[1:01 PM]Rix Writos: Hi all my name is Rix, I’m the director of Dark after Games in the Uk and the creator and lead developer of The Dark After Dawn. Which I am here to talk about today with ya’ll (done)
[1:02 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Thanks, @Rix Writos! The floor is open to questions!
[1:02 PM]Dan the GMshoe: What is The Dark After Dawn about?
[1:05 PM]Rix Writos: Okay so! The Dark After Dawn is a personal horror ttrpg, where players create newly ‘uveiled’ peoples, that is peolle who through trial and trauma, the complexity of our world and the influence of the supernatural. Are bestowed powers and are empowered to chage the world. Where they come direclty into conflict with the horrors both human and other worldy including powerful factions that are darkening our world!! (edited)
[1:07 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Can you give us examples of the forms the supernatural takes in this setting?
[1:08 PM]Rix Writos: okay!! one of my favourite bits!! so we have a few creatures that we’ve released eary that will be perfect to show off so bear withb me a second!
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[1:11 PM]Rix Writos: okay!! sofrom a list of twelve creatures we have three beasties that will be in the Core edition of TDAD. We have the soul broker, The blink and The perridot. These creatures form a small part of the larger supernatural ‘culture’ if you will and they are kindred with many others of their kind. So the soul brokers are highly intelligent, very business like contracting out souls, corrupting organisations, get involved in crime and very influential of the human world,
[1:12 PM]Rix Writos: Then we have the blink (middle) they are based on my own social anxiety they are shape changers who turn physical body horror into somethingmore phsycholgical and
[1:12 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Interesting. Are all of these creatures unique individuals, or are they an entire supernatural species?
[1:14 PM]Rix Writos: so they are including the perridot at the end there are parts of supernatural species, because the game also looks at those species and how theyinteract with the world, thefactions and are unique cultures and as indviduals. so two of the same can be very different
[1:15 PM]Beyla 🎉: Is this 5e compatible? Is it a separate game? How does one play?
[1:17 PM]Rix Writos: so it isn’t 5e comaptible and off the bat it will be its own syste,m , which i have designed from scratch. but wil be very recognisible to players of modern TTRPGS. so it plays with one dice, one D6 and a custom mechanics system which combines with atributes, player created skill sets and biographical details to make impactful player choices. So while one D6 and the mechanics will make it very rules lite, it doesnt impact the narrative and the hope is that you will find it very easyto pick up and enjoy
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[1:18 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Do you have a character sheet that we can see?
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[1:19 PM]Rix Writos: I’ll be honest we don’t have one thats in a good enough stat to show just yet because we recently are upgrading a ton of graphics for the game and its parts. which is a shame but I do gave some of the pieces that i can show you that we are working with thatt will give you an idea of what is being implemented1
[1:20 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Sure!
[1:23 PM]Rix Writos: so what you are seeing here is some of the new graphics for the system, some are for attributes others for stats. amd the focus for making the charecter sheet and why i am in the process of upgrading it. is to make it very visual, which im hoping takes a lot of the wordiness from charecter sheets and allows people to enage with it easier. and open it up to players who may have different learning requirememts and adjusments and really make it look pretty haha
[1:24 PM]Rix Writos: a little tip the the two from the left row and the ones to the right of the bear claw are the four attributes the game uses 
[1:24 PM]Rix Writos: so the heart, the bear claw, the lighning bolt and the person with the leaves
[1:26 PM]Rix Writos: (done)
[1:27 PM]Dan the GMshoe: (No need for the (done) after the intro, but thanks. )
[1:27 PM]Dan the GMshoe: What are the four attributes, and how specific are the spells?
[1:30 PM]Rix Writos: okay so this is actually the first time we are revealign those attributes and it is a very dyanmic system so we use these attributes in a very player centric, player choice kind of way but they do have general guidance in the book for players and guides. so we have prime, spark, edge and solidity. i can go deeper into meanings if you wish
[1:31 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Please do!
[1:32 PM]Rix Writos: as for the spells, by way of player research in the game world and thier own wishes players can use a mix of fluid create your own spells that has a system in place to run them, there are rituals which are in the world crreated by previous players so people can trade spells and then you have other types like scrolls, books, grimories etc which you can learn and experiment with magick. so player can be and use magick in their own way.
