TheRPGSite

The new post-apoc game from the folks who did the very awesome Stars Without Number.

How does it stack up to Mutant Future, the other great retro post-apoc game?

I have it though atm im still reading through it so im not sure how usefull my info will be, if you have SWN i'd get a copy if only for the extra background setting info as it pertains to how earth fell and the different faction remants that are trying to rebuild whilst warring with each other.

Not sure how it compares to Mutant Future as i dont currently have a copy but i'd imagine the rules are similar enoug that you could mix both for a really gonzo post apocalyptic game set on a fallen earth thats also tied into the SWN universe(not that you couldnt run the same campaign without Mutant Future).

Im sure The creator himself will pop in eventually to shed a better light on the differences and similarities.

I've only had the time for a quick skim so far - I'm waiting for my hardback - but that mutation system... looks great.

It's a few table of madlibs-esque sentences. You roll on the chart to get a basic concept, and then roll on the sub-charts for any variables given.

So let's demonstrate.

"You have a [Shape] [Body Part]."

And I get from the Shape table... "Chitinous"... and Body Part... "One or two arms".

So now my mutation is "You have a pair of chitinous arms". As far as I can tell, this one is purely cosmetic, but there's a lot of variety and there are a lot of Mutant Future-esque "special power" mutations that you can develop. You probably could convert from that, but this is so much more versatile.

Other than that, there's a large section of GM quick-generation tools at the back, systems for growing/developing/decaying enclaves, gear degradation and construction, and monsters. There's a pre-designed wasteland, as well.

It seems like a much more "serious" take on the apocalypse than MF; there's no gonzo wierdness here. The few psychics are utterly mad, or trained by the utterly mad, so they're not PC's; the four new classes seem like specialised Experts.

I have it. The sandbox tools that it includes makes it much more useful than Mutant Future IMHO. Not to mention that it includes a fully fleshed out campaign setting, the Bone Lands.

I want it but I am poor. Le sigh.
Moving sucks,

Quote from: Piestrio;564642The new post-apoc game from the folks who did the very awesome Stars Without Number.

How does it stack up to Mutant Future, the other great retro post-apoc game?

I'm in no position to speak on the aesthetic merits, though I do think Mutant Future is an excellent game. I can note, though, that there's one very big mechanical difference between the two games, despite both of them being OSR. MF follows the Gamma World pattern of Lots Of Hit Dice for PCs and NPCs alike, whereas OD follows the D&D pattern of most people having one hit die and dying the first time somebody stabs them with a scrapmetal spear. As a consequence, while MF is a great source of gadget ideas and monsters, you can't use the damage dice and stats straight across without adjusting for that hit die gap.

MF also goes further in embracing the somewhat gonzo flavor of Gamma World, whereas OD is slightly grittier. MF uses a gold standard for trade, whereas OD defaults to strict barter with food supplies as the general currency. This is not to say that MF's got the wrong idea, however, as a lot of groups just don't want to deal with barter, in which case OD provides an alternate token currency to represent claims on an enclave's food supplies.

MF has a lot of crunchybits content- lots of gear, lots of monsters. OD spends its page budget more on GM tools for building adventures/enclaves/organizations. Honestly, if you were interested in both, I'd just grab them both, use whatever system you liked best, and mine the other for the good stuff it has in it.

Sounds quite interesting!

RPGPundit

Thanks for the reply!

I'll definitely be moving this up my "to-buy" list :)

To sweeten the deal, Kevin has posted a FREE 45-page adventure for Other Dust to DriveThruRPG. Here is a link:

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/104238/Grandfather%27s-Rain?affiliate_id=323031

I have only skimmed it but it has two fleshed out villages, random encounter and loot tables, an overland map, a multi-level dungeon and more. Good God, when does the man sleep??'

To sweeten the deal, Kevin has posted a FREE adventure to DriveThruRPG called Grandfather's Rain. I have just skimmed it but it has two towns, an overland map, a multilevel dungeon, loot and encounter tables, etc.

When does the man sleep?

Horrible title.

Between "Other Dust" and "An Echo, Resounding," I think this guy needs a marketing intervention. Neither of these is as bad as Shadows of Estrogen, but still...

