Limitless Worlds

Limitless Worlds

Friday, October 23, 2015

Transhuman Sphere - Some More Info and a Question

Work putters away slowly on Transhuman Sphere (formerly called Transhuman Future), which is my supplement for Mutant Future. I finished my first draft of the intro and character creation chapters, and up next is all about body swapping (called translating in this game), as well as some other fun things like forking.

I do have a question for you readers out there. I haven't decided yet, but how would you feel about short, chapter opening fiction pieces? For example, the chapter on Evolution (the process of digitizing your mind), could open with a prose piece about someone becoming evolved. Likewise, the gear chapter could include a piece about a battle. I wouldn't make them long, maybe a couple of paragraphs/a page each, but I think it could be interesting.

Leave your thoughts below, and I hope to give you more info soon

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Current Projects

Hey all, once again it's been a while so I thought I'd update you on what I'm working on writing wise.

First thing is I am serving as a pick-up writer and probable editor for the upcoming game, Zweihander. It's a Warhammer Fantasy clone that's been in production for a while, but it's getting super close to being done. Daniel (the main author) has smacked down all the mechanics, and we are now working through a ton of flavor text. My main focus right now is on writing the descriptions for the professions/classes, but up next is describing the different gods and arcane schools, which is very exciting to me.

Next up is a personal project that is combining a few things together. Tentatively called Transhuman Future, it is going to be a supplement for Goblinoid Game's Mutant Future RPG. Originally it started as 'Vaults of the Old Earth', a MF supplement designed mostly to add more character options. Then I got interested in transhumanism and figured out how to blow out the setting into that. I'm also adapting some ideas from Miami 2085 too. In addition to new mechanics, which includes races, classes, skills, augments like cyberware and bioware, mechs and spaceships, it will also include a full transhuman setting and details on body swapping and all that.

The full details of the setting aren't fleshed out, but the main three 'cultures' are going to harken some of my favorite sci-fi tropes. I'm also taking small nods from one of my favorite JRPGs, Shin Megami Tensei.

The Anarch Alliance is taking notes from 70s dark horror sci-fi, as well as hints of psychedelia. Think Alien and the Thing, with claustrophobic interiors and busted fusion reactors. The Anarchs are hedonists and extremists, who love pushing their minds and bodies to the extreme, and they are often looked down upon and discriminated by the other cultures. Takes some cues from the scum and anarchists of Eclipse Phase, as well as bits of 40k, post-Vietnam sensibilities, the video game SOMA, and a general pessimistic hedonism.

The Axiom Federation is pure atompunk of the 60s, ripped straight out of the pages of Twilight Zone and Fallout. The Federation is really the only stable body of government; they are restrictive, exceptionalists, isolationist and war-ready. Just take all the bad parts of the Cold War, throw them in a blender, and serve to taste. Rips from Fallout, Buck Rogers, 1982, McCarthy witchhunts and decadent imperialism.

Finally is the Adapt Consortium, which is a corruption of 80s cyberpunk mixed with the musical/cultural style of vaporwave. Composed of an alliance of gigacorps and independents, the Consortium thinks everything as a price. Hyper neon, chrome, plastic and old Apple II monitors are the style. It's laughable and a parody, but the Consortium has enough muscle that they don't care. Borrows from the Matrix, Neuromancer, Miami Vice, Drive and capitalism gone horribly wrong.

The only thing is I don't want to write a 200 page treatise on the setting, but I also want to make it unique and memorable. I think around 48 pages would be good, but I want to write out all the mechanics first before I dedicate space.