Tortured Earth

A few days ago, I friend called saying he was ready to start writing for Tortured Earth. His concern was he really didn't have a solid foundation in the base mechanics of the system. He was wondering if I could run him through the basics. He was looking to start a new group and wanted to convert everyone over to our system. Fair enough. Aside from running playtests, it's been about a year since I've actually run a full blown campaign. With Kevin and I almost wrapping up the rulebook, I'm more than willing to roll some dice. I've got the alpha test completed for the follow up to Mountains of Mists and Mystery and can definitely use a few more runs to refine the story elements. So, I'm in. Apparently his group is a little larger than what I was expecting. Personal groups and playtesting usually requires groups of about 3 to 4 players. The numbers are smaller, information a little more manageable, and juggling personalities with smaller numbers is far more pract...

Reward systems vary from system to system. Most provide awards for killing creatures. Some will simply grant players a new level for finishing a session. Others reward players based on specific goals or objectives. Regardless of the reward system used, it is an essential component of any system allowing characters to advance. Tortured Earth utilizes a goal oriented reward system. Story elements are divided into achievable goals and are ranked in degree of difficulty and importance to the overall storyline. In the broadest terms possible, we divide these goals into three types of objectives: Minor missions, Transition Events, and Master Events or Boss Encounters. This categorization of story elements is designed to be fluid and serves mainly as a guideline for GMs.  Minor Missions.  Small, simple events designed to aide the character's integration into a community, build familiarity with the surroundings, or create casual introductions to NPCs whose role may become major in ...

How and when characters gain new abilities in Tortured Earth has been a debated question since the inception of the game. This is ultimately a decision for the GM to make at the game table. The purpose of this discussion is to make the GM aware of the issue and solutions from a game mechanics perspective.   Playtesting has shown players tend to cash in points quite frequently causing these concerns to become mute in the overall storyline. If either of these limitations (On-the-Fly Acquisition or Trained Acquisition) are imposed on the players, it is wise to let players know at the beginning of the campaign. This both establishes expectations and allows players the opportunity to plan advancement.   On-the-Fly Acquisition of skills.  Due to the skill point-based advancement of Tortured Earth, a character does not have an entirely new skill dumped on them at one time. The system was purposely designed to simulate learning. As a character gains a use-per-day in ...

Within the Tortured Earth multiverse, there is a categorical line separating magic from psychic abilities. Magical abilities require the use of knowledge of a previously unidentified force, its mechanical operation through the use of symbols (either written or through movement), and foci to shape the final expression of the is energy in the material world. If magic is viewed as a new physics, the spell is the equation by which the spell is shaped and understood. It also provides the 'math' under which the spell behaves as a predictable event rather than a random occurrence. As the mage increases in rank, it is assume the spell equation becomes more complex, allowing the caster to produce more devastating effects. It is important to note, a caster may always underpower a spell or effect without penalty. However, they cannot overpower an ability beyond the point of their investment in the skill. To assist in these 'calculations', foci offer a means of shaping the spell...

John Cairo, Abandoned Louisiana This is the dreaded question we all face. How do you know when a game system is ready to face the open market? Unfortunately, it's not a loaf of bread you can simply stick a fork in and see if it's still gooey in the center. It comes down to a judgement call - very stressful judgment call. In most cases, the decision to print is a 3 to 5 year commitment. Immediately after printing a tabletop roleplaying game (ttrpg, for short), company focus will usually shift from editing to expansion. In this phase, we try to recruit writers to create modules and story expansions, artists to illustrate these pieces, and launch into promotional strategies. It's a major refocus that has to happen suddenly.  During the first production, neither Artice nor myself knew enough about the promoting options available. Horror stories about Kickstarter were beginning to circulate, Patreon and GoFundMe were new entities at the time. We knew if this blew up into some...

As I work on the next rendition of our game, I often reflect on where it started, the games we played, and the fun times we had. There is a definite need to return to the roots of gaming and what it means to my efforts. I've alluded to this in earlier blogs, but feel the need to address it directly. Why am I spending all this time and energy to create a game? As game developers, it is the ultimate question to be asked. After all, others have created similar games, so why not just chuck it all and go with their games? The work is already done. This issue is a beast anyone who creates anything must struggle with and, to be honest, there is no definite answer. All I can tell you is how I deal with the issue and what I think the correct answer is. I will begin with what I think the correct answer is not. I don't think this is a golden ticket to fame and fortune. I've been working at promoting my system for nearly six years. I've faced issues with other gamers not wanting...

Photo by: Baccus Giacone, Abandoned Louisiana Despite the madness of yesterday's issues, today worked out a little better. After I pecked out my post using my phone, I managed to work on some of the editing in the magic section. Actually got a good bit accomplished.  As a means of balancing certain abilities, their status effects have been locked into one of three categories: instant, countdown, and duration.  Abilities operating over a short, fixed time frame usually have damaging abilities labeled 'Duration'. Their damage or effect remains fixed at an unchanging level and vanish once the spell effect disperses. Suppose a character casts a Sappy Spray at Rank 4 and delivers Hinder to the target of that spell. Hinder will occur at Rank 4 for the fixed 3 rounds of that spell's duration. The effects of Hinder will not vanish unless the character manages to break free of the spell's effect. With certain skills, the effect occurs as a single blast of damage and are r...