Dias Ex Machina
Publisher / Game Designer
History of a Game. Part 2:
Throughout all of this, I never thought of Amethyst as a serious setting. I set it on Earth because the original treatment was set on earth. It was easy to mess with. There was not much of a story, just an obvious McGuffin to keep the players moving place to place.
Then I ran into David Fidler. My best friend from years past, we had drifted apart because he went to university and I went to college. We bumped into each other again at work and I told him I had been dragged back into role-playing from nearly a 3-year hiatus. He asked what the setting was and I explained, “It’s a techno fantasy not unlike final fantasy except that the world of fantasy and science don’t mingle at all…in fact, they actively disrupt each other’s existence.”
He said, “Wow, that sounds quite original.”
And I replied, “Yeah…you’re right.” I didn’t tell him at that point that the last part didn’t exist until it leapt from the lips. That was what I needed…the final mark of the setting to make it original. It cured a massive setting flaw in the story where science should be able to overwhelm magic. It also answered many problems, gave motivations to people on the other side, and fixed a glaring game mechanic. I began a huge retroactive shift in the setting. As a casualty, Rene left the group but the others would stay for the duration, eventually taking on Mike McMullen in replacement. The setting was still too much like D&D but I eventually uploaded what I had onto the same site where my Alien FUZION game sat. After the campaign finished two and a half years later—yes finished, actually finished—I began a second edition to be posted online. I also began working on a Ghost in the Shell D20 game, which is still online today. While I was working the second edition, I began another round of setting alterations, taking out more of the D&D cliché and inserting more original content. I was also planning on a third d20 free RPG, for The Matrix.
Amethyst was a collection of ideas based on original concepts and other inspired from artwork I had seen online. I had gotten permission from several artists to use their artwork for free on my page. Some of these names are quite well known in the industry. The first were Jaime Jones and Katherine Dinger, and eventually more threw in their support (Roman Kochnev, Fredrick Ramqvist, Christopher Vacher, John Wallin and a dozen others). When I started working on the second edition, I had also gotten Derrek Herring, Andy Simmons, and Nick Greenwood. Despite being allowed to use their art for free for my free game, Amethyst still had no original art to call its own.
By the fall of 2006, my finances were in trouble, and I was lacking direction. I was part of a car club, which became one of the most foolish endeavours of my life. It cost excessively much with a reward that never reached the level of investment. I love cars; I really do, always will. I just don’t like many of the people that pursue the passion enough to want to join a club. I recovered myself financially around the same time my original crew got together once again to start a second Amethyst game (after a 15-month break where we played the GITS game). This one would be set 500 years after the original Amethyst. Called Logos, it would be based off the new setting, not the original game that played years earlier. After seeing the potential of Print-On-Demand, and the slew of electronic PDF RPGs on the market, I conversed with Conan about publishing Amethyst for real. He supported the move.
It would still be six months before my finances were in a position where I could save money to publish such a book. Plans for the Second Edition were shelved and I started nearly from the ground up once again to develop the setting as an original 3.5 game. I approached possible artists and the first few I asked were the first to show their support initially. Most of them were busy but like the concept. Who knew this one little game published free could orbit around and net them money? My plan was to publish the game and not consider its profit potential. I wanted the game to be the best it could be. Progress moved smoothly as the game grew. Eventually, I needed a black and white artist but found few. One of the original artists that supported me with free work offered his talents for B+W. This would be Nick Greenwood, which would eventually be the most productive relationship I have had outside of my local gaming group.
The setting was still evolving. Disruption was only an electromagnetic pulse, allowing the use of enchanted traditional firearms and steam power, giving Amethyst a Steampunk layer. I realized that this still didn’t work with that I wanted and altered the setting again, taking out even this compromise. Now all technology above 18th century would break down. Anything more complicated than a windmill was vulnerable, and I had to lay down reasons for all this to occur. Now the motivation for those following technology was even more important.
Then 4ED was announced. We were admittedly not pleased. We spent the better part of 13 months creating a kick-ass 3.5 variation that was unique without overly breaking the system. We contemplated holding back by the confusion from WOTC made making a decision impossible. I decided I didn’t want to waist all the work that had been done with the 3.5 version. We would release it and see what response it got and wait and see how the landscape changed with the release of 4ED. SerenaDawn had developed a massive hit ratio and the popularity of Amethyst initially bled from there. I was still perfecting the setting, only leaving enough of the traditional D&D clichés in order for the mechanics to work.
After the release of 4ED, everyone associated with the project supported the move. We had three options: Jump onto 4ED, jump onto a variant like True20 or C&C, or create our own OGL-based setting. In the end, it came down to either an original OGL, which we almost did, or 4ED. After the GSL, I realized how 4ED was perfect for our needs. It made me (made me) rip out the remaining D&D clichés and create Amethyst as it was original intended.
Just over a year ago, my friends handed me George RR Martin’s Game of Thrones and I was floored. I decided to put my screenwriting days behind me and try writing a novel again. I began writing a novel for Amethyst, which also evolved the setting substantially. Part found its way into the 3.5 Amethyst but even those were re-written after the 3.5 book was published.
Which brings us to the present. Amethyst is now 4ED, my novel is being edited, and I have a purpose. With hopes, as we get close to final publication, an agent will pick up the novel and gain some synergy for publication. Only time will tell.
