Sike! Lets go System Agnostic (or with OSE)

Last week, I stated that I had decided to take The Tsardoms of River and Weed, and turn it from a System-Agnostic Setting to Rules + Setting. I have decided this wasn't the best course. WHY?

Well I reflected on what It was I wanted from the Tsardoms. Like, what do I need for it to be (at a bare minimum) in order to get to play around with it? What I came up with proved one thing to me, the Tsardoms would be best produced as a Setting. Not a system.

Here, exactly what I figured out I needed:

1. A 1;1 time calander that could incoperate seasons, maybe weather, the Lunar Cycle, a planetary cycle, day in which monsters are weaker or stronger or more or less active.

2. Yoon Suin Style Social circles and settlement generating tables.

3. Seasonal Encounter tables to pair with the calander.

4. Setting Specific Treasure Tables and Treasure Types.

5. A setting Specific Beastiary of monsters, entries could include: monster names, behaviors, omens, treasures, rumors, adventure hooks, and other neat extras that could prove useful to a Referee using the setting on the fly.

6. Setting Specific magic items. Items that aren't just useful for combat. For example a magical grinding stone that duplicates things, or maybe a magical plow that causes more crops to grow or protects feilds from magic.

7. Rules for using Firearms and cannons. I am planning on making this setting compatible with OSE. But i do want it to be stand alone, so I might come up with my own fire arm rules.

8. Rules that make Animals truely useful, similar to hirelings.

From here I decided to see what I wanted, things that weren't necessiarly needed for play, but that I feel would elevate the setting for myself and others.

1. Lots of Art, maybe like 2 or 3 pieces for each monster, and maybe Playful Typography. Meaning in some places I want the art to interact with the text. Like maybe, a dragon is burning up the table of context with his fire breath?!

2. Setting Specific Equipment lists, with varible prices (roll xd6 to determine the price) for each item. This could simulate real life markets, and vendors or economic conditions effecting the price of an item.

3. A setting specific Appendix N which includes: Media, Music, Books, and other RPG sources I found helpful or inspirational.

4. A glossary which includes a pronounciation guide; you know, for the names of some monsters, or factions, or items.

5. Optional rules/procedure suggestions for intergrating 1:1 time into anyones style of play.

6. Four core (recommended) classes, tweaked of course for the setting, to include: the Bard, the Fighter, the Magic User, and the Theif.

7. A system to replace the cleric and divine magic I'm currently thinking of calling Bless items. the Basic idea is supplying preists with the necessairy ingredients and a small donation, with enough time; could mean they could create magic items capable of performing cleric spells when used. the power of said spells would then rely on the power of the blessing combined with the PC's faith (possibly tied to their Wisdom some how).

The reason I want to potientially take this approach is because in Eastern Orthodoxy, preists are largely non-violent. Although there are exceptions. Additionally, I feel like this makes faith feel more real, and adds some insight into characters within this world.

7a. In the same vein, while I'm currently planning on including the Magic User. I'm tempted to also redo the magic system (in terms of how you get spells if no caster class existed). Unfortunatly im not entirely sure this would work with DnD. without radically chaing it. The reason this idea excites me is because Slavic legends treat Magic Users and magic as Lycanthropey and Vampyrism. In that its both dangerous but also can be passed on/infected into others.

8. As you saw in my last post, in my list of appendix N books that I am using for this project (when I have Included below). I have a book on alchemy, because I want a fully fuctional alchemy system that enables the creation of certians potions, salves, and other items provided PC's have the right ingredients and ample downtime.

But I also want to approch it in the superstitous manner of the Fuedual russian pesant.

9. I have already started on and would like to continue to add some tables related to character creation that could help ground characters into the setting. Things like: Name generators, Languages, Alignment restrictions for classes (im looking at you Theif and Magic-User), and social circles.

10. It would also be cool to include 15-30 pre made characters that Referees can redily use. On Top of that ready to use dungeons and maybe some sand box enviroments could also prove useful.

So clearly as you can see while their are some rules things that excite me. I dont believe it is enough to build a who new system. While also trying to create a following for said game.

Thanks again for Reading. -RH