Natai
Explorer
I'm not sure this is the best place to post this, as neither the RPG Industry forums and rpgFreelancer site seem to fit. If this is not the right place, please feel free to move it to somewhere more appropriate.
I'm looking for a few "honorable geeks" who might be interested in working on Proteus.
I've been working on the game for the better part of a decade. It has evolved greatly in that time and much remains to be done. The system has many influences, but its present form most closely resembles that of Burning Wheel. I'm describing the game as cross-genre because it shares elements of post-apoalyptic, fantasy, sci-fi and cyberpunk genres. You can check out more information on the game world on base113.com; register and you can also read some of the rules in progress. Feel free to post questions about the game on the forums, or drop me an email.
My current plans for the game involve the release of a free Alpha ruleset in PDF form, which will include the basic rules annd some information on the Human civilization. This will be followed later by a release of the full game in PDF and print, likely through RPGNow. I am seriously considering releasing the game under a CCL, similar to how Eclipse Phase was released. I'm not in this to make money. I simply want to create a game that's fun to play and will hopefully give rise to a reasonably sized and active community of players. If it happens to turn a profit so be it, but I'm not looking to offer a lot of money right now. I don't mind paying artists if I can afford it, but what I'm really looking for are a few like-minded individuals who would simply be happy to help develop a kickass game.
As far as legal details go, I'm flexible but want to avoid a situation down the road that screws up an otherwise awesome game. I also want to be able to be open with those I'm working with. My initial thinking is we can work together on a trial basis on some stuff, and if you seem like a good fit I'll probably ask you to sign an NDA before opening everything up to you. I'm not looking to bring tons of people in on this, but if you're interested and dedicated I'm sure we can work something out. By the way, there's no hard timeline here (obviously) so deadlines are not a major issue.
As far as what I'm looking for - everything. I'm getting more and more ambitious with regard to the game world. Even if it's not going to have any gameplay impact, I'm all for including any details in the book that add to immersion in the world. Writers, artists, players, worldbuilders, editors, playtesters, tinkerers, mappers, web designers, everything. Experienced or interested in designing game system mechanics, settings, locations, civilizations, languages, plants and animals, architecture, weapons and armor or anything in between? Proteus has plenty of opportunity for you to flex your creative muscle. Experience level is not as important as interest and dedication, though I'd love to get one or two people that have worked on a project like this before, just to help the rest of us.
Additionally, I'm trying to create a fairly realistic game world. Nothing too ridiculous, but I want the world to feel genuine, like people really live in it. If you've ever read any of the numerous forum posts or articles out there about how most fantasy worlds get the details of daily life, rural areas, arms and armor, etc. wrong, you know what I'm talking about. The game world is not exactly medieval in nature, but if you're interested in that type of history or alternative histories you could be a lot of help. The idea of Humans colonizing other planets is also important, and while the details of such a colonization don't play as central a role in the game as you might expect, anyone with experience or knowledge of interplanetary colonization in science fiction could have some fun. There are a lot of areas where I would like to develop a fair level of detail just to tear it down to see what's left. Sort of "this is what the plan was, but here's what we've got now" type of thing. Have you ever wanted to come up with a new language, the architecture of a civilization, a religion followed by the population of an entire continent, a form of currency, or exotic weapons and armor? This is only scratching the surface of what we can create for the peoples of Ortellum.
Up til now I've been working on this by myself, with the exception of some art I've had commissioned. A lot of what I've done is written, but much is only in my head. The core setting and game mechanics are developed, but a lot of details need to be added. If this sounds like a project you might be interested in you can reach me through the site, or via email at admin@base113.com or games@base113.com.
A Brief History of the Humans of Ortellum
DISCLAIMER: This is a rough history essentially consiting of a compilation of many of my notes. It will be updated.
2032. Tensions are mounting on Earth between superpowers and war seems imminent. At the same time a massive ship is being prepared to launch to deliver the bulk of the colonists to mankind’s first self-sustaining extrasolar colony. Once it becomes apparent that war cannot be avoided, the mission is modified given the possibility that the colonists may end up being the last surviving members of humanity. The ship is launched and not long after all contact with Earth is lost with all evidence pointing to global nuclear holocaust. This leads to conflict among the crew over whether to return to Earth or proceed on course. The decision is made to continue on, but not before the course data is removed from the computer. The computer is programmed to locate a habitable world while the crew enters hibernation. When they awaken they learn that the ship has found a small suitable planet and the crew heads down to colonize. They discover that this world is not uninhabited; there are actually several sentient species at various levels of technological advancement, but all appear to be more primitive than the Human colonists.
