If you’re the type to give money to causes you support, even when those causes aren’t asking for money, you’ll have to buy the Modos RPG e-book here:

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/144254/Modos-Roleplaying-Game-version-1301

All proceeds go to the online communities that supported me and my maniacal ideas. Thanks Penandpapergames and ENworld!

With a big sigh of relief, I’m happy to announce Modos RPG v.1.30! This time around, there are more spells, monsters, and examples. Clunky bits have been removed from the rules, and the game is more free-form overall.

The fundamental resolution system, the Contest, grows organically into the detailed resolution system, the Extended Conflict. And roleplaying is supported throughout.

The rules catalog is not yet in place, but all the rules are present in the book. The catalog outline illustrates how three rules modules build on each previous module: core rules, characters, and extended conflict. Then the game rounds itself out with a combat and spellcasting module – all of which are customizable.

This version is designed to be a more stable platform, but there will definitely be minor glitches lurking in the perks, spells, and monsters. See if you can find them, bring them up here, and let’s make the game better for everyone.

Download here:
http://www.enworld.org/forum/rpgdownloads.php?do=download&downloadid=1210

I’m on the last chapter for reformatting. It’s going to be a little tricky, what with all the text boxes that I’m using in the sample adventure module. But while it would normally be pretty tedious, it’s going really fast because the more I do, the more I can feel the end approaching! Who’s ready to do some speedy, boundary-free roleplaying?

This is as vicious as the 1.30 edition will get:

Dragon, mist, level 9
Attributes: P 16, M 10, MP 13
Skills: cast spell (fog) 4 (1), cast spell (ice) 1 (2), movement 5 (2), fight (unarmed) 5 (2), detect +2
Perks: spell weaver, weapon focus (natural) d8, spell maintenance, armor training (natural) d8, martial artist, thought shield d4
Gear: claws & bite d8, dragon hide d8, treasure horde
Concept: In misty valleys, behind waterfalls, and sometimes cloudy mountaintops, these dragons live solitary lives. They do not fly; they use their wings to move their fog clouds to useful places. The ice spell can be used to freeze opponents, but can also be used to freeze a small area of ground, like any inclined ground that lies between a dragon and its opponents. Their hordes consist of tribute from peasants and the goods that adventurers drop when they die.

Version 1.30 is in its polishing phase, for first public consumption. Remember, this is the fast, friendly game designed for gamers, not for money. So pay for your copy with feedback!

There are monsters through level 3 in the book, but I’ll add some higher level monsters just as inspiration for this first printing. Some that come to mind:

Mutant, Model (a superhero), Elf, Mage (required), Android, Shapeshifting (Autobots, transform!), and the one lucky enough to grace the cover, the werebull.

An index is a pretty essential component of a roleplaying game. Yet, it’s something that took forever to do manually, as in the earlier versions of Modos RPG. And so far, using Word to create the index, is just as slow. Tips or tricks? Let me know.

With a new ruleset comes new questions on how to play. Yes, FAQs are one of the appendices in the rulebook, which means yes, I’m almost finished with the writing phase of version 1.30. Here are some of the FAQs:

Q: I’d like to defend, but if I parry, I don’t get to do anything else! How do I avoid taking damage, and still attack?
A: You could move to defensive posture if the situation permits. Wear armor. And if you have friends, they could try parrying for you, but that might involve a challenging difficulty penalty.

Q: My spell doesn’t seem to have any mechanical benefits. What’s the point?
A: Besides the in-game effects, your GM is welcome to grant you the benefit of the doubt in tied contests, or even when you fail a contest by one (if he’s feeling gracious). Roleplaying the spell well could also earn you a hero point.

Q: Is my contest success better if I roll 20? What if I roll 1?
A: There are only three outcomes to contests. If your contest is higher than your opponent’s contest, you succeed. If you tie, you reroll or the GM decides. If your contest is lower, you do not achieve your goal, but may still find some success.

Q: What makes my character a hero, if all characters use the same generation rules?
A: Two things: hero points and levels. Non-heroes are generally amateurs, professionals, and experts (levels 1-3), and only heroes and villains get hero points.

Here’s the current text from the quick encounter description:

Some elements contain quick contests. These are a skill, bonus, and result. The skill represents an option that the PCs can take in the given situation. The bonus is what the GM adds to his difficulty contest against the PCs. The result is generally a boon that the PCs gain for succeeding on the contest.

One of my big complaints about standard adventure formats is that the relevant information is too often buried in non-essential information. Yes, I’ll read an adventure through before running it, but once I’m running the game, I need certain information quickly.

To make that information accessible, I’m creating encounter flowcharts. Only the relevant information makes its way onto these pages.

Next question: what’s the relevant information? How much do GMs need, and what can they whip up or recall on their own?

One thing that I’d like to include, but might not fit with the one-page constraint, is quick contests.

A quick contest is a skill, a result to beat, and the outcome of the contest. So if you are running a rock-climbing encounter, a standard description might look like this:

“At this portion of the mountain, PCs make a contest to determine how they negotiate the final climb. On a movement contest 15 or higher, the PCs climb safely. On a 19 or higher, they find a shortcut which allows them to reach the top faster. On a 23 or higher, the PCs find, while taking the shortcut, a nook in the rock that has a bird’s nest, and some jewelry that found its way into the nest as well.”

Or a quick contest might look like this:

Movement 14: climb safely
-——————18: find shortcut
-——————22: discover treasure in nest

The GM could roll these using difficulty bonuses, but a “quick” contest goes faster if the GM implicitly takes half. As the PC contest result gets higher, the PC achieves better results…

As one of my favorite parts of the game, modules need to be done right. I’ve cut a lot of subjective material from the modules chapter, and I’m hoping that what’s left is short and sweet.

Each sample module is getting a makeover, and the rules module is complete, although I can’t code the new rules without properly coding the core rules first. The sample rules are:
- New attributes: power and reflex, replacing physical.
- Piecemeal armor: why wear a suit of mail when you could wear a leather cap, steel bracers, a chain skirt, and snazzy vest?
- Dragon magic: having a fourth attribute means another damage pool for fueling more spells. Dragon warriors get free casting actions as their dragon blood increases.