tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74319766738742991422011-09-28T15:53:50.192-05:00the game design blog of an ethnological, steampunkish, low fantasy role-playing gameMark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.comBlogger421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-67671389910345436272011-02-01T08:43:00.000-06:002011-02-01T08:43:21.082-06:00

I had this Moment of Doubt: "Maybe I should just abandon the Stone, Steel, and Steam project altogether. Or put it back on the back burner for another 5-10 years. I've learned and grown a lot as a gamer and as a person in the process of making it, so it hasn't been a waste of time, but maybe I've got what I needed to out of this and it's time to move on." Part of this, I know, is a sort of

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-4238028226026678372011-01-21T13:31:00.000-06:002011-01-21T13:31:03.411-06:00

To better connect with my current and prospective players, I've started a Facebook page for Stone, Steel, and Steam. I also designed a crappy logo at two in the morning because I couldn't sleep because of a frustrating conversation about subgenres of Japanese classical drama. Illustration in general is important, but getting a non-sucky logo is a pretty high priority. However, it is a logo,

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-25609956237699815832011-01-18T14:50:00.008-06:002011-01-20T09:39:29.661-06:00

Last night was not the very first playtest of Stone, Steel, and Steam in the same way that the Wright brothers weren't the first people to fly. They were preceded and inspired by the work and designs of Swedenborg and DaVinci and others. The very first playtest of what was to eventually become SSS was around Christmas of 2007 with a group of excellent alpha players who could freeform it and wail

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-17146738151293523722010-12-29T18:51:00.000-06:002010-12-29T18:51:13.280-06:00

It might be passe by now, but I still find word clouds enchanting. I've seen it done with political and religious speeches to analyze what they're really talking about. doing it to my own work helps me see if I'm balanced in my emphasis the way I want to be. At first, Taksan stood out even more prominently, until I realized that it was doing double duty as the name of the country and as a

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-50794001375738589192010-12-29T18:33:00.000-06:002010-12-29T18:33:28.107-06:00

I recently posted to The Forge about Stone, Steel, and Steam. The Forge is the forum for indie RPG development and game theory, and it is vastly intimidating to post there, because for these people, game theory and design is serious business. I've lurked the community off and on over the past several years, enough to know that I don't really belong. I feel like a reasonably bright elementary

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-83225156004908290952010-12-16T19:12:00.001-06:002010-12-17T08:04:32.966-06:00

Finally, and just in time for the holidays, too: Stone, Steel, and Steam Beta Version 0.10.12 Changes from version 0.10.2 Bigger (and, arguably, better) nation descriptions Revised combat system - easier, faster, deadlier. More and better examples and explanations. Character sheet. In-world systems of measurement. Disclaimer. (here's the February draft for comparison) Self-Criticism For the

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-4744137153241613162010-12-07T13:36:00.000-06:002010-12-07T13:36:34.872-06:00

Since moving to San Antonio in March, I've been blessed with a couple of eager and dedicated game groups. I've run a Star Wars campaign and a couple of Exalted one-shots - my early loves that are perhaps the strongest influences on my design. And I've been running a Pathfinder campaign and playing in another which, while fun, have reminded me of how much the d20 system irritates me. All this

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-24420766518034647882010-11-20T15:54:00.000-06:002010-11-20T15:54:38.549-06:00

One of the persistent laments of the past seven months has been the lack of feedback on the first Beta draft of the game. I posted to that effect on a holiday wishlist on my personal blog, and it's already generated more criticism and feedback. The conversation is happening now at http://community.livejournal.com/holiday_wishes/1692739.html

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-33541695025264307602010-11-14T15:11:00.009-06:002010-11-14T15:32:32.336-06:00

In the past week I've rewritten the Taksan nation description for Stone, Steel, and Steam. Before I start giving the same makeover to the other seven nations, I'd like your feedback. Better? Worse? Too much? Too little? (Yes, there's plenty more where that came from.) Land and Climate (Old) The Taksan Republic occupies the southeastern section of Peradiga. The land is mostly made up of broad

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-18530187211804861602010-11-13T10:43:00.001-06:002010-11-14T15:16:47.550-06:00

Was there ever a moment when someone in Spain said, "Hey, how about let's not conquer all these people? Couldn't we just, you know, trade with them and save the hassle of setting up our government and culture in a hostile environment?" Or the British with India, or whatever, take your pick. I mean, I'm sure there was somebody. Maybe. I'm looking at this with hindsight and applying my values

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-49875487260841097602010-11-05T15:51:00.000-05:002010-11-05T15:51:05.514-05:00

