[19:01] <+NH_Productions> Hi everyone, I’m Glenn, founder of NakedHobo Productions. Our first game made was Mistrunner, a fantasy rpg with a very light steampunk element to it.
[19:05] <+NH_Productions> (done)
[19:05] <~Dan> Thanks, Glenn! The floor is open to questions!
[19:06] <~Dan> So what sort of fantasy would you call Mistrunner? (High, low, dark, etc.)
[19:06] <+NH_Productions> Defintely has elements of high magic, as every character will be able to do at least some type of spell casting
[19:07] <+NH_Productions> The magic system is very open ended, if you can imagine something, you can try to cast it. (done)
[19:08] <~Dan> Wow… Yup, I’d say that’s pretty high magic.
[19:08] <~Dan> How “traditional” are the fantasy elements? Are there elves, dwarves, orcs, dragons, etc.?
[19:09] <+NH_Productions> There are elves and dwarves, sort of. Many of the player races are the mixed breed descendants of old mankind, so there are the Karanar (half elves), Druga (half dwarves) Fereg (half goblin/orcish)
[19:10] <+NH_Productions> Dragons are exceedingly rare though, and many of the other creatures are taken from mythology, most currently from Germanic and Celtic myth. (done)
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[19:12] <+xyphoid> so what’s unique about this game
[19:12] <~Dan> (Howdy, Sam, MBLIG!)
[19:12] <+Sam> (Hola.)
[19:13] <+MBLIG> Bird is the word
[19:13] <+SolutionCat> NH_productions what makes this different then Pathfinder and 5th edition D&D?
[19:13] <+NH_Productions> well, the magic system is a big thing that I think sets it apart from a lot of other fantasy games out there. You study a school of magic, say fire, for example. While there are sample spells in the core book like fireball and the like, you can really try to do anything you can imagine with fire.
[19:13] <+NH_Productions> I had a player in a game jet across the water by riding a cushion of steam.
[19:14] <+NH_Productions> It has been fascinating seeing what spell ideas people have come up with.
[19:14] <+SolutionCat> What prevents someone from being too powerful because they are creative?
[19:14] <+NH_Productions> Though to be honest, this game wasn’t made with some grand design of being the next new big thing. It kind of grew organically over the last 25+ years
[19:15] <+NH_Productions> Well, the more grand the spell, the higher the target number will be to cast it, as well as the cost in Essence (think spell points)
[19:16] <+NH_Productions> Someone that studies earth magic may want to lift a mountain and move it somewhere else, but there is no way they could perform such a feat on their own.
[19:18] <+NH_Productions> For the really massive acts of magic, like say moving a mountain, many spell casters have to work in conjunction with each other. No mage is all powerful, and no player character will ever be as magically powerful as the strongest of the Faye.
[19:18] <+NH_Productions> (done)
[19:18] <~Dan> With magic that powerful and versatile, what’s the impetus for steampunk technology?
[19:20] <+NH_Productions> Most magic is not long lasting, and almost nothing is permanent. If a spell is active, like say a shield spell, it costs Essence. As long as those points remain allotted to that spell, it will remain, but the casters overall pool is then smaller. Creating longer lasting magic is time consuming, and potentially harmful to the caster.
[19:21] <+BlasterKyubey210> How dangeriosu we looking at?
[19:21] <+NH_Productions> Botching permanent spells can cause a permanent drain of one’s Essence score.
[19:22] <~Dan> Ah. So you can do all sorts of nifty things with magic, but if you want to create an enchanted item or the like, it’s costly and dangerous.
[19:23] <+BlasterKyubey210> and a bad roll means you now suffer a VERY painful lesson
[19:23] <+BlasterKyubey210> That is “Don’t screw around”
[19:23] <+NH_Productions> Many spells that have instant effects in games like D&D don;t in Mistrunner. Magical healing for example is not just a poof you’re all better. A healer uses their Essence to hold the wounds together so they can heal faster, but it still can take a day or more to heal serious wounds.
[19:24] <+NH_Productions> yes, most enchanted items are limited use, or need to be continuously recharged.
[19:24] <~Dan> So how advanced is steam technology, and how common?
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[19:25] <~Dan> (Howdy, Randy!)