Throughout all of this, I never thought of Amethyst as a serious setting. I set it on Earth because the original treatment was set on earth. It was easy to mess with. There was not much of a story, just an obvious McGuffin to keep the players moving place to place.
Then I ran into David Fidler. My best friend from years past, we had drifted apart because he went to university and I went to college. We bumped into each other again at work and I told him I had been dragged back into role-playing from nearly a 3-year hiatus. He asked what the setting was and I explained, “It’s a techno fantasy not unlike final fantasy except that the world of fantasy and science don’t mingle at all…in fact, they actively disrupt each other’s existence.”
He said, “Wow, that sounds quite original.”
And I replied, “Yeah…you’re right.” I didn’t tell him at that point that the last part didn’t exist until it leapt from the lips. That was what I needed…the final mark of the setting to make it original. It cured a massive setting flaw in the story where science should be able to overwhelm magic. It also answered many problems, gave motivations to people on the other side, and fixed a glaring game mechanic. I began a huge retroactive shift in the setting. As a casualty, Rene left the group but the others would stay for the duration, eventually taking on Mike McMullen in replacement. The setting was still too much like D&D but I eventually uploaded what I had onto the same site where my Alien FUZION game sat. After the campaign finished two and a half years later—yes finished, actually finished—I began a second edition to be posted online. I also began working on a Ghost in the Shell D20 game, which is still online today. While I was working the second edition, I began another round of setting alterations, taking out more of the D&D cliché and inserting more original content. I was also planning on a third d20 free RPG, for The Matrix.
Amethyst was a collection of ideas based on original concepts and other inspired from artwork I had seen online. I had gotten permission from several artists to use their artwork for free on my page. Some of these names are quite well known in the industry. The first were Jaime Jones and Katherine Dinger, and eventually more threw in their support (Roman Kochnev, Fredrick Ramqvist, Christopher Vacher, John Wallin and a dozen others). When I started working on the second edition, I had also gotten Derrek Herring, Andy Simmons, and Nick Greenwood. Despite being allowed to use their art for free for my free game, Amethyst still had no original art to call its own.
By the fall of 2006, my finances were in trouble, and I was lacking direction. I was part of a car club, which became one of the most foolish endeavours of my life. It cost excessively much with a reward that never reached the level of investment. I love cars; I really do, always will. I just don’t like many of the people that pursue the passion enough to want to join a club. I recovered myself financially around the same time my original crew got together once again to start a second Amethyst game (after a 15-month break where we played the GITS game). This one would be set 500 years after the original Amethyst. Called Logos, it would be based off the new setting, not the original game that played years earlier. After seeing the potential of Print-On-Demand, and the slew of electronic PDF RPGs on the market, I conversed with Conan about publishing Amethyst for real. He supported the move.
It would still be six months before my finances were in a position where I could save money to publish such a book. Plans for the Second Edition were shelved and I started nearly from the ground up once again to develop the setting as an original 3.5 game. I approached possible artists and the first few I asked were the first to show their support initially. Most of them were busy but like the concept. Who knew this one little game published free could orbit around and net them money? My plan was to publish the game and not consider its profit potential. I wanted the game to be the best it could be. Progress moved smoothly as the game grew. Eventually, I needed a black and white artist but found few. One of the original artists that supported me with free work offered his talents for B+W. This would be Nick Greenwood, which would eventually be the most productive relationship I have had outside of my local gaming group.
The setting was still evolving. Disruption was only an electromagnetic pulse, allowing the use of enchanted traditional firearms and steam power, giving Amethyst a Steampunk layer. I realized that this still didn’t work with that I wanted and altered the setting again, taking out even this compromise. Now all technology above 18th century would break down. Anything more complicated than a windmill was vulnerable, and I had to lay down reasons for all this to occur. Now the motivation for those following technology was even more important.
Then 4ED was announced. We were admittedly not pleased. We spent the better part of 13 months creating a kick-ass 3.5 variation that was unique without overly breaking the system. We contemplated holding back by the confusion from WOTC made making a decision impossible. I decided I didn’t want to waist all the work that had been done with the 3.5 version. We would release it and see what response it got and wait and see how the landscape changed with the release of 4ED. SerenaDawn had developed a massive hit ratio and the popularity of Amethyst initially bled from there. I was still perfecting the setting, only leaving enough of the traditional D&D clichés in order for the mechanics to work.
After the release of 4ED, everyone associated with the project supported the move. We had three options: Jump onto 4ED, jump onto a variant like True20 or C&C, or create our own OGL-based setting. In the end, it came down to either an original OGL, which we almost did, or 4ED. After the GSL, I realized how 4ED was perfect for our needs. It made me (made me) rip out the remaining D&D clichés and create Amethyst as it was original intended.
Just over a year ago, my friends handed me George RR Martin’s Game of Thrones and I was floored. I decided to put my screenwriting days behind me and try writing a novel again. I began writing a novel for Amethyst, which also evolved the setting substantially. Part found its way into the 3.5 Amethyst but even those were re-written after the 3.5 book was published.
Which brings us to the present. Amethyst is now 4ED, my novel is being edited, and I have a purpose. With hopes, as we get close to final publication, an agent will pick up the novel and gain some synergy for publication. Only time will tell.