As the Humans lack any real infrastructure (it was constructed by lead teams on the planet they were supposed to colonize), they take up residence in part of a long-abandoned ancient city. Over several years, the Humans also occupy another similarly abandoned city, a single massive structure that dwarfs the largest skyscrapers of Earth, and establish a large number of smaller settlements as well. Contact is made with the native races, who are largely confined to major cities due to a recent dark period in their history where much of the planet was overrun by a malevolent plant-like race that believes it is their destiny to take over the world. The exact reasons for why this race has fallen into decline are not understood, but fear has kept the other species from venturing too far out into the world. Humans play a key role in coaxing the natives out of their cities and reestablishing regular relations. This is not without problems however, as Humanity does begin a small-scale war with a nomadic people that occupy territory near many Human settlements, the Raagon.
In addition, many Humans have begun displaying certain abilities, abilities shared by some of the natives as well. Originally referred to as psychic powers or magic, these abilities have become known as novitics. A novitic individual, sometimes referred to as a nova, is able to channel and direct his body’s natural biogenic energy to achieve amazing effects. The reaction to these individuals is a mixture of curiosity and fear. The government establishes programs to research novitic phenomena as well as how to make the best use of people with these individuals.
Not long after, one of these government projects goes wrong and unleashes an effect similar to an EMP (this event becomes known as the Cataclysm). The capital city of New Avalon is rendered powerless and the second city, Elysium, is left with only one of its three reactors functioning. In the aftermath, the group of men controlling the single remaining reactor establish a government agency responsible for overseeing all Human forms of power. In effect, they are acting to preserve their monopoly, which is made easier by the limited manufacturing base, raw materials, etc. More importantly the Cataclysm resulted in persistent effects that render electronics largely nonfunctional or unreliable. Daily life for most Humans now most closely resembles the 17th or 18th centuries.
In the aftermath of the Cataclysm, Human society has undergone dramatic change. Abandoning their war with the Raagon, Humanity works to bring the native peoples closer together. At the same time, Humans are still struggling to reclaim much of the two ancient cities they now occupy, just as all races are beginning to explore the rest of the continent. Alien ruins and artifacts are discovered, some of which have the potential to alter the future of Human technology. Distrust and corruption are becoming more and more prevalent between factions within the Human government, not to mention relations between the various species that are often strained.
The planet is also populated with a seemingly impossible variety of flora and fauna, some of which would give a military battalion from Earth’s heyday a moment of pause, to say nothing of Humanity as it exists now. Incursions into cities by local wildlife require constant vigilance, and people rarely travel unarmed, even if being armed these days more often mean a sword or a spear than a gun.
While certainly challenging and often outright hostile, the world of Ortellum presents a wealth of opportunity for any brave enough to take it.
I'm looking for a few "honorable geeks" who might be interested in working on Proteus.
I've been working on the game for the better part of a decade. It has evolved greatly in that time and much remains to be done. The system has many influences, but its present form most closely resembles that of Burning Wheel. I'm describing the game as cross-genre because it shares elements of post-apoalyptic, fantasy, sci-fi and cyberpunk genres. You can check out more information on the game world on base113.com; register and you can also read some of the rules in progress. Feel free to post questions about the game on the forums, or drop me an email.
My current plans for the game involve the release of a free Alpha ruleset in PDF form, which will include the basic rules annd some information on the Human civilization. This will be followed later by a release of the full game in PDF and print, likely through RPGNow. I am seriously considering releasing the game under a CCL, similar to how Eclipse Phase was released. I'm not in this to make money. I simply want to create a game that's fun to play and will hopefully give rise to a reasonably sized and active community of players. If it happens to turn a profit so be it, but I'm not looking to offer a lot of money right now. I don't mind paying artists if I can afford it, but what I'm really looking for are a few like-minded individuals who would simply be happy to help develop a kickass game.
As far as legal details go, I'm flexible but want to avoid a situation down the road that screws up an otherwise awesome game. I also want to be able to be open with those I'm working with. My initial thinking is we can work together on a trial basis on some stuff, and if you seem like a good fit I'll probably ask you to sign an NDA before opening everything up to you. I'm not looking to bring tons of people in on this, but if you're interested and dedicated I'm sure we can work something out. By the way, there's no hard timeline here (obviously) so deadlines are not a major issue.
As far as what I'm looking for - everything. I'm getting more and more ambitious with regard to the game world. Even if it's not going to have any gameplay impact, I'm all for including any details in the book that add to immersion in the world. Writers, artists, players, worldbuilders, editors, playtesters, tinkerers, mappers, web designers, everything. Experienced or interested in designing game system mechanics, settings, locations, civilizations, languages, plants and animals, architecture, weapons and armor or anything in between? Proteus has plenty of opportunity for you to flex your creative muscle. Experience level is not as important as interest and dedication, though I'd love to get one or two people that have worked on a project like this before, just to help the rest of us.
