The Killshot Ninja or How To Celebrate IAW's 100th Post

For the 100th time, I am the Warden!!

Ah, the centennial. The last time I marked such an achievement was the 50th post for IAW, it was a reflection on why this blog started and the road it had taken thus far. While I've considered doing the same for today's 100th ramble, that was scrapped to do something fun instead. For not only is today the tenth-squared post, it's also me birthday and the day I reach 2000 tweets. (If you're not following me on Twitter, then what the hell, man? You read my blog and not go the full distance? That's like inviting yourself over for dinner and bailing as soon as the meal's done.)

Those of you in the know are well aware of Killshot and it's progress thus far. To those who don't, go here. Then come back. Currently in development and extended playtesting, the results have been impressive considering this is actually my first original RPG design... ever! Over the past couple of weeks, I've been plugging away at the Director's guide to the game, Killshot: Direction, honing its features and tweaking accordingly under the realization the mechanics are more solid than I had expected. With the design phase complete, I feel like testing it further. Really bashing this thing against the wall and see how it holds up.

Therefore, I'm putting out an open request to anyone reading this sucker: give me an idea and I'll adapt it for Killshot. Even if it's not necessarily an assassin theme, you let me figure that out. As much as I'm setting myself up for buffoonery and wild submissions, that's my challenge to YOU, the reader. Send it to me on Twitter and I'll either reply back with how the existing mechanics already cover that or add it to the list and assemble a new creation in the order it arrives.

Dice Conquers Love (Or The Other Way Round)

I am the Warden!!

I've been holding off on posting this since Tuesday afternoon when a particular playtest wrapped up for the day and it was time to get back to work. If you've been following me on Twitter, I've been teasing it and while it's likely not that hard to guess, the temptation to hold off on going public with it (or as far as posting for 20 people to read can be considered "going public") has been great... but not enough.

Tuesday morning, as I prepared to find my ass groove in my office chair, I was approached with a counteroffer by my fiancee, Chelsea. "If I were to play your game, could I be Mystique?" It's hard to remember every nuance of your reaction when you're in shock, but I'm sure I stopped, blinked several times as if I had an eyelash in my eye, and turned towards her with my tongue hanging out of my mouth.

"Uhh, yeah. Why, were you... thinking of playing?"

"Sure, but only if I get to play Mystique."

How Much Is Too Much?: Struggling With Job Structure

I am the Warden!!

Phew, been a while since I've posted on here, right? To be honest, it's because writing, design, and development on Killshot has been damn near flawless and has flowed from my fingers like a maestro on the piano. Plus I've had the unexpected fortune of a new playtester... but I'll get into that later.

The past two weeks have been spent pouring words into Killshot: Direction, the guidebook for running this RPG as a Director. While I initially expected some hiccups in the writing process as I've never EVER written a basic GM supplement like this before, it's been quite a lovely surprise to see how the fundamentals of Killshot's mechanics can be presented to new Directors. I've even been able to draft up some optional rules for more experienced Directors when the time comes and made notes for upcoming articles in The Killshot Files. At this moment, I have the majority of Chapter 1: Understanding Killshot, all of Chapter 3: Beyond the Job, and the revised draft of the first Killshot job, Dealing Justice, complete.

Today is all about writing the first draft of the second job, Swift Justice. The mark is a city judge, so it's a steep rise in difficulty from killing a piece of shit meth dealer, but perfect to demonstrate how stats like Sense and Mind can be just as important - if not more so - in the game. I've been juggling different ideas for this job over the past couple of weeks and hammered out a plot hook last night, giving me the adrenaline I needed to fire this sucker off to close off the week.

Murder in Phases

I am the Warden!!

Creation is never stagnant, it is a constantly evolving process transporting you in new and unexpected directions. Game design may be the initial eureka of inspiration, but game development is the wake-up call. When I look at the direction Killshot has taken in just a few short months, it amazes me what has changed and what has sprouted from playtesting quite organically.

Most RPGs I've played over the years have dice rolls left, right, and center. Whenever you attempt something questionable, you roll the dice. "Do I notice something odd about the writing on the wall?" Make a dice roll. "Have I heard of his name before?" Make a dice roll. "How many arrows can I salvage from the battlefield?" Make a dice roll. I've seen some players ask for a dice roll just to break the monotony of an exposition scene. Hell, I've been guilty of that because I'm a sucker for rolling dice. I think it's a serious problem and if I ever find an ad for random polyhedral compulsive disorder, I'm signing up to address this issue once and for all.

But something happened in the last playtest of Killshot that I did not realize until a few days ago. Something profound which does not change how the game is played, but enhances it and provides a unique opportunity to make this RPG stand out against the others. After putting it into words during my first draft writing on Killshot: Direction, I can finally sit back and understand its impact.

It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp

I am the Warden!!

OK, maybe the word "pimp" is a bit of a harsh comparison and was clearly used to get your attention, but to me it's incredibly valid. When you look at the meme going around and adapted to nearly every profession you can think of (including an awesome look at how everyone in the Star Wars universe perceives Darth Vader), take a peek at the top left. I wouldn't go so far as to say my friends all think that because I'd like to think they're all insanely jealous of me. And it'd be a nice change of pace because no one's jealous of the friend who's a retail manager. No one. But I would change the top left to "What my neighbours think I do." Hence the pimp comparison.

For the past year-and-a-half, I've been home recovering from the accident and utilizing my time building the Optional System. That was done casually, in between doses of Oxycontin and physiotherapy and Family Guy, never anything solid with locked down hours and a schedule. Now it's time to buckle down and take this work super serious... but not too serious. I'm working on a game, for crying out loud. If I'm not having fun making a game, what the fuck's the point?

Hmm, What To Talk About...

I am the Warden!!

Geez, talk about a boring day. Absolutely nothing happened, there's nothing to write about, no reason for me to be excited or proud, to give thanks for or feel great humility.

Oh, wait...

(See the official announcement on Broken Ruler Games for more details. For now, I'm just too giddy to stay in my seat much longer.)

The Trials and Tribulations of Being the New Guy

I am the Warden!!

What's that? Who is the Warden? Hmm, that's a good question, isn't it? In the big scheme of things, I'm nobody. My name only means something to those few who know me and this blog will only be read by a fraction of those friends and backers of Killshot. Aside from one particular post on the old Matrix RPG I was pondering, my best post has garnered 60 views. In the ocean that is the Internet, my ripples are dwarfed by the tidal waves of giants.

That's how it feels sometimes in the struggle to get started and it can be daunting. During the past month as I push and push and push to get as much funding for Killshot as I can, three projects have raised over $1 million and numerous others started by recognized names in the industry and made their goal in 24-48 hours. And we're talking goals in the thousands of dollars. Like I said, tiny ripples.

All that anxiety and disassociation is gone once that glorious email arrives proclaiming the inclusion of yet another backer to the project. Regardless of the amount, it's a herald of victory against all odds because it's a complete stranger taking up the cause. Out of the 26 backers currently slated for contribution, only one of them is a friend or former associate of mine; the remaining 25 are total strangers I could ignorantly pass by on the street.