[20:37] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Hey there guys! I’m David, CEO of Shattered Tabletop Games. I wanted to introduce Andrew, our content writer for Shattered Dawn. Our kickstarter can be found at the link here: (Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shatteredtabletop/shattered-dawn-tabletop-roleplaying-game)https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shatteredtabletop/shattered-dawn-tabletop-roleplaying-game
[20:37] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> The game is a dark, grotty fantasy rpg, and has several unique systems that lend itself to new players.
[20:37] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> (Done)
[20:37] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Gritty**
[20:38] <~Dan> Thanks, guys! The floor is open to questions!
[20:38] <~Dan> I was wondering what “grotty” meant. 😀
[20:38] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Haha
[20:38] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Lots of grottos
[20:38] * ~Dan chuckles
[20:38] <~Dan> So what’s the game about?
[20:39] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> The game is a tabletop rpg, that has a pretty rich lore. Andrew will tell you more about the narrative
[20:40] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> Sure. The game, Shattered Dawn, takes place on the world of Earythe. The world of Earythe has come under the rule of a singular ruler, known as the Patriarch.
[20:41] <~Dan> (wb, Monochrome_Tide!)
[20:41] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> Every seven years, the Patriarch sends his Reapers across the globe to collect tributes of gold and flesh. Those who are sacrificed to the Reaping are tossed into the Azure, a world of raw magic and insanity.
[20:42] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> Our narrative starts out with the players being chosen as sacrifices for this Reaping for the good, and continued survival, of their community. Done.
[20:42] <~Dan> So the game takes place in the Azure?
[20:44] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> On the campaign that we have designed, the ships bearing the players is caught in a storm. When the ship does not come into port for sacrifice, the Patriarch orders their hometown destroyed. Thus, turning the tale into one of revenge. So, to answer it in short, it takes place on Earythe. Done.
[20:45] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> N
[20:45] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> The game does not take place in the Azure. Thw
[20:46] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> The game takes place in the world of Earythe
[20:46] <~Dan> (Welcome, JimMcClure!)
[20:46] <~Dan> (Howdy, Silverlion!)
[20:47] <~Dan> How would you characterize the magic level of the setting?
[20:47] <&Silverlion> (Allo Dan))
[20:48] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> Magic is everywhere. Every person in Earythe is capable of channeling magic and using it in their every day life.
[20:49] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> In Shattered Dawn, we have created a system where anybody can delve into magic as little, or as much, as they want.
[20:50] <~Dan> How powerful is magic? What sorts of things can it accomplish on the high end?
[20:52] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> On the low end, a novice channeler would be able to light up a dark room. On the highest end, a master of the Potent Arts (what we call sorcery) would be able to create a separate realm of existence to escape to, manipulate gravity at their will, or bring about storms of fire and thunder to plague the battlefield.
[20:53] <+Shingan> ‘Earythe’ sounds like ‘Earth’
[20:53] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> done.
[20:53] <+JimMcClure> How much time did you spend in development of the game prior to the launch of the kickstarter?
[20:55] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> We spent two years in development. During which time, we went through three renditions of the rules.
[20:55] <~Dan> How drastically did the rules change between versions?
[20:57] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> The initial dice system has always remained the same. We use only two dice, a percentile and a d10. What changed the most drastically has been combat. Especially in regards to balancing. Making sure that no matter what path a player chooses to go down they don’t have a tremendous advantage over another.
[20:58] <~Dan> How many races are available to play, and what are they like?
[21:00] <+Shingan> (I was wondering if this is supposed to be some kind of alternate Earth, because of the name)
[21:01] <~Dan> (Howdy, DracoSilverscar!)
[21:02] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> In total there are twelve races. To save time I’m going to breeze through a few of them and go over the popular ones in greater details. Then, I’ll answer the question about this being an alternate earth.
[21:04] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> The dominant race is the Nor’Ethyl. They were the first race to achieve language and settle the world. What they found was chaos and disorder, and so they decided to instill their own laws and culture onto the other species onto the world. Those who resisted were eliminated.
[21:06] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> From the Nor’Ethyl came two other Ethyl races. The Wo’Ethyl who rejected Nor’Ethyl society and sought the isolation of the wilds, and the Sol’Ethyl who were exiled into the wastes for crimes against the Patriarch.
[21:08] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> Then you have four Risan races, our human variants. There was a time in Earythe’s history that they were Nor’Ethyl. The Patriarch of the Nor’Ethyl wanted immortality and in their experiments they accidentally created the Risan. At first, they enslaved the Risan, but then the Risan rebelled and established their own positions of power in the new world govern.
[21:09] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> Then we have the Basilikan. Reptilian humanoids who prowl the waterways and plunder the coastlines. The Ilriez, the reclusive feline monks and warriors who are trying to restore their broken heritage.
[21:10] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> Then come the two most popular with the playtests…
[21:14] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> The first is the Lamkai, or the “devil children of Rykim”. They are children captured by their homes and filled with the dark soul of a malevolent spirit. They are trapped in a childlike state as they are compelled by this spirit to spread chaos and mayhem across Earythe.
