Mohawks & Mirrorshades: Skills v2

After some careful consideration, I have decided to update the skill list slightly. Most of them are there, but I trashed some ones that weren't useful or folded them into others. Currently, the skill list is now:

Academics
Athletics
Acrobatics
Bureaucracy
Computers
Deception
Drive
Engineering
Insight
Intimidation
Investigation
Larceny
Medicine
Perception
Performance
Persuasion
Science
Stealth
Streetwise
Survival

Of note I broke out the Knowledge skill, scrapped the Profession and Demolitions skills and added the D&D-like Insight for discerning honesty and intention and so on. Let me know what you think!

Mohawks & Mirrorshades: Skills

Welcome back to the design diary of Mohawks & Mirrorshades, where today we are going to cover skills!

So skills have always been important in cyberpunk games, and I wanted to add a very basic skill system to S&W Whitebox to help push that along. Any class can attempt any skill, but each class will gain a bonus to certain skills that increases as they level up.

I'm also considering adding some options of getting training in outside skills as well as training in weapons and armor, based mostly on rules from White Lies.

I looked at a lot of games for these skill lists, but I mainly took from White Lies, Eldritch Tales, Interface Zero d20, Savage Worlds, Modern d20, D&D 5e and some of its derivatives.

The skills are:

Acrobatics - Tumbling, balancing, escaping bonds and so on
Athletics - Bend bars, lift gates, jump far, break chairs
Computers - Very important in VR/diving, which I'll get to later. Doesn't cover hacking, but does cover programming and other computer use
Deception - Includes bluffing, forgery, gambling and disguise
Demolition - Knowing how to handle explosives, where to set them, and how to set them
Engineering - Repairing technology, knowing how it works, and handling explosives
Intimidate - Whether it be physical or just verbal threats
Knowledge - Background knowledge for any type of study you could think of
Language - Knowledge of languages and deciphering unknown ones
Larceny - Picking pockets, picking locks and disabling mechanical traps
Medicine - For both basic first aid and more advanced diagnosis and surgery
Perception - Investigation, sensing motive and honesty, listening at doors
Persuasion - Charming people in all levels of society
Perform - For any kind of artistic or oratory skill, from painting to music to poetry
Profession - Skills related to professions not covered here and how to navigate them. Things like Accounting, Construction, Cooking, etc
Research- Deciphering clues, knowing where to find info and how to use it properly
Stealth - Sneaking around, even if you're dummy thicc
Streetwise - Being able to talk to commoners, dig up rumors and navigate the underground Survival - Surviving and navigating in the wilderness. Also encapsulates handling wild animals (regular animals would fall under Profession)
Vehicles - Everything from grav cars to spacecraft to boats to even the few horses that aren't yet extinct

Some of these skills - mainly Knowledge, Vehicles, Perform and Profession - require a character to choose a focus for the skill, such as Knowledge (History) or Vehicles (VTOL). These skills can be taken multiple times.

I think it's a pretty clean and concentrated list - didn't want to go too overboard with number of skills because it kind of thins out what each character can do.

Like the skills? Think I have too many? Not enough? Let me know!

Mohawks & Mirrorshades: I'm Back with a New Thing

Hello all! It's been, christ, nearly a full year since my last entry. I've been very busy with job and real life stuff, much like last time, but I notice as I continually embark on creative RPG endeavors it might behoove me to dust off this blog and actually write them down here to make me more accountable - I guess.

So the new thing is the tentative Mohawks and Mirrorshades - an OSR cyberpunk game

My first attempt was via Microlite20, which I kind of quickly raged against as I ran into a lot of the problems inherent in 3.5 era D&D. However, I've found a new darling: Swords & Wizardry Whitebox. It's simple, classes are easy to build, and its a fan favorite.

My first hurdle is kind of deciding what kind of cyberpunk to do: either pure or something along the lines of Shadowrun's fusion of magic and machine. On a quick thought, it might be better to do the pure approach first, and then approach the fantasy part in either an appendix or a supplement.

Next one is classes, which are kind of blasphemous for cyberpunk games but not for OSR. I have two options here as well: four very concentrated classes, or a wide variety of classes.

Four Option

For the four, I will for sure have a Mercenary and a Netrunner. I will then either have a Professional and a Technician OR a Face and an Operative - this depends on how I want to handle the Netrunner.

Four Plus Option

Expanding beyond that gets a bit tricky, as I have a variable number of classes. The kind of common through-lines are: Mercenary, Martial Artist, Operative, Ganger, Netrunner, Technician, Face, Psyker, Icon, Cop, Corporate, Fixer, Nomad, Medic and Media. Doing research on other cyberpunk games and media, these ones seem to be the most common. I have variable arrays of which to include, so lots of options here.

So let me know what you think: which class option seems better to you?

An update and new projects

Hello all! Long time no talk.

My absence from the blog has not really been desired, but sadly necessary. My real life is very busy with work, musical projects and such that I can't devote myself as much to writing as I'd like. However, I bring good news.

