Hey folks... Big reply post incoming
Anson: do you foresee any trouble with the name?
(There's already a product out there with the name Unity - a game generator that allows you to design a game that then runs on most computer platforms)
Definitely a valid concern and one I'm cognizant about. I struggled with coming up with a name for the game to the point where it didn't make sense to dwell on it anymore as it was detracting hard from the actual design of the game itself. My main issue with using Unity isn't so much trademark/legal troubles (more often than not you can't trademark a common word) but rather people having a difficult time finding the game on search engines. Typing in Unity RPG in Google it doesn't even show up and you need to find it through links from forums I've shared the game on. Unity Tabletop RPG does much better it's on the first page. But there's still a lot of noise because the Unity game design engine is much more prominent. Initially I didn't think this would be a problem as I felt the RPG community is tight knit and connected and that if there's a new RPG abuzz, there'd be a link for it or an easier time connecting to the information but Google Analytics show me folks are still googling organically to try to find my site. God bless their relentless souls and search abilities
Could you elaborate a bit more on the Free-Form class system? I alwayshoped to see a system like that, if it is what I hope it is.
I wanted to have a character creation system that gave the player flexibility to create the unique character they envisioned and I didn't want class constraints to have an overwhelming impact on the history of that character and how that character approaches problems outside of combat.
In some systems, if you play a fighter type you are expected to be really good at athletic endeavours but much less proficient at scholarly activities. The option might be there to make a smart fighter but the rules may discourage it heavily by making the option expensive for fighter-types (i.e. no skill proficiency) or really detrimental (you wouldn't want to pump the INT stat at the cost of your STR stat). Unity seeks to find a happy medium that allows you to still feel
great about making these unique character creation choices without creating an overpowered jack of all trades that has no weaknesses. You CAN have the fighter poet or the mage that likes to do Cross-Fit in his spare time. You won't be penalized for it but you will need to come up with an interesting story or piece of history that will help shape your character and also provide storytelling fodder for the GM and other players to interact with. When the KS launches, I'll definitely be diving more into the different mechanics in Unity to inform folks and help them make the decision if the game is for them.
Engilbrand's reply below is a nice summary of the process. I'll elaborate a bit from within the Class perspective and hopefully it'll give you a better idea of my design intent.
Classes shape your role in
combat mainly. They have some perks that lend to the flavour of the class outside of combat - i.e. Phantoms get bonuses to stealth, Dreadnoughts get bonuses to smashing things open, Fell Hunters are particularly adept at tracking etc. Familiar archetypical bonuses. Within each class though, there are multiple builds that significantly change the way your class plays but still embraces the fantasy of that class. I've setup the powers in a way that each one should be an impactful and compelling choice but still serve different enough purposes that two characters of the same classes will play differently from each other unless they took exactly the same builds.
An example is the Dreadnought class. By short description, the Dreadnought is a roiling force of fury -- a veritable wrecking ball on the battlefield. She's an offensive tank that only knows one way and that's forward. But then you have a smattering of powers and upgrades to pick from each Tier as you progress in development. You could pick powers to build her in a way that you create a "Never say die" tenacious warrior that thrives in the chaos of battle. Self-healing off the adrenaline of combat, meeting enemies head on and having a safety net in a cheat death mechanic that pushes you to play her as aggressively as possible. Or you might be the type that wants to be an absolute meat blender and you lean heavily on offensive powers, powers that let you cleave through multiple enemies and amplify your damage at the possibility of leaving yourself vulnerable. You create a high-risk high-reward berserker going down this path. You might decide to grab the Charge power and upgrade it with Juggernaut to help you ping pong around the battlefield eviscerating swathes of enemies and keeping yourself a bit safer. Whereas in the first example you might take the Battering Ram upgrade instead to make you that sticky, tenacious death dealer. You only want to get into the thick of things and stay there as that's where you feel most at home.
A mesh of 4e, Dungeon World, and....Pathfinder?
Hrmmmm...
I'll be curious how this all comes together. I'll probably throw some money at it.
Definitely look at it from a "spirit of the game" perspective. I loved the different builds and character concepts you could create in Pathfinder. The anticipation of putting together a build and then the exhilaration of it working out in-game felt so good. From 4e we have deep tactical combat that really scratches the 'game' itch. DW embodies a spirit of storytelling, character development and constantly pushing the narrative towards interesting situations. These are the pillars that I'm trying to build Unity upon
