So the election is today. The American election. I’m Canadian for fuck’s sake, and I’m still just kind of overwhelmed with dread and anxiety.
Not what I’m gonna be writing about today, to be clear. While I’m not a “keep politics out of entertainment!” sort of dipshit, I also didn’t create this place to write about current events. I’ll touch on political topics as they intersect with roleplay (and that intersection is probably more common than you think), but I’m not planning to do a lot of purely political editorializing.
Just felt weird to be writing anything today and not acknowledge the much more important things going on at the same time, that’s all.
Moving on…
I figured the best way to start is to knock out a brief outline of the sorts of projects I’m going to be working on around here – as much for my benefit as for anyone reading. The plan, for right now at least, is to try and only have two to four projects on the go at any one time. I’ve got three in mind to start, so I figure I’ll summarize them before I get working.
One thing I should note: I like to make stuff. That doesn’t necessarily mean I intend to use what I create. That means I might fully create a roleplay room concept, because I enjoy the creative process and discussing the thought that goes into it. But that doesn’t mean I’m necessarily going to open said room. Or use a subsystem I cobble together. Or whatever.
Equirra chariot racing
This one’s a minigame for use on Gor – though some might take exception to my use of the descriptor “mini.” The idea is to create a model for tharlarion-drawn chariot racing. Theoretically this could allow players to race one another for glory and bragging rights, but what I’m actually more excited about (and maybe I’m the only one who’ll find this interesting) is the potential to create a system that can model professional (NPC) athletes competing against one another, thereby giving players something to cheer for, gamble on, etc. I’ll talk more about this alternative approach to competition when I start detailing this concept.
Down Sevatius Way
This one’s a short story (possibly the first of several short stories) set in Port Kar – yes, more Gor stuff, it is where I spend most of my online time these days. Anyone who knows me at all knows I’m a massive partisan of Port Kar – maybe someday I’ll write why I consider it to be the hands-down best setting on Gor – so its probably not surprising that I’d use it as a setting. Specifically this story focuses on the seedy underworld of the caste of thieves in the Sevatius Pier District – a city district of my own creation.
Wastelander
This is the big kahuna – the monster behemoth I’m the most excited about, and also the one that’s almost certain to take the most time and effort. Also, despite the fact that this is the biggest project, it’s also the one where I’ve got the least already figured out. Also, not Gorean! So that’s different from the other two.
Wastelander – working title – is a roleplay room that’s unlike anything currently out there (I’m pretty sure). Drawing inspiration from a wide array of sources – the old Night Cities back on DWbN (sheets and dice for the win!), the popular and still-growing crafting/survival genre of video games (think ARK or The Forest, as opposed to Fortnight or Rust), a handful of strategy titles, and my own tastes – Wastelander is designed to provide all the things I’d want a roleplay environment to be/have.
I realize that’s not a lot of detail – “oh it’s everything I want it to be” – but I really don’t think I can start explaining without going long, so I think I’ll just hold on until I write the first article dedicated to the subject. I promise I’ll get into all the nitty gritty then, and try to explain what it is I want Wastelander to be and why I want it to be that.