And, I hope, back on the development wagon. For the past eight months while I've been waiting for some form of feedback to come in from February's beta draft, I've been gamemastering Pathfinder and D6 Star Wars, which has reminded me of the flaws in other systems that prompted me to develop my own. At least now I have a stable core of reasonably competent players that know each other and my

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-39531861661897586422010-06-12T00:45:00.001-05:002010-06-12T00:46:14.787-05:00

It's been nearly three months, which seems both like a really long and a really short time. In my personal life, I flew from Korea to Boise, drove from Boise to San Antonio, got engaged, got hired by the U.S. Census, got laid off by the U.S. Census, finished my teacher certification, and spent a great deal of time creating wedding announcements, licking envelopes, and shopping for sofas. In

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-12615113999747164002010-03-03T06:09:00.246-06:002010-06-12T00:52:31.744-05:00

FYI, I'm a Mormon. And not a lapsed Mormon, neither; I go to the services and follow the rules. I only mention this in the interests of full disclosure and to discuss the ways Mormonism has (and hasn't) influenced my game design. The Basics Everyone should know at least this much about Mormonism, especially if the rest of this post is going to make sense: Mormonism is a restorationist

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-29657963630519090132010-03-01T05:28:00.000-06:002010-03-01T05:28:00.198-06:00

Since finishing the Beta draft, I've been kind of depressed. For the past several weeks almost every waking moment has been devoted to getting it out by my deadline, and now suddenly I have nothing to do but wait for critiques to pour in. If they pour in, since I'm not the best publicist; I mean, how many comments has this blog ever received? But if they're coming, it'll be weeks or months, so

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-36061395815052190682010-02-26T05:51:00.001-06:002010-02-26T05:51:00.388-06:00

I did a Google search, "stone steel steam" to see what I might be dealing with in terms of being findable if the name starts floating around detatched from the manual and people try to find the source. This blog is hit #2, which is nice. The bad news is the #1 spot, a BBC documentary series called Fred Dibnah's World of Steam, Steel and Stone about the Industrial Revolution in Britain. [I

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-69717777554860763122010-02-24T07:31:00.003-06:002010-02-24T18:16:48.484-06:00

My goal was to get the game good and done by my 30th birthday, two days ago. Real world stuff knocked me back, but right now I'm feeling damn proud of getting my baby out very nearly on time. I know it's short and rough. But its complete enough and solid enough to endure real world trial by fire - in fact extensive playtesting is really the only way to improve it now. I've been just writing

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-52409135615230142022010-02-19T08:57:00.000-06:002010-02-19T08:57:03.068-06:00

I'm summoning all the scattered drafts, notes, scribbles, doodles, maps, lists, tables, sketches, blurbs, files, documents, formulas, spreadsheets, and papers I've put out over the past, oh, five years. And it looks like I'm closer to being done than I thought. A good 80% is already down on paper somewhere, it's mostly just a matter of transcribing, collating, copying, and pasting. The last

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-30945584775389714962010-02-17T07:35:00.003-06:002010-02-27T22:26:43.142-06:00

Here it is: after seven (well, six and a half) grueling revisions, I have a combat system. I went and put an explanation and notes from my analysis into a convenient public PDF for anyone interested to download, test, use, and critique: SSS Combat System Analysis That was pretty much the last big hurdle. The magic system needs a few nuts and bolts added to it (and a decent name), all of the

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-26497771582957021122010-02-15T09:28:00.003-06:002010-02-15T09:58:04.012-06:00

I think I'm clear to post this now. Earlier this year I was selected as a peer reviewer by Dr. Jonathan Jacobs for the second installment of the Open Game Table project. It's an anthology of some of the most influential essays, articles, blog posts, manifestos, rants, and reviews in the gaming community. I submitted a few of my own posts from this blog for consideration (in retrospect, I wish

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-49947845270743948382010-02-10T09:58:00.064-06:002010-02-10T16:32:55.481-06:00

The prospect of moving back to America for more than a few months has me all manner of excited. And not least among the reasons is getting to actually roleplay again. 'Participating' in the blogospheric 'community' is all right, but it's just not enough. I've tried getting into PbP and virtual tabletop games, but Korea's time zone is somewhat prohibitive. In the past few weeks I've been

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-3738387468031183972010-02-08T05:01:00.074-06:002010-02-10T13:28:16.492-06:00

I love movies. I effectively minored in film in college. I think about games in very filmic terms; when gamemastering I use establishing shots, scene transitions, carefully timed sound effects and music, even the occasional montage. I also think about movies in game terms. I see crits and fumbles and think about how many points Proteus has in Melee Combat. When I get really excited about a

