OK, Maybe I Am Writing A Sci-Fi Game

Well, despite my protestations, it seems I AM writing a sci fi TTRPG. 

I have talked about this before, but my general approach to projects like this, ones of such large scope and complexity, is that I don't want to do them. Sure, I flirt with the idea, a daydream here, a thought experiment there, but I don't plan on doing the thing.

Then from time to time something gets its hooks into me, and it stops being a matter of want and becomes a matter of need.

I've always felt this way with writing - for the last 20 years (exhales dry mummified air of shock) I've been an archeologist when it comes to my writing, digging away at the story and uncovering things that are a surprise even to me.

It's a style of writing that is incredibly difficult to explain to people who don't write like that, and especially to those who don't write at all.

What do you mean you don't know what the story is or where it's going? They ask. And I dunno what to tell ya, bud, I'm as shocked as you are to be here 🤣

Which brings us here, to the present, a present in which I am (actively, currently, as in - in the present moment) writing a sci fi TTRPG.

On the one hand, I'm furious about this, because I'm too god damned busy for this shit. I've got a book to deliver, and a year's worth of content planned, where am I going to find the time to write a whole ass TTRPG?

But on the other hand? This is the most jazzed I've been working on anything in a long time, and I spent 10 straight hours working on it the other day after finishing my other work I needed to get done that day.

Codename: Project Cobalt

So what is this sci fi game? It doesn't have a name right now, so I'm using the working title of Project Cobalt because the trade dress is blue (monkey brain working overtime there, Anto)

Project Cobalt is a science fiction TTRPG with a focus on pulp action, cinematic storytelling, and narrative-first decision making.

This means that in Project Cobalt, you’re never going to be worried about how the artificial gravity generator on your starship works, or exactly how the Foldspace drive facilitates travel between the stars. All you need to know is that when it breaks, it’s bad news for the characters!

As a narrative-first TTRPG, you’re always going to be approaching situations in Project Cobalt from the point of view of what your character is doing or would like to do, and what dice you roll, if any, is determined by that.

You won’t come to a situation and declare what attributes and skills you wish to use. Instead you’ll describe what your character says or what their goals are and work with your Game Master (GM) to determine what dice, if any, need to be rolled.

As a pulp-action game, your characters are big damn heroes! They don’t need to reload most weapons - the bullets and energy beams flow freely. Most goons they fight will go down in a few hits, and they’ll be able to build on their successes, storing adrenaline to perform bombastic maneuvers and keep them from death.

As a cinematic storytelling game, project cobalt will see your heroes take on larger than life problems. You will board dying starships to rescue imprisoned rebellion leaders, root out the corruption at the heard of the galactic corporations while avoiding their assassins, and prevent full-scale war among the stars with nothing but your words, or the pistol on your hip.

Core Rules

I've made frankly bananas progress on the basic framework of the rules during the past week. 

The core resolution system is going to be a D6 dice pool system where you combine Attributes and Skills, and 6s = success. Additional 6s can be stored as Adrenaline which can be spent to do all sorts of cool stuff, consumed to heal you, and also keeps you from death when you're Out Cold.

The system is flexible, so it will be up to the player to suggest Attribute/Skill combos when making Action Rolls depending on what the narrative calls for.

Want to intimidate someone? Maybe that means you are rolling Charm+Influence to use your words, but it might mean rolling Strength+Guns to lift that enormous LMG onto your shoulder in a way that suggests you could easily turn the person into space dust if they don't cooperate.

I'm moving at a pretty decent clip to get this to a playtest ready state as soon as possible. Here are just some of the things I've worked on already:

Provisional list of attributes & skills

• The attributes interact with other mechanics in the system so that each is worthy of investing in in their own right and there are no "dump stats"

A shortlist of 6 "archetypes" (our sort of class), including their starting stats and a rough set of starting equipment and money

• Simple set of rules for these, with most of the juice coming from flavorful "features" which grow with your hero.
• No feat trees though.

A shortlist of 6 starting backgrounds.

A framework for character creation. An A>B>C system of selecting elements that should be intuitive, fast, and easy to learn.

• I'm making notes and considerations for accessible character sheets as I go.
• Creation will be a mix of predetermined options when you choose archetypes/backgrounds, as well as some free form choices. Keeps characters different from one another, but limits too much decision paralysis for new players.
• Got a basic idea of how advancement is going to work roughed out already!

The combat system

• The core resolution mechanic
• An understanding of how initiative will be handled, including ways to make things spicy for the enemies
• A simple framework to handle movement, ranges, and add some depth to that without bogging things down
• How armor and shields will work
• How cover works
• How health, healing, dying, and death will work
• Want to make heroic sacrifices that might kill you but guarantee success for your allies? That's baked in baaaabyyyy!
• No yo-yoing with going to 0 health. There are baked in rules for long term injuries that need to be rested or professionally healed if you hit 0 and live.
• Some framework ideas for weapon variety, adding individuality to items while rewarding characters for specializing into certain "builds"

The inventory system

• Making inventory matter
• No tracking of ammo for regular weapons. This is pulp sci fi, not inventory simulator 3000!

A start on the economy.

• I've decided on my anchor numbers from which the rest of the monetary system is going to be built on. It won't be "realistic" (I'm not an economist) but it'll make more sense than buying stuff in D&D 🤣

A few spicy secrets

I've been able to make so much progress with this because I have an incredibly clear vision of what this game is in my head. It's an 80's action movie in space 🚀

That focus on pulp, cinematic sensibilities has been invaluable to contextualize every decision.

Every time I consider a new mechanics I ask the question;

Does this make the game more or less pulpy? Will the game be more or less cinematic, action packed, and fast-paced by including this?

This continual checking in with the core design premise has meant I've been able to blitz through ideas while making really string changes to things, and each thing I've added has had to earn its place.

For now, my main focus is on getting some of the little core details nailed down so that I can make a really simple character sheet and start running this bitch! 

For more tales from the 'verse, stay tuned. 
Much love
Anto