I recently came upon a new job that is not creatively draining like my former - meaning I have a lot of juices flowing around and a lot of desire to write. This means two things.

First, Zweihander is soon to get is first expansion - Main Gauche! Set to come to Kickstarter soon, it features new professions, new spells, chaotic gifts, electrotech devices and all sorts of fun things to add to your grim and perilous worlds. Look for it to hit Kickstarter in the next few months.

Secondly, 300 Years War has been renamed and will be released - when I get done with it. Now called Age of Iron (a little more catchy and easy to say, I think), it will still be my spin on the Old World meshed with some ideas from pulp authors like Howard, Lovecraft and Smith. Aside from the setting, I also plan to offer new monsters for sure and perhaps other options. This will be released via Grim and Perilous Library, which is Zweihander's community content imprint.

So stuff is happening, just behind the scenes! But this is a great year for all kinds of grimdark gaming - don't forget Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th edition comes out this year, as well as Age of Sigmar 2e and Warhammer 40k Roleplay: Wrath and Glory!

Thanks for sticking around, and I hope to deliver more info about both Main Gauche and Age of Iron very soon!

Three Hundred Years War: One More Again

Hello all, sorry for the long delay in posts. I have a Real Life (TM) that often gets in the way of fun things. Not to mention I've been working on the next Zweihander supplement (wink wink nudge nudge) so time has been scarce.

But I come to you once again, hat in hand, declaring a second Three Hundred Years War redux. I realized the main problem I was having, which is a problem I have with many creative endeavors: I try to do too much. Three Hundred Years' War was always supposed to be broad strokes, but I got too bogged into the details to make it so.

So I am revising the idea with what I call a 'bullseye' approach. Basically, the nations and locations of the setting will be under three types.

The first is Terra Icognita - which is most non-European countries like my fantastic China, Ethiopia, etc. They will get a broad stroke of maybe a paragraph, but that paragraph will be much more nuanced than most of what the Old World did for WH.

The second is Surrounding Lands - which are the (mostly) European-style countries involved in my fantastic Thirty Years' War - though this includes some nations like the Ottoman Empire, Morocco and so on. Each will get a couple paragraphs each, and there are probably around 15 or 16.

Finally, is the Imperial Gazetteer - a close up look of the Gilded Imperium (or maybe just the Imperium. I'm shuffling names.) This will go into the different states of the Imperium, life there and so on, since the setting is mostly focused on that.

I know I had said previously I would give more word count to places like Cathay, Nihon, etc., but I have just set a monumental task for myself back then I wasn't really planning on. I hope to revisit this in the future, but the little Terra Incognita brushes will at least help a little.

So I'm going to do some planning, and hopefully the next time you hear from me we'll be buckling down. Thanks for sticking with me through all my flip-flopping.

Three Hundred Years' War - Couronne, Revised

Luis the Greater, Le Rei Soleil

Couronne

Roughly one thousand years ago after the Old Imperium collapsed under its own weight, much of the western half of that empire was without leadership. Often seen only as a breadbasket fit for peasants to work on, a minor duke known as Hugo Cour decided to take up the flag and unite these fractured people. Declaring the land he claimed as Couronne and taking the title of Le Rei Soleil, Hugo spent the rest of his life uniting the nascent kingdoms of the land into a cohesive monarchical empire - the Couronne of today, ruled by Luis the Greater. Despite struggles and conflicts with nearly all their neighbors - especially Hespia, Albain and the Gilded Imperium - Couronne still stands as one of the mightiest empires of Europa.

Recent Events

Couronne worships a regional goddess known as The Lady, but for many years they too worshiped the Old Beliefs. As worship of The Lady grew, the Couronne government started to suppress Old Believers until they reached their breaking point, striking at the unfairness in rebellion. The government and worshipers of The Lady fell upon them, igniting a bloody massacre that would turn into a full scale religious war. This period of time, known only as the Rebellions, lasted about 40 years and resulted in the deaths of over three million people, the exchange of power of Le Rei Soleil a few times, and strife throughout the nation. This was ended when the grandfather of the current Le Rei Soleil ascended the throne and made peace between the two sects. The religions are now civil, but tensions are still there.

A duke's castle in the Couronne countryside

Lay of the Land

Couronne is very much a rural kingdom, but one of quite striking beauty. It is mostly composed of rolling plains and farmlands, with occasional lowlands and basins that create swampy marshes. All sorts of crops thrive here - fruits, grains, flowers and livestock are shipped from Couronne all throughout Europa. Couronne is lush with rivers - the Liger and Sequana rivers feed much of the country, and the River Rhenus serves as a natural border between Couronne and their hated Imperium neighbors. The south of the country is hilly, with parts of it bleeding into the Alpenne Range. To their west is the Great Ocean, which Luis the Greater has already set ships across in hopes to colonize the 'safer' parts of Dinetah. The climate is temperate, with long springs and mild summers.

