Tuesday, August 21, 2012

[Q&A] Jamie Chambers (Metamorphosis Alpha, When Shadows Rise)

[19:59] <+Jamie> Hey folks! I'm Jamie Chambers — full-time in the game industry for almost twelve years.[20:00] <+Jamie> Most of my work has been on the RPG side, from self-directed stuff to licensed material in the fantasy, scifi, and horror side of the equation.[20:00] <+Jamie> I've also developed and published board and card games.
[20:01] <+Jamie> I also service as Vice President on the board of directors of GAMA — the Game Manufacturers Association — which is the trade association that supports the hobby games industry. It's an elected, volunteer position and I've been serving for five years.
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[20:02] <~Dan> (Welcome to #rpgnet, HalG! Jamie's q
[20:02] <~Dan> (oops)
[20:02] <~Dan> (Jamie's Q&A is just getting started.)
[20:02] <+Jamie> My new company, Signal Fire Studios, had its first printed game premiere this past weekend at the Gen Con Game Fair.
[20:02] <+HalG> TY
[20:02] <+Jamie> Building An Elder God, a Cthulhu-themed card game, will be on store shelves a week from tomorrow.
[20:03] <+Jamie> The next big project is Metamorphosis Alpha, a classic scifi RPG that we're bringing back with a new game system that I've developed that you'll see in lots of new projects in the future from me and my company.
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[20:03] <+Jamie> I'm also publishing When Shadows Rise, a horror RPG designed by Lester Smith (of Dark Conspiracy fame).
[20:03] <+Jamie> More card games coming next year as well!
[20:04] <+Jamie> And since I clearly don't have enough work to do, I'm also pursuing some fiction and nonfiction writing projects.
[20:04] <+Jamie> And ... that's enough about me.
[20:04] <+Jamie> (done)
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[20:05] <~Dan> Thanks, Jamie!
[20:05] <+Jamie> I'd much rather answer questions for you all then ramble. :-)
[20:05] <~Dan> Okay, rod2012, want to re-ask your question?
[20:05] <&Le_Squide> So, what's Building An Elder God's deal?
[20:05] <+rod2012> Start with one that I am most curious about. What lessons have you learned since your first Kickstarter?
[20:05] <&Le_Squide> (Yipes, sorry)
[20:06] <~Dan> Welcome to #rpgnet, JadeTyger! We've just started the Q&A.
[20:06] <+Jamie> No worries, Le_Squide. I'll let Dan moderate so I don't get lost. You can be next. :-)
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[20:06] <+Jamie> The big lesson with Kickstarter is about communication, communication, communication.
[20:06] <~Dan> Welcome, ChrisColbath!
[20:06] <+Jamie> When you ask people to support you with their dollars, you need to be open with them about what's going on even when the news is boring or not good.
[20:07] <+ChrisColbath> Hello!
[20:07] <~Dan> (Oh, and question pause while Jamie catches up. Squide's question will be next, then we'll take more.)
[20:07] <+Jamie> They deserve to feel involved and included. Plus the publishing process is interesting to people on the outside so they want to know the boring details.
[20:07] <~Dan> (Chris, Jade, #rpgnet2 is open for general chat if you're inclined while the Q&A goes on in here.)
[20:07] <+Jamie> So I'm trying to do better about keeping it exciting and interesting to a point even after the funding has come through.
[20:07] <+Jamie> Plus, of course, filling the rewards.
[20:08] <+Jamie> (done)
[20:08] <+rod2012> Thanks
[20:08] <~Dan> Want to take Squide's question, Jamie?
[20:09] <+Jamie> Sure. Lessee ...
[20:09] <+Jamie> "So, what's Building An Elder God's deal?"
[20:09] <+Jamie> I guess by that you mean what's it about?
[20:11] <+Jamie> Well Ben put together an awesome 90-second vid that we included with the Kickstarter and on the website.
[20:11] <+Jamie> http://youtu.be/8_L4796NBr8
[20:11] <+Jamie> But outside of that ...
