30 Days of Game Design - Day 31

So my adherence to the "30 days of RPGs" didn't exactly go...well, anywhere. August was a hectic month; to be fair most of the summer was hectic. Thankfully, it was mostly in a good way so I'll take it.

I've transitioned out of New Hampshire and am now living on the outskirts of quasi-scenic Worcester, MA. I have a new residence, a new roommate, and a cat that has "opinions" (and she would like to share them with you). As I unpack and find space for my life, I start to formulate a plan for the future.

One reason August was so full was because I was working on another assignment for FFG. Someday, hopefully soon, I'll be able to talk more about that but sadly today is not that day. That assignment, combined with GenCon and unpacking in my new residence took up a lot of my free time lately. But again, things are settling down and I look at the list of things I need to do and want to do. 

OMINOUS PING

...although that could change at a moment's notice...

I want to get some work done on Anomaly. I've had some serious conceptual issues with the setting, and after a conversation with a good, creative buddy of my the other day I might have a better grasp on what I want to do with the setting. It has to do with the hidden plotlines that are occurring in the background, and what makes the setting unique.

I describe the setting as "Fantasy Space Opera"; it's a setting where various races have populated this area of the galaxy. It's mostly sci-fi, but suddenly magic is discovered. "So it's Shadowrun in Space" was the intentionally sarcastic comment from the previously named buddy, trying to poke me to say why the world is different. His comment hit home, and I knew that I needed to re-align it's focus on what I really wanted to do with the setting.

I'm sorely tempted to re-do the "30 Days of World Building" that I did for it two years ago. Part of me wants to wipe the table clean and start over, but there are a lot of good ideas in there that just need some refinement. I'm not thrilled with the name "Anomaly". Come to think of it I'm not excited about several names in the setting; Stellar Garden, League of Allied Worlds, and The Dark One. None of them are particularly interesting to me or grasp the weight of what I want to do with them.

I have a lot of game ideas on my plate, but I think that My Setting (whatever I call it) deserves my attention. I've been trying to get it going and get some momentum on it for over 3 years now. It's high time I start to make it happen. I've got some time coming up where I can focus on the setting and really get some solid writing done for it. I'm determined to let nothing get in my way...

*finally checks email*

...or that could happen. I guess the reward for a job well done is "more work"... 😅

We'll see how much I can juggle at once! Hopefully there will be another update to what I'm working on later this week, and how I did.

Until then, may the dice be with you!

"I haz opinions!"

Cosplay Projects - Fall 2018 Edition

Some folks recall that I'm involved in cosplaying as well as game writing. I've got a couple costumes in various stages of progress...

First Order Snowtrooper - The project that is now 3 years old. I have armor, and most of the body-suit pieces cut out. The quilted body-suit is the biggest hurdle. I feel that if I can just get that done, the armor pieces would start falling into place. Then again, who knows; it might take more of a concerted effort to get these done (one for me, one for my dad).

Shoretrooper - Those tan-suited stormtroopers on the beaches of Scarif in Rogue One. I've got a deposit down on a hard suit that should be done sometime in the next couple of months. After that it's sand, paint, fit, and get soft parts made for it. Oh, and the blaster, because their blaster is quite awesome looking...

Flint - From G.I.Joe, for "The Finest" costuming club. Most of what's left for Flint requires a sewing machine that can handle sewing through layers of nylon strapping. I need to sew on some shotgun shell holders onto the shoulder straps of my tac-harness rig. Oh, and I need to make/acquire shotgun shells. That and a few patches need to be sewn on. I'm eyeing a sewing machine to get that done in the near-ish future.

Vault Dweller - Vault-suit and Pipboy 3000 are already in hand and fit well. I've got a fantastic, 3-D printed laser rifle kit that I need to sand and put together. I also need to make some armor pieces for it, mostly Combat Armor but I would like the odd leather and "metal" part in there too.

These, combined with reworking my armor for Gatewalker, my Crossover LARP character, means I've got a full docket of costuming projects to occupy my time.

I still want to pick up a 3D-printer before the end of the year. I drool over the possibilities of what can be accomplished with such a device. Screw buying props, I'll just print them for a tenth of the cost! But it needs to fit into the budget, which is a little tight currently...

Next trick; find some time to work on all of these, and my RPG writing projects too. More on that elsewhere...