General: Flavor of the World

Scintasy, for me creates a whole new world. New interpretations, different dynamic views and even different feels to simple things. One thing I love is fan music. It allows me to identify with not only the world in a whole different way but also other fans (specifically the artist of the music). My 'thing' at the moment is Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson's A Wheel of Time. I found this artist a couple of days ago and their work is not only beautiful but worthy of being officially recognized and authorized. So if you love A Wheel of Time as much as I do check it out.

  

Development: Saipro RPG System

Well after significant work on the A Wheel of Time RPG these past couple of weeks I have had another in a long line of Eureka! Type moments. I have a deep-seeded love of Dungeons & Dragons. Where this came from I can't be entirely sure. Where it is going is all to clear. The development of the Saipro RPG System (an obvious name coming from Saiphae and Project) is a culmination of personal solutions to every pet hate I have ever developed while using the Gygax/Wizards RPG System. I in no way mean to bad mouth Wizards, Mr. Gygax or Dungeons & Dragons but there are some obvious flaws in every edition, which personally digs at me every time I use it.

The aim of Saipro is to essentially be a system which defeats that age old concept of 'everybody is equal'. It is quite clear to everyone that we are not all equal as we shouldn't be in our role-playing personas. Saipro will attempt to provide a game play experience that is unique every time you play never holding repetition or significant similarities between characters. Saipro will make obvious the differences and disparities between characters by making available more options to support personal styles of players.

The first element in Saipro that is obviously different to all other RPG systems and the elimination of leveling. Instead gained Tier Experience Points or TEPs (essentially the traditional XP) will be spent to buy skill level ups, skill perks and feats. This will also see to the elimination of Classes which will be replaced by the purchase of Skill-ups, perks and feats providing an entirely different character structure than people are used to.

Another core element to the Saipro system is the focus on skill and ability challenges as opposed to the strong focus on combat. This will help provide exciting methods of play for players and interesting alterations for Game Coordinators. The hope is to have this system up and running within a year with the first game using this system being A Wheel of Time. I am also aiming to put the A Wheel of Time RPG through alpha and beta testing within a couple of months and Version One through open public testing soon after the release of A Memory of Light (Book 14 in A Wheel of Time) on the 8th of January 2013.            

Discussion: Accidental Spirituality

Scintasy is riddled with religion. Some a bit covert to the story and some overly overt; much like that of Dan Simmons' Endymion Cantos. However it appears it is usually present more times than not. Religion in Scintasy worlds is one of the most useful tools available (presenting a tool for excuse as to the action of characters or particular groups). Religion is Scintasy, unlike our world will not argue with you over elements of it however they can just as easily argue with other religions created too. In reality it is the best of both worlds.

Currently I am working on a religion for one of my Scintasy worlds. It started with a joke about the fact that in movies, books and stories there is occasionally a 'chosen one' who will kill all evil, lead us to light or maybe even bring balance to the force. The joking scenario then led to a discussion about a 'what if' situation; What if the chosen one dies before they carry out their 'chosen' action? So what would happen?

For this religion let us assume that the chosen one had a younger brother. All their childhoods this younger brother is riddle with jealousy. The Chosen brother gets this and that and everything he want, while the younger has to work for everything. Now let us assume there was a situation where the younger brother struck out in a moment of jealousy and accidental killed his Chosen brother. Being an accident nobody blamed him, however there is the small issue of the chosen one being dead. People become split. One half thinks that humanity is doomed because of the death of the chosen one and the other half feel that the 'Prophecy' wasn't as clear as originally thought and it could refer to either brother.

However religion plays out in Scintasy it will always provide an excellent source of motivation and direction for character and even provide brilliant protagonist and antagonist groups.

Discussion: A Matter of Nature

So you have the Iak'shovise. Now, like with any Scintasy creation - race, ability or other - they all have a place in their created worlds and realms. The important thing to consider though, just like with any good story is the fact that something needs a definite beginning, middle and end. As I said you have the Iak'shovise and they have both a beginning, middle and end. The proposed details I spoke about in an earlier post, are without undeniable doubt the middle.

So where did the Iak'shovise come from? One certainty is that their abilities are like that of any defence mechanism in any creature. It's there to ensure the survival and continued propagation of the species. From what, is where the real question lays. Human Beings are at the top of the food chain; so what type of predator would there have to be for human intelligence to not suffice as a defence mechanism? Something that I will tell you is that the 'middle' Iak'shovise are no where near maximising their potential in their abilities as the 'beginning' and 'end' do. This is a strong indication that this 'predator' was around then disappeared and then it or something equally as frightening crept out of the very rocks forcing those with the Ghar'ivisu abilities to find their hidden niches once again. It's all a matter of nature.

