I, as with most other people i know, have many life commitments that can be distracting when it comes to working on projects like this one. Working for a living is no simple task and currently occupies most of my active waking life. This is why I've chosen what i'm calling a "Modular" approach to games design when it comes to Shards.
So what is Modular Game Design?
It isn't an industry term to my knowledge, it's just something i made up to describe working on many divided parts of a project when you have the time to do so. For Shards so far I've split the project up into the following parts which i tend to work on independently from one another.
-Game Mechanics (the nitty gritty of how things work)
-Game Rules (Presenting the mechanics in a manner that the people playing the game can easily understand)
-Character Resources (The tools the players use initially to start playing the game)
-Quest Kit Expansions (A collection focusing on a related group of NPC's, and all associated plot points, items and adversaries)
-Adversary Kit Expansions (A collection that focuses on a number of related adversaries, and all associated plot points and items)
-Game Map Expansions (Printable gaming surfaces the game can be played on)
As I create additional pieces of the game I print off each component and add it to a binder which has become something of a living rule book. Revisions replace old entries when they become superseded and new entries expand on the old.
When I upload these files, i'm going to upload them in a similar manner so that you may download the sections you wish to use for your games.
Progress to Date
Currently i'm sitting on what i consider to be a usable set of game mechanics, the only problem is they read like a technical manual. Presenting these in a manner that is digestible has yet to be seen though. I know rulebooks can make or break a game for many people so at this point i'm hesitant to release anything until i'm sure it makes learning to play shards as easy an experience as possible.
Something i've seen work well in the past is the usage of two rulebooks, splitting the mechanics into a "Getting Started" section that addresses the core concepts and mechanics of the game through a gameplay example and a more nuanced "Advanced Rules" section that gets to the heart of some of the more convoluted game mechanics. I'm personally hoping that a "Getting Started" style of rulebook can convey all the elements of shards easily, while a "Advanced Rules" section may not add much in the way of additional rules, but instead offer further examples and discussion on the rules presented in the "Getting Started" Section.
I will upload the mechanics document as is for review if you are up for the challenge of deciphering a rough draft, but hope to have the more user-friendly version up within the week. Check the downloads page for details.
The Player Character Resources Section is coming along nicely, however the level of detail i wish to put into these resources means that they take time to create. This part of the game is also constantly evolving as i try to find better ways of delivering the game to the player. Often improvements in this area are a direct result of play-testing with my own gaming group, trying to meet their needs as situations arise.
As of Now I have one of each of the Quest, Adversary and Game Map expansions together in rough draft. I still need to play test each of these, and finish the digital editing of the first section of the game map that i'm currently using. Due to some scheduling challenges and prior commitments the play-testing on my end has been going a little slower than planned, so once again, i need to reiterate these are rough drafts which are subject to change.
When i finally do get around to getting some people together to play shards, i'll make sure to write about how it went and post some pictures so you can see a game in action.
Tom K.
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