Quote from: FASERIP;566550Horrible title.

Between "Other Dust" and "An Echo, Resounding," I think this guy needs a marketing intervention. Neither of these is as bad as Shadows of Estrogen, but still...

Oh I dunno, Stars Without Number is a fucking awesome name for an Space RPG. Red Tide, Skyward Steel, Hard Light and The Crimson Pandect are all pretty good titles too.

Quote from: FASERIP;566550Horrible title.

Between "Other Dust" and "An Echo, Resounding," I think this guy needs a marketing intervention. Neither of these is as bad as Shadows of Estrogen, but still...

"Other Dust" is a pain to track on Google, but I wouldn't change it. It's an allusive tie-in to the Dust nanite swarms on Earth, the post-apoc trope of everything being covered with a thick layer of dust, the traditional funeral liturgy and Genesis 2:7. If the biggest post-apoc IP in the world can swing it on "Fallout", I'll stick with "Other Dust".

"An Echo, Resounding" is the product of layout laziness. I needed more Asian flavor and I couldn't decide how to organize my interior chapters, so I just ripped off Ryokan and used two of his poems as flavor subheads for the book sections.

Introduction / The Wind Gives Me
Domain Play in a Campaign / Enough Fallen Leaves
Creating Campaign Regions / To Make a Fire

Domain Management / In A Light Snow, Three Thousand Realms
Mass Combat / In These Realms, Light Snow Falls

It saved me the aggravation of deciding how to arrange things. Once I did that, I continued to make life easy for myself by ripping off another of his poems for the title. Since it was a book about conquest, rule, and creating domains, the Buddhist imagery was amusing:

Our life in this world
to what shall I compare it?
Its like an echo,
resounding through the mountains
and off into the empty sky.

Yeah, I could've done named both more conventionally, but there are roughly 40K permutations of Assonance and Assonance or Nouns of Nouns out there already. It's more entertaining to do things allusively, and anybody in this business for anything but entertainment is going to be cruelly disappointed.

Quote from: SineNomine;566667It's more entertaining to do things allusively, and anybody in this business for anything but entertainment is going to be cruelly disappointed.

Spoken by someone who knows.  But you seems to have a pretty good track record with releasing quality material over different genres on a consistent basis (moreso than some "pro" companies).  It must not too much of a financial black hole either, otherwise it would be no can do.  I wonder if you have made a greater return than if you had written for a project that pays, like say Kobold Quarterly or even a Paizo product.  

I myself have thrown some ducets you way for the digital bits of RT and AER (both superior products IMO).

Looking forward to you secret fantasy project.

Quote from: SineNomine;566667Yeah, I could've done named both more conventionally, but there are roughly 40K permutations of Assonance and Assonance or Nouns of Nouns out there already.

'Mutant Future' is neither of those and you can actually deduce its genre from that title.

QuoteIt's more entertaining to do things allusively, and anybody in this business for anything but entertainment is going to be cruelly disappointed.

If you want people to check out your games, then you'll want something to catch their attention, no?

'Other Dust' is dull. That shit about the nanite swarms sure sounds nifty, but I wouldn't know that from just skimming the internets, because I (generic consumer 'I') might think the game as unimaginative as its title.

Quote from: FASERIP;566683'Mutant Future' is neither of those and you can actually deduce its genre from that title.


If you want people to check out your games, then you'll want something to catch their attention, no?

'Other Dust' is dull. That shit about the nanite swarms sure sounds nifty, but I wouldn't know that from just skimming the internets, because I (generic consumer 'I') might think the game as unimaginative as its title.

You really are a dick and an ungracious one at that.

Quote from: Teazia;566670Spoken by someone who knows.  But you seems to have a pretty good track record with releasing quality material over different genres on a consistent basis (moreso than some "pro" companies).  It must not too much of a financial black hole either, otherwise it would be no can do.  I wonder if you have made a greater return than if you had written for a project that pays, like say Kobold Quarterly or even a Paizo product.

