Just posted this on our blog. It is for a playtest of our fantasy RPG: Sertorius-

We playtested Sertorius this month, running a full scenario. Things went well. The changes we made to the system work for what we are trying to achieve. Sertorius are more durable than standard Network system characters and this allowed the players to take on multiple combats without too muh risk. In the adventure we ran, the party was trying to track down and destroy a Monstra, a kind of magical beast driven to the brink by its powers. This led them through perilous forests where they encountered undead and hostile humanoids similar to goblins. It was interesting to see our spell system in action for an extended period. Every spell can be cast endlessly, so characters never run out of juice. But casting a spell at a high level of power comes with some risk. In one instance a player character was able to summon an avalanche of flame against their foes, and in another one character went mad from channeling too much magical energy.

The adventure culimnated in an ancient ogre temple dedicated to a dead lion god. There they fought a Monstra inhabiting a giant lion, with all kinds of magical abilities (its roar unleashed a tide a thorns that ripped the party's flesh for example). In the end, the characters were victorious but wounded.

So far we are pleased with the game. It has 20 spells so far, and that list is going to grow considerably (we want to playtest in small batches though). Character creation works great.

Most characters are assumed to be powerful people called Sertorius. In the ancient history of the setting (called Gamandria) a powerful god named Senga (the lion god from our playtest scenario) was killed by his Ogre worshippers. This resulted (after some other developments) with the scattering of his soul which was then reborn into living creatures as fragments (rebirth plays an important role in the Gamandrian cosmology).

So a Sertorius is simply the reincarnated fragment of a shattered god. This sets them apart from other characters, giving them more health and access to magic. However players have the option of playing mundane people or creatures as well. In most cases this means an inferior character, which we clearly state to the readers of the book. But in the case of Ogres, things are a bit different. They are a cursed race because their ancestors killed a god. As a result Sertori are never born among them. Ogres have no access to magic. While they were the first to establish civilization, inventing agriculture, writing and engineering, they no longer excel at these things (due to the curse) and live mostly on the outskirts of other societies (this is expressed mechanically as a penalty to related Trade skills). However they have one small benefit from their curse: resistance to magic. As an Ogre grows in power, his ability to withstand spells (and therefore fight Sertori) goes up. Ogres also have a large amount of health.

We are quite excited by the game so far and looking forward to developing it over the next year.

The "magic with consequences" sounds promising. "Cast all you want...if you dare."

Quote from: Tommy Brownell;591431The "magic with consequences" sounds promising. "Cast all you want...if you dare."

In practice it has been a success, but we still need to make adjustments. Presently casting a spell at full power comes with a substantial risk of going crazy and ultimately being warped into something else entirely. It is a 3 step process. The first stage only the caster himself is affected, suffering from various mental afflictions. By the second stage his afflictionsproject andhave a tangible impact on people andthings around him. The third stage the character becomes something else entirely. Also many of the spells are themselves double edged swords. Still playtesting though. We will need to see how this plays out over time.

It is very different from stuff we have done before (same core system but a totally different feel). Would be happy to send you some early material Tommy as I respect your opinion and would be interested in your feedback.

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;591404So a Sertorius is simply the reincarnated fragment of a shattered god. This sets them apart from other characters, giving them more health and access to magic. However players have the option of playing mundane people or creatures as well. In most cases this means an inferior character, which we clearly state to the readers of the book.

I can see why having an Ogre around could be a good option, but if the other mundane people/characters are clearly inferior aren't they really a non-option, because at best they'd end up being a sidekick to a Sertorius ?

Otherwise it sounds interesting and epic.

Quote from: Sean !;591515I can see why having an Ogre around could be a good option, but if the other mundane people/characters are clearly inferior aren't they really a non-option, because at best they'd end up being a sidekick to a Sertorius ?

Otherwise it sounds interesting and epic.

Yes, the other mundanes are not serious options. We say explicitly most characters should be sertori or ogres (and even ogres have a bit of a disatvantage, which we are also clear about). So default assumption is party of Sertori. We leave playing mundanes as an option for people who want that challenge. Basically all mundane characters in the setting are considerably weaker than sertorius, even if they are pcs (which again, we advise against unless the players are fine with the disparity).

Aside from ogres, who cant be sertori because of a racial curse, players can make Sertori characters from the following races: human, hasri (snakemen), elves, orcs, halflings, dwarves, gru (bit like neanderthals), and kobolds.

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;591436In practice it has been a success, but we still need to make adjustments. Presently casting a spell at full power comes with a substantial risk of going crazy and ultimately being warped into something else entirely. It is a 3 step process. The first stage only the caster himself is affected, suffering from various mental afflictions. By the second stage his afflictionsproject andhave a tangible impact on people andthings around him. The third stage the character becomes something else entirely. Also many of the spells are themselves double edged swords. Still playtesting though. We will need to see how this plays out over time.

It is very different from stuff we have done before (same core system but a totally different feel). Would be happy to send you some early material Tommy as I respect your opinion and would be interested in your feedback.

I can totally see that. Horror Show has the same system as the Network games but doesn't feel the same at all.

I'm flattered that you think so highly of my opinion. I'd love to help out however I can.

Quote from: Tommy Brownell;591526I can totally see that. Horror Show has the same system as the Network games but doesn't feel the same at all.

I'm flattered that you think so highly of my opinion. I'd love to help out however I can.

Sent you an email with with the manuscript (and another email for character sheets). It is very rough and early now. There are gaps, but if you know Servants of Gaius those are very easy to fill.