[19:25] <+Randy> ((heya)
[19:26] <+NH_Productions> Steam tech is still quite new in the world, and much of it is a closely guarded secret. Some amount of things like simple rifles and the like can be had, and there is a group trying to build a railroad, but it isn’t super commonplace yet.
[19:26] <+NH_Productions> (is that randy randy?)
[19:26] <~Dan> (Um… I don’t know? 🙂 )
[19:27] <+BlasterKyubey210> So well, since Steam Tech is relatively new… that sounds like screwing around in either Tech or Magic can leave scars as a lession
[19:28] <+NH_Productions> absolutely. Rifles have been known to explode on ocassion, and magic, well, magic can do all sorts of weird stuff if one isn’t careful.
[19:28] <~Dan> How does magic interact with technology? Or does it?
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[19:28] <~Dan> (Howdy, egyptian!)
[19:29] <@egyptian> (hi!)
[19:29] <+NH_Productions> There are those that have starting tinkering with both magic and tech. One of those fields is kind of a different take on cybertech, implanting and grafting things to ones body.
[19:30] <+NH_Productions> Organitech as it is currently called is very rare and extremely expensive though.
[19:30] <+xyphoid> so what do players do in this game
[19:30] <+xyphoid> is there a default scenario or style of game?
[19:30] <~Dan> Yes, are there any obvious Big Bads to fight?
[19:30] <+NH_Productions> Though again, players can try to enhance tech items with magic, like perhaps use Air magic to increase their accuracy with a rifle.
[19:31] <+NH_Productions> As far as Big Bads, there are always the Faye. Give a little background to the world. Long time ago, back on old earth (or something much like our earth) magic reappeared,.
[19:32] <+NH_Productions> As is often the case, folks meddled with things they couldn;t truly comprehend or control and a big boom happened, called the Reckoning.
[19:32] <+NH_Productions> The Reckoning took the world of old earth and smashed it into the the realm of Faye. After about 10,000 years there is an unsteady peace.
[19:33] <+NH_Productions> There are also many different guilds, factions, and societies that can be good, bad, or just plain ugly.
[19:33] <+NH_Productions> Combat can be quite lethal though, so this isn’t a hack and slash type of world, you;re gonna need to rely on more than just a big axe to survive.
[19:34] <~Dan> Was the pre-Reckoning world more technologically advanced? Is this a post-apocalyptic setting, in a sense?
[19:35] <+NH_Productions> it was just a little more advanced than we are now, but there was a long dark age where society crumbled and tech fell apart before the actual Reckoning happened.
[19:35] <+MBLIG> Did the geography change?
[19:35] <~Dan> Are there any high-tech relics to be found?
[19:36] <+NH_Productions> it is a bit post apoc, as there are those that are constantly trying to unearth old tech and the like to unlock its secrets. The high magic of the land has kept a lot of old things quite well preserved.
[19:36] <+BlasterKyubey210> or despite all of that
[19:36] <+NH_Productions> Geography changed a lot. There are small pockets that a clever person might recognize as something from modern day earth, but very little was left unchnaged by the Reckoning
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[19:38] <~Dan> Now, when you say “Faye”, is that your twist on the Fey? Was the collision with the faerie realm?
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[19:38] <+MBLIG> Dan stole my question 🙂
[19:39] <~Dan> That’s why they pay me the Big Bucks.
[19:39] <~Dan> >.>
[19:39] <+NH_Productions> yes, the Faye are taken a lot from old Celtic and British myth, Seelie and Unseelie courts, with some other odds and ends thrown in.
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[19:40] <~Dan> (Howdy, Ximni!)
[19:40] <+MBLIG> Lol
[19:40] <+NH_Productions> The only real reason why the human descended races have survived is because the Faye can’t get along with each other
[19:40] <~Dan> So all the PC races are part human? The Faye are off-limits in that regard?
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[19:42] <+NH_Productions> Not all of the PC races are part human. There are a few that are magical in nature, the Kral’Kuru (rock trolls) and the Rygar (moss trolls). They were magically created beings. As far as players being Faye, that is strictly up to the GM. I have given character like stats to all of the monsters.
[19:42] <+MBLIG> Weakness like cold iron?
[19:43] <+MBLIG> Humans have any advantages over the Faye?
