Closer now

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 Well the old work is getting cleaned up and the addition of some new Esper powers, Cybernetics, and Trade modules are complete...but may need a few tweaks still.

Some additional equipment items may yet be included and ammo/weapons are done.

I will add specific "Interior" items to the ship creation section, and am looking at adding pricing as well....but am not sure if that's really necessary?

As to playable alien races I will have 5 or 6 available when complete...and of course humans are the default.

I am looking at adding a few additional alien creature examples to flesh out the section. Creatures have changed and are cleaned up and more streamlined, so its a simple, but IMHO good change to the rules and more inline with the rest of the system.

More to come...

Quick update

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So my work on Raedwald is at an end and I am 100% focused on finishing Rogue Space at this point.  I am hopeful to have it done in December or by the end of the first week of January.

Stay tuned space fan!

Can you hear me Major Tom?

Yes indeed, despite rumors of a demise, Rogue Space is still very much a going concern and I am still working to have the revised book done and out sometime in December!

Where are we?

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Quick update here on the RS revision.

I am working out the trading/cargo section as well as simple cargo value rules.  Heavy economic sim this is not, but it will be enough to make it functional and easy to spin into a game.  Like everything else in Rogue Space it strives for playability and simplicity over an text book simulation system.

I have also worked out some fear rules to use when encountering "aliens" or other space born monstrosities.

I tend to run my games as humans exploring or at least experiencing the unknown fringes of space. It keeps aliens...well alien, unknown, and always a little unsettling. I also use history as the basis for my little bit of Rogue Space-specifically the Peloponnesian War.  In it Persia, is replaced with the Terran Empire (TE), Athenians are the Untied Planetary League (UPL), and Sparta is the Confederation of Planets (CP).

This little paint job on history provides tons of pre-set political turmoil and situations while allowing strange alien interventions and issues to create uniquely sci-fi experiences.  Using the unbelievably awesome Rogue Space Mech rules (from M.Jared) the CP have an undeniable ground pounding advantage...but the UPL has more ships and influence in the space lanes.  All the while the TE is looking to destroy these upstart empires and bring them under control of the Terran Empire.  Anyway...just a peek in at how I play.

Looking at the unbolted bit hanging off the revisions, I don't think I am going to hit my August goal, probably going to miss it and will hit September instead.  Sorry for the delay!

To end on a brighter note...Rebel Minis is have a 20% off sale this weekend (through 8/17) as they are not attending GENCON. Use code nogencon at check out to get your discount.  I LOVE me some 15mm sci-fi minis and they have a Rogue Space full of vehicles, mechs, aliens, and troopers to enjoy!

FASER...or PHASER?

 
Some of the feedback I've had on Rogue Space, since its launch, is a request for a bit more granularity in the attributes.  There are a couple different ways of achieving that, but the key for me is KISS: Keep It Simple Spacemonkey. Currently the attributes for Rogue Space are FASER:

Fighting
Acquiring
Scientific
Empathy
Repairing

Here is what I have play tested with, and while not earth shattering, it's made for better game play and a bit more interesting character definition. Be hold...PHASER

Physique-Physical strength, melee combat, running, swimming and climbing
Hustle-Getting, finding, hiding, or losing someone or something
Agility-Hand eye coordination, nimbleness, piloting, shooting and throwing
Scientific-Figuring out puzzles, problems, logical deduction, and analysis
Empathy-Interacting and influencing people, psychic ability: both resistance and usage
Repairing -fixing, upgrading, repairing, or jury-rigging mechanical objects.

Nothing earth shattering nor revolutionary, just a little tweaked and I think a nice evolution.

Your thoughts?

Behind the scenes...

In addition to my lovely wife's illustrations, I have commissioned some illustrations from Luigi "Artkid" Castellani!

Luigi's illustrations are fantastic and I have been lucky enough to commission many for Heroes & Other Worlds (my fantasy RPG.)  Fortunately Luigi was also able to do some illustrative work for the upcoming new edition of Rogue Space and I am really excited!