Additionally, I'm trying to create a fairly realistic game world. Nothing too ridiculous, but I want the world to feel genuine, like people really live in it. If you've ever read any of the numerous forum posts or articles out there about how most fantasy worlds get the details of daily life, rural areas, arms and armor, etc. wrong, you know what I'm talking about. The game world is not exactly medieval in nature, but if you're interested in that type of history or alternative histories you could be a lot of help. The idea of Humans colonizing other planets is also important, and while the details of such a colonization don't play as central a role in the game as you might expect, anyone with experience or knowledge of interplanetary colonization in science fiction could have some fun. There are a lot of areas where I would like to develop a fair level of detail just to tear it down to see what's left. Sort of "this is what the plan was, but here's what we've got now" type of thing. Have you ever wanted to come up with a new language, the architecture of a civilization, a religion followed by the population of an entire continent, a form of currency, or exotic weapons and armor? This is only scratching the surface of what we can create for the peoples of Ortellum.
Up til now I've been working on this by myself, with the exception of some art I've had commissioned. A lot of what I've done is written, but much is only in my head. The core setting and game mechanics are developed, but a lot of details need to be added. If this sounds like a project you might be interested in you can reach me through the site, or via email at admin@base113.com or games@base113.com.
A Brief History of the Humans of Ortellum
DISCLAIMER: This is a rough history essentially consiting of a compilation of many of my notes. It will be updated.
2032. Tensions are mounting on Earth between superpowers and war seems imminent. At the same time a massive ship is being prepared to launch to deliver the bulk of the colonists to mankind’s first self-sustaining extrasolar colony. Once it becomes apparent that war cannot be avoided, the mission is modified given the possibility that the colonists may end up being the last surviving members of humanity. The ship is launched and not long after all contact with Earth is lost with all evidence pointing to global nuclear holocaust. This leads to conflict among the crew over whether to return to Earth or proceed on course. The decision is made to continue on, but not before the course data is removed from the computer. The computer is programmed to locate a habitable world while the crew enters hibernation. When they awaken they learn that the ship has found a small suitable planet and the crew heads down to colonize. They discover that this world is not uninhabited; there are actually several sentient species at various levels of technological advancement, but all appear to be more primitive than the Human colonists.
As the Humans lack any real infrastructure (it was constructed by lead teams on the planet they were supposed to colonize), they take up residence in part of a long-abandoned ancient city. Over several years, the Humans also occupy another similarly abandoned city, a single massive structure that dwarfs the largest skyscrapers of Earth, and establish a large number of smaller settlements as well. Contact is made with the native races, who are largely confined to major cities due to a recent dark period in their history where much of the planet was overrun by a malevolent plant-like race that believes it is their destiny to take over the world. The exact reasons for why this race has fallen into decline are not understood, but fear has kept the other species from venturing too far out into the world. Humans play a key role in coaxing the natives out of their cities and reestablishing regular relations. This is not without problems however, as Humanity does begin a small-scale war with a nomadic people that occupy territory near many Human settlements, the Raagon.
In addition, many Humans have begun displaying certain abilities, abilities shared by some of the natives as well. Originally referred to as psychic powers or magic, these abilities have become known as novitics. A novitic individual, sometimes referred to as a nova, is able to channel and direct his body’s natural biogenic energy to achieve amazing effects. The reaction to these individuals is a mixture of curiosity and fear. The government establishes programs to research novitic phenomena as well as how to make the best use of people with these individuals.
Not long after, one of these government projects goes wrong and unleashes an effect similar to an EMP (this event becomes known as the Cataclysm). The capital city of New Avalon is rendered powerless and the second city, Elysium, is left with only one of its three reactors functioning. In the aftermath, the group of men controlling the single remaining reactor establish a government agency responsible for overseeing all Human forms of power. In effect, they are acting to preserve their monopoly, which is made easier by the limited manufacturing base, raw materials, etc. More importantly the Cataclysm resulted in persistent effects that render electronics largely nonfunctional or unreliable. Daily life for most Humans now most closely resembles the 17th or 18th centuries.
In the aftermath of the Cataclysm, Human society has undergone dramatic change. Abandoning their war with the Raagon, Humanity works to bring the native peoples closer together. At the same time, Humans are still struggling to reclaim much of the two ancient cities they now occupy, just as all races are beginning to explore the rest of the continent. Alien ruins and artifacts are discovered, some of which have the potential to alter the future of Human technology. Distrust and corruption are becoming more and more prevalent between factions within the Human government, not to mention relations between the various species that are often strained.
The planet is also populated with a seemingly impossible variety of flora and fauna, some of which would give a military battalion from Earth’s heyday a moment of pause, to say nothing of Humanity as it exists now. Incursions into cities by local wildlife require constant vigilance, and people rarely travel unarmed, even if being armed these days more often mean a sword or a spear than a gun.
While certainly challenging and often outright hostile, the world of Ortellum presents a wealth of opportunity for any brave enough to take it.