[20:11] <+Jamie> The idea is to create a "pipe"-style card game mashed up with the Cthulhu Mythos.
[20:12] <+Jamie> You build a monster with cards that represent tentacles and other parts.
[20:12] <+Jamie> You finish your monster before anyone else (number of cards needed depends on number of players).
[20:13] <+Jamie> OR, instead of building, on your turn you can take a shotgun and blast off a tentacle of an opponent's monster by playing a damage card instead.
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[20:13] <~Dan> Heh. That's hilarious. :)
[20:13] <+Jamie> You can banish cards if you score an Elder Sign card or you can heal with the Necronomicon.
[20:13] <+Jamie> It's light-hearted, easy to play, and tongue-in-cheek.
[20:14] <+Jamie> 2-5 players, about 20 minutes playtime, and ages 6+ as long as you're okay with the theme with the kiddos.
[20:14] <+Jamie> (done)
[20:15] <~Dan> Okay, mind if I offer the next one?
[20:15] <+Jamie> Sure.
[20:15] <~Dan> What can you tell us about the new Metamorphosis Alpha system?
[20:15] <+Nix> I'll after Dan's next question.. if that is alright
[20:15] <~Dan> Sure, Nix.
[20:15] <+Jamie> Dan: Game system or the setting?
[20:16] <~Dan> System. Although maybe you should give a quick setting overview for those unfamiliar?
[20:17] <+Jamie> Okay, for those who know Gamma World, they might be interested to know that Metamorphosis Alpha — which I'll call MA — came first and GW kind of spun off from it.
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[20:18] <+Jamie> It's the story of mutants fighting to survive in a half-wrecked generational spaceship after something went really, really wrong.
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[20:18] <~Dan> (Welcome to #rpgnet, ChestieLaRoux! Q&A with Jamie Chambers in progress!)
[20:19] <+Jamie> The play is kind of hybrid. It has the exploration and combat elements of a fantasy RPG.
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[20:19] <+Jamie> It has the crazy superpowers and high action of a comic book.
[20:19] <~Dan> (Howdy, Wondy!)
[20:19] <+Jamie> And the lasers, tech, and robots of a scifi.
[20:20] <+WonderRat> (Howdy Dan)
[20:20] <+Jamie> As for the game system, I've been tinkering with it a while and my brother, my graphic designer Digger Hayes, named it: System 26.
[20:21] <+Jamie> Goals of the game:
[20:21] <+Jamie> Quick to teach, easy to learn.
[20:22] <+Jamie> Simple, intuitive mechanics that can inform a whole bunch of situations.
[20:22] <+Jamie> Characters are defined by how they are extraordinary, where the boring stuff is assumed.
[20:23] <+Jamie> And the system can be tweaked to handle either old-school action-adventure gaming, or nudged in the other direction to be all about character development, story, and drama.
[20:23] <+Jamie> Dan: Any followup questions?
[20:24] <~Dan> Jamie: Yup...
[20:24] <~Dan> What is the core mechanic?
[20:24] <+Jamie> The core mechanic is hinted at by the name itself.
[20:24] <~Dan> (Don't worry, Nix -- haven't forgotten about you.)
[20:24] <+Jamie> System 26 is kind of an "in" joke that the core mechanic is rolling two six-sided dice.
[20:25] <+Shade_class> ugh, class depressed me. =(
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[20:25] <+Jamie> If your character is doing an action he/she is neither good nor bad at, you roll 2d6.
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[20:25] <~Dan> (Howdy, Shade, Rand! Q&A in progress with Jamie Chambers.)
[20:25] <+Jamie> The dice pool is adjusted based on the character's talents/skills. And achievements are earned depending on level of difficulty.
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[20:26] <~Dan> When you say talents/skills, is it an attribute+skill type system?
[20:26] <~Dan> (Welcome to #rpgnet, BenMund!)
[20:26] <+Jamie> Oh hey Ben!
[20:26] <+Jamie> Ben is my partner in crime and the brains and art behind Building An Elder God.
[20:26] <+BenMund> Hey there - caught this on Twitter.
