready to get back into things. First up; changes!
Wounds have had a slight revamp, in that only PCs may take wounds. This is to represent consequences to combat, even in victory, and we've left NPCs with simply larger Hands to compensate this. We figured that only non-player character big enough to warrant anything greater than the fast creation rules in the Game Mastery section of the Core Rules will most likely be created as a fully fledged character using the same rules as a PC, Wounds and all. Also, being knocked down to 0 Hand or less only generates a Light Wound, escalated in the case of filled Wound severity.
Damage has had a revamp. We weren't happy with the way Maximum Damage was handled. We found that even with a limit put in place equal to the Aptitude governing the combat style (POW for Str, INT for magic or CNG for Ref) the damage output was still too high. The rule in question was for when suits matching the skill being used were able to ignore the Max Dam limit. For example, Swords use the suit of Spades, so if a Damaging Trump had any Spades in it, they did not count towards the Max Dam set by the sword wielder's POW Aptitude. This has now been changed to only a Dramatic Lead can increase the Max Dam, and only by 1. The other methods for increasing Max Dam remain the same; ie Dual Wielding and Two Handed Attacks.
Magical damage has had a similar overhaul; where before the Core Rules stated (pg67) that each card that was higher than twice the target's POW, or a Diamond, is a Damaging card, we have removed the Diamond statement. Now, a caster may exchange 2 Aether of a successful damaging spell per increase of 1 to Max Dam. So an Aether 8 damaging spell may cause 6 Aether in damage with a +1 to Max Dam. Dramatic Leads on the castng Skill checks also add 1 to the maximum damage.
These changes, although small in detail, affect a larger scope of the game. The issue of balance is probably one of the most important aspect of a new game, one we hope we are working towards resolving.
On another note, we are planning the next phase of high end game testing, possibly this weekend. We had toyed with making various builds using 75xp, 100xp and now 150xp. The characters built are advanced enough to be true wrecking balls in any combat, and the enemies they can face would squash any lesser combatants. However, what we've been unable to test so far, is how they fare in a story situation. Do the spread of skills they garner enough to allow them better manipulation of the game world, or are we spending too many points on Talents and Attributes?
Also, I am making available the first suppliment to the Core Rules, Monsters of Karth. Although this is far from finished, it shows some fine examples of what you can achieve using the Creature Features presented in the Core Rules. Go to the Downloads section of this blog, or the direct link to the Drop Box location for it. Enjoy!
More info to follow....
Sunday, 17 March 2013
Storming the Library
Sunday's game session was a special entry into our group's game history. We gave a trial run to using Terraclips for our dungeon layout. We used the Dungeon Rise - Dungeon Essentials set and I must say, even with a little bit of extra time needed to set up, this was awesome. We played down at Good Games Hurstville, my local gaming store, amoung about a dozen groups playing their own games, mostly card games. The set up was quite cool, and we had a few people come over and check us out while we played.
The photo below is of the final fight of the chapter, after a few puzzles and traps and a relatively easy fight against some giant spiders, they discovered a library deep within the buried crypts. There were a few skeletal archers guarding a spectral figure that was using the library (or haunting it) and the fight ended up being a fine example of planning and teamwork. We got to see some experimentation with creative spell casting and combining effects from multiple casters to achieve results. I felt that the rules we were testing were capable of supporting the various tactics used by the players, and that the few issues we raised were able to be corrected with minor adjustments to the established guidelines.
The issues we encountered were:
The photo below is of the final fight of the chapter, after a few puzzles and traps and a relatively easy fight against some giant spiders, they discovered a library deep within the buried crypts. There were a few skeletal archers guarding a spectral figure that was using the library (or haunting it) and the fight ended up being a fine example of planning and teamwork. We got to see some experimentation with creative spell casting and combining effects from multiple casters to achieve results. I felt that the rules we were testing were capable of supporting the various tactics used by the players, and that the few issues we raised were able to be corrected with minor adjustments to the established guidelines.
The issues we encountered were:
- Although the Core Rules do not have a section on combined casting, it is one of the additional elements being planned for release in one of the spell casting supplements.
- Talents are not being activated enough to make a difference to gameplay (only about 1 every other game) due to the cards required to activate being hard to gain. A solution is to incorporate Jokers into the decks to act as Wild Cards, having a value of 10 and being any Face Card required.
Monday, 11 March 2013
Moving forward to Release!