I'll just clarify what I'm going on about. Iak'shovise are the people with the abilities, however the abilities are known as Ghar'ivisu. The main point of this post was generally beginning to flesh out an idea I could potentially use in a series of short stories or maybe even a novel.    

Creation: At the Core of all Things

Well I felt it about time I put something of my own up. It's always frustrated me how I have never been able to create elements of a Scintasy world that are unique. They have always been what you would consider the stock standard elements. However a couple of weeks ago the strangest thing happened. I fell asleep and awoke to find that in my slumber I had knocked over a glass of water and it had soaked into the carpet. Strangely the water stained the carpet (Bizarre occurrence right there) and then for they days following every time I glanced at the stain I felt exactly as I did when I awoke. This for me was a bit of a Eureka moment.

Please note that everything following is of my creation and I don't give permission for personal use at this point in time.
I haven't decided on a definite name yet but it will either be Iak'shovise (yak-shove-is-aye) or Ghar'ivisu (gar-iv-vis-hu). Both are Gharnian (Language of my creation) words. Iak'shovise is fairly easy to translate into English and it means something along the lines of 'Body, mind and spirit one with or within existance' while Ghar'ivisu is a little harder to translate but it comes out as something similar to 'The power of the construct or building blocks'.

Now as the names have started to hint towards it has something to do with an ability related to existence. Specifically though they are people with a biological anomaly that allows them to meld with molecules and molecular structures. i.e. Walk through a wall. There is a catch though the same biological feature which allows this also imprints the molecular structure of the said object like a wall onto itself. If this is done enough the person begins to take of personality traits which correlate metaphorically with the object. If its the structure of a door the person may begin to be one who provides protection or blocks a path, keeps things in, etc. The actual traits they take on are reliant solely on their interpretation of the object.
If one of these people were to have a sword swung at them and the allow the sword to pass through them several times the would imprint. If they saw a sword as a weapon with a sharp edge with one purpose, that being used for killing they would begin to take on these traits. However if they saw a sword as a weak thing or an evil thing that's is how they would become.

This then opens up the option of the fact that some can change their view or interpretation of something hence honing themselves in the process.

It's a work in progress but I'm very happy to have thought of it!    

Discussion: To Paradigm or Not to Paradigm? That is the Question...

Deliberation. Deliberation. Also, more deliberation. One of the most basic and common elements to all role-playing games and I am struggling to decide whether to include it in the A Wheel of Time RPG. Paradigms are essentially my version of a class, only more open than a class. The reason I am deliberating over what many would consider a 'no-brainer' is because removing paradigms/classes provides a freedom to players which is lacking in most RPGs.

Experience Paths, or Life-Paths and The Burning Wheel puts it are an open-ended style of play allowing players to form their characters based on their wants not what is restricted and available. In an open ended system you may have a Blademaster who is of Noble beginnings or a Gleeman who is a master of the blade. In this system (while still possible in a paradigm system) it will have more of flowing feel rather than a tagged on the end feel which can happen when your paradigm/class features don't compliment your additional traits.

At this point most are probably wondering, 'Well the open-ended system sounds like a dream come true, why not?'. Well the reason why not is a simple one. If you come in the A Wheel of Time RPG not familiar with RPGs or the world of WoT then you may stumble a bit when it comes to creating a character and you have all these options available. When you have paradigm/classes you can look at them and pick the one you want and there's no fussing around.

The toss up between the two is a difficult one. Personally I'm tending to fall to the side of an open-ended system and have what would have been all the paradigm features as skill perks which can be bought instead. 

Discussion: The Wheel Weaves as the Wheel Wills

'The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills; weaving the threads into the pattern of the ages. Some threads are pulled,while others lead and some just simply disappear. There are some however that pull the pattern around them and guide people's lives like ripples in a pond; they are Ta'veren.'

Are you Ta'veren? Well why not? After many arguments and discussions with myself I have come to a conclusion on a relatively small yet highly relevant part of the A Wheel of Time RPG. We are all familiar with the abilities seen in nearly every RPG; Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma. Well now there is a seventh; Ta'veren. It's not a simple matter of are you Ta'veren or not when it comes to the weaving of the pattern. Everybody is Ta'veren to some degree. 

