"Why is there a watermelon there?"

[Jared A. Sorensen]

Okay, finally I'm on track with a project (for once). The rules for octaNe and Blood & Steel are D-O-N-E. Now I'm re-writing the default octaNe setting. Just to give you guys the sweet & lowdown:

The system is this: roll three dice, take the highest number, compare it to the chart. The higher that number, the more control the player has over the action. The lower the number, the more control the Moderator has.

Plot Points are earned whenever a 5 is rolled. If a 6 is rolled, the number of PP's earned is Style + 1 (giving a point to those without any Style for once).

Plot Devices are gone. They were a remnant of the old system (an attempt at player authorial control with a simulationist mechanic...blah).

Examples, examples, examples. I try and illustrated every rule with an example -- oh, and of course I had to use the names of several Forgers. :)

Four theatrical modes of play: psychotronic, grindhouse, arthouse and cinema verite.

Rules for building your own Role (along with an example: "The Atomic Dad.")

Development Points. Rather than spend them, you just keep track of them on a "timeline" of sorts. At various points of the line, you get new skills or Style bonuses. At 100 Dev points you can introduce totally new plot elements (like, "it's revealed that my character is the long-lost son of El Presidente!'). Characters don't improve past those 100 Dev points...it's a signal that the big plot development should be wrapped up and the character retired.

Hazards: the big change in the system. Some enemies or threats (like bad weather or a romantic affair) have Hazard ratings. These reduce the number of Die Results your character rolls (a Hazard rating of two will force you to ignore the two highest dice rolled). If you roll poorly, the Moderator may introduce a Hazard where there was none before.

Alternate rules for vehicles and road combat. If a group is spending a lot of time doing road duels and racing, these rules enable a bit more of role-playing + fortune than the game's standard "roll once for the scene."

Lastly, Blood & Steel has been re-written. I changed the characteristics that the game uses to define characters and I introduce "Oaths," a way to temporarily boost your character's ability.

I'll keep you guys posted on what happens in da future.

[Valamir]

While I've been eagerly awaiting OctaNe, the "chinese legends" thread was the first I've heard of Blood & Steel.  However, I couldn't find it on your site anywhere.  Is it available?

[Jared A. Sorensen]

I think I emailed it to a few people...

It will be included with octaNe (as will the pulp action characters). I may even schlep it up onto the website at some points.