Whoops, oops, I started making a weirdo hack influenced by Esoteric Christianity and depictions of the Buddhist…
Whoops, oops, I started making a weirdo hack influenced by Esoteric Christianity and depictions of the Buddhist hells in Japanese art called SEVEN HEADS while I’m meant to be working on A NOCTURNE, silly me.
I suddenly have a game I need to run and/or play in ASAP: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forty_Elephants
I suddenly have a game I need to run and/or play in ASAP: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forty_Elephants
A NOCTURNE — progress update
A NOCTURNE — progress update
Just a little taster to keep you guys in the loop – below is one system (with some stuff still to add) from the second cluster I’m creating for the game. As you can see, the new Cluster Creation rules are 👌 💯 chef kiss
I’m gonna be putting out Cluster Creation and this second cluster as a little bonus PDF for the time being while I embark on a playtest. As well as plenty of juicy random tables, commentary on how to use them, and the second cluster, it’ll also include some sample factions you can drop into any cluster, how to link clusters together, and commentary on quickly creating factions either in-play or during prep.
A NOCTURNE — progress update
A NOCTURNE — progress update
v0.7.2 of A Nocturne is up on the http://itch.io page. This iteration has been updated to include the following:
– new rules and rules commentary for dealing with clones and artificial bodies, including armature, fluid and disposable metal shells (this has been changed from being a full-on playbook to a smaller cut-out record sheet to emphasise its temporary nature).
– A revised version of The Outlaw, changing some of their core items and special abilities to better fit their concept and the tone of the game
– Two new character playbooks: The Pilot, a character with an intimate connection to the craft, and The Witch, an agent of chaos and Singularity
– The Dark Orb, a new craft playbook
Now it’s on to an intensive playtesting stage, and a redevelopment of the currently-missing cluster creation rules.
A NOCTURNE — progress update
A NOCTURNE — progress update
Here’s a brand spanking new bunch of playbooks, including a new, reworked version of The Outlaw (based on some brilliant suggestions from our very own Alex Lopez and spikemaw), along with The Pilot, a note on shells and how re-shelling works, The Armature (an artificial body along the lines of the Hull), and a new craft, the Dark Orb (an experimental stealth craft).
These will be added to a new 0.7.2 version of A Nocturne real soon, but just throwing this up here for some early impressions. Let me know what you think!
EDIT: I forgot to also include The Witch, which is sort of like A Nocturne’s version of the Whisper. Sort of. Kind of. It involves copious nanomachines. I posted it down in the comments…
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AR_IVI3NS_LysJbyP41RvLbOTiR7nBC5/view?usp=sharing
A NOCTURNE — progress update
A NOCTURNE — progress update
After a little of what was meant to be rest time, I found myself accidentally making another playbook. Here’s the current version of The Pilot, because you can’t have a spacecraft without one. The current version of the playbook is presented below. As always, feedback is appreciated! Also in development: a creepy post-singularity nanotech witch playbook, currently untitled, and a possible weirdo experimental stealth craft playbook called the Dark Orb, but it’s early days yet on that.
In the meantime, I’m itching to get in some playtest sessions of the current full version of the rules as they stand with my home group. Need to prod at the support beams and see if anything falls on my head.
A NOCTURNE — playtest v0.7.1 release
A NOCTURNE — playtest v0.7.1 release
Howdy, all! A Nocturne version 0.7.1 is here, complete with four playbooks, two craft playbooks, and a sample cluster containing six systems and twelve factions. If you notice any mistakes or weird omissions, flag them and I’ll get into the editing caves! In the meantime, feel free to inflict this on your (hopefully willing) players, and message me with feedback!
In case anyone’s just tuning in: A Nocturne is a Blades hack where you play as interstellar space bastards looking to make a quick profit in a vast and uncaring universe. It’s a bit weird and twisted. Enjoy!
(apologies for the low resolution – I’m currently compiling these PDFs for speed and ease of use, so very-slightly-blurry images are unfortunately a side effect)
A NOCTURNE — progress update
A NOCTURNE — progress update
Time willing, I should have the new and improved v0.7.1 playtest documents for A Nocturne up for your perusal within the next day or two!
In the meantime, I’ve been putting together the sample cluster, the starting play-space for a game of A Nocturne (new Cluster Creation rules are going to be implemented in a future version). Below is an example of how I’m treating each system in the cluster – each gets its own page, with an overview, a special rule if needed, a Chaos track (this replaces Heat), a list of locations, some factions, and how far it is from each of the other systems in the cluster.
I’m having possibly too much fun writing all this glorious sci-fi nonsense.
A NOCTURNE — progress update
A NOCTURNE — progress update
Currently adding in some important structural support stuff to the upcoming new-and-improved playtest version 0.7.1 (Scores, Downtime, the Sample Cluster), but I also made a new craft type just to see how robust the current craft sheet format is, and it worked out pretty well.
This is the Cannibal Craft, all about salvage and sabotage, and a craft that proved pretty popular with my group in previous versions. It should give you guys an even better idea of what I’m doing with the claims map, crew upgrades, and so on.
Yes, your craft can take harm and accrue Damage and Scars. I know, I’m a complete monster.
The Prestige, my group of vicious assassins, just managed to cut a deal with the Hive for an unsteady peacetime,…
The Prestige, my group of vicious assassins, just managed to cut a deal with the Hive for an unsteady peacetime, and, remembering that they were currently sitting at Wanted Level 3(!) and having dodged a few arrest attempts decided it was high time to remedy that. How? By going to prison on their own terms.
Enter The Circle of Flame, the Prestige’s sort-of patrons, who have a smuggling op going through Ironhook, hiding weird deathlands artifacts in care packages and ore shipments from the Mire. The Prestige asked the Circle if they need anyone offed on the inside, and as it happens, they do: Skinny Pete, a whisper who’s taken control of a gang of former Red Sashes who were rounded up following the destruction of their HQ (this was something that happened way back in a game we played during the playtest – the Red Sashes no longer exist as a proper faction on the map, instead split up into various smaller, more dysfunctional gangs), and is now trying to muscle in their operation.
So, The Prestige are going to prison for a while (a year, to be exact, though Frunel Bucharest, our Spider and resident jail-bird, may be pulling strings for a shorter stint), and they’re going to keep on plying their trade while they do so. I decided to structure this as a break game, with a starting situation and everything, and as an opportunity for me to reassess the way I’ve been running the game and make any needed adjustments. We’re gonna be doing time skips and playing with Ironhook’s super-heated pressure cooker for a few sessions. Should be fun.
Below are some materials I’ve put together – the starting situation (done pretty by the book, but fed by previously-established fiction – the crew have connections with the Billhooks as well, and they’re likely to be leaning on the Prestige as a result), and a map of Ironhook (with locations added on my own whim – your Ironhook may be different, and I’d love to know how!).
As an aside, Ironhook Prison appears to have become a weird locus for my current games of Blades – both parallel groups are having to get to grips with its inner workings, mostly due to their own goals and proclivities. As a result, I’ve been building a sizable cast of guard NPCs and prisoners. It’s pretty neat.