[20:26] <~Dan> Excellent! Glad to have you, Ben!
[20:27] <+Jamie> Dan: System 26 defines characters partially by Traits.
[20:27] <+Jamie> Traits combines the attributes, skills, perks/flaws idea into everything.
[20:27] <+Jamie> The game doesn't care why you are good or bad at something, just that you are.
[20:27] <+Jamie> The rest is just window dressing.
[20:28] <~Dan> Hmm. Are these pre-determined Traits, or freeform?
[20:28] <+BenMund> Sorry for missing - this is the system for MA / SignalFire house system, yeah?
[20:28] <~Dan> Yup!
[20:29] <+Jamie> Yes indeed.
[20:29] <+BenMund> (Whoops - sorry, I see you specifically referenced System 26 above. Disregard.)
[20:29] <+Jamie> Dan: Each specific System 26 game will play around with how Traits work, which is one way that MA would be different from a high-drama game.
[20:30] <+Jamie> For for MA the Traits are all about the standard stuff that characters do.
[20:30] <+Jamie> So in this game, each character has Traits, Mutations, and Qualities.
[20:31] <+Jamie> Mutations give those cool game-breaking powers or horrible defects.
[20:31] <+Jamie> Qualities are either talents or liabilities, smaller situational advantages or disadvantages.
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[20:32] <+Jamie> (done)
[20:32] <~Dan> So Traits are both attributes and skills?
[20:32] <+Jamie> Let's give other questions a shot.
[20:32] <+Jamie> Yes.
[20:32] <~Dan> Gotcha.
[20:32] <+Jamie> And even "perks/flaws" from other games.
[20:32] <~Dan> Go ahead, Nix!
[20:32] <+Nix> 1) from your earlier list it certainly does sound like you are slacking on the work front.. you really should rectify that.  2) when will Shadow Rise and the new Metamorphisis Alpha be available for the public that did not hop in on the kickstarter bandwagon?
[20:33] <+Jamie> 1. LOL. I actually got hurt in the early part of convention season — literally attending the Origins Game Fair in a wheelchair.
[20:33] <+Jamie> It really put me behind. Ugh! :-)
[20:34] <+Jamie> 2. Right now my production manager, Joie Brown, and I are trying to lock in the revised schedule.
[20:34] <+Jamie> Estimate right now would be January for MA and March/April for When Shadows Rise.
[20:34] <+Nix> (excellent.. will keep an eye out for them)
[20:35] <+Jamie> Plus Ben and I have more card games in the works, along with an existing one already for sale in print-and-play form called Pantheon, a mythology themed card game.
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[20:35] <+Nix> I have another one.. unless someone else has a question?
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[20:35] <+Jamie> (done)
[20:35] <+Forrest_McDonald> Are you going to simulate / include horror in "When Shadows Rise" analogous to the "insanity" subsystem in "Call of Cthulu"?
[20:36] <+Jamie> Forrest: When Shadows Rise has its own way of dealing with people losing it when horrible things happen.
[20:36] <~Dan> (Actually, why don't you take this opportunity to say a bit about WSR in general, Jamie.)
[20:36] <~Dan> (Then we'll get to your question, Nix.)
[20:37] <~Dan> (Welcome, mcdougherty!)
[20:37] <+Jamie> Good call.
[20:37] <+mcdougherty> Thanks Dan
[20:37] <~Dan> (That's why they pay me the Big Bucks, Jamie. ;) )
[20:37] <+Jamie> When Shadows Rise is a horror game by Lester Smith, who created Dark Conspiracy RPG, along with lots of other great games including Dragon Dice.
[20:38] <+Jamie> The idea was to create a horror RPG that really captured the feel of the King / Koontz school, but accomodate sub-genres (historical, scifi, modern, etc.).
[20:38] <+Jamie> Most horror games fall into two camps:
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[20:39] <+Jamie> Heroic Horror, aka, Supernatural. Scary things exist but you play badasses equipped to deal them.