Another round of tweaks and proof reading done! This time we've introduced the mechanic of Wounds. This added a level of survivability to our characters, but also consequences of battle that last. These Wounds come in three categories; Light , Moderate and Severe. Each level soaks up a set number of damage to the Hand and in it's place you get a penalty to Play until the wound heals. This can take up to 4 weeks for a Severe Wound.
The different categories of npcs (Mook, NPC and Major Character) take different amounts of Wounds; A Mook can take no Wounds, an NPC may take a Moderate and a Major Character may take the full gamut.
Our latest game was a fun, Colin and Adri joined me at the local gaming store which just opened up. Good Games Hurstville had plenty of room for lots of people to gather and play their favourite games, and although their stock on hand was a little limited, they still had some golden products to check out. The staff, particularly Jamie, were very friendly and I'll definitely be coming back again. Their displays were of particular note, and have introduced to me Terraclips. I do believe I'll be scooping up a set or two of these amazing set ups.
Check out the store, and coming in and support local gaming at it's finest.
http://www.goodgames.com.au/stores/nsw/hurstville.html
On a related note, here is an example of play from Saturday's game:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/d1z07dum9h6sxzt/Example.pdf
Game on!
The different categories of npcs (Mook, NPC and Major Character) take different amounts of Wounds; A Mook can take no Wounds, an NPC may take a Moderate and a Major Character may take the full gamut.
Our latest game was a fun, Colin and Adri joined me at the local gaming store which just opened up. Good Games Hurstville had plenty of room for lots of people to gather and play their favourite games, and although their stock on hand was a little limited, they still had some golden products to check out. The staff, particularly Jamie, were very friendly and I'll definitely be coming back again. Their displays were of particular note, and have introduced to me Terraclips. I do believe I'll be scooping up a set or two of these amazing set ups.
Check out the store, and coming in and support local gaming at it's finest.
http://www.goodgames.com.au/stores/nsw/hurstville.html
On a related note, here is an example of play from Saturday's game:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/d1z07dum9h6sxzt/Example.pdf
Game on!
Thursday, 28 February 2013
Autumn is Here!
Goodbye Summer, hello Autumn!
Today marks the official end of Summer (in the land of Oz at any rate) and to celebrate we're annoucing the suppliments in production stages for Hands of Fate.
The first suppliment is Monsters of Karth; a look at various critters and baddies to be found in Karth, the game setting for Hands of Fate. Thank you to those who offered contributions to add to the bestiary, and keep em coming in. PM me if you have more ideas you'd like to see in the game, and I'll work on adding it before the final draft is finished. We plan on offering Monsters of Karth as a free download, in PDF format, so stay tuned for it's release.
A Guide to Karth; a game setting information guide with a story preceding each chapter recounting one Imperial's journeys about the continent, exposing the various cultures and regions, while leaving large tracts open to discovery in your own games. A Guide to Karth builds on the brief descriptions given in the Core Rules, and adds depth and flavour to your games. Each chapter also provides several plot ideas by detailing various faction struggles in each area.
Ars Academia; the first Magic oriented suppliment expanding on the Sorcery rules found in the Core Rules. The various chapters will include setting information for running Academia Alchemica themed adventures, expanded magic item creation rules, spell lists for different skill levels and styles, and information on rivals and enemies of the Academy.
Return of the Weaver; A full multi-session adventure for Hands of Fate. Bringing old religions back into power, facing off against powerful Imperial houses and their scions, prophecies and giant fricken SPIDERS! The heroes are hired to undertake a dangerous mission for a mysterious young prophet, and soon find themselves out of their league when they learn they are responsible for the fate of gods.
Behind the Throne; a deeper look at the devious and subtle powers of Enchantments. Each chapter will include information on the use of illusion and charms to gather power, and the consequences of failure. More spells, more setting information and some NPCs for GMs to use as either the powers behind the throne, or the teachers of forbidden arts. A new society of Enchanters, called the Oculus, is introduced. Master manipulators and shadow players - are they the true power in the Empire?
Also, the Core Rules is just about ready for sale, and we anticipate a mid-March release date. Stay tuned, HoFers!
Today marks the official end of Summer (in the land of Oz at any rate) and to celebrate we're annoucing the suppliments in production stages for Hands of Fate.
