hey everybody,

now i've seen this trial run, this dress rehearsal, and it has shown me much...

yes, releasing Empire of Satanis (dark fantasy/horror) taught me a lot of things.  now i'm working on a second edition, bigger and better (i hope).  i'm taking all the of the advice, praise, and criticism over this last year into account.  i've got the rough draft and am now looking for opinions other than my own and my inner circle of rpg friends/playtesters. 

although similar in some ways, many concepts have been changed: the tone, rules, and setting.  if interested, please email me to have the word document sent to you.  the projected release date is May Eve 2006.  also, collaborations will be considered (must have no problem with being the object of infamy and contempt).  email me at:  darrick3909@yahoo.com

the original EoS (free pdf) is available at:  http://www.CultofCthulhu.net

thanks,

DDD
666

Hey Darrick,

Why don't you describe the specific criticisms reviewers have levelled at the game and what you've done to address them. I think that would be fruitful, and would get more people interested in critiquing the new edition.

Also, why do you have a specific release time in mind? Is there something you want to release it in time for (like a con?). From my experience, it's better not to have one at all, and instead adopt id software's mantra: "when it's done." You don't want to kick it out the door before it's really done.

hey Jasper, thanks for the advice.  personally, i find it useful to give myself a deadline.  i'm probably too much of a creative dilettant, going from painting to RPGs to poetry to short stories to music etc...

of course, if i don't feel it's done by May 1st, i won't put it out there.  however, i already feel like i've exceeded Empire of Satanis in the current rough draft on word. 

before i get to the heart of the matter, let me say that i really like EoS the way it is.  (4 times reviewed on rpg.net and soon to be 5 i've heard, one reviewer called it Kill Puppies For Satan without the irony).  the production values and interior aesthetics are not up to par with many indie games on the market.  if EoS in it's current incarnation had a really nice layout and great artwork that everyone praised, i would probably not be doing a second edition.  i'd just let it ride.  the fact is, EoS's look needs a big overhaul, and there's always been a few things in the rules and story/setting that never sat right with me. 

the criticisms... wow.  let me just start listing some suggestions of what EoS was lacking, in no particular order:  better layout/editing, easier to read, needs artwork, more creature/npc stats, more examples of play, more game setting fiction.  also, some people recoiled at my over-the-top prose, misanthropic Evil with a capital E theme/tone, and so forth. 

a few people loved it and most people hated it, but that's ok cause i made it for me first and an audience second. 

i always thought there wasn't a clear goal in playing aside from being some degenerate demonic alien randomly killing, using magic, and getting into adventures.  the goal was supposed to be "becoming a god and changing reality", but that is hard to roleplay/create motivation for.  it was a nice lofty goal, but the actual steps of how to get there were lost or left out.  i felt that i left things too open so that many different kind of scenarios could take place, which is cool but at the same time it gave nothing to hang one's hat on - it was too open. 

some things i've axed are:  most of the skills, the color spheres thing, not adding the d6s together, rule of ones and botching, multiple reality changing rules (now there's just one), multiple Gods (now there's just Satanis and a bunch of bitter ancient ones), and many others.

some things i added:  Focus (like a character class but it just gives one a head start in some skills and acting within that
Focus gives you extra experience), more wickedness, sex, and depravity, a more integrated combat system in line with the rest of the skill resolution, more setting background, i'm still working on a more defined reason for being (stonger goal for playing/default adventure), probably the single best thing is a game mechanic i found in this indie game called Dread - basically the GM comes up with questions about each character and answered by each player.  hard to describe, but as soon as i heard it, i knew i had to include something similar. 

i don't think advice on changing one little thing here or there would be as valuable as someone checking out the whole entire thing and seeing how everything flows together.  i know that's a big investment; more than most people have time for.  that's also why it would be great to find someone who shares my love for all things weird, dark, tasteless, and just plain wrong.  on another note, finally got SenZar and for all it's lack of roleplaying as an artform i'm really looking forward to playing it (and letting it spark some ideas for Satanis). 

a niche RPG like Satanis isn't about money (EoS and this new one will all be non-profit) or people liking you (the opposite tends to happen even when i start out being nice).  it's about creating something truly blasphemous, cool, and fun.  i'm happy to share credit and ideas with someone in touch with their slimy side.. 

thanks,

DDD
666
http://www.CultofCthulhu.net

Darrick:

You should set out looking for an artist that really digs your setting material. I mean, this thing is pretty over-the-top, so you should really run with that.

You might consider going outside of the gamer community. I'm sure there's a would-be album artist or sf/horror artist somewhere that would desperately love to get a bit of their work out to the public and bump up their own professional portfolio.

thanks for the suggestion.  i'm also convinced that some dark art would make Satanis come alive.  i've been asking around deviantart with some success.  i may be decent at painting, but the b/w drawings i've recently attempted have sucked.

i'm trying to take another stab at the dicless approach.  at the moment the rules are Amber Diceless Roleplaying meets Empire of Satanis and the setting/story is Amber meets Warhammer 40K meets Hellraiser (maybe) or some kind of psuedo-demonic genre. 

DDD
666

http://www.CultofCthulhu.net

Oh, Darrick Darrick Darrick...

You call yourself a Satanist, yet you miss a perfectly good deadline of June 6, 2006. For shame!

- J

the goal was supposed to be "becoming a god and changing reality", but that is hard to roleplay/create motivation for.