A while back I decided not to talk about unfinished tabletop RPG projects any more since they more often than not went up in flames shortly thereafter. But this time I am so excited, I need to write about this.
“The Stargazer’s Legacy” (yes, I know the name is slightly pretentious) started out as a modification of Whitebox D&D. Since I wanted a more non-traditional setting I started by modifying classes and creating new ones, which turned out to be much harder than I anticipated. Eventually I made the decision to change to a simpler and very robust system: Into The Odd. Ever since I first played it during Chris McDowall’s initial playtest I wanted to write an ITO hack, and finally I get to scratch that itch.
At this point I have a small design draft document which contains all the core rules, various factions the player characters can join, and some background information. I plan to keep the setting somewhat vague, so that GMs can easily mold it as needed. The basic premise is that there once was a glorious, technologically advanced empire which eventually fell during a brutal civil war. There are various kinds of magic, steampunk elements, and many opportunities for player characters to influence the future of the world. It’s probably not the most original and unique idea, but I like it.
Since it’s another project I don’t want to make any money on, I am using exclusively AI generated artwork. I know this might be a controversial decision, but for me it’s preferable to not using any art at all. My approach to game design is probably pretty uncommon. I usually write rules and background information while doing the layout at the same time. AI generated art helps me to envision things and the whole process is much more motivating for me than just writing text. Below are some examples of how the document looks at the moment.
Hopefully I will be able to work some more on “The Stargazer’s Legacy” during the holidays. As soon as I have something playable I’ll post an update on the blog. Stay tuned!