Honestly, I can't imagine KQ or Paizo paying me nearly as well as I make on my independent efforts. I started offering stuff in January of 2011, and since then I've moved a bit more than $50K in books. After subtracting print costs and handing OBS and Mongoose their cuts of the take, it comes out to a bit less than $20K net, out of which I've had to buy art for my books. I do everything else myself to cut down overhead, even if it shows at times. When I factor in the number of hours I've spent working on the material, it comes out to an hourly wage that'd make a burger flipper sneer, but by the standards of indie RPG publishing, it's been a ripping success. Other Dust cost me $2,413 in art, and it's already made $3K in its first week. A lot of indie games with an actual art budget are lucky if they make it into the black in their first year. Of course, now I need to budget for my next project's art. I'm going to have to pay through the nose to do that one right, and its market potential is... well, let's just say I'm not exactly expecting to move 200 units in the first month.

Quote from: FASERIP;566683If you want people to check out your games, then you'll want something to catch their attention, no?

I want to make games that are fun for me to make. If people check them out later, or if I can make them more market-friendly while still keeping them as enjoyable to make, then sure, that's great. But one reason I don't do kickstarters for potential projects or take pre-orders for my stuff is because I want to do exactly what I want to do, when I want to do it, how I want to do it, with a complete disregard for anything but my own aesthetic.

I think the potential of modern desktop publishing software, POD printing, and all-comers front ends like OBS has yet to really sink in among hobbyists. We have a lingua franca in the OSR, we have the tools to make games, we have a storefront that can distribute them to thousands... what exactly is keeping us from doing whatever we damn well please? Sure, most of it will be junk, but most of everything has always been junk. I can sit down, write whatever I want, and put it up for others to obtain without the slightest concern over marketability, return on investment, or niche targeting. And I can do it for the cost of a single set of proofs.

I can write all I want, sell as much of it as people want to buy, pick up any project at any time and put it down just as easily, and I don't need to ask anyone permission for any of it. Indie RPG writers have never had it this good before, and I intend to enjoy every bit of it.

Quote from: SineNomine;566758Honestly, I can't imagine KQ or Paizo paying me nearly as well as I make on my independent efforts. I started offering stuff in January of 2011, and since then I've moved a bit more than $50K in books. After subtracting print costs and handing OBS and Mongoose their cuts of the take, it comes out to a bit less than $20K net, out of which I've had to buy art for my books. I do everything else myself to cut down overhead, even if it shows at times. When I factor in the number of hours I've spent working on the material, it comes out to an hourly wage that'd make a burger flipper sneer, but by the standards of indie RPG publishing, it's been a ripping success. Other Dust cost me $2,413 in art, and it's already made $3K in its first week. A lot of indie games with an actual art budget are lucky if they make it into the black in their first year. Of course, now I need to budget for my next project's art. I'm going to have to pay through the nose to do that one right, and its market potential is... well, let's just say I'm not exactly expecting to move 200 units in the first month.

I want to make games that are fun for me to make. If people check them out later, or if I can make them more market-friendly while still keeping them as enjoyable to make, then sure, that's great. But one reason I don't do kickstarters for potential projects or take pre-orders for my stuff is because I want to do exactly what I want to do, when I want to do it, how I want to do it, with a complete disregard for anything but my own aesthetic.

I think the potential of modern desktop publishing software, POD printing, and all-comers front ends like OBS has yet to really sink in among hobbyists. We have a lingua franca in the OSR, we have the tools to make games, we have a storefront that can distribute them to thousands... what exactly is keeping us from doing whatever we damn well please? Sure, most of it will be junk, but most of everything has always been junk. I can sit down, write whatever I want, and put it up for others to obtain without the slightest concern over marketability, return on investment, or niche targeting. And I can do it for the cost of a single set of proofs.

I can write all I want, sell as much of it as people want to buy, pick up any project at any time and put it down just as easily, and I don't need to ask anyone permission for any of it. Indie RPG writers have never had it this good before, and I intend to enjoy every bit of it.

Rock the fuck on Mr. C :D I for one will continue paying good money to you for what has never failed to be a quality product. In fact, I'm going to go buy Other Dust right now. Oh, and the name is fucking cool IMO.

