It needs to be dirtier. Dusty and rusty or something. I dunno.
Oh, and there needs to be a hint of violence. Somehow.
Hmmm, well...alternate covers are a possibility.
I just love the idea of a book that looks like an owner's manual, for some reason. But yeah, a rusty-dusty version would be sw00t.
I agree, dirtier. Beat up. Like the manual has been passed down from mechanic to mechanic for a hundred years. A cherished relic of a bygone age, when the petrol flowed like water, and it was safe to travel the highways without having to mount machineguns on your car.
Memories...
You need to print it out, crumple it up, run over it with a few dirty bike tires, then scan it back in.
It would so rock, then.
I still think it needs psychobilly imagery. Guns n' boobies n' whiskey bottles n' skulls n' dice n' pistons. That sort of thing.
Actually, I like the thought of the owner's manual. Maybe the prelim character stuff should be owner's manual-y, while the worldstuff section could be a little more psychotronic.
I was thinking charred edges and coffee ring stains would do the trick.
Jared,
Contents page and an index, boring but very useful once a document gets over half-a-dozen pages or so. Also, I would recommend starting each section as a new page, presently some sections start halfway down a page which makes it harder to find them.
An example of chargen would also be useful. I know it's simple, but on first read it took me some time to find it because there wasn't an index and it was contained in other text.
On Blood & Steel, out of interest, how would you stat up Fahfrd and the Grey Mouser? Guys like Kane, Conan, Elric I thought would fit easily, those two were a bit tougher. They are, however, classic characters. Could you show me how you'd portray them in B&S?
Lastly, vastly improved system. This to me is what narrativist game design should be about, rules which assist gm AND players to create a story together through play. Stats feeding not to resolution directly but to acquisition of plot points is a great idea, as is the trading of spent plot points for xp.
The main game works very well, IMO. Blood & Steel I am still thinking about, if you can post how you'd do those characters it might help crystallise my concerns.
Best,
Max
Before people start emailing me, Max has a preview copy of octaNe. Hence his insider knowledge...
Contents and index: of course these will be added to the final version. I'd like to also have an "example" index and an "image" index so that people can easily find pictures and in-play examples.
Example of chargen: there's one now (and it features a brand-new Role, to boot!). Of course, it will be mentioned in the ToC and indices.
Blood & Steel: I'm less concerned (actually, NOT concerned) with players being able to regurgitate existing characters (ala most superhero games). That said, I don't know enough about Fafhrd or Grey Mouser to make them into B&S characters. I could use one of my favorites though, Max Rockatansky, aka Mad Max, The Road Warrior:
Name:"Mad" Max Rockatansky, the Road Warrior
Homeland: Western Australia
Deeds: Smashed the Toecutter's biker gang
Lineage: (Unknown)*
Blood: Red (+1 Might)
Relationship: Jessie and Sprog (dead wife and child)
Spiritual Allegiance: The Law (+1 Daring, +1 Craft)
*This is where trying to ape another character is difficult. Players, who have ultimate control over their characters' backgrounds, will have an easier time.
System: I nixed the whole improvement/XP system. It was a throwback rule and didn't add anything beyond fufilling expectations about "what a real RPG needs." Ditto Plot Devices. Those were a way (taken from Pulp Era) to shoehorn in Narrativist design into a simulationist game. Fooey!
Oh, and to those that are interested, oen of my artists has gotten back to me with samples. I won't reveal them here (ah, the anticipation!)...but you can check our her other sci-fi stuff here:
http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/zone/k/b/kbennett/
http://memento-mori.com/octane/ad.html
That fucking rocks, Jared. This book would be on my shelf in no time flat, merely judged on its cover.
We have a winner ladies and gentlemen...
Fer (Crayne)
That's a great cover.
And I like the flame-skulls.
Nice. Very nice. Crunchy, grungy, rusty and stained. I like.
Inside art coming soon?
Shit, I'm glad you guys approve...I was up til 3:30 this morning working on it!!! :)
Regarding interior art, I do have some artists lined up (one of which has gotten back to me with sample drawings...pretty cool sketches). But really, my ideas for interior artwork have shifted in the past few weeks. Ideally, the inside of the book could be used as tattoo flash...that's my hope anyway. So I'm looking for lots of clean lines, pin-up/low-brow style artwork and...color! :)
But that's in a perfect world.
It kicks serious ass. It's definitely on my "to buy" list.
I hope you don't mind free press (http://www.rpgnews.rpghost.com/article.php?sid=1232).
Very, very nice.
Only thing I'd do is make the skulls and the text between them [Does it say 'memento-mori motor company'?] more prominent, in terms of brightness, not size. The rest of it rocks.
Too cool for words! Can't wait to see the final product!