Impresa Express for Indie Publishers

[pigames]

Hey gang!

I've just released a new game system which may interest a few people here - Impresa Express. It is a set of quick-play rules intended for use where simplicity and speed is more important than crunchy action. It is intended for Indie Publishers looking to use such a system without designing their own or having to wade through pages and pages of options which they don't need.

Impresa Express includes an Open Collaborative License so you can use the system in your own free or commercial games. Some customization is possible and described in the accompanying Usage Guidelines.

A full version of the rules is planned for release this winter which will include a variety of optional modules which can be assembled to build your own custom system. Think of it as an RPG Construction Kit.

And the answer to your next question is NO, this is not intended to compete with d20/OGL or any other open system. It is a tool, which I believe, fills a void for Indie Publishers. If you are looking for something with more kick, wait for the full Impresa rules, or go with Action! System (by Gold Rush Games) or EABA (by BTRC).

If you would like more info, visit http://www.pigames.net/impresa.php

A collaborative site is in development for Impresa, similar to the one we currently have for Active Exploits Diceless Roleplaying located at http://www.pigames.net/aedesigner

Also, if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.


Cheers,

Brett M. Bernstein
Politically Incorrect Games
www.pigames.net

P.S. Reading over this post, the first few lines sounds like a bad spammer. Sorry.

[Clinton R. Nixon]

The first few lines do sound like a bad spammer.

The rest sound like you might not really understand the purpose of this site. I really wish we'd change the word "independent" in our site text, because of mix-ups like this, and re-interpretation by others to fit their business model.

Independent = creator-owned. Now, some people have expressed that this isn't clear, that the idea of ownership is mutable. I say these people are not thinking clearly. Using another game system for your game that is not 100% free of strictures on how you can use it means that you do not own your game.

[pigames]

Actually, I fall into the classification of 'independent' as you have described, as does Impresa Express. That said, I would appreciate any feedback people have regarding it.

Thank you for clearing that up, Clinton.

[DevP]

Independent = creator-owned. Now, some people have expressed that this isn't clear, that the idea of ownership is mutable. I say these people are not thinking clearly. Using another game system for your game that is not 100% free of strictures on how you can use it means that you do not own your game.

I still think that there is significant reason that a developer would not want to develop their own ruleset. Subscribing to these mechanics has some limitations built in, clearly; but to many developers who aren't as system-focused, the key part of their product - the creative content - is still entirely creater owns. (I wouldn't think publishing a supplement through Impressa means that the storyline is less in your ownership.)

Having looked over the mechanics, they are a bit "standard", perhaps (e.g. a traditional stat/skill dichotomy, although they affect Fortune in different ways) but the rules are clear, and some developers may find this very much to their liking.

[Lxndr]

I don't know exactly how much connection the Forge booth and the Forge site has...

...but if the booth was willing to display a D20 product and call it indie, why wouldn't, say, FUDGE products or D20 products or Active Exploits products or other products (like, say, a product written using Impresa Express) be considered indie, as long as the product itself was creator-owned?

And if it is owning the rules that's the issue, does that make the publishers of, say, Sorcerer mini-supplements, not indie?  Or at least, does it make those products not indie?

[Matt Snyder]

Just thought I'd mention that this topic has been discussed previously here:

http://www.indie-rpgs.com/viewtopic.php?t=5109

[xiombarg]

Take particular note of Clinton's note in the thread Matt references -- if the product is creator-owned but uses another creator's system, it's still indie.

I, for one, think it's cool that Brett is giving a heads-up to a tool he thinks might be useful to the community.

[Clinton R. Nixon]

The Impresa Express website represents its license poorly. After looking over the actual license, my statement above could be considered a bit harsh. The website says that you can use Impresa Express freely with some restrictions, which isn't free at all.

Reading the license, PI Games doesn't have any control over your use of the license for products, thereby making it fine. My worry was that any control over the creator equal non-creator-ownership, which I do believe.

Anyway, apologies - but let the lesson stand that using others' licensed game systems means that you should read that license carefully.

[Jonathan Walton]

But back to the subject of the post...

Brett, is this system basically intended to be a "diceful" version of Active Exploits?  I don't know as much as I should about AE, though I've browsed the document several times, but this seems to share a great deal in common with AE's aesthetic and intentions (modular, adaptable system in the spirit of Fudge; very traditional in game structure and player roles).  Are you hoping this will catch on as a generic system, similar to AE?