Edit: I am now the proud and happy owner of a brand new digital copy of the, according to "FASERIP", poorly named Other Dust :D I must be completely lacking in taste and discernment because I think the name is fine. I'm ok with this.

Edit 2: I'll start reading more into it and share more in this thread, but I can say right away that I love the cover image.

Quote from: SineNomine;566758well, let's just say I'm not exactly expecting to move 200 units in the first month.

Hey, if you come up with a snappy name this time, who knows? You might bump that figure up a bit.

Quotehow I want to do it, with a complete disregard for anything but my own aesthetic.

My advice to you is sincere, but because it's negative, you're not hearing it. Or so it seems.

You put a lot of work into your game. Why hobble it with a prosaic name?

The fluff text from OD is pretty strongly bringing to mind Dark Sun. I would totally love to run DS as a more "normal" PA rather than it's RAW fantasy PA. It's certainly causing OD to scream adventure potential at me, like pretty much all the rest of Mr. C's stuff. Good job so far brother :D

Quote from: Sigmund;566913The fluff text from OD is pretty strongly bringing to mind Dark Sun. I would totally love to run DS as a more "normal" PA rather than it's RAW fantasy PA. It's certainly causing OD to scream adventure potential at me, like pretty much all the rest of Mr. C's stuff. Good job so far brother :D

My favourite thing so far was the Survivor. That guy looks fun as hell to play.

I may need to get a(nother) copy for a friend, so he can run it.

Quote from: FASERIP;566866Hey, if you come up with a snappy name this time, who knows? You might bump that figure up a bit.

My advice to you is sincere, but because it's negative, you're not hearing it. Or so it seems.

You put a lot of work into your game. Why hobble it with a prosaic name?

I'm working on building a flawless reputation for uncompromising indie integrity so that I can sell out when the market finally peaks. Why do you think I'm writing at this rate? I've got to be ready, and those CafePress t-shirts won't design themselves.

Lol

Your books are the long tail baby, since you own them, your family can make money off them for 100 years.  Quality material that is readily available tends to stick around better than junk.

Quote from: SineNomine;566982so that I can sell out when the market finally peaks.

Great news.

I'll wait for the sell-out edition when the game's name isn't so bland.

Hey Kevin,

Since you are in this thread I'll ask if The House of Bone
and Amber might see the light of day under the Sine Nomine imprint?

Quote from: Fiasco;567033Hey Kevin,

Since you are in this thread I'll ask if The House of Bone
and Amber might see the light of day under the Sine Nomine imprint?

I expect it probably will eventually, redone as a Labyrinth Lord adventure in my Red Tide setting. The rough draft is already complete, so it's just a matter of reskinning, polishing, and providing maps. I'll likely save it for a dead spot in my schedule, though, since I've got another project on my plate right now, and after that I want to finish up a Fighting Fantasy-esque SWN book I've got a quarter-complete. I might do it around Christmas if no more immediate entertainment pops up.

Thank you so much for your answer.  I look forward to seeing it at some point.

Quote from: SineNomine;566667"Other Dust" is a pain to track on Google, but I wouldn't change it.

Not even for the sell-out edition?

Quote from: FASERIP;567131Not even for the sell-out edition?

The front cover of the sell-out version will be titled "Consciousness: Fall/Rising" and depict strong, independent women in sensibly-armored burkhas peacefully overcoming pasty-skinned cisgendered oppressors who remain blind to the internal contradictions of their post-apocalyptic neo-patriarchal phallocentric disaster capitalism. If you flip the book and turn it over, the back cover will be titled "Mutant Tits" and consist entirely of poorly-traced pornography and screaming white men with flamethrowers implanted in their biceps who are waist-deep in clinging naked women. I will then begin two opposing kickstarters to fund my groveling apology and blanket condemnation of one or both of the book halves. Stretch goals will include a tone poem depicting the horror of possessing a penis and a limited hardcover reprinting of the December 2007 issue of Xtreme Juggs with nipple shields and swords sharpied in.