[20:39] <+Jamie> Hopeless Horror, aka Call of Cthulhu. Your character is doomed from the moment he/she is created.
[20:40] <+Jamie> This is a game that doesn't lean toward or away from player character survival. The odds are about 50/50 and the rest is up to the players.
[20:40] <+Jamie> The game system is called the d13 System.
[20:41] <+Jamie> And yes, you do roll dice that result in 1-13 as the core mechanic.
[20:41] <+Jamie> That's the basics!
[20:41] <+Jamie> (done)
[20:41] <~Dan> (Go ahead, Nix!)
[20:42] <+Nix> which do you, as a developer, prefer.  For someone to jump on early with kickstarter to directly support you, or to wait and purchase from a brick-n-morter shop to support the local shop and your work?
[20:43] <+Jamie> Well the Kickstarter thing is new for me. It's awesome getting those early dollars, and until my company gets the kind of cash-flow and resources where I don't need help to get a game developed and printed there is no game for the store to sell if the Kickstarter doesn't happen.
[20:43] <+Jamie> However, I'm a big believer in brick-and-mortar retail stores as the core community for hobby games.
[20:44] <+Jamie> The answer is that I'm really grateful however you purchase our games.
[20:44] <+Jamie> So support the Kickstarter and then buy a game at a store for your holiday gifts. ;-)
[20:44] <~Dan> :)
[20:44] <+Nix> lol.. will do
[20:44] <+ChrisColbath> In my experience, that is where I get to play most games the first time:  Open gaming at brick-and-mortar stores.
[20:44] <+Jamie> A store purchase supports all three parts of the industry: manufacturing, distribution, and retail.
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[20:45] <+mcdougherty> I agree that doing both (supporting Kickstarter and the game store) because you're not just helping the developer...but the stores that support them.
[20:45] <+mcdougherty> that should be with.
[20:45] <+HalG> You mentioned non fiction, can you expand on that?
[20:45] <+Jamie> (done)
[20:46] <+Jamie> NonFiction yes!
[20:46] <+Jamie> For several years now, I've been working with a publisher called Smart Pop Books — an offshoot of BenBella Publishing.
[20:47] <+Jamie> They do nonfiction anthologies focused on different pop culture topics: movies, book series, TV shows, etc.
[20:47] <+Jamie> I've written for them a few times now, love the company and its staff, and plan to keep doing so. We also started sharing booth space at Comic-Con.
[20:47] <+Jamie> I'd tell you my new pitch to them but then I'd have to kill you.
[20:48] <+Jamie> I also plan to start writing more for my website.
[20:48] <+Jamie> (done)
[20:48] <+HalG> I can wait if that is the deal
[20:48] <+rod2012> What is a typical work day for you and how do you keep deadlines?
[20:48] <+ChrisColbath> Today is a good day to die, Jamie.  :)
[20:48] <+Jamie> There is no typical workday, sadly.
[20:48] <+Jamie> I'm self-employed and a full-time single Dad of two kids.
[20:49] <+Jamie> I alternate between a "real" office in Marietta, Georgia and my home in Canton.
[20:49] <+ChestieLaRoux> Jamie is a pretty awesome Dad!
[20:49] <+Jamie> I currently have an offsite production manager (Joie) and a part-time in-house intern (Heather).
[20:49] <~Dan> (I have an MA system follow-up question when you're ready, Jamie.)
[20:50] <+Jamie> Part of Joie's job (who I'm having lunch with tomorrow!) is to help manage both the company's stuff and keep me focused.
[20:50] <+Jamie> For my writing I've been doing well with the Pomodoro method of 25-minute sprints of work and five-minute breaks, then back at it.
[20:51] <+Jamie> But with kids, conventions, and life, there is nothing "typical."
[20:51] <+Jamie> Yesterday I drove 9 hours from Indy back to Atlanta.
[20:51] <+Jamie> (done)
[20:51] <+rod2012> How many hours a day do you write?
[20:51] <+rod2012> Sorry
[20:52] <~Dan> S'okay. Why don't you go ahead and take that one, Jamie?