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-76610501426989283452010-02-05T08:53:00.000-06:002010-02-05T08:53:03.044-06:00

Oh, boy. It's been a while. Real world events, health concerns, crossing the Pacific twice, a flourishing romantic entanglement, teaching, and studying to certify in a new field have kept me at bay. I have been poking at SSS in the background, but no serious progress until recently. My recent involvement in someone else's project has set me reading a bunch of gaming blogs, which has lit the

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-4861511247948249842009-12-16T16:32:00.001-06:002009-12-16T16:33:40.574-06:00

I've played a lot of games in my day. Not as many as most 'true gamers,' and I haven't played a lot of the 'classics,' but I like to think that I'm well-read, that I've been around, and that I know at least enough to know what people are talking about. It's inevitable that other games will have influenced my style. I've seen what works and what doesn't, what I like and what I don't. It's

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-77731698508082345062009-11-23T07:54:00.003-06:002009-11-23T07:56:23.927-06:00

The worldbuilding is going much slower than I anticipated. I started a new draft shortly after the results of the game development survey, but these days it's still difficult for me to sit up and type for long periods. Voice recognition would be cool, but I don't know if I could train it to understand words like 'Harazi and Nehomin. I started out with four headings: Land, History, People, and

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-33921150313073793842009-11-20T11:26:00.002-06:002009-11-20T11:40:41.636-06:00

More on publishing, another thing that's been on the mind and the waves recently is how there will never again be medium-sized game publishing houses because you're either working out of your garage and have no overhead because it's all sweat equity (like me) or you're a publishing giant that can cover its overhead with volume. A medium-sized outfit would simply never be able to turn a profit.

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-72342111113280880192009-11-18T07:14:00.001-06:002009-11-18T07:16:18.300-06:00

For years I've been subscribing to Johnn Four's Roleplayingtips.com mailing list. Today I was thumbing through the latest edition and this advertisement caught my eye: How to Create a Believable Character Inside this ebook, you'll discover: * The 5 key elements that make up a believable character's appearance - including details that you may be forgetting * The 3 categories of abilities that

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-10688080047383758502009-11-16T05:59:00.007-06:002009-11-17T05:24:27.682-06:00

There are some times when everyone seems to be on the same wavelength. In the past week I've read several really great blog posts on the do's and don'ts of printer-friendly electronic publishing and about the state and direction of the RPG market in general. As far as PDF formats are concerned, I seem to be pretty much in tune with everyone else. On the subject of the marketplace, some were

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-79146751243764200502009-11-13T11:31:00.003-06:002009-11-14T02:49:10.395-06:00

This: Build Your Own Multi Touch Surface Computer looks like a cool toy, and an interesting project, but not ultimately better than stuff we already have... Until you add this: Surfacescapes Walkthrough Demo = Do want! By the time I get around to getting a new computer, surface systems will most likely be commonplace, and the software may have been developed to support many different game

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-56131695773770834692009-11-11T09:24:00.001-06:002009-11-11T09:28:53.899-06:00

Back from the dead. I've been pretty much hospitalized for the past week, but I did manage to burn through the Connections series of documentaries about the history of technology. A lot of the presentation rubbed me the wrong way, but the content was useful. The progress of technology is not linear and inventions are rarely the work of a lone inventive genius. The machines and systems we have

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-28870368247768878912009-11-04T06:16:00.003-06:002009-11-04T06:29:32.963-06:00

I'm about halfway done with The Wealth of Nations, trying to get an economics system up and running. What I've come up with is this: every character falls into one of five income ranges or social classes. But what exactly that can purchase, especially in terms of technology, depends on what society you are from. The wealthiest Aralean warlord visiting Granarctia would probably live no better

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-3235234216303344242009-10-31T04:27:00.000-05:002009-10-30T13:27:59.170-05:00

The results are in. For the past week I've been soliciting participation in a short online poll. I invited friends and family to participate, but 95% of those who responded were strangers from Role Play Media Network, The Forge, The Tangled Web, The Magical Gnome, Steamchan, and 4chan. Some have even emailed me to find out how they can get involved. The responses were generally positive: Very

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-30192051494910849032009-10-30T09:31:00.000-05:002009-10-30T09:31:16.496-05:00

I'm a little bit vague on what exactly steampunk is.  I know the textbook definition, which doesn't really help, but I've barely seen any textbook examples.  Is it a genre? A sub-genre? An aesthetic? A movement? A community?  Is there a demographic of 'steampunks' the way there's a demographic of gamers, and if so, what exactly is it that they do? Despite multiple conflicting definitions, it