Quote from: SineNomine;567195The front cover of the sell-out version will be titled "Consciousness: Fall/Rising" and depict strong, independent women in sensibly-armored burkhas peacefully overcoming pasty-skinned cisgendered oppressors who remain blind to the internal contradictions of their post-apocalyptic neo-patriarchal phallocentric disaster capitalism. If you flip the book and turn it over, the back cover will be titled "Mutant Tits" and consist entirely of poorly-traced pornography and screaming white men with flamethrowers implanted in their biceps who are waist-deep in clinging naked women. I will then begin two opposing kickstarters to fund my groveling apology and blanket condemnation of one or both of the book halves. Stretch goals will include a tone poem depicting the horror of possessing a penis and a limited hardcover reprinting of the December 2007 issue of Xtreme Juggs with nipple shields and swords sharpied in.

:rotfl:

I think I smell a NEA grant coming!

Quote from: SineNomine;567195The front cover of the sell-out version will be titled "Consciousness: Fall/Rising" and depict strong, independent women in sensibly-armored burkhas peacefully overcoming pasty-skinned cisgendered oppressors who remain blind to the internal contradictions of their post-apocalyptic neo-patriarchal phallocentric disaster capitalism. If you flip the book and turn it over, the back cover will be titled "Mutant Tits" and consist entirely of poorly-traced pornography and screaming white men with flamethrowers implanted in their biceps who are waist-deep in clinging naked women. I will then begin two opposing kickstarters to fund my groveling apology and blanket condemnation of one or both of the book halves. Stretch goals will include a tone poem depicting the horror of possessing a penis and a limited hardcover reprinting of the December 2007 issue of Xtreme Juggs with nipple shields and swords sharpied in.

This news is tremendous.

Also, mutant tits are in this year!

(http://cdn.everyjoe.com/files/2012/07/total-recall-three-boobs-new.jpg)

Actually, mutant tits are one of those perrenials WotC's been looking for.

Quote from: SineNomine;567195The front cover of the sell-out version will be titled "Consciousness: Fall/Rising" and depict strong, independent women in sensibly-armored burkhas peacefully overcoming pasty-skinned cisgendered oppressors who remain blind to the internal contradictions of their post-apocalyptic neo-patriarchal phallocentric disaster capitalism. If you flip the book and turn it over, the back cover will be titled "Mutant Tits" and consist entirely of poorly-traced pornography and screaming white men with flamethrowers implanted in their biceps who are waist-deep in clinging naked women. I will then begin two opposing kickstarters to fund my groveling apology and blanket condemnation of one or both of the book halves. Stretch goals will include a tone poem depicting the horror of possessing a penis and a limited hardcover reprinting of the December 2007 issue of Xtreme Juggs with nipple shields and swords sharpied in.

Priceless. Perfect. And ... holy shit, that could WORK!

My book arrived today. :)

Got mine saturday morning and so far ive been slowly working through both it and the other 3 books i ordered(mandate archive annual, polychrome and darkness visible) and making notes for a future campaign(though probably not the same campaign since Other dust is pretty stand alone), good job on the setting Mr Sine!

I LOVE Other Dust, and cannot wait to run it in the off weeks from my Barrowmaze campaign. I ordered the softcover+pdf, read the pdf and ordered the hardcover as well! My softcover should be here Tuesday and Hardcover here Thursday. I have been working on custom character sheets (nothing fancy, just moving things around and getting rid of the progression charts, and adding in room for notes/information).

I have been preparing my PA sandbox in the meantime and love every minute of it. I ordered the hardcover for myself when I GM the game and prepare the sessions. The softcover is for my players, since I know they won't fork out the $$. What a nice GM I am lol.

My favourite thing would have to be the hand System Quick Reference Sheet. Brilliant.

Awesome work as always and cannot wait the next release.

Quote from: Piestrio;564642The new post-apoc game from the folks who did the very awesome Stars Without Number.

How does it stack up to Mutant Future, the other great retro post-apoc game?

SWN read a lot like Mongoose Traveller's rules.  So I'm curious what rules Other Dust borrows from?

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll;567914SWN read a lot like Mongoose Traveller's rules.  So I'm curious what rules Other Dust borrows from?

Other Dust is very similar rules-wise to SWN and it is set in the same universe, albeit ~500 years in the past (if I remember correctly).