Now let's talk creatures.  As I said in an earlier post, this section/area was the one that felt out of step with the rest of Rogue Space.  While everything else was pretty clean and simple, this one was clunky. So taking a page from the past I maintained the TSARZ nomenclature for size and just tied a basic die roll modifier tied to creature size. 

So a Tiny creature is -4, Small -2, Average-0, Really Big+2, ZOMG! +4.

This is just a baseline guideline assuming the creature in question is a basic attacker or combat fodder. I suggest a range of plus or minus 1 from each size modifier.  So Average space pirates may be +1, while Tiny vicious biters may be a -3. Simple, clean and easy to adjudicate or whip up on the fly.

For a specialized NPC's or Creatures, one with important meaning to an adventure, you stat it out per normal FASER attributes.  In addition I am working up some "creature features" to help spur ideas on making alien creatures unique beyond just die roll modifier and description. In play its met more of my original Rogue Space ideal (quick, simple, flexible) and aids a free flowing experience for the referee, which of course translates into more seamless play.

The work continues...

Returning

I have finished (and worked ahead a bit) in my plans for my fantasy game Heroes & Other Worlds.  Now I feel comfortable with committing fully to the revision to Rogue Space!

The key to the rework is refitting and expanding things a bit as I am pretty happy with how things came out originally. Plus the wealth of great stuff in Rogue Transmissions and great stuff others have created for Rogue Space supports my idea that the core works.  Even so there is really only ONE major change and that is creatures.

I've never been happy with how critters ended up, instead I am going to take a page from the past and streamline it even further.  It's a work in progress so I won't give you the half baked idea here, and I want to play it out in some "pocket adventures" to see how it plays out. Suffice to say, I think it's going to work just fine and it will be the only real major change to the rules.

I am looking at adding in the following:
+Some alien races
+Additional information/options on non-combat ship sections
+Thumbnail adventure ideas
+Trading/Merchants

Might add the following
? Sample Space Station
? Sample Setting
? My own thoughts on playing Rogue Space and how they are reflected in the Setting

As to the physical design, I am stripping out the retro-vibe and using my wife's illustrations in addition I am making the game into a 6x9 digest sized rule book.

...and for those who wonder, sorry the revised edition will be a for profit item.  Clearly gaming stuff is not a get rich quick scheme, but yes we'd like to enjoy a small profit so that the time and energy my wife and I have put into this might merit a dinner out. We are both very thankful for your support of Rogue Space and look forward to seeing you in the Dark Frontier soon!

Timeline

I just finished one of two projects for my fantasy game Heroes & Other Worlds.  It took 2 months longer than I anticipated. Good news is, I plan on finishing the second project in June.  Then its on to completing the Rogue Space re-write!  My wife has all the art complete so it is a matter of my completing the play testing, re-write: deciding where to edit and what to add.

At this point the core mechanics and rules remain unchanged. Additional content includes fleshing out more of the ship construction, more alien race examples and adding in cybernetics.  One change I am wrestling with is whether to make armor a fixed protection amount or not.  I am leaning towards fixed as it is "cleaner" to adjudicate mechanically (less die rolling). The big issue I am wrestling with is how creatures are defined.  As simple as the rest of the system is, they are just too clunky in my opinion as originally written.

In any event, I am working towards an August timeline for release. Thanks for your patience and support!

And so...

Long time since the last transmission!  Rest assured Rogue Space is not dead!  I have all my wife's great art work to use so it will come out.  Currently I am hard at work on bits and pieces for my fantasy game Heroes & Other Worlds. Once the next two projects are out the door for that, then Rogue Space gets revamped and relaunched with the Dark Frontier edition!

I also intend to make an Other Worlds edition using the system from my fantasy game Heroes & Other Worlds mashed up with Rogue Space!

So rest assured, while Rogue Space is vast its far from empty or unihabitated.

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