[20:52] <+Jamie> That varies, but hovering around 4 as the goal.
[20:52] <+rod2012> Thanks
[20:52] <+Jamie> As opposed to the emails, followups, business stuff, online store, Kickstarter, taxes, bookkeeping, etc.
[20:53] <+Jamie> Eating, sleeping ...
[20:53] <+Jamie> ;-)
[20:53] <+Jamie> (done)
[20:53] <~Dan> Two-part question, Jamie...
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[20:54] <~Dan> You mentioned comicbook-style superpowers... How literally did you mean that? Do these scale beyond the "typical" post-apoc mutations?
[20:54] <+Jamie> Well, for the core game we're sticking close to the kind of stuff from previous incarnations.
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[20:54] <+Jamie> Think X-Men but nothing cosmic.
[20:54] * ~Dan nods
[20:55] <+Jamie> Mutations are generally personal or short-ranged.
[20:55] <~Dan> On a related note...
[20:55] <~Dan> ...you said there are Traits, Mutations, and Qualities, correct?
[20:56] <+Jamie> Those are the three primary ways characters are defined.
[20:56] <~Dan> Okay, so... how would the system distinguish between "ordinary" strength and super-strength?
[20:56] <~Dan> (Assuming that there's a Mutation like that, of course.)
[20:56] <+Jamie> Well anything "normal" is the core roll: 2d6
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[20:57] <+Jamie> Yes, mutations can break the normal rules and push past the boundaries.
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[20:57] <+Jamie> Better equals more dice.
[20:58] <+Jamie> (done)
[20:58] <~Dan> Interesting...
[20:58] <+Forrest_McDonald> I have a general design question when the floor is free...
[20:58] <~Dan> Go ahead, Forrest.
[20:58] <+Forrest_McDonald> Jaime - you have used a variety of game systems within your RPG design; would you be willing to briefly discuss your methodology for creating/selecting a system for a given game?
[20:59] <+Jamie> There are two ways to go ...
[20:59] <+Jamie> One is to use an existing game system that already has a player base to lower the barrier of entry. This was the drive behind the huge library of d20 System games that started 10+ years ago.
[21:00] <+Jamie> The other is to create a new game specific to the genre, style, and story of a particular game.
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[21:01] <+Jamie> I want a new RPG to be fun and easy to get into.
[21:01] <+Jamie> So I have to think about whether an existing game would serve or if I should do something custom.
[21:02] <+Jamie> If I have my own in-house system that I can tweak, it kind of is the third option in-between.
[21:02] <+Jamie> And if a player base grows based on one game, it's easier for them to jump into the others.
[21:03] <+Jamie> (done)
[21:03] <+HalG> Do you listen to music, watch TV or need silence when you are writing?
[21:03] <+Jamie> I don't do TV while writing.
[21:03] <+rod2012> When you are vetting a game of your own creation, do you reach out to other game creators or playtesters... or both?
[21:04] <+Jamie> I can do silence but I generally crank the tunes. And I'll change the playlist or Pandora station depending on WHAT I'm writing.
[21:04] <~Dan> (Question pause while Jamie catches up, please.)
[21:04] <+Jamie> For MA I've been listening to lots of Glitch Mob, Daft Punk, etc.
[21:04] <+Jamie> Just gets my head in the right place.
[21:05] <+Jamie> For fiction I tend to listen to things without lyrics, so the words don't sneak into my head.
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[21:05] <+Snoof> Afternoon all.
[21:05] <+Jamie> (done)
[21:05] <+Jamie> Hiya!
[21:06] <~Dan> WSR question, Jamie...
[21:06] <+Jamie> Sure
[21:06] <~Dan> It's billed as covering a full range of horror settings... what kind of breadth of support are we talking? Horror/fantasy? Horror/sci-fi?
[21:07] <+Jamie> Yes
[21:07] <+Jamie> The backstory supports jumping between them over the course of a linked campaign.
[21:07] <~Dan> Oh, there's a specific setting? I didn't realize that.
