EZ20 now available for free. . .

[jdrakeh]

I figure that if Papers & Paychecks can get away with plugging his free games in the General Discussion forum, I might as well give it a go

EZ20 is a simple set of rules based on the d20 core mechanic with an eye toward presenting transparent mechanics that can easily facilitate adventures in many different settings and genres. As a system, EZ20 draws inspiration from such games as Over the Edge, Risus, Star Wars (D6), The Burning Wheel, and Castles and Crusades.

[Note: EZ20 owes much more to some of these games than others -- such games are accordingly credited in the EZ20 document.]

Released under the OGL, EZ20 will drive the Swords of Strange Aeons game (which will also be available for free when I finish writing it), as well as other planned free-press products that will follow in its wake (specifically, more self-contained "pick up and play" campaigns). Likewise, you're free to use it in your own products or at your game table.

You can download a free copy of the EZ20 rules by clicking on the link in my .sig and navigating the main menu of my site to access the Free Games (note that I have a one gig per day transfer limit and that it is frequently exceeded, so if you can't snatch something now, try again tomorrow). Enjoy!

 

[RFisher]

Thanks for advertising it. Looks interesting.

 

[jdrakeh]

Thanks for advertising it. Looks interesting.

You're welcome -- thank you for your interest!

 

[jmucchiello]

You're welcome -- thank you for your interest!

I'd rather play RISUS. Not a bad system. I just already have a game in the head space.

Slight derail: Have you ever considered making a product in TiddlyWiki? Every time I run across someone's TiddlyWiki I think it's a great idea but I don't have the time to try it out.

 

[jdrakeh]

I'd rather play RISUS. Not a bad system. I just already have a game in the head space.

I use Risus a lot, too -- I just wanted a system that would have some d20 appeal, while cleaving to principles espoused by games like Risus, Over the Edge, and the D6 System. More importantly, I wanted something that I could use in my planned series of "pick up and play" games without having to fret about copyrights.

[Note: I talk a wee bit about the "pick up and play" model in my interview for iCON.]

Slight derail: Have you ever considered making a product in TiddlyWiki? Every time I run across someone's TiddlyWiki I think it's a great idea but I don't have the time to try it out.

Yes! Kind of. . . I started an ambitious cut-up project, combining parts of existing systems and settings to make a new whole (the Patchwork Wiki project). I ended up getting burned out due to the need to compile an extensive bibliography that cited all of my sources (which, less than one continent into the setting, numbered more than five dozen).

That said -- hey, you have a great idea! I may look at doing that in the future (though I'll set my sights a little lower). Indeed, when the first "pick up and play" game (Swords of Strange Aeons) gets closer to completion, it will need its own site. . . perhaps I'll present it in a TiddlyWiki format with a download link for the PDF file (that way people can either print it out or carry it around on a floppy disk).

 

[PapersAndPaychecks]

I figure that if Papers & Paychecks can get away with plugging his free games in the General Discussion forum, I might as well give it a go

I have incriminating photos of Morrus.

 

[jdrakeh]

I have incriminating photos of Morrus.

He promised me that those would never get out!

 

[RFisher]

Slight derail: Have you ever considered making a product in TiddlyWiki? Every time I run across someone's TiddlyWiki I think it's a great idea but I don't have the time to try it out.

It might work well for a setting.

 

[jdrakeh]

It might work well for a setting.

This has been done. The downside is that Tiddly Wiki is not at all print-friendly (and, honestly, HTML isn't much batter) -- if people actually want others to use their settings or systems, it's best to make PDF documents an option.

 

[RFisher]

This has been done. The downside is that Tiddly Wiki is not at all print-friendly (and, honestly, HTML isn't much batter) -- if people actually want others to use their settings or systems, it's best to make PDF documents an option.

I was thinking that--if I had a laptop & was willing to use it during the game--the TiddlyWiki would be much more usable than hard-copy.

Seems like it'd be pretty easy to write a script to pull the text of the tiddlers out. Since the text is wiki-ish instead of HTML, it shouldn't be too hard to convert it to whatever you want. Then you'd need to do some arranging & tweaking before printing or generating your PDF.

Still, the advantage of using the TiddlyWiki would be in actually using the TiddlyWiki. If you're going to print it, then--yeah--it's probably not the way to go.

Incidentally, it does really bug me that almost everything for being able to produce LaTeX quality print from (X)HTML is there, but not quite.