The purpose behind the introduction of this as an ability is a simple one. It's an important part of the 'Universe'. While this is the main fact I've also found that while play testing elements with myself, Ta'veren makes for an interesting addition in two ways. First it allows players a degree of luck in some of the things they carry out day to day; whether it be an attack or convincing the council of Far Madding to allow use of weapons in the city. The second aspect is from the GM's point of view more so even though it directly affects the players and their characters. The Ta'veren ability provides a ripple effect throughout the campaign. It not only provides reason and purpose for things occurring but also an element for consequences for characters actions.

Hopefully this mechanic works out well.

Discussion: Wheel of Time RPG Table Top - Character Backgrounds and Game Play Mechanics

After some very useful suggestions and points from a few enthusiastic Wheel of Time fans at Dragonmount.com I've had some evolution in the process and potential outcome of the Role Playing Game.

After a bit of discussion the point came up that perhaps an RPG with its own mechanics would be more efficient at honing the elements of the world of  A Wheel of Time. This may require a little more work but in the long run it will produce a much more enjoyable and unique RPG.

There are several element I am currently working on which may seem familiar to RPG players but are in fact very different when you look beneath the surface. A good example of this is the Perk and Feat system. Perks are now what used to be feats in traditional RPG's, however their accessibility is directly relevant to the levels of skills under the new skill system. Feats are now similar to what most role-players would know as Prestige, Paragon, or any other connotation of paths. However you can gain one of these feats at first level as long as you meet the prerequisites. My issue with paragon and prestige has always been the fact that every class with every character has that option at a certain level or point. In reality this isn't likely. Sometimes people are naturally better than others and this new mechanic is an accurate representation. It will allow players to more easily hone their characters. So as long as you have mastered enough blade forms and have high enough skill in Bladecraft and Concentration and your particular abilities are high enough you could be a Blademaster by 5th level instead of 10th.

Now I have mentioned it so I wont leave you in the dark, the new skill system. What people would traditionally consider as skills under standard RPG are now split in to two groups. The first is Attributes and the second is Skills, I'll only talk about skills for the moment. Skills will essentially be the important things in the life of your character. The things you'll come across regularly such as Concentration, Weaving, Bladecraft, etc. When you make your character or level up you will find yourself with a number of skill points that need spending.

 So what can you do with these points?

Well the first option is the most straight forward. You can use these points, point for a point to increase your skill. Higher the skill better you are with it. The second option is where the fun stuff starts. You can spend your skill points to buy perks. Now not every perk can just be bought, some will depend on the level certain skills are at. This allows player to more readily build the uniqueness of your character faster that one feat every two or three or even four levels.

The other thing I wanted to talk about was Character Backgrounds. These are basically what you would consider races. They identify who you are and give you bonuses to some relevant stats. Luckily though it doesn't stop there. Once you choose your Background you pick a Background Archetype; this identifies more specifically where you are from. SO say your Background is Andor your Archetype could be Camelyn , Baerlon or The Two Rivers. So far there are a planned 18 Backgrounds each with 2 or 3 different Archetypes and sometimes even more.       

Fan of A Wheel of Time? or just Bored? then head over to www.dragonmount.com everybody there is friendly and the content is very interesting. I personally suggest listening to some of the 4th Age Podcasts; those guys are interesting and worth listening too.

Creation: Then it was Skyrim... Now it's The Elder Scrolls RPG Table Top

Well, luckily for die hard The Elder Scrolls fans like myself out there this is my second and most active project. I am currently taking the framework and schematic of Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition and applying an Elder Scrolls theme to it. Now when I say schematic and framework what I'm really doing is rewriting entire parts of the mechanics.

Everyone who loves The Elder Scrolls as much as I do will be familiar with several of the unique aspects that makes it what it is. The first is the triad skill themes. The triad skill theme for those who don't know is Combat, Magic and Stealth. From these three the skills are then divided up in to one of the three themes (mainly the system used in TES V: Skyrim). The second aspect is that of Perks. While the concept of perks is directly from Skyrim previous Elder Scrolls games such as Oblivion had skill enhancements which were unlocked when the particular skill reached a certain level, this is essentially the same as perks.

These and many of the other aspects is what I've taken into account while designing this RPG. The result has turned out quite interesting. Now a character has Abilities (Str, Int, etc.), Skills (the 18 from Skyrim) and Attributes (a selection of skills used in D&D 3.5 and 4th Edition). The Feat system has been replaced with Skill perks which when combined with the new skill leveling system makes for a new experience. The term 'Class' has been replaced with 'Paradigm' and when a character is made you select a 'Archetype' which is either combat, magic or stealth and this provides bonuses with the affiliated skills.