[19:43] <+NH_Productions> yes, cold iron, salt’
[19:43] <+NH_Productions> Human races, for the most part, breed a heck of a lot faster than the Faye
[19:44] <+MBLIG> Cold winters…
[19:44] * ~Dan chuckles
[19:44] <+MBLIG> Do the Faye operate in a monarch style? King queen knights?
[19:45] <+NH_Productions> Each court has their nobility, but in the end it comes down to a council to make decisions
[19:45] <+MBLIG> Any inspiration from WOD changeling?
[19:47] <+NH_Productions> a little bit from Changeling, ARS Magica, Shadowrun, Earthdawn, D&D, Tolkien, Mythology, all over the place
[19:47] <~Dan> Could you post the link to the character sheet?
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[19:48] <+NH_Productions> (Link: http://www.mistrunner.com/news/?p=120)http://www.mistrunner.com/news/?p=120
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[19:49] <~Dan> Let’s see here…
[19:49] <~Dan> What is the relationship between attributes and skills?
[19:51] <+NH_Productions> Attributes are primarily used for assigning things like Health/Stamina (how much punishment you can take), bonus to damage, and how many skill points you get during character creation. Attributes also give you a pool of points that can be sued to boost skill rolls
[19:52] <~Dan> I notice that there’s no agility/dexterity type attribute. What’s you’re thinking there?
[19:52] <~Dan> (your, rather)
[19:53] <+NH_Productions> The focus is much more on skills than attributes, we wanted to keep it simpler.
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[19:54] <~Dan> (wb, Silverlion!)
[19:54] <@Silverlion> (Thanks Dan)
[19:55] <~Dan> I see… So how do you represent a species that is more naturally agile? Bonuses to the relevant skills?
[19:56] <+NH_Productions> Yes, every race has some special bonuses, some to skills, some to other things, like Kral’Kuru (rock trolls) have a bonus to armor
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[19:57] <~Dan> Do humans have any mechanical advantage?
[19:58] <+NH_Productions> well, there are no actual humans in the game
[19:58] <~Dan> Ah, I see. Everyone’s been magically mutated, essentially?
[19:58] <+NH_Productions> and it has been so long that tech hasn’t been around that there is no natural talents for it
[19:59] <~Dan> Oh, by “mechanical”, I meant in terms of the game mechanics, sorry. 🙂
[19:59] <+NH_Productions> ah, again, each race has specific bonuses relevant to them
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[20:00] <~Dan> Gotcha.
[20:00] <~Dan> So what is the core game mechanic?
[20:02] <+NH_Productions> Everything is based off skills. Skills are assigned a die type, d4, d6, d8, etc. There are major skill groups, like Melee or Athletics, and then specializations under those, like Shields or Running. Those specializations also have a die type
[20:03] <+NH_Productions> When making a skill roll, you roll the relevant Major skill die, and any specialization die, if there is one. Anyone can attempt anything, so if even if you aren’t specialized in using a Shield, you still get to roll the major skill die.
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[20:03] <~Dan> (Welcome to #rpgnet, brradke!)
[20:03] <+brradke> Thanks
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[20:04] <~Dan> So it seems as though attempting a task using a specialization will always be easier?
[20:05] <+NH_Productions> generally, yes
[20:06] <+NH_Productions> dice rolled together are added and compared to a Target Number, so the hgher the beter
[20:06] <~Dan> How does combat work?
[20:07] <+NH_Productions> combat is also skill based
[20:07] <~Dan> Fixed target number? Roll vs. roll?
[20:07] <+NH_Productions> Most of the time, you roll your major skill, say Melee, plus and specialization, say Whips/Chains, against a Target Number to Hit. However, in Melee, defenders can choose to parry, which then makes it a contested skill roll
[20:08] <~Dan> How do damage and armor work?
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[20:08] <~Dan> (Howdy, Janus!)
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[20:10] <+NH_Productions> damage is rolled by weapon type, say 2d6 or 1d10. Then a d10 determines where the hit lands, arms, legs, torso, etc. Every part of the body has as AV (armor Value), the AV is subtracted from the damage roll. That is then compared to a pair of Thresholds which dtermine if the wound is light or severe
[20:10] <+MBLIG> Same for magic?
[20:11] <+brradke> So, in any given combat round there seems to be an awful lot of checks and rolls. Are you concerned about over-complication?
