Whats Next?

The Fate of Sideways campaign has come to its conclusion! Here's an overview of the immediate work being done before the next campaign starts.

#1: What games are next? When?

I expect to run a short (3 session max) campaign with Jerma (no other players confirmed at this time) as soon as it is ready. Unfortunately, there is a lot to get ready because I'm trying to make sure all of this preparation carries forward into other future games, particularly the return of the original Myriad group (MoonMoon, Surefour, Strippin, +1-2) which would ideally take place shortly after the  "Jerma Game" comes to a conclusion. Preparing a 3 session campaign isn't a monumental task that should take a lot of time, but I want to double down on making the setting more robust so both campaigns can use it.

So, when will these take place? I'm not sure yet. A healthy bet would be 2 months, but I also won't be talking to anyone about scheduling until I'm ready. There's always a chance that when I'm ready Jerma will be planning to stream from Jupiter or something which may offset plans a bit. Sideways was a big reminder that I absolutely can not multitask programming parts of the system while running a game, no matter how prepared the campaign is.

#2: What is the new setting?

The events of the following campaigns will take place 1 year after the Fate of Sideways, allowing time for the conclusion of that campaign to be canon.

I'd like to take some time to develop a new city that is set to embrace a higher level of fantasy elements. A lot of the world map is based around the borders of Humanity and civilization, areas that have been tamed and the occult dangers of the world pushed outside their borders. They are quite normal and grounded - Sideways ironically being a shining example of normal due to the protections of the Redeemer, who would not speak much about his tasks or the outside world.

The new city (name still pending, work in progress) remains a beacon of hope for those who fear the dangers of the occult, but the oddities of the world are put in plain view in a way that cannot be ignored. 

A gigantic dying serpent, covered with decay and injury, wraps around this secluded castle buried within the bowels of an inactive volcano.  A yearly festival which takes place during the eclipse awakens this great beast, allowing it to bond with individuals the same way serpents normally require a bond to speak with individuals. Those who are bonded are chosen by the unseen forces of fate to become Oathbinders, a power glimpsed through the merchant who traveled through Sideways. They are brought into a local academy to learn how to use and be responsible with their new abilities.

The alignment of Volition is ever present here with citizens leaning towards a deterministic view of life and destiny. The cosmic sign of 'The Poet' guides their faith in which they are all following a role within the grand script. Stories require villians and there is no shame in being written into the grand work as an antagonist as long as you stay true to your character. How well you play the role you were given determines your fate in the afterlife.

However, not everyone wants to be a villian or an actor left to fill in the background. Those with more Volition can influence the world around them in ways that insignificant roles cannot. In order to gain the attention of The Poet and be recast into a more significant role, many true believers invite wasps to lay their eggs within their flesh. Bone galls form on the individual, new wasps are born, and their fate may yet be changed by the Poet who is inspired by their dedication. The proof that they are capable of handling more responsibility in the main plot. These bone galls are then harvested to create a specialized ink which decays the paper it is written on over a short period of time to ensure madness is not spread through text which has existed longer than was necessary.

(Oak Galls made by wasps, which did provide a commonly used ink within medieval times)

#3 What is changing with the system?

Honestly, I've decided to speak less about this sort of thing. I continue to be faced with the reality that releasing the system as something other people can use is extremely unlikely to basically impossible. There is a lot I could talk about, but it is starting to feel misleading and irrelevant to what The Myriad is going to be for the foreseeable future - streamed roleplay content. I know there are likely still people that would like to hear game design notes from me, but I'd rather that discussion be more focused rather than tacked onto the end of a post like this (when/if it does happen). Creating 'patch notes' for something that isn't useable just feels strange. Talking about it from my perspective often feels like trying to validate all the work that has gone into it - as if the time spent justifies success of the project. In reality, I don't think it matters at all. It is irrelevant if I can't consistently put on a good show. That is what people actually show up for.

As such, a lot of design decisions moving forward has been tweaked to match the perspective of what will actually make a stream better. Saying there will be randomized level ups from now on can be controversial for people who love character building, but it simplifies things for the players and presents the choices to the viewers simultaneously. There isn't a hidden book of skills the players are choosing from off screen, creating a huge disconnect from the viewers and players. The best case scenario, as it often is in tabletop games, is to present the player with an interesting option that has a clearly defined cost, advantage, and occasionally disadvantage to spice things up. 

That decision is best made in front of other people who can come to the same conclusion about the impact of the decision. It is best to be concise in a few options chosen to match their character rather than overwhelming a player with 100+ spells all at once. There are some players (a significant minority amongst streamers, I suspect) who would want to dive in and read 100s of options. I think over time they will learn how deterministic the randomness is and start to push it in their favor and I will be trying to add early selections through race, birth sign, and class choice which will allow for more specific character building and allowing characters to feel unique at level 1. The best thing I can do is make the impact of a decision clear to both a viewer and a player. 

So, I'll just say there is a lot to do. Juggling it all while also building city maps and designing 2 campaigns will be a lot. It will be ready when its ready, but I'd rather it be sooner than later because I'm excited for it all to start as well.

(current tooltip for a universal item 'Supply' system. Classes and Skills add more versatility and power to the use of your Supplies)

It was a bit too long for this post alone, so in my next patron only post I'd like to discuss a lot of what I've learned from the start of Myriad to now. It will be primarily focused on the perspective of being a DM.