The first suppliment is Monsters of Karth; a look at various critters and baddies to be found in Karth, the game setting for Hands of Fate. Thank you to those who offered contributions to add to the bestiary, and keep em coming in. PM me if you have more ideas you'd like to see in the game, and I'll work on adding it before the final draft is finished. We plan on offering Monsters of Karth as a free download, in PDF format, so stay tuned for it's release.
A Guide to Karth; a game setting information guide with a story preceding each chapter recounting one Imperial's journeys about the continent, exposing the various cultures and regions, while leaving large tracts open to discovery in your own games. A Guide to Karth builds on the brief descriptions given in the Core Rules, and adds depth and flavour to your games. Each chapter also provides several plot ideas by detailing various faction struggles in each area.
Ars Academia; the first Magic oriented suppliment expanding on the Sorcery rules found in the Core Rules. The various chapters will include setting information for running Academia Alchemica themed adventures, expanded magic item creation rules, spell lists for different skill levels and styles, and information on rivals and enemies of the Academy.
Return of the Weaver; A full multi-session adventure for Hands of Fate. Bringing old religions back into power, facing off against powerful Imperial houses and their scions, prophecies and giant fricken SPIDERS! The heroes are hired to undertake a dangerous mission for a mysterious young prophet, and soon find themselves out of their league when they learn they are responsible for the fate of gods.
Behind the Throne; a deeper look at the devious and subtle powers of Enchantments. Each chapter will include information on the use of illusion and charms to gather power, and the consequences of failure. More spells, more setting information and some NPCs for GMs to use as either the powers behind the throne, or the teachers of forbidden arts. A new society of Enchanters, called the Oculus, is introduced. Master manipulators and shadow players - are they the true power in the Empire?
Also, the Core Rules is just about ready for sale, and we anticipate a mid-March release date. Stay tuned, HoFers!
Monday, 18 February 2013
Moving Forward
Version 0.6 is complete! This milestone marks the completion of the Core Rules book, and is ready for online digital print sales. The PDF has bookmarks and indexed links to all the tables and chapters, making for ease of use on your tablets or PCs. In this state I have begun spreading the word, and getting the game out there to people for testing and feedback beyond my immediate group of gamers. I'm looking forward to the comments and suggestions on the state of play, and if there is anyone out there who would like to test it, please send me an email with some details about yourself and your group. I'm looking for new and old gamers, as they both have perspectives to offer that are unique and equally valuable.
I'm also thinking up some marketing strategies, such as discounts for online members (members of what? you ask...yeah I'm not sure yet either - stay tuned) and of course all the testers will receive either discounts, or even free copies as gifts depending on their level of involvement.
As it is, the product is looking to hover around 160 pages, and as far as setting information goes I consider it 'lite'. I intend to produce a couple of supplements at the same time, perhaps even free, to better illustrate the setting in the players' minds. There will also be an extended Bestiary, which is already in production stages, as the one in the book is merely meant to serve as an example of how easy this system is to create NPCs and monsters on the fly. There will be more supplements based around the different versions of magic, as each style has great potential for expanding and creating fantastic stories about. I've always been a fan of free style magic in games and this is a chance for me to truly flex my creative muscles in this regard.
So anyway, moving forward, I intend to release the product to the general public soon once playtesting of a few of the lesser tested areas gets...well, tested.
Stay Sharp!
I'm also thinking up some marketing strategies, such as discounts for online members (members of what? you ask...yeah I'm not sure yet either - stay tuned) and of course all the testers will receive either discounts, or even free copies as gifts depending on their level of involvement.
As it is, the product is looking to hover around 160 pages, and as far as setting information goes I consider it 'lite'. I intend to produce a couple of supplements at the same time, perhaps even free, to better illustrate the setting in the players' minds. There will also be an extended Bestiary, which is already in production stages, as the one in the book is merely meant to serve as an example of how easy this system is to create NPCs and monsters on the fly. There will be more supplements based around the different versions of magic, as each style has great potential for expanding and creating fantastic stories about. I've always been a fan of free style magic in games and this is a chance for me to truly flex my creative muscles in this regard.
So anyway, moving forward, I intend to release the product to the general public soon once playtesting of a few of the lesser tested areas gets...well, tested.
Stay Sharp!
Sunday, 17 February 2013
Character Generation Peek
Here is a snippet from the Character Gen chapter, a cheat sheet or breakdown on how to build a character. Players can use this to help guide them during this process, and show them how to fill out the character sheets. This is an important step as know where to find information on these sheets in a timely fashion helps to move the game forward.
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