And then the real questions:

-- Why would a designer choose to use Impresa over Action!, Tri-Stat DX, Fudge or any of their umpteen other options?  AE got some attention because it was basically the only generic diceless system on the market, but there are plenty of competitors once you decide to use dice.

-- I think you could set yourself apart from the competition by incorperating "modules" that allow for a bunch of the progressive gaming techniques that have shown up in recent indie games.  Options for giving more narrative control to the players, options for running things GM-less, scene framing systems... There's a ton you could do if you were interested in that kind of thing.  But that all depends on what you want Impresa to be.  As it is, I don't see it being very interesting to many indie designers, at least not the ones who are familiar with the more progressive indie stuff that's being put out.

[pigames]

Hi Jonathan,

I have been referring to Impresa as Active Exploits' 10-sided cousin, so yes...it is leaning in the direction of being the 'diceful' version of AE. I wanted something compatible with AE and just as flexible. This is it.

I'm not really pushing this as a generic system in the same manner as AE. As you said, AE has the diceless catch going for it. Impresa was created because I was looking for a scalable system (for example, abilities in the full version go up to 20 instead of 6) to fit as many settings as possible for future PIG projects. That is what the full version is for and that is primarily why it will be highly customizable. I got together with a bunch of freelancers and other publishers to go further with the system, allowing even more customization for their needs as well, and it eventually blossomed into an RPG Design Kit. - that is how it will be promoted (apart from being PIG's new house system). There are actually a few non-PIG games already in development using the Impresa Express rules.

I firmly believe in working with the RPG community and that is why I released the free Express version (and why Active Exploits is free). The license is a way of promoting quality control - although not perfect, it is the best method on the table.

There is plenty of competition in the 'diceful' system market and I am not trying to go up against them. The system is primarily for PIG and affiliated publishers, and anyone else who is interested. In fact, I have only posted info about Impresa Express on this forum, PIG's mailing list, and I'm considering a few design lists, but I am not targeting mainstream consumers. I have good working relationships with a lot of e-publishers and I can't recommend EABA and Action! System enough. I don't view it as competing with them, simply providing an alternative for those who want something else.

Your point about the modules is dead on. The full version will, IMHO, be the most object-oriented, customizable system around. In fact, I have a narrative resolution system in development as well as varying levels of detail/realism, and character generation options such as life paths. Actually, Active Exploits Take 2 (second edition) will adopt many new features which will parallel some of those in the full version of Impresa, including retooled convictions, an alternate system for convictions called principles, flairs (adding more detail to abilities), and additional health meters such as dementia and toxemia.

Wow, I wrote that much :)
Thanks for your input.

[Jonathan Walton]

The system is primarily for PIG and affiliated publishers, and anyone else who is interested.

Cool.  I guess that's what I was wondering.  Personally, I find the Action/Tri-Stat/EABA/Fudge stuff pretty boring nowadays.  Why do you need 30 different rules-light systems that don't really offer anything new?  Still, one thing that I've been struck with recently is the realization that adapting existing systems is a core value of roleplaying (I mean, it's partially responsible for all of us becoming game designers) and so it's great that your module format supports that.

But I guess more what I was hoping was for your system to offer modules that most players wouldn't even know are options.  Sanity and poison meters are cool and all, but most AE players could come up with something like that, if necessary.  However, most players aren't likely to invent a working GM-less system.  But if they saw a suggestion for one as a module, they might feel comfortable adapting it and using it in their own games.  I would get inspired by a system that offered me new toys to play with, instead of just repackaged old toys.  Are you seeing what I'm saying?  I'm just trying to explain what would make me want to use AE or IE, as both a GM and an indie game publisher.

[pigames]

But I guess more what I was hoping was for your system to offer modules that most players wouldn't even know are options.

I'm not sure I understand. Are you saying that you'd like to see more modules which provide alternate modes of play without seeming like they are add ons? My intention is to provide linkages between compatible modules, meaning a narrative resolution system would be linked (listed to be compatible with) all modules which require no modification in order to work with it. So, the alternate modes of play will seem like just another module which you can throw in for as a single preference. I'm not sure if that is where you are going with it, but that's my intent.

Also, I'm not knocking Tri-Stat DX (it seems a worthy system), but there are licensing fees associated, putting it in a separate class of system from EABA, Action! System, d20, and Impresa Express.