Here is a new entry on the spell system with a sample spell: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/magic-in-sertorius.html

Thinks are really starting to blossom with the system and setting. Spent time hammering down the cosmology (asking ourselves lots of questions about gods, souls, etc while trying to find and resolve inconsistencies). The monster section grows, as does the spell list. There are some new elements I am very excited about. And the setting is starting to emerge with significant clarity.

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;594587Thinks are really starting to blossom with the system and setting. Spent time hammering down the cosmology (asking ourselves lots of questions about gods, souls, etc while trying to find and resolve inconsistencies). The monster section grows, as does the spell list. There are some new elements I am very excited about. And the setting is starting to emerge with significant clarity.

Everyone will enjoy Penderghast.

Here is the latest playtest update (from the Bedrock Blog):

Our latest playtest proved interesting. We learned a good deal about the system and will be working in the coming weeks to adjust based on feedback and observations.

For this playtest I ran a full scenario, with all the players as Sertori (sorcerers) belonging to The Fellowship of Promestus, an order of Sertori who work closely with one of the major empires in the setting. I should give a bit of background here to help provide some context. Will try to keep this brief.

The basic premise of the setting has been stated in previous blog entries, but the core concept is Sertori are the reborn fragments of a dead god and this gives them their powers. They are also rare, and highly prized as court officials. In the region where the scenario was set, there is a small empire called Ronia. This used to be massive, but declined significantly in recent centuries. However it is on the rise again through a policy of southern expansion based on client relationships with powerful kings and chieftains (in the past its territories were mostly in the west and north). One of these client regions is a valley inhabited by ogres. Today ogres are a cursed race, forced to live as nomads and incapable of wielding magic (this is because one of their kings killed the god mentioned earlier). A long time ago they ruled powerful civilization while humans, halfings and dwarves were still living in caves.

The present Emperor of Ronia has an agreement with the King of the Ogre tribes. He sends them five Sertori from the Fellowship of Promestus to remain in his court for two years at a time (every two years they are replaced by new Serotri). In exchange he pledges troops to the emperor's army and promises safe passage to Ronian merchants. So the players were sent there to fill this post.

Upon their arrival they learned that a rival chieftain, named Bayya Ka, was forming an alliance against the Ogre king (Doru Khusat) and spreading a new religion (worshipping a god called "The Merciful One").

I will spare readers the details of the adventure, but it is enough to know they faced a number of challenges including a band of hostile ogres and the cult of "the merciful one" deep in a forest along the valley.

What was interesting about this scenario is it featured ogres and one Sertorius as their enemies. The game has three basic choices for characters (there are multiple races in the setting, but these options are of tremendous consequence): Mundanes, Ogres and Sertori. Mundanes are regular folk, and can come from any race except Ogres. They are weak, only able to take two wounds before dying, and not intended for player characters. Mundanes have no magic but do have a Devotion rating that alows them to gain benefits by worshipping gods or Sertori. Ogres are tough, are without any magic (Sertori are never born as Ogres) and have a Resistance rating which protects them from magical attacks. They also can take six wounds before dying. Sertori are the primary player character type. They are magic wielding, and can be from any race except ogres. Sertori have spells, plus they are tougher than Mundanes due to their natural divinity, taking up to five wounds before dying. These are not intended to be balanced choices, it is objectively better to play a Sertorius than an Ogre or Mundane (though Ogres are not that far behind). This is by design and allowing people to play non-Sertori is merely there for those who want the role playing challenge it presents.

So a group of Sertori facing a challenge of only Ogres and another Sertorius, is much different from sending them against mundanes or monsters that can just take one hit. It proved challenging for them, but they came out alive and successful. Ogres are definitely a substantial challenge to Sertori, but their spells, when used wisely, usually give them the edge they need to overcome.

For the most part the spells did function as we expected. This wasn't our first playtest, but it was our first playtest with a fresh batch of spells to try out. Every spell can be cast over and over again as long as the caster wishes, but casting it at full potency exposes the Sertorius to Afflictions. So there is a naturally built in incentive to casy cautiously.

We did find some problem areas with a couple of the spells. The spells are powered by emotions and every Sertorius has a rating in one of four emotions. One of our spells for example is called "Bolt of Fury" and it is powered by anger. When you cast the spell, your ranking in anger affects damage. Casters with ranks of 2 to 3 in a given emotion do just fine, but those who try to balance their emotions and take one in each, did seem to strugle a bit because of how the math works. So we went back and made some fixes for "Balanced" Sertori. Next session we will find out if our solutions work.

Of course the best part of the adventure was when the players happened upon the cult encampment of "The Merciful One". The woods around the camp were part of what we call a Grim. And I will discuss exactly what a Grim is next blog entry.

Quote from: Tommy Brownell;591431The "magic with consequences" sounds promising. "Cast all you want...if you dare."

That definitely has me intrigued. The Ogres sound like a spin on Dragonlance Irda.

Quote from: Marleycat;599796That definitely has me intrigued. The Ogres sound like a spin on Dragonlance Irda.

I would be happy to send you an early version of the game Marleycat if you are interested in trying it out. Because we are still developing the rules you have to plug in the holes with Servants of Gaius (which I can also send you by email).

I can see the Irda connection there. The big difference is the orgres in gamandria never had any access to magic and have always looked like ogres. They also are not shapeshifters or anything like that, just nomadic pastoralist ogres.

Can I ask about the numbers in the playtest - how many Sertori against how many ogres ?

Quote from: Sean !;599849Can I ask about the numbers in the playtest - how many Sertori against how many ogres ?

five sertori against 8 Ogres.

In the previous playtest we had three Sertori who faced off against a good number of zombies, kobolds and a powerful magic beast (three seperate battles).

Next playtest , i will be doing a number of arena style combats to a better sample, starting with sertori against increasingly large numbers of opponents from different categories.