Very interesting... I wonder if this wouldn't be too "hard sci-fi" for me? I like my post-apocalyptic gaming at Omega World/RIFTS levels of gonzo.

RPGPundit

Just got my softcover today. Looks phenomenal. I can't wait for my hardcover to come in Thursday!

Quote from: RPGPundit;568449Very interesting... I wonder if this wouldn't be too "hard sci-fi" for me? I like my post-apocalyptic gaming at Omega World/RIFTS levels of gonzo.

RPGPundit

It ain't terribly hard (Nanobots everywhere!) but it's not at all wacky.

It's harsh, but not so harsh that you can't understand people living and surviving in the setting, or that salvation is eventually possible (In this case, the defeat of the Crazed psychics and the rebuilding of society).

Quote from: Ladybird;569077It ain't terribly hard (Nanobots everywhere!) but it's not at all wacky.

It's harsh, but not so harsh that you can't understand people living and surviving in the setting, or that salvation is eventually possible (In this case, the defeat of the Crazed psychics and the rebuilding of society).

Awesome way to explain it Ladybird.

What's the tech level like? Obviously, there's nanotechnology, but are there man-portable energy weapons? Power armor?

This may have been asked but what's the system like? Light? Medium? Crunchy?

Quote from: Dan Davenport;569112What's the tech level like? Obviously, there's nanotechnology, but are there man-portable energy weapons? Power armor?

The nanotech stuff is ubiquitous - it's a disaster recovery system that's been corrupted by mad psychics - but not really a thing that people in the setting would understand or know about.

Most of the tech leans towards primitive; the majority of the wastes are going to be at medieval / renaissance tech levels (With a handful of scavenged more advanced tech), with steam power being the most advanced thing you're likely to see outside of exceptionally well-recovered settlements.

There are energy weapons, power armour and vehicles, but they are incredibly rare and rely on rare power sources that characters likely won't have access to even if they found them; there are still some hidden caches of advanced tech, somewhere, but they aren't something the average non-adventurous character could ever expect to encounter.

Quote from: Marleycat;569113This may have been asked but what's the system like? Light? Medium? Crunchy?

I'd say medium - light, edging toward light. It's a very stripped down D20 engine, maybe a tiny (Tiny) bit more complex than Stars Without Number due to the rules for starvation. The actual game rules clock in at much less than 40 pages, even with explanatory blurb and a decent amount of art.

Each class spread, for example, has one page with a quarter-page picture, XP/saves/HP/attacks progression and a small blurb, and it's facing page has a set of skill packages to choose from. This is not a complex game.

Sounds a bit too serious for my particular post-apocalyptic tastes.

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPundit;569387Sounds a bit too serious for my particular post-apocalyptic tastes.

Quite possibly so- it's not Morrow Project or Aftermath, but with Mutant Future already out there I didn't see much call for a game that turned the gonzo dial too far. The enclave system could be handy to those GMs, however, and the region creation tools work fine by just replacing every mention of "Highshine nanites" with "gonzo radiation".

QuoteI'd say medium - light, edging toward light. It's a very stripped down D20 engine, maybe a tiny (Tiny) bit more complex than Stars Without Number due to the rules for starvation. The actual game rules clock in at much less than 40 pages, even with explanatory blurb and a decent amount of art.

Each class spread, for example, has one page with a quarter-page picture, XP/saves/HP/attacks progression and a small blurb, and it's facing page has a set of skill packages to choose from. This is not a complex game.

Interesting, I like and understand D20. I may have to look for it then. Is it self contained? By that I mean do you just need one book or several?

Quote from: Marleycat;569726Interesting, I like and understand D20. I may have to look for it then. Is it self contained? By that I mean do you just need one book or several?

It's self contained.  If he hasn't changed much from SWN (which I would hope not since it's set in the same universe and has 'compatible with SWN' written in the description of it...) then it's like a mix of OD&D and D20.  Low AC is better, but the formula for it is really neat, rather than having the AC as the target number or defining it, the AC becomes a modifier to reaching the static target number to hit.  Skills are rolled on a 2d6+Skill frame instead of with a d20 to give it more of a bell curve, and there's only 3 classes but the profession-based selection of skill access gives you a lot of customization room.