[21:15] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> The final race is the Dargoth. Our “Little Giants”. Ten feet in height, horned and tusked, these brutes are creatures of war. They were bred to fight and wage their battles across Earythe to prove their strength and their glory to all who would witness.
[21:15] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> Sorry for the overwhelming information. There were a lot of races to cover. I hope I got all of them.
[21:16] <~Dan> No worries!
[21:16] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> As for whether this is an alternate version of Earth. The answer, sadly, is no.
[21:16] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> done.
[21:18] <~Dan> Are there any generally hostile races? Orc analogues?
[21:19] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> The Dargoth and the Basilikan are your most outwardly hostile races. Often raiding coastlines, assaulting villages, the usual orcish/goblin behavior
[21:20] <~Dan> Are monsters common?
[21:22] <~Dan> (Howdy, Alanonzander!)
[21:23] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> Yes. In our lore it is explained that the Nor’Ethyl are obsessed with obtaining immortality. To achieve this they procured subjects to experiment on. The experiments failed, and the grotesque abominations were set free onto the unsuspecting world during the Risan revolt. Thus filling the world with monsters.
[21:23] <~Dan> To what degree to they resemble traditional fantasy monsters?
[21:25] <~Dan> *do they
[21:26] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> They are pretty much your everyday fantasy monsters minus the orcs/goblins. You got Minotaurs, Manticores, Werewolves, Vampires, Wyrverns, Dragons, Centaurs, etc. What you would generally see if you randomly stepped into a fantasy world.
[21:27] <~Dan> What is the cosmology of the setting? Are there gods and/or demons?
[21:30] <+Andrew-ShatteredTabletopGames> There are no gods or demons in our cosmology. The closest there is are entities known as the Outsiders who are native to the Azure. These powerful entities are one with the arcane and can shape the fabric of reality around them. However, unlike the gods and devils that fill most rpgs. They can die…without being maxed level.
[21:34] <~Dan> So let’s talk about the system. Do you have a character sheet we can see?
[21:34] <~Dan> wb, David-ShatteredTabletopGames
[21:34] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Sorry bout that, had to switch devices
[21:35] <~Dan> No problem!
[21:35] <~Dan> Did you see my question?
[21:35] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> I did not
[21:35] <~Dan> Do you have a character sheet we can see?
[21:36] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Yes! You can actually check it out on our kickstarter page, its in our ‘Character Creation’ video located here:(Link: http://kck.st/2mVmjr3)http://kck.st/2mVmjr3
[21:38] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> The character sheet is not finalized and needs some minor tweaks (primarily more branding elements), but it is functional and works well.
[21:38] <~Dan> Hmm… My video player is crapping out on me. -_-
[21:39] <~Dan> While I’m waiting for that to load, what is the core mechanic?
[21:42] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> The core game mechanic is our 1d100 system. All things you would need to do in Shattered Dawn rely on that roll. How it is used is different depending on what you are doing (critical hits are straight percentage, and you add the character’s attack bonus for attack rolls)
[21:42] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> We also use a unique ‘Advancement’ System for determining traits, qualities, abilities etc.
[21:43] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> A character may choose from a list of roughly 250 advancements to fine tune their character’s scope and niche
[21:43] <~Dan> Does the game use attributes and/or skills?
[21:45] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> No. The game uses the three pools (Health, Potency (magic aptitude) and stamina) for everything you would typically need attributes for in other games. We do not use skills, we use the Advancement System referenced above. Every character gains 2 advancement points to spend every level, and at maximum level a character may only have spent 100 points
[21:46] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Advancements range in Advancement Point Cost from 1-3, meaning that a character will only ever have at maximum maybe 60 advancements (depending on choices) at maximum level.
[21:47] <~Dan> (Welcome, Guest52!)
[21:48] <+Guest52> Thanks. Is the Esper Genesis thingy over
[21:48] <~Dan> That was yesterday. Today is Shattered Dawn. 🙂
[21:49] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Hello there!
[21:49] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> You can check it out here: (Link: http://kck.st/2mVmjr3)http://kck.st/2mVmjr3
[21:49] <+Guest52> ok. sorry
[21:49] <~Dan> Can you give an example of task resolution?
[21:49] <~Dan> Guest52: No problem!
[21:50] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Task resolution is similar to combat, depending on the action. The video titled combat under our Kickstarter’s main page will give you a better feel. Again, link is here: (Link: http://kck.st/2mVmjr3)http://kck.st/2mVmjr3
[21:50] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> To answer though:
[21:52] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> A character wants to sneak past a guard. The guard is level 2. The character has a +25 to his sneak skill from his Advancement selections. To successfully sneak past the guard, the player must roll a 102 or better (level+100). There are certain circumstantial bonuses an arcmaster may give, but in this scenario there are none.
[21:52] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> The player rolls an 80. 80+25=105. The character successfully sneaks past the guard
[21:55] <~Dan> Hmm… So what’s the function of the three pools?
[21:57] <~Dan> (Howdy, Le_Squide!)
[21:58] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> The three pools are the main parts of your character. Health is life force (damage is taken to your health pool. if it hits zero or below, your character dies.) Potency is magical ability (spells cost a certain amount of potency to cast, and that cost is charged to this pool). Stamina is your physical prowess.