[1:33 PM]Rix Writos: okay so attributes we have 4 and ill give you a very simple example of how they might work: so a charecter comes up to a door and it wont open and you dont have the key, and you need t get in
[1:34 PM]Rix Writos: so 1) prime which is a measure of pimal mature, used for refined, verstile actions : could be used to either knock the door in and make a brute force entry, or it could be used plan a tactical assualt and make those hard physical choice s
[1:35 PM]Rix Writos: 2) spark, thats a measure of human soul, emotions, social skills, piety and willpower: so it could be that to open the door you can work with maybe the neigbour talk to them, talk to whoevers on the door and find a peaceful human approach to entry
[1:36 PM]Rix Writos: 3) edge, thats a measure of cognitive power, used for methodcalm practiced action so a good example of that would be locking picking
[1:37 PM]Rix Writos: qand then 4) we have solidity which is aa measure of inner and phsyical strentgh, frimness and soundness so that could be rather than a tactical controled soilder entry its blow up the door, take it off its hinges, go through thee wall with magick.
[1:37 PM]Rix Writos: so evry action can be done by crafting the charecter and deciding what they might do and why.
[1:38 PM]Dan the GMshoe: And how many skills are there?
[1:41 PM]Rix Writos: the book suggests a number of skills but players are able to add their own skills: initally you willgain some through a life path,through biographical details but players are able to work within their charecters past and future actions and with the game guide to come up with any number of skills. since the game is set in our world and is designed to be relasitic we couldnt pissibly list every skill but we will provide guidance and a system to make sure they are rated fairly in the game at use and hopefully wont be abused to keep eith the realism. at the end of the days these pcs are players introduced to the world, not gods, they are good at some thimgs and bad at others nad learn and they live
[1:44 PM]Rix Writos: for example sewing wont be a skill on their but you might have use for it, so decide to learn it and can make use it, you can also adhoc use skills that you dont have but the actiosn will be effected so like playing wth a gun when you dont have thegun skill or been to shooting rnage before will have a harder time but can still pick up a gun and pull the trigger
[1:47 PM]Dan the GMshoe: (brb)
[1:47 PM]Rix Writos: no probs
[1:54 PM]Dan the GMshoe: (back, sorry)
[1:54 PM]Rix Writos: (totally fine :))
[1:55 PM]Dan the GMshoe: So how broad are skills intended to be? Would the skill “Gun” let you shoot any sort of firearm, for example?
[2:00 PM]Rix Writos: no! so the advice will be (well some of it) that if you picked a pistol and became profficent in that then if somehow you got hold of A Ak-7 they dont go hand in hand. so rather than be broad they are specfic. there will be like groups of skills and skill types but really its about what can your charecter actually do vs what they can’t do. players dont need to be worried that they will jsut be bogged down in skill lists or chunks on chaecter sheets because naturally weve found that given the chance like in mmo rpg or people who play narrrative focused games that a charecter centric that they are more focused and attached to their charecters actions and therefore will put their effort into what they as an indvidual consoder to be important. especialy when we factor in the fact that players may wish to play charecters who represent themselves, have metal health and neurodiverganvy (like i do) or some other kind of disability which makes how they interqct with the world differently. using skills and spells in a very personal way
[2:02 PM]Rix Writos: again msot of what im telling you is newleyreleased information so your getting it out of me haha
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[2:05 PM]Dan the GMshoe: How does task resolution work?
[2:06 PM]Rix Writos: oooh good question okay so this is actually the pivotol part of the game because well weve looked at how things can happen, through attributes, htrough skills and spells and thats the main crust how people will do things. So how it works is this
[2:07 PM]Rix Writos: players will deide on the action they take, and they decleare how they plan to do, with a some or a combinatio of th ettrubuets which are called essence, through skills, magick. so say they are going throgh this door
[2:10 PM]Rix Writos: I decide that i am going to use a spell that gives me a little bit of extar strengh in my feet to kick it open, thats a soldity role and magic but rather than roll hundreds of dice, yu simplly roll 1) for the possibilty that the action can even happen or not. and 2) the D6 roll and a mix of magick and attribute will be added to a difficulty rating. if you also say had a skill and could magick your foor, phsyical force the door but knew how doors worked or some information about the door itself you can pplay that so slowly you will be building a pool ‘not dice pool’ of action that can be that used by the player/ very dice limited, not particulry numbers heavy.
[2:12 PM]Rix Writos: as i said ive eally focuseed on accesibility and a range of player types becaue often i find games hard to understand and play especially when maybe i want to be my health isnt right or its effected by learning difficulties and those kind of thimgs
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[2:12 PM]Dan the GMshoe: So you always roll 1d6?