[21:07] <+Jamie> There is a thread that ties your characters together, even if one horribly, horribly dies. (Sometimes they will. You are Not Safe in this game.)
[21:07] <+Jamie> No specific setting.
[21:07] <+Jamie> Just a framing device that ties it all together.
[21:08] <~Dan> Ah... So what sort of goodies does it have for sci-fi horror, for example?
[21:08] <+Jamie> Which means you can do whatever you want, but there is something that will give it some sense of continuity.
[21:08] <+Jamie> It can handle tech and weird powers and alien face-hugging bugs.
[21:09] <~Dan> And for horror/fantasy?
[21:09] <+Jamie> Demons, dragons, and witchcraft!
[21:10] <~Dan> Nice. Does the game pull this off with a unified powers system that you use to simulate magic, tech, psionics, or whatever?
[21:10] <+Jamie> Indeed it does!
[21:10] <+Jamie> Special powers use cards, while the rest of the game makes use of dice.
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[21:11] <~Dan> Hmm. Do you think it does this in a way that makes these powers feel distinct?
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[21:11] <+Jamie> It pulls them out of the rest of the game and also really drives home the "price" idea.
[21:12] <+Jamie> Meaning that nothing in this game is free. If you use the paranormal gifts you might be sorry.
[21:12] <+Jamie> Think King's Firestarter as an example.
[21:12] <~Dan> Well, I meant distinct from each other -- psionics vs. magic, for example.
[21:12] * ~Dan nods
[21:12] <+Jamie> There is some mechanical differences but they are largely flavor.
[21:13] <+Jamie> Paranormal abilities have a unifying game mechanic. This game is meant to be streamlined.
[21:13] * ~Dan nods
[21:13] <+Jamie> (done)
[21:13] <+rod2012> When you are vetting a game of your own creation, do you reach out to other game creators for feedback and is that before or after playtesting?
[21:14] <+Jamie> Yeah, I have a great network of peers and friends I'll shove my ideas in front of, at least in basic form.
[21:14] <+Jamie> I also like to talk to retailers in terms of Is This Something You Can Sell? as well.
[21:14] <+Jamie> This kind of feedback helps, and then playtesting makes sure there aren't huge gaping holes in the design.
[21:15] <+rod2012> Thanks
[21:15] <+Jamie> (done)
[21:16] <~Dan> Can you say a bit about this unifying element in WSR?
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[21:17] <+Jamie> For standard actions, it's about rolling the d13 standard and then adding your character's modifiers (pretty basic stuff).
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[21:17] <+Jamie> For paranormal stuff, it's drawing cards and then paying the "price."
[21:17] <~Dan> Sorry, Jamie -- I meant the setting element you mentioned.
[21:17] <+Jamie> You'll have to wait for more than that. :-)
[21:17] <+Jamie> Ohhhhh
[21:17] <+Jamie> Gotcha.
[21:18] <+Jamie> The game has an abstract backstory which is introduced in the form of a poem.
[21:18] <+Jamie> (Lester, among other things, is the President of the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets).
[21:20] <+Jamie> The game is about light piercing through darkness.
[21:20] <+Jamie> Your character is (unknown to him or her) an incarnation of a shard of Light.
[21:20] <+Jamie> Call it a god, an angel, a hero, what have you.
[21:20] <+Jamie> It's within your character to fight against the darkness, regardless of how easy or hard that might be
[21:21] <+Jamie> You might dice, but you have other incarnations.
[21:21] <+Jamie> Er, DIE not DICE.
[21:21] <~Dan> Heh. :)
[21:21] <+Jamie> So in terms of story, your character has other incarnations. You play variations on the same theme.
[21:21] <+SomethingElse> arp arp arp. Howdy all
[21:22] <+Jamie> In game terms, you will have a way to create a new version of the old character regardless of time, place, or setting.
[21:22] <+Jamie> (done)
[21:22] <~Dan> (SomethingElse: Q&A with Jamie Chambers in progress. #rpgnet2 open for general chat.)
[21:22] <~Dan> More questions, folks?
