I’m dreaming up module rules for the crunchier version of Modos (more positions in combat, but still not a full battle grid), which emphasizes an important point: there’s a line between the story and the rules. A curtain, if you will. And I’m thinking that a good, opaque curtain can improve the game experience for players by helping them to remain immersed in story, and worry less about the rules, or the metagame.

Where to draw the line? The obvious point is at the character sheet; if it’s not on the character sheet, then players don’t need to know it. Another line is around the rulebook: one for the GM, one for the PCs.

Feasible? I’ll let it stew in my head…

I shared some Modos wisdom with another game designer today: there’s no excuse for failure. Not in the sense that people who fail are to blame. This is completely different: roleplaying games don’t need to include the concept of “failure.” Failure isn’t fun, and it’s not interesting. “You try, you fail.” Well, a player who hears that just wonders what he was wasting his time for. I’d much rather hear my GM ask me, “you got a Con. What happens?”

Let’s stick with this whole Con/Unfavorable thing instead of Failure, and see where it takes us.

I’ll be running my Roll20 game in the “present” now, so it’s a little more Game of Thrones themed and less Lord of the Rings. The technology levels don’t vary that much between stories, but Game of Thrones feels more socially advanced.

This doesn’t mean that previous societies didn’t have tech! All of those elven statues and dwarven mausolea must have been there for SOME reason…

https://app.roll20.net/campaigns/details/717572/the-empire-trembles

Real time roleplaying at the above link, Sundays. Swing by, check it out.

Wondering what it’s like to play Modos RPG? Stop by Roll20 and drop your name in the hat – we’ll be picking new players to join us each month.

https://app.roll20.net/lfg/listing/22250/survivor-imperial-edition

Whew! My head’s whirling from two big things: finishing the METROID module, and dreaming up campaign setting ideas. Taking a break from rules-writing seems like the best thing to do, and switching over to campaign/adventure writing.

So, Dark Amulet is on indefinite hold. Probably to be finished on a long weekend in the woods somewhere.

But I’ll still be writing, and spreading the good word. I’m thinking of a Survivor-style online game, where someone gets voted off the island each month – or when they miss a session. Keep an eye out for it on Roll20, and don’t miss your chance to make (campaign) history.

The Modular Exoskeleton Trans-Responsive Outfit, In Detail (or METROID) rules module is available on ENworld. Not really any hard-rules changes in it, but lots of good advice for running a space-video-game-style RPG. I threw in the full 1.4 rules catalog anyway. Check it out here:

http://www.enworld.org/forum/rpgdownloads.php?do=download&downloadid=1335

Hey! Thanks for stopping in. If it looks like I took the summer off, well, that’s only partially true. Since Modos 1.4 is the most stable version to-date, I’m letting it stand on its own for a while.

However, that doesn’t mean that the web has stopped growing. I have two modules in the works: one is a Metroid rules module, for running PCs through alien environments and blowing things up, and the larger project is a Gauntlet conversion called Dark Amulet. The latter is designed to be a fast-play-dungeon-crawl, with treasure, danger, and some spontaneous elements. Since Metroid is smaller and getting more attention right now, you can expect to see that first. Dark Amulet is not a rules overhaul, but contains enough changes to create a slightly different feel of play (like being GM-less).

Look for the Metroid module by the end of August, and Dark Amulet by September or, eerily enough, Halloween!

Good news for those of you who haven’t yet dropped your Modos RPG rules into Excel: the Rules Catalog on this site now has the 1.4 rules modded into the 1.3 rules.

For those of you who wanted a smoother-running game to play, rules update 1.4 is now available. Follow the link from the Wiki page, happy gaming, and happy holidays!