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-6730674721607949832009-10-28T07:58:00.015-05:002009-11-15T02:00:59.561-06:00

Someone on the RPG Bloggers Network recently created the Role Play Media Network - it's sort of like Facebook, except specifically a community for RPGers.  Which is great, because for some reason Facebook proper sucks for finding and networking with other RPGers.  I was one of the first 30 members to sign up, I've already made some friends and started kicking around some ideas. Visit Role Play

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-30359943945188950272009-10-26T04:19:00.005-05:002009-10-28T00:15:01.366-05:00

Little Wikipedia joke for ya there. I spent most of the weekend on systems of measurement.  Because I obsess about making things universal and compatible, I've made all distances in the game in yard-meters, a fictional unit of measurement that is equal to a meter if you like metric and equal to a yard if you like Imperial - sort of like Schrödinger's measuring rod. Now I'm getting into currency

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-53406677973171940962009-10-23T21:43:00.001-05:002009-10-24T01:31:13.037-05:00

Dice are kind of a big deal.  We love them, hate them, hoard them, don't let anyone else touch them, and, in some cases, pray to them.  Dice are the random number gods that control our fate, they deliver our glorious triumphs and our  crushing defeats, allow us to cheat death, and then snatch life away at their whim.  It's no wonder we get so worked up about them. While most games have

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-3074180441695689632009-10-21T19:16:00.047-05:002009-10-21T20:27:30.652-05:00

I'm making some changes to the Luck mechanic in my game.  The dice are not Luck, the dice are just randomness; Luck is a pseudo-attribute that allows players to bend randomness to their advantage. Originally, PC started out with a random number of Luck points.  From character creation on, they would only earn more Luck points on a critical success, which were pretty rare. Spending a Luck point

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-49518454955759929442009-10-19T12:26:00.004-05:002010-02-27T22:36:41.797-06:00

Figuring out the magic system for this thing is a pain in the butt.  The only thing that I know of even remotely similar to how I want magic to work in my world is the Force from D6 Star Wars, and even that's way too powerful. There is a checklist/mental exercise for game developers called the Power 19.  I don't remember where I got it, and eventually I'll post the whole thing, but most of the

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-54561559527948198312009-10-16T13:59:00.001-05:002009-10-19T12:28:40.090-05:00

Most of the decisions I make about game design, I try to consult with as many people as possible, get feedback from trusted advisers, and do mini-focus groups.  But sometimes I just have to weigh the options and go with my gut, public opinion be damned.  For a while now I've been losing sleep over the best format for the new game, and I've finally settled on it. Requirements In considering the

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-35365653232095742812009-10-12T05:55:00.016-05:002009-10-13T16:09:00.939-05:00

Rule of the Dice: What's your class baby? This is an interesting thought, a little vague, a little biased, a little forced, shoving the gamut of gaming philosophies and styles into four categories, but a step up (or, at least, a step sideways) from "Real Men, Real Role-players, Munchkins, and Loonies."  As a designer I guess I'm forced to multi-class as a rogue/cleric.  Which I...now that I

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-41206052061906016582009-10-09T10:35:00.000-05:002009-10-09T10:35:38.387-05:00

Choosing a title for a game is kind of a big deal.  Even more than the Elevator Pitch, a title can make or break a game before people even open it.  It has to stand out, it has to capture the spirit of the game, and look good in big fancy letters on the cover. I've been fairly content to leave this thing untitled for a long, long time.  You don't name a baby until after it's been born, right? ("

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-61111319840719992112009-10-07T10:55:00.005-05:002009-10-07T11:07:20.073-05:00

What if the Amerindians had discovered, conquered, and colonized Europe instead of the other way around? What if China had discovered, conquered, and colonized the New World instead of the Europeans? What if Columbus had sailed in 1842 and the Amerindians had developed large agricultural empires, domestic animals, and disease resistance to oppose European conquest and colonization every step of

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7431976673874299142.post-27925244148661350092009-10-05T08:12:00.001-05:002009-10-05T11:15:03.916-05:00

My name is Mark and I am the Game Maker.  I've been working on a new RPG system and setting on and off for about eight years now.  This new blog will follow the final stages of development as I prepare for a beta test at the end of 2009 or early 2010.  Over the next several months I'll be posting on philosophical and practical game design considerations, the development of game world content, and

Mark, Game Makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592823744412246689noreply@blogger.com0