Shard game

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    • Shard game

      I've recieved the Basic Compendium book and read bits of it. Cool stuff. Good, solid book binding. Great artwork. Very creative premise/concepts. Well done!

      Aaron and Scott, what would you say your biggest RPG inspirations were desinging this game? Game mechanically and setting-wise? Anyone else besides Aaron and Scott have observations or imput along those lines?

    • I cannot speak for Aaron or Scott, but I know what inspires me to run the games I run:

      I first got inspiration to run the game at GenCon, where my brother demoed it at the booth with Scott and told me how awesome it was. I then bought everything.

      I decided to run the game after my group's Scion campaign (supposedly after we played Geist, but that game didn't work out for us). I had begun reading some of my history books on India some time before, having a passing interest in non-Western histories, and since the theme of the game dovetailed nicely into my interest, I decided to look into the Vedas for inspiration.

      It was the right move. I've read the Ramayana, and in so doing, found the plot for my game: Princess captured by demon king, party ordered to rescue princess, adventure ensues!

      This campaign is going swimmingly, and will be finished sometime before Christmas.

      After that, I don't know what game we'll play...but if it's Shard, the next camapign will be based on Seven Samurai!
      -JFC Wolz
      HISTORIAN

      The post was edited 1 time, last by joewolz ().

    • RE: Shard game

      I grew up with RPGs in the 80s and was attracted to any setting that was both beautifully realized/developed as well as different from the norm (the norm being a Tolkien-esque, medieval, European fantasy setting). So settings such as the Empire of the Petal Throne (Tekumel), and Skyrealms of Jorune made an impression on me back in the day (although I've never played either one).

      When I moved to Austin to attend U.T., I took several History courses on Ancient India and Southeast Asia. I fell in love with the rich cultures I was studying, and since there was no RPG settings that had been influenced by these cultures (at that time), I decided to create one. That was how Dardunah was born.

      System-wise, I've been influenced by a bunch of different games: Runequest, The Fantasy Trip, GURPS, HERO, Storyteller, and a host of others. I quickly realized I preferred point-based systems because it allowed you to build exactly the kind of character you wanted. As for combat and dice resolution, the simpler the better, which was why I was attracted to the Storyteller System. For me, roleplaying and story development is the best part of an RPG, so I wanted as few rules as possible to mess up my carefully crafted plots. :)

    • Seven Samurai is one of my favorite films

      So I can't encourage you enough to base a Shard campaign on that premise. 47 Ronin would also be a great basis for a Shard campaign. If you think about it, Dune is essentially 47 Ronin except with a happier ending, and the Dune books were very influential to Shard's setting.

      Keep up the good work, buddy. :)

    • RE: Seven Samurai is one of my favorite films

      For me,...my earliest inspiration was (no surprise here,...I was raised on fantasy and fairy-tales) Dungeons and Dragons, but then I swiftly began to play with other great systems, like Call of Cthulhu (I LOVES me my Lovecraftian horror), and Ars Magica, as well as most games using the Storyteller System.

      Call of Cthulhu, for me, was my first "taste" of a system that was, at least partially, point-based...allowing you to subdivide your points among your skills at the very beginning (even though you had to roll for your stats)... And the simplicity of percentile rolls for EVERYTHING you tried to do felt great to me...topped only by the "success-based systems that came later...

      I believe strongly in character-driven fiction as the backdrop for my games, and am a firm proponent of putting the "role-playing" back into RPGs...

      Good role-playing opportunities are far more important to me than any rules set, and truly define, for me, an excellent social gaming experience... If any set of rules supports and encourages that,...all the better!

      Scottie ^^

    • RE: Seven Samurai is one of my favorite films

      Originally posted by Scott Jones
      Good role-playing opportunities are far more important to me than any rules set, and truly define, for me, an excellent social gaming experience... If any set of rules supports and encourages that,...all the better!


      Agreed! I think you've hit the nail on the head with Shard: a simple system that allows for maximum creativity.
      -JFC Wolz
      HISTORIAN

    • Joe, your game sounds fun. Awesome that you are inspired by Hindu texts! Aaron and Scott, thanks also for your responses.

      I'm a GM by nature, but the funnest campaign I ever played in as a player was Cthulhu. The GM was a bit insane himself and it turned out to be an enthralling (but of course tragic) story that ended up being centered around my character, the only one to survive the campaign (until the very end).

      Shard has such a rich setting with a detailed history! The adventure possiblities seem endless. I am a scholar of mythology/religion/spirituality, ancient and modern, western and eastern. It is refreshing to have such cool game informed by eastern culture.

      I'm all for simple game systems that facilitate good role-playing and story-telling, being a huge fan of cinematic games such as Star Wars and other D6 games. I like good action-adventure films and Jackie Chan. I also love Lord of the Rings and Dune.

      I haven't played it yet, but at first glance I absolutely love the simple game system of Shard! It seems a little like the success-based resolution of D6 Legend, but with static success levels and the number of dice rolled modified by the difficulty level and circumstances of the action attempted. The latest D6 core system added the option of point-build character creation with abilities and advantages, and they do provide some species "packages" that are similar to the animal templates.

      And the character possiblities are much wider than the number of different kinds of birds, reptiles, amphibians and land mammals that exist on Earth! I love all the animal templates and the large number of animal abilities. Way cool.

      Scott, I'm so glad I just happened by your vendor tables and got a chance to meet you at Origins this past Summer. It was cool for you to sign my copy of The Art of Shard. The artwork caught my eye, but you sharing your passion for anthropomorphic animals is what really sold me on the game. It was cool to talk you about everything from prehistoric human association with nature to Spider-Man and Batman.

      I'm happy I finally got the chance to get the game book itself. It has far exceeded my expectations so far. Well done, Scott, Aaron, and everyone! And best wishes in the game's success. I'll do my part and show this game to my friends.