I like the way the system feels, I'm working on my d20 living steel thing as my primary time killer over here, but I'm definitely going to make my group give SWN a try when I get home, and I'll pick up Other Dust too (I just don't want to order something and have it shipped here this late in my deployment).

Marley the basic SWN rules are free in pdf via drivethru so why not grab those give them a read and see if the system is your thing, it'll save you some cash if not and hey maybe you'll end up liking it as much as i do and eventually have a full set of the SWN/OD POD books and all the freebie pdf extras :)

Quote from: Marleycat;569726Interesting, I like and understand D20. I may have to look for it then. Is it self contained? By that I mean do you just need one book or several?

It's 99% self-contained.

The only relevant thing it doesn't have is the psychic disciplines from SWN, but psychics aren't a PC option, and the antagonists chapter gives you enough to run them as NPC's (The arch-psychics who are the campaign-level "major adversaries" are basically godlike in ability, and their abilities would be "vaguely psychic-themed plot device").

Quote from: Broken-Serenity;569753Marley the basic SWN rules are free in pdf via drivethru so why not grab those give them a read and see if the system is your thing, it'll save you some cash if not and hey maybe you'll end up liking it as much as i do and eventually have a full set of the SWN/OD POD books and all the freebie pdf extras :)

I've got the Mongoose book as well... I don't think Marley has a computer.

Kevin; the Mongoose edition was missing a couple of the societal change tables, wasn't it? Have they been included in the current version of the PDF/POD?

Quote from: Broken-Serenity;569753Marley the basic SWN rules are free in pdf via drivethru so why not grab those give them a read and see if the system is your thing, it'll save you some cash if not and hey maybe you'll end up liking it as much as i do and eventually have a full set of the SWN/OD POD books and all the freebie pdf extras :)

No computer but I have seen SWN at my gamestore so maybe I can get them to order a copy of this game. I like games that are self contained so that's a big plus for it.

Quote from: Ladybird;569756Kevin; the Mongoose edition was missing a couple of the societal change tables, wasn't it? Have they been included in the current version of the PDF/POD?

Two tables were missing from the Mongoose print due to my error in compiling the file. They're online here: http://www.sinenomine-pub.com/SocietiesEvolutions.pdf. I put them into the latest revision of the core PDF and they'll be appearing in the DTRPG POD edition that should be available around the end of the month.

As for psychics in Other Dust, yeah, I thought it best to drop them as a default player option. GMs who want to include them as PCs can always just grab the SWN free edition and use the psychic class from that, and I wanted to keep content overlap between the two games down to the bare minimum.

Quote from: Marleycat;569759No computer but I have seen SWN at my gamestore so maybe I can get them to order a copy of this game. I like games that are self contained so that's a big plus for it.

Mongoose is all sold out of the print run, so I fear your FLGS might not be able to get their hands on it if they don't have a copy lying around. There should be a DTRPG POD edition around the end of the month, however, and I'll be providing it in two covers- one with the Mongoose cover, and one with the original starfield that some people have said they prefer.

Quote from: SineNomine;569771I'll be providing it in two covers- one with the Mongoose cover, and one with the original starfield that some people have said they prefer.

Huzzah!

Good to know, gives me something to look forward to later this month :)

Ya! I will be ordering a hardcover and softcover (or two hardcovers) the day they are announced! Been waiting for this! Wooooo!

It will go great with my Sine Nomine collection.

Quote from: SineNomine;569402Quite possibly so- it's not Morrow Project or Aftermath, but with Mutant Future already out there I didn't see much call for a game that turned the gonzo dial too far. The enclave system could be handy to those GMs, however, and the region creation tools work fine by just replacing every mention of "Highshine nanites" with "gonzo radiation".

That make sense, and I would probably agree that currently there's probaby more room in the market for a "serious" P-A game than another gonzo one.

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPundit;569387Sounds a bit too serious for my particular post-apocalyptic tastes.

RPGPundit

Just out of curiosity, have you looked at Reclamation? It's serious in its own way, I suppose, but more in a Big Damn Heroes vs. Evil way. I wonder if it would be to your taste.