[21:22] <+Jamie> You've got me for just a bit longer before I have to go crash. :-)
[21:22] <~Dan> No worries, Jamie. :)
[21:23] <~Dan> So regarding MA characters...
[21:23] <~Dan> ...the basic types are baseline human, mutated human, mutant animal, and mutant plant?
[21:23] <+Jamie> Yes.
[21:23] <+Snoof> What about fungi?
[21:23] <+Jamie> In the future there will be other options.... say robots and androids or reawakened crew.
[21:24] <+Jamie> Snoof: I am a fun guy!
[21:24] <+Jamie> ;-)
[21:24] <~Dan> I knew that was coming. :)
[21:24] <+Jamie> We might play with that idea. Alien fungus was a big deal in MA 4th Ed.
[21:24] <+Jamie> But this is a relaunch, so we're starting with a strong core idea.
[21:25] <+Jamie> (done)
[21:25] <~Dan> Do I recall correctly that androids may be PCs in future supplements?
[21:26] <+Jamie> Yes.
[21:27] <+Jamie> We have ideas for that sort of thing in expansions.
[21:27] <+Jamie> For now, they will be potentially terrifying foes.
[21:27] <~Dan> What do the environments look like?
[21:28] <~Dan> I mean, I know the mutants don't realize that they're on a ship... but what does their world look like? Is there a simulated sky, for example?
[21:28] <+Jamie> The Starship Warden contains every major type of Earth-like environment, as it was built to house samples of all life on Earth.
[21:28] <+Jamie> Some parts of the ship do really seem like you're in the great outdoors.
[21:29] <+Jamie> Others are very shiplike. Just depends where you are.
[21:29] * ~Dan nods
[21:29] <+Jamie> And even mutants who live in a place that doesn't look "outside" still don't necessarily get it, since they don't have any context.
[21:29] <+Jamie> It's just their world. They were born on it, and they will die on it.
[21:29] <~Dan> But even in the shiplike parts, the "natives" just think that's the way the world looks?
[21:29] * ~Dan nods
[21:29] <+Jamie> For the most part, yes.
[21:30] <+Jamie> (done)
[21:30] <~Dan> (How much longer can you hang, Jamie? :) )
[21:30] <+Jamie> I'll do two more questions.
[21:31] <~Dan> Sounds good. Anyone?
[21:31] <+Jamie> I've put the room to sleep!
[21:31] <+Jamie> LOL
[21:31] <+Nix> no other questions from me..
[21:31] <~Dan> Okay, I'll ask a two-fer: How big are the bestiaries in MA and WSR?
[21:31] <+Damiar> I've been busy but reading what I can
[21:32] <+Damiar> wen does this new edition drop?
[21:32] <+Damiar> *when
[21:32] <+Jamie> Well they are a small part of each core book, with additional material to be published online.
[21:32] <+Jamie> I think 20+ pages in both books.
[21:33] <+Jamie> Looks like January right now, Damiar.
[21:34] <+Jamie> But Joie (my production manager) and I are locking down the revised schedule.
[21:34] <~Dan> And with that, we should probably let Jamie collapse in a post-GenCon stupor, I think. Sound fair, Jamie? :)
[21:34] <+Jamie> :-)
[21:34] <+Jamie> Thanks Dan!
[21:35] <+Jamie> And thanks everyone for coming.
[21:35] <~Dan> That you for coming, Jamie! I know you're a busy guy!
[21:35] <+Nix> thanks, Jamie.. enjoy the rest before jumping back into working on the 20 projects you got going on all at the same time :-p
[21:35] <+Damiar> thanks for telling us about the games, I'm excited for metamorphosis alpha!
[21:35] <~Dan> Please stop by anytime you like just to hang out if you like. :)
[21:35] <+Jamie> I appreciate it.
[21:35] <+Jamie> Sounds good.
[21:35] <+Jamie> G'night all!
[21:35] <+ChrisColbath> Thanks, Jamie!
[21:35] <~Dan> G'night!
[21:35] *** Jamie has quit IRC: Disintegrated: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client

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