Sextant Adventure Modules

Converting the (so-called) Jungle Game into a publishable adventure module for widespread use doesn't really strike me as much more of a task than a dedication of time.  I've already devoted a fairly solid amount of time in the development of the game, which I ended up using on three separate occasions.  More than anything else, it would need to be properly laid out and put into a cohesive format.  I have to think that this transformation, from my scratched out notations to a final copy that other people could work from, will be the only real work that would be needed.

Right now, I think the layout would follow this sort of template:

• Introduction - My general overview of how the modules came to be in the first place
• Adventure - Opening areas of the module, taking the characters from level 1 to level 4, give or take
• Bestiary - Including the six or so new monsters that I would need to detail for the sake of the game
• New Races/Cultures - For the first module, this would be the Dragon Elves I used in Korea
• Overview - A basic outline of where the module series is going to go from here

As far as the adventure goes, I would probably include 1.) Waking up in the temple and escaping, 2.) Seeking the shipwreck on the coast, 3.) Encountering the full tribe of lizardmen that had overtaken an abandoned city and set up a gladiatorial arena.

The first part would follow the exploration of the temple grounds that they first encountered, as well as the opening text detailing the expedition and its inevitable wreck.  The second would deal with finding out what had happened to the ship when it crashed, as well as dealing with the lizardfolk that seek to keep the characters from retrieving their gear.  And the final part would deal with the attack on the local lizardfolk refuge, as they learn of the depraved and horrible nature of their foes.

A lot of this would require a certain amount of calculation as to how many levels would be available to a group of adventurers over the course of the planned encounters.  If it ends up falling short, there would be plenty of material to add to the module to pad it out properly.

The subsequent adventures would deal with exploring the rest of the fairly massive island (I'm still debating as to whether my original ideas of a small continent are wholly necessary), finding out what sort of conspiracy is propelling the events of the module, and laying it to rest once and for all.

The subsequent New Races sections could deal with the cultures of the different "standard" races as they appear in this setting, along with prestige classes that would fit the themes of the culture.

So, anyway. Down to actual work.

My main intention with this blog is to put up a regular journal of what gaming development I'm working through at the moment.  Right now, I'm mentally working through the different projects I've set before me at the moment, with the idea of being able to keep track of what progress has been made on which project at any given time.  This last week was something of a wash, in terms of getting much done, but this week holds vague sorts of promise, once the hassles of real life get out of the way.  (For the sake or alleviating future confusion, I need to replace the brake lines on the van before it's drivable again.  Much like the last time I blew out the brakes on a vehicle, it was due to an unfortunate near-collision with a couple of deer.)

In no particular order, the projects in question are:

• Shattered Sky
• GPS Modern Role-Playing
• Dream Police
• Sextant Adventure Modules (the Jungle Game)

And, if I have time or need a break from the previous:

• The Antediluvian Novel Project

In terms of work, these projects have wildly different expectations looming over them.

Shattered Sky is the most ambitious of the lot, mainly because it has to be built from the ground up, without any real form of collaborative writing.  Yes, I'll have input from the different corners, but since I'm the main one that knows what the plots and meta-plots are, I'm the only one that has as extensive play experience with the base system that I'm rebuilding, and so on...  most of the heavy lifting will be on my part.

Right now, I have enough of the world built to be able to run a game in it.  (See various accounts of the games that have play-tested the system.  If memory serves, we managed to get a grand total of five sessions off the ground before I gave up on running without a cogent book.)  What I need to do is codify the rules, jigger the rules for using the Force (and re-name it so I don't have to keep using that name), and build out enough detail of the world for other people to be able to run the game for me.

GPS Modern Role-Playing is the one that I'm technically doing the least amount of work, as I'm working as much as an editor (in terms of both actual edits and badgering for deadlines) as anything.  Since most of the writing and conversion is being done elsewhere, I'm planning to focus on creative elements and streamlining.  This is going to require some work on building worlds into the generic setting, but this is what I'm best at, really.  I mean, Shattered Sky is less about rules than setting, given the weight that the setting details ended up having.  With this in mind, I figure to work one solid and immediately playable setting into the main rules, along with a half-dozen or so minor settings.

Dream Police is another rules-heavy game system that I'm going to be working on.  There are a number of basic ideas already sketched out, in terms of how to make the game actually work as a engine for a surrealistic dreamscape, but the original build got lost in a hard drive wipe.  This means that it's going to have to build back up from faulty memories and cogent theories.  I figure I'll have two fairly equal partners on the worldset aspect of things, but the immediate problem is getting the rules in hand to be able to playtest.

The Sextant Adventure Modules are something that I could probably whack out in a matter of weeks, but they're going to be needing the most in terms of artwork and content like maps.  I know pretty well how I want to proceed on these, which I figure I should detail in an accompanying post, but in short, I intend to build these modules out using the templates that Paizo has already proven are user-friendly and successful.

And finally, the Antediluvian Novels are going to be what I end up doing in my free time, since I've been slowly working on them in my head.  There's far too much story there to be left to other people's recollections alone.  How much of these I end up working on is a question, but it's something that needs to be dealt with sooner or later, given how much material there is to work from.

This is my current tally of things, which I figure will serve as a framework for the time being.

On the re-activation of dead accounts...

From the look of things, I started this blog about six years ago, posted all of eight times over the course of a month, and then abandoned it.  It had been my general repository of various bitches about Dungeons & Dragons 3.0/3.5, and given that I have forgotten what major problems I had with the game, it should be interesting to go back and look it over at some point.

This was the original header for the blog entitled:  "3rd Edition Woes."

•  At present, I'm working on re-fitting the Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition rules to my taste, which has turned into a bit of a long-term project.  Sooner or later, I'll actually have a group and be able to run a game.

Given that I ended up having a couple of solid groups that lasted me during much of my time in Hanam, South Korea, where I would have been living at the time, I really am left to wonder how long it was until I ended up hanging out with gamers again.

Then again, that's probably why I stopped using the blog and bitching about 3rd Edition.  Less time to sit and think about things when you actually have something to do.

The other blog, which I had put separately, is even more cryptic.  It speaks presciently of problems with my school in Hanam (Dongbu Elementary, if anyone actually cares), noting that it may cause problems in the coming year, and has exactly one post to its name.