One of the most asked questions I get when I tell people about this project always seems to be,
"Why are you bothering turning a good video game RPG in to a table top RPG?" and my response is always the same and will continue to be the same. That answer is simple. The Elder Scrolls are brilliant RPG's with excellent systems and plenty of freedom however they lack character development. For me nothing is more frustrating that being the Dragonborn and treated at the College of Winterhold as if I'm not anyone, or go to join the companions and they have to test my fighting ability. Your character has no personality or recognition. For all intent and purposes your characters name is irrelevant. The Table Top RPG changes this. It allows people to immerse themselves in this wonderful world and have their characters achievements noted by everyone. 

Discussion: Wheel of Time RPG Table Top - Perspective Game Play

As I mentioned in the previous post, one of the projects I am currently working on is an updated version of The Wheel of Time RPG for personal and private use.


In terms of process it is slow going. I've been at it a number of months now and the degree of content created and developed is small. This is mainly due to the issue of reality perspective. While I have both the series and Teresa Patterson & Robert Jordan's The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, as well as the previous source book published by Wizards of the Coast, these sources are predominantly perspective based. This meaning that they have the context of perspective from characters and event.


The reason this has caused a bit of an upset in the process is because as a role-player you want your experience to be either as unique or as open as possible. Using perspective based game play it would be impossible to be an Asha'man during the Seanchan invasion of Falme. Now from the outside this may seem to have a simple fix, 'Don't present it as perspective game play', however under the circumstances it is difficult to do anything other than exactly that. The Wheel of Time being a series has an obvious order to it. The creation of anything outside of that order while still maintaining the similar content would be Fan Fiction and not simple the world in which your playing.


e.g. You play as Rand Al'thor and spend nine months wandering the Blight with your companions to exit the blight to find the Seanchan have conquered the whole of the Westlands.


What I'm aiming for is you can do that, but not as Rand Al'thor. Once again as I said this causes hiccoughs in the process. I want players to be able to play in a campaign where the Seanchan are pushing against the Stone of Tear prior to it being conquered by the Dragon Reborn. The best solution to this it seems will be removing mention of specific characters who have a role in the series. This way Game Masters can have the world and mold it as they wish. Simply presenting all the features of the world untouched by the characters which do so in the series.      


Also a little bit on The Wheel of Time: Reign of the Ten Nations and The Wheel of Time: The War of a Hundred Years for anyone who noticed their inclusion in the proposed source list. These two sources will be an attempt to expand the world prequel to the series. Providing options for players in a campaign set either a thousand or two-thousand years prior. The way I plan on writing these sources will allow players and Game Masters a like to either play a solid time restricted campaign or a more flexible mixed campaign where Manetheren is warring against Arad Doman. 

Creation: Wheel of Time RPG Table Top

For all those fimilar with Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson's series The Wheel of Time, will know what a wonderful experience it is being able to emerse yourself into this world. A decade ago the well known and popular gaming company, Wizards of the Coast released the official Wheel of Time role-playing game. This game was based on the Dungeons and Dragons D20 3.5 Edition.

Unfortunately like a lot of things in life this was left at one edition and never updated. I have now taken it upon myself to write a second edition. It's important to note that this is a not for profit project as I have no rights to the Wheel of Time. It is planned to be a series of book for people who love the Wheel of Time and role-playing games.

This is the proposed series of source books so far:-

-The Wheel of Time: The Westlands
-The Wheel of Time: Tales of the Waste
-The Wheel of Time: From the Stedding
-The Wheel of Time: Shara and the Aryth Ocean
-The Wheel of Time: Land Across the Sea
-The Wheel of Time: Shadows of the Blight
-The Wheel of Time: Reign of the Ten Nations
-The Wheel of Time: War of a Hundred Years

Truthfully I don't know when these can be expected, but as it is one of my current projects its bound to be at some point.

General: Hello!

Hello!

So I've started this blog with the sole intention of keeping a public record of my love and creative intentions towards the Fantasy and Science fiction realms of the world. I intend to not only discuss both Scintasy (a word of my creation being a cross between Fantasy and Science Fiction becuase it feels strange writing the full thing over and over agian) novels and games but also put forward some of my creations; many of these being story ideas, created Scintasy worlds and modifications and adaptions of table top Role-Playing Games.

It's important to remember that much of what I put up is protected under copyright and I claim no ownership to many of the things I plan to post unless I state otherwise. What I do is not for profit because I really hope not to tread on any toes.