[2:13 PM]Rix Writos: int thus game you will only ever roll 1D6 if you need a dice, your charecter sheet, yor choices of skills, attributes and the system weve designed will handle the rest reducing emchanics and allowing the game guide and the player to focus on the fun.
[2:13 PM]Rix Writos: and im so trying t show that the custom dice we have for the game are D6 dices haha 
[2:14 PM]Rix Writos: no silly numbers but no loss of depth to the players choices, or the naartive focus and tbh i am really proud of the mechanic system that ive designed to allow that possiibilty
[2:15 PM]Dan the GMshoe: How powerful does the magic get that PCs can use?
[2:18 PM]Rix Writos: so the game assumes that players are new to magick but magick can get pretty powerful as we’d hope. if players want to use powerful and world changing spells the player is going to need the research, the power, the preperation to back it up and even then it might not be possible. but charecters can in theory do anytype of spell.
[2:20 PM]Rix Writos: if player want to walk trough a wall its not as simple as walking up to it and going abracadrab an boo,!! it takes foresight and thought to do it but we think that again we will provide advice in the books for diffeent playstyles from like strict magick to GTA V level mess arounnd but the game itself sits somwhere to the left on allowing people to do magik while making people aware they are not infiiltey powerful gods and that actions have consequences
[2:23 PM]Rix Writos: and their are mechanics behind it again ruled by the 1D6 and the magick mechanics that will allow charecters a lot of dluidity and choice. one NPC for example in the fiction uses a spell that sends like a stick y goo shot through a wall and to the enemies hands or something and tha charecter will have a much more diffciult casting to make it then he would if he had jst fired that gooy shot but thats not a spell thats written ist a spell the charecter has designed and used for themselves possibly for the first time ever
[2:24 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Is there any limitation on spellcasting, like magic points?
[2:29 PM]Rix Writos: so i really don’t like things like mana and spell points that ya scratch off especailly as in my game the lore doesnt justify or require it , but there are limitations to spell casting and how ive decided to handle that is by making things like use of the attributes,is that we all get tired, and we all lose some sort of capacity during the day so you will throughout the rounds and casting start to lose focus, attributes will lose thier effectivness and even make casting actions diffcilt meaning you cant run though every door. the same can be said for spellcasting, its a very personal thing to do so players can fond themselves not in the right headspace to cast becase somrhtings happened or happening that makes it difficult, and then after a while they will get tired out. so we will see spells get more difficult to cast until its impossible to cast until the player rests, takes a break, relaxes thier body ortheir mind depending on the attribute. byt thats per plater theres nothin that says this spell costs 3 points and billy has 12. i m not a fan of that type of play.
[2:30 PM]Rix Writos: less numbers and more narrative is what ive said laods during my intial pitches to other games comanies and our consultants
[2:30 PM]Dan the GMshoe: How does combat work in this game?
[2:35 PM]Rix Writos: so combat is an interesting one because again its about player choices, capabilty etc so ive taken less of numbers approach and measuring distance etc (not that youc cant add it in) but instead decided to look at the physcality and reality of combat. im ex raf and really into comabt sports. so ive seen two sides to comabt and that is that its a real thing its not like you shoul, he shoots, he misses, he hist hp loss, its you bus through the door, the enemy takes a wild pop shot with a psitol, does it hit you ? no it misses so you decide to move out of his line of fire to cover (action), you decide to take a shot with your own pistol but your moving forward (action) you realise that another shooter is in the roo so you can’t get across to grab the gun but instead you focus cast a spel which only just manages to slip oit of his hand buying you minimal time to get to the person and neutralises him but damm you slip on the floor and fall taking damage to your wrist (its fractured) now you have to survive nut youve got a damaged wrist and your open in the room.
[2:35 PM]Rix Writos: its atill comabt but istt much more action orientated and thoghtul rather than numbers based.
[2:37 PM]Rix Writos: if you wanted to snipe someone in comabt round then that would take into account again your skill, the weather, your postion and the enemy. anything can happen but ists till comabat becaue ist real and for me that makes it more fun and accesible because players get to try diferent approaches to combat and actions and spells whcih all go ahand in ahnd
[2:37 PM]Dan the GMshoe: How is damage determined?