How many pages are there of procedural setting generation, random tables, and the like?

I ask because that's my favorite part of most SN products, but there's never enough pages of them! ;)

Quote from: Planet Algol;570214How many pages are there of procedural setting generation, random tables, and the like?

I ask because that's my favorite part of most SN products, but there's never enough pages of them! ;)

I count 40 odd pages of setting generation/tags stuff and 20 or so pages of various tables.

Quote from: Planet Algol;570214How many pages are there of procedural setting generation, random tables, and the like?

I ask because that's my favorite part of most SN products, but there's never enough pages of them! ;)

With one of my two hardcopies in hand I will give you this breakdown:

Pages 7-50: PC stuff (creation, rules, mutations, etc.)
Pages 51-58: History of the World and what happened
Pages 59-94: Creating Your Wasteland (site tags and what not)
Pages 95-115: Adventure Creation (charts to give you adventure ideas and loot tables)
Pages 115-128: Groups and Enclaves (creating various groups of the wastelands, similar to An Echo Resounding)
Pages 129-152: Equipment and Artifacts (self explanitory)
Pages 153-169: Bestiary (AWESOME)
Pages 170-182: Sample campaign area (north eastern USA)
Pages 183-200: GM resources (random charts and a few maps)

Hope that helps.

What's the cost for me if I go for a POD version?  And do I have a limited time to purchase it?

Depends which version you opt for($35 softcover and $40 hardcover via drivethrurpg.com)and theres no limit.

Quote from: Marleycat;570222What's the cost for me if I go for a POD version?  And do I have a limited time to purchase it?

I myself ordered a softcover+pdf first and was so impressed that I ordered a hardcover as well. Now my players can use the softcover and I have the hardcover.

Quote from: Broken-Serenity;570226Depends which version you opt for($35 softcover and $40 hardcover via drivethrurpg.com)and theres no limit.

Thanks, just have to know what to budget. Seems a bit pricey though. Great there's no time limit.  It means I can get it within my budget and time. :)

Quote from: Dan Davenport;570208Just out of curiosity, have you looked at Reclamation? It's serious in its own way, I suppose, but more in a Big Damn Heroes vs. Evil way. I wonder if it would be to your taste.

Never even heard of it.

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPundit;570622Never even heard of it.

RPGPundit

http://architectgames.wordpress.com/reclamation-2/

This is cool stuff, Sine.  I grabbed the PDF off Drivethru, and it actually hits all the buttons that other PA games haven't for me, since I'm more of a Fallout fan than a MF fan.

Quote from: Dan Davenport;570626http://architectgames.wordpress.com/reclamation-2/

Thanks for the link... based on the info there, it seems a bit melodramatic, and gimmicky.

RPGPundit

Quote from: SineNomine;566982I'm working on building a flawless reputation for uncompromising indie integrity so that I can sell out when the market finally peaks. Why do you think I'm writing at this rate? I've got to be ready, and those CafePress t-shirts won't design themselves.

Kevin, this post alone may require me to now buy everything else you've put out -- I'm already a happy owner of OD, SWN (hardback), RT and AER.  Love your work.

Quote from: Veilheim;571045Kevin, this post alone may require me to now buy everything else you've put out -- I'm already a happy owner of OD, SWN (hardback), RT and AER.  Love your work.

I love and use everything I own that Kevin has put out. I am just waiting or SWN PoD to come out so I can own two hardcopies of that to go with my two copies of Other Dust and sit beside Red Tide, An Echo Resounding and The Crimson Pandect.

Quote from: RPGPundit;570944Thanks for the link... based on the info there, it seems a bit melodramatic, and gimmicky.

RPGPundit

I suppose it could be on both counts based upon what I've read so far...

Well, I won't sidetrack this thread further on the subject. If you're interested at all, Pundit, the author seems eager to send review copies. :)

Quote from: Dan Davenport;571164I suppose it could be on both counts based upon what I've read so far...

Well, I won't sidetrack this thread further on the subject. If you're interested at all, Pundit, the author seems eager to send review copies. :)

I don't feel in a rush to go ask him to send me one, frankly. If he really wants me to review it, he knows where to find me.

RPGPundit