Compact RPG Challenge

[Thunder_God]

Ok, time for me to start writing my entry, but, anyone here willing to help a bit with lay-out? I like Fred's and Greg's lay-out, totally beats the "Made in word" layout I can pull.

[Colin Fredericks]

I've updated Metafiction a little. Still at the same link. Just an FYI.

[Thunder_God]

Mechanical Primum Mobile, my entry, unplayed, for which I plan to retain the rights :)

So, God is pissed off at us and is sending his angelic host to mete judgement and justice upon the sinning humankind. We have outgrown his favour, and our free will will be taken. His angelic host is made of mechanical, cyborg, angels, and we slowly but surely turn into them.

[redivider]

I like this theme and finally got around to finishing 3 games, all revolving around the social implications of technology. I've temporarily placed them up on a free hosting site.

Satanic Mills

“All is under the sway of an inhuman power” – K. Marx

http://www.uploading.com/?get=EX2HTATQ

An inhuman power hums in the shuttles and valves of a 19th century English factory town. An alien power that lies congealed in the cloth and steel manufactured there. A hostile power that twists bone, robs children of their youth, and turns neighbors against neighbors.   It is more terrifying than any unholy spirit, slithering lifeform or doomsday device because this horror is real, grounded in social relations. It is alienation and it is generated anew each shift as men, women, and children toil at the machines. Satanic Mills is a game about the production of alienation and the destruction of human lives. It is based on Karl Marx’s theory of alienation as expressed in his Economic and Philosophical manuscripts of 1844.


Joy Division. making sure the future needs us. 

http://www.uploading.com/?get=YWRA7ELF

Characters are agents of the Joy Division, a small but well-funded transnational espionage agency concerned with advanced, destabilizing technologies. Its mission is to neutralize major threats that might arise from transformative technologies, including planetary-scale biocide, genocide and related crimes against humanity, nonconsensual alterations of the human genome, and, where necessary, consensual but radical transformations of human identity.


Corrosion. machines change minds.

http://www.uploading.com/?get=6106F7W0

Corrosion is a role-playing game of technological monstrosities. Machines stir from quiescence, propelled by evil. They stalk, terrorize and exterminate humans. Your characters are their human victims – and whether they run, hide, or fight back, they will come to realize what the machines MEAN...

[Filip Luszczyk]

Here's my not-so-innovative-now submission The Parasite Project.

The Parasite Project is a compact RPG following the theme of Technological Horror. It is about normal people who become infected by technological parasitic larvae and gradually metamorphose into biomechanical terrors. The system uses stopwatches to limit players’ narration time as their characters desperately struggle to regain control over themselves.

***

David - Genesis looks neat. You totally got me with the cybernetics rules.

(and I still wait to see the new version of Exemplar, nevermind the theme ^^)

[Thunder_God]

File re-uploaded, at the same location. Some cosmetic changes to make the lines harder hitting and better paced.
Added the section on how "Splitting" works in the game.

[redivider]

Thanks to the folks at 1KM1KT you can now download my games without the tech. horror of pop-up ads etc.:

Satanic Mills http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/Satanic_Mills.php
 
Corrosion      http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/Corrosion.php

Joy Division   http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/Joy_Division.php

[Filip Luszczyk]

I fixed some stuff in The Parasite Project pdf (mainly the character sheet). New version is under the old link.

[DocMMedia]

Here's a link to our submission (our= Dave Petroski and Bill White). It's called "Technolust".

http://home.southernct.edu/~petroskid1/technolust_v1.pdf

I also hatcheted out a 50 word abstract from our game intro...hope it's ok. Here's the "abstract"...

It’s a dark future where the boundaries between human and machine have blurred…or fused. Today, cyborgs are real…and they’re everyone. But no one started questioning what happens when your body becomes more machine than flesh. Until now. Can you hold on to your humanity when all around you everyone else is surrendering theirs?

By the way...earlier in the topic there was mention of an e-mail address we have to send the game to. Do we know what that is yet? Did I miss it?

Dave

[Filip Luszczyk]

As far as I know, no e-mail was given yet. And it starts to worry me, since we're four days from the deadline. I hope that the challenge is still actual, and that Tony Meijer visits soon (he wasn't active for two weeks, I see).

[Ken]

Here is my contribution; its called Sync.

http://members.cox.net/laberday/sync.pdf

This couldn't be farther from what I was working on (a golden-age super hero rpg) but I think it came out pretty good. I was really drawn to this challenge because it wasn't my favorite genre, and I really had to do some serious thinking and designing. My first idea for a techno-horror rpg, was a game where you're trying to get directions to a party and your cellphone keeps loosing its signal. Didn't amount to much, so I went for something more serious. Took about two days to come up with the story idea and system (didn't have any previous notes to work with). It was great exercise, and has really drawn out some fantastic entries from other Forge members. Looking forward to seeing more.

Enjoy

Ken

[Ken]

A buddy of mine got really excited when I told him about this challenge, so he worked on a game too. Unfortunately, he had to go out of town for a while on business and wasn't able to refine his ideas as much as he would have liked. He sent me what he had and I formatted it and tried to make the text a little more visually interesting. Its a pretty good start for a background, and a solid card-driven game engine. He'll be checking the Forge when he gets back, so feel free to chime in with feedback. Its his first submission like this so he is really interested in other designers' thoughts.

Here it is:

http://members.cox.net/laberday/solomon.pdf

Thanks

Ken

[Madkitten]

First of all, I'm sorry for the long absence. It is due to an extremely busy schedule (two projects finishing this monday meant 12 to 16 hour days for me the last two weeks). For all that is curious the competition is still on.
However I have some sad news, namely that there wont be any prices.

Now, the submission time for this, since I have been such a dork, will be postponed for two weeks (the time I where abscent, seems only logical), and to the following address: CompactRPG@sverige.nu

Again, Sorry for the delay and my absence.

[Madkitten]

First thing I thought about when I saw "Technological Horror" was to use some kind of electronic device for resolution. Like microwave oven. Or clock ;)

OHHHH NNNOOOO, the microwave from hell... arrrgghhh *followed by a gurgling sound and other screams of horror and death*

;-)

[Madkitten]

Somebody asked me if game background and story fit here. Is that what you meant by short abstract? I assume it was, but I wasn't quite sure what to say. Could you clarify.

Thanks,

Ken

Actually, it was thought for the compendium of the submissions, so that you could briefly just look over it. If you submit it in your mail to me Il put it right in.