Politics and Divisions

Couronne is divided into dukedoms, where the duke or duchess rules over their capital city and the surrounding countryside. There are between roughly 20 to 30 dukedoms at a time, their numbers changing depending on grants, fealties and the progress of the Great War. Le Rei Soleil is the 'duke' of Panam - Couronne's capital - though he rules from his palace at Semailles. The actual city of Panam is one of the largest in all of Europa, with nearly half a million residents. Couronne cities are often large and extravagant, with beautiful castles and architecture, but this is a facade - their streets are rife with urban poor, disease and banditry, and only the nobility generally gets to enjoy the fineries. Most of Couronne's population remain rural in the farmlands and marshes of the dukedoms.

A conflict between Couronne nobles and peasants

The People of Couronne

Couronne peoples are proud and often seen as haughty, but it's just because they know what they want. Dark hair and pronounced facial features are common, and many are slim - often from malnutrition. There is quite a large gap between the upper echelons of Couronne and the peasants. The nobility, especially the many knights and chevaliers that have defined the Couronne military, are often decadent and sordid, many flirting with Corruption. The peasantry in the cities live in squalor, decay and filth, while those in the countryside work long hours to meet demand. Couronne residents of both classes like to put on airs of superiority regardless. The Burgher class is little to non-existent, and often composed of foreigners.

Notable Locations

Panam - Panam is the capital of Couronne, and while its tall marble buildings and wide streets are appealing, it is the worst offender of the corruption in the undercurrent of Couronne. The squares and gardens are well tended, but the back alley slums are full of the poor and wretched. The nobles dance and play while the paupers are pushed into the refuse by newly bannered knights. Truly a great place to visit, but an awful one to live in.

Bordeu - Bordeu is only a town by population size, but is one of the most important settlements in all of Couronne. Nestled inbetween the Liger and Sequana, Bordeu is full of winery after winery, producing some of the finest brews in the entirety of the world. The countryside is also beautiful, with many dukes holding summer homes in the town proper. Though the winemakers faire slightly better than city peasants, its not by much.

Rodomo - Located on the River Rhenus, Rodomo was once the victim of a terrible attack at the hand of the forces of Corruption. The barbarians and foul creatures were eventually run off, but not without the city being razed. Over a few decades the town was built back up, but it was never the same - people tell tales about pained wails in the night, blood being pulled out of the well, and that the marsh is devouring the city itself. Most people give Rodomo a wide berth, and many nobles don't even acknowledge it.

(Sorry for the delay on this one! Work and freelancing has been nuts! Hopefully gonna get back into the swing of thing soon)

DCC-MCC Crossover: New Archaic Alignments

I've been having some ideas recently of doing a crossover between Dungeon Crawl Classics and Mutant Crawl Classics, the new game by Goodman Games. So I had the idea of making some new Archaic Alignments based on Law, Neutrality and Chaos of DCC. I might have screwed up a bit though because the Neutrality one is the only viable player one, but whatever!

Bulwark of the Fey

Normally reserved to 'fey', those of elven, dwarven or halfling descent, the Bulwark of the Fey believes that they are the true inheritors of Terra AD, and that the vast horde of humans, mutants, manimals and plantients are blights to the land and should be eliminated. Very few Bulwark groups are out in the open, as many perform guerilla terrorism on mutant or human enclaves in any city or village. Some entire villages have been consumed by the Bulwark, and they are dangerous places to wander near if you are a not a fey.

Qualifications: Membership is normally limited to NPC fey (elf, dwarf, halfling).
Benefits: None. Membership in this Archaic Alignment is normally only open to NPCs.
Secret Sign: An ancient fey symbol for 'unity' traced in the air with two fingers.

Old Worlders

Open to any race of any stripe, the Old Worlders call back for a simpler time before the world was irradiated and inundated with magic. They wish to bring back ancient institutions, cities and countries the way they were, though their methods are not always well thought-out. Though they are certain in their ideals, they often bump against forces who would either undo society or try to keep technology in check. Old Worlders also actively seek knowledge out about the Ancient Ones, and thus they often keep archives of ruined media and have a sort of 'worship' for cultural icons of the past.

Qualifications: Membership is open to any race as long as they believe in the golden glory of the Old World
Benefits: Basic knowledge of Ancient Ones structures, symbols and pop culture; access to Old Worlder archives
Secret Sign: Holding you two hands outspread behind your head, to appear as mouse ears

Entropists

Open to any race, Entropists believe that the world is dead and needs to stay that way. They run across the countryside as nomads; raiding settlements, destroying farms and knocking down ruins until nothing remains. Most Entropists are nihilists and do not care who they kill, though children are often stolen to be raised in their numbers. They feel like the only way for the world to regrow is to wipe it all clean so it can be reborn, but their violence is well-known and uncontrollable.

Qualifications: Membership is normally limited to NPCs of any race
Benefits: None. Membership in this Archaic Alignment is normally only open to NPCs.
Secret Sign: A thumb run across the person's throat, as if to slit it.