Today's post will be a quick one. I just want to share a bit of the writing I am making for my Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells RPG (the science fantasy brother of Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells). What follows is, obviously, still in draft state, so some things might change.
In a universe in collapse, planets and systems struggle for freedom under the rule of sinister despots. Against the malevolent sorcery of the Overlords, stand the few remaining bearers of the legendary Solar Blades.
What will you do when the forces of the Void close in?
Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells is a Rules Light, Star & Sorcery, Role Playing Game with an Old School spirit. But what does this really means?
It's Rules Light
This means the game has only the essential rules to play, avoiding subsystems to detail every aspect of gameplay, preferring general rules and GM ruling to govern the almost endless possibilities. The system has only a few different mechanics, and once those have been dominated, the need to consult the book for rules clarification will hardly come up during play, allowing for a more fluid and exciting game. Essentially, you can learn and teach all that you need to play in a single session. Planets and sectors have many different cultures, most of them are now divisive and belligerent, led by these Sorcerer-Emperors. It’s sword and sorcery in space and with some cosmic horror thrown in.
It's Star & Sorcery
It’s science fiction, it’s fantasy, it’s space opera, it’s sword and sorcery, it’s post-apocalyptic. It’s all that and more, mixed up and packed together. In this game the party can be composed of knights of a mystical tradition, space pilots, cyber hackers, smugglers running from space authorities, barbarians from a primitive world, engineers and inventors, students of the lost and dangerous art of cosmic spells and anything in between all this. In this universe, technology is advanced but the great accomplishments of it were lost in a glorious past. Sorcery is real and is wielded by terrible despots and feared by most of the species, being the main reason why the old glorious days are over.
It’s a Role Playing Game
In this type of game, participants work together to create and experience a tale of adventure. One of them, called the Overlord, creates a setting with different characters (each with its goals), interesting locations and a set events about to unfold, usually instigating the other participants to take some action relating to them (opposing it, taking advantage of it, helping it reach its end or even ignoring it in favor of something else). This group, called players, create fictional characters inspired by the Overlord's setting and the fiction they love, and make the decisions for them. They decide what their characters say and do according to the descriptions of the Overlord, and based on their actions, the rules of the game, and his judgement, the Overlord describes what happens afterward, instigating the players to take further action, renewing cycle. Through these interactions, both the Overlord and the players create a tale of adventure together, without any of them really knowing what will actually happen in the end.
It has and Old School Spirit
Although not directly related to an old game, Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells was designed to be played with the same spirit and style. All the principles of the classic A Quick Primer for Old School Gaming by Matt Finch applies to this game (and if you don't know about the A Quick Primer for Old School Gaming, you should google it), although this is not a properly Retroclone. It does take inspirations and is based on many games that are (and some that are not), and other actual Old School games. However, to avoid the controversy of calling itself an Old School Game, Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells calls itself a game with Old School Spirit. But what does that really mean, you ask?
First of all, it relies on the Overlord to make judgement calls for how, when and why rules apply (or doesn't). This is called rulings over rules, and implies that the system has an abstract set of rules to resolve situations and it's up to the Overlord to determine how those rules apply on each situation, or to come up with a solution based on them when needed. Additionally, this game focus on player skill rather than on character skills and powers. The system is very simple and abstract, providing players with characters with a few iconic abilities and very broad statistics. How to use them to create solutions to the challenges the Overlord comes up with will depend solely on them. Social and Intellectual challenges rely mostly on the players' ingenuity than on the rules.
Also, according to the Old School sensibilities, characters can be heroes, but they risk a lot doing so. It's something they can achieve, but it's not something they can do easily with little concern to their safety. The rules make sure the characters are a little more capable than the average person, but they are not super heroes capable of facing entire battalions by themselves.
Finally, the game system ignores the modern concept of game balance and “appropriate encounters”, preferring the approach of setting consistency and challenging gameplay. In this way, there might appear obstacles during the game in which players’ characters have no way of resolving. Their better strategy could very well be to run, as well as to negotiate or simply to avoid it completely. That’s the Old School way.
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