[2:41 PM]Rix Writos: damage is determined through what happens to you so like i alluded to in the last post, youve damged your wrist thats your players shooting hand so now your getting fired upon with a damaged hand and you plan on using your off hand. and you get shot in the shoulder thats not like oh 6 ponst of 24 lsot. ist sh**t im shot in the shoulder what do i do? well i need to leave, your tema decides to give you cover and you get to the dr, if your player is bleeding out unconcous, got concussion, poisoned,burnt they are all damage and will effect the player. magick can mitigate the damage as can items etc like wearing kevlar or something but its very real and makes charecters think. do you leave that room missin failed with a fractures wrist or are your team mates dragging your corpse out the room.
[2:42 PM]Rix Writos: so we worked on thresholds, mesdial knowledge from real life to give ideas to how that can play out but how that is handled is ip to th game guide. if you want players to be invunerable gods then go for it, if not by by trigger hand (edited)
[2:43 PM]Dan the GMshoe: You mentioned some of the creatures in the game earlier. How many creatures does the game include?
[2:45 PM]Rix Writos: it will inlclude 12 initally they are quite complex and nuancecd creatures and the game is less about stab stab kill than it is that one of those creatures could be the big bad for 12 sessions or you diablo style mow down 20 of them. but initally we provide 12 creatures how they vary across the facions with their eco system explained and then i hope to add more eventually.
[2:46 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Cool.
[2:46 PM]Rix Writos: (sorry about the spelling btw this is why i hire an editor hahah)
[2:46 PM]Dan the GMshoe: In the time remaining, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?
@Rix Writos(sorry about the spelling btw this is why i hire an editor hahah)[2:46 PM]Dan the GMshoe: No worries!
[2:50 PM]Rix Writos: well really i think since we in kickstarter this month id like to highlight that and say any and all support is appreciated. this is an incredibly persoanl game to me, its based on my exeriances with mental health etc be that in the villains or the the fact that trigger warning that game was designed after i began to write a stor about someone who survived suicide and became unveiled by surviving that and becoming empowered, which became the game and has branched out.
[2:50 PM]Rix Writos: but also id like to realy shout out these guys
[2:50 PM]Rix Writos: Rix Writos: @rixwritos Writer/Designer/Fiction Writer. Dark After Games Ltd Simon Wright: Fiction Writer, Editor. Peter R Burgess: @PPMGamer Solo Rules Writer/Designer. Parts Per Million. Adrian Kennelly: @azukailgames Supplement/Content Designer. Azukailgames Stephen A Turner: Publishing, fulfilment and Creation Consultant. Cezar Capacle: @capacle: Concept and Design Consultant. Eric/Sir Paradox : @SirParadoxTtRPG: Concept Consultant/Playtester. Stephen Massey and The Prince’s Trust: Business Management & Mentorship Consultants. BasiliskOnline @basiliskonline : Character Designer. shny1ng @shny1ng : Character Designer. Karla Joy Dipasupil @ ligayaaaaa : Concept Artist. Hera152 @freyalfheimr : Character Artist. Josh Arklin (@ArtOfArklin) : Graphic Design, Front Cover Artist, Font Creator,Concept Consultant. Reed Reimer: Fable Factory Kaaren LeBeck: darcraven112799 Graphic Designer and Merchandising Artist. Le terrier de Sera @SeraGingerfox Craft and Merchandising Artist.1
[2:51 PM]Rix Writos: each one of them has helped me grow this game be it, buiness, consultant, art, music, and they have allowed me to work around my helath bring out the game to kickstarter and hopefully be able to coninue that so i can work for myslf around my dabilties and not be relient on jobs i might lose.
[2:52 PM]Rix Writos: if this game fufills its because of them, its because of the support and its because people liek yourselves and thise who donated so far have chosen to allow me to work and be in this space. whicj i love1
[2:53 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Thanks so much for joining us, @Rix Writos!
[2:54 PM]Rix Writos: thanks o much if you want naything in partcular we have trailer, rewards information either on our kicstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thedarkafterdawn/the-dark-after-dawn or can actch me on doscord or twitterKickstarterRyan Wright (Rix Writos)The Dark After DawnA Rules light/narrative heavy TTRPG, of mystical horror and chaos! Built on a custom Ruleset.
[2:54 PM]Rix Writos: Again thanks for having me and allowing me to waffle on haha
[2:55 PM]Dan the GMshoe: If you’ll give me just a minute here, I’ll get the log posted and link you!1
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