[20:11] <+NH_Productions> Magic works mostly the same, though it depends on what you are trying to do
[20:12] <+NH_Productions> Combat generally moves at about the same pace as in say D&D or Pathfinder
[20:12] <~Dan> How do you handle hit locations for non-bipedal creatures?
[20:13] <+NH_Productions> However, there is much less of the continual battle to wear down hit points. Characters have 2 damge tracks, Stamina and Wounds, and most won’t have more than 10 or so points in each track. A really good hit from a larger weapon might do 10-15 points of damage (minus armor), so people can drop quick in a fight
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[20:14] <~Dan> (Howdy, Le_Squide!)
[20:14] <+NH_Productions> for non-bidepal I always find it rather easy to convert over
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[20:16] <+brradke> Do you use classic combat mechanics like crits VS botches?
[20:16] <~Dan> And on a related note, does degree of success matter to damage?
[20:17] <+NH_Productions> Degree of success does not matter to damage
[20:17] <+NH_Productions> There are crits and botches as optional rules
[20:17] <+brradke> …and what sort of impact do they have?
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[20:19] <+NH_Productions> Crits and botches are generally left to the GM. It might be a simple damage boost for crit or perhaps in regards to a spectacular crit it may have a negative effect on the target’s allies. Botches can be annoying, broken bow string, to worse, injuring a friend
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[20:20] <~Dan> (Howdy, Dirian!)
[20:20] <+brradke> They can also derail a scene or an entire game. Was that a consideration when you made them an optional rule?
[20:20] <+Dirian> hey
[20:22] <+NH_Productions> partly yes. A big part of that came from bad experiences with crit hit/fumble tables. Had a fumble in a game of D&D and the die roll made on the fumble chart said “injure nearest ally for double damage”. The DM took that as it was and had me stumble 200 feet, through 3 doors and down some stairs to hit the nearest ally.
[20:22] * ~Dan laughs
[20:22] <~Dan> Man. That’s pretty literal!
[20:23] <+NH_Productions> yep
[20:23] <+brradke> So other than making them optional in the first place, if someone does use them, what mechanics do you use to make sure that kind of sillyness doesn’t ruin a session?
[20:24] <+NH_Productions> I have always been more of a fan of the story than anything else. Some of my favorite games of Mistrunner that I have run at cons have had almost no die rolling.
[20:24] <+NH_Productions> That is more a product of me as a GM though than the game itself
[20:24] * ~Dan nods
[20:25] <~Dan> There’s nothing wrong with that. Some of my favorite game sessions have had nary a die rolled.
[20:25] <+brradke> So in a game that’s story driven, how do you get your game to get that message across to the average potential player?
[20:26] <+NH_Productions> Well, for one, as I stated before, combat can be quite lethal, so it is wiseto avoid fights when possible.
[20:26] <+NH_Productions> But, a GM and players that want to do nothing but swing swords can’t really be derailed from that
[20:27] <+brradke> So do you feel your game has the versatility/stability to be both kinds of games? One of stories for groups that run them that way, or hack-n-slash for groups who prefer that different play style?
[20:28] <+NH_Productions> hack-n-slash will be harder, but not impossible, again that all comes down to the GM and how they want to run things. For a more combat themed game, a GM may lower the Target Numbers for attacks and spells to make the players seem more powerful
[20:29] <+brradke> You mean the Target Number mechanic sort of works like an “easy, normal or hard” mode?
[20:29] <~Dan> How would you rate the game on a grittiness scale from 1-10, where 1 = totally grim-and-gritty and 10 = over-the-top cinematic action?
[20:30] <+NH_Productions> well, this all comes down to the style of play preferred by the GM and players, but when I run it, it tends to be around a 3-4
[20:30] * ~Dan nods
[20:30] <+NH_Productions> though some creative magic ideas have amped that up
[20:30] <~Dan> That’s about the impression I got from your descriptions.
[20:32] <~Dan> What’s the morality of the setting like? Good vs. Evil? Moral grays?
[20:32] <+NH_Productions> A lot of grays.
[20:32] <+NH_Productions> Though there is definite evil as well
[20:33] <~Dan> What form(s) does that take?
[20:33] <~Dan> re: evil
[20:33] <+NH_Productions> There are the guys that go around thwarting evil wherever they find it, the Pagan Hunters.