[21:58] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Stamina checks are rolls used to do reactive things like dodge, physically resist things, reflexes and the like.
[21:59] <&Le_Squide> (Hey Dan)
[21:59] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Stamina checks are rolls you may add up to your stamina pools total as a bonus to your roll. Meaning if i want to dodge a fireball, I would declare I am spending 50 stamina points for a +50 bonus to my stamina check, roll, and then add 50.
[22:00] <~Dan> But Stamina works independently from skills?
[22:00] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> If my total roll (roll+bonus) breaks the number I am rolling against, I successfully dodge the fireball.
[22:00] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Yes.
[22:00] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> All pools work independently from Advancements.
[22:01] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Some advancements require points to be spent from a pool to use certain special abilities, but that is the only relationship they have.
[22:01] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Stamina checks cannot be altered through advancements, and you cannot add potency pool points by advancements
[22:01] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> However, you CAN gain a special ability through advancements that requires you to spend pool points to perform.
[22:02] <~Dan> How does combat work?
[22:02] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Combat is the same concept as sneaking above. There is a video we shot that explains combat on our kickstarter here: (Link: http://kck.st/2mVmjr3)http://kck.st/2mVmjr3
[22:02] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> To answer:
[22:03] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> I have a bonus from advancements and weapon choices totaling +26 (+20 from advancements, +6 from the sword i am using). My damage rating is also 26 (+20 advancements, +6 sword).
[22:04] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> My opponent has a 75 total armor rating.
[22:04] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> I roll 1d100, add my +26 bonus and compare to his armor rating (which only the arcmaster should know)
[22:05] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> I roll a 52. 52+26=78 meaning I hit my target and deal 26 points of damage to his health pool.
[22:05] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Critical chance is a percentage roll based on the original roll though. My character above has a 5% critical chance.
[22:06] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> If I rolled a 96 or above, I would have automatically hit my target and dealt double damage to him. Meaning I would have dealt 52 damage to his health pool.
[22:06] <~Dan> Where are you getting the 5% from?
[22:06] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Natural 96, not with bonuses
[22:06] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> The 5% is from advancements.
[22:07] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Advancements give your character every quality, critical chance, attack bonuses, damage bonuses, special abilities, magical abilities, supernatural qualities. all of it is advancements
[22:07] <~Dan> So the bonus to hit and the bonus to damage are always the same?
[22:08] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> No, in this case they are though. Some advancements you may choose to take offer an increase to attack bonus with a specific weapon or spell type, but not to damage.
[22:09] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> But it is not always the case that attack and damage ratings are the same
[22:13] <~Dan> How deadly is combat?
[22:13] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Very
[22:14] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Shattered Dawn’s combat system goes quick, and is very to the point. Character creation was designed to be quick to accommodate having to make a new one mid adventure due to death.
[22:14] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> It is not uncommon for characters on the first adventure to die
[22:14] <~Dan> How is character creation so quick?
[22:15] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> By only having to make 3 choices, and then write them down, we’ve eliminated a lot of the cross referencing that needs to happen when creating a character. Character who are of higher level will take longer to make, but it is totally dependent on the person making their decision, not the length of time to do the math and rite things down.
[22:16] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Character creation has a video on our kickstarter as well at this link: (Link: http://kck.st/2mVmjr3)http://kck.st/2mVmjr3
[22:16] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> The three choices are:
[22:16] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Race
[22:16] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Advancement point 1
[22:16] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Advancement point 2
[22:16] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> and then write it down.
[22:16] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> That is for a level 1 character
[22:18] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> higher level character can have up to 100 advancement points to spend, but typically they are spent down 2-3 main trees, and then some one-off advancements here or there. Someone who knows what they want their character to do can create their character brand new in 20 minutes or so, again depending on decision making times.
[22:19] * ~Dan nods
[22:20] <~Dan> In the time remaining, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?
[22:22] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> I think the only thing I want to mention is that Shattered Dawn needs your support! If you are reading this, go to our kickstarter and pledge. Shattered Dawn is meant for community. Each and every one of us have a chance to pledge and back this game, so that one more person can join a small group of friends and develop deep, lasting relationships with them.
[22:23] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> That’s what we want at Shattered Tabletop Games, people to get into those same close relationships, centered around rpgs, that have changed our lives for the better.
[22:23] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> We believe Shattered Dawn is the perfect thing to do just that. Please, go to our kickstarter and pledge
[22:23] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> (Link: http://kck.st/2mVmjr3)http://kck.st/2mVmjr3
[22:24] <~Dan> Thanks very much for joining us, guys!
[22:25] <~Dan> As a reminder to folks, my tip jar is here: (Link: https://gmshoe.wordpress.com/the-gmshoes-tip-jar/)https://gmshoe.wordpress.com/the-gmshoes-tip-jar/
[22:25] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> Thank you for having us! We look forward to getting Shattered Dawn into your hands!
[22:25] <~Dan> If you’ll give me just a minute, I’ll get the log posted and link you.
[22:25] <+David-ShatteredTabletopGames> thanks!
The Hardboiled GMshoe's Office 