[20:33] <+NH_Productions> But, they don’t worry about things like a trial or evidence
[20:34] <+NH_Productions> the major law enforcement, the Arbitrators dole out swift and severe punsihment (kind of along the lines of a Judge Dredd), but they are also neccessary in the world
[20:34] <+NH_Productions> There is the Church of He, the very changed remnants of the Catholic Church which tries to do good, but it stil has its strict dogma
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[20:35] <+brradke> What are some of the political swings among character-available factions? How much difference is there between them?
[20:35] <+NH_Productions> There are areas where there are slavers, and the UnSeelie Faye are not very nice folks, especially to the descendandts of mankind
[20:36] <+NH_Productions> There are quite a few factions, aside from those already listed above
[20:36] <+NH_Productions> some are violent, like the Pagan Hunters, others are more intelectual, the Historians guild
[20:38] <~Dan> Are all supernatural creatures related to the Faye?
[20:38] <+NH_Productions> most of them are
[20:38] <+NH_Productions> though some are magically created beings, like the trolls
[20:38] <~Dan> So are there undead, for example?
[20:39] <+NH_Productions> undead exist, though not hordes of zombies and the like, most are encountered alone
[20:39] <+NH_Productions> and most are very powerful
[20:39] <~Dan> More like liches and vampires, then?
[20:39] <+NH_Productions> yes, zombies and other reanimated corpses require constant magic maintenance
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[20:40] <~Dan> (Howdy, Aeolius!)
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[20:40] <~Dan> (Howdy, Monochrome_Tide!)
[20:41] <~Dan> How do you see the game line developing?
[20:42] <+NH_Productions> Not entirely sure, the game was primarily made as a “we have been playing this for 25 years, lets put it all in a book for us”
[20:42] <+NH_Productions> I am working on a couple supplements which will probably be just digital
[20:42] <~Dan> Heh. 🙂
[20:42] <+NH_Productions> a book of Perks, ways to make skills even more uself
[20:42] <+NH_Productions> and a small collection of adventures starters
[20:43] <+NH_Productions> I’ve had delusions of quitting my day job
[20:43] <~Dan> 🙂
[20:43] <+NH_Productions> oops, neverhad delusions
[20:43] <~Dan> Does the game include a bestiary, and if so, how extensive is it?
[20:44] <+NH_Productions> There are about 40 creatures in the core book.
[20:44] <+NH_Productions> The core is roughly 300 pages, over half is creatures and setting material
[20:44] <~Dan> Very nice.
[20:46] <~Dan> So this is your first game?
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[20:46] <~Dan> (Howdy, Canageek!)
[20:46] <+Canageek> j0
[20:47] <+NH_Productions> yep, first one to be finished
[20:47] <~Dan> Congrats on that!
[20:48] <+NH_Productions> thanks
[20:49] <~Dan> So quick note: You are more than welcome to hang out with us as long as you like and answer questions. For that matter, please feel free to come by whenever you like. Game authors are always welcome to discuss their work here, or just chat. 🙂
[20:49] <~Dan> That said, in what remains of “regular” time, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?
[20:49] <+NH_Productions> Well, we are currently working on updating the rules, making some fixes, correcting typos and the like.
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[20:50] <+NH_Productions> When that is done we will give a new digital copy for free to anyone that already purchased the 1st edition
[20:50] <~Dan> That’s very classy of you!
[20:52] <~Dan> Have you given any thought to creating any other games now that you have one under your belt?
[20:52] <+NH_Productions> not an rpg
[20:53] <~Dan> One and done? 🙂
[20:53] <+NH_Productions> but I am working on several card style games and a board game
[20:53] <~Dan> Oh? That’s cool. 🙂
[20:54] <+NH_Productions> I’ve always been a play almost anything type of person
[20:55] <~Dan> You certainly seem to draw from a broad pool of experience in RPGs.
[20:56] <+NH_Productions> yeah, I’ve been playing rpgs since 1978
[20:57] <~Dan> Impressive!
[20:57] <~Dan> You’ve got me beat by at least a couple of years. 🙂
[20:57] <+NH_Productions> though I don’t play anywhere near as much as I used to
[20:58] * ~Dan nods
[20:58] <~Dan> Thanks very much for coming by this evening!
[20:58] <~Dan> No need to rush off, mind you.
[20:58] <+NH_Productions> thank you everyone
The Hardboiled GMshoe's Office 